UNITED NATIONS - Pakistan's prime minister said Friday no "tangible evidence" has been found that al-Qaida operatives were among those killed in a U.S. missile strike on a border village last week.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said security agencies in the area of Damadola "have not found any tangible evidence that a particular group or any individual was there."
A senior Pakistani intelligence official earlier told The Associated Press that al-Qaida figures were casualties of the Jan. 13 attack, which killed 13 villagers.
Officials believe at least four foreign militants may also have died, including an al-Qaida explosives and chemical weapons expert and a son-in-law of the terror network's No. 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahri.
The intelligence official said the al-Qaida operatives had gathered in Damadola to discuss "new attacks" in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Despite widespread protests across Pakistan this week calling for the ouster of Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, a close ally of the U.S., Aziz told reporters that his nation stands solidly behind the United States and its fight against terrorists.
"As regards the relations between Pakistan and the United States, or our conviction about fighting terrorism, there is no question that Pakistan is one of the countries which has done the most because we believe terorrism is no solution to any problems," he said.
But the prime minister â at the U.N. to meet with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan â underscored that the government of Pakistan condemned the U.S. airstrike.
Aziz said he will raise the issue with President Bush when the two meet next week in Washington in what he termed a "wide-ranging discussion."
Iran, which shares a border with the nuclear-armed Pakistan, and its alleged push to build a nuclear weapon came up when Aziz spoke with Annan.
"Pakistan is opposed to proliferation in any form," Aziz said.
Aziz did say, however, that Iran has the right to use nuclear power to meets its legitimate energy needs, as long as it is done under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
A.Q. Khan, a national hero known as the father of Pakistan's atomic bomb, ran a network smuggling nuclear technology overseas â including to Iran, according to the IAEA â and the country's nuclear program has come under widespread criticism, particularly for proliferation concerns.
Pakistan is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the cornerstone of global efforts to control the spread of nuclear weapons
Would somebody please explain what this load of tripe is all about? Very strange.
The Federal Government is being urged to question Indonesia over reports four people have been shot by Indonesian soldiers in the troubled province of Papua. The incident is being seen in some groups as a reprisal against Papuan independence supporters who arrived in Australia on a boat this week.
The Democrats say it appears one man has died and another three people have been injured in an area where some of the boat people came from. An Indonesian police spokesman says security forces injured two men and shot dead a high school student during a clash with residents yesterday in the central Papua district of Paniai. The clash allegedly erupted after three people were told to stop taking donations of up to $10 from residents while repairing roads in the area. The three reportedly returned with about 100 supporters and attacked the police station.
The police spokesman says soldiers came to aid the police and security forces were forced to open fire into the crowd because they refused to disperse. He could not confirm whether there were members or supporters of the separatist Free Papua Movement among the protesters.
Democrats foreign affairs spokeswoman Natasha Stott Despoja says she is concerned the shooting could be linked to information Indonesian officials might have gathered while questioning the asylum seekers yesterday. Senator Despoja says Australia is obligated to ask questions about the incident. "The Federal Government has responsibility to investigate what is happening in West Papua," she said.
"We don't know the reasons behind that shooting. We would ask the Federal Government to make sure that any information about these asylum seekers is kept very tightly under wraps from the Indonesian Government.
"But of course, we do expect our Government to make their welfare paramount."
Labor foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd agrees. "It's important for Foreign Minister Downer as a matter of absolute priority to establish who precisely has been killed and were there any connections between these individuals and those who have sought asylum on Cape York," he said.
Immigration Department spokesman Sandi Logan is rejecting claims Australia may have allowed Indonesian officials access to the asylum seekers. "There's been absolutely no contact between Indonesian officials or authorities and the unauthorised arrivals - we wouldn't do that, you don't work that way," he said.
It is understood the asylum seekers were offered consular access but that was rejected.
Mr Logan says a foreign government is usually not contacted as part of security and identity checks for asylum seekers and it is unlikely any names were passed on by Australian authorities. The boat people are now on Christmas Island.
THE Cronulla riot strike force chief was yesterday stood down as police faced new embarrassment over the bungled investigation. One day after police released video footage of a riot revenge attack by Middle Eastern youths, The Saturday Daily Telegraph was able to identify a witness who may hold the key to identifying the thugs.
Former junior rugby league coach Ahmed Jajieh, 24, was last night confirmed as a central figure in the gang attack on 35-year-old Steve B at Cronulla on December 12.
The revelation came as police split ranks over the removal of Detective Superintendent Dennis Bray, who was axed for failing to inform Commissioner Ken Moroney of the CCTV footage. The family of Mr Jajieh admitted he was among the throng of up to 30 men of Middle Eastern appearance captured on CCTV camera when Steve B was set upon outside the YHA Hostel. But Mr Jajieh's brother, who did not want to be identified, told The Saturday Daily Telegraph: "If you see the video you can see he went in to help the guy."
An informant told The Saturday Daily Telegraph she called Crime Stoppers on Thursday night, naming Mr Jajieh as one of the people in the footage. But as of last night, police had yet to contact Mr Jajieh.
The footage, released on Thursday night, showed up to 20 youths kicking and bashing electrician Steve B on The Kingsway as gangs rampaged through Cronulla in retaliation for the riots.
Police faced further criticism over their delay in releasing video of the attack. Mr Moroney and Premier Morris Iemma yesterday announced that strike force Enoggera, which is investigating the riots, will be increased from 28 to 100 officers.
Mr Moroney expressed his "concern, disappointment and absolute annoyance" at not being told a video existed. He said as a result, he had replaced Supt Bray with Superintendent Ken McKay.
One informant also told police some of the players from the under-17 Mt Prichard football team Mr Jajieh coached were also involved in the attack. Some of the boys are current or former students at Ashcroft Boys High School and come from the Green Valley area. All of the players identities are kept by the Parramatta Junior Rugby League.
However, police have yet to make contact with the association and yesterday afternoon, Mr Moroney still did not know that someone on the video had been identified. Asked if anyone had come forward, Mr Moroney said: "No, not as a result of viewing the video on television. Not to this point in time."
A notorious former Serb paramilitary leader accused of war crimes is behind bars in a maximum-security prison after federal police armed with an Interpol arrest warrant seized the golf instructor in a midnight raid at a Sydney apartment.
Four months after The Australian found Dragan Vasiljkovic living in Perth as Daniel Snedden, the first stage of extradition proceedings was launched yesterday against the soldier infamously known as Captain Dragan during the bloody Balkans conflict.
As a commander in the Serbian paramilitary forces, Mr Vasiljkovic is alleged to have led a unit that killed civilians and tortured prisoners of war in the Croatian towns of Glina and Knin in mid-1991 and Bruska, near Benkovac, in February 1993.
The Croatian Government wants Australia to send him to Croatia to face three war-crimes charges. The charges, according to papers lodged in Sydney's Central Local Court yesterday, included two war crimes against prisoners of war under article 122 of the Basic Criminal Code of Croatia and one war crime against civil population under Article 120 of the code. The offences carry a maximum penalty of 20 years' jail.
The Croatian investigation into Mr Vasiljkovic's wartime activities - conducted by county prosecutors in the central Dalmatian town of Sibenik - began after The Weekend Australian tracked Mr Vasiljkovic, 51, to a Perth Serbian community centre, where he was teaching golf.
The former commando had returned to Australia in December 2004, quietly resuming a life in Perth where his mother and brother live, after travelling between Belgrade, Africa and The Hague in the years following the 1991-95 Balkans war.
Mr Vasiljkovic, who emigrated to Sydney as a boy and holds dual Australian-Serb citizenship, gave evidence in the trial of former dictator Slobodan Milosevic at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague in 2003.
His lawyer told the Sydney court yesterday there was no evidence to justify Mr Vasiljkovic being held in jail. "There is not one factual statement here, even though his liberty has been taken away," Brad Slowgrove said.
Australian Federal Police agents swooped on Mr Vasiljkovic's rented unit in the southwest Sydney suburb of Liverpool at 11.55pm on Thursday. He was listed as an international fugitive by Interpol earlier this month.
Mr Vasiljkovic, who insisted last week he would only return to Croatia "as commander of a tank unit" and evidence against him "won't stand even in the pubs", sat impassively in the dock wearing a dark suit jacket and red shirt.
Magistrate Allan Moore adjourned the matter to January 27, when Mr Vasiljkovic, who was refused bail, will appear by video link from prison.
Repeatedly referring to a need for "new vision and leadership" in U.S. policy toward the Middle East, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) called Wednesday for United Nations sanctions against Iran and further global advances in women's rights, and urged optimism for a peaceful resolution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
"We cannot and should not â must not â permit Iran to build or acquire nuclear weapons," Clinton said in a speech before a capacity crowd in Richardson Auditorium. (See full text.) "In order to prevent that from occurring, we must have more support vigorously and publicly expressed by China and Russia, and we must move as quickly as feasible for sanctions in the United Nations."
Though never mentioning President Bush by name, Clinton strongly criticized the current administration's policy toward Iran. "I believe that we lost critical time in dealing with Iran because the White House chose to downplay the threats and to outsource the negotiations," Clinton said.
Like Bush, a tough-talking Clinton left open the possibility of military action against Iran if it attempts to acquire nuclear weapons. "We cannot take any option off the table in sending a clear message to the current leadership of Iran that they will not be permitted to acquire nuclear weapons," Clinton said.
Clinton also criticized recent remarks by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that questioned Israel's right to exist and described the Holocaust as a "myth." Ahmadinejad "is moving to create his own nuclear reality in line with his despicable rewriting of history," she said.
Wilson School dean Anne-Marie Slaughter '80, however, expressed doubts about sanctions' effectiveness. "I agree that we cannot allow a nuclear Iran, but it is a real question as to whether sanctions are not more likely to consolidate support for the government ... than to pressure the government into stopping its behavior," she said in an email Thursday.
Turning to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Clinton said the United States must guarantee both Israel's security and a "better future" for the Palestinians.
"No more excuses for the Palestinians," Clinton said. "They have to demonstrate clearly and unequivocally their commitment to a peaceful future and they have to also demonstrate their ability to deliver services to their people."
Historical grudges present an unnecessary impediment to lasting peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, Clinton added. "What we have tried to do over the last 30 years, starting with President Carter, moving through other presidents including my husband, now this president, is to send a uniquely American message: it can get better, just get over it."
#1
Great. On Monday Senator Clinton can introduce a bill on the floor of the Senate authorizing President Bush to take military action against Iran. And I will hold my breath until she does so.
Posted by: Matt ||
01/20/2006 20:01
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#3
"In order to prevent that from occurring, we must have more support vigorously and publicly expressed by China and Russia,.."
Barring some kind of Iranian backstabbing of China and Russia, or an out-and-out declaration by Iran that they're pursuing The Bomb, does she really, REALLY think that we'd get Russian and Chinese "support"?
#4
Of course she doesn't BAR. That's the beauty of it. When China and Russia don't support us she can blame Bush for failing to have a muscular enough diplomacy with was caused by the diversion that is Iraq. It's called triangulation, she practically invented it with Billy Blowjob.
Posted by: Scott R ||
01/20/2006 21:17
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#5
Ground War-Conventional War, and not merely airstrikes, i.e. MSM-verified "NEW QUAGMIRE" and "ANOTHER US-GOP MISTAKE [ala NO WMDS IN IRAN/NORTH KOREA, etc.]" is what the anti-US agendists desire. The USA must be "justified" in giving up its sovereignty, freedoms and endowments to the future OWG/UNO, O'REILLY's alleged "International Coalition of Nations/States", the latter of which will undoubtedly include and be dominated by America's primary Cold War Commie opponents,i.e Russia-China wid their nuclear arsenals and large armies.
She survived brutal Nazi and Communist regimes to ultimately be brought down by a banana. Slovenian migrant Ivanka Perko died in hospital last week in bizarre circumstances - she suffered complications after she dropped a banana on her leg. Comical to the end, the 73-year-old old quipped to friends and family while on her deathbed: "I can't believe after all this time it was a bloody banana that killed me."
A family friend told The Saturday Daily Telegraph yesterday that Ms Perko - who was treasured by her Blue Mountains community - had been ill for several months with a condition that made her skin delicate and fine. "She had tried to open a banana and dropped it," the friend said. "The pointy end scraped down her leg and she died from complications."
Even her death notice revealed her strange demise, killed by a falling banana. Friends said it was seen as an appropriate end to a unique and fruitful life.
As she was farewelled at St Raphael's Slovenian Catholic Church in Merrylands yesterday, Mrs Perko's only son Izzy Perko told of his mother's colourful migration to Australia, her love of all things Slovenian and her daredevil ways which had never waned. "She escaped Slovenia with nothing but the clothes on her back and a pocket full of black pepper to ward off the guard dogs, and for that I am most grateful," Mr Perko said.
Within the Slovenian community, Ms Perko was known for her vocal protests about the famous Kransky being labelled as a Polish or German sausage. Her love of Slovenia, the official home of the gourmet sausage, was only subdued by her memories of Nazi occupation and the brutal regime of Yugoslavian dictator Marshal Josip Tito.
In her final years, Ms Perko remained a valiant volunteer for Meals on Wheels and the St Vincent de Paul charity.
This week's Chicken Little moment brought to you by: vanishing metals!
If all nations were to use the same services enjoyed in developed nations, even the full extraction of metals from the Earth's crust and extensive recycling may not be enough to meet metal demands in the future, according to a new study. To investigate the environmental and social consequences of metal depletion, researchers looked at metal stocks thought to exist in the Earth, metal in use by people today, and how much is lost in landfills. Using copper stocks in North America as a starting point, the researchers tracked the evolution of copper mining, use and loss during the 20th century. They then combined this information with other data to estimate what the global demand for copper and other metals would be if all nations were fully developed and using modern technologies. According to the study, all of the copper in ore, plus all of the copper currently in use, would be required to bring the world to the level of the developed nations for power transmission, construction and other services and products that depend on the metal.
The study, led by Thomas Graedel of Yale University, was detailed in the Jan. 17 issue of the journal for the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. For the entire globe, the researchers estimate that 26 percent of extractable copper in the Earth's crust is now lost in non-recycled wastes. For zinc, that number is 19 percent. These metals are not at risk of immediate depletion, however, because supplies are still large enough to meet demands and mines have become more efficient at extracting these ores. But scarce metals, such as platinum, face depletion risks this century because of the lack of suitable substitutes in such devices as catalytic converters and hydrogen fuel cells. The researchers also found that for many metals, the average rate of usage per person continues to rise. As a result, the report says, even the more plentiful metals may face similar depletion risks in the future. Here's a groovy Element Hangman game for those of you with too much time on your hands.
#1
Here's a clue for ya' - there's this big honkin' belt full of asteroids not too far away and them babies have all sorts of metal in 'em. And if that isn't enough or they run dry, there's this big thing a ways farther out called the Kuiper Belt that's just chock full of all kinds of stuff.
There's a saying about that that escapes me right now...something like "stripmine the earth now, we'll get to the rest of the planets later".
#2
and if we keep growing telecomm services all the people in the world will be employed as telephone operators .... just like they predicted in the 40s and 50s.
#3
Hopefully, the islamo krazed killers will win, and we'll all merrily go back to 7th century : voilà ! No more extensive industrial needs, no more metal depletion! See? No need to worry!
#6
I'm not a regular here....but I wanted to tell someone who is...there is a new Zawahiri tape out...and he makes no mention of the missile strike...matter of fact ...he recites poetry to dead fighters in Afghanistan...its up at Counterterrorismblog....they think its an old tape.
#9
When the metals become rare enough, it will be economically feasible to mine the landfills for stuff that got thrown out and not recycled. Or we can find substitutes. There is almost always more than one solution to an engineering problem; the market uses the one that is most cost effective at the moment.
#10
The total quantity of matter and energy available in the universe is a fixed amount and never any more or less.
Thusly, since chunks of metal don't tend to leave earth on their own, nor do their oxides and salts, no loss to landfills is going on. All is needed is some work to retrieve metals from their temporary repositories.
We can train some species of bacteria to aggregate metals for us.
#12
Is the article trying hard NOT to say that CCAM's commentator Steve Hoagland's alleged scheme by "global gulagists" to PC exterminate 5-1/2B of the world's 6.0B human population. more or less, prob "more", is "justified". The Left > "Quick, quick, quick, Communism + Totalitarianism + OWG + Absolutism now, D*** YOU, because the Sun is going to get hotter and hotter and then suddenly explode. We don't know when, where, or why, and so far Solar Output vv MSM/Hollywood's DAY AFTER TOMORROW is "normal, but just because we're Secular Intellectuals, Scientifists, and Pragmatists-Realists doesn't mean we have to tell you anything - you have Have H-A-V-E TO BELIEVE WE DON'T KNOW ERGO DO AS WE TELL YOU".
Cleanup at home.
Eleven people have been indicted in a series of arsons in five Western states that have been claimed by the radical groups Earth Liberation Front and Animal Liberation Front, the Justice Department said Friday.
The 65-count indictment said the suspects are responsible for 17 incidents in California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming, including sabotaging a high-tension power line, in a conspiracy that dates back to 1996. The indictment was returned Thursday by a federal grand jury in Eugene, Ore., and unsealed Friday.
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and FBI Director Robert Mueller were expected to talk about the indictment later Friday at a news conference in Washington. Eight defendants have been arrested. Three people remain at large, and are believed to be outside the United States, according to a statement from the Justice Department.
In Eugene, two defendants, Jonathan Christopher Mark Paul, 39, and Suzanne Nicole "India" Savoie, 28, were both ordered held without bail, pending further hearings. A criminal complaint filed in federal court in Eugene accused Paul, a firefighter, of setting firebombs that burned down a horse slaughterhouse in 1997. The ALF claimed responsibility for that fire, which caused an estimated $1 million in damage.
Savoie, who works in a group home for the developmentally disabled, is accused of serving as a lookout for a fire in 2001 that destroyed offices of a lumber mill. The ELF claimed responsibility for that fire.
The other defendants are Joseph Dibee, Chelsea Dawn Gerlach, Sarah Kendall Harvey, Daniel McGowan, Stanislas Meyerhoff, Josephine Overaker, Rebecca Rubin, Darren Todd Thurston and Kevin Tubbs.
Authorities have said Gerlach, 28, is connected to six cases, including the 1998 firebombing of a lodge at the Vail, Colo. ski resort, considered to be one of the costliest crimes linked to ecoterrorism in the country.
The blazes caused $12 million in damage as they charred chairlifts, a restaurant and a building. The ELF claimed responsibility for the fires, saying they were set because the resort had expanded into lynx habitat.
Dibee, Overaker and Rubin have not been arrested. The other six were arrested in December.
Using improvised incendiary devices made from milk jugs, petroleum products and homemade timers, they carried out attacks between 1996 and 2001, the indictment alleged. Targets included U.S. Forest Service ranger stations, U.S. Bureau of Land Management wild horse facilities, lumber companies, meat processing companies, a ski area and the power line, the indictment said.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/20/2006
14:06 ||
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#1
Send 'em to Gitmo with the rest of the terrorists.
#4
Ding, ding, ding,....Trailing Wife nails it on Greenpeace.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
01/20/2006 17:28
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#5
I can't really take credit for being clever -- it was pointed out to me yesterday when I wondered why they were involved. But it is nice to see it proved so quickly.
#6
Honestly I am surprised it is not more. Spend some time reading the tripe on the Kos board. Note to Kos: Bush hatred is not a winning strategy you wanna be Dem Consultant. Note to Kos subscribers: Kos follows the money. LOL
#8
"Daily Kos Poll - We Despise Osama More Than Bush!"
But not by much.... :-(
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/20/2006 18:13
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#9
It's not just Kos, it's Atrios, Political Animal, and the rest. The seething and eye-rolling on the comments sections approaches Paleo quantity and quality.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/20/2006 21:00
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#10
I'm sure a lot of Dems LLL are surprised the numbers are not reversed. I figger Kos published the poll thinking more of his readers would hate Bush than OBL.
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/20/2006 21:59
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#11
You know the Lefties - many come back angry, disillusioned and frustrated from the Commie Bloc nations ergo they have to make America like them. America must not only be like what they hate but America must be ruled by them as well.
So why only on audio? Why no video tape? Is he sick? Yes, say the usual American "intelligence sources". It's the same old story: Osama bin Laden talks to us from the mouth of a cave, from within a cave, from a basement perhaps, from a tape almost certainly recorded down a telephone line from far away. Yesterday's message, broadcast as ever by al-Jazeera television, was a reminder that security - not sickness - decides his method of communication.
See balance at link and have a safe week end. Cheers!
#4
Amen Phil I was thinking the same thing. Give me a year and I'll produce a tape that has Bin Laden professing his love for Ariel Sharon and the glory of the Jewish state! If he was so in control of Al Queada worldwide it would be nothing to produce a video and drop it off with the Al Jazeera Imbed.
Last Wednesdayâs BJ article about an Amsterdam school with two separate entrances â one for indigenous Dutch children, the other for immigrant children â drew a response from Robin Gerrits, the journalist of the Dutch (left-liberal) newspaper De Volkskrant, who first reported the case.
His article was entitled âBlack and white have their own entrancesâ and began with the following paragraph âAn Amsterdam primary school has indigenous and non-indiginous children under one roof. But there is no integration at all: white and black have their own doors.â The streamer reads: âAmsterdam school building poignantly illustrates growing segregation.â
Mr Gerrits sent us the following email (translated, the original Dutch letter is below):
Dear folks of The Brussels Journal. I hereby firmly protest against the way you present my article in De Volkskrant of Tuesday 17 January in your article Segregation in the Netherlands. In your âtranslationâ the impression is conveyed that one school has intentionally decided to make separate entrances for black and white children. This is NOT the case. I realize: it is complicated, and you have to be familiar with the Dutch school system, but try to acquaint yourself with it before making this public. The reality is much more subtle, and is not racist. It is about a school building, belonging to De Rietlanden, that has lots of leftover empty space because the white parents of the neighbourhood do not want to enroll there. They fear that at the school, which has predominantly immigrant pupils, their children will get poorer education or will not feel at home. Since the school has a lot of unused space (an entire floor), it allows the nearby Montessori school to use this floor. The Montessori school is very popular with white parents. Not exclusively white parents, but predominantly so. In the Netherlands parents are free in their choice of school.
Various plans of the authorities to create as many mixed and non-segregated schools as possible have had little effect. Here you could see the whiter and the blacker entrances at one glance. No racism, but the consequence of a policy that tries to mix schools, but fails because in the end the parents make their own decisions.
I found this picture striking enough for an article. The picture and the situation itself is not served by being abused by your website for what are perhaps your own political views. I insist that you remove the articles in this format or remedy them.
With kind regards,
robin gerrits
editorial desk de Volkskrant
#1
Just as a comment, the Netherlands has the equivalent of school vouchers, and @ 70% of the kids attend private schools. Anybody who says a voucher system will not work (for any reason) is full of it.
#2
Last Wednesdayâs BJ article about an Amsterdam school with two separate entrances â one for indigenous Dutch children, the other for immigrant children â drew a response from Robin Gerrits, the journalist of the Dutch (left-liberal) newspaper De Volkskrant, who first reported the case.
I believe a few Dutch fellows tried something similar in SA to help sort out the multi-cult difficulties. It received the "racist" lavel there, and elsewhere as well. It's all much better in SA now thank you.
#4
A while back in France in a junior high school (what we call "collège") IIRC, there was a call for segregation by the students, it was reported by a newspaper, the "Figaro" I think : the muslim majority requested separate gym lockers and separate water taps... one for the "circumsed", one for the "impures"...
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad met in Damascus with the leaders of 10 radical Palestinian movements including Islamic Jihad and Hamas.
Ahmadinejad said he "strongly supports the Palestinian people's struggle" during the meeting, according to Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) official Maher Taher Friday.
Taher said the militant chiefs pledged to Ahmadinejad that the "Palestinian resistance and struggle would continue" against Israel.
"We expressed our solidarity with Syria, which is under pressure due to its national positions, as well as with Iran which has the right to possess nuclear technology for peaceful purposes," he added.
Islamic Jihad chief Abdullah Ramadan Shala, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal and PFLP-GC leader Ahmed Jibril were among those at the meeting, Taher said.
The meeting came one day after Islamic Jihad claimed a suicide attack in Tel Aviv that wounded 19 people. Israel blamed Tehran and Damascus for supporting the attack.
"The attack was financed by Tehran, planned in Syria and carried out by Palestinians," Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz was quoted as saying by a ministry official.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad did not attend Ahmadinejad's meeting with the Palestinian chiefs, though he and Ahmadinejad met Thursday in Damascus as the two allies reaffirmed their ties amid increasing international pressure.
While Iran faces possible UN sanctions over its nuclear program, Assad's regime is also growing more isolated over its alleged involvement in former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri's murder in February 2005.
Iran and Syria are both under US sanctions for their alleged sponsorship of terrorism and quest for weapons of mass destruction. They also stand accused of playing a spoiling role in their shared neighbor Iraq.
The ultra-conservative Iranian president has already faced international outcry over his comments describing Israel as a "tumor" that should be "wiped off the map."
During his first visit to sole regional ally Syria since his shock election win in June, Ahmadinejad described Israeli Jews as "migrants" and asked if Europeans would be willing to accommodate them.
"Give these migrants authorization to come into your countries and you will see that they no longer want to live in occupied (Palestinian) territory," Ahmadinejad said during a meeting with high-ranking Syrian officials.
"Are you prepared to open the doors of your country to migrants so that they can move freely throughout Europe? Are you going to guarantee their security and no longer engage in anti-Semitic repression if they come into your countries?" he asked, adding that he doubted Europeans' "sincerity."
Ahmadinejad also visited Shiite holy sites near the Syrian capital, including the Sitt Zeinab mosque, the Sitt-Raquiya mosque and the Mosque of Omeyyades.
Ahmadinejad and Assad were to meet later Friday before the Iranian leader ended his two-day visit to Damascus.
#8
a missed opportunity by all accounts. Hitler should have been dealt with long before there was ever an attack on Poland. Take these guys out and deal with the political flack later. All of em.
#9
Nothing really new here. Hamas has always benn funded by Iran and Syria is their safe house. I'm starting to agree with Zen and .com. Time to strike and then let the eurotrash snivel while they live in peace, that we creat.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
01/20/2006 21:20
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As Canadians get ready to go to the polls next January 23 to elect a new federal government, according to the French Islamic website oumma.com, Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe campaigned this week in a Montreal "Salafi" mosque.
Filing from Montreal on January 17, Oumma.com correspondent Abdelaziz Djaout writes that the leader of Quebec's federal separatist party was received in the Assuna Annabawiyah Mosque at the initiative of the Canadian Muslim Forum and the Muslim Council of Montreal. The item was reproduced yesterday in the Quebec militant separatist site Vigile.net.
Speaking with Judeoscope, a spokesperson of the Bloc Quebecois first downplayed the significance of the Oumma.com report, saying "serious media" did not report the event, but finally confirmed the meeting took place in the mosque building.
Located in a poor Montreal neighbourhood known to locals as Park Extension, the Assuna Annabawiyah mosque became known to Canadian intelligence agencies as a hotbed for Islamic extremism in the 1990s. It was there that Algerian-born "Millenium bomber" Ahmed Ressam (convicted in July 2005) was recruited by al-Qaida operative Abderraouf Hannachi in a failed plot to bomb the Los Angeles Airport. Ressam admitted in American custody that he and his cell considered attacking Montreal's Outremont district aiming to murder Hassidic Jews.
Oumma.com, which describes the mosque as "Montreal's largest Salafi mosque", is a news portal considered as ideologically close to controversial preacher Tariq Ramadan, a grandson of Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Egyptian radical salafi Ikhwan al-Muslimin (Muslim Brotherhood). Salafi is an adjective which describes Muslims whose creed it is that genuine Muslims are compelled to imitate scrupulously the ways of Mohammed's companions (Salaf) in order to restore the Umma (community of believers) to its former pre-eminence under the unchallenged sovereignty of Allah and the rule of his law (sharia) over all things human. While not all Salafi Muslims espouse violent struggle to achieve their aims, followers of the Muslim Brotherhood and its foremost Jihadi ideologue Sayyid Qutb, Saudia Arabia's Wahhabi sectarians, adherents of Pakistani Islamic revivalist Syed Abul Ala Maududi and all the splinter groups and strains in-between, including al-Qaida, consider themselves to be Salafi.
The Bloc Quebecois has actively been courting immigrant communities, hoping to strenghten its position in the upcoming elections at the expense of the scandal-ridden Liberals traditionally favoured by immigrants and minorities. Its candidate in Montreal's Papineau riding, Vivian Barbot, who is challenging current Foreign Affairs minister Pierre Pettigrew, was endorsed earlier this month by an Algerian community association as well as pro-Palestinian militants.
However, Oumma.com's reporter casts doubt over some of Montreal Muslims' newfound sympathy for the separation of Quebec from Canada, arguing that reflexion on the Bloc Quebecois' independence project for Quebec is limited among Montreal's predominantly French-speaking Muslims.
On the other hand, in its Election 2006 report, the Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC) notes that the Bloc Quebecois' party track record agrees with the "CIC's positions regarding Canada's involvement in Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine". Indeed, anger with the Liberal government's perceived pro-Islael policy shift and introduction of the Anti-Terrorism Act decried by some Islamic organizations as discriminatory against Muslims coupled with distrust for the Conservative Party, often reviled by Muslim and leftist critics as a radical right-wing "Zionist" party, may have made the left-leaning Bloc Quebecois an attractive alternative for many of Montreal's Muslims due to its vocal opposition to the war in Iraq, its calls on softening anti-terror laws and some of its members pro-Palestinian political activism.
It remains to be seen whether this apparent political shift among Montreal Muslims will prove more lasting than present electoral concerns. Outside Quebec, the New Democratic Party, whose positions on security issues and foreign policy are similar to the Bloc Quebecois, is expected to receive substantial support from Canadian Muslims.
In the meanwhile, Oumma.com reports that a few days from now it will be the Bloc Quebecois' turn to invite Muslim militants and dignitaries to dine with some of the party's star candidates, including party leader Gilles Duceppe.
#4
Aaaah, oumma.com... actually, nowaday it's mejliss, the forum has been "disassociated" from the main site (which has been promoted by the main french newsparer "Le monde", has hosted ads from its group, publishes interviews and articles by "islamo-friendly",...) because it is supposedly the posterboy of the Mythical Moderate (french) Muslims... and yet there are frequent "accidents" : antisemitism, making fun of western hostages in Iraq, antiwhite racism, french-bashing (ok, most of the conservative blogosphere is guilty of that too, ;-), but not due to the same reasons),... the mods are fond of suddenly deleting entire threads, going offline to purge the archives,... and there was all theses oumma forum members (most notably Khiari, cf http://www.france-echos.com/zone.php?cle=189 ) who were busted for financing terrorism, too, or have friendly ties with good ol' Hekmatyar himself (cf. http://www.france-echos.com/zone.php?cle=141),...
Abu Hamza spoke to MI5 and Special Branch on several occasions but was told he could continue to preach "as long as we don't see blood on the street," a court was told yesterday.
The Muslim cleric said he discussed suicide bombing in a number of lengthy interviews lasting more than an hour and a half.
He also described working on a building project at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and said he had kept the plans and taken them to Afghanistan.
Hamza took the witness stand yesterday in his own defence at the Old Bailey, dressed in traditional Muslim shalwar kamis and black shoes, his grey hair close-cropped.
He is accused of nine counts of soliciting to murder, four counts of using threatening, abusive or insulting behaviour and two further counts of possessing abusive recordings with a view to distribution and possession of a document useful to preparing terrorism. He denies the charges.
Hamza said he had been watched by MI5 and added: "They told me they are watching so many groups, there was no suggestion I was singled out.
"It was Londonistan, not because of me, because of Government policy."
It was only in the later stages of his interviews with the security service, between 1997 and 2000, that Hamza, the former preacher at Finsbury Park mosque, was told he was "walking a tightrope", he said.
He added: "They said they didn't like [the speeches]. I mentioned Salman Rushdie and my position in the mosque."
Hamza claimed that his interviews with Special Branch were relaxed, with one officer smiling, and walking him to his car.
