Just so everybody's clear on OUR plan, we are going to derail the Messiah with the ballot box, not the ammo box.
DENVER (CBS4) ¯ CBS4 has now learned at least four people are under arrest in connection with a possible plot to kill Barack Obama at his Thursday night acceptance speech in Denver. All are being held on either drug or weapons charges.
CBS4 Investigator Brian Maass reported one of the suspects told authorities they were "going to shoot Obama from a high vantage point using a ... rifle ... sighted at 750 yards." There is no such place anywhere near that close to Invesco field. If there were, the local police and secret service would be quite unlikely to overlook it themselves.
Law enforcement sources tell Maass that one of the suspects "was directly asked if they had come to Denver to kill Obama. He responded in the affirmative."
The story began emerging Sunday morning when Aurora police arrested 28-year-old Tharin Gartrell. He was driving a rented pickup truck in an erratic manner according to sources. Pickup eh? Shades of Easy Rider. I wonder how good his dental work is.
Sources told CBS4 police found two high-powered, scoped rifles in the car along with camouflage clothing, walkie-talkies, a bulletproof vest, a spotting scope, licenses in the names of other people and methamphetamine. One of the rifles is listed as stolen from Kansas. Sounds like high-level assassination is not his usual work.
Subsequently authorities went to the Cherry Creek Hotel to contact an associate of Gartrell's. But that man, who was wanted on numerous warrants, jumped out of a sixth floor hotel window. Law enforcement sources say the man broke an ankle in the fall and was captured moments later. Sources say he was wearing a ring with a swastika, and is thought to have ties to white supremacist organizations. "As God is my witness, I thought nazis could fly."
A third man -- an associate of Gartrell and the hotel jumper was also arrested. He told authorities that the two men "planned to kill Barack Obama at his acceptance speech." "It were them two, dammit. Dincha' see Easy Rider?"
That man, along with a woman, are also under arrest.
The Secret Service, FBI, ATF and the joint terrorism task force are all investigating the alleged plot. The U.S. Attorney in Denver has scheduled a news conference for Tuesday afternoon.
#3
Jumping out a 6th story window takes big brass ones. Or some of his buddies meth.
Which reminds me, I haven't heard from my 61 year old, meth addicted, car salesman buddy. Ima guess he's in another state, about to come down off a bender and I'll get a call from him soon. Again.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
08/26/2008 1:14 Comments ||
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#4
this sounds bogus. Why would the guy admit that he was going to kill Obama? Regardless, it will help Obama further fan the flames of the racist boogeyman.
#5
Yes, indeed. Only via extensive testing of the theory shall we arrive at a sound hypothesis even if it requires thousands of tests.
(I'm definite;y not an Obamessiah fan, but this kind of stunt gives anyone who is anti-Obamessiah a bad name - hell it give anyone who is anti-anything a bad name).
#7
FYI, the guy had priors for firearms and posession of a controlled substance (meth). Was released by a judge for that with probation and time served last year.
#8
Law enforcement sources tell Maass that one of the suspects "was directly asked if they had come to Denver to kill Obama. He responded in the affirmative."
Way to lead the suspect, you idiot interrogator. Ask a meth head white supremacist if he;s going to take a shot at Obama? Like he'd have the sense to say no even if he wasnt?
Sheesh.
Like charging an impotent guy with rape - he may have the equipment and the intent, but he sure as hell doesnt have the capability.
Not saying to disregard this, but that its likely a result of questioning the mook poorly than it is a real plot.
#12
they surely made a mistake - the mugshot of Nathan Johnson is Cletus from the Simpsons, I'm sure of it
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/26/2008 8:37 Comments ||
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#13
Martydom and street naming are not the answers. Painful as it is, best to let it all play out. The American people will endorse the leadership they deserve. On a seperate note, last evenings performance by Michelle was shameless. Poor girl from the South Side of Chicago; poor old dad with MS; no mention of ivey league education; numerous mentions of "giving up big law firm job" to work in the inner-city; tears all around; scripted phone-in from St. Louis Kansas City..... give me a phueching break.
#16
Oswald was a USMC trained marksman and his line of sight was considerably closer.
He was most definitely not a tweeker trying to make a sub-MOA shot at over 750 yards at a human sized target.
My guess:
These yoyos are white supremacist gang members (who do and sell meth). This guy knew he was a goner since he is a repeat felon, already convicted of weapons and meth charges. He was being charged with distribution and felon firearms posession charges which will lock him away since the gun charges are done consecutive and are a minimum of 5 years hard tim on top of anything else. So the interrogator stupidly presented him with the opportunity to play "Assasain", he naturally said yes. The dumbass criminal decided to fluff up his white supremecist standing for when he got to the joint by claiming to have been ready to kill the black candidate.
Press and police now say this was NOT a plot - the other two arrested had no idea of nything when they were questioned.
Again, bad police interrogation procedure initially led to this being far overblown into something it was not.
What it is, is simply 3 white supremacist gang members (and their weapons) dealing meth that got busted for it.
#17
Cut the crap! You inbred donut dunkers would murder the African-American candidate if you had him in your gun-sights. Stay away from your sisters and daughters.
Half-wit: I'm a moderator here. We ordinarily allow the regulars a day or two to bat trolls like you around like a piñata. But you're getting tiresome. Clean up the act or you're banned. AoS.
Posted by: I See Half-Whits ||
08/26/2008 14:19 Comments ||
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#18
I really don't think inbreeding is the problem with this crowd, I See Half-Whits. You really must come up with better insults.
#19
Half-Wits: Correctly spelled, I believe it is...'doughnut.' Hate the bloody things myself. Actually prefer koeksisters and a piping hot cup of Rooibos after a taxing day of bush terr hunting. Quite civilized. Cheers mate!
#20
Kinda sad to get into an intellectual argument with someone who has trouble spelling the big words...like "halfwit".
But I do like doughnuts. Oh, look. He spelled that one wrong too.
Posted by: The Virginian ||
08/26/2008 14:41 Comments ||
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#22
Donut is the alternative modern American spelling. Much like lite for all those diet foods, and equally distressing. Perhaps Mr. I See Half-Whits is the type who puts little smiley faces over the i in his name.
#25
I don't have a sister or a daughter. Who should I stay away from? ;)
(Actually, now I'm craving a donut, doughnut, whatever the hell Besoerker was talking about, etc. Bastard had to bring up pastry on my day to go back on my diet, didn't he?)
Posted by: Swamp Blondie in the Cornfields ||
08/26/2008 15:21 Comments ||
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#26
Poor clueless half-whit (sic). You obviously weren't one of the rich kids at that hinterland high school you attended.
It's ok, I was a poor kid, too. Why, then, is it a problem? Simple: The whole lefty-Bill Maher-Michael Moore "intellectual" trip was invented for those snotty rich kids out in the sticks; as a way of showing that their inheritance/trust fund is so big they don't have to worry about reality. It is just another way to lord it over the putzes.
In 10 years, they will be playing golf at the country club, belittling the hired help, and laughing their asses off at the poor dumb shmucks who thought the scam was the real thing.
#27
Cut the crap! You inbred donut dunkers would murder the African-American candidate if you had him in your gun-sights. Stay away from your sisters and daughters.
Posted by Half-Wit
Half Wit, I'd vote for Alan Keyes for President of the US in a millisecond if anyone had the backbone to put him on the ballot.
We ("conservatives") aren't the ones making race the issue here.
We understand what you apparantly do not. That United We Stand is the national motto for a reason. And that the only way the sociallists can get elected is to divide us against one another. So Sen. and Mrs. Obama play the Race Card early and often to show how downtrodden they are, and how evil the white Sen. McCain is with his 7 houses. And all the other way they can try to divide us, by class, race, religion or whatever.
No, I would not shoot Sen. Obama even if I could. He will crash and burn just fine without anyone else's help. And I'm going to have a wonderful laugh as I watch Sen. Clinton go ballistic over her missed chance to get another 4 years in the White House.
#28
I HAVE MY DOUBTS. AM NEWS > "750-yards and beyond" > in all of US Political History vv POTUS Assassination attempts, AFAIK the bulk of such historical shooting, etc. incidents took place within the Presidents' immediate or intermediate personal space. "750 YARDS" > IIRC, NOT EVEN LEE HARVEY OSWALD WAS THAT FAR AWAY vv JFK.
Cristina Corbin, Fox News "How can you believe Fox News, man? They're in the pockets of our corporate opprressors! Don't believe a word they say. Unless they're quoting me."
Political activists planning protest rallies at the upcoming Democratic Convention in Denver have their stomachs in knots over a rumor about a crowd control weapon - known as the "crap cannon" - that might be unleashed against them. "Oh s***!"
Also called "Brown Note," it is believed to be an infrasound frequency that debilitates a person by making them defecate involuntarily. "And then they banned carrying urine and feces in buckets! Those monsters!"
Mark Cohen, co-founder of Re-create 68, an alliance of local activists working for the protection of first amendment rights, said he believes this could be deployed at the convention in August to subdue crowds. "We know this weapon and weapons like it have been used at other large protests before," he said. . . . "I had the runs at the Miami protest, but it wasn't the burritos and kimchee I had the night before, I know it--it was the pigs, man! They made me do it!"
His group is preparing against a possible attack by Brown Note and other crowd-control measures by dispatching street medics at the convention trained in treating injuries in demonstration situations. "It's all we can do," Cohen said.
So is the Brown Note a real threat? Dr. Roger Schwenke - an expert acoustician who appeared on the Discovery Channel's Mythbusters in 2004 to test the phenomenon - told FOXNews.com there is no scientific evidence that proves such frequencies cause involuntary defecation. "It's all a lie! Adam and Jamie are tools of the corporate media. They sold out to the Man, man!"
But Glenn Spangnuolo, also with Re-create 68, isn't taking any chances. He said he has no doubt that Brown Note exists, and is preparing his group for confrontation. "Whether it causes someone to defecate in their pants or not, I don't know that," said Spagnuolo. "What I do know is that it causes a person to be disoriented and lose their equilibrium resulting in a nauseous feeling in their stomach."
More troubling to Spagnuolo is the "Active Denial System" or "ADS," a ray gun used to send high levels of microwave frequencies that cause a burning sensation the skin. He described ADS as an "indiscriminate weapon" and said "there's no long-term testing on what happens to the body when exposed to those kinds of microwave frequencies." "We're the ones who're supposed to be saying 'Burn, baby, burn!' It's just wrong, man!"
Spagnuolo believes that Raytheon, the company that manufactures the weapon, is planning to test a limited-range civilian version on protesters in Denver before approving its use in places like Iraq. Spagnuolo said he believes tactics like these are excessive. "I think spending millions of dollars on weapon technologies to be used on people in our community is completely wrong," he said.
Posted by: Mike ||
08/26/2008 08:08 ||
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#1
Actually the brown note would improve the smell of the hippies.
#5
So far, its been good old fashioned police tactics, shield and batons.
Jeez and I thought the John Bricher's were off in their own little wolrd... what a strange an odious place in which these people choose to live.
