Conservative Leader Stephen Harper is in the driver's seat headed for 24 Sussex Dr., a new Toronto Star poll suggests. But the EKOS Research Associates survey conducted for the Star and La Presse shows that though the Conservatives look poised to topple the Liberals, voters may only give Harper the test drive of a minority government in Monday's election.
Harper, 46, will be assuming power at a time when Canadians acknowledge a profound sense of progress and economic security, but have been increasingly gloomy about whether these achievements will continue, much less be enjoyed by the next generation, Graves added.
For the national results, EKOS surveyed 2,313 Canadians 18 and over from Wednesday until last night and the results are considered accurate to within 2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
In Ontario, home to 106 seats and the Liberals' electoral stronghold since 1993, the Tories are in a statistical dead heat with the governing party.
EKOS interviewed 967 people in Ontario and found 35.8 per cent support for the Tories, 33.4 for the Liberals, 24.3 for the NDP, and 6.3 per cent for the Greens. The percentage of undecided was 14.3. The results are considered accurate to within 3.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
In the 2004 election, the Liberals won 75 seats in Ontario, the Tories 24 and the NDP seven. "Certainly there's a scenario where the Conservatives still pull out a majority and there's actually a scenario where the Liberals can end up maybe losing the popular vote slightly and pulling out a plurality of seats. It's in play," noted Graves. "It's not a good bet, but it's a possibility. Frankly, if Ontario moved the same way it did last time from here on in, Liberals end up with a tie or more seats. It's not outside the realm of possibility â it happened last time," he said. "Clearly, there's an expectation and preference for some form of Conservative government right now."
In Quebec, EKOS surveyed 618 people, where they found the separatist Bloc has 50.2 per cent support, the Tories 24.5 per cent, the Liberals 12.7 per cent, the NDP 7.9 per cent and the Greens 3.4 per cent. The percentage of undecided was 21.3. The Quebec numbers are accurate to within 3.9 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. Eighteen months ago, the Liberals won 21 seats in Quebec and the Bloc 54 seats. The Tories and New Democrats were shut out.
British Columbia continues to be the most hotly contested province in the country with the Liberals, Tories and NDP running a three-way race for the province's 36 seats. In the last election, the Tories won 22 seats in B.C., the Liberals eight seats and the NDP five seats. There was one independent.
The latest projections I've seen have the Tories about 5-10 seats short of an outright majority.
I've written here several times about Indianismo and its effects on stability in Latin America. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are some pictures.
The new president on "The West Wing" will be a real short-timer: NBC announced Sunday it was pulling the plug on the Emmy-winning political drama after seven seasons in May.
I guess the left's second favorite president(after Geena Davis) will be looking for work soon as well.
The recent attempt to kill al Qaedaâs number two guy, Ayman al Zawahiri, in Pakistan, is threatening to damage intelligence operations in Pakistan. It all began when good intel was received that Ayman al Zawahiri, and some of his staff, were going to have dinner at the compound of some Pakistani tribal supporters. Al Zawahiri was late, but the Hellfire missiles from the Predator UAVs overhead were not. While several al Qaeda officials were killed, so were some Pakistani civilians.
Pakistani Islamic radicals, who are a potent political force in the country, promptly made this Hellfire attack into a major political issue. Many Pakistani military and intelligence officials support the Taliban, and some even back al Qaeda. The Islamic radicals in Pakistan have enough clout to turn the al Zawahiri into a political issue, not so much because civilians were killed, but because Americans were operating on Pakistani soil. This has not been a secret, but there were, until now, few obvious examples of this American presence. Now there is, and the Pakistani government is under a lot of pressure to âexpel the foreignersâ (not al Qaeda, but the Americans.) How about the sqeeky wheel gets the Hellfire? That wonât happen, because president Musharraf needs U.S. support to stay in power. While Musharraf is the latest in a long line of Pakistani military dictators, he is not, like some of his predecessors, into Islamic fundamentalism. This has put Musharrafâs life in danger, from Islamist Pakistanis as well as al Qaeda foreigners. In self-defense, Musharraf may curb some American intel activities. This would hurt Musharraf, as U.S. UAVs and intel agents have been a major assist in keeping local Islamic militants from causing more damage. But in the short term, surviving an outraged public may become a higher priority. Long term, the U.S. intel operations will continue in Pakistan, and more Hellfire attacks are likely.
Posted by: ed ||
01/22/2006
13:44 ||
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Article implies that an Islamic leader who is "into fundamentalism" is somehow safer than one who isn't. Not so -- every Muslim (no matter how fundamentalist) is an apostate (therefore deserving of the death penalty) to some other Muslims. It all depends on who wants to grasp for power.
#2
the mere fact that ISI and MMA support terrorists means we should worry about blowback? What a handwringing load of crap. I expect better from Strategypage. We need to support Perv, and taking out foreigners, welcomed among tribesmen who are clearly not Perv supporters, is an illumination on the ISI/MMA/tribal links to terrorists that they can't stand. Keep the spotlight (or UAV infrared...heh heh) on!
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/22/2006 14:14
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Frank, It not the US that worries about it. It's Musharraf and the Pakis who are willing to cooperate with us. The Pakis gov has already said the US must get approval from them before any more strikes. Of course that is for the consumption of the peasants since the Pakistanis were informed before the Damadola hit.
Instead of worrying about aggrieved Pakistani sensitivities, I think the US should assassinate the Pakistani islamist and jihadist leaders. When they should Deat to Infidels, Deat to America, they should be the first to pay with the their lives.
Posted by: ed ||
01/22/2006 14:59
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Deat = Death
Posted by: ed ||
01/22/2006 15:00
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Perv is the real fool here. Instead of trying to triangulate his fundie enemies, he should be slowly and methodically eliminating them.
First he needs a brigade equivalent of a death squad, that is totally loyal and secular, and then he needs to scheme and execute a program of extermination scheduled for many years. Start with the most radical, disloyal and dangerous, and work their way to the least troublesome.
His assassins need to use tools that make death look natural or accidental. No anger here, just cold-blooded killing. There are many readily available poisons and pathogens that wouldn't raise suspicions outside of a top laboratory in the US.
If done properly, hundreds could be exterminated every year. And since there is a limited supply of really dangerous villains, in a decade Pakistan would be as peaceful as all get out.
#6
Ed - I'm OK with that. I get pissed at the pussyfooting around the seething and outrage of those who are avowedly our enemies. If your enemies aren't pissed, you're not doing your job. A bunch of tribal rustics are handling the Pak forces deployed? Let the clusterbombs fall. Who's to say who's innocent when an entire tribal area is your enemy?
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/22/2006 15:41
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The one thing that all Muslims understand, and that we've failed to articulate, is raw power. We need to show Waziristan that WE are the most powerful, meanest, nastiest, brutish, hellish power on the face of the planet. We need to schedule some 3000 aircraft over Waziristan within a 24-hour period, each with a maximum load of iron bombs, and show them what POWER is. The friends of my enemies is my enemy. We need to show them that if they want to make nice with Taliban, we'll make nasty to them, in a way they cannot refute. Screw "world opinion". It's time to wage WAR, not an externally-controlled parlor game. If "Europe" doesn't like it, we can follow up with a strike on Brussels. I think they'll get the message THEN.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/22/2006 16:27
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Actually Old Patriot, Europe would do in your scenario what they have always done : Condemn us in public, while kissing us in private afterwards. Look how much Europe screamed about the Israelis taking out Saddam's nuclear plant in the 1980s, and how much has come out recently about how glad they were that the Israelis did their thing.
#9
perhaps we need to tell them to save both public and private motions. They are irrelevant at best when it comes to OUR national security, including defending the only democracy in the ME with a track record (Iraq may be #2). Europe needs to learn their place. Without our overwhelmingly (cost/men/materials) expensive shield they'd have been Soviet. Now, they bite that hand. F*&k them.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/22/2006 18:07
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New Delhi has decided to send approximately 300 armed commandos to Afghanistan to provide security for the Indian state Border Roads Organization personnel operating in there.
Indian daily "The Asian Age" reported that The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) commandos will be deployed in the Kandahar and Nangarhar provinces in southern and eastern Afghanistan, respectively, and in Kabul.
Currently there are around 50 ITBP commandos in the Indian mission in Kabul. In November, the neo-Taliban abducted and later executed an Indian driver working with the Border Roads Organization in Nimroz Province in southwestern Afghanistan.