He added: "They said you have freedom of speech, you don't have to worry as long as we don't see blood on the street. They said until now there is no law against those who commit offences outside England - resistance - but it will come."
Between 1986 and 1989, Hamza studied civil engineering at Brighton Polytechnic and the court was told that one of his first jobs was a building project at Sandhurst to demolish an old office, build a car park and repair the perimeter fence.
Hamza said he had been the sole engineer on the project and that he had kept the plans.
"They were very crucial document to any terrorist if they want to do anything," he added.
By that stage he had already met Abdullah Azzam, the leader of the mujahideen in Afghanistan, on a pilgrimage to Mecca and been invited to join them.
When the building company went out of business in 1991, Hamza emigrated to Afghanistan to help with the rebuilding following the Soviet withdrawal but he lost his hands in an accident in 1993 and returned to London.
He visited Bosnia in 1995 after he had recovered and on his return he took up preaching positions, first in Luton and then at Finsbury Park.
The Sandhurst plans were taken from Hamza's home when he was arrested in 1999 but returned nine months later, the court was told.
Opening the defence case, Edward Fitzgerald QC told the jury: "Let me accept from the start that he has said things which most people will find deeply offensive and hateful but he's not on trial for describing England as a toilet or denouncing democracy or dreaming of a caliph in the White House. There is no crime in being offensive."
He argued that Hamza was urging his followers not to murder British people but to fight in holy wars where Muslims were being killed in Afghanistan, Algeria, Bosnia, Kosovo and Palestine.
Asked if he had ever intended to urge or incite murder, Hamza replied: "In the context of murder, no. In the context of fighting, yes."
Hamza admitted that he would like to see a caliph (Muslim leader) in Downing Street and Muslims "control the whole Earth".
The court was told that Hamza, 47, was born in Egypt and studied civil engineering at Alexandria University but dropped out after three years of a five-year course and moved to Britain in 1979, aged 21. He was given leave to stay and married his first wife in 1980 before divorcing in 1983. He married his second wife, a British citizen, in 1984 in a Muslim ceremony and now has seven children.
#2
When he started 9/11 hadn't happened. The July attacks on the London subway hadn't happened. Now they have, and the authorities (well some of them, anyway) understand that the vicious swill he's been spouting is actually bottle blood-in-the-streets. And they are acting on it. Too bad for him.
#4
I never put much credence in the Punctuated Equilibrium theory, but lo and behold! It seems to work! Maybe in time the frogs would become vertebratae. ;-)
#1
I read this yesterday, and wasn't sure what to make of it - whole lotta smoke and fog blowing around this issue right now.
But I am pretty sure that, even with Iran's recent bile-spewing and saber-rattling, the chances for Congressional authorization and public support for this are about nil.
#6
Too bad about the msm having so throroughly exercised their thought-control agendas on the American public--really, because this editorial is right on target regarding our need to invade Iran pronto.
In retrospect, I should've realized the connection regarding Bin Laden's "truce" offer. "Diamonds sharpen diamonds . . . " Duh, geez, I wunner wut thatz about . . . ("bright, shiny, white things")
Isn't Bin Laden now safely ensconced in Iran at present? And isn't he now a small player compared with the Iranian mullahs? Isn't he now their puppet?
And wouldn't it be a great thing to equate casualties, which would alienate a number of middle-of-the-roader Moslems, with a failure to accept Bin Laden's magnificent offer? I'm mean, it only serves us right. He tried to warn us. He tried to show us the way with his one-sided offer of truce.
And isn't energy-crunched China in play through the auspices of North Korea and Iran?
#12
Regardless of the article's other conjectures, this one stands on its own legs:
Few have any idea of the degree to which international trade and prosperity relies on free movement of goods between countries. Container cargo is an ideal means of covertly transporting terrorist nuclear weapons. Once the first terrorist nuke is used, international trade will be enormously curtailed for at least several months for security reasons, and the entire world will suffer a simultaneous recession.
It wonât stop there, though. These same security precautions, once implemented, will significantly impede future economic growth â a ballpark estimate of reducing worldwide growth by 20-30% is reasonable. Consider the worldwide and domestic effects over a twenty-year period of a one-quarter across the board reduction in economic growth.
The potential economic damage to America, let alone the globe, is simply prohibitive. The only alternative to pre-emptive airstrikes or an actual invasion is a decap strike against Iran's leadership. This is something that needs to happen right away.
#13
Well! Reading THAT was cheery! I think I'll go slit my jugulars.....
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/20/2006 21:52
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#14
The USA and the world either accepts a nuclearized Radical Iran, or it doesn't -why, because both the Iranians and the anti-US agendists want it that way and won't give America nor the world any choice. Where America's enemies are concerned, the WOT and 9-11 for the most part is about tricking and forcing America under anti-American OWG and anti-American American Socialism-Communism - the US DemoLeft's prob is NOT alleged Fascist Amerika waging war around the world vv 9-11, ITS COMMUNIST AMERICA NOT BEING THE FINAL OUTCOME OF THE WOT. When it comes to criticizing Dubya, "FASCIST" = NAZI-HITLERIST; when it comes to achieving the Left's and SOcialism's GLOBAL ambitions, the International- and now Global Proletariat/
Revolution - "FASCIST" = DE-REGULATED COMMUNISM/SOCIALISM, LIMITED SOCIALISM, LIMITED CAPITALISM, LIMITED LAISSEZ FAIRE = LIMITED TOTALITARIANISM,.....................etc Lefty concepts, PC = PDeniable, Hyper-Correct = HyperDeniable, Waffling Policratic Mysteries-Riddles wrapped around Waffling Policratic Enigmas. The MadMullahs and MadMoud must know that neither Russia nor China will ever allow Iran to have any nuke ability capable of destroying Moscow andor Beijing, let alone to challenge their hegemonic ambitions. FOR NOW, the enemy to both Iran and Russia-China is America. WHATEVER SCHEME THE HUMAN MIND CAN COME UP WITH, REST ASSURED THE LEFTIES, COMMIES, GOVERNMENTISTS, and GLOBALISTS, etc, in America andor outside it, will try to manipulate and control. As "The Colonel", LIBYA's M. KHADDAFY, himself argued, in paraphrase - "LIBERALISM is only POPULAR CAPITALISM, where the Government attempts to control some vestiges of Capitalism".
9-11 and the WOT > Lefties, etal. are going for the whole enchilada, not only NATIONALLY BUT GLOBALLY. And for all this trouble, ala Chinese Defense Minster Hitian - AMERICA (1/2 +/-)IS ALREADY DUBBED AS FUTURE CHICOM TERRITORY, with 200M of America's 300M still needing to be "eliminated" for the good of China and the world. 200M + 5-1/2Bilyuhn > even under OWG, and Global Socialism, America and Americans, no doubt including many iff not all the US DemoLeft, WILL STILL END UP BEING PC ELIMINATED, BEING PC "PURGED". RADICAL IRAN IS BUT ONE BATTLEFIELD TO THAT GLORIOUS GLOBAL UTOPIAN, GLOBAL SOCIALIST END [OF THE WORLD].
The United States is engaged in the most radical and dangerous gambit in the Middle East since the end of the Ottoman Empire. Established powers are not often inclined to tamper with the status quo abroad, and so do not support the weaker and disenfranchised. They usually prefer to prop up whoever ensures order and stability. But after September 11, the old safe way was seen as dangerous, and the new dangerous way as ultimately more safe.
America not merely reversed its own past practice of supporting autocrats who pumped oil and kept Communists out, at least in the Middle East; but in staying on after the removal of Saddam Husseinâso unlike post-Soviet Afghanistan, Lebanon of 1983, or Mogadishu in 1993âit spent billions of dollars and hundreds of lives to give birth to democracy.
On the principle of one-person one-vote, the United States has somehow enfranchised the hated Shia and Kurds, without demonizing the Sunnis. And the Sunnis will probably end up with political representation commensurate with their numbers, despite a horrific past association with Saddam Hussein and the blood of American soldiers on their hands.
And the response?
Shiites claim that we are caving in to the terrorist supporters of al Qaeda and the former Hussein regime. Sunnis counter that we are only empowering the surrogates of Iranian crazies. The Iranians show their thanks for our support for their spiritual brethren in Iraq by humiliating European diplomats with promises to wipe out Israel.
In the larger Middle East, the democratic splash in the Iraqi pond is slowly rippling out, as voting proceeds in Egypt and the Gulf, Syria leaves Lebanon, and Moammar Gadhafi and Pakistanâs Dr. Khan cease their nuclear machinations. Hundreds of thousands of protesters hit the streets in Lebanon and Jordanânot to slur the United States, as predicted, for removing Saddam Hussein, but to damn Bashar Assad and al-Zarqawi as terrorist killers. Walid Jumblatt, the Lebanese Druze leader, now calls for Western pressure to root out the Syrian Baathists.
Youâd never know all this from the global media or state-run news services in Europe and the Middle East.
We have sent tens of millions of dollars in earthquake relief to Pakistan, even though for over four years it has given de facto sanctuary to the killers responsible for murdering three thousand Americans. In response, the Pakistani Street expects Americans to provide debt relief, send them aid, excuse their support for our enemiesâand then goes wild should we ever cross the border to retaliate against al Qaeda terrorists in their midst who are plotting to trump 9/11.
At home, much about Iraq has been turned around in Alice-Through-the-Looking-Glass fashion. Indeed the debate over Iraq has too often descended into Jabberwocky-like gibberish. We were once slandered as hegemonic; but when we didnât steal anything in Iraq, and instead spent billions in aid, suddenly we were called naive by the now realist Left.
The war was caricatured as all about grabbing oil. Then when the price skyrocketed, we were dubbed foolish for tampering with the fragile petroleum landscape, or with not charging Iraqi price-gouging exporters for our time and services.
Americans tried to remain idealistic on the principle that Iraqis, if freed and helped, could craft a workable democracy, and that such consensual governments would make the volatile Middle East safer, since elected and legitimate governments rarely attack their own kind. In response, the supposedly idealistic Left charged that we were bellicose and imperialistic â as if being on the side of the purple-fingered Iraqi voter was not preferable to being on the side of the terrorist and insurrectionist, who masked his fascism with national rhetoric.
The realist Right was aghast that profits and the balance of power were lost in the equation. The isolationists felt we were either doing Israelâs bidding, wasting lives and money on hopeless tribesmen, or fattening the government to administer a new empire. And all these alternative views were predicated on the 24-hour pulse of the battlefield, to be instantly modified, retracted, or amplified when events suggested dramatic improvement or disheartening setback.
The exasperated public is told that we had too few troops in postwar Iraq, but have too many now. We wanted to be as inconspicuous as possible, so as not injure Arab sensitivities or create perpetual dependency, but we ended up needing an unfortunately high profile just to put down insurrectionists.
Jay Garner was too much the military man; Paul Bremmer too little.
Prewar forecasts warned a worried public that we might lose 3,000-5,000 soldiers just in removing Saddam. Three years later, we have removed him and sponsored a democracy to boot, and at far less than those feared numbers. But we react as if we had faced unexpected numbers of casualties.
Despite the fact that al Qaedists were in Kurdistan, Al Zarqawi was in Saddamâs Baghdad, terrorists like Abu Abas and Abu Nidal were sheltered by Iraqis, and recent archives disclose that hundreds of Iraqi terrorists were annually housed and schooled by the Baathists, we are nevertheless assured that there was no tie between Saddam and terrorists. Those who suggest there were lines of support are caricatured as liars and Bush propagandists.
Apparently, we are asked to believe that the al Qaedists whom Iraqis and Americans kill each day in Iraq largely joined up because we removed Saddam Hussein.
After September 11, many of our experts assured us that it was ânot a question of if, but whenâ we were to be hit againâwith the qualifier that the next strike would be far worse, entailing a dirty bomb, or biological or chemical agents.
Yet when we are still free from an assault 52 months later, censors assure that our safety has nothing to do with the Patriot Act, nothing to do with wiretaps, nothing to do with killing thousands of terrorists abroad in Afghanistan and Iraq, and nothing to do with creating democratic Afghan and Iraqi security forces who daily hunt down jihdadists far from Americaâs shores. And yet, strangely, there is no serious legislation to revoke the Patriot Act, to outlaw listening to calls from potential terrorists, or to cut off funds for operations in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Summarize what the media, the Europeans, the Middle East, and the opposition at home say about Iraq, and the usual narrative is that an initial mistake was made far worse by ideologues, leading to a hopeless situation that only makes the U.S. appear foolish and impotent, while ruining the military, creating a police state at home, and emptying the treasury.
Yet these same critics surely donât want Saddam Hussein back. They concede that after three successful elections, Iraq just might be the first truly democratic society in the history of the Middle East. And they privately acknowledge that the reputations of Osama bin Laden and Al Zarqawi are on the wane. How was that possible when almost everyone fouled up?
So how do we make sense of what seems so nonsensical? Rather easilyâjust keep in mind four general talking points about Americaâs recent role in the world and most things gradually becomes clearer.
Point One (for Americans): My own flawless three-week removal of Saddam Hussein was ruined by your error-prone postwar peace.
Point Two (for Middle Easterners): We are for democracyâunless you Americans help us obtain it.
Point Three (for Europeans): We are privately for and publicly against what you do.
Point Four (for everyone else): When angry at either the United States (or yourself,) just blame the Jews in America, and Israel abroad.
Sometimes in these crazy times, that is all you need to know.
#2
Hanson is a national treasure. Odd to remember that he was a Democrat. Where have the sane Democrats (Scoop Jackson, Hubert Humphrey, Harry Truman, etc) gone?
Not that you photo makes you appear to be 50+, but only that wisdom such as yours does not come overnight!
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/20/2006 21:16
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#4
Lots of us, even here at Rantburg, used to be Democrats. Liberals even. Then we were mugged by reality. In the olden days, O Best Beloved, the Democrats were the party of idealism realized. Then they ossified, and then they nastified. And now the Republicans under George W. Bush are the ones acting out our idealism to make the world better for us all.
/jumps down from stump to signal end of heartfelt speechifying ;-)
#5
Thank you, TW! Welcome to the Club! Some of us have been in a long time.
My sister, who I used to consider a liberal wacko, recently confided that, Bobby, the older I get, the more conservative I get."
She's still a little strange.....
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/20/2006 22:06
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#6
Unfortunately for us Americans Democracy, Freedom, Libertarianism, and Pluralism includes those whom have the right to be nutjobs, deluded, perfectionist, selfish and malicious, etc. in all forms. FDR once said that while all Americans have the right to privately disagree with one another and to privately disagree with the actions and policies of their Congress, Politicians, and Government in general, no American has the right to singularly overthrow their Constitutional form of Government nor to force their contrarian will upon the people of the USA. The Commie Clintons and 9-11 is about making the unlikely, the impossible, the unbelievable, the treasonous onerous and murderous, happen, and to do it with the help of Americans themselves. Just in case America doesn't, its anti-US nuke war circa 2015 -2020 - the Russkis claim 2018 or after, whilst iff memmory serves the Chicoms argue 2015-2017. OWG and GLOBAL SOCIALISM > AMWERICAN HOLOCAUST AND GLOBAL HOLOCAUST IS GOOD FOR EVERYBODY, D*** YOU, SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL DEATH CAMP, SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL OWG UN PEACEKEEPING GARRISON BROTHEL, SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL COMMIE = UNITARIAN POL ESTABLISHMENT, SUPPORT TREES AND WHALES BY SUPP YOUR LOCAL SELF- AND FAMILY SUICIDE, GOVT- PROVIDED, QUICK-AND-EASY LASER STATIONS ala STAR TREK, D*** YOU. THIS IS AMERIKA, D*** IT, THE USSA, AND UNITED SOCIALIST REPUBLIC (USR) vv OIL STORM, NOT AMERICA.
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Commander in Chief" is losing its grip on power. 'Impeach Geena Davis!'
The new ABC drama series, which earned star Geena Davis a Golden Globe Award this week for her role as the first female U.S. president, seems to be sinking into the same midterm malaise affecting the approval ratings of President Bush; "Commander's" ratings have been declining steadily since bowing to big numbers in September. Um, haven't Bush's ratings improved recently?
The series' downturn has industry insiders wondering whether its primary cause is the regime change that occurred behind the scenes after only six episodes were completed. Series creator and executive producer Rod Lurie was replaced as showrunner by veteran TV producer Steven Bochco, reportedly to quell ABC's concerns over production delays. Or it could be that the show sucks; could be anything, really...
Now the network and "Commander" producer Touchstone Television, ABC's fellow Walt Disney Co. subsidiary, are grappling with a dilemma that happens to be playing itself out in one of the series' own story lines: What will it take to get "Commander" re-elected for another term?
ABC, Touchstone and a spokesman for Lurie declined comment. A spokeswoman for Bochco did not return calls seeking comment.
When "Commander" premiered Sept. 27, the series displayed the makings of ABC's next hit, delivering more than 16 million total viewers -- the biggest haul for a Tuesday drama on any network in five years. Its second episode made it the only new series on TV to grow its audience from Week 1.
Over the following three weeks, "Commander" even saw its viewership trend up among viewers 18-49 and 25-54, demographics that advertisers pay a premium to reach, outpacing stiff competition in the 9 p.m. hour, including NBC's "My Name Is Earl" and CBS' "The Amazing Race."
For the second consecutive season, ABC's decision to place most of its marketing efforts behind a particular show rather than its entire schedule seemed to be paying off. In fall 2004, then-incoming ABC Entertainment chief Stephen McPherson and Disney-ABC TV Group chairman Anne Sweeney had distinguished themselves by concentrating Disney's marketing muscle behind "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost," turning them into instant hits.
But just when it looked like ABC had another hit on its hands, "Commander" began slipping through its fingers in November, dropping to fourth in the time slot among viewers 18-49. Original episodes took a breather last month, only to return Jan. 10 with a far smaller audience of 11.4 million viewers and its lowest marks yet in adults 18-49 and adults 25-54. In each of those demos, "Commander" was down at least 30% from its premiere.
On Tuesday, "Commander" dropped even lower, which was to be expected against the two-hour series premiere of "American Idol." But even though NBC's "Earl" has been moved out of the Tuesday 9 p.m. slot to Thursday, "Commander" is sure to face an uphill climb should it remain on Tuesday because Fox's "Idol" is now the 800-pound gorilla of the night and will greatly benefit its 9 p.m. companion, "House."
What may prove more problematic for "Commander" in February is NBC's Olympics coverage because both programs skew older and female. "Commander" has the highest median age of all ABC series except the "Dancing With the Stars" results show, at 54.7 years old.
While "Commander" may not have lived up to its initial promise, it's a drawback that might ultimately prove to be a footnote to ABC for the 2005-06 season. With "Lost," "Housewives" and "Grey's Anatomy" humming, and the Super Bowl on its air next month, the network is still very much a contender to claim the 18-49 crown for the season.
Insiders say "Commander" could be experiencing something of an accelerated version of the fate that befell "The West Wing," which saw the success of its first seasons erode seemingly overnight once its original executive producers -- Aaron Sorkin and Thomas Schlamme -- left the show over creative differences with NBC.
Under Bochco's direction, the series hasn't made any noticeable creative shifts. But sources say Bochco hasn't quite gelled with "Commander," having never run a series he didn't create. Nor is the family-friendly, straight-laced "Commander" tonally consistent with the edgy programming he has made his hallmark over the years -- from NBC's "Hill Street Blues" to ABC's "NYPD Blue" to FX's "Over There." Sources also suggested Bochco now may exit the show at the end of the season to concentrate on other programming he is developing under a two-year deal he signed with Touchstone last year. Sounds like a one season 'wonder' with that bit of info.
By all accounts, Bochco was pressed for duty because Lurie was overwhelmed by the many tasks he took on as showrunner. It was quickly evident that "Commander" was falling way behind schedule, and production was shut down for three weeks beginning in mid-November. The production slowdown created a six-week break from original episodes that began last month, which likely caused some viewers to forget it was on the air. Sources said another problem for "Commander" caused by its production delays is that the program has no time to engage in the reshooting other ABC series typically undergo. And that's the other shoe dropping.
Once "Commander" returned after its break, ABC's marketing efforts were said to be too focused on relaunching major midseason changes to Monday and Friday to devote much time to reintroducing the series. Newer spots tout Davis' Golden Globe win, which ABC hopes will remind viewers to check out "Commander."
As quickly as ABC moved to bring Bochco in after just two episodes aired, the damage may already have been done. Only the last three episodes of the 11 aired this season were entirely under Bochco's watch; a few in between were started by Lurie and completed by Bochco.
ABC could conceivably find a new time slot for "Commander" this season but may be reluctant to because the series has served its 10 p.m. lead-out "Boston Legal" well; "Commander" and "Legal" score high among upscale viewers in big urban markets, which appeals to advertisers. That said, "Commander" is almost certain to take a break in March, when ABC is expected to seed its schedule with midseason series.
#1
So-called "President" Davis and the shadowy Lurie-Bochco neocon entertainment cabal that runs her administration behind the scenes have inflicted untold suffering on the American people and led ABC into an unwinnable quagmire and squandered the goodwill of the world. It's worse than My Mother The Car! For the good of the nation, she should be impeached immediately.
[CindySheehan]
Posted by: Mike ||
01/20/2006 11:36
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#4
The production slowdown created a six-week break from original episodes that began last month, which likely caused some viewers to forget it was on the air.
Ouch! If that isn't the kiss of death, I don't know what is.
Okay, hold on now, I've got just the solution. We'll have a massive terror attack and then lead viewers to believe President errr.... errr...[I don't know her name 'cause I have yet to watch a single minute of this dreck] had prior knowledge but did nothing to prevent it.
That'll get the Daily Kos Kooks interested, especially if we can blame neo-cons (re: pro-Israeli Jews) and get Kurt Nimmo, Dennis "Justin The Clown" Raimondo, Ramsey Clark, Richard Clarke, and already mentioned in one of the above comments, Cindy Sheehan all to make special guest appearances.
Then for the finale, we have Jack Bauer making a special guest appearance from "24", storm the conspiratorial White House and wipe out President Geena Davis and her criminal gang. We were going to re-instate David Palmer as President but he got taken out in the first 10 minutes of the new season of 24. Dammit!!
My surprise meter jumped a little when I saw this headline. Tangled webs and all that.
Israel's defense minister accused Iran and Syria on Friday of masterminding a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv that wounded 20 people and said the militant group believed responsible would be targeted in raids. A Syrian official denied involvement.
"No! No! Certainly not!"
Islamic Jihad, which is backed by Syria and Iran, claimed responsibility for bombing a fast-food restaurant Thursday. The Palestinian attacker, who witnesses said posed as a peddler selling disposable razors, walked into the restaurant and blew himself up even though most customers were sitting outside at sidewalk tables, police said.
I saw a note yesterday that he was in the restroom of the restaurant and suffered premature explodulation.
The explosion wrecked "The Mayor's Shwarma," a restaurant specializing in grilled meat sandwiches. It is located in a rundown area of downtown Tel Aviv that has been hit repeatedly by Palestinian attackers.
After a late-night meeting with security officials, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said early Friday: "We have definitive proof that the financing of the terror attack ... came directly from Iran, while the planning was carried out in Syria." He said the findings would be shared with American and European officials. Faisal Sayegh, the director of Syria's state-run broadcast media, said Syria had "nothing to do with the operation." Israel considers Iran to be its biggest threat â a concern that has grown since Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Israel should be "wiped off the map."
As I reflect on this article, I find myself wondering if these statements are actually meant to be added to the complaint file when/if Iran is finally hauled in front of the Security Council and Officially Frowned Upon®.
#1
Israel has been missing a bet here for years. By allowing the Syrians and Iranians to sponsor a "proxy war" against them, and yet not blaming them for it after each and every incident, the Israelis could have laid much of the groundwork for the future.
In other words, they should have declared these attacks to be an "act of war" by an outside nation, rather than treating them as domestic problems. The words "act of war" carry great meaning, internationally, and would have resulted in much more pressure being applied to Syria and Iran over time.
Declaring an "act of war" against you is just shy of declaring war yourself, and declaring repeatedly that "acts of war" are being committed against you is in effect calling for international intervention to stop the "outrages", or be faced with a declaration of war response.
It also covers your rear end when and if you respond. That is, if the rest of the world just sat idly by then, despite these entreaties, they have forfeited the right to object when you respond in self-defense.
#4
You're absolutely right Moose. Israel has the worst PR in the world. They should have been alerting the world all along to these attacks from Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad as acts of war from Iran and Syria. When the time comes for Israel to act they would be much better positioned. It would show years of restraint on their part. And military action would not look preemptive. It would just look like they were finally pushed to respond.
#5
Israel is in a similar position to President Bush. It doesn't matter what they say, those who should be reporting won't hear what they don't want to, and will only report half truths and untruths. So with very few exceptions, Israel has given up trying to pursuade.
The German-language version of the Web-based encyclopedia Wikipedia remained off-line Friday, following a court order barring the German chapter of the Wikimedia Foundation as part of a lawsuit filed by the family of a dead hacker. Visitors to the site http://www.wikipedia.de were greeted by a statement from Wikipedia Deutschland e.V. informing them they were required by law to remove the site and promising the group's lawyers were taking "every possible step to again bring you uncomplicated access to a the free encyclopedia Wikipedia." A Berlin court ordered the site pulled on Tuesday, after the family of the German hacker known as "Tron," whose real name is Boris F., sued the Wikimedia Foundation to prevent them from publishing the real name of their son, who was found hanged in a park in 1998. Free speech on the Internet will be safe when it is under UN control
(UPI) -- Russia`s state electricity company may cut the amount of power it is sending to Finland as both countries struggle with bitterly cold winter weather. Boris Vainzikher, technical director of Unified Energy System, said that keeping up supplies to St. Petersburg and the surrounding area might require the cut, Russia`s Interfax News Agency reported.
In Finland, Fingrid, the company that handles power transmission, said a flood of cold air from Siberia that drove temperatures down Wednesday night to almost 8 degrees below zero (-22 Celsius) in Helsinki and minus 40 degrees (-40 degrees Celsius) in Lapland drove power consumption up to a record for this winter. Fingrid Thursday warned customers that the system was close to capacity.
In Moscow, temperatures have dropped to minus 22 (-30 Celsius). Margarita Nagoga, a UES spokeswoman, told RIA Novosti that the utility`s Finnish partners have agreed to a cut of 400 Megawatts at peak periods in the next five days.
Pile the quilts high on the beds, boys and girls -- it's going to get cold tonight!
Hattip Instapundit. I don't even try to read the New York Times anymore. It's bad for my blood pressure, and the trailing daughters worry when I start speaking firmly to the computer.
IRAQI VOTE RESULTS: "The election commission said Friday that an alliance of Shiite religious parties won the biggest number of seats in Iraq's new parliament but too few to rule without coalition partners. Sunni Arabs gained seats over the previous balloting."
Early in the morning on January 12, suspected U.S. aircraft fired missiles at houses in the village of Damadola in the Bajaur Agency of Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), killing 18 people. This was the first attack of its kind in this area (Frontierpost.com.pk, January 14).
What is the significance of Banjaur agency and its relation with the central government? What is the connection if any of Bajaur to the Al-Qaeda terrorists and why would one, of all places, look for Ayman al-Zawahiri, the number two man in the al-Qaeda hierarchy, in Bajaur? Who is Mawlawi Faqir Mohammad, who appeared briefly to eulogize the bombing victims, and then disappeared into thin air? What about Bajaur makes it so tempting for the terrorists to hide there?
FATA, which roughly comprises the size of Florida, has a population of over three million, predominantly of Pashtun tribes. As some major tribes inhabit FATA, Pashtunwali, or the Pashtun tribal code, provides the foundation for the area's legal system.
This area of Pakistan has remained isolated for centuries. Afghan kings, the British Raj, Pakistani generals, the Soviets and American Green Berets have all tried unsuccessfully to assert control over these wild lands at one point or another. These loosely administered territories are not governed by boundaries or politicians, but by tribal elders and tribal loyalties. The British granted the tribal people maximum autonomy and allowed them to run their affairs in accordance with their Islamic faith, customs and traditions. This prickly borderland formally belongs to Pakistan, but has deep historical, cultural, and ethnic ties to Afghanistan (The News, March 14).
Of the seven FATA Agencies, North and South Waziristan and Bajaur play the most significant role in the war on terrorism because of the presence of local militant groups and their association with the top leaders of al-Qaeda. Bajaur has the added dimension of being the suspected host to several members of al-Qaeda's top leadership. Also notable is its proximity to the volatile province of Kunar in Afghanistan, one suspected hiding area of Osama bin Laden.
In May of last year, a prominent al-Qaeda leader, Abu Farraj al-Libbi was arrested in Mardan a town southeast of Bajaur. At one time, al-Libbi was also serving as bin Laden's secretary. When another key al-Qaeda leader Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the mastermind of 9/11 attacks was arrested in March 2002, Libbi had replaced him as the terror network's number three leader.
Two days later, security forces arrested thirteen people including ten foreigners of having al-Qaeda links from Bajaur Agency. The foreigners included Uzbek and Afghan nationals. Al-Libby was at some point living under the protection of Malawi Faqir Mohammad (UPI, May 5, 2005).
Faqir Mohammad, who delivered a fiery anti-Pakistan and anti-U.S. speech at the collective funeral of the civilians killed in the Friday bombing on January 12, left the scene. He narrowly escaped the missile attack.
Mawlawi Faqir Mohammad and al-Zawahiri along with Mullah Omar were reportedly invited to a feast in the village. Faqir Mohammad, who had a close connection with the Taliban, is also wanted for giving shelter to foreign terrorists. (al-Jazeera, January 14).
Faqir Mohammed is a leader of the Movement for the Enforcement of Islamic Sharia, a religious group that forcibly imposed Islamic religious laws in the Pashtun tribal areas of northwestern Pakistan in the 1990s. Although the Pakistani military later removed most of the parallel courts and administrative units established by the movement, the group continued to run a parallel government for some time.
The group still has some influence and occasionally sets up temporary tribal courts to try cases such as fornication, alcohol consumption and selling narcotics. In 1996, when the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, the group established a close working relationship with Mullah Omar's regime.
This group is also believed to have recruited thousands of ethnic Pashtuns to fight in Afghanistan alongside the Taliban when the United States attacked the country in December 2001. Many of these volunteers later died in prison camps in northern Afghanistan.
The group was never directly involved with al-Qaeda but is known to have cooperated with it in the past on the instructions of the Taliban. Pakistani intelligence officials say they would not be surprised if the group is now sheltering senior al-Qaeda leaders. Faqir Mohammad himself, as a result of his association with the Taliban and especially Al-Qaeda leaders is on the wanted list in Pakistan. "They are very influential and have the infrastructure to hide bin Laden and his comrades," said the Pakistani official. (UPI, May 5, 2005).
Al-Zawahiri, aside from his association to Faqir Mohammad is the son in law of the Momands, one of the largest Pashtun tribes inhabiting Momand Agency. His wife is a Momand Pashtun and is living with her children on the border of Bajaur and Momand. Under Pashtunwali, al-Zawahiri is considered part of the family and the tribe and he must be protected with the lives of the tribesmen.
Aside from its "hospitality," Bajaur is important to the Taliban and foreign terrorists for its proximity to Kunar province. The tribes straddling the border area are drawn to two basic tenets: Pashtunwali and Islam. Giving shelter to a fellow Pashtun or Muslim is a Pashtunwali tradition and an Islamic duty. This and the rugged terrain and inaccessibility of the border region make it an ideal sanctuary for al-Zawahiri and other members of al-Qaeda. Any pressure, whether from the U.S. or Pakistani government, will not change the mentality of the people. Attacks in which allegedly innocent people are killed, will only reinforce the militants' position and further isolate the central government in Islamabad.
#2
Under Kafirwali, al-Zawahiri is considered a murderer and an outlaw and any tribe that protects him risks their own lives... They may never figure that part out.
#3
Faqir Mohammad, who delivered a fiery anti-Pakistan and anti-U.S. speech at the collective funeral of the civilians killed in the Friday bombing on January 12, left the scene. He narrowly escaped the missile attack.
