#2
Attempting to be a modern-day T.E. Lawrence can end in disaster. The price for a westerner of "going native" in that part of the world is rather high. I remember an old Gahan Wilson cartoon depicting a bibbed overall farmer with his hands in his pockets chatting with a shortish R2D2 type martian in a hay field. The martians spacecraft sat off in the distance:
"No sir, I don't think it's gonna matter how long you hang around these parts, people here are just never going to accept you."
#4
It's more likely that Harry can kill the Taliban ... since he's the one flying the Apache helicopter. His biggest risk is more likely to be a technical malfunction in the chopper - hopefully he will be able to handle that.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/17/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
Qadaffy kept Al Qaeda down. NATO removed Qadaffy for Human Rights abuses---making Al Qaeda rulers of Libya. Now they murder Western diplomats in broad day light.
The lesson is: Human Rights need more protection!
#2
Thanks for posting. Very well done piece. He hits each point quite succinctly, and within the delicate bounds of authorized disclosure. The term "nattering of a cult" was my personal favorite. Unfortunately, the nattering has metastisized well beyond Foggy Bottom.
#3
The Obama White House is hiding its manifest incompetence and failures of judgement behind the excuse of lack of "actionable intel."
Good article. Lack of actionable intel? There doesn't seem to be any intelligence or common sense in the WH either.
I doubt that anything but adulation and fawning is permitted in the WH. That creates a fog. There is no questioning; no dissent. That is dangerous. One always has to be careful not to believe one's own bullshit.
#5
#4 When I was at State, the atmosphere under the Obama misadministration was even more unreal than usual. The fawning over Obama and Hillary Clinton knew no bounds. The press releases and the internal conversations seemed to reflect the nattering of a cult rather than sober deliberations.
Glenmore, I was reacting to this statement from DiploMad. I can believe the statement. Seems like "O's" narcissism leaves little room for questioning or dissent. Our MSM is a disgrace and I see, for the most part, little but sycophancy in this group. George Soros has spent a fortune attempting to control the MSM and bring about a result.
#2
THE DIAOYU ISLANDS? Only a few acres. Seems like history and economy is at work here. Also the Japanese treated the Chinese ruthlessly when they invaded China during WWII.
U.S. Sovereign Debt/Revenue % is third behind Japan and Greece. Worldwide economic pressures lead to world wars. Investments bundled and sold across the world and backed by sub-prime loans on housing didn't work out so well. Thanks slick Willie and Jimmy the Peanut Farmer for this debacle. Look out! I'm thinking the ride might get rougher.
#6
The 'easy growth' came from jacking the economics out of shape - easy to do in a command economy. But the economic chickens eventually come home to roost. They always do. And it's never pretty.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/17/2012 19:20 Comments ||
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#9
Jeepers! But let me assure you this is an isolated incident and not reflective of the steel industry as a whole, normal Chinese business practices, or the state of the Chinese economy, he said desperately trying to keep a straight face. Hey, is that the sound of tiny wings in the distance?
Whew. Those were a crazy couple of weeks we just wrapped up.
Morgan Stanley's interest rate strategist Matthew Hornbach writes:
When the history books are written or market participants look at charts three months from now, the past two weeks may go down as the most important of 2012 -- aside from how the US government handles the fiscal cliff (which may not occur this year anyway). The ECB introduction of the Outright Monetary Transactions (OMT), China's approval of construction projects to spur growth, the German Constitutional Court decision that paved the way for Germany to ratify the ESM and fiscal compact, and the Fed's decision to introduce an open ended purchase program -- which may one day include Treasuries -- represent a bazooka blast of monetary and, to a much lesser extent, fiscal policy support.
Posted by: Au Auric ||
09/17/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
Derivatives are just a form of counterfeiting. Counterfeiting on a massive scale always ends the same way.
#2
Money is a mirror on the real economy. Money works best when it stably represents the amount of time exchanged in the economy.
The central banks have decided to smash the mirror.
#5
Oh BP you dreamer. Just imagine that we were all paid in currency that represented an hour of labor. Then everyone would be paid the same. And there would be no incentive to provide better value for that time than the next guy's.
We would wake up and go to work and get paid in script that would buy us a few hours of some other unmotivated dipshit's time.
No, this is not my dream. Imagine, if you can, future where everyone wants to do more and make their hour of work much much more valuable than yours. Only in this world do you have the opportunity to hire someone who hones his/her skills.
#6
I mean NO such thing. Pay should of course be mediated by the relative scarcity of skills. I'm aware of Marx's "labour theory of value" and it's wrong.