Spagnolo and his mooks are so paranoid and schizoprhenic (detached from reality), that they might really be in need of hospitalization and treatment instead of arrest.
They actually believe all that "brown ray" and conspiracy stuff?
#12
So.... Uh.... how can you tell the difference between a normal hippie and one who has undergone the 'Brown Note' treatment? Do the treated ones smell better?
#13
Mythbusters fairly conclusively proved the brown note phenomenon is a myth. Adam looked pretty cute in his adult diaper while surrounded by subwoofers.
With his strawberry blond curls, blues eyes and engaging smile, Muhannad is setting the pulses of millions of Arab women racing in a television series critics claim is scandalizing traditional Muslim values.
Despite being branded "subversive" and "anti-Islamic" by top Muslim clerics, millions of viewers from Beirut to Algiers tune in up to three times a day to watch the Turkish-made soap opera, "Nour", dubbed into Arabic.
The series tells the story of Muhannad and his equally stunning wife Nour as they wrestle to reconcile the conflicting pressures of traditional and modern worlds. "I love it because it is as glamorous as the foreign soap operas (American and Mexican) we sometimes watch," said Cairo resident Safaa Abdel Hadi, a self-confessed Nour addict. "But at the same time the family in 'Nour' is Muslim and they have similar traditions and customs, so we relate to them much more," she added.
Nour tells the story of a young mother who abandons her family home to start a new life with her baby and the story of another woman who becomes pregnant out of wedlock -- issues frowned upon in the conservative Arab world. "We must not fool ourselves into thinking that because they are Muslim they are like us. The show reflects Western culture and problems, not our own," said 34-year-old Nadia Abdel Rahman of Egypt.
In order to protect their own lives the sensibilities of conservative Arab and Muslim viewers, the production company, Sama, which provides the voice-over, has deleted intimate scenes considered to be "inappropriate".
The program is aired by Saudi satellite channel MBC, which last spring arranged a dinner banquet in Dubai in honor of the two main actors, prompting fans of the soap to go wild. Producers Sama also won over a wider audience by using for the voice-overs everyday Arabic, rather than the more ceremonious classical version of the language.
Kivanc Tatlitug, who plays the role of Muhannad, has proved such a hit with female viewers that Arab media has carried reports of a number of jealous husbands filing for divorce from their wives.
Bigger than the Olympics
From the souqs of Tunis to the markets of east Jerusalem, T-shirts bearing pictures of the glamorous couple, Muhannad and Nour, are selling like hotcakes. In the Israeli-occupied West Bank town of Nablus, several coffee shops have been renamed Nour and Muhannad in tribute to the soap's two lovebirds, who in the original Turkish show are called Gumus and Mehmet respectively. "I sell more than 500 photos of the stars of 'Nour' each day, particularly ones of Muhannad. The girls are mad about him," said Hussein, a Syrian street vendor near Syria's Damascus University.
A travel agency in the northern Israeli town of Nazareth has even cashed in on the phenomenon by offering trips to Turkey, which include a visit to a mansion on the banks of the Bosporus where the series is filmed.
"Nour" drew more viewers than the Beijing Olympics in Beirut, where cafe and restaurant owners have put up big television screens to ensure that their customers, and staff, can get their daily fix. "Such series reflect how the lives of Arab people are torn between modern life and their traditions," said Lebanese sociologist Melhem Shaul, who specializes in the media." Somehow these shows help ease the anguish that grips us," Shaul added. "Women who work but are oppressed by their husbands or male chauvinists who are forced to be on an equal footing with women, can identify with the characters."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/26/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Despite being branded "subversive" and "anti-Islamic" by top Muslim clerics...
Introduce some plots involving acid. Or goats. That should get them on board.
#2
This is hilarious. Some of the biggest TV shows in the world are Mexican soap operas, which are broadcast everywhere and are universally themed, which amounts to two things:
"I love you, but our love is forbidden", and
"The honor of our family has been ruined!".
Everything else is window dressing.
In this case, every Muslim TV production unit is probably trying to come up with their own version more specific to their region, in a feeding frenzy not seen since somebody came up with the idea for a sitcom in the US.
#5
And actually, this is the best way to bring sub-literate populations face to face with certain verities. Put them in a story they can engage with, with characters they can relate to, and have sympathies for. S**t, most of the world does not read serious and heavy social-political texts. They follow stories of people, people that they see as real, and struggling with the same kind of problems that they contend with in real life. Television soaps are just the medium. A hundred years ago it was a melodrama on stage at the cheap vaudeville house, or the puppet show on the corner. You get to that particular demographic by telling them stories and squeezing in the message subtly. Seriously, if I were a clever person somewhere in the bowels of the State Department (oh, yeah, is that a contradiction in terms!) I would be working out a clever way to invisibly fund some more of this kind of drama, broadcast to a Middle East audience. (Is this the case? Oh, my... didn't mean to blow the cover. Shusssh. Pretend I didn't say a thing. Mum's the word.)
An Italian priest says he is organising the world's first beauty pageant for nuns to erase a stereotype of them as being old and dour.
Antonio Rungi says The Miss Sister Italy online contest will start on his blog in September. "Nuns are above all women and beauty is a gift from God," he told Italy's Corriere della Sera newspaper.
He is asking nuns to send their photos to him, saying that internet users will then choose the winner. Father Rungi stressed that nuns were not being invited to parade in bathing suits, saying it will be up to them whether they pose with the traditional veil or with their heads uncovered.
"This contest will be a way to show there isn't just the beauty we see on television but also a more discreet charm," the priest, who lives near the southern city of Naples, told the Corriere della Sera. "You really think all nuns are old, stunted and sad? This isn't the case anymore," he said, pointing out that many young nuns had arrived to Italy from around the world.
He added that the idea of staging such a contest had been suggested by nuns themselves.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/26/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
The highlight is the wet nun wearing the habit contest. I expect the Catholics to win but Eastern Orthodox may grab the headlines!
#5
Well, one good thing is, when the judges ask what they want to do with their lives, they'll say - "To serve God, feed the hungry, tend to the sick and pray for the abandoned".
#6
The problem, GORT, is that they all give that same answer. So then it become contest of who has the nicest, uh, rosary beads.
Posted by: Scott R ||
08/26/2008 13:24 Comments ||
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#7
Nonetheless, it is being called a beauty pageant; meaning parading them based on their beauty. Besides, the fact that one wouldnÂ’t put priests up for the same purpose to see who is more innocently beautiful - sexism, in one of its more negative forms, still applies here.
The very fact that this article exists also seems to attack those who are oldÂ…and if the message of beauty is not skin deep, then the priest seems to be lost here. It shouldnÂ’t make a difference whether nuns are young or old; itÂ’s their service to God and their parishioners that counts.
Although I understand a desire by the church to promote Catholicism, and have people return to the church; like bingo - we shouldnÂ’t break GodÂ’s guidance in doing so.
#9
Nope that's a real photo. Those stools they are sitting on have the stockings and legs.
And knowing the nuns that I do, I'd not be a bit surprised that they were very aware of the humorous picture they present sitting on those stools, and getting a bit of a laugh at it and themselves.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Monday demanded to know why his country's athletes failed to win more than a single bronze medal at the Olympics in China, the official MENA agency reported. Because, being Arabs, they spend more time strutting and puffing and telling everyone how tough they are, than they do practicing?
The 80-year-old ruler "ordered the formation of a fact-finding committee to assess the bad performance of the Egyptian mission to the Beijing Olympic Games that wrapped up on Sunday," MENA reported. "The committee will be in charge of determining who is responsible for the Egyptian mission's bad performance and calling them into account. "Mahmoud! Have whoever's responsible shot!"
"Yes, Your Enormity!"
"Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif decided to form the committee led by Minister of State for Legal Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs Dr Mufid Shehab, to compare the results of the team's performance with its targeted goals," MENA said. "I mean, they said they wuz gonna mop the floor with the opposition!"
Egypt sent a 177-strong delegation to Beijing, but only judoka Hesham Mesbah won a medal for his country, coming away with a bronze.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/26/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
perhaps a new event: Push the prayer rug to Mecca with your forehead.
The candidate of Zimbabwe's opposition MDC has been elected speaker of parliament, after MPs were sworn in following elections five months ago. MDC chairman Lovemore Moyo becomes the first opposition speaker since the country's independence in 1980. As the MPs arrived for the ceremony, two MDC law-makers were arrested, a party spokesman said.
As the MPs arrived for the ceremony, two MDC law-makers were arrested, a party spokesman said.
President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF did not field a candidate for the vote, but backed a rival MDC faction. The BBC's Karen Allen says this was a tactic to try and engineer control of parliament, which has backfired. However, the Zanu-PF candidate was elected to be president of the upper house, the Senate, reports Reuters news agency.
As a result of the March elections, the breakaway MDC (Movement for Democratic Change) faction holds the balance of power in the House of Assembly. But Mr Moyo won with 110 votes, against 98 for Paul Themba Nyathi from the smaller faction. Our correspondent says the results mean
At least one Zanu-PF MP voted for Mr Moyo in the secret ballot.
at least one Zanu-PF MP voted for Mr Moyo in the secret ballot. The MDC has 100 seats - one seat more than President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF - while the Arthur Mutambara-led MDC faction has 10 seats.
MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai opposed the recall of parliament, which Mr Mugabe is to officially open on Tuesday. He says it could jeopardise power-sharing talks, which are currently deadlocked.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/26/2008 00:00 ||
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Riots broke out in a vast area of the capital yesterday as pro-BNP students went on a rampage on and around campuses of Dhaka University, Dhaka College and Buet leaving one person dead and eight others injured. The violence sparked as news spread in the city that ailing BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Tarique Rahman injured himself in custody of law enforcers slipping on a bathroom floor elebenteen times.
The mob also vandalised around 30 vehicles and set two ablaze during the rioting.
In a related late development in Bogra, BNP backed Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) activists set fire to the engine of a train in Gabtoli area, around 8:00pm. Earlier, they staged demonstrations and blocked roads and railways protesting government's 'disregard' towards Tarique.
Around 2:00pm in the capital, JCD activists torched a microbus on Mirpur Road near Dhaka College, leading to an explosion of the vehicle's CNG cylinder, a splinter from which hit Jahangir Alam, a cloth trader, in the chest. He was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where he died, an hour into his admission.
"We walked about 40 yards past the burning microbus, when suddenly we heard a huge bang and instantly Jahangir collapsed on the road groaning in pain," Jahangir's friend Sanaullah, who was accompanying him, told The Daily Star.
Four of the injured were also admitted to DMCH. Three of them were identified as Antara Ahmed Chowdhury, daughter of noted journalist Jaglul Ahmed Chowdhury, their chauffeur Abul Khair, and Sarwar Bari.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/26/2008 00:00 ||
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The BNP's senior joint secretary general, Tarique Rahman, grazed his forehead slipping on the bathroom floor in his prison cell at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSSMU) yesterday.
A BSMMU press release said Tarique was fully conscious and was talking normally. He neither fell unconscious nor vomited following the fall, it said.