#4
Well, the tribe Americanus is kind of ticked at the death and destruction old bin Laden caused in the United States, and will do something about it. We have a tendency to root out tribalism that is mean to us, and either change ways, or eliminate the threat. I think the Pushtuns and a bunch of other Islamists have failed to take that into consideration, to their detriment.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/20/2006 14:22
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#5
Since the government of Pakistan will not deal with it. Warn them. Then B52s' and iron bombs. Let the iron fall like rain. Treat then brutally. It is the only thing they respect or understand unfortunately.
#6
As someone once said, "Everything is always more complex than we know".
In this case, the best attitude to take to win is a philosophy that the situation must be looked at like an internet map, with different perspectives depending on the scale. Every disadvantage can be turned to an advantage and vise versa.
Baluch Pushtuns that fight against Pakistan today may fight against Iran tomorrow. They may offer you a feast tonight, then slit your throat in your sleep for the price on your head. One tribe may offer the heads of al-Qaeda a dinner, and another tribe may inform on the time and the date of that dinner.
Everything changes, so it is wise to create change, or at least follow it, to your advantage.
#7
Unfortunately, until we lose a city in the US to these scumbags, we will not fight the tribals the way our history has taught will result in victory : exterminate the foe and reward the ally. We allied with the Crow and they helped us break the Apache and Comanche; we ran those tribes into the ground and burnt their villages where ever we found them. They eventually became peaceful - after we killed enough of them to get the point across. That is what we need to do in the Paki tribal zone, find a tribe we can deal with and load them up with goodies like wells, vets to improve their herds, medics to treat their illnesses, and arm them to the teeth. Then set them loose on their traditional foes and our Al-Q enemies, with the provision that we want sufficient material proof of success to run a valid DNA test on.
EFL
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday announced plans to bring the U.S. Agency for International Development under the direct control of the State Department to streamline the more than $19 billion worth of foreign aid programs. She named Randall L. Tobias, the administration's global AIDS coordinator and a former pharmaceutical company executive, to direct U.S. foreign aid, a new position that is equivalent to deputy secretary of state and entails reporting directly to Miss Rice. Mr. Tobias also will serve as USAID administrator and "will have authority over all State Department and USAID foreign assistance," Miss Rice said.
Mr. Tobias, who will have to be confirmed by the Senate, said after Miss Rice's announcement that the administration would promote its freedom and democracy agenda around the world "by better leveraging the strengths and the contributions of our foreign assistance institutions." Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R,Indiana), chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations, endorsed the nomination of Mr. Tobias, who is a former chairman and CEO of AT&T International and former chairman, president and CEO of Eli Lilly & Co., a pharmaceutical firm.
Miss Rice said the status quo of how foreign aid is administered is not acceptable. "The current structure of America's foreign assistance risks incoherent policies and ineffective programs and perhaps even wasted resources," she said. Miss Rice said she would create advanced training courses on the subject at the Foreign Service Institute.
The head of the United Nations' nuclear monitor, Mohamed ElBaradei, rejected an EU request to condemn Iran's nuclear program. He was urged to issue a condemnation of the Iranian situation before his agency meets in special session next month. But, though frustrated by Iran's resumption of nuclear research and a slowdown in Iranian cooperation with his inspectors, he has given Tehran until the end of next month to give his inspectors improved access to documents and sites. Only if Iran does not accede would he be ready to declare his investigation was no longer making progress and that his hands were tied, the Financial Times said.
ElBaradei's reports are said to usually set the tone for the international debate on the nuclear issue, meaning his decision could weaken U.S.-European efforts for a speedy referral of Iran to the U.N. Security Council. Some are evil by commission, some by omission.
#2
Mohamed doesn't help the West much, in this race to armageddon.
I wonder why... Mohamed...
Let me think about this...
Be back as soon as I have a clue...
#4
At some point ElBaradei must be found to be complicit in Iran's nuclear program.
Long ago I protested ElBaradei's participation on the grounds that if he was unable to focus attention on his native Egypt's own nascent nuclear weapons program, he would likely be ineffective in combatting any other Islamic country's nuclear aspirations. I perceive this as a massive conflict of interest. As I mentioned, at some point this lack of effect becomes complicit.
#6
they cut your friggin IAEA seals, Mo. Where's your honor and shame? Coward and Pussy or Islamist? Or all of the above
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/20/2006 13:42
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The head of the United Nations' nuclear monitor, Mohamed ElBaradei, rejected an EU request to condemn Iran's nuclear program. He was urged to issue a condemnation of the Iranian situation before his agency meets in special session next month. But, though frustrated by Iran's resumption of nuclear research and a slowdown in Iranian cooperation with his inspectors, he has given Tehran until the end of next month to give his inspectors improved access to documents and sites.
This guy's turning out to be just about as worthless as Goo-fi.
Only if Iran does not accede would he be ready to declare his investigation was no longer making progress and that his hands were tied, the Financial Times said.
Ah, but the question is, will the condemnation come then? Or are his hands simply "tied" and that's it as far as declarations go?
#10
It would but unislamic of him to act against Iran. It's really that simple. The fellow is a class A tool. Don't expect him to act on this in any constructive way.
January 20, 2006: The UN is facing a peacekeeping crises in the Ivory Coast. Following Mondayâs incident in the western part of the country. in which supporters of president Laurent Gbagbo attacked U.N. peacekeepers. The response included deadly force, which killed at least four attackers, causing the U.N. forces to pull out of the town. One result of this is that representatives of the principal opposition group, Forces Nouvelles de Cote dâIvoire, have warned that the peace process is failing and a renewal of the countryâs protracted civil war is imminent. This is a pretty accurate assessment.
Although the U.N. brokered a transitional unity government and peace talks, Gbagbo has decided â and stated publicly â that heâs strong enough to take on the rebels, if only the 10,000 U.N. and French peacekeepers would get out of the way. The result has been a series of confrontations between Gbagboâs supporters, mostly young thugs, and U.N. troops. So far, the attacks have avoided confrontations with the French, who are much better trained and equipped, and have in the past retaliated with considerable force when attacked. But it seems only a matter of time before thereâs a confrontation with French peacekeepers as well.
Gbagboâs strategy is to create an âincidentâ that can be used to manipulate world opinion against continuing the peacekeeping mission. Hence the recent series of attacks on U.N. personnel. Itâs hard to say whether heâs got much chance of getting the U.N. out, as senior U.N. officials appear to be angry over the recent developments. Nor are the French likely to leave any time soon. And in any case, even if the peacekeepers were to pull out, itâs highly unlikely that Gbagboâs forces will be able to defeat Forces Nouvelles.
The Ivorian Army seems to number only about 6,500 or so troops, supplemented by a small air force and navy. There is also a reserve that supposedly consists of some 10,000 men, plus about 1,250 men in the Presidential Guard and a similar number in the militia, though that may be supplemented by large number of irregulars, primarily street thugs, and probably is still covertly employing some mercenaries. Forces Nouvelles are based in the north and controlling rather more than half the country. Although figures on FNâs military resources are not available, it appears the movement has more than enough manpower and equipment to cope with Gbagboâs forces.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/20/2006
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January 20, 2006: The recent air strike at Damadola, Pakistan, that missed al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri, is still a great success. This is because the CIAâs strike managed to get a few important al Qaeda operatives anyway. At least four high ranking al Qaeda officials, including the organizationâs master bomb-maker, and a chemical weapons expert, Midhat Mursi. If anything, this outcome is arguably more devastating to al-Qaeda than if Zawahiri had been killed alone. Zawahiri was a strategist and mouthpiece, the guys killed were operators, who did specific things to kill people.
The reason this strike is devastating to al Qaeda is simple. Behind great generals are often great staffs. A good staff can take care of the small details and allow a general (or leader) to focus on the big picture. The four terrorists were apparently senior level aides to Zawahiri. This will force a major shake-up in the senior leadership. Also, this raid has taken al Qaedaâs top chemical weapons expert out of play. Two of the people trained by Mursi are familiar to most Americans: Zacarias Moussaoui, who was thought to be a potential hijacker, and would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid. Also apparently killed in the attack were al-Qaedaâs Afghanistan-Pakistan
operations chief, Khalid Habib, and Abdul Rehman al Magrabi, another operations commander.
There is still a chance that Ayman al-Zawahiri was caught in this attack (miracles can happen), but it is unlikely. But Zawahiri has not lost a large number of senior and trusted staffers. In essence, he will have to assemble a new staff â and they may not be at the same level as the previous group. They replacements will also know what happened to their predecessors. This is not going to be good for the morale of the organization.
Striking the infrastructure of an organization like al-Qaeda tends to eventually flush out the big fish. The best example of this was the 1993 operations against the Medellin drug cartel, run by Pablo Escobar. One of the real keys to the takedown of Escobar was the work of Perseguedo por Pablo Escobar (the People Persecuted by Pablo Escobar, or Los Pepes). Their operations against Escobarâs associates eventually led Escobar being located and killed in a firefight in December, 1993.
This is but the latest blow that al-Qaeda has suffered. From the start of last year, al-Qaeda has not only failed to stop three elections in Iraq, but they have suffered serious losses among their high-level leadership. The reorganization will be very dangerous for al-Qaeda. It will require a lot of communicating â and the more communicating al-Qaeda does, the easier it will be to locate the big fish. And it makes another strike like the one in Damadola much more likely.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/20/2006
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#1
We really shouldn't forget some others who have long been a part of the al Qaeda support mechanism. For example, "black" operations should be conducted to sanction certain Saudi princes who have long been funding them, and Imams who have been supporting them.
This will not stop them from doing it now. Most of them have already been forced to stop by the Saudi government. This is purely payback. And not done with any great vengeance, just cold blooded murder that looks like an accident.
Car accidents, heart attacks, really bad food poisoning, a plane crash or two. It can really cut into their ranks over a few years time.
Nothing personal. No more than your giving money to charities that support al-Qaeda.
Embroiled in a nuclear standoff with the West, Iran said on Friday it was moving its foreign assets to shield them from possible U.N. sanctions and flexed its oil muscles with a proposal to cut OPEC output.
"Yes, Iran has started withdrawing money from European banks and transferring it to other banks abroad," said a senior Iranian official, who asked not to be named.
Central Bank Governor Ebrahim Sheibani was quoted earlier as saying Tehran had started shifting funds, but he sidestepped a question on whether the assets would go to accounts in Asia. It is far from clear how placing assets in Asia or anywhere abroad would protect them from being frozen as few governments or major banks would be willing to flout U.N. sanctions openly... Yet another incredibly dumb move. Not only would their money have been "safe as houses" in the EU, but nobody in Asia, except maybe Kimmie, will hold it for them against the wishes of the US. I'm sure several will volunteer, at astronomical interest rates, but when push came to shove will halt transactions until the moon left orbit, keeping the "float" in the meantime.
#2
Iran's foreign currency reserves are about $50 billion. Don't know how much of it is in European banks.
Posted by: ed ||
01/20/2006 11:00
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It makes sense if the balloon goes up and Teheran expects one or more Euro cities to be whacked with nukes. As the old saying goes "follow the money".
Taken together in context with M. Chirac's statement on retaliation it appears possible that there is some knowledge/suspicion that the Mullahs may have more in their war chest than we publicly expect.
Time to extend our territorial waters to 1k Miles and board or sink any unidentified ships within that zone.
Posted by: DanNY ||
01/20/2006 11:26
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#4
Kimmie's Toy Bank got shut down for passing funny money. So that's out.
#5
...nobody in Asia, except maybe Kimmie, will hold it for them against the wishes of the US. I'm sure several will volunteer, at astronomical interest rates, but when push came to shove will halt transactions until the moon left orbit, keeping the "float" in the meantime.
Off the top of my head, here's some possibilities:
Brunei Macao Malaysia Myanmar (not ideal, but if there's government-to-government relations, there could be a deal, like an Iranian bank opening a branch there)
Lastly, there's China.
Oh good. I was soooooooo worried...
GUANTANAMO BAY U.S. NAVAL BASE, Cuba (Reuters) - The number of Guantanamo prisoners on a hunger strike to protest their detention has dropped to its lowest level since October, according to U.S. military officials, who said they are unsure why most of those involved have resumed eating. Ummmmmmmmmm...hungry?
As of Wednesday night, 22 prisoners had refused at least nine consecutive meals and 17 of those were being fed through tubes inserted through the nose into their stomachs, according to Army Lt. Col. Jeremy Martin, a spokesman at the prison for foreign terrorism suspects. The hunger strike began in August and peaked on September 11, the fourth anniversary of the al Qaeda attacks on America, when 131 detainees -- more than a quarter of the total at the prison -- took part in protest of their detention at Guantanamo. The number surge again on Christmas Day but has since dropped, military officials said.
"There has been a drastic change," Martin said. "Although we can't say with certainty why, detainees on hunger strike have begun to eat." Ummmmmmmm...hungry?
Lawyers for the prisoners have accused the military of undercounting the hunger strikers. In October, a federal judge in Washington ordered the government to notify their lawyers about forced feedings and provide them with prisoners' medical records. Human rights lawyers and federal judges will us all killed.
U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler said detainees' lawyers had presented "deeply troubling" allegations of U.S. personnel violently shoving feeding tubes as thick as a finger through the men's noses and into their stomachs without anesthesia or sedatives, with detainees vomiting blood as U.S. personnel mocked them. Yeah, them lawyers would never lie. Would they, Gladys?
Officials at the camp deny those allegations. The Navy doctor in charge of the detainee hospital said medical workers use soft, flexible feeding tubes and anesthetize and lubricate the prisoners' nostrils before inserting the tubes."It's done with great compassion and care," said the doctor, who like many military officials in direct contact with the prisoners, asked that his name not be used. "We are very, very gentle." He said the prisoners were not strapped down during feedings and that none had been injured in the process. But we all know the evil military lies. They're not like those human rights lawyers.
Officials at the 4-year-old prison portrayed the hunger strike as a publicity stunt aimed at pressuring the United States to release the detainees. Most of the nearly 500 men were captured during the war to oust al Qaeda from Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks and the Bush administration has asserted the right to hold them indefinitely as part of the war against terrorism.
Guantanamo officials said most of the tube-fed prisoners cooperate with the "involuntary feedings" but refused to eat regular meals because they want to be counted as hunger strikers. And "Guantanamo Hunger Striker" will really impress all the chicks back in whatever Stanland they hail from.
"Frankly I do not believe that the men that are participating in the hunger strike indeed wish to do any long-term physical damage to their own health," said Army Maj. Gen. Jay Hood, who oversees the prison operation. He said several tube-fed prisoners had told the doctors, "I know as long as you are here that I will not die." More Brave Jihadi Warriors...
#1
Kessler's an idiot. If I remember a judge's name, it's always because of frequent stupid rulings, usually anti-american in my eyes. Yep..appointed in '94....now who was the Prez then....hmmmm
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/20/2006 9:41
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#2
Wasn't their enough pork chops to go around?
Gwad Muslim terrorist want to kill themselves? What the problem here? Saves the price of a bullet.
January 20, 2006: Three years ago, the United States withdrew U.S. Army Special Forces instructors, who had been training Venezuelan special operations soldiers. Venezuela has resumed that training, using several hundred instructors from the Chinese special forces (Quantou Budui). The Chinese have been in Venezuela for about six months, and are training Venezuelan troops in recon techniques, and counter-terrorism tactics. The Chinese speak good Spanish, and are apparently enjoying their assignment. Over a hundred other Chinese troops are also providing personal security for Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.
Don't trust the locals, huh?
China has also sent some intelligence specialists, who are helping Venezuela to upgrade their military intelligence capabilities. The Chinese are apparently very interested in finding out about the training techniques used by the American Special Forces instructors, and the Venezuelans are telling all they know.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/20/2006
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#1
The Chinese are apparently very interested in finding out about the training techniques used by the American Special Forces instructors, and the Venezuelans are telling all they know.
China is moving pretty quick, I hope our government is paying attention.
A Hollywood film company has struck an $8 million deal with the man who shot Pope John Paul II, according to the Italian news weekly Gente. Mehmet Ali Agca, who was released from an Istanbul jail last week, already has received a $500,000 advance from an unidentified company to make a film explaining how and why he carried out the 1981 attack, says his bodyguard, Haydar Mengi. Gente said the movie deal caused Agca to back out of a $600,000 agreement to give an exclusive television interview upon his release.
The pope nearly died after he was shot twice by Agca while greeting crowds at the Vatican's St. Peter's Square. The Turkish gunman immediately was arrested and later sentenced by an Italian court to life in prison. John Paul famously visited Agca in prison two years later and forgave him.
Mengi said Agca had gone into hiding to finalize the negotiations, which is why he didn't sign in at his local police station as required.
Circle shows Mehmet Ali Agca aiming at Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square in 1981. "As part of the deal, Agca must give a full interview about what happened leading up to the shooting and the shooting itself and he will also play himself in the movie," Mengi said. "Other terms of the contract ban Agca from giving interviews and he must keep out of trouble."
Agca initially said he acted alone then confessed to being hired by the Bulgarian secret service. He later retracted that, but it was widely believed the Soviet Union's KGB initiated a plot to kill the Polish pope because of his threat to communist rule in Eastern Europe.
Mengi told the magazine Agca will fly to Mexico soon to begin production for the film. "But Agca's life is without doubt at risk â he knows too much," Mengi said. "Killing him is the only way of keeping him quiet. I'm certain he would be safe if he told his story to as many people as possible."
Agca was pardoned by Italy's president in 1999 and sent back to Turkey to serve an outstanding sentence for the murder of a Turkish newspaper editor. A judge decided last week to release him, but Turkey's justice minister has ordered a probe and could return him to jail.
#6
Looks like I'm not ready for my closeup, Mr. Demille...
ANKARA, Turkey - Police on Friday took the man who shot Pope John Paul II back into custody after an appeals court ordered him to return to prison to serve more time for killing a journalist and for other crimes in Turkey.
We pay thrice for our oil dependency, once on exorbitant prices for fuels, again in military expenditures to keep the oil flowing worldwide and in insecurity and dead from those who use those windfall profits to kill and enslave us. But the US has the world's largest known carbon reserves, much of it in 300 billion tons of coal (1 ton = 5 barrels oil). We have the resources and technology to ensure our security and cut our enemies off at the knees. Americans just need the clear vision and will to utilize what we (and Canadians too) already have in abundance. That means nuclear power for electricity and for industrial steam to power coal, shale, tar sands conversion to liquid and gaseous fuels, moving away from the internal combustion engine to electric and plug in hybrids that can meet most consumers travel needs on electricity alone. Even solar and wind because every little bit helps.
Each dayâs headlines underscore a central reality of our time: The United States has no choice but to make real progress on energy security â specifically by reducing the exclusive reliance of Americaâs transportation sector on gasoline and diesel fuels, most of which are derived from oil imported from overseas. Consider a sampler of recent developments in nations from which we obtain such oil:
Saudi Arabia: Sundayâs Los Angeles Times gave prominent treatment to expressions of growing frustration by U.S. officials about the lack of Saudi cooperation in countering terrorism. The bottom line is that, while the Saudis may be trying to crack down on terrorist operations within the Kingdom, they continue to support the Islamofascists, the terror they wield as a weapon elsewhere around the world and the large and growing global infrastructure that enables them to be so dangerous. We are funding both sides in this war for the free world, as our petrodollars are enabling much of the threat we most immediately confront. This is an intolerable â and unsustainable â situation.
Russia: Vladimir Putinâs increasingly authoritarian regime has demonstrated anew the Kremlinâs traditional willingness to use energy exports as an instrument of economic and political warfare. While the immediate target of the most recent such warfare was Ukraine, every other nation â including the United States â that contemplates reliance on Russian natural gas and oil supplies is on notice: Russia cannot be viewed as reliable source.
Mexico: The Washington Times reported earlier this week that armed units, at least some of whom are believed to be members of the Mexican army, have made over 200 incursions inside the United States over the past nine years. Some have included firefights with U.S. border-patrol officers. With the likely election of a radical anti-American leftist, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, as the next president of Mexico, relations between the two nations are sure to become even more strained â with potentially significant repercussions for Mexican oil imports to this country.
Nigeria: Islamists are increasingly destabilizing Africaâs most productive oil-exporting nation, with attacks on the industryâs infrastructure and personnel a tool in their campaign to establish control over the main source of the countryâs wealth and to impose sharia in Muslim areas â and beyond. Such attacks have recently taken off line one-tenth of the countryâs output. The threat to foreign investment in the country and the reliability of its supply of oil is only likely to increase.
Venezuela: The ever-more-despotic and -ambitious president, Hugo Chavez, is seeking to consolidate his rule at home and facilitate his destabilizing and aggressive designs elsewhere in the hemisphere. Among other techniques being used for these purposes is Chavezâs ludicrous declaration that the United States is preparing to invade his country. He has threatened in the past to interrupt oil supplies to the U.S. It is entirely possible that, at some point, he may decide to do so.
Iran: While the United States does not buy oil directly from Iran, the availability of Iranian crude in the international market â or, more precisely, the lack thereof â can have a significant impact on prices American consumers pay for gasoline and other petroleum-based products. The escalating crisis precipitated by an Iranian regime bent on acquiring nuclear weapons and threatening the destruction of Israel and âa world without Americaâ could well translate into possibly lengthy disruptions in the availability of Iranian (and perhaps other Persian Gulf-originated) oil exports.
Sudan: As with Iranian oil, U.S. sanctions on the terrorist-sponsoring, slave-trading, weapons-of-mass-destruction-proliferating and genocidal regime in Khartoum means that Sudanese oil supplies are not directly available to the American market. The ongoing, horrific state-sponsored assaults on the people of Darfur, however, raises the possibility that the so-called âinternational communityâ may finally be shamed into taking action to punish the Islamosfascist government of Sudan, with repercussions for its oil exports and global markets.
Virtually alone among major oil-exporting nations, Canadaâs capacity and willingness to provide its energy resources to America remains steady and strong. There, as elsewhere, however, the ability of Communist China to recycle its immense trade surpluses by buying up oil, coal, natural gas, and other energy assets raises questions about the future availability of Canadian petroleum exports, to say nothing of their ability to offset shortfalls that might be associated with one or the other of the foregoing problems.
There is simply no way Americaâs leaders can responsibly further defer concrete actions needed to reduce the amount of oil we use in that part of our society and economy where most of it is consumed: the transportation sector. In a new book, War Footing: Ten Steps America Must Take to Prevail in the War for the Free World, I'm among those who describe these actions â which comprise the âSet America Freeâ Blueprint and which will, if implemented, provide the United States with fuel choice. The time has come to make far more widely available supplies of alternative fuels (ethanol, methanol and electricity); to ensure that every car sold in America is flexible-fuel compatible and that as many as possible are plug-in hybrids; and to ensure that the necessary, relatively modest adjustments are made to our transportation infrastructure.
This agenda should be a top priority in President Bushâs upcoming State of the Union address and at the top of the legislative program for the new session of Congress.
Posted by: ed ||
01/20/2006
08:41 ||
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#1
Great articles this morning, rantburg.
âWe are funding both sides in this war for the free world, as our
petrodollars are enabling much of the threat we most immediately confront.â
Says so much.
âPresident Ronald Reagan engaged in a consummate act of political warfare at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany on June 12, 1987. He called on the then-leader of the Kremlin, Michael Gorbachev, to tear down the wall that had long divided the Free World's city of West Berlin from the surrounding, Soviet-controlled East Germany. The US State Department tried repeatedly to remove that line from the president's speech.â
I thought this from www.warfooting.com, juxtiposed against another article you are running on State taking over USAID, made for interesting consideration this morning. The effect that former President Reaganâs statement had on eastern European people was deeply meaningful and inspiring. Hope State yields to use of this kind of âpolitical warfareâ ( I think itâs more an artistic upper hook--imagery and words in magnificent union. Course, it will require some artfulness...)
#2
Perhaps what follows may sound like heresy and unpatriotic? What is said is said out of a sense of frustration. Many other ordinary Americans have realized the need to address the issues outlined in the article for a long time. Too bad we donât have politicians that are worthy of Americans. Instead we have sniping, bickering, wasted time and wasted money in Washington. The wasted money comes off the backs of working Americans. Those ruling in Washington have jobs that pay well and benefits that are the envy of other Americans. Hell, most politicians that have been in Congress for any time retire millionaires.
1. A coherent energy policy in the best interest of the US has been non-existent for during my adult life (nearly 70 years). Our lack of energy policy has kept us tied to the mid-east for too long. As long as we are tied to the oil countries of the mid-east we will be at their whim. There is a need to move towards US energy self-sufficiency. Otherwise we will continue to experience high energy prices and the threat of constant war in the mid-east. I say, letâs move as rapidly as possible towards self-sufficiency. Let the mid-east go begging for markets in which to sell their oil. Saudi Arabia will come around quickly and quit funding our opposition. Iran will start having difficulty funding a nuclear program that they donât need. They are sitting on energy reserves that would satisfy their energy needs for a long, long time. Their statements about the need for the development of a domestic nuclear energy program are bogus. We have nearly lost our ability to do anything about the growing nuclear threat from Iran.
2. As the article said, energy is becoming a weapon of a global war. Both China and Russia are using it to jockey for power in the world.
3. Our border policies are like are energy policies; feckless. We basically talk a good fight and little else. As the result, the American people suffer from incursions by illegals. The illegals most likely include terrorists. Moreover, the flow of drugs into American is a growing problem. These drugs result in a decay in our culture.
4. There is little Congressional leadership that is evident. The Democrats would be laughable if they were funny. They come across as silly. They embrace political correctness as the flag of their party. The Republicans arenât much better. They have lost the clear direction they had when they took over Congress in 1994. They had a plan and a program to which Americans responded. The direction and compass seems to be missing today.
#5
That faint rumbling I hear, is it a paradigm shift?
It's all doable - not without hardship and a complete change in attitude and priorities - but doable.
Average America needs to understand the Shell dollar goes directly from their hands to the Osamas of the east and points else. Needs to "get" that imported oil purchased here funds the terror side of this war on terror.
I'm a bit surprised there hasn't been a peep that I've heard about "boycott" or voluntarily and very abruptly reducing and/or eliminating use of oil products.
#7
If we achieved "energy independence" it would only act as a subsidy to every one else in the world who would continue to buy their oil from the low cost provider, the Mohammedan Middle East. The wacko Mos would continue to get beaucoup bucks for oil and would still hate us, until we convert. Energy security would achieve nothing except to accustom us to higher prices and freedom to conduct war without an interruption of some of our energy supply. How much would this be worth if we weren't willing to go to war until being attacked?
#9
The US already subsidizes the world's energy consumption though our extensive military, diplomatic and foreign aid expenditures to keep the the oil flowing. Even before 2001, it was adding up to $50 billion per year (a 50% premium 12 millin barrels/day oil imports or 200% premium if only mideast imports are considered). Now that figure has at least tripled and oil prices have tripled.
My first preference is to apply sharia on the muslims, take their land and assets, and treat them as they treat infidels and Jews. But since the American public is not there yet, I would settle for energy self sufficiency with nuclear power at 4 cents/kilowatt, $40 barrel synfuels and zero contact with muslims. Let the former free riders shoulder the burden or fight it out to keep their energy lines open.
Posted by: ed ||
01/20/2006 23:12
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This is the holding company for the LA Times and about a dozen other newspapers and over two dozen radio and TV stations (most not as lefty as the LA Times but a few even more left wing).
CHICAGO, January 19, 2006 -- Tribune Company (NYSE: TRB) today reported its summary of revenues and newspaper advertising volume for period 12, ended Dec. 25, 2005. Consolidated revenues for the period were $539 million, down 6.1 percent from last yearâs $574 million.
Publishing revenues in December were $413 million compared to last yearâs $431 million; the timing of the Christmas holiday on Sunday and the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma in South Florida accounted for about $6 million of the decline. Advertising revenues decreased 4.5 percent to $333 million, compared with $349 million in December 2004.
#1
As much as I would like MSM crash and burn we should not rejoice: comparison is between a no-events year (2005, no presidential, no legislative not even primaries) and a presidential year.
#2
No, I don't rejoice. As Professor Reynolds put it, we *need* the New York Times (Washington Post, LA Times, Le Monde, etc.). But we *need* them to accurately report the facts, not actively try to impeach the President each and every day.
#3
It has unfortunately come to the point where this is a necessary condition for change. So I do rejoice. Otherwise, the MSM would have not incentive to change. I just hope it doesn't kill too much of the worthwhile infrastructure they've built.
#4
They've driven off the knowledgeable news junkies like all of us here, so all they have left are the ignorantly superior types -- who are already maxed out on their subscriptions. The youngsters coming up get their news on the web, and even the senior citizens are starting to do so. While I don't with them ill, perhaps at some point they'll notice that agenda-based reporting is counterproductive. We can hope, anyway.
#6
I can't decide which is my favorite paper, the LA Times, or the NY Times.
I mean, sure, the Times' ink doesn't run as much and leaves far less of a black streak on the briefs, but the Times' is much softer and more absorbent.
I guess my favorite paper on any given day depends on what I ate for dinner the night before...
#7
Sorry I don't feel their pain. They however can feel mine. Having been unemployed or under employed for a few long streches it's these subversive, anti republic, Tranzi bastards to get a taste too.
EFL: (CNSNews.com) - The anti-war group "Code Pink: Women for Peace" is thanking Pennsylvania Democratic Congressman John Murtha on its website for his "courageous stand on Iraq." The group -- which sparked controversy last summer with anti-war protests at a military hospital in the nation's capital -- recently presented Murtha its "pink badge of courage" for his anti-war activism.
Code Pink's co-founder, Gael Murphy, and its coordinator for the Washington, D.C., area, Allison Yorra, met with Murtha earlier this month "to thank him for his courageous stand on Iraq. "We presented him with our pink badge of courage and pink flowers sent by CODEPINK members nationwide," a statement on the group's website indicates. "Rep Murtha was very appreciative of these gestures as he has been receiving many responses to his public denouncement of the war."
Photographs on the Code Pink website show Murtha holding the pink flowers and standing arm-in-arm with Murphy and Yorra. There is no mention of the meeting with Code Pink or the award presented to Murtha on his congressional website.
Gee, you'd think he was worried about how this looks to the voters back home or something
Though Murtha originally voted for the resolution authorizing the use of military force in Iraq, he called for the withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Iraq in November 2005.
Code Pink was launched in 2002 by approximately 100 women opposed to a U.S. pre-emptive strike against Iraq. The group has conducted "vigils" in front of the White House and outside the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
As Cybercast News Service previously reported Code Pink was criticized for picketing the military hospital holding signs that read "Maimed for a Lie" and "Enlist Here to Die for Halliburton."
Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, told Cybercast News Service that Murtha embracing Code Pink, literally and figuratively, is "troubling to watch. "I don't like to see someone who, historically, has understood the military and been supportive of it, in his votes at least, suddenly being associated with people who are historically anti-military, as an institution, and, also, contrary to American foreign policy goals," Donnelly said.
In a June 27, 2005, press release related to her group's endorsement of the anti-war coalition, "World Tribunal on Iraq" (WTI), Code Pink co-founder Jodie Evans explained her reason for participating. "I'm here to gather evidence to indict [President] Bush," she wrote. An entire section of the Code Pink website is dedicated to the group's efforts to have President Bush and his subordinates indicted for alleged "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity."
"We support the right of the people of Iraq and Palestine to resist the occupations."
"We demand an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestine."
"We denounce the racist and colonial character of Zionism, Israel's State ideology."
Donnelly said, based on Code Pink's activities and associates, it is fair to question Murtha's relationship with the group. "He could have chosen not to accept the award. That's the decision that he made and I think it's, therefore, fair game to inquire, 'Does he support the agenda, the broader agenda of that organization and its endorsers?'" Donnelly said. "I think, in fairness, you have to ask him, 'Have you thought this through?'" Calls to Congressman Murtha's Washington, D.C. and Johnstown, Penn., offices seeking comment for this article Thursday were not returned.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D. Calif.) has called questions about Murtha's credibility as an authority on military matters "scurrilous" and Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne accused the Cybercast News Service of being part of a "war on actual Vietnam veterans" who "take on the powers that be" for reporting the accusations. But Donnelly rejected the idea that Murtha or his anti-war views deserve deferential treatment because of his prior military service. "It's absurd to say that only people with certain qualifications can engage in the debate about the defense of this country," Donnelly said. "That's only a ploy to try to limit informed discussion."