The time exchanged in the economy does however even out, and the monetary unit should represent this in a stable way.
The following analysis looks in more detail at the unusual series of murders that took place in the French Alps on the afternoon of Wednesday, Sep 5 (2012). As a few more details have trickled out about the killings, it is possible to start to piece together the "tactical jigsaw puzzle".
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OVERVIEW: The crime occurred on a remote mountain road near the town of Chevaline in the French Alps. The murder scene was in a parking lot off a road ... the road itself is a dead-end street that leads to an overlook. Four adults were killed, one 7-year old girl was seriously injured, and one 4-year old girl was unhurt (but traumatized).
Three of the dead adult victims were discovered inside a red BMW station wagon. Killed inside the BMW were: Saad al-Hilli (50) a British citizen originally from Iraq, his wife Iqbal (47) who was a dentist from Iraq, and his wife's mother who was a Swedish citizen.
Al-Hilli's station wagon was parked at the back of a quiet parking lot, surrounded mostly by trees. All three adults had been shot at least 3 times, including two shots to the head for each victim. The victims were shot with a low-caliber pistol, probably a 32-cal or a 7.65 mm. That would imply that the murder weapon was probably a Walther-PP series handgun or a Tokarev. Quite possibly a silencer was used on this gun, since no people nearby reported any loud noises.
Al-Hilli was in the drivers seat (dead). The two adult women were in the back seat (dead) and they apprently threw themselves over al-Hilli's 4-year old daughter Zeena who was still alive. The women did such a good job at concealing the young girl that she remained terrified - but undiscovered - for many hours after the crime was committed.
Also involved in the attack was al-Hilli's older daughter Zainab (7) who was badly injured but not killed, and a cyclist who was shot dead. Zainab was found outside the family vehicle. She was shot once in the shoulder, then pistol whipped hard on the head - she collapsed on the asphalt in the parking lot. The cyclist was Sylvain Molliere (45) from Grenoble, France. Grenoble is about 25 miles from the crime scene. Molliere was a rider in a bicycle race taking place in the area. He was shot 5 times, then collapsed to the pavement. His body and his bicycle were nearby the vehicle.
The crime scene was discovered by another British cyclist and reported to the police. The police found many shell casings from 32-cal ammunition near the BMW. The engine was still running, and the rear wheels were still spinning in the dirt when the British cyclist arrived (he turned off the ignition).
Interviews with people in the area established that three suspicious vehicles had been seen recently: a white Peugeot driven by a man in a dark shirt which was seen speeding down the road away from the murder, a green 4x4 vehicle, and a motorcycle.
COMMENTS: A variety of early theories emerged about this killing, including the possibility that it was a mafia hit, or a murder by an upset relative, or the work of robbers, or a strange case of espionage. However, police were puzzled as to why professional killers would leave shell casings at the scene - and not pick them up. In addition, no-one could explain why the daughters were not killed by the hit men. And finally, if this murder was associated with a clandestine meeting - why on earth did al-Hilli take his family to the rendezvous point? As deeper details were uncovered about the backgrounds of the people involved in the Alps incident - the plot became much more complicated.
AL-HILLI was a mechanical engineer working for an aerospace company in Britain that did secret satellite work. The company produces satellite imagery for high-profile customers and various foreign governments. Al-Hilli and his wife lived in an expensive home, but his income may not be fully adequate to meet all his expenses. He had some private ventures going - but they showed low profits on the books. It has been reported that al-Hilli's bank accounts show large deposits that seem inconsistent with his normal work and projects. Al-Hilli was also known as an outspoken critic of Israeli policies and frequently voiced strong opinions on internet chat rooms.
SYLVAIN MOLLIERE, the cyclist, also worked with confidential information. It has been reported that Mr Molliere was a metallurgist who specialized with nuclear technology. He had a deep understanding of the alloys and coatings needed to produce fuel rods in nuclear reactors.
There appears to be no known relationship between al-Hilli and Molliere ... at least none that police have identified or made public at this time. The unusual backgrounds of these two individuals lead to two possible scenarios about the Alps murders - which I will elaborate. Leading scenarios revolve around espionage and the leaking of hi-tech secrets. The main difference between the two scenarios is simply ... which man was the primary target in this murder??