"We wrapped a tourniquet around his neck and the bleeding from his head stopped. He's fine. Really."
Echoing the release, prison authorities said the BNP leader had his lunch as usual and was feeling normal. They, however, said he will be on observation for the next 48 hours.
A doctor, who sits on a medical board formed earlier for Tarique's treatment, however told reporters that he hurt his forehead, back, knee and ankle. "Tarique went to the bathroom at about 12:15 noon. As he was about to come out, he felt he could not move his right leg. He tried to walk on his left leg and fell on the sink," Dr Kazi Mazharul Islam Dolon, orthopaedic specialist at the BSMMU, said.
"So I wrapped a tourniquet around his neck, and he forgot all about his gimpy leg. He's fine. Really."
He said Tarique will undergo different medical examinations including CT scan and MRI.
DIG (Prisons) Major Shamsul Haider Siddiqui told reporters after visiting Tarique that he cut his forehead slightly. "I had a conversation with Tarique. He talked with me normally and his pressure was normal," he said.
He said the chief adviser and the home affairs adviser enquired about Tarique's condition and directed the authorities to ensure proper treatment for him.
"Don't loosen that tourniquet around his neck, whatever you do."
Asked whether Tarique was out of danger or not, the DIG (prisons) said he will be on observation for the next 48 hours. "If needed, he would be sent abroad for treatment which is the matter of the government," he said.
Tarique's wife Dr Zubaida Rahman went to the hospital soon after the news. She, however, refused to talk with reporters.
After visiting Tarique, his lawyer advocate Ahmed Azam claimed that his life was at stake after the accident. "When I saw him, he seemed almost unconscious," he said. "I asked him about his health condition, but he was too sick to say anything", he said adding that Tarique cannot be said to be out of danger before 48 hours.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/26/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
So he sat on the head so long his leg went to sleep?
The government officials and employees have to pay on average Tk 7,660 bribe and spend additional Tk 3,720 for transport and meals each to process their pension documents, reveals a study by Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).
Posted by: Fred ||
08/26/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
This differs from the NEA-Donk cabal how? Same bribes donations, same employment and pension protection plan.
#3
On the other hand, Tk 7660 = $US 111. I realize that it is a sizable sum for someone in Bangladesh.
Posted by: Rambler in California ||
08/26/2008 13:19 Comments ||
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#4
Seems to be the game in play here in WA: the Governor: Queen Chris-D- is in 'negotiations with the state employees for their new contract. and despite a hiring freeze due to budget issues, she is awarding bonuses to these same employees.
and the primary results have her leading the R candidate by maybe 2%.
A Dhaka court yesterday rejected bail of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, former BNP lawmaker Mosaddak Ali Falu and former state minister and Awami League (AL) leader Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir in separate cases, while granted bail to Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) councillor Mirza Khokon's wife Masuda Khan.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/26/2008 00:00 ||
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GEORGIA'S conflict with Russia had caused about $US2 billion ($2.3 billion) worth of damage in his country, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili claimed in an interview published yesterday.
Mr Saakashvili told the Financial Times that in addition to cash for reconstruction, Georgia needed "insurance" from the US and Europe to allay the fears of overseas investors. Asked how much damage he estimated had been done, he replied: "Billions. It's infrastructure, roads and railways, but also confidence. At this stage we are talking about $US2 billion."
Listing what Georgia needed to rebuild, Mr Saakashvili said: "We need cash, but in the long run we need some kind of insurance for the companies coming here, that would make doing business easy. What the economy needs to develop is a meaningful level of security. We need to get out the message that investors should not be scared that Russian tanks will destroy their investment.
"We need some kind of security, peacekeeping force, and secondly we need business insurance for investors," the Georgian leader said. "We need some kind of insurance from different European institutions and the US. We need to calm investors."
Mr Saakashvili's plea came as Russian upper house MPs voted to support the independence from Georgia of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Russian forces entered Georgia on August 8 to repel a Georgian attack on the breakaway region of South Ossetia, which is supported by Moscow. After smashing Georgia's US-trained army in South Ossetia, Russian troops then pushed through Abkhazia, a pro-Moscow breakaway region in the west, and far into Georgian territory.
The Russians' speedy military victory over Georgia, which is pressing for membership of NATO, stunned the Western powers and plunged relations between Russia and the West to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War.
US navy ships arrived off the coast of Georgia yesterday, delivering 55 tonnes of aid to the port of Batumi, about 80km south of Poti, where the Russian forces are dug in. US officials said the naval mission was to provide supplies for refugees from the conflict.
But Georgian Defence Minister David Kezerashvili said the presence of the US warships "means we are not alone".
The growing US military presence prompted the deputy chief of Russia's general staff to complain that NATO was using "humanitarian aid" as a cover for the build-up of naval forces. "I don't think this will help stabilise the situation in the region," Colonel-General Anatoli Nogovitsyn said.
Mounting Western frustration at the refusal by Russia to withdraw completely from Georgia prompted French President Nicolas Sarkozy to call an emergency summit of European Union leaders for September 1. The meeting would consider future EU relations with Russia, as well as aid to Georgia.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner had warned the Kremlin that an EU summit would be held if Russian forces remained in Georgia.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said ties with Moscow could be scaled back if the Russian troops were not withdrawn. "We can't just go back to normal," she said.
Russia insisted its army had withdrawn, but noted that peacekeepers were permitted to remain under the terms of the ceasefire negotiated by Mr Sarkozy. Russian troops remained at Poti, 300km west of South Ossetia, and along sections of the main highway leading towards the city of Gori.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/26/2008 13:30 ||
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#1
Restrict travel by Russian Diplomats has been suggested by Georgia. That might actually be useful, as it keeps the Russian mafioso fat cats from their luxuries in the west, letting them feel some personal consequence for their actions.
#2
And if Russia decided that Mexican nationalist claims on Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California, were legitimate, I suppose Russia could invade without insipid blather from the stupid?
Are you decent people? Four millions exiled Iraqis and about a million more caused by your aggression and re-opening of Islam's civil war, would disagree.
And why are you Bushies looking the other way now that Drunk-One's reckless economic policies are about to cause depression?
You simpletons are testimony to the sorry state of US education. The Neocons wouldn't give do-nut dunkers like you the time of day. Moral supremacy my ass.
Posted by: I See Half-Whits ||
08/26/2008 14:16 Comments ||
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#5
Hello Half-Wit. I see we have another Putin stooge here.
You know, we really don;t care what false images you have of us- the world condemns you and sees through your lies.
Russian troops moved FIRST, before Georgian forces entered South Osettia - there is now mounting evidence to shwo Russian troops were moved through the Roki tunnin on Aug 6, and were staging in behind SO irregulars who were illegally armed, and who were firing at Georgian peacekeepers from behind Russian units.
Russian troops protected and armed seperatists, they were partisan, not peace keepers, so there's another one of your cherished lies.
Russian troops were looting, and were permitting ethnic cleansing under their guns by S.O. thugs.
Russia has repeatedly reniged on it duties to withdraw fully to the status quo ante, and to allow press and neutral observers in.
And mr Hlafwit, where is the justification for the looting and sacking of Poti, and the continued occupation thre?
What about the ethnic cleansing done in the George, where georgians were forced form their homes which were then looted and burned?
The world sees Russia for what it is now, a poor culturally barren nation that is shrinking in size and importance, who is dependant upon oil. Once that runs out, you guys are meaniningless apart from your nuclear arsenal. You are being run by a Mafia-like set of thugs who trade on jingoistic Russian Nationalism.
You'd best be careful that China doesnt follow your example of issuing Chinese passports to all those ethnic Chinese in the east - you'll lose half of sibera and all of the east, including Vladivosotok. Your puny army is no match for the Chinese should they decide to take it.
If you are smart, as a people, you will come to your senses, stop trying to reestablish the Russian Empire by arms, and get rid of the thugs who are destroying you from within while blinding you with nationalism. It will end with YOUR destruction if you do not act.
#6
And if Russia decided that Mexican nationalist claims on Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California, were legitimate, I suppose Russia could invade without insipid blather from the stupid?
You are claiming S Ossetia is part of Russia as Arizona is of the USA?
Are you decent people? Four millions exiled Iraqis and about a million more caused by your aggression and re-opening of Islam's civil war, would disagree.
Whether they would or not, is not relevant to this issue. As you may note, France and Germany which opposed our invasion of Iraq also have denounced Russian aggression in georgia. As for US restarting a civil war in Islam, Im not sure what you are referring to.
And why are you Bushies looking the other way now that Drunk-One's reckless economic policies are about to cause depression?
Im not a Bush supporter. I never voted for Bush, and I am considering voting for Bide- er for Obama.
You simpletons are testimony to the sorry state of US education. The Neocons wouldn't give do-nut dunkers like you the time of day. Moral supremacy my ass.
Its not about moral supremacy, its about Russian aggression in Georgia.
#8
Millions of Mexicans do not accept American sovereignty over 4 US states.
On July 15, US advisors were taped training Georgian ethnic cleansers in use of artillery and rockets. Google "Immediate Response 2008" to see for your selves.
At the same time, Cheney ordered his top man to present for final implementation, a Pentaqon game plan ("Operation Clean Fields") for the use of mass murder as means to ethnic cleansing, which was carried out with US advisors directing strikes, during the opening of the Olympics.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/presidentbush/2008/08/georgia-war.html
UNSOT satellite records disprove coverup accusations of Russian tank movement, and confirm residential targeting of Tskhinvali.
Russian intelligence has confirmed that the murder batallions commenced the journey to the outskirts of Tskhinvali, early on the evening of Aug. 7. The ethnic-cleansing barrage (half of Tskhinvali residents were cleansed) commenced at 11:30 PM. At midnight, Georgian state TV broadcast film of rocket attacks, ordered by Saakashvili.
Russian tanks didn't enter South Ossetia until 14.5 hours after the attacks. Small artillery weapons were used to repel Georgian tanks. Georgian troops were lukewarm on the attack, because the President is extremely unpopular, and quickly abandoned their uniforms and military equipment.
Russian troops have captured the entire scope of US and Israeli high tech weaponry. US advisors will soon be put in the position of having to admit to being ordered to commit war crimes. Also, NATO and OSCE officials were lied to by the US government.
Russian blogs are reporting that intelligence, sufficiently damaging to destroy the McCain presidency, and cause his arrest under US Code 50, is being withheld pending completion of the Republican Convention.
So much for your tangled weave of lies. Hope you like Obama; he seems to be a decent man.
Posted by: I See Half-Whits ||
08/26/2008 15:56 Comments ||
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#9
Seems pretty heavy handed. I'd approach it as bit more subtly. Hang around for a while, let your nym become familiar, like that donut dunker that was here until two days before you showed up. Ol' whatisname?...Gentle?
#10
A website close to Pentagon Gamers, posted the following. Read it for yourselves, and contemplate Russia's Play when Bush - already despised by 80% of his American victims - is a dead duck. Wonder what they will do when the American media starts to portray Saakashvili as the pathological liar and ethnic cleanser that he is? You LOSE!
