A University of Central Florida speech expert has diagnosed an extremely rare disorder in a Sarasota woman that caused her to speak with a British accent after she suffered a stroke. The case of Foreign Accent Syndrome -- a disorder linked to stroke-related or other internal brain injuries that leaves affected people with a foreign-sounding accent -- is one of fewer than 20 reported worldwide since 1919, according to Jack Ryalls, professor of communicative disorders at UCF. Mix-up in the Matrix? ;) Ah well, at least she didnât get a French accent.
#3
The important question is: Is it a good British accent, or just a Floridian imitating a British accent?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
12/10/2003 16:08 Comments ||
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#4
Ya shure, dat's yoost a bunch of baloney!
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2003 17:37 Comments ||
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#5
No joke, Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America had a woman with a French accent as a result of a stroke.
Posted by: Ernest Brown ||
12/10/2003 17:46 Comments ||
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#6
Thats just plain stupid nobody can just change and viloa Tout d'un coup vous parlez une langue ¨¦trang¨¨re. This lady is just crazy and IMHO ella acaba de mirar para la atenci¨®n. ´ó¸à ðÃ÷÷¢µÃáâ÷µÃÃÃÃÃÃ÷ÃÃ¥Ãá£Busk i 2004!
Not WoT, but hey, he jumped the Great Wall of China on a motorcycle!
Taiwan stuntman Ke Shouliang (Orr Sau Leung, also called Blacky Ko Sau Leung) who jumped over the Yellow River in his sports car, and over the Great Wall on a motorcyle, died in Shanghai Tuesday at age 50, after apparently suffering an asthma attack (after attending three dinner parties and a night of drinking). Ke was born in Ningbo of East Chinaâs Zhejiang Province, and moved to Taiwan in 1955 with his family. In his 33 years as a stuntman, he has participated in numerous Hong Kong films as actor, stuntman and director, including Jackie Chanâs films. He is also a singer and has released several albums. He became famous in Hong Kong after acting in Aces Go Places, directed by local comedy star Eric Tsang, in 1982. Ko was the stunt director for several movies starring kung fu star Jackie Chan, including Wheels on Meals in 1984 and Armour of God in 1986.Two years later he directed his first movie, Whampoa Blues. Ko also frequently took part in stunt competitions. He jumped over the 38 metre-high Beijing Jinshanling section of the Great Wall on a motorbike in 1992, setting a Guinness world record. Five years later, he jumped over the 55m-wide Yellow Riverâs Hukou waterfall on a specially-adapted sports car to celebrate Hong Kongâs handover. Go see the picture at the link. He knew how to have fun!
German police charged a man with drugs possession after officers spotted a small quantity of heroin concealed in his ear when he entered a police station to check if he was on their wanted list. "Hi, am I wanted for anything?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Iâm sorry, youâll have to speak up, Iâve got dope in my ear."
"YA, ASSUME THE POSITION, DUMBKOFF!"
"I suppose he may have heard he was wanted for some offence and just wanted to see if the police had anything on him," Volker Pieper, a spokesman for police in the central city of Kassel, said Tuesday. "It didnât go quite as he had planned." As the 33-year-old man, a known drug abuser, questioned police, an officer noticed a suspicious lump stuck in his ear which turned out to be a gram of heroin, said Pieper. Police confiscated the drug before filing charges. As soon as they stopped laughing.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/10/2003 11:40:39 AM ||
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Afghan forces have arrested two important Taliban commanders after a gunbattle in the southern border district of Spin Boldak, an Afghan police official said Wednesday. The pair were detained after opening fire on a police check-post in Spin Boldak, 475 kilometers (295 miles) south of the capital Kabul. Two "important" commanders all by themselves shooting up a police checkpoint?
Two important Taliban leaders, Mullah Abdul Samad and Gul Muhammad were capture after they opened fire at a check-post, a senior police official said by phone from Spin Boldak to a reporter in Chaman, the Pakistani border town. Sounds more likely that they stumbled onto the checkpoint by mistake. Important guys usually have gunnies with them.
The pair were carrying a Kalashnikov assault rifle, a pistol, a satellite phone and two hand grenades, the police official said, requesting anonymity. Both are wanted by US and Afghan forces for staging several attacks against them. They had a satellite phone, likely they are persons of interest after all.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/10/2003 1:14:11 PM ||
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#1
Must have been commanding each other.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/10/2003 15:57 Comments ||
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Raid Qusti To quote the famous Cuban philosopher, R. Ricardo, "I dun thin' so!"
For decades now our country has been dependent on oil and petrochemicals as our only source of income. Now, with the oil boom a thing of the past, with a serious deficit in the budget
... because we pissed it all away on madrassahs and jihadis...
and with a soaring population growth and a decline in per capita income, oil alone can no longer serve a developing nation. We have come up with tourism as a new economic venture in addition to oil.
"What do you think, Bob? Should we go to the Caymans or Soddy Arabia for vacation this year?"
What? Saudi Arabia as a tourist destination?
The thought takes your breath away, doesn't it? Just think, an entire country that's all beach. People who regard you as infidels and want to blow you up. Why go to Chiang Mai and ride an elephant when you can go to Riyadh or Jeddah or Khobar and watch them cut people's heads off?
A visitor interested in coming to this region might think of Dubai, Oman or Bahrain but certainly not Saudi Arabia. For starters, we do not issue tourist visas. The only visas are for business and work.
Kinda hard to get tourists that way, isn't it? It's kind of like a welcome mat that says "Go away!"
Even journalists sometimes have to wait for months before finally getting a visa from one of our embassies abroad. Even if there were tourist visas, a visitor would have a difficult time adopting to our strict ways.
Ummm... Normally, tourists go places where the locals go out of their way to make them comfortable, help them have a good time in the process of being separated from their fungible resources...
The first signs of a conservative and even rigid society would greet visitors on their arrival. A chopped-off Ronald McDonaldâs head at the food court of Al-Faisaliah, Riyadh, is a sign that Westernization â even in the form of a food chain â is not wanted here.
"Bob! Isn't that quaint! They chopped off Ronald McDonald's head as a warning to us!"
And then you have the quiet and dull atmosphere â no music allowed â in the coffee shops all over the city.
"Stop that unseemly frivolty and mirth!"
In the family areas, compulsory curtains are put around every table making some of those inside feel they are in a kind of cell. The idea of going out to eat and seeing other people eating and enjoying their meal in a public place would not apply in this part of the world. That is simply because other people do not want you to look at them and do not want to look at you either.
Chew with their mouths open, do they?
As for prayer times, Muslim or not, you and your family are kicked out â in a polite way of course â ten minutes before the call for prayer, even if you are in the middle of your meal.
"'Scuse me, but could you infidels get your asses out? We got more important things to do than cater to your ilk!"
Other disturbing signs that reflect our intolerance and rigidity appear in our streets and our malls â faceless people on signs. The faces of men in an advertisement are covered with paint, tape or plaster. Others, displaying women are the same. Even the faces of children are blotted out â and letâs not forget about womenâs products sold in pharmacies.
Or maybe we should...
And then there is sexual segregation and what almost amounts to a phobia when men and women are together. How many times has a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight been delayed because stewards and stewardesses are busy rearranging seats because a man and a woman â for cultural reasons â feel they cannot sit next to each another?
"Alright, Mr. Abdullah! Alright! I'm moving the brazen hussy to another seat! Put your pants back on!"
I am still wondering how the Ministry of Transport and the Higher Commission for Developing Riyadh plans to build our first metro system. Will some of the trains be mixed or will they be segregated like the SAPTCO buses, with women in the back behind a barrier?
"Bob? They want me to ride in the back, with the other women and the goats!"
As for meeting new people â men and women who are non-relatives â- and inviting them out to dinner, do it at your own risk.
"Whut yew doin', sniffin' around our wimmin, boy?"
Families going to recreation centers will be shocked to find that there is a day for men and one for women.
And it isn't the same day, either...
In other words, families will be split, with the sons going with the father on one day and the daughters with their mother on another. The truth is that no matter what we do, we are not ready to receive foreign tourists.
Maybe you should just draw your dining curtains around the entire country and forget about it...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
12/10/2003 14:23 ||
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#1
...other than that, how did you enjoy your stay?
#3
Not bad - captured some of the flavor very well.
Left out religious visas, however, for the hajj shit.
"The truth is that no matter what we do, we are not ready to receive foreign tourists."
This is, without a doubt, the understatement of the new Millenium by the Saoodis. Wotta maroon.
But one should never underestimate the loonacy of people with 739 weeks of vacation time per year and several dozen holidays. Anyone up for cycling along the Iranian border?
#4
We could send in a couple of divisions, er, groups of advisors to help them out.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
12/10/2003 14:44 Comments ||
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#5
What about studying aeolian formations in the empty quarter for pleasure?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/10/2003 14:48 Comments ||
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#6
AP - there's a 4-Wheeler club that does the Empty Quarter run pretty regularly. They come back with interesting stuff, sometimes: pottery and other artifacts. As for your geomorphological query, dat be dere, too, awright!
#7
A stellar analysis. He forgot to mention that tourists have most annoying cravings: they want to visit places of INTEREST and not getting their heads chopped off for trying to enter Mecca as infidels.
Oh but glad we talked about it!
.com, you are right though. Some morons would go anyway, just for the heck of it.
#8
TGA - in this nice quiet thread I'd like to heartily welcome you back! (Yes, I know it's chicken!) I've missed your POV! I'm about to go into sporadic access mode and didn't want to miss the opportunity! Keep pluggin' & sluggin', bro!
#10
Fropm the picture he gives it looks like an ideal place for vacation for a coalition soldiers using their vactions to practice their marksmanship with a tank gun.
#12
It's no accident that so many Saudi royals vacation elsewhere.
Posted by: Tom ||
12/10/2003 19:34 Comments ||
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#13
Lousy place for a vacation, but they may have opportunities as a retirement destination. 18 holes and a cart at the (men only) Idi Amin Sand Links anyone?
Posted by: john ||
12/10/2003 20:47 Comments ||
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From Geostrategy-Direct
Washington has pressed Qatarâs ruling family, which sponsored Al-Jazeera, to make major changes at the news channel. Sources at the station said Qatarâs ruling family has quietly reshuffled the stationâs board of directors and senior staffers. The goal is to satisfy the United States that Al-Jazeera was being released from its stranglehold by Al Qaida sympathizers. For years, the satellite channel has served as a mouthpiece for Al Qaida. At one point in 2002 it passed messages between Osama Bin Laden and his supporters. Here are some of the changes: Al-Jazeeraâs top correspondent, Taysir Alouni, regarded as liaison with Al Qaida, is out â detained in Spain on terrorism charges. Add that to your resume, Taysir. Qasim Jaafar, regarded as a professional journalist with no ties to Al Qaida or related groups, is in. Yvonne Ridley is out, too, but thatâs another story.
Decided to hire somebody who can spell, huh?
The Qatari ruling family is treading cautiously. Al-Jazeera has been under the heavy influence of Sheik Yusef Qardawi, the Godfather of Terrorism most charismatic cleric in the Gulf and a fixture on the channel. Qardawi has been a star with his railing against Israel, the United States and endorsement of jihad. Qardawi was said to have brought in many of the pro-Al Qaida staffers and board members. The ruling family does not want to turn the sheik into an enemy. Instead, he should be turned into a grease spot on the L&N.
Meanwhile, the U.S. plans to launch its own competition to A-Jazeera satellite television. Details have not been announced. Al-Limbaugh? Sorry, couldnât help it.
They'd love al-Rantburg...
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/10/2003 2:19:20 PM ||
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#1
"L&N"
Louisville & Nashville? "Sheik struck and killed by coal train?"
Posted by: Mike ||
12/10/2003 14:55 Comments ||
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#2
It's an old expression. Like squashed like a bug.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/10/2003 15:02 Comments ||
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#4
Thanks for the elucidation, Paul. I like that turn of phrase.
Posted by: Mike ||
12/10/2003 15:42 Comments ||
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#5
I would feel more comfortable if the left Al-Jizz alone and just treated it as a possible terrorist organization. When you call for changes in a media outlet, you get some surface changes. Al-Jizz is what it is because there is a market for that type of clownshow journalism.
My impression is that the Iraqis, for one, will provide an alternative to Al-Jizz. There will be a spontaneous challenge to the Arab media on the grounds of truthfulness coming from other Arabs. We should monitor encourage and reward balanced Arab media with access but not finance the enterprise. Arab opinion can be monitored by circulations and ratings of balanced media against the inciters.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/10/2003 16:26 Comments ||
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#6
Al-Rantburg, yea baby, YEA! News, sports and biting comentary.
Look! A flying ytram! Hat tip LGF.
The Democratic presidential candidates criticized President Bushâs record on the economy and fighting terrorism in a debate Tuesday night, but some of their jabs left out important facts. It took them this long to admit that?
Sen. Joe Lieberman declared it would take a Democratic president to ``get this economy going,ââ but the economy has been gaining momentum over the last several months since Bushâs second tax cut took effect. Weekly claims for unemployment insurance have fallen since April, and economic growth and productivity in the third-quarter reached 20-year highs. Sounds like someoneâs going to get sacked at al-Guardian.
Two of the candidates used a favorite attack line against Bush - Lieberman said ``3.5 million people have lost their jobsââ and Howard Dean twice cited the 3 million jobs lost under Bush - but their statements also ignored the improving economy. It is true that about 3 million jobs were lost during the early months of the Bush presidency. But that trend has been reversing for several months as the jobless rate has dropped from a peak of 6.4 percent in June to 5.9 percent last month. Kathleen Hall Jamieson, a University of Pennsylvania professor who studies political rhetoric, said the debate was filled with hyperbole and exaggeration typical of candidates trying to unseat an incumbent president. ``If you were trying to get facts from this debate, you are going to get confused,ââ Jamieson said. ``You have the party out of power exaggerating the negative impact of the administration and ignoring the positive impact.ââ "Itâs almost a law of physics."
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry got off the mark when he told a story about a New Hampshire couple. As he told it, Lisa and Randy Denuccio canât drink their water or take showers because they live next to a lake that is contaminated with the gasoline additive MTBE. But in a telephone interview Tuesday night, Lisa Denuccio said the couple now showers with the water from their town rather than the old polluted well. ``We canât do without that,ââ she said of the showers. However, she says they still drink bottled water.
Never mind.
Several of the nine Democrats attacked the tax cuts Bush pushed through Congress. But none mentioned that Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, who has served both Republican and Democratic presidents, has cited those cuts as a reason for the recent growth of the economy. The Donks are off in Never-Never Land.
North Carolina Sen. John Edwards boasted that he does not take money from Washington lobbyists because they have too much influence on politics - but he neglected to mention that his campaign manager, Nick Baldick, has been a registered lobbyist with clients like Blue Cross-Blue Shield and Burger King.
But Nick's not giving him any money, so it's okay...
On foreign policy, Wesley Clark and Dean accused Bush of ``not fighting terrorism.ââ Although al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden remains at large, the administrationâs war has substantially thinned the ranks of the terror network, including the arrest of Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed. The administration also has thwarted dozens of attacks through increased cooperation with allies. al-Guardian admittied that!? Look! A flying squee!
On the Iraq front, Dean declared ``I think we need to bring in foreign troops,ââ suggesting Americans have been going it alone. While some big Western allies, like Germany and France, have refused to provide troops for Iraq, the campaign has received thousands of troops from the likes of Britain, Poland, Japan, Italy, Hungary, Denmark and Ukraine. NATO countries have sent about 24,000 soldiers, compared to 130,000 U.S. troops. Clark said it was a ``strategic blunderââ to go to war with Iraq, but in the past he has said he would have voted for the resolution authorizing Bush to launch military strikes against Saddam Hussein. Even Ted Koppel, the ABC newsman who moderated the debate, waded into the gray area of truth when he declared that Dean had raised more money than anyone in the campaign. While Deanâs $25 million through September tops the Democratic field, it is dwarfed by the more than $100 million Bush has already raised as a Republican with no primary opponent. Those little-guy donations really add up, donât they!
#1
Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry got off the mark when he told a story about a New Hampshire couple. As he told it, Lisa and Randy Denuccio canât drink their water or take showers because they live next to a lake that is contaminated with the gasoline additive MTBE.
Increased MTBE contamination comes a result of steps to reduce vehicular air pollution. No surprise here - save one way, pay another.
#2
RE Increased MTBE contamination: note that there's no reason given for the contamination, or how it occurred, or whether there was a solution. IF these people live right next to a major highway in an otherwise dullsville area, and their well happens to be near the highway, you could see some increased MTBE contamination, but not sufficient to make water undrinkable or unusable. There's more to the story - something being hidden in order to hammer Bush on enviornmental problems. Would sure like to know what that 'something' is.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/10/2003 19:11 Comments ||
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EFL
Islamic radicals held training camps for potential recruits across France through 2002, Le Parisien newspaper reported Wednesday, adding that French investigators believe they have successfully dismantled the network running the camps... The purpose of the sites was to take untested candidates and determine whether they were fit for jihad in battle zones like Afghanistan and Chechnya... if they couldnât make the grade for Afghanistan and Chechnya they could at least defaced graveyards and assault local Jews
Most recruits came from Paris-region mosques where religious leaders preached a hardline brand of Islam, the newspaper said. The newspaper said that investigators from the DST, Franceâs counterintelligence agency, believe that France has dismantled the network that ran the training camps. but the mosques themselves and their hatred doctrine are still in business
Posted by: mhw ||
12/10/2003 8:00:26 AM ||
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#2
As opposed to a moderate brand of Islam.
As opposed to an over-the-top brand of Islam. There is no "moderate" brand of Islam. The group you think of as "moderate" is in reality the sleeper-cell Islamists that will pour forth once they get sufficient numbers to make a difference. It's all one faith, with one goal. They may use different methods, but the proposed outcome is the same.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/10/2003 13:12 Comments ||
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This is a commentary from last April, but itâs still timely. File it under "intellectual ammunition" for any moonbat friends you have. EFL for length and liquid damage to computers.
Is it really only two months since we wrote that the leftâs "efforts at mustering a mighty and lasting coalition of antiwar forces are likely to be stillbornâ? We donât make a habit of quoting ourselves, but for once it seems appropriate. We turned out to be better at prediction than we had thought we were, and certainly better at it than those who said that the war would go on for months, drawing the US-led coalition forces into âanother Vietnamâ and spreading across the region as the âArab streetâ rose up against the âinvadersâ. Indeed, one of the reasons why we supported the war throughout was that we expected it to be relatively short, relatively sparing of lives and infrastructure alike, and relatively effective in achieving its purposes (no absolutes for us, thankyou very much). As these expectations too were borne out by events, we have been able to celebrate the overthrow of one of the most murderous and dangerous dictatorships in the world with (again, relatively) few regrets. Unlike those who opposed the war, we have not been comprehensively proved wrong, nor have we betrayed any of our principles â let alone, as so much of the âleftâ has, betrayed every single one of them.
But how is it possible for us to call ourselves Marxists and support a war waged by a coalition of rich western liberal democracies against the government of a poor âThird Worldâ country? We would turn the question round: how it is possible that Marxism has been so corrupted and distorted that âMarxistsâ prefer to see thousands more Iraqis die in the torture chambers of the Baâath, and millions more suffer under the iniquities excused (not caused) by the UN sanctions, rather than admit that socialists not only can but must support even the worst bourgeois democracy against even the least bad tyranny? For the beginnings of an answer, let us consider just some of the transparent and disgusting lies generated and spread by the western âleftâ before and during the war.
(1) The Baâath regime was in some sense âprogressiveâ: It is very revealing that few western âleftistsâ ever went beyond ritualised, purely verbal opposition to the âexcessesâ of the regime, even in the midst of their efforts to hijack the leadership of the anti-war movements from the pacifists, Muslim fundamentalists, âNot in My Nameâ solipsists and other malcontents with whom they made such opportunistic alliances. Meanwhile, a horrifyingly large number of âleftistsâ actually praised the regime â for its âsecularismâ, disregarding the Baâathistsâ praise for Islam as the âsoul of the Arab nationâ, Saddamâs fictional claim of descent from the Prophet and the addition of âAllah is greatâ to the national flag; its âsocialismâ, disregarding the whole sorry history of tyrannies deploying empty leftist rhetoric; and its sporadic defiance of the western powers, disregarding the fact that it happily cooperated with those powers whenever it suited it and them to do so. The western âleftâ has evidently become so habituated to denouncing the hypocrisy and cynicism of western governments â which we also denounce, though more consistently â that it is now incapable of discerning the hypocrisy and cynicism of nonwestern governments. Any organisation that can call, as the Socialist Workers Party did, for âVictory to the Resistanceâ, as if the Baâath regimeâs last remaining loyalists, and those it imported from other Arab countries, resembled the French Resistance rather than the Vichy regimeâs Milice and their Nazi friends, has not just deserted Marxism, it has taken off into a world of fantasy from which it looks unlikely to return. It wasnât hard to notice
(6) The war was opposed by majorities of the populations of Britain, the United States, Australia, Arab countries, Muslim countries, the whole world, and, if the Pope can be trusted, Heaven as well: The western âleftâ, having spent years denouncing opinion polls as just another part of the capitalist propaganda machine, suddenly took to citing them when they briefly seemed to go their way, then just as suddenly took to denouncing them again when they showed large majorities in many of the coalition countries supporting the war. Equally inconsistently, the British âleftâ dropped all their hostility to âparliamentary fetishismâ for as long as it looked as if the House of Commons might vote against the war, then reverted when the Commons voted in favour of the war, twice. But who really knows what most people support or oppose? Are demonstrations really more reliable guides to popular feeling than parliamentary votes or media campaigns? What if the government, in any of the coalition countries, had called their criticsâ bluff and arranged a snap referendum on whether to go to war? The chances are that they would have won a convincing majority â and that the âleftâ would have denounced it as manipulated and unreliable. Why canât the âleftâ simply argue its case strictly on its merits, regardless of whether it has majority support or not? It might then gain some more respect, and possibly a larger audience, than it does at present with all its lies and bombast.
As for claims to be able to discern Arab or Muslim public opinion, either in general or within any one country, they must all be regarded as highly suspect. These are societies controlled by regimes that do not permit free media (even Al-Jazeera and Abu Dhabi TV are by no means as âindependentâ as they or their new fans claim they are); that impose severe restrictions on political activity; and that give religious fundamentalists privileged positions from which to spread their poison. There is thus no genuine Arab public opinion to be discerned, and not much in most other Muslim countries. Perhaps most Arabs do feel humiliated by the coalitionâs actions; perhaps they feel far more humiliated by the actions of Arab regimes; perhaps they are much less concerned about the fate of Iraq than we might wish them to be. In the absence of reliable evidence we refuse to trust any of the self-appointed experts, especially when their reading of Arab public opinion just happens to coincide with their own views and/or depends on applying monolithic stereotypes to millions of people â if that isnât racism, what is?
OUCH! Thatâs got to hurt.