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SCENARIO A: Under this scenario, al-Hilli was the primary target of the hit men and the cyclist Molliere was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time (although as it turns out, Molliere acted bravely). Since al-Hilli worked with secret satellite imagery, it is plausible that he may have used this access to sell information on the black market. Information is a commodity like everything else ... and it is most valuable when it is in high demand. Since the countries of Iran and Israel are currently locked in a military struggle, al-Hilli may have been selling sensitive information to the Iranians. The relationship is plausible because al-Hilli was a Shiite Muslim, and was strongly opposed to Israeli policies. Therefore he could have been approachable by Iranian agents. This kind of deal would be lucrative to al-Hilli, but if he was offered high-resolution satellite photographs of Israeli installations then this would put him at the top of "persona non grata" for Mossad. This is one speculation about motive. But it is also possible that al-Hilli was killed by an Iranian hit squad who feared that he would compromise their on-going espionage relationship. Finally, it is conceivable, though less likely, that al-Hilli was killed by some other competitor/customer in the information business, since satellite imagery can be very valuable for certain commercial activities.
Scenario A: al-Hilli was probably under surveillance from the time he entered France. The hit men no doubt knew his itinerary, and the Alps would make a good place for a quiet kill. It is possible they looked for opportunities to kill al-Hilli as an individual (without his family), but could never get him separated from his family. So the decision was made to kill al-Hilli as a high-value target, and to kill all the adults to eliminate witnesses. On the day of the murder, it may have gone something like this. Al-Hilli decided to take a quiet drive with his family into the mountains. However, he was being shadowed by agents using a motorcycle and a 4x4 vehicle. During the drive al-Hilli's older daughter needed to make a restroom stop. So al-Hilli pulled off the road to let the child go and relieve herself. The hit men who were trailing al-Hilli recognized this location as an excellent kill zone. They needed only a motorcycle and a larger vehicle to do the job - the large vehicle would pin al-Hilli's car into the parking lot and the assassin on the motorcycle would kill the driver and passengers. Al-Hilli saw the danger coming at the last moment and attempted to reverse - but the BMW's rear wheels became stuck in a soft dirt embankment. The motorcycle rider began shooting the adults in a very calm and professional way (through the side windows, close range), starting with al-Hilli. Meanwhile the driver of the 4x4 vehicle had to get out of his car and chase down Zainab ... al-Hilli's older daughter. In the pursuit he fired his gun but only shot her in the shoulder. Then he pistol whipped her to the ground. Quite possibly Zainab would have been killed at this point, but by sheer coincidence the cyclist Molliere was passing by and noticed the girl was under attack. He rode in to help and was shot repeatedly. The hit men could not risk the possibility that the cyclist might call the police, who would then seal off their escape routes. The actions of Molliere might truly have saved the life of the oldest daughter - who would otherwise have been shot. After this, the hit men finished killing the adults. However, their concentration had been rattled by the the older daughter being outside the vehicle and the arrival of the cyclist. In addition (see later comments), it is possible that a third witness saw the killing and drove away. Hence the hit men fled the scene quickly before anyone else could see them. The 4-year old daughter posed minimal risk since she had seen nothing, and the older daughter may have appeared to be almost dead at that stage. It is a quick hop for the hit men to cross back into Switzerland - that is a viable escape route with false passports.
Special Comment: The white Peugeot. This vehicle was seen driving quickly away from the scene. There are several possibilities. One idea is that the white Peugeot was acting as a surveillance vehicle that was tracking al-Hilli as he drove through France. Certainly possible, since the assault vehicles (green 4x4, motorcycle) were too readily identifiable. The second idea is that the Peugeot was driven by a tourist who had just happened to visit the lookout at the end of the road where the murder took place. The tourist was returning and noticed the entire murder scene unfolding. He then panicked and floored the accelerator of his car to escape. If the latter possibility exists, then there is an additional (frightened) witness who saw the murder scene. This would also explain why the hit men fled the parking lot and never retrieved the spent bullet casings.
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SCENARIO B: Under this scenario Molliere was the primary target of the hit men, and al-Hilli's family was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. Molliere had technical knowledge that would certainly be valuable to the Iranians - particularly as they are trying to develop their own nuclear reactors (producing plutonium as well as electrical power). The exchange of information would be lucrative to Molliere, but would require meetings with Iranian agents. Israel has acted proactively to remove highly-placed technical personnel within the Iranian regime who are accelerating the country's nuclear progress. But could this rationale be extended to a citizen of another country ... it is a big leap - but maybe if the knowledge from Molliere was critical to Iran's progress.