-------------------
The Georgian incursion gave the US political cover to make an ABM deal with Poland, get access to Ukranian radar intelligence, and maybe get enhanced facilities inside the Black Sea. Since the Black Sea opens onto the Med, but it doesnÂ’t link to Russian Northern, Pacific or Baltic Fleets NATO has the ability to surge vessels into it in a way that canÂ’t be matched by the Russians. Of course, the Russians could use anti-ship airpower, but that would set off Armaggedon.
What I’d fear most from the Russian point of view is a request by Georgia to “demiltarize” ports it legally owns except for one or two under NATO control. Under International Law, the Western ports remain Georgian. Over time, the Georgians can diplomatically ensure that the Russian Army cannot be resupplied by sea. If the Russians send their convoys, the ports can be mined before their arrival by air with Georgian permission. This means the Georgians, via NATO can have command of the sea while the Russian Army must supply itself overland. That’s fine for now, with the weather good. But in the winter, things will be different, especially if they face a Georgian insurgency. And if the roads are closed or mined by Georgian guerillas, then logistically supplying the Russian occupation Army becomes harder yet.
So I donÂ’t see a confrontation with Russia, rather a slow strangulation of its forces should they decide to stay. If they pull back into Russia, or even into Abkhazia or South Ossetia, I donÂ’t see that NATO forces will do anything to discomfit them. As I said, Putin should cash in now, while the gettinÂ’s good.
Posted by: I See Half-Whits ||
08/26/2008 16:03 Comments ||
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#11
Nimble Spemble:
I'll cut the insults - see name change - because the Caucasus Crisis isn't about personality.
Posted by: I See ||
08/26/2008 16:04 Comments ||
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#13
It is charming to see Mastrovia re-introduced by the FSB. I've personally missed hearing from the, was it the 12th Directorate?, but nice toknow you guys are back in the game, with much better language skills. Still, signature phrases like "running-dog yakee imperialists" did always add a special touch to your tortured resoning and outright prevarications. Having seen Russia return to it's classic roots of kleptocracy and oligarchy is amusing only to an extent. Putie should realise it will take a long time to take your decent military technology and woefully pathetic maintenance skills and get your armed forces ready for a confrontation with a serious opponent. But then, anyone who would cite a "UNSOT satellite records" has no problem with actual facts.
This is going to be amusing to watch clown. Do us the favor of maintaning the same name to aviod the need to look for the common speech pattern defects in every post.
#14
I'll be back to fisk this crap - from HalfWit.
But first off, the "trainign: he refers to of "death squads' is US Army trainign of Goergian artillery units in Goergia, on how to properly target so as to reduce collateral damage.
Thats lie #1 from our putin-stooge.
Secondarily, provide corroborating documentation form a credible soruce for your claims halfwit, or see them demolished as the tissue of lies they are.
Youur buddies in the former KGB have to come up with better than thte old "Cheny-conspiracy" crap that has been thoroughly debunked. Furhtermore, your heavy handed blatant lying cold-war tyle doesnt pass even mild fact checking on the internet now.
Why not just give up posting your lies - or are you being paid by the line by the KGB?
Somoen else wants to take up a partial fisking, I'll chime in later.
#15
Millions of Mexicans do not accept American sovereignty over 4 US states.
but the UN does, and its recognized by every state in the world, including mexico, so its irrelevant.
On July 15, US advisors were taped training Georgian ethnic cleansers in use of artillery and rockets. Google "Immediate Response 2008" to see for your selves.
Training in use of artillery is quite legal.
'UNSOT satellite records disprove coverup accusations of Russian tank movement, and confirm residential targeting of Tskhinvali.'
what is UNSOT? Where are their records?
"Russian intelligence has confirmed that the murder batallions commenced the journey to the outskirts of Tskhinvali, early on the evening of Aug. 7. The ethnic-cleansing barrage (half of Tskhinvali residents were cleansed) commenced at 11:30 PM. At midnight, Georgian state TV broadcast film of rocket attacks, ordered by Saakashvili."
whats an ethnic cleansing barrage? How does a barrage determine the ethnicity of those killed? This is again an attempt to take the word ethnic cleansing which meant actually taking individuals based on their ethnicity and shooting them, and then sending their frightened relatives out of the country on trains, and using it to mean whatever Moscow wants it to mean.
'Russian troops have captured the entire scope of US and Israeli high tech weaponry. "
I very much doubt that.
"US advisors will soon be put in the position of having to admit to being ordered to commit war crimes."
In your dreams.
"Russian blogs are reporting that intelligence, sufficiently damaging to destroy the McCain presidency, and cause his arrest under US Code 50, is being withheld pending completion of the Republican Convention."
and republican blogs say Hillary has a huge secret about Obama. I dont believe either.
"So much for your tangled weave of lies. Hope you like Obama; he seems to be a decent man."
As evidenced by his denunciation of Russian aggression, and esp by his choice of Biden who has already listed steps to take to counter Russia.
#16
The New York Times umbrella corporation July revenue dropped by 10% today, it was announced, continuing a several year downward trend. link (Hattip DrudgeReport) It doesn't really matter what the American media report any more, Mr. Half-Whits, because the American people neither believe in their veracity, nor pay any attention to their reportage. Rather, Americans get their news from blogs like this one -- for those who are interested -- or late night television like The Tonight Show and The Daily Show -- for those who are not. In 2004 and by appearances in this election the American media haven't even been able to deliver the historical 15% increase in votes for their favoured candidate; At this point in the campaign Kerry/Edwards were leading Bush/Cheney by 15% in the polls, if I recall correctly, whereas today Obama/Biden are behind by two percentage points amongst registered voters, within the statistical variability of the poll. link However, Republicans are more likely to actually vote than Democrats, and somewhere between 1/2 and 1/3 of Clinton Democrats respond to pollsters that they will vote for McCain rather than Obama in November. Some of that last may be pique, but if even 20% of Clinton Democrats vote for McCain, that likely will be enough to put him over in the battleground states.
#19
Hey, Pappy, do you have da twit's IP? Mybe I could forward it to CSIS. I mean, the dudes working there twiddle heir thumbs, so, eh, a snack going their way would be probably appreciated. ;-)
#25
g(r)omgoru, that is a funny way to put it. If he had no conflict with Kremlin, it would be likely because there would be no independence. Can Kremlin overrun Georgia, which would result in a loss of independence? Yes. But remember, Georgians went through all sorts of invaders, and they are still there, after several millenia. Ultimately, it may be Kremlin's Thugocracy that would pay much heavier price.
#27
It's never wise to seriously annoy certain Rantburgers, or even pique their curiosity too much -- they play for keeps. Not me of course. I haven't the imagination, nor the mad skillz. But some of you others...
#33
I imagine Besoeker shared that contact information in case Fred wanted to report our troll to Mr. Zimmerman, whose job quite possibly includes policing such activities.
#35
a competent IP guy could verify who, when, where, and follow through. We'll see how Mr. Zimmermann (or his replacement) does. (Just in case you actually follow up prior to your firing, John?). I might've just emailed the local media and your higher-ups...might be wise to clean house before the media gets on it?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/26/2008 21:10 Comments ||
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Just hours before Russia escalated the crisis by recognising the independence of two separatist Georgian provinces, Mr Saakashvili said Russian forces had advanced to the strategic Akhalgori heights 10 miles from Tbilisi.
He warned that Georgia would respond with force if its capital was attacked and told the West to act more forcefully against Russian aggression. "They are trying to take the heights of Akhalgori," he told reporters at a briefing this morning. "This is the most worrying thing at the moment. They would be within 20km of Tbilisi.
"We are in a very precarious situation."
The president said that the West now had to act meaningfully to stop Vladimir Putin, the Russian prime minister, from heightening the crisis still further. "Some people in the West have been in denial for a long time," he said. "Now there can be no more denial. The West has to show that this will cost them - really cost them. You are dealing with bullies here and bullies do not understand the tender message."
As the crisis has unfolded, Western governments have limited themselves to strongly-worded statements condemning Moscow's aggression and vague threats of limited retribution if Russia does not end its occupation of Georgian territory.
Mr Putin has openly mocked the West's response. "This is the guy who thinks that statements don't mean anything and that the West will always blink first," the Georgian president said of Mr Putin.
The West is nonetheless likely to be extremely concerned if Russia has used the cover of a truce brokered by the European Union to advance unchallenged to within shelling distance of Tbilisi.
It was not possible to verify whether a Russian military buildup around Akhalgori was underway. The town, which technically lies within the boundaries of the breakaway region of South Ossetia, but has been under Georgian government control since 1992, fell to the advancing Russians earlier this month.
Bearded South Ossetian militiamen, sporting rocket launchers and fake designer sunglasses, manned a makeshift checkpoint outside Akhalgori this morning and refused to allow The Daily Telegraph into the town.
A fighter, who claimed to be a battalion commander and identified himself as Anatoly, denied there had been any Russian military build up in the town. "It is the opposite," he said. "There was a large Russian military presence here before but now there are just Russian peacekeepers."
There's a difference, I'm sure ...
Asked why western reporters were being denied access to Akhalgori, Anatoly was vague. Actually there is no problem with you entering but we are going to do some events here and we don't want any journalists," he said.
As he spoke a Russian helicopter gunship swooped low over the road above him, heading in the direction of the nearby town.
European military monitors who attempted to gain access to Akhalgori were also turned back by the militiamen.
A few hundred yards down the road, at a Georgian police checkpoint, officers said that Georgian residents of the ethnically mixed town had begun to flee the previous evening after noticing a significant troop build up. "They saw columns of headlights moving along the track from South Ossetia towards Akhalgori," one officer said.
The development came as two US warships headed towards the Georgian Black Sea port of Poti, which remains ringed by Russian troops in contravention of the terms of the truce brokered by Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president. While ostensibly on a humanitarian mission to deliver aid supplies, the presence of an American destroyer armed with Tomahawk cruise missiles has enraged the Kremlin.
The Russian cruise ship the Moskva, which had been deployed off the Georgian coastline during the five-day war, was seen leaving the Crimean naval base of Sevastopol, headquarters of Russia's Black Sea fleet. Early reports indicated that the Moskva was sailing south, possibly towards Poti - " raising the possibility of a naval face-off between the United States and Russia for the first time since the Cold War.
Mr Saakashvili said that the only way to halt Russian aggression was by imposing visa bans on Kremlin officials to prevent them, and their families, from entering Europe. "All their money is in the West," he said. "They get very upset when they can't go to Courchevel."
The Georgian president also claimed that Mr Putin had threatened him with a war over the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in a telephone conversation nearly two years ago. According to Mr Saakashvili, the Russian leader threatened to turn Georgia "into Northern Cyprus." When Mr Saakashvili reminded his counterpart that Georgia had a close relationship with Nato, Mr Putin's reaction was allegedly one of amusement. "He said to me: 'Do you really think that Nato is going to come and fight us in the Caucasus?'" Mr Saakashvili said.