Hereâs their comment about OOOOOOIIIIIIILLLLLL
(7) The war was âreallyâ all about US control of the worldâs oil supplies: Of course the US ruling class is as capable of stupidity and ignorance as any other ruling class, but historically it has shown a keener sense of self-interest than this crass economistic nonsense suggests. If the fate of the oil industry was the overriding concern then the US government and the oil companies with which it is closely connected could and would have carried on as before, collaborating with the Saudis and others to keep the oil flowing. The fact that US oil companies are now being awarded contracts for work in Iraq indicates only that they are the leading players in the industry, their only serious rivals being French and Russian â and is it any surprise, or cause for indignation, that US and British decision-makers prefer to deal with US companies rather than companies from two of the countries that were close to the Baâath regime before and during the war?
Meanwhile, we are not so naive as to suppose that, because oil was not the main motive, the liberation of the Iraqi people was. The US administration and the other governments in the coalition, with their customary cynicism, exploited that goal, and the issue of weapons of mass destruction, to promote their shared vision of an international order that is safer for capitalism, implying, among other things, more liberal democracies, with more compliant governments; more âfreeâ trade, in oil as in other commodities; and more effective joint action against terrorism. There is every reason to think that they are insincere about much of this programme, and that their definitions of such terms as âdemocracyâ or âterrorismâ differ from ours. There is no reason, however, to think that they are insincere about all of it â the western âleftâ has no monopoly on self-deluding idealism â and it makes more sense to assess each scene in this continuing drama on its own merits, by the light of the doctrine of the lesser evil, than to either buy into the whole deal or reject it out of hand simply because it isnât revolutionary socialism. Given the widespread popularity of capitalism and the vanishingly small support for socialism in the contemporary world, it would be stupid to expect anything more radical. On the other hand, as long as we are to be ruled by capitalist states, which would you rather be ruled by: a coalition of liberal democracies that pay at least lipservice to free speech, or any number of ruthless genocidal dictatorships that want to revive the worst aspects of the Middle Ages (and we donât mean folk songs or William Morris wallpapers)? If you canât or wonât answer that question, how can you claim to be interested in contemporary politics, as opposed to useless dreaming about the politics of the distant future? Thatâs got to sting! (g) Read the whole thing, and then check out their comments on the February 2003 protests "Marching into Oblivion" and their blog
Posted by: Ernest Brown ||
12/10/2003 5:21:27 PM ||
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When I first read the title, I thought it would be a diatribe against the "ninecompoops", as someone so adroitly named them. Now I'm not so sure it's about anything but how stupid anyone but a Marxist is. Geesh - after the huge loss the "movement" took in the fall of the Soviet Union, and the continuing swirl around and around the drainhole of China, NKorea, and Cuba, I think the "movement" needs to look in the mirror - surprise, surprise - a MOONBAT smiles back!
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/10/2003 20:17 Comments ||
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Old Patriot,
Yeah, these guys do have some sense, but that makes it all the more reprehensible that they give lip service to a punk like Allende (a Stalinist-Castro wannabe) as a liberator. They do recognize that self-examination is necessary:
"Given the widespread popularity of capitalism and the vanishingly small support for socialism in the contemporary world, it would be stupid to expect anything more radical. On the other hand, as long as we are to be ruled by capitalist states, which would you rather be ruled by: a coalition of liberal democracies that pay at least lipservice to free speech, or any number of ruthless genocidal dictatorships that want to revive the worst aspects of the Middle Ages (and we donât mean folk songs or William Morris wallpapers)? "
...but my question is, "When eventually start shooting 'the capitalists,' when are you going to stop?"
Posted by: Ernest Brown ||
12/11/2003 3:46 Comments ||
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"you eventually start shooting"...not that I think that shooting even 1 "capitalist" is justified. The violent revolution they advocate is -never- going to lead to the goals they supposedly want, since that violence will consume the revolution from within.
Posted by: Ernest Brown ||
12/11/2003 3:54 Comments ||
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#4
hmmm...great piece and all. But I can't figure out if this is a parody or not.
I suppose it could be a young fire-brand who has rebelled against his rigid Marxist upbringing - eager to keynote his own insight and superior intellect over his teachers.
In the end..the ideal of Marxism is such a joke, I guess it's all one in the same, isn't it?
Posted by: B ||
12/11/2003 10:23 Comments ||
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#5
B,
No, they're serious, I think.
How they're going to have a revolution without undermining the things they claim to stand for is a freakin' mystery.
Posted by: Ernest Brown ||
12/11/2003 12:50 Comments ||
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Kinda cold in Minneapolis for sand people, isn't it?
Authorities in Minneapolis on Tuesday arrested and jailed a man suspected of associating with the Al-Qaida terrorist network and having knowledge of some of the activities of Zacarias Moussaoui. The official said the detainee has confirmed some of investigatorsâ suspicions about Moussaoui, who was arrested while learning to fly a Boeing 747 jet at an Eagan flight school two years ago and now is the subject of the only U.S. prosecution related to the Sept. 11 terror attacks. The jailed man, whose name was withheld, has described Moussaouiâs activities at an Al-Qaida training camp in Afghanistan several years ago. Members of the FBIâs local Joint Terrorism Task Force made the arrest in Minneapolis after a lengthy investigation. But the detaineeâs identity was kept off the public roster of inmates at the Hennepin County jail, and other details surrounding his apprehension could not immediately be learned. The suspect was served with an arrest warrant Tuesday and brought before U.S. Magistrate Judge Earl Cudd, but the proceedings were sealed. Roseann Campagnoli, a spokeswoman for the Hennepin County Sheriffâs Office, referred callers to the U.S. attorneyâs office. Thomas Heffelfinger, the U.S. attorney for Minnesota, blew them off declined to comment.
It sounds like they've got somebody significant and don't want anybody jiggling their elblow. Ibrahim Hooper has probably calved by now...
Tuesdayâs arrest marked only the latest in a series of federal counterterrorism activities in Minnesota, beginning with Moussaouiâs arrest on an immigration charge about 3 weeks before the Sept. 11 attacks. In November 2001, federal agents raided five Minneapolis money-transfer operations as part of a global effort to cut off Al-Qaidaâs funding. While the government later backed away from two of those cases, it continues to block the accounts of Al-Barakaat, a money-transfer network that Twin Cities Somalis relied on to send money home to their relatives. On Sept. 20, 2002, the FBI arrested three men in Hong Kong, including 55-year-old Ilyas Ali of St. Paul, in a sting operation. The three were later indicted on charges they plotted to swap large quantities of heroin and hashish for shoulder-fired Stinger anti-aircraft missiles. They allegedly told undercover FBI agents they planned to sell the missiles to the Taliban, the former Afghan ruling militia that is allied with Al-Qaida. The United States is seeking Aliâs extradition.
But we're taking our time at it, while the Chinese discuss matters with them...
In November 2002, authorities identified a Minneapolis man arrested in North Carolina as the alleged leader of a Detroit terrorist cell that had videotaped U.S. landmarks, including Disneyland and the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The man, Abel-Ilah Elmardoudi, a Moroccan citizen, and three others were charged with conspiring to provide material support for Al-Qaida plans to attack the United States, including providing the network with stolen telephone calling card numbers and fake visas. In June, Elmardoudi was found guilty of conspiracy to commit material support to terrorism against the United States.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/10/2003 1:17:51 AM ||
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"...the detaineeâs identity was kept off the public roster of inmates at the Hennepin County jail, and other details surrounding his apprehension could not immediately be learned.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the suspect was served with an arrest warrant Tuesday and brought before U.S. Magistrate Judge Earl Cudd, but the proceedings were sealed."
Singing like a canary, in other words. Somebody must've mentioned Gitmo. Can you say "witness protection program"?
Pakistan Wednesday handed over six Indonesian students held on suspicion of terror links to a delegation from Jakarta for repatriation to their homeland, officials said. The detainees includes Rusman Gunawan, the younger brother of alleged top terrorist Hambali, considered al-Qaedaâs pointman in Asia and also former operations chief of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terror group. "Gun-Gun" Gunawan, former future JI leader in training
The students have been handed over to the delegation, a senior government official told media here. The official would not disclose when the Indonesian students would be flown out of Pakistan. Foreign office spokesman Masood Khan confirmed the handover and said the Indonesian delegation, which arrived here Sunday, had come with a formal request to take custody of the six detainees. The Indonesians had been studying at the Abu Bakar Islamic University in Karachi before their arrest in September. Have to wait and see if the Indonesians do anything more than catch and release.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/10/2003 1:27:13 PM ||
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Indonesia, please take note: Malaysia has issued two-year detention orders on five students who allegedly trained as a new generation of leaders of the Southeast Asian Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terror group, a report said Wednesday. They were sent to an Islamic school in Pakistan by Hambali, the detained operations chief of the al-Qaeda-linked JI, where they were among 13 students arrested and deported by the Pakistani authorities on November 10, a daily reported. The other eight students have been released, though four have been placed under restriction orders limiting their movements and will be closely monitored by the police. The five jailed under the Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows indefinite detention without trial, had been trained to carry out bombing and suicide attacks against American interests in Malaysia and worldwide, the daily said. The five detained were named as Abi Dzar Jaafar, Mohamad Ikhwan Abdullah, Eddy Erman Shahime, Mohamad Radi Abdul Razak and Mohamad Akil Abdul Raof.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/10/2003 13:31 Comments ||
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After the recent suicide attacks in Turkey, the United States has asked the Government of Pakistan to add names of 15 more people to the consolidated list of people and entities belonging to Taliban and al-Qaeda, Dawn has learnt. The source said the government had been provided with the list endorsed by the United Nations and asked to freeze the assets of the people included in it, seal their offices and prevent their entry or transit. The Italian and US authorities have already frozen their accounts and imposed ban on their travelling, the source said. The consolidated list already carries the names and identities of 287 people and entities belonging or related to the Taliban, Usama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda. The 15 people to be added in the list are
Al-Ayashi Radiabdul Al-Sami (Egypt),
Cabullah (Somalia),
Hamid M Tahir (Iraq),
Mustafa Muhammad Amin (Iraq),
M Daki (Morocco),
Al-Sadi Furgh Hassan (Libya),
Sadi Nasir (Tunisia),
Ben Abdul Hakim (Tunisia),
Reham Lutfi (Tunisia),
Bouyahia Hamadi (Morocco),
Rown lazher Bin Khalifa Bin Ahmed (Tunisia),
Zarkavi Imed Bin Maki (Tunisia),
Murad Trabelsi (Tunisia),
Kamal Bin Mauldi (Tunisia)
Nauriddi Drissi (Tunisia).
Perv must be so happy to have them around.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/10/2003 1:15:02 AM ||
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No Saudis? Interesting.
Posted by: john ||
12/10/2003 12:25 Comments ||
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TIKRIT, Iraq (Reuters) - U.S. forces have arrested three men suspected of heading Iraqi rebel cells in their homes and say they seized a cache of weapons big enough to launch 50 guerrilla attacks.
In the front garden of one of the two houses raided in the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit in the early hours of Thursday, soldiers dug up a hoard of rifles, grenades and explosives that the commanding officer described as "a Fedayeen candy shop". "This is mission-oriented. This is stuff they dole out," said Lieutenant Colonel Steve Russell of the U.S. Fourth Infantry Division.
"They are not moving weapons here -- this is the head of a snake," he told reporters invited to witness the raid. "They are probably in charge of two or three cells. This is one of the most unusual varieties of weapons caches we have seen."
U.S.-led coalition forces in Iraq have been dogged by attacks, often in the form of improvised bombs against military convoys. They are believed launched by rebels loyal to former President Saddam Hussein, some of whom have been identified as remnants of Saddamâs feared Fedayeen militia.
Russell said the three men arrested, two brothers and a brother-in-law all aged about 40, were members of Mohammedâs Army, a group he described as a "local terrorist cell" based in what is the main city in Saddamâs home region. "They are connected to the former regime."
The men, woken from their sleep next to their wives and children, pleaded their innocence. But as reporters left the site, soldiers were still finding white plastic sacks stuffed with weapons buried a few inches under the soil.
"You have a smoking gun in your hand," Russell told one of the arrested men who, according to a U.S. army interpreter, had protested: "I just sell wood, I sell shoes. Saddam is my enemy."
As the two men of that house were undergoing initial interrogation outside, their wives and bleary-eyed young children waited in their bedrooms. Reuters witnessed as a young boy, prompted by an insistent Arabic-speaking soldier, lifted the corner of his motherâs mattress to reveal an AK-47 assault rifle.
Troops also discovered an apparently newly-bought wireless doorbell set, which can be used to trigger bombs from a distance.
Russell said the weapons find was significant as U.S. troops rarely discover the "middle-men" who are neither fully-blown arms traffickers nor the foot soldiers who pull the trigger, but are in charge of directing attacks.
He said better intelligence and tip-offs were leading to more effective raids on Iraqi rebels than in recent months. "We are draining the swamp of the high and the low," he said. "It is starting to get pretty good. It is starting to get as good as it was in July and August.
As the bulk of troops left the house, two U.S. helicopters fired salvos of explosives into a nearby farmerâs field, a show of force the U.S. military calls "harassment and interdiction" of local militants.
#1
The harder we strike, the more convinced the locals are of our staying the course and winning. Improved tactics + improved intel = hard times for Ba'athist thugs.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
12/11/2003 0:17 Comments ||
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Toy cars, Coke cans and animal carcasses have something in common in Iraq â they are all used to kill American soldiers.
Guerrillas fill the objects with explosives, place them on the side of the road and press a remote control button when US troops pass by. I had no idea that this is what IEDâs are.I knew they were homemade bombs, but I didnât know they put them inside toys or animal carcasses.
U.S. forces arrested 41 people in Iraq Wednesday including several believed to be responsible for a November 29 attack that killed seven Spanish intelligence officers, Spanish Defense Minister Federico Trillo said. The arrests in Latifiya, about 20 miles south of Baghdad, were carried out with intelligence from U.S., British and Spanish forces and the help of Iraqi police. "The operation was done without the need to fire shots and without casualties," Trillo told parliament. Also Wednesday, Trillo announced the arrests of five suspects in the killing of a Spanish military attache in Baghdad in October. Trillo said the five men, whose nationality was not immediately released, were being questioned by authorities in Baghdad. Maybe the Army of Steves⢠can find more info?
#1
Not much more new yet: Among those detained during 18 raids in Latifiyah, just south of Baghdad, were the "actual attackers", said a statement from the 82nd Airborne. The Spanish intelligence agents were killed in a mortar and grenade attack on their convoy in Latifiyah on November 29. In Madrid, Spanish Defence Minister Federico Trillo told parliament he had been informed of the arrests by the ground forces commander of the American-led coalition, US Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez. Those detained were "presumed to be directly responsible for the carrying out and the organisation" of the ambush, he said, adding they belonged "to a dangerous armed group", which he named as "Abu Abdullah". According to Trillo, the suspects were arrested without a shot being fired.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/10/2003 21:15 Comments ||
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TASK FORCE âALL AMERICANâ CAPTURES SPANISH ATTACKERS
LUTAFIYAH, Iraq â At 2:00 am this morning, paratroopers from 3rd Brigade, 82d Airborne Division with the assistance of Iraqi police conducted Operation Panther Squeeze, a series of 18 raids in Lutafiyah to kill or capture individuals believed to be responsible for the attack against Spanish forces on November 29th. The cooperation efforts between the coalition forces and Iraqi police contributed to the great success of this operation.
During the raids, 15 primary targets were captured with a total of 41 enemy personnel taken for questioning. Those captured included the cell leader Abu Abdullah, an intelligence officer, financier, and a doctor who treated terrorists so they can avoid treatment at local hospitals, and the actual attackers.
A vehicle was also confiscated that may have been used in the recent assassination of the Lutafiyah Police Chief.
Since November 29th, we have been able to gather a significant amount of human intelligence in Lutafiyah. Intelligence collection in the area prior to the attack against the Spaniards was very difficult, but now there are indications that terrorist activities are no longer tolerable to the average citizen there. CentCom
TIKRIT, Iraq â Soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division and Task Force Ironhorse over the past 24 hours conducted 184 patrols and five raids resulting in the capture of 36 individuals. Thirty-four of the patrols were joint operations conducted with the Iraqi Police, the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps and the Border Guard.
Weapons and equipment confiscated include six AK-47 assault rifles, three other rifles of various description, one machine gun, one rocket propelled grenade launcher, six rocket propelled grenades, five hand grenades, two mortar rounds, one block of C4, two sticks of TNT, 13 Roland missiles and five improvised explosive devices.
#5
My understanding is that Jacques Iraq was having a blue light special on Rolands for his friend Saddam. My question is why isn't the date of manufacture on the Rolands released?
Posted by: Mr. Davis ||
12/10/2003 19:57 Comments ||
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Todayâs demo. was organized by anti terrorism popular committee(an independent organization).
Here are some snap shots from todayâs rallies:
:: This time we were(according to the most pessimistic al-Jazeera)more than ten thousands.
:: All Iraqi ethnic and religious groups were there, Arab, Kurd, Sunni, shia, Turkomen, Assyrians. The demo. was well protected by IP and US army helicopters.
::each party had its own slogans, but every one agreed on condemning Saddam, terrorists, Baâathists, the Arab media and the interference of Iraq neighbors in Iraq.
. . .
I woke up early this morning, Zeyad came by, and the four of us( Ali, Mohammed, Zeyad and I) went to al-Tahrir sq., we found nothing there(the location from which the demo. was supposed to start was not announced)so we had to ask the police man in the street about it.
he told us to head towards al-Fatih sq.(infront of the Iraqi national theater), we went there, and we found a couple of hundreds there, all of them representing the Iraqi communist party, we were very disappointed in the beginning, but as time passed, the crowd grew bigger and other parties joined.
after 2 hours, the crowd was so big, I couldnât guess the number, but it seemed like the whole Iraq was there, men, women, children, young and elderly of different socio-economic levels, cheering the same slogans in different languages(Arabic, Kurdish, Turkomen, Assyrian). They looked very happy and free, despite the risks of being targeted.
No body seemed to be afraid, in fact today I felt safer than ever.
I didnât expect such a response from the Iraqi people after all the terror they have suffered-and still suffering- from. To me it was a total success. I hope more brave steps will follow.
Cripes. I'm actually choked up. Good luck to you, brothers!
Heâs got the camera Jeff Jarvis sent him and is posting some great pics to accompany the text. Edited for brevity.
The rallies today proved to be a major success. I didnât expect anything even close to this. It was probably the largest demonstration in Baghdad for months. It wasnât just against terrorism. It was against Arab media, against the interference of neighbouring countries, against dictatorships, against Wahhabism, against oppression, and of course against the Baâath and Saddam.
We started at Al-Fatih square in front of the Iraqi national theatre at 10 am. IP were all over the place. At 12 pm people started marching towards Fardus square through Karradah. All political parties represented in the GC participated. But the other parties, organizations, unions, tribal leaders, clerics, school children, college students, and typical everyday Iraqis made up most of the crowd. Al-Jazeera estimated the size of the crowd as over ten thousand people.
You can find a list of some of the parties that we noticed there at Omarâs blog. At one point it struck me that our many differences as an Iraqi people meant nothing. Here we were all together shouting in different languages the same slogans "NO NO to terrorism, YES YES for peace".
I spent most of the time taking pictures. heh, I really enjoyed playing the role of a journalist. Everyone was tugging at my sleeves asking me to take their photos mistaking me for a foreign reporter. Some people recognized a reporter from Al-Arabiyah station and they started taunting him. One old man shouted to him "For once, speak the truth".
What was interesting, a group of Al-Sadr supporters showed up and started shouting "NO NO to occupiers" obviously in an attempt to hijack the demonstration. They drowned in the rest of the crowd.
Posted by: Dar ||
12/10/2003 1:42:54 PM ||
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Great news. This will be the lead story on CNN tonight, won't it? Front-page above-the-fold coverage in the NYT tomorrow? Naa.
Posted by: Matt ||
12/10/2003 14:25 Comments ||
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And a Google search finds no mention (iraq +demonstration +rally) in the first 7 pages of links - tons from months ago on the anti-war ptools with their giant puppets. No mention on MSNBC or Fox, either, that I could see. Once again, they are "scooped" because they can't get it through their arrogant corporate / J-school heads that the news is not the same as their agenda. Thx, guys, for the story links!
Excuse me, I've got some "Favorites" entries to delete...
#5
I read a UPI dispatch from the Washington Times (via Drudge) that says 4,000 protested. If it is on Drudge it will likely make it on to the major cable and broadcast news stations at some point. Right? Won't it? Please?
Posted by: remote man ||
12/10/2003 17:06 Comments ||
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I emailed CNN a "news tip", so that should do it.
While shooting at the Beeb really isn't worth the powder, one of the online Beeb's headlines is "Scientists Create Ebola Virus". The headline should be "US Army Scientists Create Ebola Virus", but that's way off message.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3306087.stm
Posted by: Matt ||
12/10/2003 17:28 Comments ||
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My mistake. For Virus read Vaccine. Fred, bail me out here?
Posted by: Matt ||
12/10/2003 17:29 Comments ||
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Matt, US Army Scientists Created Ebola Virus is probably how they would like to report it :((.
Posted by: Matt ||
12/10/2003 18:33 Comments ||
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#10
ABC (Peter Jennings) gave it second billing but described it as essentially a mish-mash of competing agendas, e.g. Shi'ites v Sunnis, Kurds v Arabs, etc.
Basically, ABC's spin is 'Tis Nothing.
First story was Bill Richardson (ex-Clinton Admin) saying what idiots we (read: Bush) are for not forking over our tax $$$ and contracts to the Axis of Weasels while US GIs are murdered by French/Russian/German weapons sold in violation of UN sanctions.
#11
Per Instapundit, Donald Sensing and Lt Smash, it seems that the major media are picking up the story in various ways, but the fact remains that one guy with a camera, a brain, and two very sizable stones scooped the world's press.
Posted by: Matt ||
12/10/2003 20:08 Comments ||
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#12
Scooped? Scooped?? Not like they (media) can say this was a surprise, been buzzing softly for weeks now. The demonstrators just didn't bring along enough high explosives to attract any coverage. Am I being a cynic?
Edited for brevity.
As Army chaplains and support groups notified families yesterday of the first fatalities among Fort Lewisâ Stryker brigade in Iraq, the unit recorded its first successes against insurgents. In fact, part of the brigade took the Strykerâs first prisoners yesterday when it surprised Iraqi insurgents who had intended to attack U.S. troops with a homemade road mine, ABC news reported. The brigade also raided a home nearby, confiscating a cache of rocket-propelled grenades, dynamite and mortars. In a 24-hour period, ABC news producer Mike Gudgell, who works out of KOMO-TV in Seattle, reported that the Strykers have been shot at, mortared, lost three troops in a rollover accident and taken their first captives. The brigadeâs fast new Stryker vehicle, quieter than the Bradley infantry carriers it replaced, is credited with sneaking up and capturing two Iraqis trying to tie together and bury two mortar tubes in the road. The homemade bombs are often set off remotely with a cell phone or door-opening device. But catching Iraqis in the act of planting them has been rare, Gudgell reported. Hopefully the first of many successful engagements to come!