Under Scenario B, Molliere was under surveillance and the bicycle race provided a quiet spot in the Alps to make the kill. On the day of the murder, it may have gone something like this. Molliere was being trailed by a motorcycle and a larger vehicle. At some point the motorcycle pulled alongside him and several shots were fired. Due to the low-caliber bullets, he had a few moments of life left in his body. By chance he happened to be near a pull-out, and Molliere raced his bicycle into the parking lot. Being in a panic, he noticed a car parked in the pull-out and tried to get their assistance. However, he collapsed on the ground and died before anyone could do anything. The disturbance of the cyclist aroused the attention of al-Hilli's older daughter, who jumped out of the car and tried to help. At this moment the hit men doubled back from the road - they had seen Molliere go to the BMW parked there. They were forced to eliminate all the witnesses. The motorcycle rider fired repeated shots into the BMW to kill the adults - and was not even aware of the 4-year old in the back seat (covered by the women). The driver of the other 4x4 vehicle got out, put more bullets into Molliere to ensure a certain kill, then shot Zainab - but only hit her shoulder. He then pistol whipped her very hard. And at that point the hit men rushed out of the kill zone and went into their exit strategy. As mentioned before. there is some possibility that a white Peugeot passed by while this action was taking place - causing the hit men to leave in a great hurry.
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It appears that French police believe that Scenario A is closer to the truth - since they have passed the momentum of the investigation over to British police. It is not clear if the UK authorities have embraced this option fully. Further background investigations may help to clarify which scenario is more plausible.
The actions of the hit men may be described in the following terms: bold, coldly logical, brutal, very lethal. These terms paint a certain "character" to the tactical execution of the job - which may also suggest which agency was involved in the killings. At this stage the investigation is still ongoing ... but progress may be slow as the trail goes cold. If professional agents were involved, the trail will go cold quickly.
The fact Saad al-Hill worked for an "aerospace company in Britain that did secret satellite work", along with Steve White's post this morning "Iran Starts Work on Advanced Radar" is all very interesting. Yes, seperate disciplines, but they share some common technological links.
#5
Or Al-Hilli was meeting with the cyclist, unknown to his tracker, who didn't have enough ammo for the extra hit. The girl was pistol-whipped, being of low priority after the adults were taken care of and the possibility of another eyewitness kept him from cleaning up the casings. A shoulder hit by a professional who would also have known that Al Hilli had 2 daughters may imply a glimmer of conscience, leaving the innocent to live another day. Mossad?
#6
Shooter(s) not knowing how many were in the Saad al-Hilli party (hidden child not discovered), may indicate the targets were not surveilled or followed from their point of departure. If this was the case, the al-Hilli travel itinerary and destination may have been known in advance.
VDH via Instapundit
Globalization certainly did not bring the premodern world of the Middle East closer together with the postmodern West despite Barack Obamas 2007 narcissistic vows that his own intellect and background could bridge such a gap. If anything, the more we know about each other, the more we sense we are back to Lepanto and the siege of Vienna. Since the 9/11 anniversary attacks, the Obama administration has seemed bewildered, petulant, and more or less shocked in Casablanca-style fashion about the hatred shown the United States whether overt among the Arab Street, or implicit among Arab governments wink-and-nod inability to protect U.S. embassies. It apparently forgot some basic rules about how to deal with radical Islam, and instead regressed back to the old familiar appeasement that led to 9/11/2001.
I. Pretexts
Mr. President, do not obsess over the pretext of the day. Terry Jones is only as crude as Andres Serrano and his Piss Christ, which I dont recall warranted a personal call from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs to the artist to cool it, much less a federal effort to detain a Coptic filmmaker. Sometimes Muslims will rage at a Rushdie novel, sometimes at a papal reference to a Byzantine letter, and at other times at a supposedly flushed or torched Koran. Or maybe a grainy amateurish video will be set them off to kill a nun, blow up a priest, burn down an embassy, or assassinate a Western ambassador. There are three-hundred-million-plus free-thinking Americans, and thus at least that many possible slights if you choose to go down that road of blaming free expression rather than the primeval mind that objects to it.
In which Glenn Greenwald pretends that he is a stopped clock and gets one right.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/17/2012 09:21 ||
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#1
Except Glenn, free-speech doesn't really exist in the Muslim Mideast. And Glenn, expressions of dissent in the street usually have some islamist group behind them playing them like a fiddle. These gatherings quickly escalate to burning, looting, rape, and murder.
#2
While I typically favor the pointing out of double standards on the Left and Right, virtually every example of right-wing suppression of free speech cited by GG is directly connected to the Obama administration in some way. Curious.
Regardless, GG misses the larger point, in my opinion. Free speech should be exactly that, free. However, the fundamental question not being asked here is this: When does tolerating the intolerant become intolerable? At what point do you have to take someone at their word and take the necessary steps to protect yourself?
... clearly the film showed him (Mohammad) as a womanizer, a pedophile, a thug, and generally denigrated Islam. ....er huh, we're waiting. Truth or fiction, which is it?