The Georgian president appealed to Western countries to think carefully about participating in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, which will be held in Sochi, a Russian resort close to Abkhazia. "If it takes place in these circumstances it would be a terrible thing," Mr Saakashvili said, claiming that Abkhaz fighters had carried out "ethnic cleansing" against Georgians just a few miles from Sochi. "It reminds me of the 1936 Olympics. A month ago that would have seemed a wild thing to say. Now it doesn't."
Posted by: john frum ||
08/26/2008 13:30 ||
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Today's Russia is the same as the era of Stalinist communist enslavement. KGB Putin has fired the first shot of WWIII.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
08/26/2008 22:53 Comments ||
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The U.S. embassy in Tbilisi on Tuesday retracted a statement saying a U.S. destroyer and another ship were headed for the Georgian port city of Poti, where Russian forces are deployed. "We cannot now confirm that U.S. ships will be travelling to Poti," embassy spokesman Stephen Guice said.
Guice had earlier said the USS McFaul, a destroyer, and another U.S. ship, the Dallas coast guard cutter, were to arrive Wednesday in the strategic Black Sea port.
Russian forces have carried out patrols in Poti after the bulk of Moscow's forces withdrew from Georgia last Friday. Moscow says it has the right under a French-brokered deal to maintain an "area of responsibility" far into the country's territory, including in and around Poti.
The McFaul arrived at the port city of Batumi on Sunday as the first of three U.S. ships that are to carry thousands of blankets, hygiene kits, baby food and infant care supplies to Georgia.
"At the request of the Georgian government, they will be delivering humanitarian aid to Poti," Guice had earlier said. Asked about the presence of Russian soldiers in Poti, Guice had said: "We are not trying to provoke anything, but we are willing to go wherever to deliver humanitarian aid."
Russia has accused NATO countries of using humanitarian aid as cover for a build-up of naval forces in the Black Sea in the wake of the conflict.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/26/2008 13:26 ||
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Pictures of the USS McFaul in the Georgian port of Batumi.
From Chuck Simmins
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
08/26/2008 16:13 Comments ||
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#2
Hi I was wondering if anyone can answer this question regarding these photos linked above,
I live in a major port with foreign vessels and we are used to local captains boarding the ships and bringing them in ... but they usually do not change their flag to the destination port flag.
In the pictures mentioned frames ..
080824-6483G-N-004
and
080824-6483G-N-003
show the USS McFaul (DDG 74) with the Georgian Flag at the Bow ... this puzzles me can anyone explain? Thanks.
When you visit foreign water, your boat should display a courtesy flag (the civil ensign of the country you are visiting) whenever your U.S. national ensign (the USPS ensign or the yacht ensign should not be displayed in foreign waters) is displayed. (The USPS ensign and U.S. yacht ensign should not be worn in foreign waters)
If your vessel is mastless, it should wear this "courtesy flag" at the bow, in lieu of a squadron or club burgee, or on a starboard antenna strong enough to support it. It your vessel has one or more masts, display it single-hoisted at the outboard signal halyard of the main starboard spreader. Move any flag normally flown there to the inboard starboard halyard or, if your boat has only one halyard per side, to the port spreader halyard.
The customs observed in various foreign waters differ from one another. Try to learn the correct procedure for the country you are entering. For example, is some countries it is customary to fly the courtesy flag only after the quarantine flag (the yellow 'Q' flag) and the vessel has been granted pratique by the appropriate authorities.
Do not fly a foreign courtesy flag after you have returned to U.S. waters. It is not to be used as a badge of accomplishment for having cruised to another country.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/26/2008 20:48 Comments ||
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#4
Thanks for the answer, but still here in the US at a great lakes seaport for foreign
vessels loading grain, they still usually wear their own flag.. again though, thanks for the answer.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/26/2008 21:19 Comments ||
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#6
courtesy and decorum....some lack that virtue
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/26/2008 21:51 Comments ||
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#7
show the USS McFaul (DDG 74) with the Georgian Flag at the Bow ... this puzzles me can anyone explain? Thanks.
Normally when not underway, the Union Jack (and now the First Navy Jack for the duration) is flown from the jack (bow) staff. The ensign (US Flag) is flown at the stern.
The Georgian flag is being flown at the jackstaff as both a courtesy, and as a very pointed message.
In a direct challenge to Russia, the United States announced Tuesday it intends to deliver humanitarian aid to the beleaguered Georgian port city of Poti, which Russian troops still control through checkpoints on the city's outskirts. The aid will be delivered Wednesday by ship, a U.S. embassy spokesman said.
While Western nations have called the Russian military presence in Poti a clear violation of an EU-brokered cease-fire, a top Russian general countered Tuesday that using warships to deliver aid was "devilish." "The heightened activity of NATO ships in the Black Sea perplexes us," Col. Gen. Anatoly Nogovitsyn said in Moscow.
Many of the Russian forces that drove deep into Georgia after fighting broke out Aug. 7 in the separatist region of South Ossetia have pulled back, but hundreds at least are estimated to still be manning checkpoints that Russia calls "security zones" inside Georgia proper. Two of those checkpoints are near the edge of Poti, one of Georgia's most important Black Sea ports. The Russian military is also claiming the right to patrol in the city.
An AP cameraman was treated roughly by Russian troops Sunday when he tried to film Russian movements around Poti. Other AP journalists have reported on Russian looting in the city. Georgian officials have said much of the port's infrastructure — radar, Coast Guard ships, other equipment — was destroyed by the Russians.
...
Posted by: ed ||
08/26/2008 07:44 ||
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The aid will be delivered Wednesday by ship, a U.S. embassy spokesman said.
#11
The U.S. embassy in Tbilisi on Tuesday retracted a statement saying a U.S. destroyer and another ship were headed for the Georgian port city of Poti, where Russian forces are deployed. (UPDATED)
Posted by: john frum ||
08/26/2008 13:28 Comments ||
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#12
Maybe we need to give the Georgians a few hundred man-portable Rapiers, EFP IED kits (with iranian markings, the ones we captuire in Iraq would do nicely), and some air defense capability to take down tactical helicopeters and russian air support.
Rapiers woudl seriously dent their armed forces, and can be used in a guerilla fashion by small cells of infiltrators.
#14
My error, I meant Javelin. Rapier is an old Brit system that looks similar.
Rather be a hammer than a nail... humm along
One of these.
Take note of the armored vehicle being vaporized. Russian make. T72 fully tactical setup.
Not much left to send mommy and daddy in a body bag in Mother Russia, unless you are using a mop.
Note the lack of a large launch plume and the fact that it can be fired high angle as well as direct fire. Pretty good escapability for the firing team.
Enough of those into the armored command vehicles and even a gangster like Putin would have to take notice that he was losing company and battalion commanders faster than he can replace them.
#15
However, while Vlad might regret losing his battalion commanders, the Georgians would regret more having their entire country occupied and pillaged, which is what I think Vlad would order in response.
Let's work on a quieter response, one that costs and embarrasses the Russians rather than provokes them to more mass murder.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/26/2008 17:00 Comments ||
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#16
well thats the Q, isnt it, why havent the Russians occupied Tbilisi, Batumi, etc yet? A. They either think theyve got what they wanted already or B. They are deterred - by many things, but above all by what the georgians will do if the Russians go beyond
now as to A, did the russians get all they want? I dont think so - I think more than show they can pull off a big raid and toss a buncha georgians out of Ossetia, they wanted to dump Saak. Both cause hes an annoyance, cause hes an example to would be liberals in Russia (yeah, i know thats hopeless, but Putin seems to be paranoid about it) and to show any other neighbors the fruits defiance. I THINK the reason they have delayed withdrawl, and are not fully withdrawing, is to try to encourage Saak to go. I think they think this is like post-1999 serbia and the fall of Slobo. And i think they are misreading it.
Best to do is to rebuild Georgia, its infrastrcutre and economy.
But its certainly not innappropriate to build up their military, which has been damaged. They are a soveriegn country and have a right to import arms, as much as does say, Venezuala. And given their experiences, it certainly makes more sense to import small anti tank weapons, say, than to import a lot of tanks. Surely theres no obligation on the part of small states to import strategically useless weaponry?
Now the next question, is what should they DO with that, assuming Russia neither enters Tbilisi, nor withdraws back to the disputed areas, but instead sits in Poti, and in areas adjacent to S ossetia that threaten the east west road. Thats the toughie.
Im inclined to a large scale civil disobedience campaign, at least as a start.
#18
Steve the Javelin response is to deter the further occupation. Its a "procupine" option for the Georgian military to prevent further expansion by the Russian imperial troops.
#19
The only restraint Putin will show is if he is getting his army demolished. THe Javelin strategy will do this if he pressses his invasion. Destroy his armor and officer corps at a rate he cannot afford to sustain.
Same goes for the Ukranians. Set up roving hunter-killer teams to operate behind the FEBA, and take out C3I and logistics facilities with these weapons (they are good bunker busters as well).
President Dmitry Medvedev says Russia has recognized the independence of the breakaway Georgian territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Medvedev said in a televised address that he had signed a decree on the decision.
Few other nations are likely to follow the move. But it will further escalate tensions between Moscow and the West.
Tuesday's declaration comes as Russian forces remain in Georgia. They are staking out positions beyond the de-facto borders of the separatist regions. Abkhazia and South Ossetia have effectively ruled themselves following wars in the 1990s.
Russia's military presence seems likely to further weaken Georgia, a Western ally in the Caucasus region.
Posted by: ed ||
08/26/2008 07:37 ||
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Few other nations are likely to follow the move.
actually that should be interesting. Will force folks like Belarus, for ex, to take a stand.
#2
WAFF.com > MEDVEDEV: RUSSIA DOESN'T WANT A NEW COLD WAR BUT AT SAME TIME IS NOT AFRAID OF IT + RUSSIA WILL GIVE A MILITARY RESPONSE TO US MISSLE SHIELD.
*RENSE > US TO EVACUATE GEORGIAN PREZ N CASE OF COUP; + RIAN > RUSSIA TO MILITARILY DEFEND SOUTH OSSETIA, ABKHAZIA [sovereignty] FROM ATTACK [espec frm Georgia].
The Kremlin on Monday said it was more than happy to be locked out of international institutions as it poured scorn on Western attempts to punish Russia over its invasion of Georgia.
Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, said he was not bothered if more than a decade of post Cold War rapprochement with Nato was halted altogether. "We are ready to accept any decisions up to halting relations altogether," he said. The president also issued a chilly warning to Moldova of a military response if it followed the Georgian example of trying to regain control of its own breakaway region of Transdniester, whose rebel leadership has long been backed by Russia.
The hard line approach was adopted by Vladimir Putin, the prime minister, who said he saw no merit in joining the World Trade Organization even though Russia has had an outstanding membership application since 1995. "We don't feel or see any advantages from membership, if they exist at all," he said.
While he did not formally abandon accession negotiations, Mr Putin announced that Russia was pulling out of commitments it had earlier signed that were seen as pre-requisites for membership.