The presence of armed Indian commandos near the Afghan-Pakistani border is likely to increase tensions between Kabul and Islamabad as Pakistan has accused India of using its consulates in Afghanistan to ferment trouble across the border.
Posted by: john ||
01/22/2006
13:05 ||
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Pakistani ... panties ... knotting ... into a ... bunch.
Posted by: ed ||
01/22/2006 13:49
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Of course, the Pakis could just patrol the border themselves and then the Indian troop wouldn't be needed, but that would be too obvious.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
01/22/2006 14:31
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Thinking like that is against allens will Frozen Al.
Pakistan thinks it can export trouble into India in a un-impeded way. It's finding out thats not true.
#4
I guess I missed the first report of Indian troops in Afghanistan. But I'm glad now to know they're there, and doing well enough that their numbers are being augmented. Pakistan can go suck eggs, if they're unhappy. They fall under the Lead, follow, or get out of the way heading, I do beleive.
Italian and Iraqi officials will on Sunday inaugurate a new business centre in the southern Iraqi city of Nasirya where Italy's military contingent in Iraq is currently deployed. The Bab Tahir International District includes an "industrial hotel' which aims to provide a venue where Italian and Iraqi business people can display their products and discuss investment and trade opportunities. Sunday's inauguration will be held under the auspices of the Italian Foreign Ministry which has organised the visit by a delegation of industrialists from Italy to coincide with the centre's opening.
The event will also mark the signing of a memorandum of understanding by officials of two Italian state companies - Marco Castellett, CEO of SUDGEST, and Giancarlo Lanna, president of SIMEST (a company which provides support to Italian private companies which invest abroad) - which will manage the business district. Sudgest which is already active in several local development projects in the Iraqi province of Dhi Qar, will also be responsible for training activities at the centre.
SUDGEST will also finalise an accord with the University of Dhi Qar for the construction and traing centre funded by the foreign ministry in Rome. The centre will provide vocational training for Iraqis to improve their employment prospects, and will be situated near the university. The centre will be fully computerised and equipped with a satellite link to Italy for distance learning.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/22/2006
11:58 ||
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This looks like a good idea. Italy's enlightened self-interest is here helpful to us and to Iraq.
A senior commander of Iranâs Revolutionary Guards who once vowed that âno part of the Islamic world is going to be safe and secure for Americaâ was named as the new head of the Guardsâ Air Force.
Iranâs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a decree on Saturday, appointing Brigadier General Hossein Salami as the new commander of the Air Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). Another senior Guards commander, Brigadier General Mohammad-Reza Zahedi, was put in charge of the IRGC Ground Forces.
Salami is known as the father of the IRGCâs âasymmetric warfareâ doctrine, which he helped to develop in the months preceding the war in Iraq. At the time, Salami was Director of Operations in the IRGC command headquarters.
The military doctrine is based on two components as strategic tools in any military confrontation: the massive use of suicide operations to target U.S. and Western interests around the world, and the use of weapons of mass destruction.
On July 4, 2004, General Salami called for the destruction of the United States during a ceremony to recruit suicide bombers that were willing to attack Western and Israeli targets.
âNow, America knows that Muslims with their desires for martyrdom have discovered a new technology and are capable of technological production. This has made [the U.S.] fear themâ, Salami was quoted as saying by the state-run news agency ISNA.
In his new position as commander of the IRGCâs Air force, General Salami will be in charge of the countryâs ballistic missile development project, a key component of the asymmetric warfare doctrine. Missiles are important as means of delivery for such weapons.
In November, Khamenei had appointed Salami as Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the IRGC.
In the July 2004 speech, Salami had argued for the use of oil as a weapon by Muslim countries to put pressure on the West.
Salami said that because of the strategic location and resources of the Middle East, the United States had a goal of dominating the region, but was faced with the world of Islam.
Referring to suicide attacks against Israel, Salami said, âA young group following the ideology of Imam [Ruhollah] Khomeini and the [1979] Islamic revolution have started a new strategy of struggle and jihad against the Israelisâ.
âWith martyrdom-seeking operations, the fight against Israel has taken on a religious quality and has spread Islamic values. It was these martyrdom-seeking operations that brought about victory for the Hezbollah forces in southern Lebanonâ.
He said that the West and Israel were terrified of suicide operations. âNow, no part of the Islamic world is safe and secure for America, thus the U.S. cannot move forward in the region and is currently trying to secure its present locationâ.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps was founded in the early days of the Islamic revolution in 1979 as an armed force loyal to Iranâs clerical rulers. Its commanders directly report to the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and their mission is to âprotect and propagate the Islamic revolutionâ.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/22/2006
11:55 ||
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They better check their Allah Afterlife insurance.
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/22/2006 12:42
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General Salami - that'll be good for weeks of snark
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/22/2006 12:46
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Remember the RB Name Hudna Mister G, it's still in effect.
#12
doc, that looks like a specific salami. We're looking for a General Salami. Put him in uniform, add some bogus medals, and we might have the martyr/father of asymetric warfare..
Tehran plans a nuclear weapons test before March 20, 2006 – the Iranian New Year, moves Shahab-3 missiles within striking range of Israel
January 22, 2006, 9:30 AM (GMT+02:00)
Reporting this, the dissident Foundation for Democracy in Iran, a US-based watch group, cites sources in the US and Iran. The FDI adds from Iran: on June 16, the high command of the Revolutionary Guards Air Force ordered Shahab-3 missile units to move mobile launchers every 24 hours instead of weekly. This is in view of a potential pre-emptive strike by the US or Israel.
Advance Shahab-3 units have been positioned in Kermanshah and Hamad within striking distance of Israel, reserve launchers moved to Esfahan and Fars.
The missile units were told to change positions “in a radius of 30-35 kilometers” and only at night.
DEBKAfile’s Iranian sources add: FDI reporting has a reputation for credibility. Western and Israeli intelligence have known for more than six months that Iran’s nuclear program has reached the capability of being able to carry out a nuclear explosion, albeit underground. It would probably be staged in a desert or mountain region and activated by a distant control center. Tehran would aim at confronting the Americans, Europeans and Israelis with an irreversible situation.
At the same time, an explosion of this sort would indicate that Iran is not yet able to produce a nuclear bomb that can be delivered by airplane or a warhead adapted to a missile. The stage Iran has reached is comparable to Pakistan’s when it conducted its first nuclear tests in the nineties and North Korea’s in 2001. All the same, an Iranian underground nuclear blast, which will most probably be attempted on March 22, would turn around the strategic position of all the parties concerned and the Middle East as whole.
The question now is: will the United States, Israel or both deliver a pre-emptive strike ahead of the Iranian underground test - or later? Or will Washington alternatively use the event to bring the UN Security Council round to economic sanctions? Tehran is already organizing to withstand economic penalties. For Israel, the timing is getting tight in view of its general election on March 28. Acting prime minister Ehud Olmert must take into account that a ruling party which allows an Iranian nuclear explosion to take place six days before the poll would draw painful punishment from the voter.
#1
Acting prime minister Ehud Olmert must take into account that a ruling party which allows an Iranian nuclear explosion to take place six days before the poll would draw painful punishment from the voter.
Starting to look like a strategy. Booom a country at election time and watch the populace tumble to the left at the polls. Watch the lefties's run screaming to get out of the "War on Terror" once their hit and watch the new government do just that.
Worked in Spain and in France. Some success in Britain...
The EU certainly tumbles left. Somewhere over the mid-Atlantic though, things change. I'd suspect a sharp tumble back right with a hit in North America. Same goes for Israel.
#7
If they move the missiles there will be heat emissions from the trucks pulling them, right? And our satellites can see in the infrared? So we'll know where the things have been moved from and to. Thanks ever so much for being so sharp you cut yourself, Mullah-mad idiots!
With all the ballots from last month's election finally counted, the leader of Iraq's largest Sunni alliance telephoned his Shiite rival on Friday night to wish him well in the weeks ahead.
"I was hoping we could build a good relationship," said Adnan Dulaimi, the Sunni leader, of his chat with the leader of the Shiite alliance, Abdul Aziz Hakim.
The warm feeling may not last very long.
With the results now in, most Iraqi political leaders say they want to form a "national unity" government, a coalition that would include the three main alliances of Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds. With none of the major blocs capturing a majority of the 275 parliamentary seats, the talks to form such a government are already under way.