Most Americans, Donnelly argued, would not want debate about an issue limited only to those with professional experience in the field in question. "If we limited public discussion about the military only to people with military experience that would certainly stifle a lot of intelligent discussion," Donnelly said. "It's such an absurd notion, I just don't buy it and I don't think the majority of people buy it either."
Posted by: Steve ||
01/20/2006
08:23 ||
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#2
Code Pink was launched in 2002 by approximately 100 women opposed to a U.S. pre-emptive strike against Iraq.
Not quite. Code Pink was founded by Media Benjamin, a Castro whore extraordinaire and Iraq terrorist funder, of Global Exchange in league with the Communist Workers World Party. Such nice people.
Posted by: ed ||
01/20/2006 10:07
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#3
In other fun Code Pink news.....check out Little Green Footballs for one of the worst ever photoshop jobs that *was* on their website. They apparently took it down after a bunch of complaints.
You think that at least one of them could use that stupid program correctly.....hell, the commies back in Stalin's day did better than that!
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/20/2006 13:43
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#5
Every morning for the past two weeks, as Iâve driven from Richmond to San Francisco at around 7:30 AM, Iâve passed underneath the Berkeley pedestrian walkway where Code Pink has been staging a kind of âcommuterâs vigilâ protest thing. Theyâve busted out with their usual stuff: baggy formless pink sweat suits, bullhorns, giant pink signs that read things like âWomen End War In 2006"
None of which impresses me. I mean, weâre talking about Berkeley here, right? Every second person owns a giant paper-mache puppet, a tinfoil hat, and an old Volvo that runs off of biodiesel. No, what interests me about Code Pink is that they are all old.... not to mention overweight and homely. Well, not so much old as middle aged: forty five plus. Now, what kind of activist organization - in Berkeley, California no less - positively cannot get young people to join?
#6
Walk like a fool, talk like a fool, wear a tin foil hat and the rest of the fools will come. At the rate he's going he will single handedly win the election for the Repubs!
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
01/20/2006 16:15
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Back when DID covered the costing of the new CVN-21 Class aircraft carriers, we noted that one of the key sources of proposed savings was a trend toward more automation and fewer personnel. Now the GAO helps shed light on the larger phenomenon behind those moves. A recent GAO report that pegged the average for active duty enlisted personnel and officer compensation at $112,000 a year, 51% of which takes the form of health care and other benefits (NAVSEA's figure was $90,000 FY 2004).
This amounts to about double the average for civilian payand also represents a much higher benefits ratio than civilian pay, . Ironically, the GAO report also found that the US military's efforts to educate its personnel about this important recruiting and retention lever did not get good marks, and that many military members were unaware of how competitive their compensation was.
GAO Comptroller David Walker's key point at a recent GovExec.com breakfast was that the budgeting process needed to reflect the full financial impact of funding decisions. For example, health care costs since are not only spiraling in the present thanks to a benefits expansion in 2000 - they also represent a major future stinger. Specifically...
more at the link. There are several elements here ranging from caring for woulded soldiers to the aging cohort of retirees to higher health care costs due to new treatments and equipment
#1
I'd like so see the the military keep personnel past the enforced retirement age to 60 years old, with the proviso that after 30 years, they will be kept as stateside cadre. Not only can they contribute to what they are trained to do, but the DOD also saves on retirement costs. It makes little sense to put people out to pasture as young as the late 30's.
Posted by: ed ||
01/20/2006 10:30
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#2
Ed. Retirees are not 'retired' as in the civilian sector. All are subject to recall upon the direction of the Secretary of their service. The Army has a three level recall program. Level one is those less than 5 years retired and in good health. Level two is more than five years and in good health. Level three is all others. The current law makes the reactivated retirees available for stateside duty. There was a recent proposal to modify the law to allow volunteers among that group to deploy oversea. Regardless, any activation will still be limited under law by the manpower ceiling.
This amounts to about double the average for civilian payand also represents a much higher benefits ratio than civilian pay
What this doesn't say, is that mil pay has up till the recent events not been comparable with the civilian world. That means for generations the recruiting and retention programs have sold 'retirement' benefits as a delayed reward for service. Now that the current crop of active members are getting some comparative compensation for a dangerous job during wartime [and the market forces of supply and demand apply] the bean counters are lumping in all those who served at much lower pay for the bennies. Now while Congress can find 'new' monies for an elderly drug program, they don't want to pay the bill they created by previous obligation.
#3
Yes, retirees can be called up during emergencies. But I am talking about giving them the option to stay in service about as long as civilians (and not collecting retirement bennies while still in service). Currently, enlistees are forced to retire after 20-30 years and immediately collect retirement pay, regardless of whether they go into the civilan work force or deep woods Montana. Even if the average lifer stays an extra 5 years, it will still have a major impact on the budget and provide an experienced force for stateside duty.
Posted by: ed ||
01/20/2006 11:31
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#4
Not just emergencies - the usual terms in the contract says something like 'at anytime'. Some people have been called back prior to 9/11 for their experience and expertise.
There are still ceiling number problems. Not only is the overall population limited so are ranks. Congress decrees how many senior officer and enlisted slots can be filled in the service. So as long as those 'older' rankers are on the books, then those below can not get promoted till slots above clear. That causes retention problems too. You'll have to create a new set of books [not that Congress doesn't do that already - running two sets of books in accounting], in order to move 'extended' personnel into a 'veterans', 'old guard', 'invalids', or 'auxillary' parallel personnel structure.
#5
Well put Cleremp, a big problem post Vietnam was officers and Senior Enlisted staying in forever (past 30 years). On another note they just doubled my Tri-Care payments but it is still a good deal for retirees. I don't like paying more but compared to my coworkers I am getting a great deal.
#6
When I enlisted we were sold on the health care, and retirement. The $240 per month paycheck did not go far but I knew I was investing in my family. We were promised 50% base pay and heath care when we reitred. Soldiers today are promised 40% and we all know the health care is going, going and almost gone!
I'm not complaining here but the military is not a "JOB" that one retires at when they turn 60 or 62. In a "job" you go home to your wife and kids most nights, live in one neighborhood and see your relatives regularly. In the Mil your gone from your family the better part of your career, visiting relative is a yearly two week event at best, and while your peers are sitting in corperate cafeteria, a soldier is sitting in some shit hole country eating cold chicken chow mein from a brown plastic pouch. These soldiers give the very best years of their lives gone from home defending the bean counters that want to "Cost Cut" for a corperate budget. Soldiers retire at 20 years with bad knees, compressed discs, and other service related problems. These injuries came from hard landings in aircraft, parachute jumps, road marches and combat, not from tennis elbow. This crap just pisses me off. We will spend $20 Million on a helicopter and thousands of dollars per hour to fly them but for our most valuable asset we bitch and complain about the cost and try to cut back AFTER they have given to us their all. Without that guy sitting in a hole in some crappy place away from the people he loves doing the great things he is doing we all would be ducking from another attack here in America.
Sorry ed but I think your dead wrong! After 20 to 30 years of dedicated service its about time a soldier can spend time in the country he has spent his productive years defending, without some string forcing him to hang on to a military post as a has been admin clerk.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
01/20/2006 14:54
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#8
If you 'retire' from the Navy with more than 20, but less than 30 years active duty, you are in what is called the 'Fleet Reserve.' You are subject to recall during this time until you reach the 30 year mark. Then you are retired and no longer eligile for recall.
That is one painful looking zit on that fearsome jihadi...
After years of silence, the father of American-born Taliban soldier John Walker Lindh said Thursday he has asked President Bush to grant his son clemency, adding that the then teenager never raised arms against the United States. "In simple terms, this is the story of a decent and honorable young man embarked on a spiritual quest," said Frank Lindh, swallowing back tears at times during a speech at the Commonwealth Club, a nonprofit organization.
The "decent and honorable young men" became a jihadi. He joined the Taliban, where as a dues-paying member he was authorized to beat women on the street with whips if they showed an ankle.
John Walker Lindh, now 24, was captured by American forces on Nov. 21, alongside the Taliban. Frank Lindh said his son thought he had been rescued by U.S. soldiers until he was taken into custody and tortured.
What made him think they would rescue him? The fact that he ran out of ammunition? What made him any more important that all the other dead jihadis around him?
Charged with conspiring to kill Americans and supporting terrorists, the younger Lindh avoided a potential life sentence in 2002 by pleading guilty to lesser charges of supplying services to the Taliban in violation of U.S. economic sanctions and of carrying weapons against U.S. forces.
He was rooted out at Qala-i-Jangi, where the hard boyz from the siege of Konduz had been shipped. They decided to unsurrender and Dostum's guys shot them to shreds. Johnny Jihad was one of very few survivors. By rights he should have been a corpse.
Last year John Walker Lindh asked President Bush for a reduction in his 20-year sentence, repeating a September 2004 request the government rejected. Until now, his parents have mostly maintained a public silence about the case, hoping to avoid a media barrage that could be detrimental to their son.
No doubt enough time's gone by that the usual suspects think they can garner some sympathy for him from the short attention span crowd...
But on Thursday Frank Lindh shared baby pictures and other photos of his son during the presentation and said he is proud of his child.
Frank would no doubt be prouder of him if he'd been caught breaking and entering or mugging little old ladies...
Lindh said he decided to break his silence because he hoped the story of his boy's journey from bucolic Marin County to harsh Afghanistan battlefields will help gain him a reprieve.
Let me think......umm, no.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/20/2006
08:19 ||
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#1
Ah, yes. The "mixed up kid" defense.
Sorry. Try harder, pops.
#4
Not a spiritual questor, but a young man who likes to play dress up and soldier, and lord it over the wimminfolk. Accepting consequences are critical to achieving enlightenment, Father dearest.
#6
Johnny Jihad wouldn't need to have sunshine piped in if daddy had shown little Johnny how to get laid (by females, that is) once in a while.
Posted by: ed ||
01/20/2006 9:30
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#7
Yes I am sure Jihad Johnny had a really rough life growing up in Marin county. It's to bad that JJ hasn't had any falls while in custudy. How about you send sonny boy back to Afghanistan and let them try the little bastard? How about for good measure we throw daddy in jail with his son?
#9
Asking for clemency on a plea agreement? Better luck trying for an appeal because of legal malpractice, as in "my poor innocent sonny boy believed the crap his attorney told him....he had NO IDEA that he was actually going to have to SERVE the whole sentence...." Throw in some bs accusations of mental cruelty ("they made me eat non-halal chicken pilaf!") and some Koran desecration, too, while you're at it.
Hey, don't laugh. Get an airhead judge in Cali to sign off on it, and it's a possibility.
#13
Lindh said he decided to break his silence because he hoped the story of his boy's journey from bucolic Marin County to harsh Afghanistan battlefields will help gain him a reprieve.
Everybody makes choices, and whether for good or bad we all typically have to live with what happens as a result. Seems to me that this isn't quite sinking into Daddy Jihadi's little head.
#14
I should also note that a patriotic, red-blooded, RED STATE American CIA hero named Johnny Michael Spannlost his life in part because of Johnny Taliban's refusal to provide answers during an interrogation session.
#18
The Angry Fliegerabwehrkanonen----Right on. Mike Spann lost his life to these worthless jihadis. At Konduz, the Northern Alliance had thousands surrounded, with US airpower overhead. Too bad that they did not take them all out there, but some deal with Pakistan was struck and some aircraft or helos came in and hauled out some Pak officers or some folks like that. I read it in blogged dispatches from a reporter on the scene at the time. Those jihadis were brought down to the castle at Mazar-i-Sharif. The Afghans didn't frisk them too well and they had weapons hidden in their robes. The rest is history.
John Walker Lindh deserves no clemency. He is a piece of rat-sh*t that is lucky to get the treatment he deserves now. Mike Spann's family will never get their husband and father back. Lindh's dad can stop the tears thing and admit that his lack of being a good father figure helped propel his son into the hole he is in now.
Posted by: Al Aska Paul ||
01/20/2006 22:12
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#19
We should have arranged for him to meet with God - how much more spiritual can you get.
Coast Guard is an important part of homeland defense these days
President George W. Bush today announced his intention to nominate Vice Admiral Thad W. Allen to be Commandant of the United States Coast Guard. Vice Admiral Allen currently serves as Chief of Staff for the United States Coast Guard. He also served as the Principal Federal Official overseeing Hurricane Katrina response and recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast region.
Vice Admiral Allen previously served as Commander of the United States Coast Guard Atlantic Area, Fifth United States Coast Guard District, and the United States Maritime Defense Zone, Atlantic Fleet. In addition, he led the Atlantic forces in the United States Coast Guard's response to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Prior to that position, Vice Admiral Allen commanded the Seventh United States Coast Guard District and was the Director of Resources for the United States Coast Guard. Earlier in his career, he served as Group Commander and Captain of the Port for Long Island Sound in Long Island, New York.
Vice Admiral Allen received his bachelor's degree from the United States Coast Guard Academy, his first master's degree from The George Washington University, and his second master's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
#1
Can I...ahhhhhmmmm...call him directly when I...ahhhhhmmmm...run my boat aground? Again.
Posted by: Sen. Edward M. Kennedy ||
01/20/2006 9:57
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#2
Sen. Kennedy, please trying calling 911 first the next time you drive off a bridge.
Posted by: Admiral Allen ||
01/20/2006 10:13
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#3
Doesn't the CG have responsibility for ensuring that no nukes are brought into the country in containers? That seems like the biggest WMD risk we have, and the one that concerns me the most.
#7
If it's any compensation Fred, Rantburg is causing much, much more hair pulling, teeth grinding and sleepless nights on the other side than they are causing you.
Posted by: ed ||
01/20/2006 9:21
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#8
Thank you for this site.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
01/20/2006 9:23
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#10
We keep getting hit by .kr and .ch addresses. Though after moving the webserver from just firewall/dmz to both plus publish through proxy and a 'few other things' they can't get past.
It makes sense from our end being an aerospace company that .kr and .ch are always probing us.
#12
I'm really worried about it because I'm not as comfortable with Linux as with Windows. Plus I keep finding pages I've forgotten to convert to .php. I've got the backup box set up so it'll work in theory, but I won't know if I've got it right until I actually make the switch. If not, then we'll be down for longer than I want while I try to find what I did wrong.
I'm hoping to keep the downtime to under an hour, but I know something will go wrong. It's done that before just on simple Windows swaps...
Posted by: Fred ||
01/20/2006 9:43
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#13
You probably know that CH is Switzerland. I have a great IT contact there who could perhaps help track the hacher(s) down.
#18
BeOS is where it's at. NOBODY ever bothers to hack that.
Posted by: ed ||
01/20/2006 9:57
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#19
I agree. Go BeOS and then you can video transfer all your Betamax tapes to digital. You wouldn't want to abandon one dead tech unless a you had another dead tech to replace it with.
Posted by: Scott R ||
01/20/2006 10:08
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#20
I keep trying to get Fred to switch to Mac OS X Server, but he sez I gotta buy him a dual Mac blade for it to happen ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/20/2006 10:27
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#21
I'd wait till the Intel swap is finished, the Mac.
#22
Fred, this is the most valuable site on the Web, bar none. My thanks to you. Please take your time with the swap- don't worry about the deprivation, suffering, pain and anguish out there in the Burg. We will get by.
#24
Hear, hear to all! Thanks Fred for your timely and appropriate website, which I wish I could visit even more often than I do. Good luck and God speed on the switch and may all the hackers get their 72 (cyberspace) raisins!
Posted by: BA ||
01/20/2006 11:09
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#25
Fred, if you ever need to switch again...
I booted Plan-9 from Bell Labs the other day. It was so seriously weird I couldn't figure out what was going on and threw it in the junk pile. No hacker is ever going to break into that OS! Just partner with some refugee from Bell Labs and you would be set. (Ritchie designed it and his division just got shutdown the other day. Seems he might have some time on his hands)
#26
BTW running apache on linux the most common problem's I had were with root-kit kiddies and folks trying to use the machine as a bounce reflector to other sites. (the last was really a pain as html allows it.)
For the root-kit guys ... you need to get the "chkrootkit" package and put it on cron for a non-busy hour.
#29
Seafarious, dear, you're supposed to put "Blog Moderator/Assistant God" in that space. Or "Assistant Goddess" if you're feeling persnickety that day. Technically speaking, Fred creates, and you mods run, our favourite pocket universe. So there!
My list includes ice cream and a good novel .... plus spare batteries for that flashlight. I've gassed up my portable generator in case things get desperate and I try to surf out to some second-rate site to get a fix while waiting for the Burg to return ....
#31
Fred, thanks for keeping up the site. It's a valuable public service. It's so good you should put "Good Samaritan" on the IRS occupation line and claim a tax deduction for charitable giving.
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
01/20/2006 13:22
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#33
thanks Fred...I'll make sure to sleep in then...
otherwise I'll get the shakes
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/20/2006 13:48
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#34
Thanks Fred. I'm on kiddie duty tomorrow (wife at lacrosse seminar) so I won't be able to visit anyway. Take your time and do it right. You are right, something will go wrong. Again, what you do is hugely appreciated.
#35
A Fatwa on all the hackers, rootkiddies, warez playthings, and wedgie nogs. May the fleas of a thousand rabid camels infest them! May they always be forced to pray into the wind. May a sandstorm of a thousand years infest their xbox, and may their computer melt faster than a snocone in the Empty Quarter.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/20/2006 13:50
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#36
Sorry for the extra work, Fred, but it proves you're doin' somethin' right! Rantburg's got 'em all in a panic. Keep up the good work.
Are y'all going to hold one of those rantapalooza things anytime soon?
Posted by: Phil ||
01/20/2006 15:59
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#44
Absotively! But I need too coordinate with Fred and (a moderator to be named later), after Fred gets the Linux box up and running so he can turn his back without skriddies running wild thru the archives.
The venue will be Baltimore, so all you DC 'Burgers start thinking how you'll get there. Date, time, watering hole to be named later.
But I'm definitely up for a DC happy hour. Send me an email and let's work something out.
ISLAMABAD - A new audiotape from Osama bin Laden and a recent airstrike targeting his deputy have dramatically swung the spotlight back on the impossibly remote region where they are thought to be hiding. Since the early days of the âwar on terrorâ, officials have regarded the barren, ochre mountains on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan as the most likely refuge for the Al Qaeda chief and his number two, Ayman al-Zawahiri. With the worldâs attention focused on Iraq for much of the last three years, the wild region was somewhat forgotten along with the ongoing troubles in Afghanistan - until now.
Four Al Qaeda militants are said to have been killed in a raid by a CIA Predator drone on the remote Pakistani tribal agency of Bajur, reportedly including Zawahiriâs son-in-law and a bomber on the USâs most wanted list. Officials said Zawahiri stayed away but the likelihood that such a cabal was in the same area four years after the September 11 attacks suggests that Washington is still on the right track, analysts said.
The release of bin Ladenâs first recording in over a year may be an attempt by Al Qaeda to demonstrate that it has not been weakened by the attack, said Rahimullah Yousafzai, a Pakistan-based expert on Afghan affairs. âThe timing of the tape seems to be linked with the Bajur incident,â Yousafzai told AFP. âThey were waiting for a proper time. Bin Laden wanted to tell Americans that not only Zawahiri but he was also alive.â
Many officials believe bin Laden was trapped late in 2001 by the ferocious US bombing of the Tora Bora cave complex in eastern Afghanistan following the fall of his backers, Afghanistanâs extremist Islamic Taleban regime. But he is thought to have slipped out of the region, most likely across the porous border with Pakistan just a few miles away. Since then bin Laden and his acolytes have relied on support from the tribesmen in Pakistanâs semi-autonomous border regions -- who so far have not been tempted by the 25-million-dollar US reward on the Saudiâs head. Intelligence agencies scrutinised the handful of video and audio tapes he released during that time for clues to his whereabouts, until they dried up last year and were replaced by recordings by Zawahiri.
Pakistan deployed around 70,000 troops in the tribal areas on its side of the border, while the 20,000-strong US-led military in Afghanistan pursued the hunt across the border. In 2004 Pakistan launched an offensive in the border region of South Waziristan, killing hundreds of foreign militants and their local backers and losing around 250 troops. Last year it targeted North Waziristan.
President Pervez Musharraf said last September that that Pakistani authorities had in 2003 âhad some identification of a rough area where he (bin Laden) was, through technical means. But then we lost himâ.
The hunt has appeared to step up in recent months. US counter-terrorism coordinator Henry Crumpton said on Tuesday that bin Laden was believed to be alive somewhere in the boder region despite his silence. A US counter-terrorism official told AFP in September 2005 that elite US Delta Force and Navy SEAL units were returning back to Afghanistan after tours of duty in Iraq. US agents based in Afghanistan had also made reconnaissance raids into South and North Waziristan, and all the way into Bajur and the northern areas, the official said.
Four months later the US made its most spectacular cross-border incursion yet with its airstrike on Damadola village in Bajur. âIf they are present in this area of the airstrike they would be nervous,â Yousfzai said of bin Ladenâs men.
âThey would be concerned that action had started in Bajur after South and North Waziristan. They must have moved to some other area.â Pakistan lodged a formal protest to the US after 18 civilians were reportedly killed in the Bajur airstrike, highlighting the continual danger that Washingtonâs âwar on terrorâ might alienate its closest allies while bin Laden is still on the run.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/20/2006
08:14 ||
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Israel has accused Iran and Syria of complicity in a suicide attack that injured at least 30 people in Tel Aviv. It "was financed by Tehran, planned in Syria and carried out by Palestinians," Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz was quoted by security officials as saying. Mr Mofaz was also quoted as blaming the attack on "the axis of terror that operates between Iran and Syria".
Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad earlier said it carried out the attack near Tel Aviv's old bus station. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the US have condemned the bombing. It was the first bomb attack in Tel Aviv since February last year.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz quoted Mr Mofaz as saying that Israel had "decisive proof" the Tel Aviv attack could be blamed on the "axis of terror". "Iran supplied the money, and [Islamic] Jihad's headquarters in Damascus directed the organisation's operatives in Nablus, giving operational orders and instructions," Mr Mofaz reportedly said. Israel's Army Radio said the minister had shared the evidence with officials in the US, Europe and Egypt. A spokesman for the Islamic Jihad's military wing - al-Quds Brigades - earlier named the bomber as 22-year-old Sami Abd al-Hafiz Antar, from the West Bank town of Nablus.
A top official in the Israeli foreign ministry, Gideon Meir, said on Thursday the attack highlighted the consequences of the Palestinian government's failure to disarm militant groups. Mr Abbas said the bombing was meant to derail the Palestinian legislative elections on Wednesday, which Islamic Jihad is boycotting. "This is sabotage and aimed at sabotaging the elections, not only the elections, but also the security of Palestinians. The culprits must be punished." the Palestinian leader said.
The attack took place at about 1530 (1330 GMT) on Solomon Street in Tel Aviv's commercial district. "The guy was standing at the corner of the street, looking like he was waiting for someone," Yehiel Ohana told the Associated Press news agency. "He swayed strangely. Then he went into the shwarma (food) stand, and two to three seconds later, we heard the explosion. Everything shuddered," he said. "We entered the shwarma stand, and we saw him lying on the floor, and then we understood he was a suicide bomber."
The bombing took place on the same day as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad began two-day talks with Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, in what Mr Mofaz described as a "terror summit". It was the first suicide attack in Israel since 5 December, when five Israelis were killed by a suicide bomber outside a shopping centre in Netanya.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/20/2006
07:50 ||
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#1
Condemnation is a good start. Now go destroy the offices of Islamic Jihad/Damascus and I.J. and Al Quds officesthroughout the territories. And when the perpetrators complain, explain that acts of war invite retaliation upon the actors. And don't forget to knowck down the hovel of the young man's family, proclaiming, "Thus shall be done to those who support the man terrorists choose to honour."*
A rodent-eating snake and a hamster have developed an unusual bond at a zoo in the Japanese capital, Tokyo. Their relationship began in October last year, when zookeepers presented the hamster to the snake as a meal. The rat snake, however, refused to eat the rodent. The two now share a cage, and the hamster sometimes falls asleep sitting on top of his natural foe. "I have never seen anything like it," a zookeeper at the Mutsugoro Okoku zoo told the Associated Press News agency.
The hamster was initially offered to Aochan, the two-year-old rat snake, because it was refusing to eat frozen mice,. As a joke, the zookeeper said they named the hamster Gohan - the Japanese word for meal. "I don't think there's any danger. Aochan seems to enjoy Gohan's company very much," said zookeeper Kazuya Yamamoto. The apparent friendship between the snake and hamster is one of many reported bonds spanning the divide between predator and prey.
Why do I think this happy tale isn't going to last long?
Posted by: Steve ||
01/20/2006
07:39 ||
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#1
When I first saw this I wondered what was going on. Then I noticed the snakes eyes were showing signs of getting ready to shed. Most snakes aren't too keen on eating before sheding their skin. Also its winter alot of snakes go off feed during the winter. Of course there is a real danger to the snake if you leave a feeder rodent in the cage with it if its off feed, rodents have been known to use snakes as chew toys.
Posted by: bruce ||
01/20/2006 8:18
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Why do I think this happy tale isn't going to last long?
An ideologist of Wahhabism, Supyan Abdulayev, was destroyed in Chechnya on Wednesday. He was a ringleader of the gangs in the Vedeno region and led a group with foreign mercenaries, Chechen Interior Minister Ruslan Alkhanov told Itar-Tass. âOfficers of the criminal investigation agency of the Grozny Regional Interior Department and the OMON of the Chechen Interior Ministry found out on Wednesday that three active participants in the gang led by Shamil Basayev were hiding in a dwelling house of the village Agishty of the Shali region,â Alkhanov said. During a skirmish, all the three gunmen were killed. Their identity was established in the morning. âThese are Sypyan Abdulayev, a native of the Vedeno region, Movladi Magomadov and Salim Mustapayev,â the minister said.
According to the interior minister, Abdulayev was one of the closest associates of Basayev and one of the main ideologists of Wahhabism equally with Movladi Udugov and so-called minister of Shariat security Ismail Khalilov. Besides, according to the law enforcement bodies, Abdulayev was a member of the so-called supreme spiritual council of the mejlis of Ichkeria.
According to the Interior Ministry, the deputy chief of the battalion of the Grozny rural Interior Department died and a police officer got injuries in the operation. The gunmen had a lot of weapons with them. âThree Kalashnikov sub-machine-guns, three Makarov pistol, a Shmel flame thrower, six grenades, over 1,000 cartridges of different calibre and three radio stations were confiscated from them,â representatives the ministry said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/20/2006
00:33 ||
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While some analysts said bin Laden's reluctance to make himself more visible could be a sign of health problems -- his last videotape was aired in October 2004, days before the U.S. presidential election -- others surmised that he was more worried about his security.
"Every audio or video tape is potentially traceable by intelligence services," said Paul R. Pillar, former deputy chief of the CIA's Counterterrorism Center. "We hope they will make a mistake, but they are extra cautious."
A senior government counterterrorism official agreed that security was a factor behind the infrequent surfacings.
"This tape was in the pipeline for a while, because they took their time to get where it could be aired," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on the record. Whether for security or other reasons, the official said, bin Laden has largely delegated Zawahiri, his second-in-command, "to be the public face" of al Qaeda.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/20/2006
00:30 ||
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A new audiotape of Osama bin Laden is designed to counter Western intelligence speculation that the Al Qaeda leader has been cornered or killed, terrorism experts say - and to raise jitters that America's most wanted is still planning terrorist attacks.
"It proves two things," says Michael Scheuer, former head of the CIA's Bin Laden unit. "He's not dead. And despite all the things we say about him being isolated and alone, he can clearly dominate the international media when he wants to."
As in the past, the Islamist radical is also believed to be sending a message as much to the Muslim world as to the United States.
In a brief audiotape aired Thursday on Arab television station Al Jazeera, the speaker scoffs at claims that US antiterrorism measures are the reason no more attacks have hit the US since Sept. 11, 2001. Instead, the speaker says, further attacks are in preparation and "you will see them in your houses as soon as they are complete, God willing."
In a new twist, the speaker refers to rising US public opinion against the war in Iraq and says, "We have no objection to responding to this with a long-term truce." In an April 2004 tape, bin Laden offered Europe a truce - a move some analysts saw at the time as an effort to exploit a divide among Western allies over Iraq and antiterrorist measures.
In the same way, bin Laden might be trying to take advantage of what he sees as divisions in the US - although some analysts caution against reading more into the latest tape than a basic desire to reaffirm that the terrorist leader is alive and well.
"He's saying that whatever measures we've taken, they have not affected him," says Judith Yaphe, a former CIA Middle East analyst now at the National Defense University in Washington. "He's got to reassure people that he's alive and well."
Experts in South Asia, where bin Laden is assumed to remain in hiding, agree.
"There has been this long discussion in the media - is Osama bin Laden alive, is he dead, why hasn't he spoken, et cetera? So this is probably a reaction to that," says Ahmed Rashid, author of "The Taliban" and a longtime observer of jihadist groups in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Of course, if the voice on the tape does turn out to be confirmed as bin Laden's, it does not necessarily prove that bin Laden is unaffected by US and other counterterrorism measures aimed at him and other Al Qaeda operatives.
"It's extremely easy for him to get a message out like this," says Mr. Scheuer, the former US intelligence analyst. "It can be delivered from anywhere in the world" but still appear as though he is doing just fine. On a tape, he adds, "a pup tent can be made to look like a palace."
Still, the tape holds particular messages - both to the US, in the form of an offered "truce," and to the Muslim world, Scheuer says.
The truce offer is not unlike the overture bin Laden made to Europeans in April 2004, he says.
"[The] Madrid [bombings] came first [in March 2004], then he offered the truce, and then there were the London bombings," Scheuer says. "So I think we have to take him at his word here."
But then there is his message to Muslims. One goal is probably to reconfirm bin Laden's standing among Muslims as a leader.
"This says, 'I am the equal of George Bush,' " Ms. Yaphe notes, in the sense of a global player able to make a decision with global impact.
Other experts agree, noting that whatever Al Qaeda leaders may be trying to communicate to the US, they - like all wartime leaders - first and foremost are speaking to the homefront.
"Their real message is meant for consumption by their followers and potential recruits," says Brian Jenkins, a terror expert at the Rand Corp. in Santa Monica, Calif. "It says, No. 1, Osama bin Laden is still in charge. By his communications, by him saying he has been busy preparing operations ... his offer of a truce - all of these are an assertion of leadership."
Beyond that, Mr. Jenkins adds, "It says he is in operational control," something that has been widely debated among analysts. "What [Bin Laden] is saying here is not only is he the leader, but that he also runs operations."
Scheuer says the truce offer "is perfectly consonant with Islamic history. Muslim leaders from the Prophet to Saladin were ready to make a temporary [truce] with the infidels if they thought it would benefit Muslims." The point, he adds, is that "this will resonate very loudly in the Islamic world."
In the tape, the speaker refers specifically to a truce to allow a rebuilding in Iraq and Afghanistan. "What they would love, of course, is if we would just back out of Afghanistan and Iraq," Scheuer says, in part to allow the reestablishment of the Islamic caliphate to begin there.
"For the caliphate to be built, they have to have a political state from which to start," he says. "That's why Al Qaeda valued the Taliban so much. Now they view Iraq in the way they viewed Afghanistan."
With the new tape surfacing on the heels of this week's CIA-directed attack on suspected Al Qaeda strongholds in Pakistani tribal areas, some observers speculate the tape may be an effort to establish Al Qaeda's operability after the attack. But Mr. Rashid says that is unlikely.
"I don't see how he could have reacted so quickly to the recent Predator attack," he says, referring to the unmanned craft that was used to carry out the bombing.
In any case, Rashid says information about the effects of the raid is so confused that it is looking less like a counterterrorist triumph even without bin Laden's input.
"The problem is that the story in the media, as told by the Pakistani government, keeps changing so many times" he says. "The latest story is that they killed the son of [Ayman] Zawahiri [the Al Qaeda No. 2 leader], but in the villages they say it was all local people."