The international community has so far limited its response to Russia's occupation of large parts of Georgia to strong words and veiled hints of further diplomatic retribution.
Nato has frozen some contacts with Russia, while the United States has warned Moscow's ambitions for membership in international bodies like the WTO were being jeopardized by the conflict.
The tough talk from the Russians on Monday, described by one western envoy as the "bring it on" school of diplomacy, seemed to have some of the desired effect as Britain swiftly issued a plea to Moscow not to suspend all contacts with Nato.
So far, however, the European Union's response has proved embarrassingly ineffective as Russia has repeatedly reneged on the terms of the truce by maintaining its military presence in Georgia. The six-point peace plan, signed by Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President whose country currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, has been criticised for being imprecise, allowing Russia to exploit ambiguities over troop withdrawal.
Georgia is pressing the European Union to commit to "fully fledged peace-keeping operations". EU diplomats and senior security officials meet in Brussels on Tuesday to prepare for an emergency summit of Europe's leaders, including Gordon Brown, scheduled for next Monday.
Salome Samadashvili, Georgia's Ambassador to the EU, said: "So far the EU has been very fearful. We hope the meeting [on Monday] ... will end with real proposals for the EU to take a leading role in the peace process...The first thing is to get Russian troops off our soil. The second is a peace process lead by the EU."
Upping the ante further on Monday, Mr Medvedev issued a warning to Vladimir Voronin, the president of Moldova: "After the Georgian leadership lost their marbles, as they say, all the problems got worse and a military conflict erupted...This is a serious warning, a warning to all - and I believe we should handle other existing conflicts within this context."
Russia's parliament unanimously voted to recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Georgia's rebel regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, significantly increasing tensions in the area. The vote, which needs to be ratified by Mr Medvedev, was a cause for "regret", the Foreign Office said.
In Georgia itself, Russian soldiers maintained their presence outside the strategic city of Gori as well as on the road connecting the town of Zugdidi, in the west of the country, with the Black Sea port of Poti.
Residents of Gori also returned to apartment blocks heavily damaged from Russian aerial bombardment during the five-day war.
After surveying the wreckage of her BMW in a crushed garage, Nino Lumadze climbed a rubble-strewn stairwell to the ruins of her flat.
Surveying the twisted remains of a bed frame and the charred pages of once-prized books scattered across her living room, she shook her head in disbelief.
"I worked hard to accumulate these few comforts," she said. "It takes a long time to earn enough money to buy a car or television. Suddenly I have nothing. Who is going to help us now?"
Posted by: john frum ||
08/26/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
BIGNEWSNETWORK > IRAN WARNS USA NOT TO INTERFERE IN CAUCASUS CRISIS.
#2
The tough talk from the Russians on Monday, described by one western envoy as the "bring it on" school of diplomacy, seemed to have some of the desired effect as Britain swiftly issued a plea to Moscow not to suspend all contacts with Nato.
This is worse than sad. And Moldova has been put in the batter's circle. We should let the EUros know we are pulling out of Nato, too.
#5
nah, they russian stock market is down, and other bad financial things are already happening. "Punish me, I dont care, I dont want anything from you anyway" is tactical, and anyone whos spent much time on schoolyards already knows it. Id be surprised folks here would buy it, if I didnt know about y'alls a priori belief in teh toothlessness of international orgs.
#6
Strategic. The price of oil is going to fall dramatically. The Russkies will continue to stir the pot to (1) keep the price up to the extent they can and (2) to keep the folks at home riled up about the Evil Americans.
With oil down significantly the standard of living is bound to fall. Falling oil prices were a large part of the reason the Soviet Union fell in '89. Having the Evil Americans as a domestic distraction will help ease the pain. So will more vodka.
Withdrawing from WOT allows Putin to keep out cheaper imports to keep uncompetitive Soviet Russian enterprises in business.
#8
If we really want to punish Russia, ban them from the Olympics for 20 or 30 years. Watch them scream!
The WTO thingie isn't a biggie, but ejecting them from the G8 would be. The EU should post a 200% tariff on all Russian imports, including oil and gas, and begin buying from elsewhere. Russia needs to learn there are consequences for their behavior.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/26/2008 12:36 Comments ||
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#9
Ivan is getting a bit more paranoid angry and boisterous, now that he's discovered our .... secret STERIZATION PLOT! None this would have seen the light of day had the Rev Jeremiah Wright not leaked our MAN-MADE AIDS capability
#10
If I'm not mistaken, aren't they still buying grain from us? If so, I think there should be some "questions" about the export licenses arising at a strategic time - like just before winter.
Posted by: A Very Reasonable Man ||
08/26/2008 20:49 Comments ||
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#4
Russia has oil, gas and minerals. That's it. They don't need the WTO to make oodles of money selling these to the West ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/26/2008 8:03 Comments ||
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#5
And their main manufacturing product is weaponry - the most advanced of which (developed during the waning days of the Soviet Union) sells quite well via direct Gov't to Gov't sales.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/26/2008 8:31 Comments ||
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#6
they need assistance in developing oil and gas reserves. Not to mention the rest of their economy. They didnt apply to WTO in the first place for laughs. Granted its not as important to them as to China, but I think TW is right on this one.
#7
IIRC, Boeing has outsourced a large amount of computer and engineering to Russia; wonder what the boys in Chi-town are doing about that?
(new airplane, the 787-9-ski)
A top Russian general has said that Moscow has 'clear' evidence that Georgia intends to attack the breakaway region of Abkhazia. Looks like the Tsar has decided to absorb the whole country.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/26/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
We need to publicly call them out before they can be the story teller in the next crisis.
A large explosion Sunday morning destroyed a train carrying oil through this town in central Georgia, engulfing mangled cars in a tower of flames. Georgian officials said they suspected Russian forces had mined the track or an adjacent military base.
Earlier in the day, separate blasts in the area killed a woman near a military installation and critically injured a man.
The explosions came as Georgians returned en masse for the first time to parts of the country briefly occupied and then abandoned Friday by Russian forces. During fighting this month, Russian forces used cluster munitions, many of which remain unexploded, and blew up several military facilities and a key railroad bridge. "I am sure the Russians have left other surprises for us," said Shota Utiashvili, a spokesman for Georgia's Interior Ministry. "They want to disrupt our life and our economy as much as possible."
All day Sunday, Georgians poured into Gori, the largest city the Russians held during the conflict, which ignited when Georgian forces attacked the breakaway Georgian territory of South Ossetia on Aug. 7. Russian forces then drove them from the disputed region and seized up to a third of Georgia. Russia withdrew from some of that territory Friday, but Georgian and international officials say Russian forces remain in violation of a French-brokered cease-fire that called for withdrawal from all Georgian land.
Gori's Stalin Square, named for the former Soviet dictator who is the city's most famous son, became a large bus depot Sunday. Yellow coaches bearing residents arrived on a highway congested with returnees who had fled to outlying areas to escape the fighting. They loaded large packages full of belongings into taxis and returned home, some for the first time in two weeks. A young girl stepped off a bus tightly clutching a stuffed tiger about her size.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/26/2008 00:00 ||
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Russia's ambassador to Norway was supposed to talk about cultural bridge-building in Stavanger on Tuesday, but used the occasion to instead warn the media and the USA against creating a new "Cold War."
"I know many well-educated Norwegians who now use most of their energy to warn against all the dangers coming out of Russia," complained Ambassador Sergej Andrejev at a meeting in Stavanger tied to the Offshore Northern Seas expo now underway. "all the dangers"? Does someone have a list?
Andrejev especially criticized the picture drawn of Russia in both Norwegian and other western media, as a country lacking freedom of expression, with an authoritarian government that itself is turning back to a Cold War mentality.
That's a false picture, he claimed, adding that no one should feel threatened by Russia. "While Russia is building up its defenses, it's not directed against Norway or other western countries, and therefore there's nothing to fear," he said, according to newspaper Stavanger Aftenblad's account of Andrejev's remarks. "No, no, no ... please ignore the Tu-22M maritime patrol flights off your coast."
He repeated the official Russian view of recent hostilities in Georgia, claiming that Georgia launched an attack in South Ossetia and Russia felt obliged to defend Russian citizens and Russia's interests in the province.
He also blasted all the US' wartime aggression from Vietnam to Iraq, and warned against any attack on Iran. "All countries must be allowed to develop at their own tempo, not be forced into anything," he said. Sheesh
Russia, he said, has learned from the mistakes made during the time of the Soviet Union and won't veer away from democracy. "But we will decide ourselves how things shall develop and how Russia will solve its own problems, without interference from outside the Kremlin, " Andrejev said. We're going to need more F-22s
Norway has found itself in a bind of late, caught between its loyalties as a member of NATO and its interests in staying on good terms with Russia. Relations between NATO and Russia are strained at present.
NATO's expansion, Russia's apparent need to assert itself, and developments from the conflict in Georgia to the US' controversial missile shield have created a new political situation, according to Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. Norway is left with "a foot, or should I say toes, in all camps, dictated by a level-headed understanding of our interests," Støre told ministry employees this week.
#2
I was looking at the video over at michelle malkins site where Jason talks one on one to the members of the crowd.
I kinda felt sorry for the little misfits who can only find love in the arms of the paid organizers of World Can Wait, CPUSA or Code Pink, etc. If the media and other powers at large didn't utilize them as useful idiots, most of them would be harmless societal rejects who just need a place to feel welcome.
#3
Authorities can hold anyone for 72 hours. That should be sufficient time to load them up and fly them to Havana where we can trade them one for one [hell, five for one] for any Cuban who wants to go to America. Everyone is happy. They get the Workers Paradise and we get people who do want to be here. What could be their objection?
#7
I wonder who these little peckerwoods are? Obviously most of them were not alive in 1968. And what and who the hell are they protesting? They must be somewhat sheltered and never have been to a totalitarian country.
#2
I don't know if Michelle wants to put that bastard in a camp, but I certainly do, along with the rest of his loony ilk. She's got a lot more patience than I do.
Rep. Dennis Kucinich, erstwhile presidential candidate and strident opponent of the Bush administration, gave the most spirited speech of the session Tuesday condemning the war, the economy and the Republicans. Short in stature, the Ohio congressman leaped up onto his tip toes time and again, thrusting his arms out and up, getting the crowd to roar so loudly he had to yell into the microphone to be heard.
I can't imagine why they didn't show Dennis the Menace on prime-time ...
It will become known as the "Wake Up, America" speech.
"Fellow Democrats, are you ready for November?" he asked. Are you ready to rumble, Joe Dirt!
"It's election day 2006 and we Democrats are giving America a wake up call. Wake up, America!" How about a enema. That would be more pleasant.
In 2001, the oil companies and the war contractors seized the country and added four trillion dollars to the national debt.
"Millions of Americans have lost their jobs; trillions of dollars for an unwarranted war paid for with borrowed money; tens of millions of dollars in cash and weapons disappeared into thin air at the cost of the lives of our troops and innocent Iraqis."