The stakes are high. Anything short of a unity government, Iraqi and American officials here say, would be tantamount to disaster, with the Sunnis the most likely losers. Leaving them out of the government could very well prompt them to turn away from democratic politics again, and give the insurgency a fresh shot of energy.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the American ambassador here, has made it clear that he intends to involve himself directly in the negotiations - as forcefully as is necessary - to make sure the Sunnis are given a significant role.
But for all the expressions of solidarity, most of the political factors now in play seem weighted against a broad-based government. Many Iraqis suggest that the most likely government will be an alliance between the Shiites and the Kurds, with the Sunnis cut out altogether.
In the vote totals announced Friday, the Shiite coalition and an alliance of the two largest Kurdish parties fell just three seats shy of the two-thirds parliamentary majority needed to form a government.
With 181 seats in all, the Shiites and Kurds would need to pick up just three additional seats from the 10 other groups that won seats in the election. If they can do that, they will not need the Sunnis to form a government or to pass laws.
It seems clear that the Shiite leadership is considering going ahead without the Sunnis. Shiite leaders are petitioning the Iraqi election commission for a re-interpretation of the vote counting rules that would, if it were accepted, grant the Shiites 10 additional seats.
The same arithmetic would also come into play in the mechanism to amend Iraq's new Constitution. The Constitution, which would create a weak central government and give the state an Islamic cast, was approved by a majority of Iraqis in October but rejected by most Sunnis. The Sunnis were coaxed into the democratic process by the promise that the new government would consider amending the Constitution.
Under the mechanism set up, any change would require a two-thirds vote of the assembly. Early this month, Mr. Hakim, with a rough outline of the election totals already in hand, declared that the Shiite coalition would oppose any significant changes in the constitution.
American officials, as well as some Iraqi leaders, interpreted Mr. Hakim's remarks as little more than an opening bid in what are expected to be difficult negotiations. But in any talks over the new Constitution - as over the new government - the Shiites and the Kurds already hold most of the cards.
Even a vigorous effort by Mr. Khalilzad, who helped the Iraqis complete the Constitution in October, might not be enough. At times, the old hatreds that divide Sunni, Shiites and Kurds here seemed too daunting even for diplomacy.
For the moment, the leaders of the Shiite and Kurdish blocs are saying that they will make every effort to bring the Sunnis into the government. They say they are aware of the dangers - and the futility - of trying to impose their will on an embattled and often violent minority.
"We are not living in a country where a party with a two-vote majority in Parliament can rule - this is not Iraq," Jalal Talabani, the Iraqi president and Kurdish leader, said in an interview. "If the Shiites and Kurds will cooperate, there will be a majority, but this is not right, and not the correct way to rule the country."
But Mr. Talabani made it clear that his tolerance would reach only so far. One thing he would not brook, he said, was any hint that the Sunni parties were acting as a political front for the insurgents. In an interview earlier this month, a prominent Sunni political leader said that he was in contact with guerrilla leaders, and that he had asked them to hold their fire in December to allow the Sunnis to go to the polls.
That raised the possibility that the insurgent violence was being calibrated to help the Sunni parties.
"They must be clear they are with the terrorists, or with the political process," Mr. Talabani said, referring to the Sunni leaders. "We will never accept this dirty game. If they are with the political process, they are welcome. If they are with the terrorists, they will lose everything. That is my advice to them."
"We, the Kurds and the Shiites and the democratic elements among the Sunnis, will never never, never accept this role," Mr. Talabani said. "They will be out of the government, they will be out of the state, we will rule the country in a democratic way. And we will impose peace and freedom on the country."
For now, the Sunnis are hoping that, whatever the arithmetic, they will be granted a role in the new government if only because the consequences of leaving them out are so dire.
"They cannot form a cabinet without us," said Mr. Dulaimi, the Sunni leader. "And if there is no consensus, the new cabinet will not be able to solve the Iraqi problem."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/22/2006
11:46 ||
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Politics -- everyone who's anyone in Iraq is playing this hot, new game! ;-) Seriously though, even overwrought threats are good when it means they didn't first reach for the armaments.
Firebrand Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has assured Iran that his Shi'ite Muslim militiamen will support the Islamic Republic if it comes under attack, the official IRNA news agency reported on Sunday. "If neighbouring Islamic countries, including Iran, should come under attack, then the Mehdi Army will support them," Sadr said on a visit to Tehran.
In Iran, Sadr has met Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki.
I know we had reasons why we didn't whack this boy way back when, and I'm trying to remember what they were.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/22/2006
11:42 ||
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Arrrrrgh!
Why is this ass-clown still breathing?
Posted by: RJB in JC MO ||
01/22/2006 11:50
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To me this is the big question with regard to Iran. We cannot afford for Southern Iraq to erupt if we have to bomb Iranian nuke sites. It is not clear to me what would happen but Tater is at least telling us his intentions.
#4
A lot of nationalistic Shiites are going to get very slitty-eyed when hearing this from Tater. Fighting against the Americans may be one thing, but fighting for Iran is something else entirely.
Hopefully he has just signed his own death warrant.
#8
It will be interesting to see what the sovereign Iraqi government makes of a private citizen conducting foreign policy. Perhaps a show trial? Popcorn?
#11
Anybody hear what Sistani thinks of this? My recollection is that many Iranian Shia support his non-theocratic approach compared to that of the mullahs, and come to pay him respect.
#12
What goes around, comes around! The next administration will blame the Bush administration for al-Sadr coming to power, just as "W" did; in allowing Binny to escape the US during the Clinton administration. How ironic!
#13
al-Sadr coming to power? nice BDS on you, SMN. Sadr's a minor-league thug riding poppa's rep and obviously saving money on dental plans.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/22/2006 17:34
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22 short up an close and personal. Fry what is left of his brains. The average on the street Iraqi doesn't care much for Iran. They will not miss tater or his tots.
MORE THAN TWO MONTHS AGO, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Pete Hoekstra requested 40 documents captured in postwar Iraq as he sought better understand the activities of the Iraqi regime in the months and years before the U.S. invasion in March 2003. On Friday afternoon, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence finally provided 39 of the 40 documents Hoekstra had requested.
I had been seeking the same documents. For more than five months I pestered Department of Defense public affairs staff to see them. I provided titles to the Pentagon staff and, eventually, filed a Freedom of Information Act request. I got nowhere, so in mid-November we published the 40 titles in THE WEEKLY STANDARD. Here is how I described them in that article:
Some of the document titles I requested are suggestive, others less so. It's possible that the "Document from Uday Hussein regarding Taliban activity" was critical of one or another Taliban policies. But it's equally possible, given Uday's known role as a go-between for the Iraqi regime and al Qaeda, that something more nefarious was afoot.
What was discussed at the "Secret Meeting with Taliban Group Member and Iraqi Government" in November 2000? It could be something innocuous. Maybe not. But it would be nice to know more.
It appears that we will know more soon. Hoekstra has asked his staff to review the documents before releasing them to the public. It is important to remember that this set of documents is a tiny percentage of the Iraqi documents that have been translated (.078 percent of the 50,000) and a mere sliver of the overall document take of approximately 2 million. Whatever emerges from this group may not be a representative sample of the overall document takes.
Here is the list we published.