Posted by: Dar ||
12/10/2003 12:02:21 PM ||
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Seeing it from a total outsider's pov (not Us, not military-type), I'm very skeptical about the Strykers; seems like a overindulged high tech-toy. I hope the money invested into buying glorified armored cars will not be missed elsewhere by US soldiers (wasn't there a report about a family having to provide bodyarmor to its son?).
#2
The Stryker should be ideal for the Iraq mission. It can move faster and more quietly than a Bradley or Abrams, but is not as heavily armored. Most of the "high tech" stuff is communication gear and electronics, not the basic running gear of the vehicle iteself. It does have a nifty remote weapon platform on the roof that the soldiers can fire from within the vehicle. It will be interesting to see how that works.
Posted by: remote man ||
12/10/2003 13:35 Comments ||
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#3
I hope the money invested into buying glorified armored cars will not be missed elsewhere by US soldiers (wasn't there a report about a family having to provide bodyarmor to its son?).
Would a modified M113 have been better? We'll find out in the months ahead. Still, a Stryker is way better than a Humvee for carrying out anti-guerrilla operations. It's also probably quieter because it's not a tracked vehicle (less clanking).
#4
Anti Armor weapons are getting good enough that nothing short of a M1 is in trouble. The bigger issue now is catching terrorists. Tracked vehicles are just too noisy. Hummers are not armored enough and do not carry any of the advanced thermal equipment. The Stryker is wheeled, quick, has advanced thermals, and most importantly, quiet. As the article states, instead of telegraphing their approach allowing either a EID or ambush, the Stryker was able to sneak up on them. Once the marines go back in next year I bet you will see wide use of their LAV's also. An additional benefit of the Stryker Brigade is that they apparently have a heavier infantry component than the 3rd/4th id's do. I feel this type of unit is better suited to the type of combat going on in Iraq right now.
Posted by: Patrick ||
12/10/2003 14:34 Comments ||
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Hat tip: InstaPundit. Edited for brevity. A Really Urgent Request from Chief Wiggles:
Today in the course of what was to be a very normal day, a man knocked on my door with a very special request. At first he was obviously a little uneasy, not sure if he should enter through the large double doors into the spaciousness of my office. As he reluctantly stepped in he looked around to see if anyone else was in the office. It was already late in the day, the others having left much earlier; I was alone to receive the manâs inquiry.
Four young teenage girls, two sets of sisters, all cousins, were hiding in a home in his neighborhood. Their lives were in danger, jeopardized by their efforts to assist Americans to uncover dangerous criminals in their neighborhood. Now as a result of their actions their lives are being threatened, forcing them to find refuge from their would-be assailants. The girls are out of options and nowhere to run, their families unable to sufficiently provide protection from an obviously larger more powerful enemy. He repeatedly declared that "we, the Americans, are their only hope", begging for my help and assistance to prevent the four young girls from being killed.
Time is running out, the girls unable to stay hidden for very long without some type of long term solution, in a land that knows little of the meaning of forgiveness. Searching for a safe haven is not an easy thing, but the young ladies desperately need to find safe passage to America, away from the evil designs of their enemies here.
After some discussion and a few phone calls to confirm the story, I have come to my own conclusion. I need to find an organization that is willing to sponsor these four young ladies, (two age 13, one 15 and one 16, I believe), to bring them to America and assist in find a loving-caring home for them. If there is a church group, or some other charitable organization, or business that could assist in this endeavor, I would appreciate hearing from them as soon as possible. Their trip needs to be sponsored and an effort made to insure a safe place for these girls to live, preferably together as sisters. Please if there is any individual or organization that can help provide a solution for these young ladies, contact me through my web site immediately. We need your help in making this happen before it is too late. Please be sure to write in your email the name and contact information, with telephone numbers, so that we might call you right away. I would appreciate your help. Thank you.
Posted by: Dar ||
12/10/2003 10:10:31 AM ||
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Here's part of an email I sent to Chief Wiggles a bit ago. I'd appreciate Rantburg's input, suggestions, and inspiration.
"This is not a single-case scenario. Things like this will continue to happen in Iraq for some time to come. There needs to be an organization set up specifically to deal with such matters. I KNOW such groups existed after WWII. Many of those are now defunct, but some of them should still be around. There are a lot of people, like me, who would like to help, but haven't got a lot, and don't want to see it skimmed off by the established NGOs for bureaucratic and political shenanigans. If someone could set up an umbrella group, see that the majority of the aid got to the people, not some flunky either here or in Iraq, I'm sure the amount of support would be overwhelming. Get the old dogs in TREA, the NCOA, ROA, and similar groups, to do the organizing - YOU KNOW what kinds of skills they can bring to bear.
We should have thought of something like this three months ago, and have it in place already. If it exists, it's doing a lousy job of promotion, and if it doesn't exist, those of us who know what war is like should be ashamed. Whatever, we need to do it now, do it right, and get those girls to safety."
I've been contacting local organizations. Most are sceptical, a few outright hostile. Too many people have been stung by too many scams over the Internet, and everything has to be verified fifteen times. There are some enlightening updates on Chief Wiggle's blog - take a look. Typical outpouring of American generosity and commitment to helping others.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/10/2003 15:53 Comments ||
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Guerrillas hit a U.S. Air Force transport plane with a surface-to-air missile, causing the engine to explode, a senior Pentagon source said Wednesday. The plane landed safely. The C-17 had just lifted off from Baghdad International Airport before dawn Tuesday when the engine exploded, slightly injuring one of the 16 passengers and crew, said U.S. Air Force Capt. Carrie Clear of 447th Air Expeditionary Group, based at the airport. The plane returned to the airport and landed safely, Clear said. A senior Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, described the explosion as a direct hit by a ground-fired missile, "like the DHL" incident that damaged a cargo plane departing the airport last month. That plane, too, landed safely. Clear said the incident was under investigation.
Posted by: Dar ||
12/10/2003 10:04:54 AM ||
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I wonder if their attached French camera crew got some more footage.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
12/10/2003 11:08 Comments ||
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#2
It sounds like the countermeasures weren't turned on, weren't effective, or weren't installed. You'd think that after the DHL incident they'd be extra careful.
#4
Just watched a video on Fox telling about the attack on the plane. Unfortunately, they were showing video of a C-130 all the time they were talking about a C-17. Shouldn't these guys (and girls) have to pass a test to see if they know what the hell they are talking about?
#5
I thought the area around the airport was pretty barren. I wonder if you can adjust the flight patterns to put the shooters in a spot that would be very hard to escape from.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/10/2003 18:28 Comments ||
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In Kirkuk, General Odierno reports that today nearly all crime is now dealt with by the 2,200 coalition-trained Iraqi security police. Joint patrols have largely ended, and Iraqis have stepped forward in that particular area to patrol on their own. I should underline that each portion of the country is different, and thatâs not the pattern everywhere, to be sure. But it is the pattern there. Thereâs a city jail, a functioning Iraqi court system. So Iraqis now can begin to handle crime, from arrest to trial to sentencing. As Iraqis take on more responsibility, the U.S. presence in the Assini has gone down from three battalions to a couple of hundred soldiers, with our forces assisting in various types of reconstruction.
We have 1.4 million men and women in uniform, and we have another 700,000 to 800,000 in the Guard and Reserve. That comes to 2.15 million. And we have 123,000 in Iraq, and theyâll be coming home, a large fraction, in the early part of next year -- January through May, and they will be replaced by roughly the same number. That is 250,000 out of 2.2 million men and women in uniform.
But if we could beam down any soldier from any part of Iraq -- Baghdad, Fallujah, from the 82nd, 101st, the 4th ID, any soldier, you pick âem, random, stand here and say, "Are we winning?" weâd get by far the majority, probably 99 percent, would say, "Absolutely." A 21-year-old I met at Walter Reed, he said, "I felt like a rock star over there. Everywhere I went, the children and the adults wanted to take their pictures with me. Iâm an artilleryman."
I said, "Well, what were you doing?"
"Iâm an artilleryman, but I was helping with the town council in Kirkuk." And he said, "When I got injured and they said I had to go back to the States to be healed," he said, "I didnât want to leave, because where could a 21-year old have this impact on a country and have it appreciated?"
A special Iraqi military unit drawn from militias of various ethnic groups is being formed in Baghdad to fight the shadowy cells of Baathist loyalists and suicide bombers that have taken a toll on coalition forces. US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld indicated the unit would be used to help hunt "high value targets," as leaders of the Baathist resistance are referred to by the Pentagon. General John Abizaid, head of the US Central Command, believes the Iraqisâ knowledge of the language and terrain will make the unit an effective tool against the loyalists of the former regime, said General Richard Myers, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "My understanding is that it will be used along with coalition forces to fight the terrorism that comes from the former regime elements and perhaps others - foreign fighters - in that country," Myers said. Myers said the unit would be involved mainly in coalition "operations" but also might be useful for intelligence work. He declined to be more specific. "They are specially trained because they do know the territory, and the language and culture," he said at a Pentagon news conference. "We thought they would be quite efficient at it." Rumsfeld said the Iraqi unit is being formed with individuals selected from a number of different Iraqi militias. He said they "have been brought together in a single place - Baghdad - to be used as a unit," he said. Hand picked strike force, taking the best of the militia forces and putting them under our control.
"It has the advantage of adding additional Iraqis to the fight, which is important," he said. "It has the advantage also of bringing different competencies and different ethnic groups together to be engaged in defending the coalition and the governing council and the people that are trying to put that country on a path to a civil society," he said. Could also be a Pratorian Guard charged with protecting governing council from any would-be warlord types.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/10/2003 9:39:28 AM ||
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#1
I suggest mamlukes and kbars be issued.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/10/2003 18:24 Comments ||
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#2
sounds like the kit carson units in vietnam
Posted by: capt joe ||
12/10/2003 23:11 Comments ||
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EFL
It is a family ritual played out in second-hand car markets across the globe - a father buying a car for his son. Aadel Kadhem, 43, and his 23-year-old son Mohammed walked around a pair of black BMWs, opening the doors, staring through the windows. Mr Kadhem snr paints cars for a living, and his income has risen ten-fold since the fall of Saddam Husseinâs government, he said, allowing him to squirrel away £1,700 for a car for his son. "The situation is still tight for us, but we have a bit to play with," Mr Kadhem snr said. "In the past, the government wanted to fight against the citizens; they wanted this country to be underdeveloped. But my income now is much stronger than before."
"I've been able to put some money away to buy a car for Junior so he can get laid and eventually wreck it..." Sigh. I suppose parents around the world go through the same routine. Good luck, pal.
Jamal Nasir, the owner of the Black Gold, the car shop, looked on with a glint in his eye and a smile on his lips. "Because of small salaries before, many people couldnât buy cars," he said. "Now I sell to all sectors of society. Itâs the wheel of life. Everybodyâs working, getting better salaries than before." âItâs the wheel of life,â indeed. There is more. Please read.
Posted by: Dragon Fly ||
12/10/2003 6:45:30 AM ||
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#1
good for them..but for every good story there r 1000 bad ones. What about those 300000 odd soldiers that were liberated then cutt off. What about those poor widows whocant afford to buy propane at 15 dollars a can ..and long for Saddams 50cents propane cans. What about gas lines in a contry sitting on oil. 15 hour gas lines..among others.
#8
Good to hear this. This is the type of thing which the Soddys, Syrans, Iranians, and the like are really terrified of and the reason the terrorists groups are sending their cannon fodder to Iraq - they know that a prosperous Iraq would severely impact their recrutment of dis-satisfied young men both in Iraq and the surrounding area.
EFL & Impact
Companies from countries opposed to the conflict in Iraq will be barred from bidding for new rebuilding contracts worth $18.6bn, the Pentagon has said. Makes sense to me.
Yeah, but listen for the sound of squealing piggies, soon to rise in overpowering crescendo... "Cause? Effect? When did that start?"
US Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said the policy was necessary to protect Americaâs "essential security interests". Ok, that too makes sense.
The 26 prime contracts cover areas such as oil, power, communications, water, housing and public works centres. The basics.
The ban would exclude firms from countries such as feckless France and Germany. Well, that should just about do it.
Procurement specialist Professor Steven Schooner (sounds German)
of George Washington University, said it was "disingenuous" to use national security as an excuse. Boo, efing, hoo.
"This kind of decision just begs for retaliation and a tit-for-tat response," Reuters news agency quoted him as saying. I WANT MY MOMMY! I WANT MY MOMMY! THE AMERICANS ARENâT PLAYING FAIR!. Boo, hoo.
That means we're going to be locked out next time France and Germany invade somebody.
Posted by: Dragon Fly ||
12/10/2003 5:26:19 AM ||
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#1
Well, there goes the spirit of free market economy, what's next, democracy? Iraq designed to suit America, signed comrade George W Stalin.
Posted by: Franz ||
12/10/2003 6:22 Comments ||
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#2
Typical,you do not want to feed or milk the cow.Much less muck out the barn,but you want a piece of the cheese.
Taking into consideration it is Coalition personel and money that liberated Iraq,is hunting down and killing the Bathists,etcetera and rebuilding Iraq it should be Coalition companies getting the contracts.
In conclusion let me say"Bugger-off, frogboy". Cry me a friggin river!
#3
"it was "disingenuous" to use national security as an excuse."
-He's right. Let's be honest, put nothing in, get nothing out. Let's not even bother using nat'l security as an excuse, tell'em w/out any shame what the deal is. You tried to f*ck us, now your being left out. Too bad, so sad.
Heck, I can't believe they'd think they would get any consideration anyways, arrogant asses. Plus, all old contracts under Saddam are probably going to be null & void as well. Meaning France/Germany/Russian losing mucho cash. BWhahahaha.......
#4
I'm afraid I will have to disagree with most Rantburgers this time. This is not a wise decision. I'm not saying that because I'm German. It is not wise because neither the U.S. nor Iraq will benefit from this move. Less competition means higher prices (or less action for your buck).
How many contracts would Germany actually have won? 10 percent would be good already. Then we are talking about 2 billion dollars. Thats not a sum you change your foreign policy for, that's not a sum you risk your troops being killed for (if you weren't ready to engage them in the first place for more idealistic reasons than contracts).
For a few billion dollars worth you create a lot of resentment, a lot of bad publicity in Europe that will eventually backfire... probably in a more quiet way than the Wolfowitz announcement. And bigger sums may be at stake in the long run. When U.S. companies start to meet smiling but negative faces when bidding for EU contracts it will be too late.
It will not be good for Iraqis. I know a few fields where German companies (medical ones for example) simply have the best products and Iraqis want them (they have used many of them for decades). And if German businesses engage themselves in Iraq, politics will follow (and that may include financial and even military assistance).
Right now many people already think that Iraq is a big mess, that the guerrilla war is going to get much worse. Now the U.S. shuts out companies that might be willing to take a chance (and risks) in Iraq. How wise is that?
And then, what is a "German company" today? Daimler-Chrysler and many others are global players, but also smaller companies are active in many countries. A German company that wants to bid will always find a Dutch, Danish or Italian straw-man (if it hasn't a dependance in the respective country already).
The ban will also have an effect on debt restructuring and aid going to Iraq. Expect more foot dragging. And the big bucks won't be made in 2004 or 2005, they will be made much later when Iraqis decide with whom they want to do business.
America's "essential security interests" are not served by this move. No troops for America, no business with America? Good luck with that policy.
And how balanced is that list anyway? Turkey which obstructed the U.S. military in a dangerous way (by preventing the use of bases and denying overflight rights etc) is allowed to bid as an "ally" while Germany whose troops guarded U.S. bases, did not hinder US troops in any way, provided AWACS assistance at the Turkish-Iraqi border, assumed more responsibility in Afghanistan to relieve US troops there is banned from bidding?
I'm afraid this won't impress the Anti-Americans here and will irritate America's friends a lot. For a few billion dollars' worth.
#5
TGA -- Who cares? Seriously; Germany desperately tried to keep Saddam in power, so who cares?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
12/10/2003 8:23 Comments ||
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#6
"This kind of decision just begs for retaliation and a tit-for-tat response,"
This is OUR tit-for-tat response you twits! Oh wait - the US has to worry about pissing off everyone else, but on one has to worry about pissing off the US. Toughski shitski as they say in Roosia.
#8
Israel was also left off the list of countries that can apply. This was not a big deal to the Israeli infrastructure companies since they don't have the resources to compete. However, the Israeli security companies would be able to compete to be primes. There may already be subcontractors working in Iraq (or indirectly working in Iraq).
#9
There are German subcontractors working in Iraq as well.
As I said, the move will not mean that much in money terms. The symbolic consequences may be more significant.
Thank you for promoting the French-German friendship even further, Mr Wolfowitz. You might as well donate to the Commitee for the re-election of Schroeder.
#10
TGA, yes, I know your comments on this are nonsense. Germany went along with its master France like a happy little puppy, desperate to please. Your politicians went out of their way to spit on us; don't think we didn't notice how well anti-Americanism played in your elections.
This is the price.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
12/10/2003 8:43 Comments ||
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#11
And before I could even post my last comment, TGA proved my point.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
12/10/2003 8:46 Comments ||
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#12
TGA. OK...from a purely economic standpoint, this may result in higher prices and blowback. But, since when is this about economics? France and Germany cannot have it both ways. They opposed the invasion on "Humanitarian" grounds (much like we impose this policy based on "National Security" grounds), and now want a piece of the reconstruction pie. It is "disingenuous" of them to imagine that they can both finance the infrastructure and weaponry of a dictator in defiance of UN sanctions AND assist in the reconstruction after that dictator has been deposed. They were not willing to be pragmatic before the war, but are willing to be now. F that!
(Besides, given the precipitous rise in the Euro lately, I doubt we'll be missing out on any screaming deals. This is US $ financing, after all)
#14
TGA - American's like the German people, but we are sick of your government's attempts to stab us in the back everytime we turn around. I hate to add to the flames of discontent with true friends like you, but the American population is done with being screwed over and over and over again by Schroeder and Chirac. They've been kicking a friendly dog. It's time to realize that we can and do bite when provoked enough. And we've had enough. It's just that simple.
#17
mjh, it is not unlikely that German or French companies would not have gotten a single "main contract". That's market economy.
But whatever happened in 2002, the U.S. cannot walk around asking for financial and military help in Iraq while it shuts out the same countries it asks help from. Whether they sent troops or not is not the issue anymore. Never fight battles of the past.
Given the precipitous rise in the Euro lately, you won't be missing out on screaming deals...probably. But who knows, if the Euro rises even more, some U.S. companies may become just that... screaming deals.
#18
You didn't even remotely get my point, Robert.
And you ignored mine. Read what B said -- we're sick of the crap from Europe's "enlightened" governments.
If you want to get angry, get angry at your politicians. The ones who spit on us, who call us names, who act like we're more a social disease than a close ally.
Until then, well, payback's a bitch, ain't it?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
12/10/2003 9:00 Comments ||
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#19
TGA...you have it sideways:
the U.S. cannot walk around asking for financial and military help in Iraq while it shuts out the same countries it asks help from
First we asked for military help, then we said "sorry, no contracts for you," after Germany and France Poo-Pood us.
#20
Welcome back TGA I always appreciated your points even if I didn't always agree with them.
We asked for reconstruction money from the EU, we were shafted and now we lock them out of the process. We've done our due diligence with Franc e and Germany and now they will pay.
#23
Historically, when the Germans come, it hasn't been to liberate (Ask the Poles, Russians, French, etc). Even now, the Germans are so neutered that they are pretty much a military helper at best, and certainly not a leader, in large scale operations (But dont count out ther special ops guys - some of the best in the world, GSG-9, etc).
France militarily liberating a country? HAHAHAH, yeah right. They are best at blowing up greenpeace ships and losing wars.
#24
It's an amazingly great way this one you found to ensure that in all future conflict, the people opposed to any military aid to America will have ample opposition in their disposal -- "it's all about contract deals!" they'll be shouting, and it'll be difficult indeed to disprove their words.
Cheers, you've just managed to lose your future allies, and possibly the entire War on Terror for that matter. You defined the kind of "payback" as economic and therefore you defined the reward as economic, and therefore you defined the motivation as economic --- and money contracts is *not* a motivation that will encourage European voters to send their children to die in America's wars.
If this is "payback" for not supporting the "liberation" of Iraq, don't you think that it should have been the Iraqis, not the Americans, whose righteous anger at those countries should have barred nations from these contracts? In short shouldn't all and any such "punishment" be decided by the Iraqis who were supposedly harmed by this failure to support an Iraq invasion?
But perhaps you couldn't have trusted the Iraqis to make that decision, because Iraqis might have been more interested in doing what's best for Iraq, (aka signing the contracts that'd most benefit their country) rather than just acts of petty vengeance.
It's just sad that yet again America decides to isolate herself thinking herself all-powerful, and yet again it'll come as a revelation that in the next round of combat she'll have even fewer allies than she had now.
In the meantime islamofascism is marching on, and Iraq has been now made safe not for democracy, but for *Iran*, as it seems that one of the first effects in the "wider region conflict" will not be a democratic domino effect, but rather the removal of the MEK as a threatening force for the mullahs of Tehran.
#25
TGA, appreciate your thoughts. I suspect that this was really aimed at France and (secondarily) Russia, and Germany got caught up in it because we couldn't name the first two and leave Germany out. German moves to join itself at the French hip in the last few years made that impossible.
France did everything possible to stop us from invading Iraq. If that had been premised on some final moral principle well then, okay, that's their view. But it was so transparently the result of Chirac's cold calculations about his relationship with Saddam, French money and contracts in Iraq, and the "need" for France to offer the "alternative" to US power in the world that it has brought France to a great level of disrespect in our country today (outside of Ho'wood and Berkeley, of course).
French moves after the war have similarly been transparent and designed to hinder the US where possible, mixed with Gaullic pique and a desparation that comes from seeing one's cherished opinions so obviously proven wrong.
So Wolfie's comments constitute a sharp rap to Chirac's teeth. Good.
As for Germany, lots of Americans (including most here on Rantburg have good thoughts about Germany -- we see Germans helping in Afghanistan, and there's the sense that unlike France, Germany's opposition to the war was (more) principled. Germany doesn't want war and believes that war is wrong. Okay, that's an opinion I can respect even as I disagree.
But Germany has been working with France in the EU to gain more hegemony over the upcoming expanded Union. The talk about a separate military force, the common disregard for the Mastricht accord on deficits, etc., all suggest that Germany will tighten its links to France. So now it becomes more difficult for US policy to reward Germany (or at least not punish it) as we punish the French. And make no mistake, as long as GWB is president, the French will get hammered in a number of ways.