In the future, he adds, "this could damage America's ability to say in the end, 'We got him.' "
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/20/2006
00:25 ||
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#1
[bin Laden] can clearly dominate the international media when he wants to
#2
"This says, 'I am the equal of George Bush,' "
No, being able to make a cassette recording in some mud hut in Western Pakistan just means your batteries haven't run out yet. It doesn't put you on par with the leader of the world's superpower.
#3
1. Actually they quote more than just Scheuer here and Scheuer isn't the fellow quoted in the 'on par with Bush' remark.
2. Actually, it should be obvious that Bin Laden is hoping to raise his status viz a viz Zarkawi or the PM of Iran. It's the terrorist version of the NH primary campaign.
The Central Intelligence Agency said last night that the voice on a tape claiming preparation for an Al-Qaeda attack on the United States was Osama bin Ladenâs. In the audio tape Bin Laden warns that Al-Qaeda is preparing new attacks inside the US, but says the group is open to a conditional truce with Americans. It was the first public communication from the terrorist groupâs leader since December 2004.
âFollowing technical analysis of the Osama bin Laden tape aired today, the CIA assesses that it was the voice of Osama bin Laden,â said an agency official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official provided no details about how the CIA had concluded that the voice was that of Bin Laden.
The agencyâs finding is sure to intensify the scrutiny that officials from the US and other countries are giving the recording. US counter-terrorism officials said despite the tape, they had seen no specific or credible intelligence to indicate an imminent Al-Qaeda attack on the US.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/20/2006
00:23 ||
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#2
Were there any direct references to current events in the tape?
This POS could have been recorded years ago for release at a later time.
Without verification it really means nothing, except for the fact that cutting deals with The Great Satan brings no sort of uproar from the extremist community because all of them know that the offer of a hudna is worth less than used toilet paper.
#3
What I find interesting about the audio tape is not Binnie's parroting the Democratic Party line of how the war is a quagmire and we are losing or his silly offer of a 'truce'. It is the fact that the tape is an *audio* tape. Terrorism thrives on media attention and an announcement like this is a major media event. The fact that there is no video must mean that he is visually not ready for prime time. I can only hope that whatever ails him is both painful and debilitating. And that whatever cave he is hiding in is cold and drafty.
#4
I think the emergence of this tape is a wonderful thing, especially since it came out right after the Predator hit in Pakistan.
Binny is now a cartoon. He is a figure to be ridiculed. His movement is getting its ass kicked all over the place. It is alienating those whom it most needs for support. It is fast becoming a focus of derision and scorn.
If this tape indicats that he is alive, it illustrates that he is weak beyond measure. His call for truce is a message of weakness. His assertion that his side is winning in Iraq and Afghanistan is obvious delusion. The vaunted "Arab Street" can see that as plain as the nose on their face. While they may not admit it to an infidel, they still won't miss it.
No one wants to join up with a loser. Binny is every bit the loser right now. Thanks for helping pal. (The release of this tape is so good, that I think Rove is behind it!)
Experts who were asked to investigate allegations of fraud in Iraq's elections in December released a positive report on Thursday, concluding that the vote was flawed but declining to endorse calls for new elections.
The report came as Iraqis braced for the expected release of the election results on Friday, an event that is likely to be met with a surge of insurgent attacks, American military officials say.
The report, by the International Mission for Iraqi Elections, a monitoring group based in Jordan, noted that some vote-rigging had been documented, and added that "some additional fraud in all probability went undetected, although its exact extent is impossible to determine under current circumstances." But the panel generally praised the election as an impressive exercise of democracy under difficult conditions.
Sunni Arab and secular politicians, whose accusations prompted the investigation, expressed disappointment about the report, which was released via e-mail.
"It's a bit contradictory: they mention a number of violations, but they come up with a conclusion that this is an achievement," said Mehdi al-Hafedh, a candidate in the National List, a secular slate led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. "From our point of view, they didn't give enough attention to the negative aspects."
The report was released hours after a suicide bomber wearing an explosive belt walked into a crowded Baghdad coffee shop that is popular with police officers and blew himself up, the first of two explosions on the same street on Thursday that left 15 people dead and 46 wounded.
Five minutes after the first blast, a car bomb exploded on the street outside, just as emergency vehicles were starting to arrive. The attackers appeared to have been aiming at a police patrol that was parked outside the shop, where some of the officers were eating. But only three of the dead and almost none of those injured were officers, Interior Ministry officials said.
The double bombing, in a crowded area full of open markets just off Sadoun Street, shattered windows and facades on most of a city block, leaving shrapnel and human remains scattered on the sidewalks. The blasts destroyed five cars that were parked on the street, including a police vehicle.
An hour after the attack, the blackened hulks of the cars remained on the street alongside the skeletal metal remains of the car that had contained the bomb. Nearby, police officers in blue camouflage uniforms sobbed openly, banging their fists on the hoods of their patrol cars, and they barred reporters from coming closer.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Insurgents have made it clear that Iraq's new police force is one of their chief targets, and they have often struck at cafes and restaurants where officers gather, including one especially gruesome attack in Baghdad two months ago that killed 29 people.
The attacks on Thursday came a day after the bodies of 36 Iraqis were discovered in two villages north of Baghdad; all of them had been shot. The pattern of violence has been uneven since the December elections, with a burst of deadly attacks in early January followed by a lull, and a rise in the past few days.
The release of the election results on Friday is likely to prompt a surge in insurgent attacks, Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, a spokesman for the American command, said at a news conference on Thursday.
Some Sunni Arab insurgent groups abstained from attacks during the December elections, apparently in the hope that an unhindered vote would allow more Sunni Arab representation in the new Parliament. But early returns have suggested that the main Shiite political alliance dominated the vote, as it did in last January's elections.
If the preliminary results confirm or deepen that trend, some Sunni insurgents are likely to respond violently. Other insurgents, notably the Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, have made it clear that they aim to destabilize the new government no matter what its makeup.
"Zarqawi still has a significant capability to surge, and conduct acts of violence," General Lynch said. "We expect he'll do the same thing around the time election results are released."
Mr. Zarqawi's willingness to attack civilians has led to some skirmishes between his network and Iraqi resistance fighters. Over the past few days, two tribal sheiks and a cleric from the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi, west of Baghdad, have been killed in what may have been an extension of that conflict.
At least two of the men had taken part in a meeting on Sunday with Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari where, it was widely rumored, they discussed an agreement to help fight Mr. Zarqawi's group, Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia. American and Iraqi officials said they were not aware of any such discussions.
"The Jaafari visit is the reason behind the killings of those two sheiks," said Hamid Turki al-Showka, another sheik from a Ramadi tribe, who lives in Baghdad.
Sheik Turki identified the three murdered men as Nasir Abdul Karim al-Mukhlif of the Bufahad tribe, who was killed Monday; Abdul Ghafar al-Rawi, an imam who was killed Tuesday; and Muhammad Sadagh al-Shlebawi.
On Thursday, Mary Beth Carroll, the mother of a kidnapped American journalist, Jill Carroll, appealed for her daughter's release, appearing on the CNN program "American Morning" to say the kidnappers had "picked the wrong person." The journalist, 28, was abducted in western Baghdad on Jan. 7. She appeared in a videotape released Tuesday by Al Jazeera television that said the kidnappers had threatened to kill her if all women held in American custody in Iraq were not released by Friday.
Pentagon officials said they were not aware of any plans to release any women, The Associated Press reported. A detention review board of Iraqis and Americans recommended the release of six Iraqi women earlier this week, but Iraqi officials said that decision was not related to the kidnappers' demand.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/20/2006
00:22 ||
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I'm not sure about this. The anti-Americans and Communists did not do so well. That's not right.
Posted by: Jimmy Carter ||
01/20/2006 8:29
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Pakistani agents continued their hunt for two pro-Taleban clerics who dined with top Al Qaeda operatives the night of last weekâs US missile strike, hoping to determine who was killed in the attack.
Pakistani officials say Faqir Mohammed and Liaqat Ali were likely responsible for burying - and concealing - the bodies of as many as four Al Qaeda operatives killed in the US assault that targeted, but missed, the networkâs No. 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahri.
Mohammed reportedly returned near the scene of the attack in Pakistanâs tribal region two days later to lead an anti-US protest.
âThe government is actively hunting for them,â a senior government official with high-level access to information on the Damadola attack said on Thursday.
âOnce we have them in custody, more will definitely be revealedâ about that night, said the official, who declined to be identified because of the sensitive nature of the investigation.
Officials have said four or five foreign militants were killed in last Fridayâs attack in Damadola, a village near the Afghan border. They say the airstrike targeted - but missed - al-Zawahri. It also killed 13 local people, outraging many in the Islamic country.
Chemical weapons expert Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar may be among the senior Al Qaeda operatives killed in the attack, Pakistani intelligence officials said.
Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao, who was in New York with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, said the bodies may have been removed by Mohammed - who was born in the small hamlet of Sewai just a few kilometers (miles) from Damadola.
The official said a count of hastily dug graves after the airstrike generated new information. At least two of the graves had no bodies, but were filled in with dirt anyway.
Three other graves were dug and left empty, apparently because those initially thought to have been killed were later discovered alive.
âThe search for people, dead or alive, is still ongoing,â said Shah Zaman Khan, the governmentâs top spokesman for the tribal regions bordering Afghanistan.
Mohammed and Aliâs movements since the attack make them prime suspects in the supposed concealment of the bodies, officials say.
They were both in Damadola at the time of the pre-dawn assault, but escaped unscathed, according to Pakistani intelligence officials.
Soon after, the clerics returned to lead funeral rites for the victims. Then they came back again to lead a large protest against the allegedly CIA-led sortie.
Mohammed and Ali mobilized around 8,000 armed men to fight US forces after its invasion of Afghanistan following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States, Pakistani officials said.
The two are already wanted for harboring terrorists, and the government has outlawed their Islamic group, Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi, or Movement for the Enforcement of Islamic Law.
In May last year, security forces raided their homes in Hewai, arresting at least a dozen suspected terrorists from Uzbekistan. They were not present then.
The News, a widely circulated Pakistani national newspaper, quoted Mohammed as saying earlier this week that he âwould offer refugeâ to al-Zawahri âif he made a request.â
âIt is my wish to meet al-Zawahri because he is a soldier of Islam,â it quoted him as saying.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/20/2006
00:20 ||
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#1
Thanks to the hard work of disciplined men in our services doing an often thankless job several top Al Quaeda leaders were turned into canon fodder.
No thanks to the liberals who would do anything to undermine the good work of our heroes and who are indistinguishable from anti-American protesters who honor terrorists as freedom fighters while painting Americans as terrorists worthy of their evil attacks.
We would be justified and it's about time our forces make incursion into these tribal regions to settle some scores.
And it's time to twist some arms of these "innocent" tribal supporters (The McCain kid glove method only works in EU elite politics.).
Only after we rat these terrorists out will terrorism subside.
Turning the reigns of power over to liberals will only make things worse.
Antiterror police have arrested two more men alleged to have links with fugitive Malaysian terrorist Noordin M. Top, who has been accused of masterminding a series of deadly bombings in Indonesia.
Joko Wibowo, 25, alias Abu Sayap, was arrested in the Central Java town of Karanganyar on Wednesday, while Ibnu Pramono, 30, in Semarang on Tuesday evening, police and relatives said on Thursday.
Joko was arrested by the elite antiterror police as he was believed to be a close friend of Noordin, a key leader of the al-Qaeda-linked Jamaah Islamiyah hard-line network blamed for several terrorist attacks in Indonesia, including the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings that killed 202 people, mainly foreign tourists.
At the time of the arrest police also seized a revolver and 30 rounds of various kinds of ammunition, including M-16 bullets belonging to the suspect.
Meanwhile, Ibnu was arrested by antiterror police at his home in Central Java's Semarang on Tuesday evening, said Ibnu's brother-in-law Sugeng Romadhon on Thursday.
"I don't know why Ibnu was arrested as he did not exhibit any strange behavior or had not joined any organizations. He worked as a mathematics teacher at nearby Pedurungan Kidul I elementary school," Sugeng said.
The arrest warrant stated that Ibnu had regularly lent his motorcycle to unidentified clerics, Sugeng said.
Both Joko and Ibnu were believed to be close to Subur Sugiarto alias Abu Mujahid, 35, who was nabbed by police, also in Central Java, on Tuesday afternoon while he was taking a bus to Jakarta.
Subur, who is a teacher of Islam, was believed to have encouraged the three suicide bombers who blew up restaurants in Bali in October last year, in which 20 people were killed.
Police raided Subur's house in Kendal near Semarang in November and found ammunition in the form of 40 M-16 bullets, 40 pistol bullets, books on Islam, VCD recordings, bomb-making manuals as well as documents that led to his name being added to a list of terror suspects.
The arrests of both Joko and Ibnu as well as Subur brings the number of captured hard-liners believed to have helped Noordin evade capture to eight over the last few days.
The other five were Ardi Wibowo, Joko (not Joko Wibowo), Wahyu, Puji Srimulyono (all of them in Semarang) and Aditya in Klaten, Central Java.
The recent arrests have been confirmed by Central Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Dody Sumantyawan, who said that the arrests were part of police efforts to develop their investigation into terrorist networks in Central Java.
"We have complete data, including the ones linked to a murder case in 2001 in Surakarta," he said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/20/2006
00:19 ||
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Security forces on Thursday arrested five suspected foreign militants from Swat. All of them are said to be Afghans. They were arrested in two raids in the town of Matta. Those arrested include Ammaduddin, Farooq, Majidullah and Shafiullah, whereas the identity of the fifth suspect could not be ascertained.
The foreigners are believed to be Al Qaeda operatives and are Afghans and hail from Nooristan area of the bordering country.
Three of them were arrested from a mosque in Matta and two picked up from a house in the same area.
They have been shifted to an undisclosed destination for investigation.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/20/2006
00:17 ||
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Police captured three Islamic militants suspected of links to an Al Qaeda linked terror network blamed for a series of bloody attacks in Indonesia, police and media reports said on Friday.
The men were detained Thursday in central Java province, Koran Tempo daily reported, adding that they were believed to be linked with Southeast Asian terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, which is accused of two attacks on the resort island of Bali that killed more than 220 people.
Police spokesman Col. Bambang Kuncoko confirmed police had arrested some suspects but could not release more information out of fears of jeopardizing âongoing investigations in the field.â
He said police could hold the men for seven days before having to charge or release them.
Koran Tempo said the men were believed to have links with Noordin Top, a Malaysian militant alleged to be a senior member of Jemaah Islamiyah.
Police on Thursday said they had arrested a âhenchmanâ of Noordin in another raid in central Java earlier this week.
Last week, police arrested four suspects on Java island, three of whom they said had links to Noordin. It is unclear whether those four have been charged or released.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/20/2006
00:15 ||
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Just keep chipping away at them and soon enough we will end them. Good job.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
01/20/2006 21:00
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The Bush administration offered its fullest defense to date Thursday of the National Security Agency's domestic eavesdropping program, saying that authorization from Congress to deter terrorist attacks "places the president at the zenith of his powers in authorizing the N.S.A. activities."
In a 42-page legal analysis, the Justice Department cited the Constitution, the Federalist Papers, the writings of presidents both Republican and Democratic, and dozens of scholarly papers and court cases in justifying President Bush's power to order the N.S.A. surveillance program.
With the legality of the program under public attack since its disclosure last month, officials said Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales ordered up the analysis partly in response to what administration lawyers felt were unfair conclusions in a Jan. 6 report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. The Congressional report challenged virtually all the main legal justifications the administration had cited for the program.
Vice President Dick Cheney, meanwhile, once again defended the N.S.A. eavesdropping operation in a speech Thursday as "critical to the national security of the United States," even as House Democrats prepared to hold an unofficial hearing on Friday into a program that they charge is illegal and unconstitutional. Mr. Cheney is also scheduled to meet with Congressional leaders on Friday at a separate, closed-door briefing on the program.
When the Senate Judiciary Committee conducts an open hearing on the eavesdropping on Feb. 6, Attorney General Gonzales is expected to testify. The session organized for Friday by Democrats is intended to spotlight critics of the program; administration officials will not use that forum to offer a defense. The White House has invited some members of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees to attend a briefing on Friday, according to Rep. Jane Harman of California, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.
The analysis released Thursday by the Justice Department, with comments from lawyers throughout the department, expanded on the legal arguments made in two still-classified legal opinions as well as in a slimmer letter that the department sent to Congress last month.
The basic thrust of the legal justification was the same - that the president has inherent authority as commander in chief to order wiretaps without warrants and that the N.S.A. operation does not violate either a 1978 law governing intelligence wiretaps or the Fourth Amendment ban on unreasonable searches.
This month's Congressional Research Service report was particularly critical of the administration's claim that the N.S.A. program was justified by a resolution passed by Congress three days after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, authorizing the use of "all necessary and appropriate force" against those responsible for the terrorist acts.
The research service report found there was no indication that Congress intended to authorize warrantless wiretaps when it gave President Bush the authority to fight Al Qaeda and invade Afghanistan. But the Justice Department did not back away from its position in Thursday's report, saying the type of "signals intelligence" used in the N.S.A. operation clearly falls under the Congressional use-of-force authorization.
"The president has made clear that he will exercise all authority available to him, consistent with the Constitution, to protect the people of the United States," the report said.
The Congressional authorization on the use of force, it added, "places the president at the zenith of his powers in authorizing the N.S.A. activities."
But many critics of the program, which allows the agency to eavesdrop on international phone calls and e-mail messages to and from American citizens and others within the United States, said that they remained unconvinced.
"The administration's latest justification for circumventing the law to spy on Americans falls far short of answering the many questions Congress and the American people have about this activity," said Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic leader. "That is why there have been bipartisan calls for administration officials to come to Congress to answer these questions and ensure that the Judiciary and Intelligence Committees can thoroughly investigate the administration's actions."
Attorney General Gonzales sent Thursday's document to Mr. Reid and to Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the majority leader. While the report did not go into many operational details of the program, it sought to bolster the case for the president to retain inherent power to order warrantless searches in the United States as part of the seeking of information on foreign agents.
That authority, the Justice Department analysis said, is consistent with a three-part test established by the Supreme Court in a 1952 case, Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company v. Sawyer, which struck down President Harry S. Truman's authority to seize the nation's steel mills in the name of national security.
Nor does the N.S.A. program conflict, the Justice Department said, with what many legal analysts had regarded as the exclusive authority for intelligence wiretaps under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, passed by Congress in 1978 in response to Watergate-era political abuses. Some presidential powers, particularly in the area of national security, are simply "beyond Congress' ability to regulate," it said.
Vice President Cheney, who was actively involved in the creation of the N.S.A. program and has been a vigorous advocate for expanded presidential power, echoed that in a speech on Thursday before the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research in New York.
While some current and former officials have challenged the value of the N.S.A. program in deterring an attack on American soil, the vice president said: "The activities conducted under this authorization have helped us to detect and prevent possible terrorist attacks against the American people. As such, this program is critical to the national security of the United States."
President Bush and Mr. Cheney have been critical of the public disclosure of the program in The New York Times, and the Justice Department has opened an investigation into the disclosure. Mr. Cheney acknowledged in his speech that "a spirited debate is now under way, and our message to the American people is clear and straightforward: These actions are within the president's authority and responsibility under the Constitution and laws, and these actions are vital to our security."
But Robert Reinstein, dean of the law school at Temple University, said in an interview that he considered the eavesdropping program "a pretty straightforward case where the president is acting illegally," and he said there appeared to be a broad consensus among legal scholars and national security experts that the administration's legal arguments were weak.
The foreign intelligence law passed by Congress in 1978 represents the Bush administration's biggest legal hurdle, he said. "When Congress speaks on questions that are domestic in nature, I really can't think of a situation where the president has successfully asserted a constitutional power to supersede that," he said.
Two leading civil rights groups brought lawsuits this week aimed at ending the N.S.A. program, and several lawyers representing defendants in terrorism cases are also seeking to challenge the program on the grounds that it may have been improperly used in criminal prosecutions.
Mr. Reinstein predicted that the court would ultimately declare the program unconstitutional. "This is domestic surveillance over American citizens for whom there is no evidence or proof that they are involved in any illegal activity, and it is in contravention of a statute of Congress specifically designed to prevent this," he said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/20/2006
00:14 ||
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One is believed to be a chemical weapons expert, another allegedly plotted assassinations. A third planned attacks targeting U.S. troops, while a son-in-law publicized their exploits in the name of al-Qaeda and recruited new militants.
Now this top group is believed to have been wiped out by a U.S. missile strike. If true, it's far from a death blow to al-Qaeda, but analysts say it could weaken the terror group's operations in Afghanistan, which has seen an alarming rise in suicide attacks.
The strike apparently missed al-Qaeda's second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahri. And an audiotape aired Thursday, the first public communication from Osama bin Laden in over a year, suggests the terror network's top leaders are alive.
But the possible demise of four top lieutenants reported by Pakistani officials would rob al-Qaeda of people holding the reins to daily operations.
"It's a very significant blow to al-Qaeda," said Rohan Gunaratna, a terrorism expert at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies in Singapore. "These are very experienced leaders and to replace them in the short term will be very difficult."
The Jan. 13 attack on an Islamic holiday gathering in Damadola killed 13 villagers in the Pakistani hamlet near the Afghan border, and possibly four or five foreign militants whose bodies were reportedly spirited away by sympathizers.
None of the militants' bodies has been traced, but Pakistani officials say they likely included Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, an al-Qaeda explosives expert with a $5 million bounty on his head.
He allegedly tested chemical weapons on dogs and trained hundreds of fighters at a terror camp in Afghanistan before the fall of the Taliban in late 2001. Terrorism experts believe that among his students were the suicide bombers who killed 17 U.S. sailors on the USS Cole in 2000.
Another likely victim is Abdul Rehman al-Maghribi, a Moroccan believed to be al-Zawahri's son-in-law, who acted as a PR man for the terror group, distributing CDs and videos to publicize its exploits and attract new followers.
But the biggest quarry could be Khalid Habib, al-Qaeda's operations chief along the Afghan-Pakistan border â from where militants can launch attacks on U.S. forces and Afghan government targets. Pakistani officials also accuse him of planning two assassination attempts on Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf.
"You can say he's the No. 3 leader," Gunaratna said. "As the chief operations officer, he decides who gets hit and when."
Afghanistan's Defense Ministry spokesman, Gen. Mohammed Zahir Azimi, said it was too early to tell what effect the missile strike would have on the insurgency in Afghanistan.
But Assadullah Wafa, governor of Afghanistan's Kunar region bordering the area around Damadola, said the attack would seriously damage morale.
"I can't imagine there will be any retaliatory strikes," he said. "They will regroup and then keep a low profile to make sure they're not hit again."
Based in Wafa's home province is another suspected casualty of the attack, Abu Obaidah al-Masri. He is believed to be in charge of planning attacks on U.S.-led coalition forces in the area, which Pakistan says are forbidden from crossing the border in pursuit of militants.
Talat Masood, a retired Pakistani general, said the loss of four top operatives would keep al-Qaeda on the defensive in Afghanistan and away from the planning board.
"They have fewer and fewer hiding places," Masood said. "People should be more hesitant to give them sanctuary."
Thousands of Pakistanis have taken to the streets to protest the attack, including more than 1,000 in the northwestern city of Peshawar on Thursday. They denounced the United States and called for the resignation of Musharraf, accusing him of being an American puppet. More rallies were planned Friday.
"Pakistan should not fight against al-Qaeda because this is America's war," said Qazi Hussain Ahmed, head of an anti-U.S. religious alliance.
But that anger may cool with confirmation that al-Qaeda leaders actually were at the blast site and not just villagers.
"It shows that U.S. intelligence might not have been so bad after all," said Ralph Cossa, president of the Pacific Forum think tank. "But I don't think we can fool ourselves into thinking this is a death blow. Al-Qaeda's a snake with many heads."
The war on terror has forced al-Qaeda to decentralize, experts say. Isolated on the remote Afghan-Pakistan border, bin Laden and al-Zawahri remain powerful symbols for followers but are probably unable to direct operations around the world.
Masood predicted the U.S.-led coalition would step up military actions in the region to keep the pressure on al-Qaeda, regardless of public opposition in Pakistan.
"They will not be deterred by negative fallout," he said. "They think it's just collateral damage."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/20/2006
00:10 ||
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I believe we should follow the money on this one. Just like they accused the Jew's on 9/11, I think he set these guys up because they are cash strapped. I can see how it went down.
"You guys go ahead, I'm not feeleing well and Osama said I really really should watch this bootleg copy of Brokeback Mountain before visiting his tent next month. You guys have a good time with the boys"
#2
My take is the strike has forced "the base" to spent a lot of resources in the last week just proving they are still around. ABC says new tape from Z man expected today.
"...but I'm not dead yet! Quiet Old man, you will be dead by Sunday and they don't come around again until Thursday"
From Geostrategy-Direct, subscription.
MOSCOW â Egypt is weighing the purchase of advanced Russian-origin aircraft after 25 years of maintaining a U.S.-origin air fleet. Egypt has more than 220 F-16 multi-role fighters and has been negotiating to procure at least another 50 such platforms.
Russian industry sources said Moscow has briefed the Egyptian Defense Ministry and air force on several combat aircraft. They said Russia's Rosoboronexport has offered to transfer technology and enable Egyptian coproduction of any aircraft selected by the air force of the Arab League state. "Egypt has been considered a key target in Rosoboronexportâs marketing strategy in the Middle East," an industry source said. "The size of the aircraft deal is not the issue. Any Egyptian decision to purchase Russian combat aircraft would mark a major achievement."
Egypt has long considered the procurement of an advanced non-U.S. aircraft in an effort to challenge the Israeli air force, which depends on U.S. platforms. Egypt might be also using its negotiations with Russia as a lever to procure advanced aircraft and subsystems from the United States.
Sources said Cairo has examined the MiG-29SMT, regarded as the most advanced model of the MiG-29. Algeria and Libya have considered the aircraft, while Yemen has purchased 16 such platforms. RSK-MiG, the manufacturer of the MiG-29SMT and two-seater UBT, has offered to transfer technology and enable coproduction of the aircraft in Egypt, the sources said. Russia would also help Egypt establish maintenance and logistics facilities for regional service of MiG fighters. In addition, the Russian manufacturer has agreed to acquire scores of obsolete MiG-21 aircraft from Egypt as part of any deal for the MiG-29SMT. The sources said RSK-MiG would allow Egypt to defray some of the cost of the MiG-29 with the surplus MiG-21s.
Egypt has also been considering a partnership with several Arab allies to purchase the MiG-29SMT. Under the proposal, Egypt would join Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in a major aircraft program. Another option is for Egypt to join Gulf Cooperation Council states in procuring the MiG-AT jet trainer, the sources said. Under the proposal, MiG-AT, developed by EADS and RSK-MiG, would be coproduced in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. So they want MiGs because they want to fight the Israelis eventually with the rest of the Arabs. It just goes to show that they have a death wish, and that they rather spend their treasure on weapons when they do not really have the economy to support it. Or a sugar daddy like SA will support them. You cannot buy friends by giving them $2 billion annually.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/20/2006
00:09 ||
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Don't do it, Egypt! Half-kiloton groundburst Aswan Dam. Whoosh!
#2
Another of Carter's legacies. Cut Egypt loose and let the Arabs and Russians support them.
BTW, think the Egyptians found the remote off switch on their F-16s?
Posted by: ed ||
01/20/2006 8:19
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Mr. Wife told stories in the latter part of the 1980s about walking past soldiers on guard duty in Cairo, whose sandals and weapons both were held together by duct tape. His first factory start-up there took considerably longer than planned, because the local staff didn't realize that it isn't enough just to list the chemicals needed; someone has to actually place the order with the supplier and arrange for payment (!!!) And then the equipment kept breaking down because nobody did the maintenance necessary to keep desert rats from crawling into the lines and dieing there, and their little mummified bodies blocked the flow until something broke upstream, requiring the whole system be broken down and examined until the problem was found.
I wouldn't be terribly worried about the Egyptians acquiring expensive and temperamental equipment of the sort that needs ongoing maintenance by highly trained technicians. But of course I'm generalizing from unrelated data. ;-)
#4
My former employer built and still provides technical support for two facilities outside Cairo.
The secret is to a) establish and maintain a long-term relationship with the powers that be, b) select an Egyptian 'representative' who is on good terms with the government and the power structure, and c) ensure that he is compensated extremely well.
You might still get screwed, but it won't be any worse than any Egyptian would get in the course of doing business.
#8
MIG 21's - hhhhhhhmmmmmmmm, sounds like the Russians intend to either rebuild or resell. The planes they've been promo the last few years are the heavier types, not good for the Hi-Lo Mix.
#9
TW I wouldn't be terribly worried about the Egyptians acquiring expensive and temperamental equipment of the sort that needs ongoing maintenance by highly trained technicians. But of course I'm generalizing from unrelated data.
Actually TB, I've worked with both US and Soviet military equipment. The american has a much higher peak performance, but requires a lot more TLC. The soviet works---no matter what.
Vice President Dick Cheney dismissed Osama bin Laden's offer of a truce today â calling it "some kind of a ploy" â and said it is not possible to sit down and negotiate a settlement with al Qaeda.
"I'm not sure what he's offering by way of a truce," Cheney said. "I don't think anybody would believe him. [I]t sounds to me like it's some kind of a ploy, but again, not having seen the entire text or validated the tape and the timing of it, I'm reluctant to draw any conclusions.
In an interview with Fox News' Neil Cavuto this afternoon, Cheney said the United States does not negotiate with terrorists and dismissed any offer of a truce with al Qaeda.
"Well, based on what we've seen him do, based on what we've seen the organization do, I don't think it's possible to negotiate any kind of a settlement with terrorists like this," he said. "This is not an organization that's ever going to sit down and sign a truce. I think you have to destroy them. It's the only way to deal with them."
The vice president said the bin Laden tape serves as a good reminder of the terrorist threat that is out there.
"The fact of the matter is we have not been attacked in more than four years," Cheney said. "That is not an accident. It's not just dumb luck."
In a separate television interview with CNBC's Larry Kudlow, he said: "It's been more than four years since we've been attacked. I think a lot of people have sort of let down their guard and relaxed."
Bin Laden warned that security measures in the United States would not prevent future attacks. "As for the delay of inflicting similar operations, in America has not been due to any impossibility of breaking through your security measures, for those operations are under way and you will see them in your midst as soon as they are done," bin Laden said on the tape.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/20/2006
00:09 ||
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bin Laden's not exactly offering a truce:
"We do not object to a long-term truce with you on the basis of fair conditions that we respect."
Sounds like he'll take one if it's offered. Such magnaminity.
At the same time, bin Laden makes a plea to accept and uphold a long term truce under fair conditions [if America offers it to him], which will provide security and stability to both sides and will make it possible to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan. "We are a nation forbidden by Allah to betray and lie," promises bin Laden.
Contrary to mistranslations in the media, from Al-Jazeera for example,(1) bin Laden did not offer a truce, but made a plea to genuinely uphold one if America offers it to him.
#2
I admire the VP, but he missed two opportunities to educate, clarify, and inform.
Firstly, he should have been told about the difference between the Islamic style truce "hudna", and the Western style. He could have pointed out indisputable history regarding the use of the word by Mohammed. In this way, the usage of the word "hudna" as a synonym for a one-sided truce entered into without the intent of following through to a peace treaty, would have come into general knowledge and usage.
Secondly, he could have followed through on the observation that people "have let down their guards". He should have at least noted that any carrying out of an attack on american soil would necessarily involve some sort of communication between the locals and foreign terrorists, and that THANKS TO THE TIMES, the compromise of the NSA monitoring program comes at a time when Bin Laden has threatened an attack against the United States.
#3
Good observations Ptah. Worth emailing to the VP's office.
Posted by: ed ||
01/20/2006 9:35
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I'm soooooo impressed. This turd burglar commits the most heinous atrocity in American history, suddenly discovers that we're jamming rockets up his @ss at 0-dark-thirty every other week and decides to offer us a truce.
Piss up a rope you scumbag rectal cavity. If you aren't dead already, we'll be happy to make you that way real soon. You started this war and too f&%king bad if you don't have the testicular fortitude to see it through.