1. Iraqi Intelligence Service (IIS) Correspondence to Iraq Embassy in the Philippines and Iraq MFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
2. Possible al Qaeda Terror Members in Iraq
3. IIS report on Taliban-Iraq Connections Claims
4. Money Transfers from Iraq to Afghanistan
5. IIS Agent in Bulgaria
6. Iraqi Intel report on Kurdish Activities: Mention of Kurdish Report on al Qaeda--reference to al Qaeda presence in Salman Pak
7. IIS report about the relationship between IIS and the Kurdish Group Jalal Talibani [sic]
8. Iraqi Mukhabarat Structure
9. Locations of Weapons/Ammunition Storage (with map)
10. Iraqi Effort to Cooperate with Saudi Opposition Groups and Individuals
11. Order from Saddam to present $25,000 to Palestinian Suicide Bombers Families
12. IIS reports from Embassy in Paris: Plan to Influence French Stance on U.N. Security Council
13. IIS Importing and Hiding High Tech Computers in Violation of UN
14. IIS request to move persons, documents to private residences
15. Formulas and information about Iraq's Chemical Weapons Agents
16. Denial and Deception of WMD and Killing of POWs
17. 1987 orders by Hussein to use chemical weapons in the Ealisan Basin
18. Ricin research and improvement
19. Personnel file of Saad Mohammad Abd Hammadi al Deliemi
20. Memo from the Arab Liaison Committee: With a list of personnel in need of official documents
21. Fedayeen Saddam Responds to IIS regarding rumors of citizens aiding Afghanistan
22. Document from Uday Hussein regarding Taliban activity
23. Improvised Explosive Devices Plan
24. IIS reports on How French Campaigns are Financed
25. French and German relationships with Iraq
26. IIS reports about Russian Companies--News articles and potential IIS agents
27. IIS plan for 2000 of Europe's Influence of Iraq Strategy
28. IIS plans to infiltrate countries and collect information to help remove sanctions
29. Correspondence from IIS and the stations in Europe
30. Contract for satellite pictures between Russia, France and Iraq: Pictures of Neighboring Countries (Dec. 2002)
31. Chemical Gear for Fedayeen Saddam
32. Memo from the IIS to Hide Information from a U.N. Inspection team (1997)
33. Chemical Agent Purchase Orders (Dec. 2001)
34. Iraq Ministry of Defense Calls for Investigation into why documents related to WMD were found by UN inspection team
35. Correspondence between various Iraq organizations giving instructions to hide chemicals and equipment
36. Correspondence from IIS to MIC regarding information gathered by foreign intelligence satellites on WMD (Dec. 2002)
37. Correspondence from IIS to Iraqi Embassy in Malaysia
38. Cleaning chemical suits and how to hide chemicals
39. IIS plan of what to do during UNSCOM inspections (1996)
40. Secret Meeting with Taliban Group Member and Iraqi Government (Nov. 2000)
According to a preliminary review, 5 of the 39 documents have titles that are either terribly misleading or plain wrong. We should know more about the rest of the documents in the coming weeks.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/22/2006
11:40 ||
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Fantastic work Dan. Dan the Pit Bull!! Appreciate your work.
A Croatia lumberjack claims he started 'enjoying housework and knitting' after he was given a female kidney. Stjepan Lizacic, 56, from Osijek, is suing his local health authority because he says he's become a laughing stock.
He says his life changed from enjoying heavy drinking sessions with pals to prefering housework after the operation. He told local newspaper 24sata: "The kidney transplant saved my life, but they never warned me about the side effects.
"I have developed a strange passion for female jobs like ironing, sewing, washing dishes, sorting clothes in wardrobes and even knitting."
He pointed out that before the kidney transplant he would not have been seen dead doing the housework, and expected his wife to do it all, but now found it both relaxing and fulfilling. He said: "My wife is the only one that is pleased. I do most of the housework now, and I blame the hospital that transplanted me the kidney of a 50-year-old woman instead of a man's kidney."
His wife Radmila added: "If the new femine side to him is confined to housework I am very happy, I only hope he doesn't start looking at other men." I never wanted to do this in the first place!
I... I wanted to be...
A LUMBERJACK!
(piano vamp)
Leaping from tree to tree! As they float down the mighty rivers of
British Columbia! With my best girl by my side!
The Larch!
The Pine!
The Giant Redwood tree!
The Sequoia!
The Little Whopping Rule Tree!
We'd sing! Sing! Sing!
Oh, I'm a lumberjack, and I'm okay,
I sleep all night and I work all day.
CHORUS: He's a lumberjack, and he's okay,
He sleeps all night and he works all day.
I cut down trees, I eat my lunch,
I go to the lavatory.
On Wednesdays I go shoppin'
And have buttered scones for tea.
Mounties: He cuts down trees, he eats his lunch,
He goes to the lavatory.
On Wednesdays he goes shoppin'
And has buttered scones for tea.
CHORUS
I cut down trees, I skip and jump,
I like to press wild flowers.
I put on women's clothing,
And hang around in bars.
Mounties: He cuts down trees, he skips and jumps,
He likes to press wild flowers.
He puts on women's clothing
And hangs around.... In bars???????
CHORUS
I chop down trees, I wear high heels,
Suspenders and a bra.
I wish I'd been a girlie
Just like my dear papa.
Mounties: He cuts down trees, he wears high heels
Suspenders and a .... a Bra????
(mounties break off song, and begin insulting lumberjack)
#1
Or maybe it's just that "giddy, in love with all of the details of life I missed before I got off that damn dialysis machine and got a new lease on life" feeling.
Pakistani authorities arrested a suspected militant with links to al-Qaida operatives that were targeted in U.S. attack last week, an official said Sunday.
The man, who was not identified, was picked up in Damadola village, the remote hamlet where U.S. missiles struck Jan. 13, the security official said on condition of anonymity according to official policy.
The man arrested was a relative of Faqir Mohammed, the pro-Taliban cleric intelligence officials believe is responsible for removing _ and concealing _ the bodies of the extremists following the airstrike, the official said.
The official refused to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media, AP reported.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/22/2006
11:38 ||
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#1
and Faqir is....? Free to spread his poison?
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/22/2006 14:57
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An American worker held hostage in Nigeria is sick and his kidnappers will kill three fellow hostages if he dies, a militant leader threatened Saturday. Brutus Ebipadei of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta did not offer details on the condition of Patrick Landry, a ship captain from Houston, or say why his group would kill hostages from Britain, Bulgaria and Honduras if he died.
It would seem to defeat the purpose of taking hostages, but perhaps there's something about hostage-taking I don't know ...
"They're drinking the bad water we're drinking and experiencing the conditions our people have suffered for decades," Ebipadei said. If Landry dies, "we'll have no choice but to kill the remaining ones," Ebipadei said. He did not say why.
I'm not sure he could tell you.
Landry's son, Dwight, of Eunice, La., said in an interview Saturday that his father had a stroke in 1998 and had not taken his medication for high cholesterol and blood pressure since the Jan. 11 kidnapping. Dwight Landry said he had heard an audio clip of his father asking that his captors' demands be met. "I could hear the desperation in his voice, I could hear the panic and I could hear the fear," he said.
Ebipadei said the kidnappers refused to negotiate and he reissued a threat to launch new attacks on installations in the oil-rich Niger Delta. "Our demands are not negotiable. And failure to meet those demands means we will launch attacks on all oil installations to stop Nigeria's capacity to export oil," Ebipadei said.
The militants demand the release of a former regional governor and a militant leader who pushed for greater local control of revenues from the delta. They also want $1.5 billion in compensation from Royal Dutch Shell, Nigeria's largest oil producer, for alleged environmental damage.
Nigeria, Africa's leading oil producer, exports about 2.5 million barrels of oil a day, making it the fifth-largest source of U.S. oil. Militant members of the 8-million person Ijaw tribe that dominates the delta have long agitated for a greater share of oil wealth. Ebipadei has claimed responsibility for a spate of attacks that included the kidnapping of the four foreigners from a Shell oil platform last week. A major Shell pipeline leading was blown up the next day and more attacks followed in other areas.
The attacks have cut the OPEC-member nation's crude output by nearly 10 percent. Shell has evacuated hundreds of workers since the unrest began.
Ebipadei said negotiators sent by the government to secure the hostages' release "are traitors to the Ijaw cause and we're not ready to deal with them." Officials nonetheless expressed optimism about negotiations. "People are pleading with them, and the pleas are beginning to reach them," state government spokesman Ekiyor Welson said.
On Friday, the State Department called for the release of the four captives, while a British diplomat said his country was pressing Nigeria not to use force to free them.
If the hostages die, however, the kidnappers need to be hunted down. It would be a good job for the SAS.
The militants are demanding the release of militia leader Mujahid Dokubo-Asari and former Bayelsa state Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. Dokubo-Asari was jailed in September on treason charges, while Alamieyeseigha faces extradition to Britain, after jumping bail there on money laundering charges.
Britain's Press Association has identified the kidnapped Briton as Nigel Watson-Clark, a former paratrooper and father of three from Saltford who was working as a security officer.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/22/2006
11:35 ||
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#1
I can't say for certain, but I'd bet money the Ijaw are primarily Muslims. While I have great sympathy for their desires for more of the wealth being generated among them, I'd think their best bet would be to learn what's necessary to EARN some of it. In the meantime, a nice object lesson needs to be visited upon these nutjobs - a couple of carrier air crews using their "homeland" as a bombing range for a couple of weeks. As long as they're allowed to get away with this crap, they'll continue to do this. I'm tired of the manipulation of the oil market as a way of hurting the United States. I think it's time to do some hurting back - in spades. Either get along, or get snuffed.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/22/2006 14:40
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#2
muslim yes...targets, yes....lessons need to be delivered not to f*&k with us or you'll become a footnote on the "extinct" tribes list
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/22/2006 15:00
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#3
According to Wikipedia, the Ijaw are mostly Christian, not Muslim.