Your points about 'tit-for-tat' are well considered, and I'm not advocating that: I'm advocating a policy that undermines the French. Best policy move Germany could make is to distance itself from the French and work with Britain, Spain, Italy and 'New Europe' as the EU expands. It would be a more modern version of 1815.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/10/2003 9:35 Comments ||
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#26
jarhead - i believe wolfie had to cite national security, in order to stay in compliance with US procurement regulations. Can't just arbitrarily limit bidders, at cost to taxpayers, as a general rule. National security considerations override this though.
TGA - if the issue were only the past, I would certainly agree with you. If it were the past plus troop contributions, I might agree with you. But as far as I can tell, the excluded countries have also been less then generous with financial support, and have been hesitant with debt renegotiation. To fail to take that behavior into account would be seriously undercut US credibility, and would invite similar obstructionism in the future. You say the money isnt enough to change policy over - very well, then its not enough to lead to costly retaliation either. For all the talk about US hyperpower, the US has relatively few levers over the powers in question - if one of the levers we have is off the table, then we have no leverage.
And as you well know, the specific technical skills can still be procured through subcontractors - the primes have largely generic management skills, found in abundance in coalition countries. The dollars are small, but they're big to the small universe of would be French and German primes, who are now a constituency with an interest in change. The EU itself just demonstrated how to play this game in the steel tariffs dispute.
I think that if and when the countries in question get serious about contributing financially to reconstruction and debt relief, this policy will certainly be reexamined.
MHW - israeli primes are certainly out of the question, for Iraqi and regional political reasons - this gives us cover for that exclusion.
#27
The only part of the policy I disagree w/is not letting Italy, Britain, and Spain in on the first round of contracts. Other then that, TGA raises good points on fiscal grounds. However, the American people largely would not understand giving France/Germany/Russia any consideration at all for any contract no matter how miniscule. With many of us, it is a matter of principle. Yes, you were too morally superior to fight side by side w/our boys, now, you should be too morally superior to ask for a piece of the pie from their victory (Britain, Spain, Italy included in that victory of course).
#28
"But perhaps you couldn't have trusted the Iraqis to make that decision, because Iraqis might have been more interested in doing what's best for Iraq, (aka signing the contracts that'd most benefit their country) rather than just acts of petty vengeance."
technically at this point its still agencies of the US govt spending US money, and in order to be in compliance with US procurement regs, a US official had to make the call. I presume that Wolfie and Bremer consulted with the IGC first though. If it turns out they didnt, and the IGC objects, that will be a huge embarassment.
#29
I never said anything about paybacks, TGA. You're missing the point. The point isn't that we are trying to get even. Like I said, we like the German people and we'd like to play ball with them. But...your government keeps telling us that if they don't play by their rules, then we can't play.
Understandably, we are tired of playing by rules which assure we can't win. So we've taken our ball and gone home, and you aren't invited to play with us.
It has nothing to do with getting even, and we're sorry it's come to this. But seeing how that's the way it is, it turns out we're ok with it.
Posted by: B ||
12/10/2003 10:02 Comments ||
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#30
Excluding companies from countries like Germany (despite the Iraq row an ally, member of NATO and dedicated fighter in the WOT) will be hard to explain citing "national security". I see a new WTO issue in the making and the US will have some explaining to do why it touches US national security when a German firm gets Iraqi electricity working or repairs the water dams it has constructed in the 70s. But maybe Tonga can help out there.
And Aris has this point right: If Iraq really is about fighting terrorism, this move will not help. It will only help those who always said that its all about oiiil and contracts and domination of the Middle East.
Steve, I don't agree with your "hegemony" point. The Europe of 25 will be extremely dificult to manage. To keep it working, Germany wants majority decisions: A majority of countries plus a majority of three fifths of the total EU population. That's not asking too much. We don't want hegemony. But we also don't want Spain, Italy and Poland to dictate our policies via EU decisions.
As for the Iraqi debts... I don't think that anyone here thinks about ever recovering them.
Well we all know how it will play out eventually... big haggling bazaar style... as usual.
#31
TGA,
"But whatever happened in 2002, the U.S. cannot walk around asking for financial and military help in Iraq while it shuts out the same countries it asks help from."
We asked them first for military help and they said no. Then we asked for help in the Madrid conference and they said no again. When exactly were they planning on helping us? This is a reaction to their policies, their policies are NOT a reaction to this policy... you have it backwards. The damage by them has already been done.
"Cheers, you've just managed to lose your future allies, and possibly the entire War on Terror for that matter. You defined the kind of "payback" as economic and therefore you defined the reward as economic, and therefore you defined the motivation as economic --- and money contracts is *not* a motivation that will encourage European voters to send their children to die in America's wars."
First of all you have this exactly backwards. Why would anyone join a future american coalition if it is profitable for them not to? If none contributors to take the contributor's money the contributors would be PISSED.
Second, obviously the motivation is not economic... How exactly do you see economic gain in coalition partners getting to decide the details of just exactly how THEIR OWN MONEY is spent in Iraq. It's not like they are making money, just getting to decide how their own money is used and ensuring that the margins of their own money don't go back to countries that didn't contribute a dime.
One more comment...
"But perhaps you couldn't have trusted the Iraqis to make that decision, because Iraqis might have been more interested in doing what's best for Iraq, (aka signing the contracts that'd most benefit their country) rather than just acts of petty vengeance."
Most importantly there is no Iraqi government to make these decisions yet so ummmm, huh? The other point is that it's not their money being spent, it's ours. We have every right to decide on who and where it is spent.
#35
BTW, TGA...I do enjoy hearing your thoughts. I can see the lack of wisdom of this policy you point out in your comments, but at the same time, I think most Americans (myself included) are tired of duplicity amongst our fickle allies. Of course, perhaps more Germans of your type will remove Schroeder from office, and we can return to the closeness of better times (as is still present between our militaries, if not our politicians).
#36
welcome back TGA - I've gotta disagree with you on this one, for all the reasons noted here - particularly SW's. There have to be consequences for actions, and if there should be an increased anti-American "backlash" among Europe's lefties and elites, how would we notice?
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/10/2003 10:49 Comments ||
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#37
Sure let's set the stage for a multi-lateral coalition to get more international support. Let's bring in Elf from France, and supply them with nuclear power from Germany. Great track record on following sanctions with those two. Makes perfect sense.
#38
mhatlau, apparently from the article not the 'first round' of contracts being awarded. Those were only for US corps. Mistake imho in regards to those three.
#39
Re: Turkey, it's because you made a good point - at least it would be a good point if getting even was the point - which it is clearly not.
I think what you are missing is that we no longer see the government's of France and Germany as our ally. Indeed, we now see your government as an enemy that we need to guard ourselves against. And why shouldn't we? Your government has consistenly aligned itself with our enemies, willfully undermined the lives of our troops, and works night and day churning out anti-American drivel in the hopes of turning the rest of the world against all that we hold dear. Maybe you think that we are going to just sit back and take it, but we are not.
Like I said, we don't have anything against the German people, but attitudes in America have changed. We aren't the cute and cuddly dog whose ears can be pulled and stomach jumped upon...because we now believe your government means to hurt us.
So in answer to your question about Turkey, we are still hopeful that the government of Turkey can work with us. We have no such illusions re: Schroeder and Chirac.
Posted by: B ||
12/10/2003 11:01 Comments ||
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#40
UPDATE UPDATE White House Defends Policy:
"Prime contracts for reconstruction funded by U.S. taxpayer dollars should go to the Iraqi people and those countries who are working with the United States on the difficult task of helping to build a free, democratic and prosperous Iraq," McClellan said.
See entire article here, while I grab another cup of coffee.
#41
TGA, like the others I appreciate your comments, but have to disagree with your analysis. Germany will have to live with the consequences of its decisions, and continuing to attempt to force Iraq back into a U.N. framework (a condition of your financial aid at Madrid) is another poor decision. The U.N. has absolutely no credibility in the U.S. regarding Iraq policy decisions.
Besides, you're already holding too much Iraq debt -- we couldn't possibly ask you to take on any more... It wouldn't be fair.
#42
I would add that I think this is aimed (and properly so) at Canada and Mexico as much as France and Germany. The Canucks have done their best to be junior De Villepins at times, it's time to reap what you sow - in the immortal words of South Park: "Blame Canada"
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/10/2003 11:36 Comments ||
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#43
A few points about this action announced by Wolfie. The most important point is that we are talking about US taxpayer money being spent. Besides Liberalhawk's technical rationale (US procurement regs probably require a nat'l security exception to open bidding), there is a more important reason -- it is in the US's national security interest to share the awarding of contracts with countries that have contributed to the liberation of Iraq. Failure to take a hard line here could have repurcussions for future campaigns. As the President said, you are with us or you are against us, and if you're against us, you must pay a price. For Iraq, it was an invasion; for France, Russia et al., it's dough.
I also think this is just the first slap at non-contributing countries. As Jarhead noted, pre-liberation Iraqi contracts will be voided and commercial debts will be repudiated. There is and should always be a price for dealing with tyrants -- not the least of which is that he will be deposed. This will hurt Russia and France (and Germany, too) the most, which is right, since it was, to my mind, their main motivation for actively opposing US efforts to remove Saddam from power.
Other countries are impacted, too, notably Canada, our most important trading partner, and China. Having Canada on the list adds an important measure of even-handedness and credibility to the decision. And as for Turkey, they were not very helpful during the war, but they were prior to the war (by providing a base for the Northern no-fly zone patrols) and after the war offered to send 10,000 troops to Iraq. (By the way, that offer was rejected by the Iraqis, not us. I say send the 10,000 Turkish troops to Afghanistan and let them help out there.)
Finally, I can't wait to see how the Democratic candidates (The Ninecompoops) react to this announcement. After all, they want to internationalize the reconstruction efforts. But do they really want to be carrying water for France, Russia, et al., over this issue?
Posted by: Tibor ||
12/10/2003 11:40 Comments ||
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#44
Amen! No turncoats, back stabbers, or U.S. enemies allowed!
Posted by: jon lemming ||
12/10/2003 12:29 Comments ||
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#45
1 re Turkey - this IS NOT about payback for the past - its about willingness to help in the present. Turkey offered 10,000 ground troops, which didnt go in because of the IGC. We cant punish Turkey for the action of the IGC.
2. Money - France has offered NOTHING for Iraqi reconstruction, and Russia a pittance, and Germany slightly more than a pittance.
3. Note well - this applies only to US funds - it DOES NOT apply to international contributions, which are in a seperate fund
4. WTO - there are IIUC rules on govt procurement in the WTO, but I presume theres a fair amount of leeway in defense and related security spending.
5. My objection to this - Canada - Canada, while it has not contributed troops (and has been a pain in the behind diplomatically), HAS contributed a substantial amount of money - more than France, Germany and Russia combined. Canada should therefore not be excluded from contracts. The problem I think was that to make this on national security grounds, Wolfie had to use provision or offer of troops as the criteria.
#46
I would add that I think this is aimed (and properly so) at Canada and Mexico as much as France and Germany.
If GWB wants to aim something at Mexico, he can permanently shelve any notions of immigration amnesty, or get the proper government agency to begin actively rooting out and deporting illegal aliens.
#47
Perhaps france could do the catering, no? And the grunts would probably love to have low priced German Brew. Everybody's happy!
TGA, good points, keep working to bring Germany from the brink of french pirfidy. Also keep in mind our allies that get the contracts and how happy they'll be.
I can only tell you how disappointed I was in Germanies unwillingness to back down saddam. The french it was to be expected. But had Germany stood erect against a true tyrant, many lives might have been preserved. Germany should have seen the writing on the wall and done the grown up thing and supported action against saddam. Why not I'll always wonder. Hell, france may have followed Germanies leadership, whoa!
But I don't think Germany is the bad guy in this. Just poorly lead and a little to passive. I wouldn't shut out Germany.
#49
There are serious security risks involved in allowing French and German companies to work in Iraq. These same companies did a lot of the work for the previous regime. They are going to rehire the same Baathist personnel and Iraqi sub-contractors they used prior to the war. No only is this an immediate security risk but we will hear a continuous message from these people with respect to how the American Coalition has "screwed up" to country.
I commend Wolfiwicz and Co. from falling into the same trap as CNN, BBC,and the UN has currently.
Posted by: john ||
12/10/2003 12:49 Comments ||
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#50
again let me say, if there is any way to get Canada off the list of excluded nations it should be done. Canada pledge over $200 million at Madrid, IIRC. Also the PM so many here dislike is on his way out - a new, more reasonable PM, Paul Martin is coming in - we should not greet him with a slap. Canada is the only one of the key powers that opposed us on Iraq to have had a change of leadership since.
#51
Aris: You said, "But perhaps you couldn't have trusted the Iraqis to make that decision, because Iraqis might have been more interested in doing what's best for Iraq, (aka signing the contracts that'd most benefit their country) rather than just acts of petty vengeance."
I think you may want to read this from CNN:
October 23, 2003
The level of Germany and France's participation in an international conference aimed at raising more funds to rebuild Iraq prompted reaction Thursday from a top Iraqi official, who warned of a possible backlash.
Ayad Allawi, the current head of Iraq's U.S.-appointed governing council, said he hoped German and French officials would reconsider their decision not to boost their contributions beyond funds already pledged through the European Union.
"As far as Germany and France are concerned, really, this was a regrettable position they had," Allawi said. "I don't think the Iraqis are going to forget easily that in the hour of need, those countries wanted to neglect Iraq."
http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/10/23/sprj.irq.donors/
#52
Tibor's got it right, TGA. As a US taxpayer, there's no friggin' way I want my money - which is what we're talking about here - going to the Axis of Weasels, low bidders or not. We're talking about countries that actively sabotaged our efforts at the UN, did their level best to delay the overthrow of Saddam, and sold him most of the arms that were used against his people and are still being used against our troops. Germany was far from the worst offender on any of these accounts, but I'm sorry, this is where your government's actions have landed you.
Yes, this is tit-for-tat. If you know your games theory, you know that rule is the optimal one: repay a defection with a defection. Your government valued its relationship with the Frogs and Saddam more than that with the US, and you are reaping the consequences. Something to keep in mind for the next go-around: We are done with being suckers at the cost of American lives and wealth.
When and if the EU makes its promised financial contribution to the Iraq reconstruction, I'm sure there will be plenty of self-dealing opportunities for German firms.
A) caught a clue and turned more helpful, especially after the bombings, and
B) they control the flow of the Tigris-Euphrates river, and have turned it off in the past.
Posted by: Ernest Brown ||
12/10/2003 13:19 Comments ||
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#54
Tigris-Euphrates river -system,-
Posted by: Ernest Brown ||
12/10/2003 13:36 Comments ||
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#55
Would someone point me to an official list of "excluded" countries? I have only been able to find the list of "eligible" ones. And it would appear from that, that the keys (support of the coalition) to inclusion in future are in the hands of the ineligible.
#56
Let me also stress what has been said above: the contracts at stake are being funded with American taxpayer dollars. We have every right to be sure that they are awarded according to US procurement law, which does allow the SecDEF to bar firms that would pose a security risk.
Let's be brutally frank here. The tunnels that Saddam hid in, under Baghdad, were built by German firms after the first Gulf war. French weapons were found among the caches we seized and many of those weapons had manufacturing dates after the imposition of sanctions.
Russian secret service were in Baghdad in the days before the invasion and according to high Iraqi officials who surrendered or were captured, those Russian generals were advising Saddam on how to resist the Coalition.
The reality is that it is entirely reasonable to view firms from those 3 countries as serious threats to the safety of Coalition forces and as a threat to the security of the United States.
I too was deeply saddened by the demands of the German people and the posturing of their anti-American politicians both before and after the main operations in this war. My brother-in-law is native-born German as are many of my husband's relatives.
Aris tells us that we will not have cooperation in the war on terror as a result of this decision. The time may come when it is Greece who desires help from the US in this matter. But in any case, these are somewhat different matters and should be treated as such. But if not, we will move ahead without Greek help.
And as for Canada, I remain unconvinced. First let Martin assume the leadership role and then let's see what policies he pursues and what statements he makes. There are a lot of Canadians who delight in looking down on those in the States. Chretien had a substantial constituency. While it's wonderful that Canada prides herself on humanitarian aid, I'm not inclined to include Canadian firms in the first round of prime contractors who spend US money in Iraq. Canadians should not be allowed to boast that they helped rebuild Iraq -- using US dollars -- after the US went to war there.
TGA: regarding Turkey, I was very disappointed with their decisions as well. However, after major combat operations died down, they did allow the movement of supplies and equipment through their ports to the north of Iraq. Moreover, the US and the emerging Iraqi leadership have good reasons to promote economic growth and relationships between Iraq and her northern neighbor. It would be good to have 2 fairly secular states in the middle East as examples of economically thriving countries with Islamic majority populations.
Finally, one important point. TGA and Aris see the US as being childish or petty. They ignore the fact that anti-American attitudes and actions have become nearly national sports in each of their countries. "The hyperpower should be above retaliation."
Well, when my daughter was a young child, it is true that if she kicked me in the ankle she did not do me great harm. But it hurt nonetheless and she was not allowed to continue to do so with impunity. As a teenager she was held even closer to account for her actions.
It has been a long time coming, but anti-American actions do have consequences when what is at stake is as important as the need to dismantle state support for terror and the need to establish stable free societies with representative governments and thriving economies in the Middle East.
#57
There is a VERY strong "National Security" concern here. How in hell can we trust nations that have shafted us every way possible not to do it if they get the chance INSIDE Iraq? We saw France, Germany, and Russia blatantly disregard the UN sanctions against Iraq, and got special deals because of it. This undermined the entire United Nations effort. There is no way I can believe the current French, German, or Russian government would NOT try the same tricks against us at this point. We CANNOT TRUST the French, German, and Russian companies to work in our best interest, and in the best interest of the Iraqi people, for very good reason - their careless disregard for those same best interests over the past twelve years. It may be cold, it may be heartless, it may even come back to bite us, but it's still the ONLY solution that won't cause more immediate problems for the US coalition.
If the EU seethes and whines, too bad. You've proven (by the actions of your core nations, France and Germany), that you cannot be trusted, and must be excluded. So solly GI...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/10/2003 14:29 Comments ||
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#58
As a US taxpayer footing this huge bill, I'd be very disappointed if these funds were spent on companies from nations who weren't part of our coalition. If France et al want their companies to get money for rebuilding Iraq, these countries could pony up the money themselves to help the effort.
#60
"The scheduled release of the solicitations in support of the Iraq Reconstruction contracts has been temporarily delayed. Additional information will be provided as soon as possible."
"The Pre-Proposal conference scheduled for 11 December 2003 has been changed to 19 December 2003. The location and time will be provided not later than 12 December 2003."
#61
Steve den Beste, USS Clueless, reiterates many of the points brought up here. I'm sure that it won't change the minds of some, but it will help clarify the thinking of a few. I don't always agree with Steve, but there's nothing wrong with his thinking process.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/10/2003 16:16 Comments ||
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#62
"How pro-American is Egypt? Try a survey in any Cairo street."
precisely - considering their position, the Egyptian state went out on a limb to support us as much as they did and do. Germany did and does not. Saudi is more arguable, but the admin isnt ready to fight that battle just yet.
As Europeans are so quick to say about Israel - we expect more from you.
#65
TGA, I agree with you on so many issues but not on this one.
Re: bunkers, there was substantial additional hardening done after 1991. Re: French weapons, it is *not* an urban myth - I've talked with troops who confiscated some of them. What is an open question is whether they were sold directly (unlikely) or allowed to follow an unregulated path to Baghdad through 3rd parties, perhaps with the not-so-subtle support of Paris in return for sweetheart deals with Elf when the Russians got stiffed (more likely).
There really is a difference in "safety threat" between being a prime contractor and being a sub contractor. For instance, it is conceivable that some work could be subcontracted to companies without ever allowing that vendor's personnel to enter Iraq, much less to roam more or less at will there.
#66
rkb, sorry but that "safety threat" is nothing but an excuse to avoid another WTO ruling against the U.S.
The U.S. military feels it's safe enough to have its bases in Germany guarded by Germans while troops are gone fishing for a while. The Germans probably have a better clue about U.S. casualties and wounded troops than everyone else... they are all flown to Germany first and get a salute from our troops if they get a chance to do so. That German companies could be safety threats is an insult... to our intelligence.
We had 5 U.S. soldiers for dinner on Thanksgiving, freshly flown in from Iraq. My family does have some first hand info on the situation in Iraq as well.
I'm afraid I'm a bit cynical here but it doesn't really matter whether Germany or France are on the list or not... the bulk of contracts will go to U.S. companies anyway with a few "consolation prices" for the rest.
But the public a priori exclusion just floats the boat of those who said: We told you right away that it's all about oil and profit.
If the U.S. is going to stick by its word it will be the decision of a free Iraq with whom it wants to do business in the future.
And I know for a fact that German companies are very welcome in Iraq, not because they did business with Saddam's Iraq but because they deliver quality. So I think we can wait this out.
LH, we thought that Chirac was haggling, too. We believed that he'd jump on the bandwagon à la dernière minute. Maybe he just fell in love with his role as a champion of peace. He didn't have much else to fall in love with.
#67
TGA, I agree the 'safety' issue is a canard, doubtless there to fulfill some government purchasing regulation allowing the government to limit the bidders. It is not meant as an insult, but it is meant to hurt, if that distinction means anything to you. It's evident we're not going to convince the 'oil and profit' whiners anyway, they've always got something else to bitch about. But it's time to let those who let their policy be governed by kowtowing to them that their actions are being noticed - including by ordinary, voting Americans - and they will be dealt with accordingly. Nothing personal, but that's how your country under Schroeder acted - you are known by the company you keep. And I am all for consistency: no sub-contracts for weasels, either, if I were running the show. And sod the Saudis.
#68
TGA Thanks for the thoughtful, well developed starting point for this thread... I have been wrestling with this discussion all day and I guess I have a few comments that have not been made yet.
I can't figure out the reason Wolfie put this out so high profile, when there are so many different procurement methods that simply could have written the "non helpful" out of the bid specs anyway, but Wolfie doesn't do anything without a reason... so nailing up the "No Irish Need Apply" sign instead of simply not "hiring any Irish" has to have some intended effect beyond it just feeling good to say!
I mean they could have just said that all Glockenspiels, Lederhosen, bagettes and russian Caviar must be purchased using a Walmart credit card and that would have constrained much of bidding anyway!
As far as Canada, those of us from the the Cold Belt had better not want to go "T for T" with the Tukes, as much of the "export" Canada has to offer, beyond Celine Dion and "better" beer, is in the form of Natural Gas, and the cupboards aren't exactly stacked with this commodity at this time... infact we are at all time barebones supplies.
Seriously TGA, I have mostly enjoyed your point of view since I first logged onto Rantburg, so keep it coming. I would guess though that Wolfowitz has pushed this specific and very public button for strategic reasons that will play out in the next few months. He is in a chess game here,I suspect, and not worried about negative PR... maybe even desiring it.