Now, there is, obviously, freedom of expression in this country. There is also 100-year law by the United States Supreme Court which says you can't cry fire in a crowded theater. Lawyers? Mooslin Lawyers. Call some quickly will you!!
So, now, one has to, really, try to figure out the extremists in this country and the extremists out there who are using this and whipping up hatred. I think I've figured it out and it is YOU!
The extremists out there using this film are the jihadis, the Islamicists and most importantly their controllers in the mosques and quiet country houses. They're the ones whipping up the rubes. Now then, Christiane, we can either violate our own principles and silence our own citizens, or we can deal with the very clever Islamicists who are whipping up the war against the West. I think I know which side of that argument you're on...
#2
Amanpour is on George Soros payroll. Really! w/ link
Christiane Amanpour Anchor of ABCs Sunday morning political affairs program, This Week with Christiane Amanpour. A reliable lefty, she has called tax cuts giveaways, the Tea Party extreme, and Obama very Reaganesque.
#7
It is NOT illegal to cry fire in a crowded theater IF THERE REALLY IS A FIRE.
And THAT, you cow, is the difference.
When Mo limits everyone else to four women, but claims Allah gave him dispensation for 14, you have to say that he's a womanizer or ALREADY believe he's a prophet of God.
QUIT PUSHING THE LIMITS. If the ONLY way to get respect from the likes of YOU is to go ape-shit violent when INSULTED, don't be surprised at the response when you HURL the NEXT INSULT about US being extremist.
#8
I think of Axis Sally and Tokyo Rose when Amanpour opens her pie hole except she is enjoying the privileges of this country--she is basically another leftist muslim apologist. She grew up in Iran didn't she?
#13
"I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!"
#14
Seems that the original script had nothing to do with islam or mo. The version that was later dubbed had some to do with Mo (and consequently islam). It appears the actors were duped as to what the film was about. Some Egyptian guy edited the original version. It is not entirely clear what his religious beliefs are or even his name as he has a number of aliases. He is being looked into as a federal parole violator. The trailer appears to be something some kid would put together with a video camera--very amateurish and frankly cheesy. If the muslims are bent out of shape about something like this, they better take a look at their religion and their attitudes. IMO the video has been around for awhile, the uprisings have been planned for sometime and the video was used to stir up the rent-a-crowds as cover. Susan Rice, and the administration are also looking for a meme to explain a failed to non-existent foreign policy regarding the Mideast other than selling out Israel for the Paleos and muslims, appeasement of the muslims, and continuation of the muslim apology tour. Couple all this with announcement of departure dates in Iraq and Afghanistan and your have a disaster upon us here and Israel in the Mideast. A real example of a Washington made man-made-disaster.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/17/2012 11:31 Comments ||
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#16
Criticizing Islam predictably causes violent response, so cannot such criticism be banned as inciting to riot? Seems a likely defense, at any rate.
#18
And I have to say its a little unseemly for our government to officially take a position on a YouTube video, even one that sparked an international crisis. Its even more unseemly that our government is taking the same position on that film as the people who just killed our ambassador in Benghazi.
#19
Glenmore, by that rational pretty much all speech will become banned as folks gin up false rage. Then only angry nuts have a say and that isnt goona work well.
#20
"Criticizing Islam predictably causes violent response, so cannot such criticism be banned as inciting to riot?"
Short answer: no.
Long answer: You're reversing the responsibility. I have no responsibility to pander to your insane delusions, even knowing that you sometimes become violent when told that the Easter Bunny doesn't really exist. YOU are responsible for your actions, I am not...
#21
I wish my question had been facetious, but alas, I have seen exactly that logic used on some more progressive sites. I will not be surprised if it comes to pass before long.
Somewhere here today somebody quoted John Dryden: "Beware the fury of a patient man."
#1
Control of Jerusalem is pivotal in Biblical proportions. The loss of Jerusalem was for told in Biblical scripture (70 AD). So was the restoration of the Israel (1948 AD). The next major Biblical milestone will be the complete annexation of Jerusalem into Jewish hands. That signals the end of the Age of the Gentile (70AD to when all of Jerusalem is claimed by the Jews). Then comes the wrath of the world upon the Jewish state.
The forces of evil seek the total destruction of the Jewish nation. The resurgence of Israel after two millenium is unsettling to the forces of evil and this will hasten the near annihilation of mankind, the deaths of as many as 1/3 of mankind in possibly nuclear holocaust (2 billion people).
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Whew. Those were a crazy couple of weeks we just wrapped up. 
I. Pretexts