Balochistan, a word that has little resonance for the ordinary American, may present yet another challenge for the United States as it increasingly becomes the launching pad in Pakistan for Islamic terrorism, according to a new paper published by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
"...Baluchistan seems to be heading toward another armed insurrection," says Grare, one that comes 30 years after one of the most violent conflicts ever.
A rising number of attacks against army and paramilitary forces during 2004 and 2005, signify rising frustration among a people whose nationalistic aspirations have been suppressed by Islamabad without any economic or social development, and an exclusionary policy, says Grare.
The paper accuses the establishment in Pakistan of finding military rather than civil solutions. And warns that Islamabad must negotiate with leaders in that country otherwise an incendiary situation was developing that would have consequences not just for Pakistan, but for the world.
"To achieve unity, the army rule of the country has almost always favoured military solutions over political ones and has tended to reinforce separatist tendencies", and concealed the real Baluch problem, says the author. The Baluch crisis is not just the unintended outcome of more or less appropriate decisions. The crisis epitomises the army's mode of governance and its relation with Pakistan's citizens and world public opinion.
Balochistan, which straddles three countries (Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan) and borders the Arabian Sea, is a vast and sparsely populated province (6,511,000 people occupying 43 percent of Pakistan's territory) that contains within its borders all the contradictions that affect the region, including conflict between the United States and the Taliban, the paper points out.
A large part of US military operations in Afghanistan are launched from the Pasni and Dalbandin bases situated on Baluch territory. The Taliban, backed by both Pakistan and Iran, also operate out of Balochistan.
"If the pressure on Western forces in Afghanistan were to become unbearable, Washington and its allies could conceivably use the Baluch nationalists, who fiercely oppose the influence of the mullahs and also oppose the Taliban, to exert diplomatic pressure on Islamabad as well as Tehran."
Balochistan also contains rich mineral resources, including 36 percent of its total gas production, large quantities of coal, gold, copper, silver, platinum, aluminium, and, above all, uranium and is a potential transit zone for a pipeline transporting natural gas from Iran and Turkmenistan to India.
Meanwhile, the Baluch coast is critical not just to Pakistan but also China which is involved with the development of the important Gwadar port which is designed to bolster Pakistan's strategic defences by providing an alternative to the Karachi port.
"Some even consider this isolated township in the southwest of Pakistan as a Chinese naval outpost on the Indian Ocean designed to protect Beijing's oil supply lines from the Middle East and to counter the growing US presence in Central Asia," the author notes.
"Islamabad has always denied the existence of Baluch nationalism, but the Baluch lay claim to a history going back two thousand years," reminds the author, and have secretly campaigned for independence during the final days decades of the British Raj. And since 1947, the Baluch's have fought Pakistan's army on more than one occasion, the latest from 1973 to 1977 in a guerrilla war and similar to what is happening today.
The author accuses Pakistan's press of constantly referring to a possible "foreign hand" in Baluchistan as a cause for the crisis today, including pointing at India which has opened consulates in neighbouring Afghanistan's Jalalabad and Kandahar cities, and sometimes accusing Iran or the United States.
Charges by Pakistan that the Baluch rebels are financed abroad are part of Islamabad's efforts to discredit Baluch nationalism, the author contends.
"Following the policies adopted by Zia ul-Haq in the 1980s, Pakistan's government continues through its Ministry of Religious Affairs to encourage the setting up of madrassas in the province in order to penetrate deeper into the ethnic Baluch areas stubbornly opposed to the mullahs," he says.
Attempts to colour a largely secular environment in Balochistan as a risky fundamentalist bastion by the Pakistan government, says the author, is an attempt by Islamabad "to draw the attention of foreign powers to the risk of the spread of fundamentalism in the region and to launch a systematic disinformation campaign equating the Baluch resistance with Islamic terrorism."
Pakistan's intelligence services have linked nationalist militancy to the terrorism of Al Qaeda and the Taliban, emphasizes the author. "The same attempt at disinformation dictates the identification of Baluch nationalism with Iran's Islamic revolution at a time when the United States and Western Europe are protesting Tehran's nuclear ambitions."
He warns against any temptation India may have to see the dismemberment yet again of Pakistan expecting it to help toward resolving the Kashmir issue, "but a change of regional boundaries could revive fears of irredentism in Kashmir and in the territories of the Northeast that a vengeful Pakistan would be only too eager to exploit."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/22/2006
11:32 ||
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The voice was muffled, labored, weakâas you might expect from a man who has spent the past four years on the run. If it didn't belong to one of the world's most feared men, it would hardly scare a child. Having disappeared from view, sheltering in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan, Osama bin Laden may have lost the ability to send a chill down the world's spine. Governments don't shut down airports or send security forces into red alert. Even when he makes the direst threats, we no longer feel compelled to slow down, much less stop, the course of our daily lives.
But bin Laden's re-emergence last Thursday was� still a jolt, coming after a 13-month silence that raised questions about whether the al-Qaeda boss was incapacitated or even dead. The U.S. believes the 10-minute taped message, which aired on the Arab TV channel al-Jazeera, was probably recorded sometime since November, partly because of a reference to British newspaper reports from that time about a purported proposal by President Bush to bomb al-Jazeera. The tape suggested that bin Laden is alive, if not quite well. A longtime bin Laden watcher, French terrorism expert Roland Jacquard, speculates that the decision not to release a videotape may reflect a desire to conceal the deterioration of his physical condition. And if bin Laden's voice sounded more muted than in his last message, in December 2004, so did his rhetoric. He warned of forthcoming attacks on U.S. soil but didn't convey a sense of immediacy. "They are in the planning stages, and you will see them in the heart of your land as soon as the planning is complete," he said. He floated the idea of a cessation of hostilities with America if the U.S. withdraws troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. "We do not mind offering a long-term truce based on just conditions that we will stick to," bin Laden said. The White House didn't bite. "We do not negotiate with terrorists," spokesman Scott McClellan said. "We put them out of business."
That claim, of course, is undermined every day that bin Laden and his deputy and chief tactician, Ayman al-Zawahiri, remain on the loose. But bin Laden's resurfacing has come at a time when the leadership of al-Qaeda appears to be under as much strain as at any time since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. Antiterrorism experts say the Saudi-born terrorist is no longer in active contact with field commanders, and his ability to plan and direct specific operations is hampered by his isolation. In Iraq, scene of al-Qaeda's deadliest strikes since 9/11, the group's leader, Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi, is fighting battles with some Iraqi insurgent groups who want him dead almost as badly as the U.S. military does (see box). Meanwhile, an intensified U.S. push to hunt down al-Qaeda leaders has scored a series of apparent successes; just last week Pakistani intelligence officials claimed that a Jan. 13 U.S. air strike on the village of Damadola had killed as many as four senior operativesâalthough it may have missed its chief target, al-Zawahiri, whose voice was heard on an undated audiotape last Friday. Among some U.S. counterterrorism experts, there was speculation that the release of the bin Laden tape was al-Qaeda's attempt to boost the morale of its foot soldiers amid the run of bad p.r. Says an intelligence official: "The question is, Is this someone's way of changing the topic?"
It might be, but no one is confusing misdirection for surrender. While improved cooperation between the U.S. and Pakistan has apparently helped the U.S. zero in on bin Laden's lieutenants, credible intelligence on the main target's whereabouts is sketchy at best. Law-enforcement officials say that bin Laden's message aside, there are no signs of heightened al-Qaeda activity in the U.S., but they don't discount the possibility of a terrorist attack. "The threat's still real," says a U.S. intelligence official, "but because of this tape, does that make it any more real than it was before the tape? No." Today, the official says, al-Qaeda is not the same outfit it was on 9/11; it has morphed from a command-and-control organization into a philosophy that has "inspired cells around the world ... It's harder for them to coordinate, but it also makes them very dangerous."
Some terrorism experts believe that the perception that bin Laden is vulnerable may make jihadists more determined to carry out attacks. "I'd be worried over the next 60 to 90 days," says a former fbi counterterrorism official. "I believe if we don't hear from al-Qaeda in the near term, some will paint bin Laden as weakened and unable to deliver on his threat"âa possibility that may motivate terrorists to try to strike soon, to make good on the promises of their leader.