Meanwhile, with the U.S. helping to rebuild infrastructure in Iraq and Afghanistan, "there is no money to rebuild bridges in America."
Then he launched into a "Wake Up" litany:
"The insurance companies took over health care. Wake up, America!
"The pharmaceutical companies took over drug prices. Wake up, America"
"The speculators took over Wall Street. Wake up, America!"
With each refrain, the delegates grew more frenzied.
"Stand up Dennis! Oh, you are standing up."
"We went into Iraq for oil, and now they want to drill more... into your wallet. Wake up America.
"This administration can tap our phones but they can't tap our creative spirit. They can open our mail but they can't open economic opportunities. They can track our every move but they lost track of the economy.
He played on the terror alert level "color chart."
"Every day we get the color orange while the oil companies, the insurance companies, the speculators, the war contractors get the color green. Wake up, America.
"This is not a call for you to take a new direction from right to left; this is a call for you to go from down to up.
"Up with peace!" Kucinich yelled to approving roarsIn a squeaky voice.. "Up with prosperity! Up with education! Up with Democrats! Up yours!!
The delegates continued to cheer through the first part of the next speaker's remarks. The day Dennis Kucinich gets me excited, will be the day after they invent intellectual Viagra.
Washington, DC – August 26, 2008 – The Barack Obama campaign has resorted to a campaign of intimidation and legal threats to convince television stations and the federal government to force off the air an ad by the American Issues Project detailing the link between Sen. Obama and remorseless domestic terrorist William Ayers.
The Obama campaign has been contacting stations running American Issues ProjectÂ’s ad in an unsuccessful attempt to compel them to pull the spot. The Obama campaign also sent a letter yesterday to the Department of Justice asking the government to investigate American Issues Project, its officers, board of directors, and donors. With no success on either front, the campaign has begun running its own ad in response. Notably, this ad fails to dispute a single fact in the American Issues ProjectÂ’s initial ad.
“The Obama campaign knows it can’t argue the facts of the link between Obama and Ayers, so it is instead resorting to a desperate campaign of intimidation and legal threats,” said Ed Martin, American Issues Project’s president. “The scary question this raises is if Barack Obama demonstrates this little regard for free speech from his opponents during the campaign, what could the American people expect from him as a president?”
“The tremendous amount of time, money and effort the campaign is expending to run its own ads on the Ayers controversy and dispatch its hired guns all over the country – during the Democratic convention – speaks to the fear they must have that this issue is resonating with American voters.”
The irony is pretty thick - they point out that they are using the same laws and corporate forms that Pro-Abortion NARAL has used for decades to put forth political speech that opposes and criticises GOP candidates.
If the DOJ goes after this, then it will have to go after Union, Sierra Club, and others who run such ads on the other side of things.
I guess the Obama people really do believe that it is OK for the laws to protect their side but not OK for people opposing them to be protected in the same manner.
#2
Barack Obama’s relationship with Bill Ayers will not go away. Ayers and his wife, Bernardine Dohrn were terrorists for the notorious Weather Underground during the turbulent 1960s, turning fugitive when a bomb — designed to kill army officers in New Jersey — accidentally exploded in a New York townhouse. Prior to that, Ayers and his cohorts succeeded in bombing the Pentagon. Ayers and Dohrn remain unrepentant for their terrorist past. Ayers was pictured in a 2001 article for Chicago magazine, stomping on an American flag, and told the New York Times just before 9/11 that the notion of the United States as a just and fair and decent place “makes me want to puke.” Although Obama actually launched his political career at an event at Ayers’s and Dohrn’s home, Obama has dismissed Ayers as just “a guy who lives in my neighborhood,” and “not somebody who I exchange ideas from on a regular basis.” For his part, Ayers refuses to discuss his relationship with Obama. Although the press has been notably lax about pursuing the matter, the full story of the Obama-Ayers relationship calls the truth of Obama’s account seriously into question.
You would think that the "hip" crowd running Obama's campaign would realize that every time they bitch about it, about 1,000 more people check the ad out online. (But then again, this is the same crowd that thought it was a good idea to text everyone at 3 am on Saturday, a time reserved for either drunk dialing old lovers or getting notification that a family member is dying.)
Posted by: Swamp Blondie in the Cornfields ||
08/26/2008 15:03 Comments ||
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#4
The hubris and incompetence of the Obama group is staggering.
#5
The Obama brain trust is slipping down a slipperey slope faster than they can say "Slippery Sloooopppppe!"
Can anyone point out one relatively normal , main street associate of Obama. And the fact that Barry hadn't yet even tooted a little blow on the beach when Ayers was blowing stuff up is a moot point.
#6
They are now asking the DoJ to file charges agaisnt the guy that funded the 527 in question, trying to silence a millionaire who dared to spend money to speak against Obama.
They are teetering on totalitarianistic tactics, abusing law and process to silence dissent.
Folks, Obama becomes presidnt and continues this sort of abuse, he will spark a second civil war.
#8
The Obamessiah will lose it in the debates. They think McCain has a temper he can't control. But this is only one more indication that The Obamessiah is the one whose arrogance and self-importance are so great that he cannot tolerate any questioning of his wisdom, intelligence, judgment, etc., etc. and at some point in the debates he will lose it and the election.
#9
Nimble: Could not agree more. Win or Lose...I suspect McCain and his staff are eating this stuff up and having an absolute grand time. 'The One' and his democratic presidential campaign are doing a superb job of unveiling their socialist, communists roots to the American people. I'd love to hear some of the backroom team McCain bantor.
#10
I think Obama is going to get hammered in the debates. He prefers a nuanced answer. McCain usually gives a straight forward answer. The public does not react well to the former, but does react very well to the latter. Obama will look weak, waffling and wimpy.
#11
The public does not react well to the former, but does react very well to the latter. Obama will look weak, waffling and wimpy
Due mainly to the simple fact the bugger is... 'weak, waffling and wimpy.' I thought his family and HRH Michelle were OFF LIMITS! Marched the lot out last night for a handy tribute to The One. Whatever happened to OFF LIMITS?
#13
His wife always came off before as bitchy and a whiner before. The watered down Huxtable version last night did not do anything to dismiss the view I had of her previously.
#14
The strength of a persons character can be judged by how well they stand by their mates,
The growing bulge under the bus would suggest that Obama has no character at all. Maybe he can make an exception this time by putting his hand in pocket and helping out an old mate.
#17
Barack Obama's relationship with Bill Ayers will not go away
It's ironic that these two Trotskyists got a gig with the Annenberg Foundation. Citizen Annenberg
So long, you rotten bastard.
At a certain point it becomes pathetic. We're there, John.
DENVER - John Edwards is burning up the phone lines, begging former aides and backers to forgive him for lying about his affair - but hearing their rage instead. As Democrats kick off their convention Monday, the onetime presidential contender is a man without a party - or a political future - trying to rebuild bridges through dozens of remorseful phone calls.
It's proving a hard sell with onetime true believers.
Many are bitter and disillusioned after swallowing his lies about his affair with a campaign staffer and vouching for his credibility with friends and journalists. Some ignore his plaintive phone entreaties and don't call back - even when Edwards leaves follow-up messages. A few return his calls - and give him a piece of their angry minds.
When Edwards reached one longtime confidant asking for advice, he was cut off with a terse: "I don't want you to call me again." The conversation ended abruptly.
"I let you down, and I'm sorry," is a common refrain of these messages, said another top ex-assistant on the receiving end of one of the calls.
"It was kind of pathetic, to tell you the truth," said the ex-aide, who said he didn't return the call and doesn't expect to speak to his former boss again.
For months, the former North Carolina senator and John Kerry's 2004 running mate vigorously denied National Enquirer reports of an affair with campaign videographer Rielle Hunter, who since gave birth to a child. On Aug. 8, Edwards admitted the 2006 affair with Hunter in an ABC interview - when his wife Elizabeth's cancer was in remission - but insisted he isn't the father of her son.
One source who compared notes with other former colleagues said Edwards makes no attempt to justify or rationalize his behavior in these desperate phone conversations. He simply expresses his regret for deceiving them and asks for their understanding and forgiveness.
Many think he's still not telling the truth. "As painful as it will be for him, he needs to come clean," one of them said. "There's an overwhelming view that he's still lying."
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/26/2008 00:07 ||
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#1
Heck, it worked for Clinton. Why are people pissed at him, I don't get it?
#2
Because Hillary didn't have a terminal disease and Clinton didn't get anyone pregant, as far as I know. Edwards is still possibly lying about being the father.
Clinton already had power and was at the top for many years. Attempts were made to impeach him, even though they failed.
Edwards has no power and seems quite pathetic, so now he's being supressed and will never make it any higher.
#3
I'm so disappointed in Edwards. I thought he was just a trial lawyer who made his money cheating the taxpayers. I'm SHOCKED! SHOCKED! that he would cheat on his wife.
#6
Elizabeth isn't faring much better since his confession noted that he told her about the affair in 2006 and she kept quiet about it, even (or especially because) though he was running for POTUS (or VP or AG) and had to know it would eventually come out. Perhaps she's a little more ambitious and enabling than her MSM image?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/26/2008 9:53 Comments ||
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#7
You people need to read more on the facts regarding when Elizabeth found out about the affair - PEOPLE magazine date 8/25/08. Edwards had already announced he was running for President before Elizabeth CONFRONTED John about having an affair. John continued lying to Elizabeth about everything including that he had not ended the affair. Stop beating the wife up. John and Rielle are guilty of the affair - the wife is usually the last to know. Besides men WILL ALWAYS LIE FOR A PIECE OF A$$!
Posted by: Marilyn ||
08/26/2008 11:30 Comments ||
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#8
And wives who cheat only tell the truth, right Marilyn?
#10
"Dialing for Pity" Don't the Johnnie (and his beard) realize that pity and contempt are two sides to the same base coin?
Posted by: regular joe ||
08/26/2008 17:48 Comments ||
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#11
Democrat Convention Morality:
The Democrats have suddenly developed a keen sense of morality. John Edwards has been banned from making a speech at the Democratic convention for having an affair and lying about it.
The prime suspect of multi-million rupee scam into the sale of diplomatic cars on fake documents -- chief protocol officer of the foreign office -- has been immediately transferred after all the evidences reportedly turned out to be against him.
Investigations into the scam are still going on as some key players of this fraud continues to be transferred from their key positions, and transfer of Chief Protocol Officer Nazir Ahmed is being taken as a sign of a breakthrough in the investigations.
Another woman officer at the foreign office Amna Baloch working in the protocol wing has also been transferred as she too was facing allegations of involvement in the scam. Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Sadiq has been given the additional charge of protocol officer till the appointment of a new chief protocol officer.
Earlier, appointment of chief protocol officer Nazir Ahmed as an ambassador to a foreign country was cancelled after the scam of diplomatic cars surfaced and his section was found to be centre of this whole activity taking place.
Talking to The News, Mohammad Sadiq confirmed that Nazir Ahmed had been replaced and he was holding the additional charge. He also confirmed that Amna Baloch was also replaced from the position which she was holding when the scam surfaced.