#69
Oh sure Capsu, after all that missile didn't hit his head in the Rasheed Hotel, right?
After all, it's not a list of the excluded but a list of the included. Now add Baker's debt restructuring mission to the equation and the latest rescheduling notice on the rebuilding-iraq.net site and...
Ok it's a bazaar out there... but bad mint tea to go along with the haggling.
#71
TGA -- Thanks for taking care of our troops. I'm sure there are many other Germans who are doing the same things, and we appreciate the German soldiers guarding our bases in Germany and fighting with us in Afghanistan. In fact, we wish there were more of them. Our bit is not with the German military or the German people -- it is with the German government. Schroeder et al. chose criticism of the US over allegiance to an old ally for political expedience. Unlike Aznar, Howard, Blair, Berlusconi, etc., he did not show political courage and stand with us. As a result, we are not inclined to help him improve the German economy by getting some German companies contracts in Iraq. It is a simple calculation.
P.S. - Many Americans feel that, having rebuilt Germany and established a successful liberal democracy in the face of the massive threat of the Soviet Union, the least Germany could do was guard our bases in Germany -- which were only there because of the former Soviet threat. The Germans have done that, but not much more, to assist the US in liberating Iraq.
Posted by: Tibor ||
12/10/2003 18:13 Comments ||
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#72
Tibor, isn't it interesting that the American public never wondered just why German troops are in Afghanistan but not in Iraq? Both are dangerous places and if Germany had wanted, it could have had it the easy way with Iraq support: lip service, a few hundred ambulance troops and be done with.
This can't be explained away with sympathies for Saddam (we had none, not even the left), nor lucrative dealings with Saddam (we had few and reconstruction would have be much more lucrative).
It's hard to explain to Americans what war means to us: For 50 years we have been vaccinated against it and maybe we have more problems adapting to the new situation that the end of the Cold War and the start of a new, sinister WOT poses. We're a bit like someone who finally caught up with sleep in 1990 and is unwilling to face a new rude awakening. Without 9/11, would Bush have felt the urge to deal with the Iraq problem so swiftly. Would he have been able to convince the US public that Iraq couldn't wait?
Remember... there were times when the U.S. hated to be dragged into conflicts... in 1916 or 1940.
And believe someone who survived Dresden 1945... although I believed in the moral justification of the Iraq liberation (WMD yes or no) I couldn't avoid shivering when I saw the bombing of Baghdad. I knew it wasn't anything like Dresden... but you can't get it out of your head. Never.
#73
LH, makes a decent point on Canada. Let them bid. They put up a lot of cash, and, let's be honest, they've no real military to speak of(trust me, I've trained w/what they have, nothing to write home about).
Germany has been staunch on Afghanistan true, but we're talking about Iraq, not Afghanistan. I could go either way on them as far as bidding goes. Yes, the Germans should receive accolades for their part in OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM and anything that comes with that. Iraq is more dicey. TGA, I will say this, if your government gives tacit approval in denouncing my country or my president, your basically saying at least half of the U.S. population is also stupid for backing this war. Anyone who compares Bush to Hitler is an absolute moron in my book.
As for France and Russia, maybe we were wrong in openly telling them they couldn't bid. I think it would've been best to let them bid and make sure said bid paperwork hit the trash can afterwards. Done deal. Everyone walks away thinking they got what they wanted, and it looks like we threw them a bone. Duplicitous, yes, a little too Clinton like for my usual brash manner, but for these diplomatic pseudo-intellectual elite pussies, probably would of worked.
#74
Sorry for the late pile on. To riff a little bit on TGA's comment in #73, after the two world wars, America wanted docile Europeans. Now that we've got them, we don't know what to do with them.
#75
As a Canadian, I have no problem with the US decision. Canada has taken advantage of the American security zone since the end of WWII, and has demilitarised itself while the goverment played the anti-american blame game. Well maybe we need to learn cause and effect; there maybe economic consequences for our cheap political action. The new prime minister just recieved his warning shot.
Besides, Canada is no longer a real country; just a collection of badly run medicare programs.
Posted by: john ||
12/10/2003 21:37 Comments ||
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#76
TGA, I do understand the point you made about the real reluctance many Germans have in shifting gears to deal with the current world situation. I also empathize with the memories of Dresden - I wasn't there, but in-laws of mine lived through the war in Germany and the hungry times afterwards.
So I would have had little trouble accepting a principled or just slow-to-react refusal to join us in Iraq - I would have been disappointed, but not angry - if that was what had happened. But that's not what I saw.
I saw a politician win a Federal election on an "oppose America" platform. I read interviews with Germans who stated outright that any reports of WMD found in Iraq would not influence them, as they would be quite sure the CIA planted those weapons - the Americans can't be trusted, you know. I read polls which show that over 30% of Germans think that, at a minimum, the Bush administration and/or the CIA condoned or even planned the 9/11 attacks.
And right about then I began to be angry. My daughter was less than a mile from the Twin Towers when those planes struck. It was a shorter experience than being in Dresden at the end of World War II, but the 36 hours until we were able to speak with her and confirm she was alive and well were difficult as well. So too is the knowledge that I live and work with the threat of a terror attack in my area. I pass bomb-sniffing guard dogs when I enter the government facility where I work each day. That is a new and unwelcome part of my life now.
I think Germany (on the whole) did take the "easy way" with Iraq, and did so assuming there would be few or no ill consequences for so doing.
I also acknowledge that this doesn't describe all Germans, nor does it negate the ways in which both our countries benefit from long ties of alliance. May they continue! I don't see the trend going that way, however ... while I would welcome a Europe that was dedicated to her own defense, when the French and German leaders define that Europe as being inherently in opposition to US influence, it is hard for me to argue that those countries should get first chance at contracts funded by my own tax dollars.
#77
Wow! This really was a raw steak thrown to the dogs. This is interesting. We should go a little easy on guys like TGA. There's a long, scholarly US history book called The Age of Federalism (sorry, author's names not at hand) that has a chapter on the history of US - France relations, both between governments and between societies. They note two specific instances when the US bailed out the French collective ass, and commented (approximately) "... but when the American soldiers were actually in the country, they didn't get along all that well with the French. In both the First World War and the Second, for some reason they got on better with the Germans."
#78
Jarhead, I have always spoken out violently against anyone trying the Bush-Hitler comparison (and unlike most others I know who Hitler was). Actually that comparison was not condoned by the government, the minister who (actually allegedly) said so (she still denies it) was fired.
I made the comparison Afghanistan-Iraq for the following reason: Germany could understand and approve why the existence of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan was intolerable, and once the Germans go along with you, they stick to what they do and promise.
In the case of Iraq, Germany (along with many others) wasn't convinced, and that made the difference. And the country has changed. When Johnson asked Germany for troops to be sent to Vietnam he created a lot of embarassment here and Germany (not allowed by its constitution then to follow through anyway) wiggled its way out of it by sending a handful of ambulance guys and a boat to treat wounded soldiers. Today Germany is willing to speak up when it doesn't agree with something, even with the U.S. That doesn't mean that it is always right with its opinion, but so be it. Sure Schroeder used the anti-war sentiment but he's a mediocre politician.
rkb, I don't think that Schroeder won the election on an "anti-American platform", he won it on an "anti-war platform" that some leftist SPD guys misused to voice their anti-American ideas which actually caused Schroeder more harm than good. The Bush-Hitler remark of his minister nearly succeeded in costing him the elections (he won by a few thousand votes only) because it alieniated many traditionally US-friendly Germans in the South and West.
You have to understand that the reunification added about 17 million East Germans to Germany who were raised in Communist times, with a daily dosis of anti-Americanism. Most did and do not have much real life experience with Americans. The places were Americans are most popular in Germany are those where they have been for half a century... enough said.
rkb, I hate it that people believe that rubbish about 9/11 and WMD. But please query how many Americans (California?) believe the same nonsense? What has Dean been babbling about lately?
As for the consequences, they will actually be minimal for the German economy, but far more serious for transatlantic relations and the War on Terror because it plays in the hands of those who oppose both.
Btw for good reasons financial decisions are most of the time not made following political convictions. Even Germans who do not approve Bush politics invest heavily in the U.S. And the "national" argument isn't very valid today anyway: The Wolfowitz paper lists "countries that can bid". Yet it's not countries that bid but companies that do. And given the size of the major contracts most companies with a chance to win will be multinational anyway. Someone should re-read his own lessons about globalism.
Hat tip to Drudge. EFL
Itâs a little-known footnote in postwar Iraq that an unassuming Army Civil Affairs captain named Kent Lindner has a bevy of blushing female fans. Every time Lindner checks in on the group of young, deaf Iraqi seamstresses at their factory here, the women swarm him with admiration. "I love you!" one of them writes in the dust on Lindnerâs SUV. (Emphasis Mine.)
Such small-time adoration is not the stuff of headlines against the backdrop of a country painfully and often violently evolving from war. So on this day, when Lindner and his fellow soldiers are cheered as they fire the deaf workersâ boss, a woman who has been locking the seamstresses in closets, holding their pay and beating them, the lack of TV cameras on hand is no surprise. "Weâve got a lot of good things going on, but when I went home (on leave), people were just like âWe never hear that stuff,â " said Civil Affairs Pvt. Amy Schroeder. "Thatâs what makes the families worry."
What Iraq looks like on TV, and what Iraq is like for the 130,000 troops living here, sometimes feels like two different realities. Thatâs especially true for the Armyâs Civil Affairs soldiers, reservists who often serve as civil engineers in their "real life" jobs, and who are here working in Iraqâs schools, hospitals and factories. There are thousands of Civil Affairs soldiers in Iraq, and their daily missions take them into all regions of the country, from the water plants in Basra to the south, to canning factories up north in Irbil. "Our stories arenât the sexiest," says the 432nd Civil Affairs Brigade commander, Gary Beard. "But what we do will build the success of this country."
For the soldiers, the morning typically starts inside their compounds with a breakfast of coffee and thick, rubbery bacon substitute from one of the contractor dining halls, or sometimes just a cigarette and a Coke. Itâs cold now, but the sun is still white-bright, so most still wear hats or sunglasses. Outside the compounds, Iraqis who have become full-time employees wait to get their IDs checked. The regulars know the MPs by name, and the soldiers and Iraqis exchange the same kind of morning greetings heard at job sites everywhere. "Amin! Whatâs up, man?" the 352nd Civil Affairs commander, Maj. Michael Maguire, says to contractor Amin Ahmed. The Iraqi businessman works with vendors in the city to get equipment for Maguireâs men. Over the months, a bond has formed. When Ahmed was worried about car bombs hurting his daughter at school, Maguire helped get heavy barbed wire to wrap around the schoolâs perimeter.
With their translator ready to go, Lindner and 352nd Lt. Col. Jim Otwell don bulletproof vests and Kevlar helmets and drive out of the compound to visit the state-run sewing factory for deaf Iraqis. "We want to find out what your working conditions are, anything that we can do to help you," Otwell tells the young women at the factory. He speaks in English slowly, for the benefit of an Arabic translator, who then turns to an Arabic-speaking sign-language translator to sign Otwellâs questions to the seamstresses. The girlsâ hands start flying as they tell Otwell about their hated boss. "She would beat us, and pull our hair!" signs Nadia Jabar.
"What about working conditions ... do you have hearing aids? Books you can read?" Otwell asks.
"Nothing!" they sign back.
Otwell and Lindner tour the building, which is cold and dusty. But inside several of the rooms are old products they can sell - hundreds of Iraqi flags theyâve sewn, dresses and pillowcases. Already the team has arranged for the factory to produce all the uniforms for Iraqâs civil defense forces, and piles of cut brown pant legs line the floor. Now the workers are getting $60 a month, part of which is spent on housing them at the factory. Otwell and Lindner promise to come back soon, and ask the workers to make a list of things that they really need, so maybe next year the factory can get some upgrades. On the way out, the workers jump and clap, as Lindner and Otwell escort the old boss - who had come back to the factory despite a previous arrest by Iraqi police for beating the workers - away from the building. (Emphasis mine.)
There is more. Please read. I think you wil greatly enjoy this article.
Posted by: Dragon Fly ||
12/10/2003 4:38:41 AM ||
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#1
I'm starting to think that the internet has broken big media irrevocably and for ever. For a while I have been thinking that it could. Now I am sure that it will.
rant on: For years it drove me to distraction that people who didn't know 10% of what I (and many others) know, set themselves up as opinion makers because they happened to land a job at newspaper or TV station.
Well thats over now and welcome to the garbage can of history.
Now I and countless others across the world can decide whose view we choose to read and that may well be many different views.
Thanks to Rantburg and Fred for providing its view and BTW, I find the posters here the most consistently funny on any site I visit.
I can't put my finger exactly on it, but it was about halfway between 9/11 and the first anniversary when it became obvious to me that something or someone was seriously out of tune. Being outside the US made it harder to get info in real-time, so the 'Net became paramount. And from there, blogging was the key - as it allowed us to compare notes, opinions, info, and sources for the first time in history on a world-wide scale in real-time - and the Internet search engines allowed us to gauge the value of the sources by checking prior publications and affiliations.
That tipped it, for me - the gig was up - and the fisking of the majors has been relentless for about a year, now. Awesome work by regular people, often far exceeding the quality of the professional J-school dicks. Stories like this, which doesn't fit their agenda so most won't pick it up, only get aired out here in our growing blogosphere - and that seals their fate, IMO.
Of course, the style and organization of Rantburg is perfect for chipping away the fascades and stirring the rubble to find the nuggets. Snark City & Home Sweet Home! ;-)
#4
It is still amazing the amount of people out there that do not realize just how much censorship there is in this country. Not government censorship, there is no way that would escape the notice of the journalism community. But censorship on the part of the journalism community itself. It is sites like this and other that provide the links to the foreign news agencies (most of them Goverment organs) that allow the everyday citizens to be informed about events in the wider world. And all without the guidance of the journalism community deciding what they should hear.
#5
The best thing about this blog for me is the sense of community. We have some excellent regular commentators here with diverse backgrounds and impressive credentials. Over time, you have a written (and searchable) record and can discern not just personalities, political leanings, and background, but also effectively weigh who knows their s--t and who's merely full of it.
Posted by: Dar ||
12/10/2003 11:33 Comments ||
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#6
chipping away the fascades and stirring the rubble to find the nuggets. Snark City & Home Sweet Home!
I feeling like standing up and singing! Wait! What's the Rantburg Song?
#8
The Rantburg song? I dunno... Probably something by Spike Jones...
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2003 14:04 Comments ||
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#9
Probably something loud, profane, and spot on, like "Up the Engineers". Either that, or something spoofed from a Robert Heinlein or Any Rand novel...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/10/2003 14:46 Comments ||
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#10
You want a song, OK, you got one. With my applogies to Spike Jones fans:
DER MULLAH'S FACE
CHORUS
When der mullah says we is de master race
We heil heil right in der mullah's face
Not to love der mullah is a great disgrace
So we heil heil right in der mullah's face
When Bin Laden says we own the world and space
We heil heil right in Bin Laden's face
When Saddam says they'll never bomb dis place
We heil heil right in Saddam's face
Are we not he supermen Islamic pure supermen
Ja we are the supermen (super duper supermen)
Is this Nutsy land so good
Would you leave it if you could
Ja this Nutsy land is good
We would leave it if we could
We bring the world to order
Heil mullah's world to order
Everyone of foreign race
Will love der mullah's face
When we bring to the world dis order
Posted by: Steve ||
12/10/2003 14:47 Comments ||
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#11
I love Rantburg and select other blogs. When I compare notes with my dad (80 years young, but not computer-literate and gets his news from TV and newspapers) it is amazing what I can teach him. His information is incredibly limited. I feel well informed, not only because of the array of articles, but also the well thought out comments. One only needs to scroll up and see the opinions about the limiting of contract awards to see reason rather than hysteria. Great stuff Fred. The world is changing, and fast.
Posted by: remote man ||
12/10/2003 14:47 Comments ||
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#12
For Rantburg song, I'm rather partial to "Bodies" ("Let the bodies hit the floor") by Drowning Pool--especially if we can adopt the video from GrouchyMedia.com.
Unfortunately, Grouchy has had to take down the video due to action from Wind-Up Records. Hopefully it will be only temporary, as the band members have given their OK.
Posted by: Dar ||
12/10/2003 15:02 Comments ||
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#13
To the tune of "Battle Hymn of the Republic"
Rachel Corrie went to Palestine
to free the Arab mob,
burning flags and sleeping round
and acting like a yob.
She sought to save the pimps and punks
and generate a sob,
but a D-9 ended that.
[chorus]
Rachel Corrie got run over,
Rachel Corrie got run over,
Rachel Corrie got run over,
a D-9 ended that.
She climbed atop a mound of dirt
to stop the dreaded foe.
Her heart was full of hubris
her enemy named Moe.
The D-9 was large and loud
and so she turned to go
but a D-9 ended that.
[chorus]
Now Rachel lies flattened
beneath the Army tread.
Her pimps and pushers honor her
repeating what she said.
But nothing makes up for the fact
that she's really, really dead.
A D-9 ended that.
Six people were killed and a village was set ablaze when combined forces of the New Peopleâs Army (NPA) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) clashed with Army troops in Pantukan, Compostela Valley, Monday afternoon. Now remember all, Islamists will never ally with atheistic communists, their ideologies are completely incompatible. These Filippino cease-fires appear to work about the same as the Sudanese ones ...
Fifteen houses were also burned down after an almost two-hour firefight between the rebels and the government forces. Another day in the glorious world of Armed Struggle™ ...
The armed encounter happened around 3 p.m. in Sitio Waan, Kingking in Pantukan, even as President Arroyo and the insurgents both declared a Christmas truce. Which the latter party has now violated ...
Lt. Col. Edgardo Gonzales, chief of the Armyâs 60th Infantry Battalion (IB), said his men were conducting civil-military operations in the village when at least 60 NPA and MILF rebels attacked them. After an hour and a half of fierce firefighting, two government soldiers and four rebels were left dead. Military casualties were building wells, footbridges and health centers for the village, whose residents included a number of former NPA rebels. Ah, so this was Dire Revenge™ in addition to the usual Armed Struggle™ antics ...
Gonzales said the attack could have been a desperate move on the part of the two rebel groups since they have not been receiving support from the residents in the area lately. A certain Kumander Lando of the Front Committee 2 reportedly led the NPA rebels while the MILF commander was not identified. Just so long as his last name isnât Calrissian ...
President Arroyo Monday ordered a suspension of military operations (Somo) against the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the MILF from December 10 to January 6. Why?
The CPP, in a statement, said that "to promote the peace negotiations" starting next month, the NPA would also stop attacks against government forces between December 20 and January 4. In the meantime, the attacks appear to be continuing ...
Arroyo said Tuesday that the Somo against the NPA "is a recommendation of the defense and the military organizations as a sign of their support for the peace process." She said the temporary ceasefire shows the governmentâs willingness to press for peace talks with communist rebels. "We realize only too well that while our soldiers are ever prepared to go after insurgents, we must find means to give respite to civilian communities affected by conflict, especially in the spirit of the Christmas season," Arroyo said in a statement. "This goes with our firm commitment to a principled pursuit of peace, negotiations and the resolutions of conflict through non-violent means," she blathered added. Arroyo declared a unilateral cease-fire with insurgents Monday in celebration of Christmas beginning Wednesday. The CPP, however, stressed that the communist guerillas will maintain a defensive mode at both its strategic and tactical levels, and shall remain vigilant against any encroachment on the territory of the peopleâs democratic government, surveillance or offensive operations by the armed commands and units of the government. The communist leadership noted that the supposed unilateral ceasefire with the government has been violated both by the AFP and PNP on the false presumption and pretext of "law enforcement" and "keeping peace and order".
Certainly wouldn't want any of that...
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/10/2003 1:38:55 AM ||
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I wish I had the franchise for all those trademarks;)
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/10/2003 10:59 Comments ||
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#3
$¿$
Posted by: Dar ||
12/10/2003 11:12 Comments ||
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#4
President Arroyo Monday ordered a suspension of military operations (Somo) against the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the MILF from December 10 to January 6.
Why?
So the MILF, CPP, and NPA can rearm and regroup silly! Just like the did during the last cease fire. This way Arroyo can claim she is 'doing something' for the upcoming elections while, in reality, doing nothing. See War On Drugs.
Which the latter party has now violated ...
But...but.... Islamic 'fighters' don't have to abide by any of their agreements. Its a religious thing... just ask Hamas.
Ghalib Andang, the high profile leader of the hostage-taking Abu Sayyaf Group who was arrested on Sunday, claimed that he shared the $21 million ransom payment he received in 2000 with 10 mediators, including a military general.
String him up...
Andang said he received only a "measly P10 million" ($181,818) in ransom, out of which he gave P1 million ($18,181) each to his first and second wife, P2 million ($36,363) to his third wife, P4 million ($72,727) to Abu Sayyaf leader Mujib Susukan.
Wifey number 3 is the double-jointed 13-year-old...
The Malaysian government and representatives of Libyan President Muammar Kaddafi had paid $1million for each of the hostages, or a total of $21 million. In a letter he sent to Oliver Lozano a week before his capture, Andang, who is the 20th Abu Sayyaf bandit to be arrested for kidnappings in Sipadan, said that majority of the money was taken by a government negotiator. Sources alleged that Andang was referring to Robert Aventajado, the negotiator assigned by President Joseph Estrada, to negotiate the release of 21 mostly foreign hostages who were abducted from a resort in Sipadan, Malaysia in 2000.
I hope somebody's hitting Robert very hard, very many times, even as we speak blog. But they probably aren't...
Three German nationals who had been taken hostage by the Abu Sayyaf in 2000, had told German newspaper Der Spiegel, at the time that part of the ransom went to the governmentâs chief negotiator. Aventajadoâs conversation with Andang was recorded by a high technology communications system. Later, Aventajado repeatedly denied the accusations that he allegedly received more than 50 per cent of the ransom payment.
If we're lucky, someone in the Philippine government will deny nailing Robert's scrotum to the top of a very tall tree, with him dangling from it. But we probably won't be lucky. No doubt he's suffered enough, what with the loss of reputation and all...
In the same letter, Andang said that the ransom money also went to local officials, businessmen, a legislator, a diplomat, a Muslim general, and a leader of the mainstream Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), a group that had forged a peace settlement with the government in 1996. Each of the beneficiaries received commissions of four to five per cent of the total ransom payment, Andang said. Sources said this would amount to $1.155 million each. In his letter, Andang identified the people who benefited from the ransom payment which was earlier believed to have been given solely to the hostage-taking group. Andang will reveal the names of government officials who benefited from the multi-million-peso ransom that was paid to the Abu Sayyaf, said Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero, Armed Forces public information chief. "Thatâs one of the concerns we are going to look into during the tactical interrogation of Andang," Lucero said, adding that authorities will also find out those who supported the Abu Sayyaf during the past years. My guess would be either MILF or the Magic Kingdom, though itâs probably both ...