The reappearance of bin laden came at a moment when U.S. intelligence officials felt pretty good about themselves. Even as the cassette tape was making its way out of bin Laden's secret lair, his pursuers were sending out signals across the borderlands between Pakistan and Afghanistan, where he may be hiding. In recent weeks U.S. and Pakistani intelligence agencies have stepped up their search for top al-Qaeda leaders, with the skies above the mountains buzzing with spy planes and unmanned Predator drones, and a network of local spies and informants has been scouring the landscape for information. A Pakistani security officer told Time the cia has installed sophisticated surveillance equipment in several offices of the isi, Pakistan's spy agency, to monitor any radio and Internet communications between al-Qaeda and its sympathizers.
The objective is to tighten the net around bin Laden and his deputies. In December a U.S. guided-missile attack in North Waziristan, based on intelligence from agents on the ground, reportedly killed Hamza Rabia, an Egyptian believed to have been the latest occupant of al-Qaeda's No. 3 spot. Then, in early January, the U.S. and Pakistan seized on the chance to bag even bigger prey. Details of the Damadola operation are beginning to emerge, and they provide a tantalizing glimpse into the intensifying hunt for bin Laden. A Peshawar-based official told TIME that in the past month, Pakistani-intelligence field agents had been tracking two groups of men who had crossed the border from Afghanistan into Bajaur, a small, often restive tribal region that borders Afghanistan's Kunar province. In the days before the attack, the search zoomed in on the group headed for Damadola; counterterrorist officials believed that some top al-Qaeda figures, including possibly al-Zawahiri himself, might have been in that group. "We knew there were going to be some vips, and any of those were worthy" targets, says a U.S. official.
The infiltrators sheltered in a small compound of three houses just outside Damadola. Shortly after 3 a.m. on Jan. 13, locals say, several missiles fired from Predators crashed into the compound, practically obliterating the houses. According to news reports, Pakistani officials initially said it was possible that al-Zawahiri had been killed, then backed away from the claim. Villagers told journalists who arrived at the scene that 18 civilians had died (the number was later revised down to 13); they denied that any bodies had been removed or that any foreigners had been in the compound. But some Pakistani intelligence officials began telling media outlets last week they believe as many as four leading terrorists, including al-Zawahiri's son-in-law and Abu Khabab al-Masri, a top al-Qaeda bombmaker, died in the strike. The U.S. is still uncertain if DNA� was recovered from the scene to allow experts to positively identify any terrorists killed there or how the IDs were made. Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz told Time late last week that so far investigators have recovered only bodies of civilians, "but our security forces are there in large numbers to get the facts. These things just cannot evaporate and disappear, if there is anything."
Although the missile strike provoked a round of protests in Pakistan's tribal areas that forced President Pervez Musharraf to distance his government from the operation, cooperation between the U.S. and Pakistan in the hunt for bin Laden has quietly deepened. A Peshawar-based Pakistani intelligence official speaking on condition of anonymity says Washington has an understanding with Islamabad that allows the U.S. to strike within Pakistan's border regionsâproviding the Americans have actionable intelligence and especially if the Pakistanis won't or can't take firm action. Pakistan's caveat is that it would formally protest such strikes to deflect domestic criticism.
Some ranking Pakistani officials deny such an agreement exists. The territory in which bin Laden may be hiding remains forbidding to outsiders. In pockets of Pakistan's borderlands, a resurgent Taliban has begun to impose its extreme brand of Islamic law, including a ban on music and the Internet, and the summary execution of criminals. Some counterterrorism experts, though, are cautiously optimistic that the turmoil in al-Qaeda's high command they hope was caused by the strike in Damadola may force its leaders to expose themselves. "You got to presume that all the al-Qaeda guys are asking each other who got smoked," says a former U.S. intelligence official. "When they stick their heads up to see who got whacked, it presents opportunities."
While the hope of finding al-Qaeda's bosses anytime soon remains just thatâhopeâthe hunters have shown indications that they may be closer to picking up their targets' scent. A Pakistani intelligence official says Pakistani intelligence agents and cia drones are searching the mountainsides for the second group that crossed from Afghanistan. In the message delivered last week, bin Laden signaled he would not allow himself to be captured alive. "I swore that I will not die except free, despite the bitter taste of death," he said. On that much, both bin Laden and his pursuers seem to agree: one way or another, his end will come.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/22/2006
11:28 ||
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INDONESIAN police are closing in on one of Asia's most wanted terrorists, Bali bombing mastermind Noordin Mohammed Top, after arresting two of his key henchmen in a swoop on a network of Jemaah Islamiah militants.
Counter-terrorism officers have closed the net around Top, one of the most senior members of the al-Qaeda-linked JI, since the death late last year of his Malaysian compatriot Azahari bin Husin.
Terror expert Sidney Jones, of the International Crisis Group, said the arrests in the past week appeared to flow from the testimony of "Wiwid", a JI member detained after the November shootout that killed Azahari, suspected of making the bombs for a string of deadly blasts in Bali and Jakarta.
"I think this suicide brigade is being rounded up ... it's a matter of time before they get Noordin," Ms Jones said. "But a decimated brigade doesn't mean the end of possible attacks, especially when suicide bombers are in the mix."
Indonesian police are interrogating 35-year-old Subur Sugiarto, alias Abu Mujahid, and 25-year-old Joko Wibowo, alias Abu Sayap, who were arrested last week and are believed to be closely linked to Top.
Indonesian police sources said Sugiarto and Wibowo were considered to be among the most trusted accomplices of Top, who narrowly escaped a police dragnet shortly after Azahari's death in November.
Australian Federal Police officers said last night they were aware of reports of the arrests. But a spokeswoman said it would be inappropriate to comment because it was a matter for the Indonesian National Police.
Indonesian police have arrested eight men across Java in the past week on suspicion of involvement with JI.
A separate raid in southeast Sulawesi resulted in the seizure of more than four tonnes of the bomb-making chemical ammonium nitrate. It is not known if the chemicals were intended for terrorist activities.
Sugiarto, a teacher of Islam, is believed to have encouraged the three suicide bombers who blew up restaurants in Bali last October, killing 23 people, including four Australians.
Members of the Indonesian elite anti-terror unit Special Detachment 88, together with local police, grabbed Sugiarto last week after he boarded a bus in the central Javanese town of Boyolali, bound for Jakarta.
Police had already raided his home late last year in the hunt for those responsible for the bombings at the Bali tourist spots of Jimbaran Bay and Kuta.
During the raid, police found bomb-making manuals, terrorism-related documents and bullets, including those for a pistol and an M-16, and subsequently added Sugiarto's name to a list of wanted terror suspects.
Sugiarto, who is also a martial arts practitioner with military training, is believed to have been trained in bomb-making by Azahari.
Wibowo was arrested in the central Java town of Karanganyar. Family members told reporters police had confiscated books in a subsequent home raid.
The pair's arrests follow arrests in the central Java towns of Semarang and Klaten of men also accused of helping Top evade police capture.
Another man said to have been close to Sugiarto, Ibnu Parmong, was also arrested in Semarang. The mathematics teacher was accused of regularly lending his motorbike to Sugiarto and Top.
Indonesian police said yesterday they were investigating the links between the detained men and a series of armed robberies.
It has been reported that two of the men have confessed to taking part in the robbery of a jewellery store and police are now investigating whether the robbery was committed to underwrite terror activities.
The link between the robberies and JI was made after a treasure trove of documents found in Azahari's hideout revealed that the terrorists involved in the first Bali bombings in 2002 had robbed banks and jewellery stores to finance the attacks.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/22/2006
11:19 ||
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Could al Qaeda terrorist operatives be teaming up with the MS-13 gang?
No, federal investigators say. There is little, if any, evidence of such a link, and it is highly unlikely that the radical Muslim organization would align itself with a predominately Catholic gang, they say.
But questions linger. In September 2004, The Washington Times reported that a top al Qaeda lieutenant, Adnan G. El Shukrijumah, had been spotted two months earlier meeting at a Tegucigalpa, Honduras, cafe with MS-13 leaders. Then-Attorney General John Ashcroft confirmed that the meeting was being investigated.