Your truce is worth less than used toilet paper.
Also, Ptah has it totally right. Once again, this administration has missed a vital opportunity to begin informing the American public about exactly what the Islamists hold in store for us.
"Hudna" should have featured prominently in Cheny's speech, along with a word-by-word translation from Arabic to English so that no doubts would be left.
Too bad Muslims are so blind to anything except their own cause to understand that bin Laden is effectively trying to cut a deal with "The Great Satan" whom no deals may be cut with, UNLESS ...
THE DEAL MEANS NOTHING BECAUSE THERE IS NO SINCERITY BEHIND IT.
In fact, I owe you an extra thank you, Ptah. This whole event moves me one degree closer to .com's "Fry 'em Up" stance.
IMPORTANT QUESTION:
If Islamist intransigence supposedly allows no quarter being given to the enemy, how is it possible for bin Laden to make this truce hudna offer to America The Great Satan without there being an uproar with in the extremist community?
As Ptah so brilliantly mentioned, "hudna" should have been exposed for the "one sided truce" that it is. The proof of this is as I said, the usual thundering silence from Islam as a whole at anything that seems to contradict its tenents.
These @ssholes strain on mosquitoes piggy banks and swallow camels atrocities whole.
How much longer is the West supposed to accept Islam's general unwillingness to criticize or clean its own house? As distasteful as I find reprisal mentality on the whole, at some point the world's Muslim population will have to be made to suffer in proportion to the atrocities their radicals inflict.
Islam's usual thundering silence, combined with their complete and total inaction in terms of actively estopping the spread of radicalism within their ranks (irony intended), continues to indicate that this is what they, as a collective faith, want from their religious leaders.
The time has come for Muslims to begin sharing our pain. Perhaps some other Rantburgers can help me come up with reprisals that are appropriate in scope for countering the predictable atrocities to come.
HERE'S A START:
A 10:1 deportation of newly arrived Muslims from any target country. Force ten times the number of recent Muslim arrivals to return to their country of origin. Make them waste all that plane fare and resettlement expense. Make it clear to them that this has happened due to yet another Islamist atrocity.
I am fed up to my teeth with this constant Islamic (not Islamist) perfidy. If we do not have the courage to take the shrines hostage or some other significant move, then we need to implement measures that begin to inflict hardship in proportion to the way that Islamists commit their atrocities.
Now Zen, there you go again. And as I said a couple of weeks ago, despite your claims to the contrary, I don't think you've changed a bit. Your "solutions" to the Islamic threat are still firmly ensconced in the "nuke 'em all" mentality.
An analysis/critique of your statements:
"If we do not have the courage to take the shrines hostage or some other significant move, then we need to implement measures that begin to inflict hardship in proportion to the way that Islamists commit their atrocities."
Taking a shrine "hostage" is a really stupid idea. Here's why: every middle of the road Moslem will then join with the jihadiis to defend the shrine. Any trust or alliance with non-Moslems will be destroyed, thus polarizing the forces in this conflict. It's a hell of way to turn into a payback magnet, yes? Besides, although these groups get funding from lots of sources, as well as rip off the well-meaning (is in the Islamic charity organization scams), these groups are not under the control of their sources of funding. So, let's say we take Mecca/Medina hostage and yell, "Stop it, you guys . . . I mean it!" Who's gonna stop it. They'd like it, actually, because it would catapult large (and I mean large) segments of the Moslem world population to their doorstep--mission complete.
You advocate another solution that won't work:
" . . . deportation of newly arrived Muslims from any target country. Force ten times the number of recent Muslim arrivals to return to their country of origin. Make them waste all that plane fare and resettlement expense. Make it clear to them that this has happened due to yet another Islamist atrocity."
Same problem here. Many moderate Moslems are fleeing their sucky homelands in search of something better. The rest are acting as an arm of jihad--they plan to settle, build enclaves, be ready to act against the host countries at a later time. Those types are the real problem, but it's impossible to weed them out from the legitimate refuge-seekers. So, what to do? We've got to keep watch on the "settlers," but sending plane loads of Moslems back to Moslem countries might allow a somewhat bizarre outlet for the message you want the terrorists to hear, but the wrong people will get punished. And the terrorists will seize on the unfairness, and use it to their advantage: "those meanie Americans, etc. ad nauseum. Despite what you might think, Islam is not very organized. It's not like there are official spokespeople that the general Moslem public rallies around and affirms. Islam, aside from what might be termed "scholarly (as in academic) Islam" is a total mess. So there's not a central "group" to appeal to, and there exists no leader, country, or organization to respond to the message of "we're sending you all back because of the bad ones--so there" The "run-of-the-mill Moslems who stand up against the gangster Moslems get punished in various and sundry ways--none of them pleasant, which intimidates others from trying to speak out. When they sense they won't become targets they will speak out and demonstrate as you saw in Lebanon recently--tens of thousands demonstrating against the terrorist hotel attacks. Most Moslems simply remain quiet and anonymous, but not always--the Iraqis showed up to their polls in droves, despite death threats (and they've had plenty of time to see the truth of those threats) and tried to participate in self-governance--for the first time in the history of the country. They, essentially, told the terrorists to stuff it. People are still people, Zen, and you've simply have got to try and remember that. So, to deport people randomly and en masse, for crimes committed by the whack-jobs, is counterproductive.
"The time has come for Muslims to begin sharing our pain. Perhaps some other Rantburgers can help me come up with reprisals that are appropriate in scope for countering the predictable atrocities to come."
Which Moslems? If you mean the terrorists and governments that support them, okay, no argument here. But you make no distinction. Reprisals that are appropriate in scope is to make sure the leadership in this country is not liberal-leaning, and to continue to fight the terrorists on their turf. Conceivably, it could get to the point where large-scale terrorist attacks happen and the country they are residing in does and says nothing (Iran and Syria and Saudi Arabia come to mind). That's a whole new ball game, and depending on about 3 million or more variables, military action greater than what's being exercised now, would come into play. But it would still be a targeted offensive, and not something against all Moslems. The fact remains that "all Moslems" should not have to share our pain, (and by "our pain" I think you mean 9-11). We can't just go wild, trying to "even the score." Can you see that using that approach would make us no different than they are, in respect to taking innocent lives? We lose the moral imperative that way.
"Islam's usual thundering silence, combined with their complete and total inaction in terms of actively estopping the spread of radicalism within their ranks (irony intended), continues to indicate that this is what they, as a collective faith, want from their religious leaders."
That's because there is no "Islam" per se. Again, it's nothing more than a loose-knit collective, of sorts. And again, many are quiet out of fear and confusion, not because they agree wholeheartedly with what's going on. They don't necessarily understand their leaders or their religion, and a lot of them want to be "good Moslems" so they just watch from the sidelines. Stupid, I know, but not as atrocious as it seems at first. Some have tried to hold leaders to accountability, and others have elected governors who are committed to finding and eliminating terrorists. But when so-and-so next door is a gun-wielding gangster idiot, it's tough for the average un-self-actualized Moslem to know what to do, or who to go to, and families can be divided. Some have been suckered into the rhetoric, others want a way out. Finally, the subjugation of women has a lot to do with the problem. Without the kind of healthy, life-oriented focus men can benefit from when women are held in esteem in a society, things can get really rotten really quickly. It's not everything, but it is an aspect of the problem. Interestingly, the little (Moslem) girl refugees are doing very well in school, are excelling socially, like school and their teachers and fellow students, whereas the boys aren't. Girls will tend toward order, societal structure, and freedom, in a way boys won't, given the givens of the Moslem culture. Another reason too, why the men start to feel so threatened by the change in the girls/women after they leave Moslem countries. In a very real way, there is a quiet revolution going on. Not disimilar to the Iranians boycotting the polls everytime there's an "election" run by and for the Iranian mullahs. Give it some time. There are, I wager, more for us in the Moslem world, than there are against us. The advent of the internet and access to information also will pan out. The terrorist/mini-dictators can't control the signal. This too, works in our favor.
"How much longer is the West supposed to accept Islam's general unwillingness to criticize or clean its own house? As distasteful as I find reprisal mentality on the whole, at some point the world's Muslim population will have to be made to suffer in proportion to the atrocities their radicals inflict.""
But there IS criticism. I read it here and elsewhere often. "Cleaning it's own house" is a little tricky, because you have to ask yourself, "who are the 'cleaners'?" Average citizens? Are they supposed to go and beat up the local imam? What would happen if they did? How would ignorant and uninformed people within their own communities react? Even so, in Iraq now, more and more information is finding its way into the hands of the American and Iraqi forces regarding terrorist weapons caches and people and plans.
Next, you say, "As distasteful as I find reprisal mentality on the whole, at some point the world's Muslim population will have to be made to suffer in proportion to the atrocities their radicals inflict." Honestly, I don't think you find reprisal mentality distasteful in the least. The very next thing you say is that the "world's Muslim population will have to be made to suffer . . . " Oh really? Which ones? Everyone? Everyone, even though the percentage of radicals is miniscule in comparison to the general population? Even though many Moslems disagree with the aims, agenda, and actions of the terrorists? Let me put it another way, in another context: Should all men who are practicing homosexuality be made to suffer and pay because a small number of them threaten and attack others who voluntarily cease practicing homosexuality and try to leave the lifestyle/community? Of course not. As much as we might not like homosexuality, per se, it would still be wrong to punish all homosexuals for the crimes of a few. And to follow, where, oh where, is the expressed outrage, where is the collective homosexual demonstrations against such homosexually-fomented violence? Are they just obeying and agreeing with their homosexual leaders? You see? Nobody wants to take blame for the actions of others. You can't make the whole Moslem world pay for the actions of the gangsters.
On a positive not, I found your comments at the beginning of your piece very funny, entertaining, and to the point. The utter impossibility of Bin Laden offering America a "truce" is so entirely absurd, that I think you put it best: "This turd burglar commits the most heinous atrocity in American history, suddenly discovers that we're jamming rockets up his @ss at 0-dark-thirty every other week and decides to offer us a truce."
Ha! LOL.
Now, regarding you and Ptah'criticism of Cheney, I have this to say. Sure, it would have been nice for him to unpack that (hudna), but only for educated, intellectual people who have more than a six-second attention span. People wouldn't get it. Mass tune-out. But he DID say the U.S. "does not negotiate with terrorists and dismissed any offer of a truce with al Qaeda."
"Well, based on what we've seen him (Bin Laden) do, based on what we've seen the organization do, I don't think it's possible to negotiate any kind of a settlement with terrorists like this," he said. "This is not an organization that's ever going to sit down and sign a truce. I think you have to destroy them. It's the only way to deal with them."
AND
"The fact of the matter is we have not been attacked in more than four years . . . That is not an accident. It's not just dumb luck."
Point made.
As far as appropriate reprisals now? Our measures are working. And also, one must never overlook the fact of an armed population in the U.S.(as opposed to Europe and the UK) being a formidable deterrent to terrorists. Afterall, the baddies KNOW their next-door neighbor might have one or more guns in his/her car/home, and if so, would more than likely know how to use them. Kinda rains on their parade, don't it? For now, the solution is straightforward, though somewhat unsatisfying: We have to keep hunting them down, just like we're doing. Stronger force and measure could be advanced in present targeted attack protocols, but it's an imprecise science at best. Mostly it's a test of nerves, courage, and the ability to both wait and maintain the moral ascendancy.
Zen, I understand your passion and fury. But I believe itâs misdirected. And really, despite your touting and spouting, I have to wonder if you would really shoot innocents, even if they were Moslem. I mean I don't think so, but we have to be careful with our rhetoric, because words are powerful things. Do this: Picture the Islamic bad boys lined up against a fence. Then sprinkle in Mom-and-Pop restaurant owner, Moslem scholar, a few teenagers, kids, college students--some have hajibs, some look like your average westerner--some are supermodels, some are film makers, some are dissidents against Islamic terrorism, but still maintain their Moslem identity, which they define for themselves. Now I give you an M16, and say "kill the terrorists and terrorsist sympathizers!" What would you do? Think about it. Would you just mow them all down? Now letâs separate them--put the baddies on one side, leave a space, and put the other average types on the other side. Would you still shoot everyone?
#7
As a sidenote, re #2, I'm always surprized (and a bit worried, given that I'm affected by this too as a westerner) by the inability of the Bush's administrations to get its points in PR.
I mean, I'm mostly ok with what GWB has done so far (I'd like more, faster, but that's ok like that; also, no comment on the domestic political scenery, I can't judge), I think his two administrations have done a good job (especially given the circumstances, GWB was really a great leader right after 9/11 imho), both seen an unseen, but... they've let the other side impose their vision of the Iraq war, of Guantanomo, they're always on the defnesive, they didn't expose the Iran-AQ connection, they didn't expose the Saddam-terror connection, they trapped themselves with the wmd by using them as a rationale for going to war with un approval to suit Blair and Powell and not explaining what they have actually *found*, what were Saddam's contingency plans (preplanned guerilla, probably moving away/destroying his stash, as Ion Pacepa said was the soviet way), by not acknowledging Iran's acts of wars,...
I mean, it's like they shy away from confronting the msm, which are indeed very hostile. It's a lost cause in Europe, but I'm sure if they had done a better job of explaining what they were doing and why, the US public would be mature and wise enough to understand.
The Us people support their troops because they are patriotical, but they should also support the Wot & the "gamble" undertaken (draining the swamp), because it concerns their future.
Instead, it's a field day for the fifth column. Why don't they hit back, not with spin, but with simple facts?
#8
The media carefully selects what it will and will not relay to the American public, and more often than not, their pick-and-choose is designed to fulfill their agendas--so even if the Bush Administration is saying it loud and clear, we'll never hear it. End of story, sorry to say.
#10
ex-lib: I disagree with your low estimation of the ability of the american public to grasp a new term, especially if it is carefully couched in simple and familiar terms. For instance, "It's like the losing football team asking the winning team's coach to call a time-out to break the momentum of the game when it has swung in his favor and against the losers. No coach that is winning is stupid enough to do THAT." I am sure that there are other metaphors that can be used.
Code words and phrases that abstract strategies is already accepted in the American language: i.e. the term "Munich", or the phrase "Peace in our time" as a code term/phrase for a failed strategy. Hell, I can see "Hudna" becoming one of the few Arabic words that come into common American English usage as the word that abstracts the concept of treachery put on the run posing as goodness and light to buy time for a comeback. Nobody is fussing over the language in the same way the French fusses over theirs.
I'd expect the LLL to fight like hell to OPPOSE it's adoption, mainly because they use a similar strategy all the time. It was used to sneak a tax increase locally in Vidalia several years ago.
#12
ex-lib
So, if you sprinkle a few MSM lefties, some university profs, NOW founders, ACLU lawyers, Clintonistas, Hollywood elite, Bloods, and Crypts among them, I'm liable to start shooting before you get outta the way.
#13
ex-lib, due to previous incivility upon your own part, I find it difficult to take much time responding to your albeit lengthy reply.
Your "solutions" to the Islamic threat are still firmly ensconced in the "nuke 'em all" mentality.
I can only suppose that youâve entirely missed the dozen or so times in the last month where Iâve adamantly opposed the first-use of nuclear weapons against Iran. When you and a few others hereabouts finally stop accusing me of a ânuke âem allâ stance, Iâll feel more obliged to give you serious consideration. If you want ânuke âem allâ, I refer you to .comâs âfry âem upâ position.
Taking a shrine "hostage" is a really stupid idea. Here's why: every middle of the road Moslem will then join with the jihadiis to defend the shrine.
I can only suppose you missed the âor some other significant moveâ part of my sentence. I have proposed taking the shrines hostage as a thought problem in order to get people thinking about what sort of solutions there may be. Nowhere do I tout my idea as the end all, be all solution. You, however, feel free to condemn the notion in absolute terms (i.e., âa stupid ideaâ) as though everyone agrees with you, which is most certainly not the case.
As to your justification, it has a few truck-sized holes in it as well. An increasing body of evidence points towards a significant portion of the Muslim populationâs unwillingness to disassociate themselves from the acts or ideas of jihadists and radical imams. Based on that observation, it strikes me as increasingly necessary to treat a large portion of Muslims as willing accessories to the terrorists atrocities being committed. Feel free to argue against it, but I am not alone in this perception.
Who's gonna stop it. They'd like it, actually, because it would catapult large (and I mean large) segments of the Moslem world population to their doorstep--mission complete.
And here, as usual, you miss the central point. My stance is not that taking the shrines hostage is the ultimate solution. It is that a significant demonstration of determination (and possibly even of force) will be needed to convince the Muslim world that their own inaction against the radicals in their midst comes with a price tag. Only when Islam as a whole finally realizes that there are repercussions for not cleaning house of radicals will there be any progress.
Do you actually advocate that Western forces are obliged to go in and clean up Islamâs mess? Are we to spill our own blood and spend the treasure to take care of something that Islam has bred up all by itself? Is this what you propose? I say that the ball must be placed in Islamâs court and that they must make some sort of genuine demonstration of good faith regarding the expulsion of radicals from within their ranks. This is something that is most definitely not happening.
Many moderate Moslems are fleeing their sucky homelands in search of something better. The rest are acting as an arm of jihad--they plan to settle, build enclaves, be ready to act against the host countries at a later time. Those types are the real problem, but it's impossible to weed them out from the legitimate refuge-seekers.
I can only suppose that one more time, you have missed the prefatory phrasing I put in place:
Perhaps some other Rantburgers can help me come up with reprisals that are appropriate in scope for countering the predictable atrocities to come.
Notice how I am seeking suggestions? Do you even care as you continue to lambaste me? I do not propose my deportation idea as the only solution. Again, it is a thought experiment designed to get people thinking about what might actually work. I can only note a complete and total lack of alternatives in the huge body of text you posted.
Iâll also wager that if newly arrived Muslims found themselves gently transported back to their countries of origin with the simple explanation that too many of their radical brethren have contaminated their reputation to the point where host countries are no longer willing to risk their arrival, that they might actually begin to consider the ramifications of remaining silent while all the jihadist atrocities happen.
⦠but the wrong people will get punished.
And I maintain that so long as Islam, as a whole, remains thunderously silent regarding the atrocities being committed in their name that the wrong people arenât necessarily being punished. Itâs a rather simple message; âTake action or face consequences that may not involve results favorable to you.â
Or perhaps you propose that we continue to await each consecutive atrocity and simply gauge our response to each escalating outrage? The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have achieved important goals, but they are far too little in terms of truly averting a WMD attack upon American soil. Do you disagree with this? If so, state your reasons plainly.
I seek solutions that ignite a prompt backlash against jihadist Muslims. Nowhere have I claimed that my ideas are the one and only way to success. I just happen to feel that the threat we face is so significant that conventional diplomacy and traditional preliminary military response doctrines are now outmoded.
Despite what you might think, Islam is not very organized. It's not like there are official spokespeople that the general Moslem public rallies around and affirms.
Do you honestly think that I am unaware of Islamâs decentralized nature? Do you actually think I believe that they have something akin to a Pope? (Which they do not.) So, what do we have then? We have a huge majority of Wahabbist radicals financed by Saudi Arabia and we have the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, both of which are doing little short of throwing gasoline on the fire to put it out.
Contrary to what you maintain, there are some fairly central sources for the violent rhetoric being spewed against us. Large numers of Muslims do embrace what these sources espouse and we are doing very little to correct these outright lies and filth. More importantly, far too many Muslims are willingly adhering to these lies without questioning the incredible hatred and violence they instigate. Why on earth should we remain complacent in the face of this hideous vitriol?
The "run-of-the-mill Moslems who stand up against the gangster Moslems get punished in various and sundry ways--none of them pleasant, which intimidates others from trying to speak out.
Then the time has come for them to take back their religion by force. The German people did not sufficiently resist the cancerous spread of Nazism within their society and if Muslims do not adequately rise up against the genocidal preaching of their imams, then they silently consent to it.
All religions, including Islam, contain an equivalent of The Golden Rule. By that knowledge alone, practicing Muslims must surely know that vocally or tacitly supporting any sort of genocide, be it against Jews or infidels, is to ask for it to be brought upon themselves.
When they sense they won't become targets they will speak out and demonstrate as you saw in Lebanon recently--tens of thousands demonstrating against the terrorist hotel attacks.
And where are those âtens of thousandsâ in demonstrating against the slaughter in Darfur, the anti-Shiite al Qaeda killings in Iraq, Ahmadnejadâs repeated calls to âwipe Israel off of the mapâ? Why do they remain silent except when their own ox is being gored? SHORT ANSWER: Because they tacitly support all of the other atrocities except when it happens to them. My reply is that is not good enough.
People are still people, Zen, and you've simply have got to try and remember that. So, to deport people randomly and en masse, for crimes committed by the whack-jobs, is counterproductive.
And you blithely ignore that tacit approval of atrocities and terrorism is tantamount to abetting them. When Muslims finally realize that their inaction comes at a price, they will begin to act, AND NOT A MOMENT BEFORE. This is the pattern weâve seen to date and nothing has happened to change that impression.
Which Moslems? If you mean the terrorists and governments that support them, okay, no argument here. But you make no distinction. Reprisals that are appropriate in scope is to make sure the leadership in this country is not liberal-leaning, and to continue to fight the terrorists on their turf.
And do you see the âliberal-leaningâ Moslem leaders roundly condemning Ahmadnejadâs genocidal rantings? THEY ARE NOT. Barely any criticism is forthcoming from other Arab nations regarding Iranâs fomenting of genocide. This alone is sufficient reason to make sure a price tag gets attached to their nearly universal silence.
Conceivably, it could get to the point where large-scale terrorist attacks happen and the country they are residing in does and says nothing (Iran and Syria and Saudi Arabia come to mind). That's a whole new ball game, and depending on about 3 million or more variables, military action greater than what's being exercised now, would come into play.
And your sort of dilettantism will likely get a lot of us killed. You neglect to recognize how drastic this situation is now that WMDs have come into play. We no longer have time to play nice. Our doing so will result in one or more nuclear terrorist attacks against America. What will your response be then?
And again, many are quiet out of fear and confusion, not because they agree wholeheartedly with what's going on. They don't necessarily understand their leaders or their religion, and a lot of them want to be "good Moslems" so they just watch from the sidelines. Stupid, I know, but not as atrocious as it seems at first.
Wrong! It is atrocious to sit by silently while others propose genocide. Stupidity should be painful and we must decide whether it is our stupidity or theirs that will be.
Without the kind of healthy, life-oriented focus men can benefit from when women are held in esteem in a society, things can get really rotten really quickly.
Nice psychobabble, thatâs right up there with âun-self-actualized Moslemâ. Guess what? Misogynistic Arabic males are not going to relinquish their grip on the reins until they are pried out of their hands by force. I refer you to Afghanistan.
Give it some time. There are, I wager, more for us in the Moslem world, than there are against us.
If this were 50 years ago, I would agree. Guess what? Itâs not. We have lunatics actively seeking atomic bombs to detonate in American cities and your wait-and-see strategy could get a lot of us killed. If Moslems do not actively begin sorting out their own laundry, many of them will get hung out to dry when the action begins.
But there IS criticism. I read it here and elsewhere often. "Cleaning it's own house" is a little tricky, because you have to ask yourself, "who are the 'cleaners'?" Average citizens? Are they supposed to go and beat up the local imam?
The criticism is a whisper in the midst of a storm. The âcleanersâ are just like our revolutionary forefathers who saw governmental and religious abuse and put their lives on the line to fight it. Those who refuse to do so essentially agree to what is happening.
Next, you say, "As distasteful as I find reprisal mentality on the whole, at some point the world's Muslim population will have to be made to suffer in proportion to the atrocities their radicals inflict." Honestly, I don't think you find reprisal mentality distasteful in the least.
You are very deceitful in your arguments. I find reprisal mentality seriously questionable. I truly disliked much of the Israeliâs reprisal methods and yet, if you examine their own track record in dealing with terrorism, they are one of the few governments to make any progress.
My motherâs relatives died at the hands of Nazi reprisal. So, go ahead, and make your false-hearted accusations. If I truly did not find reprisal methods distasteful, I would certainly not have bothered qualifying them or sought out other suggestions. I simply would have put them forward as inarguably valid. Perhaps, now you see why I typically refuse to respond to any of your usual attacks upon myself. They are rarely even of this low caliber.
Zen, I understand your passion and fury. But I believe itâs misdirected. And really, despite your touting and spouting, I have to wonder if you would really shoot innocents, even if they were Moslem. I mean I don't think so, but we have to be careful with our rhetoric, because words are powerful things. Do this: Picture the Islamic bad boys lined up against a fence. Then sprinkle in Mom-and-Pop restaurant owner, Moslem scholar, a few teenagers, kids, college students--some have hajibs, some look like your average westerner--some are supermodels, some are film makers, some are dissidents against Islamic terrorism, but still maintain their Moslem identity, which they define for themselves. Now I give you an M16, and say "kill the terrorists and terrorsist sympathizers!" What would you do? Think about it. Would you just mow them all down? Now letâs separate them--put the baddies on one side, leave a space, and put the other average types on the other side. Would you still shoot everyone?
Itâs this sort of strawman garbage that I refuse to respond to. Where are your proposed solutions? You are so often bereft of them that I feel you lack the qualifications to attack others who honestly and actively seek them out. Others here display far more moral courage in trying to address what remains a complete and total peril to civilized society.
#14
The "shooting innocents' argument is the one used by the left to justify doing nothing. EX(?)-Lib? The West, and the USA in particular, had better develop a plan for meaningful retaliation, or the ultimate result WILL BE "fry 'em up."
At some point, the Islamists will commit an atrocity so heinous that the West will indiscriminately retaliate - unless Islam can clean itself up first. Zen is correct. The Muslim world must be made to see that atrocities will not be tolerated indefinitely.
#15
Certainly the Islamo-facists are in a war to dominate the world. I would like to think this is not true but I see no data to indicate other wise. Perhaps this notion goes beyond just Islamo-facists. Unless we want to be subjugated either physically oreconomically we have no alternative but to develop plans to deal with growing threats and plans for retaliation for any actions that might be mounted against us. Appeasement has never worked with a people dedicated to ruling the world. Negotiations don't work. A truce such as Bin Laden is suggesting in another post is no truce at all but a ploy to buy time for some other evil deed. Besides these are terrorists. They are supported by Muslim countrys but do not have a country of their own. We are in a war for the existence of the free world--no less.
I was enjoying a day away, doing other things, pleasant things, thinking not about Muzzies and such. I dropped by early, did a quick scan, and boogied with a ladyfriend to pretend for a day that none of this exists, that there isn't a global conflict underway for the very existence of Freedom. I was enjoying some of that "Freedom" stuff.
Now I've screwed up. I couldn't resist have another peek. Shit. Damn. I'm not in the mood for this, today.
I suggest the following:
Islam is Nazism, only far less honest about it. It is an IDEOLOGY. One of Global Dominion (If you've read the qu'uran then you know.), slavery (at least in second-class "citizenship" for non-Muzzies and femalians), barbarity (Can you even imagine female castration and the other forms of terror imposed upon females? Can you really?), and hate (There's a Special Place reserved for the Jooos, of course.).
What would you do about 1.25 Billion Nazis? No, REALLY. What would you do about 1.25 billion Nazis that run more than 20 "countries", have nukes in at least one of them, and almost endless funding?
I suggested that we take away the funding mechanism. That kinda fell flat - at least on a wide scale. Seems we're more willing to kill 'em in small batches than seize the means behind the entire game. Go figure, eh?
I suggest that the Law Enforcement approach is gonna fall just a wee bit short - and that seems to be the only model, other than military invasion, that most folks are willing to entertain. Regards invasion, well, there just ain't enough heroes to go around - we're talking about 20%+ of the planet's critters, here. LE is a non-starter for another reason: it's only really good at after-the-event stuff. Yes, You're dead and we know who did it. Great. I'd feel better if I wasn't, like, dead n' stuff. The lethality of weapons today means I won't be alone in being dead, either. Lots of company.
I suggest that getting off the oil tit isn't sufficient, either. Simple - that solution would be 20 years away if we started today. Good idea. Sure thing, let's get started. But it won't solve what ails us here, now.
The 'fry 'em up" piece is here. Read it, if interested. If you do, please read it carefully, and the whole thread - it's not long. I spent some time on it and I deserve a fair hearing if it's gonna be bandied about.
Now the Real piece, the crux of the biscuit, is the one about Islam as Fatal Human Pathogen. I've posted it a few times already - but have no link. I'll repost it again, someday. Not today. I followed up on it with a short bit here not long ago.
Where do the activated Muzzies, the jihadis, come from? Reasonable question. From previously passive Muzzies, of course. Not many Seventh Day Adventists or wild-eyed Methodists, last time I checked. Who or what activates them? Imams, shitty dictatorship demographics with no hope of success in life (Thanks to Islam, too, of course), fantasy and romanticism (heroes of The Caliphate! Uh, huh.), lots of things. Many things which exist everywhere - but, without the presence of Islam, doesn't cause global strife, splodeydopes, or cutting off a woman's clitoris. What could be the "root cause", ya think?
So let's say they start out as the Mythical Moderate, heh. They are called upon to donate money, or more, to support the, um, Immoderate Muzzies. Gotta do it - everybody's watchin... Then some get tapped for activation - and they do it. The Mythical Moderate is a resource, a huge pool, waiting for the call. Sucks, yeah. But there it is. Fact is, they're not "moderate" at all. If they are practicing Islam, then they are ripe for the picking. Look at Flypaper Iraq. Tap 'n Go. The quickie-mart of Muzzy fodder. Even these "moderate" ones practice barbarity, slavery, and hate. Moderate? Innocent? Really? Just like Nazis who "only supported" the "bad" Nazis? Uh, huh. I see. Go have a nice lie-down.
Nazis. Only worse. Islam.
Honestly, what do we do about 'em?
You don't get to criticize without offering workable alternatives. If you do anyway, then I fart in your general direction.
I'm done for the day. Got a hottie making faces at me. I can't resist. Cuz she's looking over my shoulder, I'll close with Love & Kisses to you all. My take.
#17
Thank you, SR-71, for such an incisive logical reduction. The European mode of "do nothing so that we remain blameless" no longer cuts any ice. In the face of WMDs, we must begin to take action that flatly discourages violent jihad.
I especially appreciate your seeing the connection between inaction and total devastation for Islam. For some time now, I have been predicting that Islam's refusal to discredit genocide will result in a Muslim holocaust. Similarly, our own inaction will eventually manifest in a gran mal spasm of retribution that will likely involve nuclear weapons.
Contrary to what spin artists like ex-lib try to impose upon my words, I am steadfastly attempting to AVOID a nuclear holocaust for Islam. That Muslims show so little awareness of this terrible consequence, or worse, simply ignore it is something that they must learn to do at their own peril.
#18
.com, thank you so much for weighing in. I could not agree more with the context of your "fry 'em up" policy. You advocate decapping and expropriation of oil resources before nuclear retaliation. I had never seen the entirety of your post and its context, and only now am I totally aware of its full aspect. I apologize if I have taken you out of context.
Now that I am aware of the phased nature of your plan, I am in major agreement with it. You do not advocate an outright nuclear attack on Islamic countries. What I see you seeking is distinct steps towards disconnecting jihad from its enabling elements. Should that meet with failure, you then see nuclear holocaust as one of the only alternatives.
As repulsed as I am by nuclear holocaust, at day's end I must concur with you. Given that the other attempts are unsuccessful, something will have to be done about eradicating such a virulent pathogen from our midst.
I'd love to see how ex-lib reconciles my constant attempts to find less violent and deadly solutions in the context of this continuing discussion.
I'll reiterate, .com, that if I have painted you as simply wanting nuclear holocaust without prior intervention, then I have wronged you. I now, even more strongly, believe that you and I seek active and functional solutions to this pressing issue.
The utter lack of realistic solutions posted by ex-lib make me all the more outraged at such trashy hit pieces being aimed my way. Believe it or not, I want peace. Whether that peace includes a single other living Muslim follower is another matter entirely. It is up to Islam to decide whether the future includes them. Should they crave the entire world to themselves, then our future will be one without Muslims. So be it.