The Magic Kingdom owns MILF, MILF owns Abu Sayyaf. Surprisingly enough, it's all about o-o-o-i-i-l... Oh. You're not surprised? Don't curl your lip that way. It's gonna stay that way one of these days. These are the Just Demands™ of the Moro people, claiming their historical birthright. They need that money to... ummm... fund madrassahs. And for charities.
One of Andangâs wives and a female negotiator arranged a meeting between Lozano and Andang in Jolo, in Mindanao in July 2002. But leaders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and government officials prevented Andang from giving up.
I imagine Commander Robot's life insurance underwriter is on some heavy duty medication at this moment...
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/10/2003 1:31:30 AM ||
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out of which he gave P1 million ($18,181) each to his first and second wife, P2 million ($36,363) to his third wife
Wonder if wives 1 & 2 knew that wife 3 got a bigger check? If they didn't he could lose his third leg.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/10/2003 10:30 Comments ||
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#2
representatives of Libyan President Muammar Kaddafi had paid $1million for each of the hostages
Interesting, didn't Muammar just pay for the release of hostages in Algeria? Seems a round about way to supply funds to terrorists, doesn't it.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/10/2003 21:28 Comments ||
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South-East Asian radicals are divided over the wisdom of attacking hotels, nightclubs and other "soft targets" where Muslims may be killed alongside Westerners - an internal split that could weaken the terrorist enterprise, authorities have said. Some militants inside Jemaah Islamiah want their jihad, or holy war, to focus on fighting Christians in certain regions of Indonesia rather than bombing Western targets where Muslims die, too, according to government officials, defence attorneys and an intelligence adviser to Indonesia. The debate among Indonesian militants appears to have intensified after the August 5 bombing of the JW Marriott in Jakarta - whose 12 fatalities were mostly Muslim.
If we have any luck, they'll be shooting it out any time now...
A prominent group of Muslim defence lawyers said they would not accept any Marriott bombers as clients. After the Marriott bombing, several senior militants close to Zulkarnaen, Jemaahâs Islamiahâs purported operations chief, expressed displeasure because most the victims were Muslim, said the senior intelligence adviser. He said the information was based on internal Jemaah Islamiah communications picked up by Indonesian intelligence agents. The revelations about the rift coincide with a post-September 11 hobbling of al-Qaedaâs and Jemaah Islamiahâs command-and-control structure that many officials believe has led to more indiscriminate targeting - not just in Indonesia, but around the globe - moving away from al-Qaedaâs tradition of limiting attacks to Western and Jewish targets.
I don't think innocent bystanders have ever counted, though...
Dissension inside militant ranks could potentially weaken terrorist networks anywhere in the world, officials said, though it may also mean greater danger as cells attack without the blessings of their peers. In fact, officials in Indonesia, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said theyâre bracing for more attacks, which they say are increasingly likely, especially during the Christmas and New Yearâs holidays. Indonesiaâs national security minister, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, warned in a speech Sunday in Bali that terrorists appear to be "regrouping, reconnecting, recruiting and retraining". Jemaah Islamiah - whose professed goal is to impose an Islamic superstate spanning much of Southeast Asia - is loosely organised with an estimated 3,000 members in the region, including 2,000 in Indonesia.
That figure probably includes everybody, to include the gunnies in training...
Several senior Jemaah Islamiah operatives were not privy to either the Marriott bombing or the October 12, 2002 twin nightclub attacks on Bali island that killed 202 people, underscoring the diffuse nature of the terror group and its ability to act without consensus. Most of the Bali blastsâ victims were holidaying foreigners, with only a few Muslims, mostly waiters and other workers, among the dead. Thatâs because Bali, unlike the rest of Indonesia, is primarily Hindu and because the Sari Club, the worst-hit of the two nightclubs, had a controversial policy of only admitting foreigners.
The bucks are bigger. I don't know why it was controversial. Milking foreigners is a specialized branch of the dairy industry...
All this helps explain why the Marriott attack led to far more soul searching among militants than the Bali blasts. Ismail, a key suspect in the Marriott bombing, yesterday said he regretted carrying out the attack because of the high number of Indonesian victims. His remarks came during a police re-enactment of the blast. Increased Muslim deaths are a byproduct of successful blows against al-Qaedaâs command structure, communications and finances as terrorists resort to local targets, said a US counterterrorism official, speaking from Washington.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/10/2003 1:13:27 AM ||
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Of course since Kafirs are uttermenchen, they don't count
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
12/10/2003 1:57 Comments ||
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Robert Stevens at Alphabet City has a FBIS transcript originally published by Il Nuovo of wiretaps conducted by Italian authorities as part of an investigation into the Ansar al-Islam network's Milan activities. FBIS is the Foreign Broadcast Information Service, which I would read every day if I could get ahold of it. The conversation took place on June 15th of this year, between Nasser Osama Mustafa, alias Abu Omar, the Egyptian imam of the Via Quaranta mosque in Milan, and an unknown operative in Germany. The guy in Germany seems to be a recruiter/prosyletizer. You'll have to read the whole transcript to get the full flavor of it, along with Robert's analysis and Dan Darling's comments.
High points:
On May 16th there was a meeting with sheikhs in Poland, where it was decided to reorganized Hezb ut-Tehrir and build a new organization.
Up until now there hasn't been a link between Hezb ut-Tehrir and al-Qaeda. It's pretended to be "non-violent," just a funnel organization not getting its hands dirty with the actual bombing and killing end of the business. Apparently that's what it does, only it does it under Qaeda auspices, rather than being an independent organization.
Sheikh Adel and Sheikh Abd al-Wahab are busy setting up groups made up of people who've come back from Chechnya.
Dan thinks Adel might be a reference to Saif al-Adel. My guess is that Sheikh Adel and al-Wahab are both local bigshots in Central Europe â regional-level controllers...
Abu Serrah is planning to set up a "battalion" of 25 to 26 units, but the Bad Guys are worried about it being infiltrated. Things are run from Saudi Arabia, with this end of things being run by "Abu Salman" (or Suleiman), "who is of the same blood as Emir Abdullah."
"Emir Abdullah," of course, is Binny, so Abu Salman would be one of his brothers or a son, most likely a brother, since he's in Saudi Arabia. An RFE report from October, 2001 reports on
"a report from Irbil saying that "a secret bin Laden delegation recently infiltrated Iraqi Kurdistan and that neither its objective nor destination have been established." It apparently penetrated the territory from Iran, either with or without Tehran's knowledge. It is known that the delegation consists of four men, but only their aliases are known (Abu-Sayf, Abu-Hazim, Abu-Majid, and Abu-Salman).
This was about the time Ansar al-Islam was getting off the ground. Same guy? Who can tell? And for that matter, is Abu Majid another version of Abdel Azeem al-Muhajir? The level seems right...
The Bad Guys are cooling things on mosque operations, because they're too high profile, and instead going to ground. They've recently bought a 4-story building, and they're forming "Force 9". The nerve center is in London, and there is a group of 10 running things, with the speaker in Germany interested in Belgium, Spain, The Netherlands, Turkey and Egypt, Italy and France. Sheikh Adlen, who moved before the speaker got there, is one of the big financiers.
Googling "Sheikh Adlen" returns only Sheikh Adlen Khaled Bentounes, director of Tariqa Alawiyya, of Algeria, honorary president of the International Friends of Islam Association and spiritual guide of Terres de Europa in France. He's also a bigwig in UNESCO. However, I doubt if he's the guy, as Tariqa Alawiyya is a Sufi organization. The smell's wrong â unless there's another hit in his vicinity...
Both speakers are under Hizb al-Tawhid, which is the decision-making level, with the money â which is no object â flowing from Saudi Arabia. They're awaiting "the sheikh from Iraq," which FBIS guesses could be Mullah Krekar. The training and communications organizations are separate, with the hard boys being training in Chechnya and another group takes care of information dissemination. Each city has its qaid, who's the local big cheese. Organizationally, Italy is run from Austria, Germany is run from The Netherlands, and The Netherlands is run from London. "Ismail" is the head cheese in The Netherlands; he's been there since 1979 and no one knows who he is.
We knew Tawhid was the controlling organization for Europe, and this ties Tawhid with another thread to al-Qaeda. London remains the hub, even though Abu Qatada is in jug. Qatada, recall, was Zarqawi's buddy back in Jordan in their younger days. Dan guesses that the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia is the actual control organization, and I'd say he's right. I think the Soddies have caught on, too. The parallel structures, each insulated from the other, fits the cell structure we've seen before. I'm not too sure about the identification of the "sheikh from Iraq." He's too public a figure, and Norway's still sitting on him. I'd suspect one of Zarqawi's lieutenants, maybe Abu Abdullah al-Iraqi, maybe even Zarqawi himself if it's a big job they're planning.
The big guys, to include both speakers, know they're under surveillance. Abu Khalil, Abu Qatada, and Sheikh Aden the Syrian are all under surveillance, and other people are actually running things. The speaker's groups are spread from Algeria throughout the world. Sheikh Abd al-Aziz runs the Katilea group from Poland. Poland, Bulgaria, probably all of Eastern Europe, are judged easier to operate in than Western Europe because of the wonders dollars work with the authorities. Austria's the hub of the "underground railroad" operation, moving people. Abu Othman was active in Austria for a long time, then transferred to Saudi Arabia. He's written communiques in support of bin Laden.
All those "Abu" aliases are too fuzzy for real substance, as they're intended to be. Abu Qatada is the only one that rings a bell. Nor have we heard of the Katilea group yet. The Eastern Europe connection's obvious, though Austria as the hub wasn't.
As Dan notes, there's a lot that's new here, but there's also a lot that we knew or guessed. We knew that Tawhid's the Euromob, and Zarqawi's the big dog, for one thing. Note that these birds don't refer to Ansar al-Islam, but to Tawhid. Within the organization, the parallel structures are supposed to be hermetically sealed from each other, just like Boskone. Dan sees more actual control from Chechnya than I do â I see it as a training and indoctrination organization, being run as much to blood jihadis as to establish a Greater Ichkeria. It takes the place of Afghanistan, with Maskhadov in about the same position as Mullah Omar. If the Russians were to actually get serious about wiping them out there would be another operation someplace else â I think Ansar was just another arrow in that quiver. Hezb ut-Tehrir moves up the scale of importance based on this, since it's nailed as a Qaeda front. We knew all about the Soddy involvement, and suspected the bin Laden family, so now they're nailed, too â the question is who Abu Salman might be. And the Brits have some serious work to do on the London mob.
Since this is raw intel, you can read the transcript for yourself and see where Dan and I have come up with our differing interpretations. The really nice thing is that there are analysts sitting in poorly ventilated offices, leafing through stacks of similar transcripts. A little nugget here, a little nugget there... Nice catch, Robert and Dan!
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
12/10/2003 00:09 ||
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Lots of real interesting stuff here.
It sounds like they have been setting up new C&C structures, particularly with the help of the heads of Hizb ut Tahrir, probably in response to the weakening of Al Qaedas central control.
London is supposed to be the major headquaters of Hezb ut Tahrir in Europe, and it's my guess that they and their backers are more likely to be pulling the stings that the MIRA, but that's mostly because MIRA seems to be a pretty small anti-Saud group which is likely to be under close supervision by Mi5.
I remember reading earlier that European converts to Islam are joining Jihadi outfits in large outfits, I wonder how many of the East Europeans are converts?
Anyways, it sounds like Al Tawhid will turn out to be as sophisticated as Jamaah Islamiyah in South East Asia, which noone had even heard of a couple years ago.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
12/10/2003 1:05 Comments ||
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One thing that I would take note of is that "sheikh" doesn't necessarily refer to a cleric and while I suspect that the holy men do a great deal as far as running the show goes, the term is also a honorific way of saying "elder" (learned or otherwise).
As far as Chechnya goes, my main reason for seeing at least some kind of control for al-Tawhid minimobs routing through there is that we've had Saif al-Islam al-Masri, Zarqawi, and Abu Khabab all in general vicinity of the area over the course of the last two years, and in the case of Zarqawi and Khabab it was within months of one another. I don't have a clue what al-Qaeda's mad scientist was doing up in the Caucasus, but we can probably wager that he was Up To No Good.
The way I figure it, there's a whole network of underground railroads and little enclaves (like the one Ansar/Komala were running before the war) that exist up and down the Caucasus, all the way back to the top brass in Iran. I see the Bingol krazed killers as being part of that, as well as likely the Azerbaijani Jamaat. Above all, I can't help but remember all the communications between Barayev's men in the Moscow theater and their bosses in the Gulf (and Central Asia?) - I think that was one of the clearest glimpses as to just how wide-ranging and entrenched the terror network is.
The other thing is that Basayev himself is an alumni of the Afghan training camps, as is most of the Chechen brass. The Chechen jamaat fighters are al-Qaeda by any other name, one of the reasons why nuancing between the two is so asinine. One of the things I'm real interested to see is how the new Georgian government handles the situation in the Pankisi Gorge in regards to all of the foreign jihadis - that and whether or not Gelayev still has his house.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/10/2003 1:06 Comments ||
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Hmmmmm...
12/8/03
Jordanian king trying to broker deal between US and Iran
(snip)
Among those suspected of being in Iran are Saad bin Laden, the son of the al Qaeda founder; military organizer Saif Adel; al Qaeda spokesman Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, and Abu Mohammed Masri, who was tied to the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.asp?D=12/8/03&ID=22375
#5
Mojo hit it dead on. I think we have found our four infiltrators into Kurdistan. The thing that makes me think it is Saad Bin Laden is this line right here.
"who is of the same blood as Emir Abdullah."
Emir Abdullah is OBL, right? So to be of the same blood Abu Salman would have to be his kid. Remember, OBL brother's don't have his blood, just his fathers. If Abu Salman had been a Brother of OBL they would have said " And is of the same father as Emir Abdullah ".
Nice catch on the connection Mojo.
Posted by: Charles ||
12/10/2003 1:51 Comments ||
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I'd be willing to bet that "Ismail" in the Netherlands is a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. If he's been there since '79, he didn't see combat in Afghanistan, so he's Old Skool.
Posted by: Pete Stanley ||
12/10/2003 16:37 Comments ||
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That seems to work well, Fred. You are like me, you just cannot help to keep tweaking the design in an asymtotic quest for perfection!
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/10/2003 19:12 Comments ||
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#3
I'll add the third "yay, comment count!" to the list. I also appreciate the way you keep tweaking the design (as AP put it).
(Mozilla support for the buttons?) :-)
#4
Mozilla refuses to support the buttons. If you run across somebody else's site that does have buttons that work, let me know, and I'll try and steal reverse engineer their code...
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2003 20:23 Comments ||
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#5
I like too -
also, Seafarious, noticed your posts at Bill Quicks' site ;-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/10/2003 21:32 Comments ||
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Fred - I also noticed that the "Today" button adds a " mark to the end of the address link that FU's the default.asp address? That's with IE
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/10/2003 21:35 Comments ||
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#7
"...I'll try and steal reverse engineer their code...
Isn't that what "View Source" + "Copy to Clipboard" is for? I've always been told that "code reuse is good!" ;-)
Posted by: Old Grouch ||
12/10/2003 22:22 Comments ||
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#8
"Today" button's fixed. A matter of thumb count...
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2003 23:14 Comments ||
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Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Khatami went into talks in Geneva, the first such high-level meeting in 24 years. Mubarak was met by Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi as he arrived for the talks at a hotel in Geneva, where the leaders were attending a UN conference on information technology. "How ya been, Hosni?"
"Long time no see, Mo."
The Mubarak-Khatami talks will be the first meeting at this level since Egypt and Iran broke diplomatic ties in 1980 after the 1979 Iranian revolution toppled Shah Mohamed Reza Pahlavi, who received asylum in Cairo. "It is a very important meeting and there are a number of bilateral and regional issues to be discussed," Iranian Vice President Mohammad Ali Abtahi said in Tehran. "The weather, Khatamiâs arthritis, Mubarakâs granddaughterâs dance recital, you know, the usual."
Neither side disclosed what would be discussed. But we can guess.
"I consider this meeting, which is the first between the presidents of the two countries, as very important," Abtahi said. "Cooperation between these two great Islamic countries is important for the region and the Islamic world." But Abtahi declined to speculate on whether the meeting could lead to the resumption of diplomatic ties. "I can say no more."
"It depends on the climate of the talks," a top official in Tehran said, looking over his shoulder asking not to be named. Several meetings between the foreign ministers of both countries have taken place in the last few years, without leading to a resumption in relations. Both countries have interests sections in their respective capitals.
Egypt angered Iran with its 1979 peace treaty with Israel and its granting of asylum to the shah following the revolution, and the presence of the shahâs tomb in Cairo still rankles with Iranians. "Bloody Egyptian infidel dogs."
Iran angered Egypt by naming a Tehran street after the assassin of Mubarakâs predecessor Anwar Sadat, and Mubarak said in January that ties could not be normalized as long as Tehran gave sanctuary to "Egyptian terrorists". "Bloody Iranian infidel dogs, youâre only supposed to harbor non-Egyptian terrorists."
Ties were particularly bad while Egypt supported Iraq during its 1980-1988 war with Iran. However, trade and other ties have been improving since the 1990s.In June 2000, Mubarak telephoned Khatami, in the first such high-level discussion in 20 years, to congratulate him on Iranâs admission to the G-15 group of nations, membership which Egypt supported. Last week, Amr Mussa, the secretary of the Cairo-based Arab League, welcomed the prospect of non-Arab Iran joining the organization as an observer after receiving such a request from Tehran.
The Armyâs former Simulation & Training Technology Center in Orlando, Fla., was renamed Nov. 7 in honor of Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith, a Floridian who lost his life in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Smith was killed in battle April 4. His unit, the 11th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, was assigned the task of establishing an enemy prisoner of war holding area and was aggressively counter-attacked by a large Republican Guard unit near the Baghdad International Airport. The unit was overtaken and pinned down within minutes. Several vehicles were out of action and some Soldiers were down. Smith climbed aboard a damaged armored vehicle, and under intense fire managed to get a .50-caliber machine gun working and provided critical covering fire so the wounded could be evacuated. 1st Sgt. Timothy Campbell said that Smithâs actions set the conditions to get control and restore the initiative. âThe .50-cal was the key,â Campbell said, explaining that Smithâs actions changed the course of the fight. Smith provided cover while wounded Soldiers were evacuated. He lost his life after saving numerous others. Smith was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and he is currently a nominee for the Medal of Honor. According to his citation, Smithâs actions killed 20 to 50 Iraqis, allowing the American wounded to be evacuated, saving an aid station and headquarters, as well as possibly 100 American lives. In an interview before the facility dedication ceremony, Janice Pvirre, Smithâs mother, said her son always wanted to be a Soldier. She said he was always generous, gracious had high morals, and was always available to help people. His memorial web site is here. Go and read the second page, which describes what happened. This guy is a true American hero. Smith went through four boxes of ammunition -- totaling 400 rounds -- and fought for more than an hour and a half.
Gee, didnât everyone say "Donât worry, the Supreme Court will throw this out? Full ruling here:
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the two key parts of landmark campaign finance law designed to curb the influence of money in politics, a ruling affecting the 2004 and future presidential and congressional elections. The nationâs high court upheld as constitutional provisions that ban unregulated contributions known as "soft money" to political parties and that restrict some television and radio "issue ads" by corporations and unions right before elections. The ruling produced eight separate opinions, totaling more than 275 pages. The part of the ruling upholding the two key provisions was jointly written by Justices John Paul Stevens and Sandra Day OâConnor, a key swing vote on the court divided between conservative and liberal factions, and was joined by Justices David Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer. It concluded the lawâs two principal, complementary features -- Congressâ efforts to plug the soft-money loophole and its regulation of electioneering communications -- must be upheld in the main. Justice Scalia says it for me: Justice Scalia, in his opinion, writes, "This is a sad day for freedom of speech." He then adds, "Who could have imagined that the same Court which, within the past four years, has sternly disapproved of restrictions upon such inconsequential forms of expression as virtual child pornography...tobacco advertising...dissemination of illegally intercepted communications...and sexually explicit cable programming...would smile with favor upon a law that cut to the heart of what the First Amendment is meant to protect: the right to criticize the government."
Posted by: Steve ||
12/10/2003 1:53:12 PM ||
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This isn't just a sad day. This is it: they've judicially repealed the first amendment.
#2
From a purely political POV, however, this helps us as it's sure to destroy the Democratic party. Those "independent" activist groups that now can get and spend the big money are likely to align wacko-left, ensuring the Dems' marginality perhaps for a generation.
#3
From a purely political POV, however, this helps us as it's sure to destroy the Democratic party. This does nothing with respect to Republicans and Democrats.
The strategies for circumventing the provisions of this bill were probably built right into the bill itself. This bill favors incumbents of whatever sort. Incumbents control actual policy and public funds which makes a whole lot of difference with respect to reelection.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/10/2003 16:46 Comments ||
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#4
They have repleaded part of the first amendment. Some day they will repeal the rest. I would have never believed the SC would restrict political speech. Incredible.
Posted by: Harold ||
12/10/2003 17:06 Comments ||
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#5
I would have never believed the SC would restrict political speech. Incredible.
I don't find it either unexpected or "incredible". The Supremes, especially the Donkey extremes, have been after the 2nd amendment for 30 years, and have already killed the 9th and 10th amendments. All is not lost, however. Go back and re-read the ENTIRE second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence. As soon as enough people are disgruntled enough, things will change. The 'tipping point' is somewhere around twelve or thirteen percent of the active adult population.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/10/2003 19:29 Comments ||
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Robert L. Bartley, who made The Wall Street Journalâs editorial page one of the nationâs most influential conservative voices during his 30 years as its editor, has died of cancer at age 66. Bartleyâs editorials, which won him a Pulitzer Prize in 1980, ranged from criticism of arms-control treaties to doubts about President Bill Clintonâs character. His greatest impact came in turning the Journalâs editorial page, as he put it, into "the mouthpiece of supply-side economics," the tax-cutting ideology that has influenced Republican fiscal policy from Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush.
Earlier this month, President Bush awarded Bartley the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nationâs highest civilian honor. "A champion of free markets, individual liberty and the values necessary for a free society, his writings have been characterized by profound insights, passionate convictions and an unyielding optimism in America," the citation read. Over his career, he also won a Gerald Loeb Award and a Citation for Excellence from the Overseas Press Club of America. He was the author of a book on Reagan administration economic policy, "The Seven Fat Years: And How to Do It Again," published in 1992. He was awarded honorary degrees from Macalester College, Babson College and Adelphi University. Bartley is survived by his wife, Edith, who was his high school girlfriend--his only one, according to his brother Dale--and by their three daughters. While Bartleyâs main interest was in economics and economic policy, he also wrote eloquently in support of the War on Terror, and originated the Journalâs "Best of the Web." Hereâs a couple of samples of his writings on the WoT:
"Christmas in Terrorâs Wake" (12/24/01)
Brazilâs President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced yesterday that the Arab- Latin summit which will be held next year in Brazil aims at fostering ties and political cooperation between the Arab states and the Latin American states, and to renew cooperation between them and create a new political geography for the world so that "the third world will have an important role in this world." Be careful, it may not be the role you think it is.