Rather, it was the NOC issued by Amna Baloch which was found fake and an FIR was registered by the customs department which is now investigating the scam. Baloch, however, did not elaborate that what was the urgency to remove these two officers working in the FO protocol wings without bringing proper replacement if these were routine transfers.
To a question, Sadiq confirmed that a major inquiry was still in process to determine facts. He promised to give more details about this scam on Tuesday. Earlier, sources said a multi-million rupees diplomatic cars duty evasion scam about the sale of imported cars on bogus NoCs was detected by the customs after it emerged that 58 diplomatic cars were sold in the market on bogus NoC.
Even an FIR was lodged by the Rawalpindi collectorate of customs in the unfolding events of this scam, which involved sale of cars of over two dozens foreign embassies at Islamabad. Those 58 diplomats, whose cars have been identified by the customs as sold on bogus NOC of the foreign office, are said to have quietly left the country after disposing of their expensive imported cars to Pakistani elite after evading duties with the help of protocol officials of the ministry of foreign affairs.
The FIR was lodged when during the investigations it surfaced that some top guns of the foreign office in the protocol section of the ministry were secretly pocketing millions of rupees in this new money game, after collaborating with foreign diplomats.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/26/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Oh, look. It's Charlie Rangel.
What's he doing in Pakistan?
The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) has nominated its secretary general, Mushahid Hussain, for the presidential election with backdoor manoeuvrings underway between the major political parties.
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Parvaiz Elahi said in a meeting that both the Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz had contacted the PML-Q to seek its support for their respective presidential candidates.
He said PML-N leaders Zulfiqar Khosa, Nisar Ali Khan and Ishaq Dar were also in contact with the leadership of the former ruling party and had requested its support for Justice (r) Saeeduz Zaman Siddiqui.
PPP: He said the PPP offered the PML-Q a deal in exchange for extending support to Asif Ali Zardari for the presidential poll but the PML-Q had declined to indulge in any deal. However, Elahi did not give details of the 'deal'.
Sources privy to the developments told Daily Times that the PPP kept on asking the PML-Q through different channels not to field its candidate against Zardari. The PPP had also sought PML-Q's help to form an alliance in Punjab to topple the PML-N government later.
PML-Q sources said the party had kept the option open and did not rule out joining hands with the PPP in Punjab. However, sources said the former ruling party would continue to sit on the opposition benches in the parliament.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/26/2008 00:00 ||
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The US navy will field its most powerful warships led by the latest nuclear-powered supercarrier USS Ronald Reagan and nuclear submarine USS Springfield in a new range of wargames in the Arabian sea from October 15, a naval official here said.
Indian and US warships will undertake complex air-to-air, under-sea and warship-to-warship manoeuvres in the wargames for ten days, the official said. Along with the carriers and submarines, the Malabar series of wargames on India's western seaboard will also see participation by latest guided missile cruisers, destroyers and frigates as well as long range maritime F-18 and Jaguar fighters.
"The naval wargames will be complex in nature involving anti-submarine warfare manoeuvres, flying operations and crossdeck embarkations," the naval official said signalling a resolve of the two countries to take their military-to- military interaction to a new high.
The new Malabar series of wargames come close on the heels of frontline Indian Air Force Sukhoi fighters taking part for the first time in fighter exercises at the world's most advanced air wargames complex at Nellis Air Base in the Nevada desert of the United States
Posted by: john frum ||
08/26/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
I am glad to see more close cooperation and collaboration with the US and India, and in the Arabian Sea.
I think that we have pi$$ed away enough treasure and effort with Pakistan, which is not an alliance, but more like an expensive coping exercise.
Posted by: Alaska Paul in Copper Center, AK ||
08/26/2008 0:07 Comments ||
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#2
You'd think the world's largest democracy would be a naturaly ally instead of Pakistan.
#4
that, plus like Pakistan borders on afghanistan, India does not, Pakistan has a war on (kinda sorta) against the NWFP jihadis and their pals, and we dont want Paki nukes to fall into bad hands. All of which India knows, and, AFAIK, they sympathize with what we have to do in Pakistan.
After Putin showing his true face, I dont think we want to leave Afghanistan dependent on a supply line through Former Soviet Central Asia.
Folks can dream about the fun it would be ripping Baluchistan from the Pakis to make a new state. While doable in extremis, Im guess that would be a lot costlier than funneling a couple of billion to Paki every year.
#5
LH: bingo. We're stuck with the Paks for a while.
Ev'ryone remember now: why are we in Afghanistan? Because Mullah One-Eye gave Osama a deal for bases, money laundering, training and manpower.
What happens if we pull the plug on Pakiwakiland? The FATA and Wazoo become the new al-Q training area, and the Talibunnies get a leg up on over-running Kabul. It would be better if we didn't let that happen.
So we're stuck for a while.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/26/2008 17:07 Comments ||
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#6
True that we are stuck, but nothign in the situation shoudl preclude us becoming good and true allies with India.
We will need their help when Pakistan hits the wall with their foot still pinning the accelerator to the floor.
Two ultra-Orthodox Jew have been charged over the brutal beating of a woman by a self-styled religious modesty squad who considered her behavior indecent, Israeli police said on Monday.
The charge sheet says the two were among seven members of the vigilante group who barged into the home of a 31-year-old divorcee in Occupied Jerusalem after neighbors complained of her "indecent" lifestyle. The gang allegedly gagged her, hit her, kicked her and said she would be killed if she did not leave the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood where she lived.
Court documents say the men believed the victim had "improper relations" with other men.
A third member of the group was also arrested for allegedly setting fire to a clothing store in an ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem neighborhood, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.
Religious modesty squads have been active in Israel for the past decade, particularly in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods. Ultra-Orthodox Jews, known as Haredim -- Hebrew for God-fearing -- make up eight to 10 percent of Israel's population. They follow strict interpretations of Jewish religious laws.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/26/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Every society has its vicious pigs. The key is to keep down the percentage. I think Israel may want to rethink current tactics in that direction.
#3
from what I can gather the modesty squads are acting without approval of even ultra-O rabbis. But the Ultra-O rabbis arent clamping down on them either.
#4
of a 31-year-old divorcee in Occupied Jerusalem
Saw, that, I wondered where Fred had gotten teh clip this time. Al ARabiyah, lol. Fred, the Israeli papers have much more detail on stuff like this (and no, they dont sympathize with the ultra-O, esp Haaretz) But even Haaretz wont refer to Jerusalem that way.
#5
Israel can be a funky place at times. They have one of the most graphic and sleazy prostitution problems imaginable, real Sodom & Gomorrah stuff that would have been frowned on even in old Tijuana or Havana.
Women's rights and customs for some is right up there with Saudi Arabia, fanatical conservatism side by side with San Francisco flamboyancy.
In some of the larger sects, all married women shave their heads and wear wigs, which created a crisis when it was discovered that the human hair was obtained in India, where it was obtained during a Hindu religious ritual, making it tref.
#6
The difference is that those guys are facing prison times and the scorn of their neighbours while in a Maulim country their counterparts would get a medal.
#7
TW, this doesn't sound right. As the 'Burg's resident expert on things Jewish, can you comment on this? Are the ultra-Orthodox prone to using violence to sort such things out?
#8
In some of the larger sects, all married women shave their heads and wear wigs,
in most hasidic groups (i could give you the ritual reasons, but i think it would bore most), in the US as well. But membership in those groups is voluntary - while theres massive family pressure not to breakaway, I know men and women who have done so.
#9
in general the ultra-O dont use violence, although in Jerusalem there are some neighborhoods where they see the secular world pushing in on them, and theyve been known to throw rocks at cars that pass on the shabbas. Women in "procative" clothing are more likely to get verbal harassment. If youre really interested in this stuff its written about EXTENSIVELY in papers like Haaretz (a left secularist israeli daily) I wouldnt deny that its an issue, but its not like KSA.
#10
What I wonder is the violence shown in this incident typical or atypical? To me it seems atypical, but then again, the only times I have been there have been as a tourist on a pilgramage. I guess they kept us Christian Goyim away from those parts of town.
#11
Jolutch Mussolini7800, your faith in my knowledge is truly flattering. However, liberalhawk really knows a great deal more about such things than I do, and covers it well in the comments above. I took 5th place in my Hebrew high school bible contest (out of the six in my grade who tried, sadly enough), but that is ancient history in more ways than one.
Anonymoose, part of the problem the rabbis had with the Indian hair wigs is that the women had them so beautifully styled they were as attractive as their own hair would have been... and just as fussed over. I was once told that a good Indian hair wig cost $1000 or more before adding in the price of cutting and styling, and an Orthodox woman might have several in different lengths; I don't know if they go in for colours as well.
#14
Thanks to LH and TW for shedding some badly-needed light on this unusual issue. The lefties are always trying to play the moral equivalence card. Actual, fact-based information is the only way to trump it.
#15
A rabbi once said that every Jew stands in a line, side by side, secretly hoping to be more liberal and free, like the Jew to his left, but very self conscious about the more orthodox Jew to his right, who is looking at him disapprovingly while saying tsk-tsk under his breath.
#16
fwiw, the haredim in Jerusalem are not monolithic either
there are groups that don't like each other (wigs vs. hats, zionism vs anti-zionism, people who want to rebuild on the temple mount vs. people who say that is an unpardonable sin)
the beating by the modesty squad could well have been an intramural issue
also, the haredim are frequently referred to perjoratively as 'black hats' or sometimes shortened to 'black' and a neighborhood with increasing haredi population is referred to as 'going black'
#17
What I wonder is the violence shown in this incident typical or atypical? To me it seems atypical, but then again, the only times I have been there have been as a tourist on a pilgramage. I guess they kept us Christian Goyim away from those parts of town.
afaict its atypical, but still common enough to be noted as an issue of concern.
And I doubt any gentiles would have been very interested in an ultra-O area like Mea Shearim. The gawkers who go are mainly non-O Jews.
#6
There should be a prohibition in any exports to them. Rice wants to apply thumbscrews or not? Cut their food supply. Let everyone but us sell to them. What a farce. When it comes to really appllying pressure, it is truly hollow and the madhatters know it.
#7
Why don't we sell it to Israel and let them broker it.
Why not? We get the same price either way. The Iranians pay more if it goes through a middle man. Now they get to show how desperate we are to normalize relations and break down German resistance to selling what they really want. This is dumb.
#10
It's a world market just like oil. If we don't sell it to them they will buy it from somewhere else. All wheat is geneticaly modified. Just by selecting seed wheat that is the best in the field the farmer genetically modifies next year crop without the help of monsanto.
#12
#11: bman is correct, so all we do by selling to them is give them some legitimacy and get some midwestern votes. Posted by: Nimble Spemble
We also get some of that oil money back, and reduce the amount they can spend on weaponry. There are positive aspects of this deal. I doubt this will be the last time Iran needs to buy wheat. Religious fanatics tend to upset farming and other things.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/26/2008 12:50 Comments ||
Top||
#13
There should be a prohibition in any exports to them.
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