Posted by: Sad SacK ||
01/20/2006 20:20
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#20
Glolugum is correct. Probably enough said, but for the sake of sponsoring critical thinking here, I will proceed.
"The "shooting innocents' argument is the one used by the left to justify doing nothing. EX(?)-Lib?"
Yeah SR--that's right--EX-LIB. Did I advocate for doing nothing? Did I? Listen, I was outing Islamofacist trolls here probably since before you were born, so unless you're one of Zenster's personal buddies, STFU until you find out more about who's who at the Burg. You're right about the libs using part of that argument to advocate inaction, but that's not what I was doing.
"The utter lack of realistic solutions posted by ex-lib."
Oh God, Zenster-- I said we should continue doing exactly what we're doing--hunt them down, kill them all, and that we should up the ante on hunting terrorists in terms of increased military support, which of course would include terrorist cells, and that things will change dramatically, in terms of the impact of our directives against terrorist-harboring countries as the plans of Iran and Syria (with the backing of Russia and China) come into focus.
And for an even more clear-cut bit of advice, may I suggest this link . Note: for honest, intelligent inquirers only. Just a quick look through the side bar excerpts is enough for starters.
Zenster always tries to butter people up when things aren't going his way, argument-wise. Like:
"Thank you, SR-71, for such an incisive logical reduction," says Zenster.
".com, thank you so much for weighing in, I could not agree more with . . ." says Zenster.
It's always the same. This is his pattern. Divide and (try to) conquer. But I and others who remember, are not so gullible.
Zenster says: "Notice how I am seeking suggestions? Do you even care as you continue to lambaste me?"
Lambaste you? You're paranoid. Remember, I said "Zen, I understand your passion and fury. But I believe itâs misdirected." Hardly a lambasting. I was looking at your arguments, not you. Yet you accuse me of being a spin artist. Cute, but no cigar.
Your suggestions:
"The time has come for Muslims to begin sharing our pain." What in the hell does that mean?
"At some point the world's Muslim population will have to be made to suffer in proportion to the atrocities their radicals inflict." What in the hell does that mean?
"Force ten times the number of recent Muslim arrivals to return to their country of origin." Oh right, that would work. Just indiscriminantly round 'em up and ship 'em out. Hey, you could start with all the Iranians in Los Angeles. And then they could be shot by the mullah government they came here to get away from, right?
"If we do not have the courage to take the shrines hostage or some other significant move, then we need to implement measures that begin to inflict hardship in proportion to the way that Islamists commit their atrocities. Again, what in the hell does that mean? Exactly what are you advocating for? Do we need to add up our war losses, along with the civililan casualites of 9-11 and then go kill that many Moslems. Hey--let's start in Iraq. Yeah, that'd work.
"ex-lib; due to previous incivility upon your own part, I find it difficult to take much time responding to your albeit lengthy reply." Well, you didn't find it too difficult, did you? As for my lack of civility? Want to cite some? If people think Zenster is that nice a guy, think twice. A couple of years ago, when he had not worked as hard at developing his mode of operation and facade, he said to me:
"You deserve every iota of the bile, vitriol and raw sewage floating in your veins. The sterile and intolerant vision of society that you stand for has already manifested in history many times. Sixty years ago countless thousands of American went abroad to fight it and many of them died doing so." Ain't that sweet? Which you can find at this link It was during the Beslan massacre. He was equating me with Nazis.
So, Zen, what do you propose in lieu of your above suggestions? And BTW, your accusation of my illustration of the outcome of YOUR ARGUMENT:
"Zen, I understand your passion and fury. But I believe itâs misdirected. And really, despite your touting and spouting, I have to wonder if you would really shoot innocents, even if they were Moslem. I mean I don't think so, but we have to be careful with our rhetoric, because words are powerful things. Do this: Picture the Islamic bad boys lined up against a fence. Then sprinkle in Mom-and-Pop restaurant owner, Moslem scholar, a few teenagers, kids, college students--some have hajibs, some look like your average westerner--some are supermodels, some are film makers, some are dissidents against Islamic terrorism, but still maintain their Moslem identity, which they define for themselves. Now I give you an M16, and say "kill the terrorists and terrorsist sympathizers!" What would you do? Think about it. Would you just mow them all down? Now letâs separate them--put the baddies on one side, leave a space, and put the other average types on the other side. Would you still shoot everyone?"
That is NOT strawman garbage. If you just go retaliating, it's an equivalent, albeit large-scale, enactment of the same.
You say Moslems are silent and never speak out (NOT true), thtat Moslems tacitly approve of the actions of the terrorists (Not true), and that they should pay for the actions of gangsters (NOT true).
I know you know it's not true. Here on Rantburg there are plenty of links to websites sponsored by Moslems who are against the whole Islamofacist jihad ideology and war.
#22
As .com says, radical Islam will not yield to our "messages" as in Afghanistan and Iraq, nor to a Hiroshima. Neither did the Nazis as we amassed a tremendous force and crossed the English Channel. And so we will ultimately exterminate radical Islam, just as we did the Nazis. At great cost and with lots of collateral damage. Iran and Syria are next. And probably then parts of Pakistan. Islam cannot be permitted to have WMDs any more than the Nazis.
The process will play out over the next decade. Iranians in Los Angeles will not likely be rounded up and put in camps or deported, but ultimately the words and symbols of radical Islam will have to be as forbidden as Nazi words and symbols are in Germany and Austria today.
Just as WWII left a bloody trail from the English Channel to Berlin, so too will there be a bloody trail across the Middle East. The difference is that we can now do a Dresden on a moment's notice. We can reach anywhere at any time and totally destroy it. We just have to be pushed -- and they ARE pushing. I'm not talking about Osama -- he's a joker in a mud hut with a cassette recorder. He's a low priority. But the hostile elements in Iran and Syria and Pakistan need to meet an end like that of Hitler and the SS.
#23
Must have punched a button, ex-lib. I know who's who on the Burg. Been lurkin for a while. Wave those fists and shout all you want. I just call em like I see em. Won't STFU.
#24
Okay SR. You said, "The "shooting innocents' argument is the one used by the left to justify doing nothing." So, I assume you approve of shooting innocents, since you (falsely) claim I'm using the liberals' shooting innocents argument FOR doing nothing. If you call 'em like you see 'em, may I suggest you get some glasses, or better yet, reread the posts for accuracy. And if you had been around here, you would know me (not that I care if you know me), but what can I say on your behalf? Ooopsie? .com and I go back, so that's a starter. Back in the day I routed and outed Antiwar and Gentle as being in cahoots, Islamic, not Australian (as Antiwar claimed to be), male, and a group, not individuals. But, I guess you knew that, already, huh? If not, check the archives. I, too, call them like I see them, and while .com is frustrated with the situation (to put it mildly), Zen has always had an agenda based largely on his special interest group. That's my take.
Next time don't so easily accuse someone of holding to liberal arguments. It was completely offensive, and the button you hit was the fact that you insulted me.
Confusion on Thursday surrounded the identity of three of the four al-Qaeda members named by Pakistanâs intelligence officials as the victims of a CIA-led air strike in a remote region on the Afghan border.
An al-Qaeda bomb expert, for whom the US had offered a $5m (â¬4bn, £3bn) bounty for information leading to his capture, and the son-in-law of Ayman al-Zawahiri, al-Qaedaâs second-in-command, were said to be among the four killed.
However, analysts queried the information because it did not appear to be derived from physical identification or DNA testing of the bodies.
The CIA-led attack last Friday also killed at least 18 civilians, including women and children, provoking an angry reaction from the countryâs Islamic and opposition parties.
Pakistanâs intelligence officials on Thursday said one of those killed was Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri. An official identified him as âal-Qaedaâs chief bomb maker, the guy who was the architect of its explosive-making machineryâ.
The other two men were identified as Abdul Rehman al-Misri al-Maghribi, son-in-law of Zawahiri who was the target of the attack, and Abu Obaidah al-Misri, al-Qaedaâs chief in Afghanistanâs eastern Kunar province. The fourth victim has not been named, but intelligence officials said he was also an al-Qaeda member.
Responding to the reports from Pakistani intelligence, a US official said Washington could not confirm whether the men had been killed in the air attack.
The Muttahida Majlis e Amal [MMA], the main alliance of Islamic groups, questioned the accuracy of the information. MMAâs leaders this week led criticism in parliament of General Pervez Musharraf, Pakistanâs president, calling for his resignation over the attack and repeating demands for an end to the countryâs co-operation with the US.
So far the allianceâs leaders have been alone in giving an account of the attack, based on information from supporters in the border region.
âI can tell you on full authority that neither the Pakistani government nor the US took hold of the bodies. They were taken away for burial by people who came from Afghanistan, nobody knows where they were buried,â said one MMA leader who asked not to be named for fear of being questioned.
He said: âIf the Americans or Pakistanis do not have the bodies, how can anyone make accurate claims of their identities?â
The Pakistani intelligence official confirmed the identities were made on the basis of intelligence information and not âfacts gathered through DNA tests or any other meansâ.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/20/2006
00:06 ||
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Typical Muslim lying to cover up a setback for Islam. Or not. Kinda hard to believe anyone who believes in a religion that confers special worldly privileges to believers that are explicitly denied to non-believers.
Osama bin Laden's latest message is most notable for the long silence that preceded itâthe audiotape broadcast Thursday on al-Jazeera is the Qaeda leader's first direct communication with his public in a little over a year. The voice on the tape, which the CIA has confirmed is Bin Laden's, addresses himself to the United States, warning that new attacks on U.S. soil are "in the planning stages," but offers a truce predicated on U.S. withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan. "It is obvious now that Bush has been misleading the people," says the voice on the tape. "It is better for you not to fight the Muslims on their territory and we offer a long-term truce."
The messageârelatively "moderate" by jihadist standards, in that it appeared to stake out a hypothetical negotiating position and the prospect of coexistence with the U.S. at the same time as warning of new violenceâwas notable less for its content than for the fact that it was released at all. Despite directly addressing Americans, its primary purpose may nonetheless be to remind Arab and Muslim audiences of his existence, and to reiterate his claim to primacy among the jihadists. Bin Laden last message was released in December 2004, although the movement's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, has continued to release occasional videotaped missives from his hideout in the wilds of western Pakistan. (Zawahiri's decision to pass up a dinner invitation last Friday appears to have spared him from a missile strike on a remote mountain village, where Pakistani intelligence officials say four other Qaeda operatives were killed.) But in the year of Bin Laden's silence, he has begun to be supplanted as the media face of global jihad by Musab al-Zarqawi, whose grisly exploits in Iraq grab headlines week after week. Not only that, Zarqawi may even be running operations abroadâhis Iraq-based Qaeda affiliate is suspected of mounting last November's terror attacks on hotels in Jordan, as well as sending operatives on recruiting and fundraising missions in Europeâand his theater of operations has, as Bin Laden acknowledged in his message, become the global magnet for jihadists seeking battlefield experience (in the way that Afghanistan was in the 1980s).
Although Zarqawi two years ago swore an oath of loyalty to Bin Laden, he is believed previously to have had something of a competitive relationship with the al-Qaeda leadership. And the public statements attributed to Zarqawi and those of Ayman al-Zawahiri have been noticeably at odds over questions of beheading kidnap victims and of wanton violence against Shiite Muslims. Zarqawi may have embraced the Qaeda brand with Bin Laden as its figurehead, but his essentially autonomous field operation in Iraq has become the movement's center of gravity.
The other radical Islamist competitor for the mantle of U.S. Public Enemy No. 1 has lately been Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has garnered attention for his bristling hostility to the U.S. and his threat to wipe out Israel, all in the context of his defiance of the West over Iran's nuclear program. The attention paid to Zarqawi and Ahmadinejad has moved Bin Laden to the margins of Western news coverage, but his strategy for building al-Qaeda, as the single umbrella organization of global jihad, with himself as its "Sheikh," has been premised on his being recognized among the radically inclined Muslim youth as America's most feared enemy. So, whether or not it is followed up by any of the actions it threatens, Thursday's taped message has at least succeeded in, however briefly, restoring Bin Laden to what he imagines is his rightful place in the headlines.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/20/2006
00:05 ||
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As a historian, Osama's message reminds me of Gen. Yamashita publicly asking for MacArthur's surrender in 1945.
His message is moderate because he's losing.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
01/20/2006 12:17
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My message to you is about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and the way to end it.
I had not intended to speak to you about this issue, because, for us, this issue is already decided on: diamonds cut diamonds.
Praise be to God, our conditions are always improving and becoming better, while your conditions are to the contrary of this.
However, what prompted me to speak are the repeated fallacies of your President Bush in his comment on the outcome of the US opinion polls, which indicated that the overwhelming majority of you want the withdrawal of the forces from Iraq, but he objected to this desire and said that the withdrawal of troops would send a wrong message to the enemy.
Bush said: It is better to fight them on their ground than they fighting us on our ground.
In my response to these fallacies, I say: The war in Iraq is raging, and the operations in Afghanistan are on the rise in our favour, praise be to God.
The Pentagon figures indicate the rise in the number of your dead and wounded, let alone the huge material losses, and let alone the collapse of the morale of the soldiers there and the increase in the suicide cases among them.
So, just imagine the state of psychological breakdown that afflicts the soldier while collecting the remnants of his comrades' dead bodies after they hit mines, which torn them. Following such situation, the soldier becomes between two fires. If he refuses to go out of his military barracks for patrols, he will face the penalties of the Vietnam butcher, and if he goes out, he will face the danger of mines.
So, he is between two bitter situations, something which puts him under psychological pressure - fear, humiliation, and coercion. Moreover, his people are careless about him. So, he has no choice but to commit suicide.
What you hear about him and his suicide is a strong message to you, which he wrote with his blood and soul while pain and bitterness eat him up so that you would save what you can save from this hell. However, the solution is in your hand if you care about them.
The news of our brother mujahideen, however, is different from what is published by the Pentagon.
This news indicates that what is carried by the news media does not exceed what is actually taking place on the ground. What increases doubts on the information of the White House's administration is its targeting of the news media, which carry some facts about the real situation.
Documents have recently showed that the butcher of freedom in the world [US President Bush] had planned to bomb the head office of al-Jazeera Space Channel in the state of Qatar after he bombed its offices in Kabul and Baghdad, although despite its defects, it is [Al-Jazeera] one of your creations.
Jihad is continuing, praise be to God, despite all the repressive measures the US army and its agents take to the point where there is no significant difference between these crimes and those of Saddam.
These crimes include the raping of women and taking them hostage instead of their husbands. There is no power but in God.
The torturing of men has reached the point of using chemical acids and electric drills in their joints. If they become desperate with them, they put the drill on their heads until death.
If you like, read the humanitarian reports on the atrocities and crimes in the prisons of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo.
I say that despite all the barbaric methods, they have failed to ease resistance, and the number of mujahideen, praise be to God, is increasing.
In fact, reports indicate that the defeat and devastating failure of the ill-omened plan of the four - Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Wolfowitz - and the announcement of this defeat and working it out, is only a matter of time, which is to some extent linked to the awareness of the American people of the magnitude of this tragedy.
The wise ones know that Bush has no plan to achieve his alleged victory in Iraq.
If you compare the small number of the dead when Bush made that false and stupid show-like announcement from an aircraft carrier on the end of the major operations, to many times as much as this number of the killed and injured, who fell in the minor operations, you will know the truth in what I am saying, and that Bush and his administration do not have neither the desire nor the will to withdraw from Iraq for their own dubious reasons.
To go back to where I started, I say that the results of the poll satisfy sane people and that Bush's objection to them is false.
Reality testifies that the war against America and its allies has not remained confined to Iraq, as he claims.
In fact, Iraq has become a point of attraction and recruitment of qualified resources.
On the other hand, the mujahideen, praise be to God, have managed to breach all the security measures adopted by the unjust nations of the coalition time and again.
The evidence of this is the bombings you have seen in the capitals of the most important European countries of this aggressive coalition.
As for the delay in carrying out similar operations in America, this was not due to failure to breach your security measures.
Operations are under preparation, and you will see them on your own ground once they are finished, God willing.
Based on the above, we see that Bush's argument is false. However, the argument that he avoided, which is the substance of the results of opinion polls on withdrawing the troops, is that it is better not to fight the Muslims on their land and for them not to fight us on our land.
We do not object to a long-term truce with you on the basis of fair conditions that we respect.
We are a nation, for which God has disallowed treachery and lying.
In this truce, both parties will enjoy security and stability and we will build Iraq and Afghanistan, which were destroyed by the war.
There is no defect in this solution other than preventing the flow of hundreds of billions to the influential people and war merchants in America, who supported Bush's election campaign with billions of dollars.
Hence, we can understand the insistence of Bush and his gang to continue the war.
If you have a genuine will to achieve security and peace, we have already answered you.
If Bush declines but to continue lying and practicing injustice [against us], it is useful for you to read the book of "The Rogue State", the introduction of which reads: If I were a president, I would halt the operations against the United States.
First, I will extend my apologies to the widows, orphans, and the persons who were tortured. Afterwards, I will announce that the US interference in the world's countries has ended for ever.
Finally, I would like to tell you that the war is for you or for us to win. If we win it, it means your defeat and disgrace forever as the wind blows in this direction with God's help.
If you win it, you should read the history. We are a nation that does not tolerate injustice and seek revenge forever.
Days and nights will not go by until we take revenge as we did on 11 September, God willing, and until your minds are exhausted and your lives become miserable and things turn [for the worse], which you detest.
As for us, we do not have anything to lose. The swimmer in the sea does not fear rain. You have occupied our land, defiled our honour, violated our dignity, shed our blood, ransacked our money, demolished our houses, rendered us homeless, and tampered with our security. We will treat you in the same way.
You tried to deny us the decent life, but you cannot deny us a decent death. Refraining from performing jihad, which is sanctioned by our religion, is an appalling sin. The best way of death for us is under the shadows of swords.
Do not be deluded by your power and modern weapons. Although they win some battles, they lose the war. Patience and steadfastness are better than them. What is important is the outcome.
We have been tolerant for 10 years in fighting the Soviet Union with our few weapons and we managed to drain their economy.
They became history, with God's help.
You should learn lessons from that. We will remain patient in fighting you, God willing, until the one whose time has come dies first. We will not escape the fight as long as we hold our weapons in our hands.
I swear not to die but a free man even if I taste the bitterness of death. I fear to be humiliated or betrayed.
Peace be upon those who follow guidance.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/20/2006
00:04 ||
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"These crimes include the raping of women and taking them hostage instead of their husbands."
Hmm . . . so it's the husbands that want to be raping and taking the women hostage.
Aside from Bin Laden's support of the liberal press, and his propagandizing about American soldiers commiting suicide and torturing prisoners of war (by drilling their heads until they die), he still illustrates, pretty clearly, their issue with unresolved sexual abuse issues:
This is a recurring theme which cannot be mended, regardless of what happens politically. If one imagined "source" of humiliation is addressed/eliminated, the "source" changes to the next likely group, whether Arab or non-Arab.
At least he illustrates what an absolute lunatic he is with this threat, and it's a nice view into how infantile and undeveloped, random, and grandiose their ideas can be--so out of touch with reality.
The only credible threat is their hook-up with Iran/Syria and their ability to be obsessed with themselves and to wait and wait. They've chosen not to have much else to do with their lives, whereas Americans have a lot of other things to do with their lives, so we can get sick of the whole thing a lot sooner. Not that we can't beat them--but informed resolve and a clear estimation of their abilities needs to accompany our plans if we are commited to victory.
#2
sounds like the democratic underground is doing his writing for him. Someone should tell him the number of people who think this way couldn't even float Air America in major blue cities.
#3
I was actually going to rag on how Bin Ladenâs best hope now is Sheenan but its too close to the truth to be funny now. The jokes about him taking points off Farenhieght 911 is freaking serious now, he even quotes Rogue State a radical anti-American book.
Early on in this war many often joked about alliance between the LLLâs and the Islamist like the ones the Islamist formed with the Naziâs neither side really cares for the other but enemy of my enemy is my friend kind of thing. If this is the real full transcript I believe that joke was not very funny at all.
This is not a Hudna this is an open hand of alliance with the LLLâs against a common enemy Bushitler, Amerika and her Military Industrial Complex. The groundwork is theyâre with the âpeace groups in Palestineâ and the anti-war rallies were the US is the real enemy; Kaliftaâs are a fashion statement, if you are Arab or Palestinian anti-American you are highly welcome.
I still consider the idea of civil war again red/blue laughable, but those few radical LLLâs that actually believe their rhetoric just enough that with some AQ guidance maybe willing to go stupid. I think those guys just got an offer of alliance.
#4
If they don't want to see the "'source' of humiliation," they should simply destroy all their mirrors. Seven years bad luck has got to be better than what they're getting.
#5
c-low, you may be right. Especially considering his diamonds cut diamonds comment. One of the first steps in diamond cutting is to cleave the
Basically, diamonds cut diamonds. We can also trick a diamond by taking advantage of its weaknesses. In the late fifteenth century, a craftsman cut diamonds by placing a chisel at a weak spot in the diamond's crystal structure and then whacked the chisel with a mallet. If he had selected well, the diamond neatly fell in two. If he picked the wrong spot, the diamond shattered.
A diamond crystal is essentially two pyramids stuck together â an octahedron. See figure. Consequently, the craftsman can cleave the crystal in any one of the four directions parallel to the crystal faces and, theoretically, succeed. We still cleave diamonds, especially big ones, into suitable pieces before sawing. Diamond saws were invented in the twentieth century. This was a major innovation because it permits cuts against the grain of the diamond without shattering.
The saw rotates at about 4,000 revolutions a minute and cuts with diamond dust. The rim of the paper-thin disc (originally made of steel and now of phosphor bronze) is saturated with diamond dust and lubricated continually with oil. The diamond dust sticks to the oiled rim. As the dust on the rim cuts, diamond dust whirs away from the cutting blade and continually replenishes rim dust. It takes time (about four to eight hours for a 1-carat rough diamond) but gradually diamond dust cuts the diamond crystal.
#6
Diamonds are brittle, and if pounded hard enough, shatter. "Hard pounding this, gentlemen; letâs see who will pound longest." -- Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, 1815.
#7
" . . . his is an open hand of alliance with the LLLâs against a common enemy Bushitler, Amerika and her Military Industrial Complex"
Righteeoh. Those who want to destroy America (and we now know there are plenty enough) and supplant the Constitutional Republic with a version of Socialism/Communism, must FIRST AND FOREMOST seek to destroy the base of reasonable conservatism, the socio-cultural identity of America as envisioned in the extant ideologies that propel us toward excellence, and finally the military.
This is a real battle, and no matter how stupid, inane, insane, and ludicrous these Islamics and their cohorts in the LLL seem, they are for real and they mean to see it through. And the fact is, people DID laugh at Hitler because his ideas were so outside the norm and seemed ridiculously radical and ungrounded.
Syria yesterday backed ally Iran in its confrontation with the West over its nuclear program, saying critics have provided no convincing argument to deny Tehran the technology. The Syrian support came at a summit of the nation’s two presidents to coordinate policies and consolidate their alliance under the shadow of US pressure and the threat of international sanctions against both. “We support Iran regarding its right to peaceful nuclear technology,” Syrian President Bashar Assad told a news conference with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran. “It is the right of Iran and any other state to own nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. Countries that object to that have not provided a convincing or logical reason,” Bashar said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/20/2006
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But.. but... how can this be? Syria is a Secular Baathist Dictatorship. Iran is a near-Islamic Theocracy. Secular. Religious Fundamentalist.
Aren't the two supposed to be at odds with each other?
#2
Lol, Pappy. You've just undercut a whole slew of arguments holding together the positions of those who cannot shed their Western thought processes. A full program of broad-spectrum fungicides & insecticides is called for. :)
Iran again warned Western nations yesterday they risked sparking an oil crisis if economic sanctions were slapped on Tehran over its disputed nuclear activities. “In case of sanctions, other countries will suffer as well Iran, but the damage will be more for them, because one of the consequences will be the unleashing of a crisis in the oil sector and particularly a price hike,” Oil Minister Davoud Danesh-Jafari said, according to the official news agency IRNA.
However the minister did not raise the possibility of any suspension or restriction of Iranian oil supplies in case of sanctions. Iran, the number two oil exporter in OPEC, risks being referred to the UN Security Council over what the West suspects is a covert nuclear weapons drive. The Islamic republic, OPEC’s number-two producer, insists it only want nuclear technology to generate electricity. “The conditions are not right for a Security Council referral because Iran has done nothing illegal,” Danesh-Jafari said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/20/2006
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Iran again warned Western nations yesterday they risked sparking an oil crisis if economic sanctions were slapped on Tehran over its disputed nuclear activities.
#2
I'm confused. If we destroy the Iranian regime and take over the oil fields and lease them out to Haliburton, how does that increase the price of oil? Just wondering.
The US Army said Wednesday it has raised its maximum enlistment age from 35 to 40 years old and is doubling signing up bonuses to a high of 40,000 dollars. The measures are the latest in a series of steps the army has taken over the past year to offset a slump in recruiting as it faces ongoing campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The army failed to hit its recruiting goal of 80,000 new recruits in fiscal 2005. Recruiting figures have since improved but the the war in Iraq has made it difficult to meet the demand for fresh soldiers.
Army Secretary Francis Harvey, however, denied charges that the army is a "broken force," telling reporters it has met its recruiting goals in the last seven months with the help of bonuses and other incentives. But he acknowledged that recruiting remains "a month-to-month thing". "As I said, the rest of the year looks promising. But we're certainly not going to sit on our laurels," he said.
Raising the maximum age for enlistments "expands the recruiting pool, provides motivated individuals an opportunity to serve, and strengthens the readiness of army units," the army said in a statement.
The army is raising the maximum cash enlistment bonuses to 40,000 dollars for the active duty army, and 20,000 dollars for the army reserve, doubling the current maximums. Older recruits are entitled to the same signing bonuses as younger ones, the army said. "Experience has shown that older recruits who can meet the physical demands of military service generally make excellent soldiers based on their maturity, motivation, loyalty, and patriotism," the army said. Of course, the ultra-classified list is those personnel in critical shortage they are raising the enlistment age to get.
#2
The army failed to hit its recruiting goal of 80,000 new recruits in fiscal 2005. Recruiting figures have since improved but the the war in Iraq has made it difficult to meet the demand for fresh soldiers.
Sorry guys, this is based upon a lie. The left won't let it die, but it is a LIE.
By law the Army could only have 482,000 personnel at the end of FY 2004 (sept 04). Congress in the FY 2005 budget authorized a manpower increase of 20,000. The Army ended FY 2005 with 492,000. 10,000 more than they had the year before. This is the manipulation of data by those with a political agenda to push. Just as the old 3% increase in benefits is shouted out as a 'cut' if 5% is not approved. Its still an increase. It is a significant increase done during war. Its the first increase since the draw downs in the early 90s.
Go ask the officers and undersecretaries who do the force structuring and manning if they'd want 20,000 new soldiers in one year if it meant taking NCOs and officers out of the line to man the training base to accommodate that increase. The answer would be no. They'd rather ramp up gradually so as not to distort the personnel assignment and stationing situation any further than it is now.
Notice the broken force commentary. Back in the post-Vietnam period of the 70s the Army suffered through years of high AWOL, Art. 15s, drug abuse, court martials, race riots and other symptoms of low morale. Low pay, minimum training, barely sustained maintenance. The whipping boy for the Democratic Party for the Vietnam fiasco [but notice who ran Congress during that war]. That was a broken Army.
#6
Damn those Republicans for cutting off the Vietnamese. If only they'd followed the steadfast support of the leftists.
Posted by: ed ||
01/20/2006 11:47
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I have always believed and argued that in a war where the very survival, sovereignty, freedoms and identity of America as we know it is at stake, i.e. a KILL OR BE KILLED/RULE OR BE SLAVE, etc. situation, that iff America is not going to suppor a new national draft in the alternate the Fed Govt returns to Cold War levels, or higher, of spending as necessary for free America to win.
AMERICA'S ENEMIES, including anti-American Americans, prefer that the Fed take over everything and anything, i.e. SOCIALIZE LEGALIZE STATUTIZE BUREAUCRATIZE CENTRALIZE and MILITARIZE, while still maintaining a mostly volunteer Military in order to fight a Radical Terror/Islam in regions and scenarios where there is high risk of mil intervention by the already Socialized Centralized and Militarized, i.e. NATIONS-GOVTS ALREADY ON A WAR FOOTING, RUSSIA-CHINA and aligned. I have no doubts that many Rightists and GOP-Conservatives, and nay America's SILENT/CONSERVATIVE MAJORITY, will suppor a draft iff it means the survival and victory of theirs and the American cause - OUR PROB ARE POWER-WHORISH, DESPERATE RINOS, CINOS, LEFTIES and ANTI-AMERICAN AMERS WHOM WILL SAY ANYTHING TO FORCE AMERICA UNDER OWG AND SWO/CWO AND ALA THE MSM CLAIM THAT AMERICANS WANT=DESIRE IT SO, where Americans and only Americans must MUST M-U-S-T-T-T pay the bulk of future Interna and Global Taxes in the name of a OWG and Global Amer Empire that America and Americans are NOT N-O-T-T-T TO GOVERN OR DOMINATE, AND WHERE AMERICA MUST GIVE UP OUR SOVEREIGNTY AND SUBMIT TO PC/PDENIABLE CONTROL AND GOVERNANCE BY A COALITION OF INTERNATIONAL STATES. Its like telling the HELLENES, ROMANS or MONGOLS OR BRITS, ETC. = "Thank You for conquering the World, Thank You for your individual and national sacrifice and Milyuhns and Zilyuhns of casualties, BUT NOW YOU HAVE TO TURN OVER YOUR NATION AND EMPIRE TO BE GOVERNED BY OTHER LESSOR NATIONS, WHOM MAY OR MAY NOT, HAVE YOUR NATIONAL INTERESTS AT HEART".
Syria protested on Thursday over comments by Brammertz's predecessor, German magistrate Detlev Mehlis, who was replaced last week at the end of his mandate. Mehlis said in an interview in December that the Syrian authorities were responsible for the killing. Damascus has sent an official letter of protest to the United Nations calling for Kofi Annan, the UN secretary-general, to take action. "It is unacceptable that Mr Mehlis used the media during his last days in office as a means of pressure and to express a deep hatred against Syria," it said in the letter.
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LAHORE: Eight anti-marathon protests under the Muttahida Majlis-e-Aamal (MMA) will be held in the provincial capital today (Friday). The protests would be aimed at convincing people to boycott the mixed marathon and join religious groups against obscenity, said a meeting on Thursday, which was presided over by Lahore MMA President Hafiz Salman Butt. The meeting said the party would also launch a campaign from January 20 against the "anti-Islamic move by the rulers". Clerics would ask people to boycott the marathon and support the MMA during Friday sermons, the meeting added.
Salman Butt said that clerics had been asked to condemn the marathon during Friday sermons and protest outside mosques, pressing the government to withdraw its decision. He said that MMA leaders had held meetings with students and delegations of traders and lawyers, seeking their cooperation in this regard. MMA leaders and workers had also been assigned duty at all the banks and other important spots, from where people would purchase tickets, he said, âWe will not force people but we will brief them about the governmentâs intention to promote obscenity under the cover of sports and funds for the October 8 earthquake victims.â
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#1
Hey, Butthead. Is he, like...heheheheheheheheheh...your father?
Syrian officials have agreed to fully cooperate with the United Nations probe in to the murder of former Lebanese premier Rafiq Hariri, UN secretary-general Kofi Annan said. Belgian prosecutor Serge Brammertz arrived in Beirut on Thursday to take over as head of the probe, replacing German magistrate Detlev Mehlis, whose mandate ended last week.
Syrian Foreign Minister Faruk Shara "called me two days ago to assure me that his government is going to cooperate and cooperate fully with the new prosecutor and they look forward to meeting with him as soon as practicable," Mr Annan said. "I urged them to cooperate fully without reservation and they did give me the assurance that they will," he said.
Does that mean Pencilneck is going to meet with the investigators and answer a few questions?
Asked whether Mr Brammertz may question Syrian President Bashar Al Assad, as Mr Mehlis wanted, Mr Annan simply responded: "I would want to leave him (Mr Brammertz) to do his work."