In 2004, U.S. authorities suspected that the Saudi-born Shukrijuman had sought meetings with MS-13 leaders who they said control immigrant smuggling routes into the United States through Mexico. Ashcroft later confirmed that Shukrijumah had attempted to acquire radioactive material for the production and smuggling of a "dirty bomb" into the U.S. Federal officials subsequently downplayed and then refuted the reports about the Honduran meeting.
In February 2005, a U.S. diplomat in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, renewed concern that al Qaeda and MS-13 might be working together. Consul John Naland's comments came after the arrest of an MS-13 member in Matamoros who was accused of trying to smuggle three immigrants into the United States and a week after federal officials confirmed the arrest of Ebner Anibal Rivera-Paz, the reputed head of the Honduran MS-13 organization outside Falfurrias, north of McAllen.
MS-13 "might be just the kind of group which would take money to smuggle an honest-to-goodness terrorist into the United States," Naland said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/22/2006
11:18 ||
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There is no evidence to back Osama Bin Ladenâs claim that Al Qaeda is gearing up to attack the United States, but there are signs the group is active in the country, a leading Republican lawmaker said on Friday.
A new tape by the militant leader, aired on Thursday, said US âoperations are under preparation and you will see them in your houses as soon as they are completedâ. Rep Peter King, a New York Republican who chairs the House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, said there was no reason to believe the threats were anything other than bluster to rally support among his followers.
As committee chairman, King has special access to classified information on homeland security.
âWe are taking it seriously,â King told Reuters in an interview, but he added, âThere is nothing that Iâve seen that would indicate that the threat to the United States is any greater or worse than it was a week ago, or a month ago. Still, the congressman said attacks were possible and it was important for the United States to stay on its guard.
âI believe there is evidence of Al Qaeda activity in this country,â King said. âWe are still such an open society they can always pull off a cheap attack. An easy one somewhere.â
He would not give any specifics on the kind of Al Qaeda activity he was referring to, but said it was more than someoneâs willingness to provide a safe house, for example. King said bin Laden had sought to energize his followers with the audiotape, but questioned whether he had been successful.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/22/2006
11:17 ||
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#1
Fortunately, they are too busy reading "Rogue State," the plodding pace of which will take them six years to get through.
An old Arab lived close to *New York* City for more than 40 years. One day he decided that he would love to plant potatoes and herbs in his garden, but he knew he was alone and too old and weak. His son was in college in Paris, so the old man sent him an e-mail explaining the problem:
"Beloved son, I am very sad, because I can't plant potatoes in my garden. I am sure, if only you were here, that you would help me and dig up the garden for me. I love you, your father."
The following day, the old man received a response e-mail from his son: "Beloved father, please don't touch the garden. That is where I have hidden 'the *THING*.' I love you, too, Ahmed."
At 4pm the FBI and the Rangers visited the house of the old man and took the whole garden apart, searching every inch. But they couldn't find anything. Disappointed, they left the house.
The next day, the old man received another e-mail from his son: "Beloved father, I hope the garden is dug up by now and you can plant your potatoes, that is all I could do for you from here; Your loving son Ahmed."
Two years after the Pakistani Army began operations in border tribal areas to root out members of Al Qaeda and other foreign militants, Pakistani officials who know the area say the military campaign is bogged down, the local political administration is powerless and the militants are stronger than ever.
Both Osama bin Laden, who released a new audiotape of threats against the United States this week, and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, are believed to be living somewhere in the seven districts that make up these tribal areas, which run for more than 500 miles along the rugged Afghan border and have been hit by several American missile strikes in recent weeks.
The officials said they had been joined by possibly hundreds of foreign militants from Arab countries, Central Asia and the Caucasus, who present a continuing threat to the authorities within the region.
The tribal areas are off limits to foreign journalists, but the Pakistani officials, and former residents who did not want to be identified for fear of retribution, said the militants - who call themselves Taliban - now dispensed their own justice, ran their own jails, robbed banks, shelled military and civilian government compounds and attacked convoys at will. They are recruiting men from the local tribes and have gained a hold over the population through a mix of fear and religion, the officials and former residents said.
An American military official in Afghanistan, in an e-mail response to questions about Pakistan's tribal areas, said: "I believe this region is going through a period of revolutionary change, in which moderates and extremists fight for the future of their nations. And with vast, lawless areas in which Taliban-style justice holds sway, Pakistan faces serious challenges." The official agreed to comment only on the condition of anonymity.
Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, chief spokesman for the Pakistani military, said the accounts of the size of the militants' forces were exaggerated. He put the number of foreign militants in the whole of the tribal areas at "100, plus or minus."
But the officials and residents say the militants are far more numerous, and have embarked on a disruptive campaign of terrorism, particularly in North and South Waziristan: in the last year, 108 pro-government tribal elders, 4 or 5 government officials, informers and even 2 local journalists, have been assassinated by militants, local journalists say.
Qaeda operatives are the driving force behind the local militants and are influencing their tactics, the officials said. The militants have managed this despite a hammer-and-anvil strategy in the region, with American military forces pressing from the Afghan side of the border. There have been three American strikes in the area in the past six weeks, involving missiles fired from remotely piloted Predator aircraft operated by the Central Intelligence Agency, but whether they were an expression of American frustration or the outcome of a burst of intelligence remains unclear.
Despite government denials, the officials said, the strikes may have had the tacit approval of Pakistan's leadership, which has issued mostly pro forma condemnations. The officials asked not to be identified because their supervisors do not allow them to talk to the media.
The most recent strike, in Bajaur on Jan. 13, killed as many as 18 civilians, but might also have killed several high-level Qaeda members.
[On Saturday, President Pervez Musharraf told Under Secretary of State R. Nicholas Burns that the Jan. 13 strike "must not be repeated," The Associated Press reported.]
Bajaur, Afghan and Pakistani security officials said, is not as out of control as North and South Waziristan, but it has become a staging post for fighters entering and leaving the eastern Afghan province of Kunar, where American forces have encountered some of the most serious resistance over the past year.
Al Qaeda's propaganda unit has produced video CD's showing Afghan fighters being trained by an Arab commander and mounting ambushes on American soldiers and convoys in Kunar. Afghans know of two Arab commanders who fought against Soviet forces and have stayed on in Bajaur, said the governor of Kunar, Asadullah Wafa.
The Afghan border police say they learned of a meeting in a mosque in Bajaur six months ago between members of the Afghan Taliban, a group led by the renegade mujahedeen commander Gulbuddin Hekmatyar from Afghanistan and the Arabs, during which they are said to have divided up responsibility for insurgent operations in Afghanistan.
Pakistan's military has become more cautious about emerging from its bases in North and South Waziristan, and the civilian administration is so hamstrung that the senior government representative in South Waziristan does not even live there.
"We run a government on paper, but not on the ground," said one government official who has worked in North and South Waziristan, which have seen some of the heaviest combat of the past two years.
Now, the heaviest fighting has shifted to North Waziristan, where there are reports of casualties among the military or the civilian population almost daily. At least three small mountain lookout posts built by the army with American funds have been knocked out, one official who was there recently said.
"The situation is going from bad to worse," the official said. "No one can raise their voice against the Taliban." Armed local militants come and go freely and have even opened offices in the main bazaar of Wana, in South Waziristan, driving up in pickups filled with armed fighters. They use the offices to recruit followers from the large, illiterate and unemployed youth of the area, a former resident said, asking not to be identified for fear of retribution from the militants.
Military operations, which have killed at least 40 civilians and wounded 600, said one official, have also driven youths to join the militants.
General Sultan, the military spokesman, cautioned against taking such reports too seriously. "Calling them Taliban is sensationalizing the situation," in an interview in his headquarters Rawalpindi. "There is a mix of foreigners, Al Qaeda and Taliban and local supporters." By Taliban, he meant fighters from Afghanistan.
He said foreign militants had been eliminated in South Waziristan and existed in North Waziristan now only in small groups, adding that there were also few local militants allied to Al Qaeda and other foreigners.
He did not have figures for military casualties in 2005 but said there were fewer than in 2004, when 250 Pakistani soldiers died. "It's not anything like that now," he said.
Home to six million people and covering 10,000 square miles, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas for years provided a sanctuary for Afghan and other foreign fighters opposed to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. But for the past four years, after members of the Taliban, Al Qaeda and foreign allies were driven out of Afghanistan, they have lived in the area and gradually taken greater control.
Government officials who have spent time in the tribal areas say there may be as many as 1,000 foreign militants there, but because many have intermarried and raised families, their status as foreigners is somewhat blurred.