Da Silva held the first visit of its kind to the Arab League during which a meeting was held with the secretary general of the Arab league Amr Moussa during which they discussed Arab issues especially the Palestinian issue, Iraq, and supporting cooperation between Brazil and the Arab states. Da Silva said that he came to the Arab League to deepen ties and establish strong and solid partnership and enhance political relations. And to study how to become president for life at the foot of the masters.
Da Silva then, met with the Arab ministers of social affairs and with the Arab ministers accredited in Cairo and the ambassadors of Latin America to Egypt, and announced in front of them that an Arab- Latin American summit will be held next year in Brazil, aiming at strengthening ties of cooperation and political friendship between the Arab states and the Latin American states, and to renew cooperation among them, and create a new political map for the world, and this is to enable the third world having an important role in this world." Birds of a feather....
He indicated "we are ready to cooperate in all fields and to achieve an economic integration among the Latin states and the Arab states and to increase cooperation and trade exchange and the flow of investment." Note: Brazilâs arms industry is the worldâs sixth largest
Lula moved to Tripoli in the evening. It is his last station in his tour where he was welcomed by the Libyan leader at a supper banquet in a tent installed in al-Azezeyah quarters in front of the palace which was exposed to the American bombardment in 1986. Libyaâs Leader of the Revolution Colonel Muammar al Qathafi delivered a speech at the supper in which he called on the Brazilian President not to "trust imperialism," which he described as a force "that stands against revolutionaries." He said that imperialism "is still against us as revolutionaries, and what is taking place in Venezuela is the best example on that. The acts of conspiracy is not ruled out that it would move from Venezuela to Brazil." The Venezuela - Brazil - Libya Axis of Revolutionaries?
Posted by: Steve ||
12/10/2003 12:48:50 PM ||
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"The acts of conspiracy is not ruled out that it would move from Venezuela to Brazil."
Ever the linguist, Khadaffy hasn't learned to speak coherently lost his special touch of madness.
Lula. So happy to stand in line at the Arab League and suck up for some cash. What an embarrassment for Brazil: to have natural resources greater than the US, yet be, for the most part, a third world shithole. And now, thanks to their backward politics, sunk so low as to elect a communist who begs for scraps from Arabs. The Brazillians deserve better - there is such potential that it boggles. Wasted on one twit government after another. Now its Lula's turn and he's found a new, improved, way to humiliate them. Disgusting.
#2
How long would the people of South America support an alliance with the Arab despots if, say, a terrorist kills the Pope?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
12/10/2003 14:07 Comments ||
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RC: Yeah, based on the religion (Catholic vs Islamic) and cultural aspects of the two (Mardi Gras Brazil vs Burkha-clad Arabia), won't the "integration" of Arabia and Latin America be like "integrating" matter and anti-matter ?
Posted by: Carl in N.H. ||
12/10/2003 16:50 Comments ||
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Artificial breeding of salmons has proved successful in the Democratic Peopleâs Republic of Korea. The East Sea Fishery Institute under the Branch Academy of Fishery Science built an artificial salmon hatchery in Puryong County, North Hamgyong Province a few years ago. The researchers of the institute have made researches into artificial hatching of salmons and introduced their success into practice. In November alone, about 40,000 pinks were hatched. Their success makes it possible to breed salmons in sea and river. And the rest of the world has been doing this for how many decades?
According to Han Kab Du, a section chief of the institute, hundreds of thousands of pinks would be let to go to the sea in the near future and the institute would introduce its success in different parts on the east coast. In other news, several thousand NK salmon applied for asylum in Alaska, developing..
Posted by: Steve ||
12/10/2003 12:07:36 PM ||
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What do these fish eat, flat stones grass and tree bark?
#5
The trick is to keep the fish secure in their pens so they can grow to full size and not be snatched and eaten prematurely, gollum style. We do not like farmed fish in Alaska. We like them free ranging, until they get their asses caught in a net, or wind up in a basket off a fish wheel on the Yukon, flopping around and saying, "WTF! Where'd the friggin' river go!"
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/10/2003 22:37 Comments ||
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A sailor missing in action from the attack on Pearl Harbor has been identified and returned to his family for burial. He is Fireman Second Class Payton L. Vanderpool, Jr., of Cowgill, Missouri. Vanderpool was aboard the USS Pennsylvania in dry dock at Pearl Harbor when the December 7, 1941 attack began. The ship was hit by a Japanese bomb that penetrated the main deck and detonated below deck. It was further damaged when a nearby destroyer, the USS Downes, exploded. More than 50 sailors and marines died on the USS Pennsylvania. Vanderpool was among six still missing after the attack. In the days following the attack, burial details began to inter the dead, but his name does not appear on any cemetery burial ledgers. He was presumed to have been killed in action and a military review board declared his remains to be non-recoverable. On December 9, 1941, the remains of an âunknownâ sailor from the Pearl Harbor attack were interred at the Halawa Naval Cemetery on Oahu. In September 1947 these remains were disinterred and examined by the staff at the Central Identification Laboratory, but they were unable to establish identification. They were reburied at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, or Punchbowl, in 1949. In 2001 the laboratory obtained records that suggested these remains could be associated with an unknown sailor from the USS Pennsylvania. The remains were exhumed in June 2003 and identified in September through skeletal analysis and dental records.
An attempt by Democrats to provide an alternative to what they consider is conservative-dominated talk radio flopped after just two days when the showâs host quit. Wow only two days? Jeff Gerbino, a comedian who hosted "High Ground" on Minneapolisâ WMNN for the first two days of the showâs existence said the former Democratic candidate who created the show was forcing him to make it a "shameless plug for the DFL," according to the Star Tribune newspaper. DFL is the abbreviation for what the Democratic Party is called in Minnesota, the Democrat-Farmer-Labor Party. And he expected something else?
Despite the false start, Janet Robert, a wealthy attorney who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House last year, warned not to judge the show by the first two days. She told the paper the program was designed to be centrist and independent, and that "Jeff was the one that was trying to push us too far to the left." Itâs not us itâs him.
Gerbino, however, claims Robert was scheduling only Democrats on the show. Indeed, on the showâs second day, Nov. 25, one hourâs guests included: Sen. Mark Dayton, U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar, Attorney General Mike Hatch, a professor discussing the Democratic presidential field, state Rep. Tom Rukavina and author Al Franken â all Democrats, the paper reported. Gerbino described the hour as a "donkey telethon" and said Robert criticized him for not "gushing" enough over Dayton and Oberstar. I love that: âdonkey telethonâ. Can we just call it the âJackass Networkâ?
Sounds like a laff riot...
Turning the show into an "infomercial for the Democratic Party" would ring hollow for the audience and he couldnât be funny or provocative in such a format, Gerbino told the paper. I beg to differ! Democrats are both funny and provocative. But in the WRONG way. The Star Tribune reports a Democratic investment group is close to buying radio stations in five major cities to broadcast liberal talk radio and is considering hiring Franken as a host. "High Ground" continues to be broadcast from 1-3 p.m. Central each day as guest hosts are auditioned to replace Gerbino, the report stated. I still think of Al Franken as a funny comedian, but I canât listen to him rant more than say five minutes. After that he becomes annoying and sound ????Bitchy??? hey these guys are professionals and I am sure that they will have their product ready to go for the next election cycle. After a few months of listening to the Dems complain and whine Bush will win by a landslide.
Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) ||
12/10/2003 11:19:51 AM ||
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one hourâs guests included: Sen. Mark Dayton, U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar, Attorney General Mike Hatch, a professor discussing the Democratic presidential field, state Rep. Tom Rukavina and author Al Franken
boy howdy! How did I miss that snooze-athon....
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/10/2003 11:47 Comments ||
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#2
The problem with liberal radio is getting an audience. Liberals listen to the radio for sure. It's just they listen to music, teaser sex toilet stuff or sports snorts. NPR knows that.
So what they need isn't some infomercial type programming where thet can pee on the opposition. It's a slick, artsy and Campy type of format. Lot's of music, poetry, high brow stuff, over a latte in the morning. macho tough sports and blue collar in the afternoon, maybe pop a brew, (as wimmin folk will be watch'n Oprah/soaps anyway) and over the edge porno/UFO/ ecstacy induced paranoia at drive time. Always with plenty of the appropriate music laid on thick and the propoganda laid on between the lines.
I saw, and reported dutifully on Rantburg, about the Left Limbaugh guy when he appeared on CSPAN with Brian Lamb. He doesn't have a very good sense of humor. He's combative and sounded like a shill for that DFL. Very scripted.
#7
Can the rest of us have Prairie Home Companion hosted by Dennis Miller?
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2003 12:37 Comments ||
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#8
Six guests in one hour?
OK, let's assume they had no -- zip, zero -- paid spots and didn't run the Ad Council filler pap. Oh, and that they didn't have any news or sports coverage AT ALL. That leaves them the entire hour to yak, and gives them TEN MINUTES per guest.
Throw in news and sports, and each guest probably got eight minutes. I'm still assuming they didn't sell any ad time, BTW.
If they took calls, then each guest maybe got four minutes to talk, then they took four to six calls, less if the callers were allowed to give speeches.
Yeah, I think it was a telethon format, not a talk format.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
12/10/2003 12:47 Comments ||
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#9
Prairie Home Companion hosted by Dennis Miller
That sounds like a winner... I think it would work in a weird sort of way.
#10
So, the standard "Things Were Quiet in Lake Woebegon..." 40 minute story at the end would be replaced by a 40 minute Dennis Miller rant ? Like it ! Would also like to see if his lungs hold out !
Posted by: Carl in N.H. ||
12/10/2003 13:19 Comments ||
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#11
FYI, Dennis starts on CNBC 9pm Jan 8th.
Posted by: john ||
12/10/2003 13:44 Comments ||
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#12
It would have been funnier if they had scheduled some annoying Hollywood types. This show would have just provided sound-bites for Limbaugh to tear up. I would have tried NY although Minnisota should have been sympathetic.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/10/2003 16:56 Comments ||
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DEBKAfile Special Report, salt to taste:
The next Hamas suicide bomber can kill without strapping a bomb belt to his body. DEBKAfileâs counter-terror sources reveal the new type of explosive going into use after the collapse of the Cairo ceasefire talks as being much smaller and lighter while packing a much larger bang. It is compressed enough to be carried in a small bag or hidden in the killerâs clothes. A vest can be soaked in its liquefied form. Improved detonators and timers enable the bomber to start the countdown before he reaches target. By the time he is searched at the entrance to a mall or bus station, the bomb is on timer. This week, after the breakdown of the Egyptian attempt to broker a Palestinian ceasefire, Hamas leaders issued instructions to the operational commands in Damascus and the Gaza strip to fully reactivate all terror units for a fresh offensive against Israel. They agreed to cooperate. "Breaks over!"
A senior Hamas operations commander in the Gaza Strip Abu Muhaheed forewarned Palestinian officials of this decision and told them of the extra-powerful, miniaturized explosive substance for use by Hamas suicide bombers. "Damm Hamas, they always get the cool toys."
Israeli security experts confirm the improved incendiary is far more powerful than the types used hitherto by Palestinian terrorists. It appears to be a new cocktail not previously encountered in the Palestinian terrorist offensive in Israel. DEBKAfileâs Counter-terror sources add that the Hamas appears to have obtained the new explosive from the Hizballah together with the improved timers and detonators which enable the terrorist to activate the charge between ten and twenty minutes before he reaches the scene of attack. Even if he is caught on the way to target, there is no way the bomb can be disarmed. It will go off exactly at the preset time. If we hear about guys going boom running to catch the bus, weâll know why.
Israeli counter-terror chiefs have suspected that a new kind of composite bomb substance was about to go into use after two British Muslim suicide bombers attacked a Tel Aviv seafront bar at the end of last April. One fled, the otherâs body was found with an unknown type of explosive. Theyâve come up with some kind of special top secret islamic explosive that nobody has ever seen before? Yeah, right.
On May 20,, the presumption was confirmed when the Israeli navy succeeded in capturing an Egyptian fishing boat, âAbu Hasan,â en route from Beirut to Gaza. On board was one of Hizballahâs expert bomb-makers, Hamad Amra. Found in his possession were 36 instructional video tapes demonstrating how to assemble explosive material and the different ways of incorporating them undetectably in fine undergarments or even outer wear to defeat the searches of bags. Explosive thongs?
Security experts assume that the Lebanese Shiite terrorist group transferred the experts and the know-how to the Hamas in the Gaza Strip, with the help of Syrian military intelligence. Syrians again.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/10/2003 11:16:01 AM ||
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Anyone taking bets that these improvements came to Hizballah (Hezballah, same same) via Syria via Iran via Russia?
I'd like to see a list of Izzoid SuperChemists. Okay, show me again. Nope. One more time - I promise I won't blink this time.
So if it's not homebrew, then you have to ask who they're cozily doing business with that has spent a few decades developing exotics. Oooh, a toughie... What's a little chemistry among friends when exchanging friggin' nuke technology for cash? Cake, meet icing.
Maybe the US should pull out some exotic stuff, manufacture some fine undergarments of the correct size, and ship them to Mrs. Putin for her approval. Think he'd appreciate the gesture?
#2
No doubt there is some exaggeration here. Hamas hasn't made a press release yet and I think if they were really ready to launch, they would make one of their "beware the gates of hell" type pronouncements.
#3
From the Daily Herald: In the village of Taffuh near Hebron in the West Bank, three Palestinians were killed in an explosion in a house. Palestinians and Israeli military sources said they were Hamas activists trying to make a bomb. No Israeli troops were in the area, both sides said.
Now what did I say about those prematures?
Posted by: Steve ||
12/10/2003 15:12 Comments ||
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#4
Sounds like they may have invented nitro glycerin.
Jpost; registration required. Hat tip LGF. EFL. When it became clear the Palestinians would not live up to the road map, the paper of record found an alternative. âWhat is truly momentous" about the Geneva Accord, according to The New York Times, "is that Israelis and Palestinians of good will have... declar[ed] in concrete terms how their conflict can end." And ytrams will fly by flapping their forelegs.
But lots of people, including prime minister Ehud Barak and president Bill Clinton, have declared how the conflict can end. The problem is not the terms of a peaceful two-state solution, but rather that the Palestinians are not yet ready to make peace with Israel. They want the whole kit and caboodle, plus another Holocaust. They will reject any peace accord that does not call for the slaughter of the Jews.
The moral reason underlying the Palestiniansâ rejection of peace is that there is no justice to a Jewish state here because there is no Jewish people whose ancestors lived in the land; there are only colonial invaders. Recently they have demanded that Great Britain apologize for the Balfour Declaration, which was implemented by the League of Nationsâs decision that Palestine should become a Jewish homeland because of the Jewsâ ancient connection with the land of Israel and their need for a homeland. In other words, the Palestinians insist that the idea of a Jewish homeland in the area is a crime against Palestinians - although they donât like to recognize that it was a "crime" committed by the League of Nations - well before the Holocaust. They donât like to remember that fact so they forbid it.
Their practical consideration for continuing the war against Israel is partly that their leaders do not represent their people, and partly that they still think they can use terror to destroy Israel as a Jewish state. The latter is because they are supported by the Arab and Muslim worlds and by Western Europe, and have hope held out to them by the State Department and prominent Israelis and other Jews. We certainly should be reluctant to decide that someone who says he wants peace - and authorizes members of his government to negotiate what purports to be a "model" peace agreement - really is only using deception to weaken his enemy. But Yasser Arafat has such a long record of agreeing to peace while teaching war to his children and promoting terror that we need to ask whether this declaration about ending the conflict is real. If the Arafish is serious about ending the conflict, Iâm a lattice tree.
And I'm a Rastafarian with dreads down past my butt...
Posted by: Atrus ||
12/10/2003 10:25:14 AM ||
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Arafish is serious - the conflict will end when all the Joooos are dead. I expect you to change your name now, Mr. Lattice Tree ;-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/10/2003 11:39 Comments ||
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#2
Read this criticism of the Geneva road to hudnas where
http://www.jnewswire.com/news_archive/03/12/031205_duped.asp
"A respected left wing Israeli academic this week leveled a broadside at the authors of the rogue "Geneva Accord" for failing to furnish the Israeli public with the whole truth about their unsanctioned agreement."
"Finally, Avineri censors the authors for failing to adequately tell the public of how the implementation of Israel's obligations would be placed under the supervision of an international monitoring group, including representatives from Arab states."
"In effect, Israel will cease to be a sovereign country regarding substantive matters and will turn into a kind of international mandated territory," he notes.
"Who would by a used car from these people? Not I."
Posted by: Barry ||
12/10/2003 12:41 Comments ||
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#3
Today Atrus tries to see how many Myst references he can fit into his comments before they are unintelligible.... :)
Posted by: S ||
12/10/2003 18:43 Comments ||
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Edited for brevity.
Brushing aside a warning from George W. Bush, Taiwanâs president reiterated his plan to hold a referendum alongside elections next March, but said neither independence nor the status quo with China would be at issue. Chen Shui-bian, addressing a news conference on Wednesday after Bush delivered his surprise warning during a White House visit by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, did not say what the referendum would be about. But earlier he suggested it would pressure China to remove missiles aimed at the island, which Beijing sees as a breakaway province that must one day, even by force, be returned to the fold. "We want to show China and the world that military force cannot be used to solve the problem of the Taiwan Strait," Chen said after the Democratic Progressive Party officially confirmed him as its presidential candidate for the March 20 election. "Taiwan people have the right to say loudly that they oppose missiles and are for democracy, oppose war and are for peace," he said. "This is nothing to do with independence. There is no intention to change the status quo."
Chinese Premier Wen, who sat alongside Bush when he made his remarks at the White House on Tuesday, welcomed what amounted to a nuanced hardening of the usual line that the United States does "not support" independence moves by Taiwan. Taiwanâs supporters in the United States expressed concern, but the islandâs financial markets took Bushâs comments mostly in their stride. The main stock index slipped less than one percent, mostly due to a fall on NASDAQ. The local dollar was firm. Keep that flame burning, Chen!
Posted by: Dar ||
12/10/2003 9:59:48 AM ||
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Hopefully, the Taiwanese realize that we have a lot on our plate now and don't appreciate the way they're teasing the Doberman next door. Hopefully, we've also let the mainland know that we aren't so busy that we can't help Taiwan dish out a healthy serving of Whup-ass on that Doberman if he tries to bite back...
#2
Hmm... I really should have titled that "Referendum vote still on". It's misleading the way I wrote it. Too flustered trying to post immediately and beat the Army of Steves!
snellenr--I agree. I admire their spunk and unwillingness to back down, but they aren't going the whole nine yards and asserting independence. The longer this "status quo" goes on--fifty-four years running now--the better their chances for eventual independence, but you're right: now's not the time!
Posted by: Dar ||
12/10/2003 11:09 Comments ||
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snellenr - Chow Chow would be more fitting...big fluffy dog w/a lot of bark....the Doberman's bite is indeed a lot worse then its bark (I have one, believe me.) - very much unlike China.
#4
What we really need to be careful for is China taking action before Taiwan does. The Chinese may launch a pre-emptive strike against Taiwan if they do go any further down the Independence Road. Would that be stupid, yes. But Communism is in itself stupid, so this is entirely possible. Unlikely it will even come close to this though.
Posted by: Charles ||
12/10/2003 11:21 Comments ||
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#5
Too flustered trying to post immediately and beat the Army of Steves!
Bwahahaha! All tremble in fear before the Army of Steves!
Posted by: Steve ||
12/10/2003 11:43 Comments ||
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#6
JH -- let's compromise & call them a Shar-pei...
#9
Ship - Yes to both. They are a one family dog, too. Intensely loyal. Got a helluva bite, too! We had one when I was a kid - suffered in the Texas summers. We'd spray him with the hose everyday - and when you wet down all that lion fur, he was all shoulders, neck, and head - like a pit.
#10
From the American standpoint this is a bad time for anyone to rattle China's cage, but this may be a perfect time from Taiwan's standpoint:
1. China has no amphibious capbility
2. Taiwan has substantial defensive capabilities
3. China cannot ignore Korea
4. China's economic growth is dependent on American good-will
5. China's missile technology is improving
6. China may later have the GDP to concentrate on destabilizing or overrunning Taiwan, but currently China has many competing goals and commitments.
Taiwan seems to be acting independently in a soveriegn manner in the interests of it's own security. I wish South Korea would do the same.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/10/2003 16:38 Comments ||
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#12
SH, the only part of the PRC economy that is working is that in the 'special' economic zones (Capitalist testing area). Unless the PRC goes full over to Democracy and abandons the communists model of econmoics, they will continue to slog along econmonically. I give it another gneration and they will give up on the great socialists way.
#13
CS, I am hoping that Taiwan tells the US to jam it and acts in its own self interest. Maybe some technology secrets that Clinton sold to the PRC would up in Taiwan and they can make a missile defence.
[Edited for brevity]
Democratic presidential aspirants met in New Hampshire for the last debate of year, but the campaign was overshadowed by Al Goreâs endorsement of former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean. Sen. Joseph Lieberman lashed out at the former vice president Tuesday, saying he was surprised Gore would back a candidate who "will take this party back to where we were before [President] Bill Clintonwherever that was." Traitor!
"I donât have anything to say today about Al Goreâs sense of loyalty, Iâm not John Kerry; I canât use those kind of words in public" said Lieberman, who had waited to announce his candidacy until after Gore said he would not run in 2004. "I have no regrets about the loyalty that I had to him." Traitor!
But he said he was caught off-guard. "I was surprised about the decision. I was surprised that Al Gore didnât notify me before I learned about it from the media â that would have been the right thing to do. I was surprised that Al Gore would endorse a candidate who stands for so many things that Al Gore has not stood for." Traitor!
Al Gore stands for something?
He added that itâs "a snowballâs chance in Hell less likely now " that Gore could play a key role in any future Lieberman administration. According to a Democrat close to Gore, the former vice president had placed calls to Lieberman and his staff once word was leaked Monday that he planned to endorse Dean, Neener, neener!
but the calls were not returned.
Brief vision of the old cartoon, a bride and groom strutting down the sidewalk past a church, another bride waiting on the steps, the groom asking, "Didn't you get my note?"
Sen. John (Pottymouth) Kerry of Massachusetts stood by Lieberman. "I was [censored] sort of surprised today, [censored] actually, by the [censored] endorsement, because I [censored] thought that Joe [censored] Lieberman had shown such [censored] extraordinary [censored] loyalty in delaying his own [censored] campaign, that it [censored] surprised me," Kerry cursed said to applause from the audience. F**king Traitor!