I think we can probably take that as a "no."
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Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels have detonated anti-personnel mines twice in eastern Sri Lanka, killing four people and injuring 25 others. The Defence Ministry said 20 soldiers and police and one civilian were injured when suspected Tigers triggered a mine against their truck in Batticaloa, 220km east of capital, Colombo, on Thursday. The military media unit said three police died in the attack, as did one civilian.
Separately, three sailors and a police officer were injured in a suspected rebel mine attack in the eastern town of Trincomalee, 230km northeast of Colombo. Both Trincomalee and Batticaloa fall within the rebels' envisaged homeland for Sri Lanka's 3.2 million ethnic Tamil minority. The attacks came as the Sri Lankan parliament on Thursday extended a state of emergency as continuing separatist violence threatened to plunge the island back into civil war. Trincomalee, which serves as a major base for the Sri Lankan navy, has been hit hard by violence blamed on the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, who run a de facto state in parts of the north and east of the island. They routinely deny any role in such attacks.
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Unidentified men blew up a major electricity tower in Peshawar city on Thursday, suspending the supply of electricity to Charsadda and Mardan, Aaj television channel reported. A PESCO spokesman told the channel that unidentified men blew up the pylon using a time bomb. The spokesman told Aaj that repair teams had been sent to the damaged tower.
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Malaysia's government has ordered an Islamic body in the capital to disband its volunteer force of moral police, saying its mission to deter so-called indecent behaviour was tantamount to invasion of privacy.
I'd not have called it "tatamount." I'd have called it invasion of privacy per se.
The government also warned that no such body would be allowed anywhere in the country.
Bravo for the Malays. Good sense in a Muslim country. I am so surprised. But also heartened. It seems to have occurred to them that Singapore's a better model than Soddy Arabia.
The decision, taken late on Wednesday, sends a clear message to Muslim purists that the government will not allow the country's image as a progressive and tolerant Muslim nation to be dented.
... since the Muslims don't have that much of a majority...
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the prime minister, told his cabinet colleagues that no group has the right to spy on people. Radzi Sheikh Ahmed, a minister, said: "This involves invading people's privacy".
No way around that, is there, bub?
Radzi said ministers were shocked that such a squad, dubbed "snoop team" by the local media, was formed "right under their noses" by the Federal Territory Islamic Department in the administrative capital, Putrajaya.
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Syria has condemned the US government's decision to freeze the assets of Assef Shawkat, Syria's military intelligence chief, as an arrogant attempt to impose its will on the world.
I'd call blowing up a bigwig in the country next door arrogant, myself...
Shawkat is a brother-in-law of Bashar al-Assad, the president, and one of the top Syrian officials linked to the assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri, the former Lebanese prime minister, by the UN investigation into the bombing. A Syrian official said in a statement: "This decision shows the extent of this administration's arrogant and unilateral practices in its attempts to impose its will on the international community,"
On Wednesday, the US Treasury Department ordered US banks to block any assets found in the US belonging to Shawkat. Americans also are barred from doing business with him. The department alleges that Shawkat has played a role in furthering Syria's "support for terrorism and interference in the sovereignty of Lebanon". The Syrian official, who was not named in keeping with government practice, said in the statement the US action "once again proves the US involvement in defending Israel's aggressive policies against the Arabs".
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#1
I'd call blowing up a bigwig in the country next door arrogant, myself...
That's because you think of Lebanon as the country next door, instead of as the natural territory of Syria. Silly Fred!
#2
Syria has condemned the US government's decision to freeze the assets of Assef Shawkat, Syria's military intelligence chief, as an arrogant attempt to impose its will on the world.
Hot Damn, we hit a nerve. Do it some more, if it wasn't working they'd never complain about it.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/20/2006 8:38
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"This decision shows the extent of this administration's arrogant and unilateral practices .... which are all very well supported by the vast majority of American citizens.
The Italian government has announced that it will pull its troops out of Iraq by the end of the year. Defence Minister Antonio Martino's statement marked the first official confirmation of a timetable. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had recently hinted that Italy's 2,500 contingent could return home in 2006.
The country's involvement in the war, which has been deeply unpopular among Italians, is likely to be a key issue in April's general election. Mr Martino said troops would be withdrawn gradually throughout the year and replaced with a civilian force. He told a parliament committee the pull-out timetable had been agreed in conjunction with coalition forces in Iraq. "The military operation Antica Babilonia [Ancient Babylon] will end its mandate gradually over the course of the year 2006 and the mission will be considered over and accomplished at the end of the year," said Mr Martino.
The main opposition parties had said they would bring the troops home immediately if they won the 9 April election. Italy, a staunch ally of the Bush administration, sent about 3,000 soldiers to Iraq to help with the reconstruction in the south after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. The force has come under several attacks, the worst being in November 2003 when 19 Italians, mostly police officers, were killed in a suicide attack in Nasiriya.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned yesterday’s bomb attack in Tel Aviv as an attempt to sabotage next week’s legislative elections. “This attack was aimed at sabotaging the elections and the efforts that have been made by the Palestinian Authority,” Abbas told reporters in Ramallah. “We must bring these renegades, who are breaking the national consensus, to justice,” he added in reference to the Islamic Jihad commanders who ordered the attack.
The Tel Aviv blast, which left around 30 people wounded as well as killing the bomber, was the first attack since the end of a truce at the start of the year which the main factions had agreed with Abbas.
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âWe must bring these renegades, who are breaking the national consensus, to justice,â he added in reference to the Islamic Jihad commanders who ordered the attack.
#3
Abbas has had his moment. His ideas have proven inane, his management incompetent, his leadership skills non existent. Even the Euros are sick of him.
Even if Fatah does well in the parlimentary election, he may well resign.
A Sunni group says it has killed one of nine Iranian soldiers it kidnapped along the Pakistani border in December. The kidnappers' announcement was contained in a videotape aired on Thursday on Arab television. The kidnappers, who identified themselves as Jundullah (Soldiers of God), claimed the killing was in response to Iran's "violations against Sunni figures in a number of Iranian towns," the video said. A group of four armed men appeared standing behind a kneeling hostage as one of them read a statement threatening to kill the other captives.
The Iranian authorities confirmed that a group calling itself Jundullah had admitted kidnapping nine Iranian soldiers near the Pakistani border. But an Iranian intelligence ministry statement described the kidnappers as a local bandit group and said the hostages had been taken across the border into Pakistan's unruly Baluchistan province.
... where their heads can be cut off at liesure.
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#1
Jihadi-on-Jihadi violence?
Pass the popcorn!
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/20/2006 22:11
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The UN commission investigating the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri will be "exploring all serious attacks" committed since the assassination attempt of Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamade, according to the team's new leader. "The commission will provide technical assistance, as appropriate, in the Lebanese investigations on the terrorist attacks perpetrated in Lebanon since October 1, 2004," said the new head of the UN investigation team, Serge Brammertz, upon his arrival in Beirut under unprecedented security measures.
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Suspected Islamic militants set fire to dozens of mobile phone transmission towers in Thailand's four southern provinces on Wednesday night. The co-ordinated attacks caused disruption to phone services, but no injuries were reported. Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said the attacks were in retaliation for government restrictions on the use of mobile phones in the region.
Officials are battling a long-running Muslim insurgency in Thailand's south. More than 1,000 people have died since early 2004, mostly in isolated attacks on civilians or security personnel. But occasionally more co-ordinated attacks have been orchestrated. "Last night's attacks aimed to incite more unrest and to show that the militants are still capable" of staging co-ordinated raids, Mr Thaksin told the French news agency AFP. "The attacks may have been to retaliate against government registration of SIM cards, because now they cannot use mobile phones to detonate bombs," he said. The militants are through to have thrown petrol bombs at both mobile phone towers and phone booths.
US and North Korean envoys to talks on ending Pyongyang's nuclear programmes met in Beijing, a Chinese official said on Thursday, raising regional hopes the stalled negotiations could resume.
Kimmie's been taking his lithium again, I see...
The meeting on Wednesday between US envoy Christopher Hill and North Korean negotiator Kim Kye-gwan took place right after North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's trip to China. Wu Dawei, China's top envoy to the talks also attended, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan.
The US and North Korea nuclear negotiators discussed Washington's clamp-down on companies it suspects helped North Korea with counterfeiting, money laundering and the drug trade, diplomatic sources said. Kong would not confirm whether the sanctions were discussed. "The three sides all had a positive assessment of this contact," Kong said at a regular briefing. "Each believed it was significant." The future of the six-party talks is uncertain because Pyongyang is angry with the United States about Washington's crackdown on its finances. The six countries - the two Koreas, host China, Japan, Russia and the United States - were meant to meet early this year to try to make progress on North Korea's agreement in principle to dismantle its nuclear weapons in exchange for aid and security guarantees. They last met in November.
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#1
Kimmie's been taking his lithium again, I see...
No, far more likely that China reamed him a new butthole and told him to knock off trying to start a nuke war. (Or else)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/20/2006 8:35
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QUETTA: At least two people were killed and five injured when unidentified men fired more than 20 rockets at law enforcement agencies' camps on Thursday in the Machh area of Bolan and Mand area of Makran division.
The Machh district administrative officer said that at least one boy was killed and two were injured. He said that about 15 rockets were fired at a post where Frontier Corps (FC), levies and police personnel were present. The FC commander said that three people were killed while levies personnel put the death toll at two, saying that five children were injured. A transformer was damaged and disconnected electricity supply to the area. Unidentified men fired seven rockets at an FC check post in the Mand area of Makran division, but no causalities were reported. Meanwhile, a man calling himself Azad Baloch accepted responsibility for the attacks on behalf of the Baloch Liberation Army.
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Belgian prosecutor Serge Brammertz arrived in Beirut Thursday to take over as head of the UN probe into the assassination of Rafiq al-Hariri, a former Lebanese prime minister, as Syria slammed his predecessor for comments linking Damascus to the crime. Brammertz said he was "completely aware of the expectations on the part of the families of the victims, the people of Lebanon, and the international community, and I will do my utmost to meet these expectations". He said his priority would remain the assistance of the Lebanese authorities in their investigation of the February 2005 car bombing on the Beirut seafront that killed al-Hariri and 22 others. He added that the investigating panel will provide the Lebanese with technical assistance, as appropriate, in their investigations into the attacks in Lebanon since 1 October 2004.
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Security forces backed by army helicopters launched a massive hunt in areas along Bangladeshâs western border on Thursday after an intelligence tip off that top fugitive Islamist militants were hiding there, officials said. Some 1,000 police, troops and members of the elite Rapid Action battalion searched several villages near the town of Kushtia, some 300 kilometres from the capital Dhaka, while four helicopters patrolled the sky, police and witnesses said. âForces have been conducting block raids in a wide region of Kushtia but have yet to catch the militants,â one police officer said.
Officials said they were looking for Shayek Abdur Rahman, supreme leader of the outlawed Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen blamed for a recent wave of bombings, including suicide attacks that killed at least 30 people and wounded 150 in the past few months. Police were also searching for Siddikul Islam Bangla Bhai, leader of another banned Islamic group, Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh, and a close comrade of Shayek Rahman. âWe have tips that Shayek Abdur Rahman is hiding in the area. Maybe Bangla Bhai is also with him,â another police officer said.
It's over: An operation to find two suspected Islamic militants said to be hiding in Bangladesh's western Kushtia district has been called off, police say. The hunt ended because Abdur Rahman and Bangla Bhai from the banned Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) could not be found. Police say they have detained 10 people in the operation. One thousand security personnel were involved in night-long operations, police chief Abdul Quyum said.
Earlier, security forces, including elite anti-crime force the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), had cordoned off a 5-sq km area in Kushtia district. Police would not confirm if any of the 10 detained included JMB members.
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#1
these 2 bastards are literally screwing the 2 lay-dies Khaleda and Hasina -- from the back!
A battle for livestock between Ethiopian and Kenyan nomads has left 38 people dead in drought-stricken northern Kenya. Official and aid workers said on Thursday that Dongiro warriors had crossed into Kenya last Friday and attacked Turkana herdsmen in order to steal their animals. Njenga Miiri, the district commissioner for Turkana, said the fighting killed 30 of the raiders and eight Kenyans, all of them women and children. The clashes took place in the remote village of Lokamarinyang, along the Kenya-Ethiopia border and 420km north of Lodwar, area aid worker Lucas Ariong said. News of the battle only reached the regional capital on Thursday morning, nearly a week later. Cattle rustling by nomadic tribes in the semi-arid region that encompasses northern Kenya, Uganda, southern Sudan and Ethiopia is common, and the tribes in the area do not respect national borders.
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The state prosecutor's office charged an Israeli Arab prison fugitive on Thursday with relaying information about military bases and sensitive infrastructure installations to Lebanese guerrillas who seek Israel's destruction. The man, 21-year-old Uru Ali, escaped to Lebanon during a 48-hour furlough from an Israeli prison, carrying maps of northern Israel and Lebanon taken from the prison library, according to the indictment, which did not state why he was imprisoned. There, he fell into the hands of Hezbollah guerrillas, who held him captive for eight months, security officials said.
While in captivity, he relayed information about the location of military bases, troops, telephone and electricity installations, and municipal and political party buildings in the northern Israeli city of Nahariya, near the Lebanese border, security officials said. He also gave them information about two relatives who serve on the Israeli police force, and about doctors and a lawyer from his hometown, the village of Mizraa in Galilee, they said. Ali's captors released him in late December on the Lebanese side of Ghajar, a town of Israeli Arabs through which the Israel-Lebanon border runs, security officials said. Israeli security forces detained him as he came over the border.
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#1
This story is very strainge. What am I missing?
#3
Israel has a complex network of spies in the ME. Hezbollah knows this. Perhaps they thought they caught a new agent being sent out to mingle and they attempted to break him.
Now, he'll probably leave by another door.
We'll never know what he is.
#4
#1: This story is very strainge. What am I missing?
That he has access to all this material while in prison?
That he aparently has unmonitored telephone calls from prison?
Unless they wanted him to pass this info along, the incompetence is just staggering.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
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ISLAMABAD: Bar associations from across the country will protest today (Friday) against the US airstrike in Bajaur Agency as well as the pro-American policies of President Pervez Musharraf. Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) extended the protest call. Hafiz Abdul Rehman Ansari, the vice chairman of Pakistan Bar Council, said that the presidents of all the high court bars, district bars and provincial bar councils have been sent letters to hold the protest and pass resolutions to condemn the recent aggression and killing of innocent people in Bajaur Agency.
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Gay rights activist Leon Rouse keeps landing on his feet, thanks to a handful of Hawaii lawmakers â all from Hawaii's majority party â who appear to have a soft spot for the convicted sex offender.
Currently, Rouse, who has always maintained he is innocent of sexual misconduct, is employed as a committee clerk by the chair of the Senate Health Committee, Roz Baker, a Democrat from Maui. Rouse was serving as the office manager for freshman Rep. Rida Cabanilla, D-Waipahu, when he became the focus of a series of high-profile news reports during the 2005 legislative session. Several lawmakers, including Democrat Sen. Brian Kanno, had attempted to coerce Norwegian Cruise Lines into paying off Rouse after he was reportedly fired for sexual harassment â even though Rouse had previously been convicted and served 8 years in prison in the Philippines for having sex with an underage boy.
The news reports about Rouse kept coming during the 2005 Legislative session. Hawaii voters learned several lawmakers aggressively lobbied and threatened Norwegian Cruise Lines with legislation requiring the company to pay additional taxes, if Rouse was not compensated. Kanno asked his colleagues, both House and Senate elected officials, to sign a letter demanding that the company rehire Rouse or pay him restitution and travel expenses. The letter dated August 24, 2004, to Norwegian Cruise Line, was signed by Democrat Senators Kanno, Baker, Suzanne Chun Oakland, Brian Taniguchi and Carol Fukunaga â all chairs of their respective committees. In addition, House Chairs Roy Takumi, Kenneth Hiraki and Eric Hamakawa signed the letter.
Kanno also introduced a resolution requiring the cruise line to detail its sexual harassment policy, and demanded that the State Department of Taxation consider mandating the cruise line pay Hawaiiâs 7.25 percent hotel room tax. The Senate members who signed the resolution include: Sens. Carol Fukunaga, Roz Baker, Brian Kanno, Gary Hooser, Clarence Nishihara, Ron Menor, Russell Kokubun, Kalani English, Colleen Hanabusa and Brian Taniguchi.
Rep. Colleen Meyer, R-Kaaawa, in an op-ed in Hawaii Reporter, said "State Sen. Brian Kanno, D-Kapolei, inappropriately aided accused sexual harasser Leon Rouse by telling Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL), a company trying to protect its employees, what to do. And by advocating for the alleged sexual harasser, Sen. Kanno exploited his Senate power position." Senate Republicans asked the Senate President, Robert Bunda, D-Waialua, to force Kanno to step down as chair of the labor committee â he refused. The Senate Republicans also filed a complaint against Kanno for his actions, asking the State Ethics Commission to determine whether Kanno abused his position and power as a lawmaker. To date, the State Ethics Commission has not issued its ruling.
Kanno reportedly helped to get Rouse a job with the apparently unsuspecting Cabanilla. Rouse resigned from that office manager position in April 2005 when he admitted he had not told Cabanilla of his conviction in the Philippines. Hawaii Reporter retained an attorney in the Philippines to obtain authentic and certified court records of the of the Rouse proceedings. A portion of these records detail the accusations against him:
"On or about the 4th day of October 1995, in the City of Laoag, Philippines, and within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, the herein accused did then and there, willfully, unlawfully, and feloniously by using his adult influence and promising to pay 200 pesos ($3.79 US), engage one Godfrey Domingo, a male child who is below 18 years of age, as in fact he is 15 years old, for lascivious acts and committed said acts by masturbating and sucking the penis of the child and inserting his penis into the anus of the child all of which acts were committed by the accused on said child at Room 205 of the Pichay Lodging House at Laoag City, but which acts although already performed by the accused on the child was discontinued due to the intervention of the police who apprehended the accused who was then naked and in the company of Godfrey Domingo who was also naked in Room 205 of the Pichay Lodging House."
According to the Philippines court records, police had been searching for a foreigner who was said to be soliciting sex from young boys, and were given a tip that Rouse was at the hotel. They forced their way into the room after confirming with hotel management that Rouse was inside with a young boy. He was arrested for the violation of the countryâs child abuse law, and Domingo, in the presence of his parents, admitted heâd performed sex acts for money. Rouse was convicted, but appealed his case all the way to the Supreme Court where his conviction stood.
Rouse has always maintained his innocence in regards to the conviction against him. With the help of several highly placed politicians, he appealed to the United Nations for help, claiming he was set up and unfairly treated. The United Nations Human Rights Committee sided with Rouse issuing a written report that said its investigators agreed Rouse was mistreated. They also said Rouse did not receive proper medical attention, was arrested without a warrant and was not fairly tried because the child was not present for cross-examination, rather his sworn statement obtained by police was used in court.
#2
No link as yet but I just got this from a friend.
Jesse Jackson's New Staff Member
Mel Reynolds
Jesse Jackson has added former Chicago Democrat Congressman Mel Reynolds to Rainbow/PUSH Coalition's payroll. Reynolds was among the 176 criminals excused in President Clinton's last-minute forgiveness spree. Reynolds received a commutation of his six-and-a-half-year federal sentence for 15 convictions of wire fraud, bank fraud, and lies to the Federal Election Commission. He is more notorious, however, for concurrently serving five years for having sex with an underage campaign volunteer.
This is a first in American politics: An ex-congressman who had sex with a subordinate...won clemency from a president who had sex with a subordinate...then was hired by a clergyman who had sex with a subordinate. His new job?
Ready for this??
*********YOUTH COUNSELOR********
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
01/20/2006 10:12
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Imagine his reaction?
"Lascivious acts? Oh no officer, I was just romping around in here without any clothes on and the boy wanted to join me."
Strangely, this doesn't sound as satirical as it seems... because I can see a pedophile actually saying this.
At least Leon Rouse has the 'decency' (if you can even call it) to maintain that it never happened... well, rather than try to defend being a sex offender. ~~;
#4
You have to understand that Hawaii is culturally a bit different than America. A couple of years ago they deeated a law to raise the legal age of consent up to 16.
Unidentified men fired rockets at a Tochi Scouts camp in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan Agency on Thursday, but no casualties were reported. According to official sources, unidentified men fired four rockets on the Tochi Scouts camp from the Zarameela area on Wednesday night. Two of the rockets landed close to the camp while the others exploded far from it. Security forces retaliated to the attack. No loss of life or damage to property was reported.
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Iran said it was open to compromise in the crisis over its disputed nuclear programme as the United States and European Union pushed for Tehran to be hauled before the UN Security Council. "We have not closed the path to compromise. In principle I believe some complicated international issues can be best solved through talks," Iran's top nuclear official Ali Larijani said in an interview with the BBC. "For obtaining nuclear fuel there are many methods and formulas, and we can continue negotiations and use the different opportunities that there are in the world. I don't think the path is closed."
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
We'll do what we want. You'll let us.
See. Compromise is a great thing.
Posted by: Ali Larijani ||
01/20/2006 10:03
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Iran said it was open to compromise in the crisis over its disputed nuclear programme as..
These are nothing more than words to keep the anti-American left in play.
The Kuwaiti ruling family remained at odds Thursday over succession issues following the emir's death, leaving the oil-rich Gulf state in a political impasse. Top members of the Al-Sabah family held lengthy meetings Tuesday and Wednesday on issues such as the appointment of a new crown prince and a prime minister, but failed to reach decisions, sources close to the family told AFP.
They also discussed further arrangements to strike a balance between various wings of the family, especially the Al Salem and Al Jaber lines which have been alternating the position of head of state for the past 85 years. The family has not set a date for further meetings and were not expected to meet on Thursday or Friday, the Muslim weekend, the sources said. Sheikh Saad Al Abdullah Al Sabah, 75, who is from the Al Salem branch, was named as the new emir on Sunday, but questions have been raised about his health and his ability to read out the constitutional oath before parliament.
The prime minister and strongman, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah, 76, who has been running the day-to-day affairs of the emirate for several years, is the strong favourite to become crown prince. He is from the Al-Jaber line. According to the sources, there was almost total unanimity on Sheikh Sabah for the position of crown prince, but differences remained on whether he should also hold the premiership. The two posts were split in 2003.
UPDATE: KUWAIT CITY - Kuwaitâs ruling Al Sabah family has overwhelmingly backed Prime Minister Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah to become emir to replace the emirateâs new ailing ruler, a top family source told AFP on Friday. âThe overwhelming majority of the family came this morning to the house of Shaikh Sabah and expressed complete trust in him to become new emir in light of the health condition of the current emir,â the source said on condition of anonymity. âShaikh Sabah accepted their requestâ during the meeting attended by nearly all senior members of the ruling family, said the source.
Shaikh Saad Al Abdullah Al Sabah, 75, who was named emir on Sunday following the death of Shaikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah, has been experiencing poor health since undergoing colon surgery in 1997.
Maybe it's just me, but this looks a lot like jockeying for position in a posh old folks' home.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Egyptian police clashed overnight with a group of young men who had tried to stop Christians starting work on a new church in southern Egypt, a security source said on Thursday. Twelve people were wounded in the clashes in the village of el-Udaysaat near the southern town of Luxor, about 500 km (300 miles) south of Cairo. The Christians called the police when the group set fire to building materials with which they planned to turn a house into a church. They did not have official permission to build the church, the source said. Police arrested 10 young men and the owners of the house.
Restrictions on building churches have been one of the main grievances of Egypt's Coptic Christian community, which accounts for up to 10 percent of the population.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
It's part of being a Dhimmini. DON'T get used to it is my advice.
Six civilians and four security personnel were injured in two separate shooting incidents in Indian Kashmir, the army and police said Thursday. "Militants attacked an army foot patrol in Surigam late on Wednesday, injuring an officer and a soldier ," said spokesman Vijay Batra, adding five civilians were injured in the fire after attack.
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PESHAWAR: A security agency arrested six suspected militants, including four Afghans, in Swat district late on Wednesday. They were shifted to an unknown location for interrogation after their arrests at two different locations in Matta tehsil, a security official told Daily Times on Thursday. Five of the militants were arrested at a mosque in Matta and the sixth was apprehended at a seminary in the Bahadak area of the same tehsil.
"They are suspected of having links with Al Qaeda," the security official said on the condition of anonymity. Federal Information Minister Sheikh Rashid confirmed the arrests but played down their significance. Two of the arrested men were described as minor suspects. Matta is known to be a stronghold of Tehreek Nifaz-e-Shariat Mohammadi, an extremist group outlawed by President Pervez Musharraf in January 2002.
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The tribunal trying Saddam Hussein said yesterday its new chief judge would preside over the next session on Jan. 24, despite calls for him to be barred for suspected links to Saddam’s Baath party. An official of the independent Debaathification Commission told Reuters on Wednesday Sayeed Al-Hamashi was the subject of an inquiry and should be removed from his post.
The allegations threw the US-sponsored court into fresh confusion after the resignation last week of chief judge Rizgar Amin, a Kurd, who quit in protest at political interference. Hamashi, Amin’s deputy, was promoted to the top job. He has denied any links to the Baath party and his fellow judges appeared to rally around him yesterday to defend his record.
Tribunal spokesman Judge Raid Jouhi said the judges in the Saddam trial had been carefully selected for their professionalism and integrity. “The judges are well known and their history is also well known and they are professionals. So far it is Judge Hamashi who is going to head the next session,” he told Reuters.
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
An ideologist of Wahhabism, 
Syria yesterday backed ally Iran in its confrontation with the West over its nuclear program, saying critics have provided no convincing argument to deny Tehran the technology. The Syrian support came at a summit of the nation’s two presidents to coordinate policies and consolidate their alliance under the shadow of US pressure and the threat of international sanctions against both. “We support Iran regarding its right to peaceful nuclear technology,” Syrian President Bashar Assad told a news conference with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran. “It is the right of Iran and any other state to own nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. Countries that object to that have not provided a convincing or logical reason,” Bashar said.
Iran again warned Western nations yesterday they risked sparking an oil crisis if economic sanctions were slapped on Tehran over its disputed nuclear activities. “In case of sanctions, other countries will suffer as well Iran, but the damage will be more for them, because one of the consequences will be the unleashing of a crisis in the oil sector and particularly a price hike,” Oil Minister 
The US Army said Wednesday it has raised its maximum enlistment age from 35 to 40 years old and is doubling signing up bonuses to a high of 40,000 dollars. The measures are the latest in a series of steps the army has taken over the past year to offset a slump in recruiting as it faces ongoing campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Syria protested on Thursday over comments by Brammertz's predecessor, German magistrate Detlev Mehlis, who was replaced last week at the end of his mandate. Mehlis said in an interview in December that the Syrian authorities were responsible for the killing. Damascus has sent an official letter of protest to the United Nations calling for Kofi Annan, the UN secretary-general, to take action. "It is unacceptable that Mr Mehlis used the media during his last days in office as a means of pressure and to express a deep hatred against Syria," it said in the letter.
Syrian officials have agreed to fully cooperate with the United Nations probe in to the murder of former Lebanese premier 
Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels have detonated anti-personnel mines twice in eastern Sri Lanka, killing four people and injuring 25 others. The Defence Ministry said 20 soldiers and police and one civilian were injured when suspected Tigers triggered a mine against their truck in Batticaloa, 220km east of capital, Colombo, on Thursday. The military media unit said three police died in the attack, as did one civilian.
Unidentified men blew up a major electricity tower in Peshawar city on Thursday, suspending the supply of electricity to Charsadda and Mardan, Aaj television channel reported. A PESCO spokesman told the channel that unidentified men blew up the pylon using a time bomb. The spokesman told Aaj that repair teams had been sent to the damaged tower.
Malaysia's government has ordered an Islamic body in the capital to disband its volunteer force of moral police, saying its mission to deter so-called indecent behaviour was tantamount to invasion of privacy. 
The Italian government has announced that it will pull its troops out of Iraq by the end of the year. Defence Minister Antonio Martino's statement marked the first official confirmation of a timetable. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had recently hinted that Italy's 2,500 contingent could return home in 2006. 
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned yesterday’s bomb attack in Tel Aviv as an attempt to sabotage next week’s legislative elections. “This attack was aimed at sabotaging the elections and the efforts that have been made by the Palestinian Authority,” Abbas told reporters in Ramallah. “We must bring these renegades, who are breaking the national consensus, to justice,” he added in reference to the Islamic Jihad commanders who ordered the attack.
A Sunni group says it has killed one of nine Iranian soldiers it kidnapped along the Pakistani border in December. The kidnappers' announcement was contained in a videotape aired on Thursday on Arab television. The kidnappers, who identified themselves as 
The UN commission investigating the assassination of former Premier Rafik Hariri will be "exploring all serious attacks" committed since the assassination attempt of Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamade, according to the team's new leader. "The commission will provide technical assistance, as appropriate, in the Lebanese investigations on the terrorist attacks perpetrated in Lebanon since October 1, 2004," said the new head of the UN investigation team, Serge Brammertz, upon his arrival in Beirut under unprecedented security measures.
Suspected Islamic militants set fire to dozens of mobile phone transmission towers in Thailand's four southern provinces on Wednesday night. The co-ordinated attacks caused disruption to phone services, but no injuries were reported. Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said the attacks were in retaliation for government restrictions on the use of mobile phones in the region. 
US and North Korean envoys to talks on ending Pyongyang's nuclear programmes met in Beijing, a Chinese official said on Thursday, raising regional hopes the stalled negotiations could resume. 
QUETTA: At least two people were killed and five injured when unidentified men fired more than 20 rockets at law enforcement agencies' camps on Thursday in the Machh area of Bolan and Mand area of Makran division.
Belgian prosecutor 
Security forces backed by army helicopters launched a massive hunt in areas along Bangladeshâs western border on Thursday after an intelligence tip off that top fugitive Islamist militants were hiding there, officials said. Some 1,000 police, troops and members of the elite Rapid Action battalion searched several villages near the town of Kushtia, some 300 kilometres from the capital Dhaka, while four helicopters patrolled the sky, police and witnesses said. âForces have been conducting block raids in a wide region of Kushtia but have yet to catch the militants,â one police officer said. 
ISLAMABAD: Bar associations from across the country will protest today (Friday) against the US airstrike in Bajaur Agency as well as the pro-American policies of President Pervez Musharraf. Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) extended the protest call. Hafiz Abdul Rehman Ansari, the vice chairman of Pakistan Bar Council, said that the presidents of all the high court bars, district bars and provincial bar councils have been sent letters to hold the protest and pass resolutions to condemn the recent aggression and killing of innocent people in Bajaur Agency.
Gay rights activist Leon Rouse keeps landing on his feet, thanks to a handful of Hawaii lawmakers â all from Hawaii's majority party â who appear to have a soft spot for the convicted sex offender. 
Iran said it was open to compromise in the crisis over its disputed nuclear programme as the United States and European Union pushed for Tehran to be hauled before the UN Security Council. "We have not closed the path to compromise. In principle I believe some complicated international issues can be best solved through talks," Iran's top nuclear official Ali Larijani said in an interview with the BBC. "For obtaining nuclear fuel there are many methods and formulas, and we can continue negotiations and use the different opportunities that there are in the world. I don't think the path is closed."
The Kuwaiti ruling family remained at odds Thursday over succession issues following the emir's death, leaving the oil-rich Gulf state in a political impasse. Top members of the Al-Sabah family held lengthy meetings Tuesday and Wednesday on issues such as the appointment of a new crown prince and a prime minister, but failed to reach decisions, sources close to the family told AFP. 
PESHAWAR: A security agency arrested six suspected militants, including four Afghans, in Swat district late on Wednesday. They were shifted to an unknown location for interrogation after their arrests at two different locations in Matta tehsil, a security official told Daily Times on Thursday. Five of the militants were arrested at a mosque in Matta and the sixth was apprehended at a seminary in the Bahadak area of the same tehsil. 
The tribunal trying Saddam Hussein said yesterday its new chief judge would preside over the next session on Jan. 24, despite calls for him to be barred for suspected links to Saddam’s Baath party. An official of the independent Debaathification Commission told Reuters on Wednesday 