Prior to Tuesdayâs endorsement, a source told CNN that Gore â the Democratic Partyâs presidential candidate in 2000 â thinks a protracted primary campaign would serve only to help President Bush. So now that Iâve decided to make a King, you other losers drop out Erik Smith, a campaign press secretary for Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri, sounded as if the Gephardt team was surprised by the news. Traitor!
"Dick Gephardt fought side-by-side with Al Gore to pass the Clinton economic plan, pass the assault weapons ban and defend against Republican attacks on Medicare and affirmative action. On each of these issues, Howard Dean was on the wrong side and still is," Smith said. I never tried this before. It IS fun.
Fred, I tried to link to the title but didnât work right. Is the link too long?
Posted by: Glenn (not Reynolds) ||
12/10/2003 9:45:46 AM ||
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the link works fine. Al Gore is a pedantic a**hole. Think about it: he couldn't carry his own state in 2000, and has thrown any principles in order to make himself look as if he's back in the game by backing Dean. His treatment of Lieberman was the worst - backstabbing asshat
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/10/2003 9:57 Comments ||
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It would be amusing if the next NH or Iowa polls show that Gore's endorsement of Dean hurt Dean.
#3
Frank: Yeah, the posting program is smarter than I thought. This probably didn't need to be here but irresistible. Tom Bodett coined the simile "like throwing a raw steak to a pack of dogs."
#4
From USA Today: Like early primaries, early endorsements concentrate power for choosing a nominee in the hands of a few. Endorsements help candidates raise money and build organizations, both crucial to winning a nomination early. The result is to deprive millions of voters of a say in the selection.
Howard Dean - Selected, not Elected?
Posted by: Steve ||
12/10/2003 10:14 Comments ||
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#5
Do you suppose that, in the fine Democrat Party tradition of getting all mad and burning bridges, some Donks will now start admitting that Algore didn't actually win the 2000 election?
#7
Don't drop the soap in the Democrat shower, you guys. These guys have no real morals (just "positions"), and feel no loyalties except to themselves.
#8
If anyone is suprised by this you shouldn't be. It's just following the fine Democratic party tradition of 'backing the one with more money'.
Posted by: Charles ||
12/10/2003 11:13 Comments ||
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#9
1 the reality of the election was that it was a tie. Whichever way the SCOTUS might have ruled could have been justified. Both sides had justification in making their case in court, and those who accuse either side of being scum for doing so are themselves bitter partisan a-holes. (although Jim Baker did say some bitter partisan A-holish things himself, that doesnt mean Dubya is not the legitimate president)
re Gore. In 2000 Gore said that Leiberman was THE MOST QUALIFIED Dem to become Pres in an emergency. I see nothing that has changed in that regard - other than feuding between Gore and Joe re Gore's campaign, Gore desperately trying to distance himself from Clinton and the DLC, etc. As a Joe supporter, I am suitably aggrieved. Gore may see this as positioning himself with the left of the party, to fight against Hillary in 2008. I think it will be an abysmal failure. I hope it not only doesnt help Dean, I hope it does help Joe.
Mojo - pols are pols, in both parties. Dubya has jumped all over on steel tariffs for partisan advantage. Maybe McCain is different, Dubya aint.
Charles - that tradition is found in both parties, and was amply demonstrated in the GOP 2000 nomination campaign.
#12
Interesting take on Tech Central Station, describing this as the opening salvos of the 2008 campaign for the Democratic nomination between Gore and Clinton. Since the Clintons are doing whatever they can to destroy the Democratic party (Moveon.org, couple of other behind-the-scenes plots), it may be an exercise in futility. I dispise Hillary Clinton, her husband, and their friends. Anything that will evict them from American politics would be good for the nation, IMO. Let Gore roll - it's a flat tire anyway.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/10/2003 13:27 Comments ||
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#13
"Think about it: he couldn't carry his own state in 2000"
Washington D.C. is not a state. As someone who was born, raised, and will hopefully die here in TN, I can tell you that Al is not a Tennessean. Just because he's got a Southern accent doesn't mean he's a Bubba. He was raised in D.C.
#14
So I assume from all this carrying on about how endorsements disenfranchise the voters that no other Democratic candidate has received any endorsements this year? And that GWB hadn't received any this time four years ago?
I can't imagine who's going to change their vote on Al Gore's say-so, but let's not pretend candidate endorsements are some kind of new threat to democracy.
#15
LH, sorry, but that's not really right.
Bush won the election on any count by winning the majority of electoral votes and no amount of chad counting by Gore was going to change that.
Noone should be allowed to sue their way to the Presidency:
that SCOTUS rightfully put the smackdown on the Gorebot after 5 weeks I can only thank God for the rest of my life!
Presidential Election recount 2000=Gore coup attempt
#16
LH is right. It was a tie. The results of the election both in Florida and nationwide were well within the margins of error for the various polling systems. No QC (impossible in a secret ballot system), operators (the voters) who are in many cases senile, semiliterate, or just plain metally incompetent, and old equipment. If anything, the number of dimpled/hanging/swinging chads found during the recount should reinforce just how wide the margin of error is. I've always suspected that the MOE in elections is closer to 5% than the 1% that most election officials and equipment manufacturers claim. Just another reason why we need an Electoral College.
Looks like good news for active duty soldiers and for vets. EFL
Military personnel will see their basic pay more in line with that of civilian counterparts in the private sector in 2004 thanks to an increased pay and benefits compensation package included in the 2004 Defense Authorization Act approved by Congress this year. The act also includes changes to the controversial "concurrent receipt" issue. Air Force Col. Virginia S. Penrod, director of military compensation for the Defense Department, said the 2004 military pay and benefits plan provides for a 3.7 percent across-the-board pay increase and further targets pay increases for noncommissioned officers and warrant officers, some as high as 6.25 percent for senior-enlisted service members. In addition, service members will see 2004 increases in housing allowances and special incentive pay. Penrod said the average basic pay raise, which is equal to a little over 4 percent, helps to close the gap between military pay and civilian pay. "Everyone receives a 3.7 percent pay raise across the board, this is by law," she said, adding that the pay raise is a half percentage point more than the average private sector worker will earn. "The NCOs, E-5 through E-9, will receive targeted pay raises from 4.6 to 6.25 percent. And weâre also paying a targeted raise to our warrant officer grades." Penrod also noted that part of the pay incentive is to help retain senior noncommissioned officers. The highest pay raises, 6.25 percent, will go to E-9s with 26 years or more service. Article continues with info on change in vet benefits.
#1
For those that have not served a 3.7% is VERY big. I remember getting 2-2.5 percent pay raises during my twenty years of service. The targeting of career NCOs for additional raises is especially good. Still they make less than their civilian counter-part but they work for a non-profit entity. I remember my TI telling me in Basic: âYou will not get rich on military pay.â He was right!
#6
On "concurrent receipt", just to set the record straight. I'm currently 70% disabled. My disability pay is $1100 a month, and my military retirement pay (E-7 with 26 years) is about $1575. I pay a little taxes, get a $100 bond every month, otherwise my pay is 'clean'. I bring in the $1100 Disability and $410 retirement. The first step in the ten-year Concurrent Receipt phaseout will result in my getting an extra $250 a month in TAXABLE retirement pay. It's only at the high end - nine or ten years - that Uncle Sugar stops taking a significant percentage of my retirement pay and giving it to me as disability pay. The amounts of retirement pay "discounted" from concurrent receipt rules is higher for 80, 90, and 100%, but nowhere is it 100% right from the get-go. Not a hell of a lot of "compensation" for chronic pain, 24/7, and some severe restrictions on everything, including daily activities most people take for granted.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/10/2003 13:39 Comments ||
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#7
OP, cash can't pay for that type of pain.
Shipman, most of the guys who worked for me got pretty good reenlistment checks. Also VHA and BAQ provided good cashflow that didn't show up as a wage per say.
I would like to see more governemnt grants and loans tied to service. Also the GI Bill could be improved. Very few kids are ready for college before service anyway.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/10/2003 17:06 Comments ||
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An official Yemeni source denied on Wednesday an earlier report by the Spanish El Mundo paper, claiming Yemen had allegedly delivered Scud missiles to Libya. The source told the official Saba news agency that the report was "baseless and fabricated," adding that the "shipment of weapons belongs to the Yemeni armed forces and [is] still in their possession." OK, weâd like to come and check the serial numbers, please.
Last December, the Spanish navy intercepted the North Korean Su San ship carrying the shipment of missiles, but Washington later allowed the ship to continue with its journey to the Republic of Yemen, the news agency added.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/10/2003 9:22:25 AM ||
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Told you the Spanish should have sunk that NKor ship when they had the chance.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/10/2003 13:49 Comments ||
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#2
Maybe the missiles are making their way slowly to Cuba. I can't see any use that Libya would have for poorly guilded surface to surface missiles.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/10/2003 16:04 Comments ||
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Lebanese soldiers arrested a man carrying a bag full of explosives as he tried to enter the U.S. embassy in a Beirut suburb Wednesday, security sources said. Knock, Knock.
"A person with a suspected improvised explosive device tried to get to the embassy. Embassy guards found him suspicious... (a bag of explosives will do that to a person)
The Lebanese army forces arrested him," an embassy source said. A Lebanese security source said soldiers searched a man carrying a sports bag at the external entrance of the embassy and found explosives inside. "Weâre questioning the man, who is Lebanese," he said. Ali, pliers please.
He said it was not immediately clear if the man, in his 30s, had planned to blow himself up at the embassy.
"Nope. Nope. Not me. I'm just here to unstop that pesky toilet on the 3rd floor..."
Posted by: Dragon Fly ||
12/10/2003 9:10:48 AM ||
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"We thought he was a Jehovah's Witness--thank God he was just a suicide bomber!"
Posted by: Dar ||
12/10/2003 9:47 Comments ||
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#2
Why do we have an embassy in Beirut? We have one in Syria, isn't that redundant?
#6
Update: The Lebanese army said it had foiled a bomb attack on the U.S. embassy in Beirut Wednesday, arresting two men, one of whom was said to be carrying explosives, at the gates of the fortress-like complex. "At the gate of the U.S. embassy in Awkar, army forces arrested a Lebanese man and a Palestinian accompanying him as they tried to bring a bomb into the embassy complex," the army said in a statement.
"Investigations have begun with them and work is ongoing to arrest all those involved and bring them to justice," the statement said. A Lebanese security source said soldiers searched a man, in his 30s, carrying a sports bag at the external entrance of the embassy and found 2.2 pounds of explosives inside. He said shortly after the incident a Palestinian man was arrested in the area on suspicion of links to the detained man.
EFL
An Army hearing officer has recommended administrative punishment â but not a criminal court-martial â for Lt. Col. Allen B. West, who is charged with assault for firing a gun to scare a confession from an Iraqi detainee. "Itâs extremely good news," said Neal Puckett, Col. Westâs attorney, who defended him at a pretrial hearing last month in one of Saddam Husseinâs Tikrit palaces. "This is what we think the Army should have done from the very beginning."
Article 15... That's what I think the Army should have done, too, assuming it did anything at all. I suppose it had to do something to mollify the asshats, but I've seen more than one occasion where Article 15 proceedings by a smart commander saved a good guy from having to put on his best uniform...
Posted by: Dragon Fly ||
12/10/2003 6:55:56 AM ||
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I assume he'll lose a grade and some pay, but otherwise be able to continue serving?
Posted by: Dar ||
12/10/2003 9:52 Comments ||
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#2
*applause*
This guy, as so many have noted here before, is exactly the kind of warrior we need, not REMF's. I don't find his threatening of a terrorist inappropriate or unethical, and it saved AMERICAN lives
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/10/2003 10:09 Comments ||
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#3
I doubt he'd lose a pay grade. Probably 14 days extra duty - "LTC West, you'll supervise the officer of the day for the next 14 days." As battalion XO, in lots of units, he'd have done that anyway.
Article 15 records are dumped when the member changes units, by the way. Or at least they were in my day. It's a handy tool for a commander who wants to keep a good man from getting screwed - the military has double jeopardy protection, too.
The important thing is that his retirement's protected. He's invested 19+ years in getting that pension. He's spent a lot of time in the field, and worked a lot of late nights, with lots of time away from his family, and he's been shot at personally - he was on the local bad boyz' hit list - by turbans. If you make the investment, you desrve the return.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2003 11:05 Comments ||
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#4
Excellent. If they had done anything worse than this I would be outraged.
Posted by: Charles ||
12/10/2003 11:17 Comments ||
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#5
For an officer to accept an Article 15 essentially means his career is over. My understanding was that you accept the Article 15 and submit your resignation, theres no further punishment. I believe LTC West reached the 20 year point and had put in for retirement. If so, this would mean he gets out, but keeps his pay grade for retirement pay calculation. Probably the best he could hope for under the circumstances.
#7
I knew this would play out this way! The Army could ill afford to make LtCol West a villain or a martyr. I agree that he will probably get some kind of âextraâ duty and be allowed to leave the Army quietly. Too bad because I think he should stay in.
#8
I still have a problem with his superiors and the Jaggies who pushed this. It sucks that he's getting any form of reprimand, even an Art 15. Being burned, mildly or otherwise - it has to leave a scar, by his own probably means he'd probably not choose to continue - if given the choice. They were supposed to cover his six, not paint a target on it for hungry Jaghats who think war is a paper-shuffle game with timeouts for cocktails. This still sucks.
#10
rkb, I agree with the following reservation - the guy reported himself, so I don't believe the shooting was SOP for his command.
Bending the rules or walking out of the room so that your guys can beat up a prisoner is a bad practice. It eventually undercuts the discipline of the unit (probably won't hurt morale, though.) The problem isn't this incident as much as the incident that comes next and the one after that. Once an O-5 starts scaring the guys that he knows are jihadis, will the E-4's be brutalizing men who might be jihadis.
In this case the LCol was right about the prisoners, but what if he had been wrong and there had been no other planned attack? What if an E-4 thought it was OK to execute a jihadi to get the other one to talk (technically, this is a bad argument because a guy in civilian clothes shooting an AK-47 is an unlawful cmbatant and is afforded no Geneva Convention protection.) We go down hill from there. And how do we integrate the guys that are throwing suspects out of helicopters back into our society when this is over?
One of the qualities that has set our troops apart as a fighting force is thier ability to maintain their humanity. Our guys are over there demonstrating that the US cares about women, children, the elderly and families in general. Dehumanizing the Iraqis will not be an winning strategy for us in the end if we expect Iraq to join us as a free and equal country.
The choice that remains is to risk getting your own boys killed. I don't like that any better than anybody else does; and I certainly am not second guessing the LCol.
For a while I toyed with the idea of having four or so CIA hardguys deployed with each brigade. In the end, though, that is no better than walking out of the tend so that your E-6 can take care of business. Being an officer is about responsibility. You remain resposible with no excuses. The LCol held the gun himself; he took the path of integrity. The army can't afford to look the other way.
Maybe the Israeli's have a good anwer. If there is one I don't know what it is, but it's not condone what the LCol did. There is a difference between condoning and admiring. I admire what he did and will continue to admire him if he takes a path that doesn't dishonor his service and our country.
Don't mourn his fate. He is in a dark time, but soon every literary agent in the country will be ringing his phone off the hook. I'll certainly buy his book. He has been someplace I have never been and never will be and he acted with honor at every step. The rest of us can just wonder what we might have done in his place. There is no medal that they could possibly bestow on him that would outweigh the admiration of every American that has honorably served - and the rest of us schleps who bebopped around on the ocean where we were safe.
Sorry for the length. This one struck a nerve.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/10/2003 17:50 Comments ||
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#11
Thanks Super Hose - you said what I was thinking. [smile]
#12
In order to save our young people in uniform, Lt. Col. Allen B. West did what he had to do. So did the army and punished him. Now, it is time for us civilians to undo the financial punishment he received. The smart folks need to establish a fund for him and find ways to contact a large US population requesting each to send, at least, one dollar to Allen. He risked court marshal for himself, not the injury and death under his command. A slogan such as âFor Lt. Col. Allen B. West who terrorized the terrorist, send a dollar or twoâ may also help. It is understood, the army may attempt to block such financial reward to Allen.
Scare quotes are my own invention here, I figured they fit here a lot better than they do in most Rooters stories.
Divisions are growing within Somaliaâs Transitional National Government (TNG) after one faction rejected the recent appointments of an assembly speaker and prime minister by TNG leader Abdiqassim Salad Hassan. Hasan Abshir Farah and Abdullah Deerow Isaaq were dismissed as prime minister and speaker respectively in August. But they maintain that the TNG has no authority to issue such instructions as its mandate expired that month. On Monday, Abdiqassim named Muhammad Abdi Yusuf as prime minister and Mustafa Gudow was appointed as speaker of the Transitional National Assembly (TNA). In a joint press release, Abshir and Deerow said the appointments were contrary to the transitional charter or interim constitution and therefore "null and void".
A little dispute over job security, is it?
They accused Abdiqassim of trying to hang on to power and reiterated that there had been no quorum in the TNA to sanction their dismissals. Abdiqassim "has no legal basis to dismiss or replace neither the speaker nor the prime minister", they said. They added that until a government of national unity was formed, they continued to represent the TNG at the peace talks.
"We're representing you at the peace talks, or we'll kill you!"
The TNG effectively split into two factions after Abdiqassim returned to the Somali capital, Mogadishu, unhappy over the adoption of a controversial transitional charter at the Nairobi peace conference in July to serve as a blueprint for future Somali institutions. Abshir was a signatory to the charter. Somali political sources describe Muhammad Abdi Yusuf, a former deputy speaker, as "a trusted and a close ally" of Abdiqassim. Like Abshir, he is from the Darood clan from the Mudug region of central Somalia. The new speaker, Mustafa Gudow, hails from Bay and Bakool and, like Deerow, is a Rahanweyn.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/10/2003 1:23:29 AM ||
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The TNG effectively split into two factions ...
Only two?
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/10/2003 9:04 Comments ||
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#2
Somewhere backalong someone here observed in a posting that "Somalia doesn't have any government at all a central government"
#3
The Somali government is on permanent per diem assignment in Nairobi, Kenya. They don't accomplish anything or control any territory, but every once in a while one of these guys turns up dead. Could be a new kind of filibuster.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/10/2003 16:02 Comments ||
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#4
Whatcha might call a "filiblaster," huh?
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2003 17:06 Comments ||
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Follow-up. Severely EFL.
Angry ex-fighters rampaged in Liberiaâs capital by the hundreds for a second day Tuesday, leading U.N. authorities to cave in grant their demands of on-the-spot payment for guns surrendered under a fledgling post-war disarmament effort. Gunmen fired AK-47s in the streets, sending pedestrians ducking for cover and cars wheeling in abrupt U-turns. "I have 16 dead bodies in my brassiere pockets," one ex-government fighter declared, citing the number of bullets for his AK-47. Heâd pee his pants if he went up against a group of real soldiers.
"We will fire, fire and fire, until we get our money," said the man, who did not give his name. Brave little girl lad.
The U.N. peace mission relented Tuesday, announcing it would give each fighter $75 to turn in a weapon and enter a disarmament camp. "Weâre facing a crisis situation. Theyâre firing their guns all over the place and threatening the security of the people," U.N. spokeswoman Margaret Novicki said, explaining the speeded-up payment. "Weâre trying to get them off the streets with their guns," Novicki said. Such spine, such strength of character. I give you the U.N.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/10/2003 1:15:34 AM ||
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The UN which is run by the EU politicians. Although this just proves what we already knew: The UN is absolete.
"Weâre trying to get them off the streets with their guns," Novicki said.
Can you spell invertebrate?
Posted by: Charles ||
12/10/2003 1:35 Comments ||
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#2
Charles, I know it's a typo, but I like your neologism "absolete" : "absolutely, incontrovertibly, irrevocably obsolete"
Posted by: Carl in N.H. ||
12/10/2003 13:07 Comments ||
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#3
Wouldn't it be more effective to shoot the guys that are firing AK-47s?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/10/2003 16:08 Comments ||
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#4
Then the UN would be responsible for killing someone in cold blood. Cold, bullet riddled blood that causes the UN to shriek everytime they see it.
Posted by: Charles ||
12/10/2003 16:54 Comments ||
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Followup. Severely EFL.
The Iraqi National Symphony performed for President Bush and a large audience Tuesday night, presenting another side of the nation whose image is shaped by daily reports of combat and death. Didnât know GWB would be there. Bravo for him.
The 63-member Iraqi group was joined by the Washington National Symphony Orchestra at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Leonard Slatkin, music director of the Washington Symphony, shared the stage with Iraqi conductor Mohammed Amin Ezzat in leading the combined orchestra through six pieces, one composed by Ezzat. Cello virtuoso Yo-Yo Ma also performed with the orchestras. Secretary of State Colin Powell called the performance the "historic re-entry of the Iraqi culture on the world stage." He hosted the performance, which was sponsored by State Department. Top members of the Bush administration and Rend Rahim, Iraqâs representative in Washington, joined Bush in the presidential box. The orchestraâs members include players of both Islamâs main sects, Shiite and Sunni, and of Kurdish, Armenian, Assyrian, Iraqi Christian and Turkman descent. Golly gosh, you donât suppose Iraqi society could end up performing together like this?
I have a hard time picturing sectarian shootouts over the interpretation of Mahler's 7th. Music is its own religion.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/10/2003 1:09:34 AM ||
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Accck! It's "Bush", not "Bus" in the title. Fred, a little help? Thanks.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/10/2003 1:16 Comments ||
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#6
No it hasn't. Its great that they are playing. Its just that the typo is fun to poke at.
Posted by: Ben ||
12/10/2003 5:20 Comments ||
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#7
I fixed the typo. So there.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2003 7:03 Comments ||
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#8
IRAQIS PERFORM FOR bUSH AHAHAH on goes the minstrel show. I just hope American taxpayers are not footing their hotel bills at the Astoria. Screw them and their music..i aint paying their way. But then again i am
#10
I like how he called a national symphony a "minstrel show". Racist much, Stevey?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
12/10/2003 8:21 Comments ||
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#11
ah..nothing like waking up to a good cup of coffee and a good laugh at rantburg. Unless of course, you are "Anonymous" - poor little fella missed the bus. I'm sure Stevestra-d will find the humor once he sleeps it off.
#12
......it was reported that during an interlude in the performance someone in the audience was yelling "play Skynryd!". Later, a seemingly innebriated Sen. Graham was reportedly being seen escorted from the theater.......
#16
I've got a cousin that plays the fiddle in a band in Louisiana. When he strikes off with "Orange Blossom Special", it'll bring a tear to your eye! When his wife joins in, things really get moving!
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/10/2003 13:51 Comments ||
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#17
.......Sen Byrd, while playing a washboard outside the venue was quoted as saying "that Yo-Yo Ma plays pretty good, didn't know oriental's could a civilized instrument," at that point, the Senator asked if anyone was interested in hearing his rendition of "the Wreck of the Old 97."........
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.