Today the region is believed to be home to a kind of rogue's gallery. Besides Al Qaeda's leaders, Tohir Yuldashev, the Uzbek leader of the Independence Movement of Uzbekistan, which was allied with the Taliban, is thought to be in North Waziristan.
Jalaluddin Haqqani and Mr. Hekmatyar, who are both wanted by American forces in Afghanistan, and gained their fame as Afghan commanders from the days of resistance to the Soviet occupation, are widely believed to move between the tribal areas and Afghanistan.
(The Taliban leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar, and his close deputies, are thought to be farther south in the province of Baluchistan.)
The local militants are mostly also men who gained fought in Afghanistan, either against the Soviet Army or alongside the Taliban in its civil war against the Northern Alliance. But it is the foreign fighters who have most radicalized the local population, all agree. "The driving forces are the foreigners," General Sultan said.
The American military official in Afghanistan said the solution to the problem was to strengthen the Afghan Border Police, and "almost certainly it will involve Pakistan continuing to conduct operations in the border region and coming to grips with the Taliban influence inside Pakistan."
"Pakistan appears to struggle with whether to crack down on Al Qaeda and the Taliban, not just with how to crack down on them," he wrote. "This war will take time and unfortunately we expect future attacks on coalition and Afghan forces."
The inhabitants of the tribal areas are deeply religious, yet the local militants have introduced a new extremist language, like that of Al Qaeda, said one official who has spent time in the tribal areas.
The militants' main obsession is to fight Americans in Afghanistan, but they also attack the Pakistani Army and government officials, who are seen as subservient allies.
"They are religious, mujahedeen, and they think the military are serving the cause of Bush," the official said. The struggle is cast in the most messianic of terms, as a battle between God and Satan, he said.
Anyone who is seen to have links to the West or the government, including journalists who work for international news agencies, are also targets. Two local journalists have been killed and one kidnapped in recent months. Another left the area with his family last month after a bomb destroyed part of his house.
The military, rather than pacifying the region, has aggravated the situation by sidelining the civilian administration and the traditional tribal councils, which have also been drastically undermined by the numerous assassinations of tribal elders, the officials said.
The army's tactic of negotiating with militants in South Waziristan has only emboldened them, the Pakistani officials said. Self-styled Taliban militants have emerged in spectacular fashion in North Waziristan.
On Dec. 7 in Miram Shah, the administrative center, a band of militants waged a battle with a local criminal gang, killing 11 of them and burning down 25 houses.
The military and the Frontier Corps, which is a militia drawn from the local tribes, stayed out of the battle, and later the Taliban killed 26 or 27 gang members.
The clash made the militants enormously popular among local residents, who had suffered extortion at the hands of the gang, the official said. The campaign was reminiscent of those under the Afghan Taliban, who were born out of a movement to cleanse southern Afghanistan of rapists and other criminals in 1994.
Now, the official said, no one can contest the Taliban's authority in Miram Shah. General Sultan dismissed that, saying both groups in the clash had been put out of action.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/22/2006
11:14 ||
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#1
It's time to construct and implement multiple, overlapping ARCLIGHT boxes in the "Tribal areas". A half-dozen such incidents, and they'll know what REAL war is. I am also sick to death of fighting wars with both feet in buckets and one arm tied behind us. We did that in Vietnam, and the death toll was horrendous. It's time to quit thinking that "war" is something like a police patrol, and let the generals wage UNCONDITIONAL war against these bastards that wage such war against us. Screw "hearts and minds" - as the Marines say, once you have them by the cojones, their hearts and minds will follow.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/22/2006 14:56
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#2
the military campaign is bogged down, the local political administration is powerless and the militants are stronger than ever.
Doom, gloom, you've already lost the war and might as well go home! Let me guess before looking....NYT?
#3
The NYT indeed, 2b. Lots and lots of beautifully crafted sentences answering who/what/when/etc, even some military jargon thrown in for atmosphere (hammer and anvil), but the entire thing is nonetheless lightly diguised editorializing along the NYT/Progressive party line. Like reading Pravda in the old days, a skill I never acquired.
AUSTRALIA and the United States must be prepared for the likelihood that al-Qaeda will one day get its hands on a nuclear weapon, former NSW premier Bob Carr says.
Mr Carr has told the Australia-America Leadership Dialogue in Los Angeles that the terror group had been trying for five years to get hold of a nuclear weapon and it was likely it would succeed.
"In 2001 al-Qaeda chatter tracked by US intelligence was about one of their primary goals...to produce what they called an American Hiroshima," Mr Carr said.
"Western cities must have comprehensive evacuation plans drawn up and there have to be detailed plans for communicating with the people about what they should do."
Former Californian governor Pete Wilson, also speaking at the forum, said the US Department of Homeland Security was focused on prevention rather than a response to a nuclear attack.
"The consequences in terms of communications breakdowns and pressure on medical facilities would be unimaginable," Mr Wilson said.
"So concentrating on prevention makes sense, but we still have to consider and plan for what we would do if it did happen."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/22/2006
11:13 ||
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Iraqi military officials have said on Sunday that there are intelligence reports stating that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the militant leader behind some of the bloodiest attacks in Iraq, is in Diyala province near Baghdad.
It is not the first time that Iraqi officials have said that they have closed in on the elusive Zarqawi, leader of the Al-Qaeda in Iraq. He is the most wanted man in Iraq, with a $25 million bounty on his head.
At one point of time, he was rumoured to be suffering from serious wounds in a hospital in the western town of Ramadi.
On another occasion, Iraqi officials said the police had captured Zarqawi, but then released him after three or four hours because they had failed to recognise him.
Army posts have been notified of Zarqawi's presence in Diyala, northeast of Baghdad, where there has been a surge in violence in the past few months. His exact location in the province is not known, an official said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
01/22/2006
11:11 ||
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#1
I have learned not to get my hopes up on these announcements. Why do they bother - it seems the only advantage goes to Zark in this case. Let us know when we can see the remains, but keep quiet in the meantime.
#3
there are intelligence reports stating that al-Zarqawi is in Diyala province near Baghdad
Just for a moment, allow me to slip into conspiracy theory mode and suggest that this implies that Zarq is *not* in Diyala, they have some idea of where he actually is and this is simply dis-information. Hey, I could be the next Karl Rove!
#4
"On another occasion, Iraqi officials said the police had captured Zarqawi, but then released him after three or four hours because they had failed to recognise him."
......FRUSTRATION.......... that just kills me.
Iran on Sunday said Israel would be making a "fatal mistake" should it resort to military action against Tehran's nuclear program and dismissed veiled threats from the Jewish state as a "childish game."
On Saturday, Israel repeated its stand on the issue, saying it would not accept a nuclear Iran under any circumstances and was preparing for the possible failure of diplomatic efforts. While Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz stopped short of an outright threat of military action, he said Israel "must have the capability to defend itself...and this we are preparing."
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said Israel was only trying to add to Western pressure on Iran to give up its nuclear program. "We consider Mofaz's comments a form of psychological warfare. Israel knows just how much of a fatal mistake it would be (to attack Iran)," Asefi told reporters. "This is just a childish game by Israel."
#1
Iran on Sunday said Israel would be making a "fatal mistake" should it resort to military action against Tehran's nuclear program and dismissed veiled threats from the Jewish state as a "childish game."
Since you're intend to wipe us of the map, anyway...
#4
When someone picking a fight says the phrase "Hit Me", a good rule of thumb is to take the first swing. At the lowest level Iran has threatened to hurt Isreal. Like a street punk on the street, when threatened you have a choice. Wait and take the first hit and possibly get your ass handed to you, our swing first and knock the dumbass to the street. The threat to Isreal real, Isreal will feel the strike of Iran-through Hamas or Hezbollah, Isreal has every right to strike first, strike hard, and strike with finality.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
01/22/2006 11:30
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Yep
It's sad but Israel will probably be the only entity with the stones to do something about the insane regime in Tehran.
There are rumors here and other places that the US is gearing up to whack the Iranian threat down and I hope there right. That said I'll be surprized if it happens.
No, Israel will probably have to do this and then be condemned by most of the world. :/
Posted by: RJB in JC MO ||
01/22/2006 11:48
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#6
RJB,
We havent even had the chance to strike, yet the italian foreign minister has recently "warned" us that such a strike would be a "terrible mistake that would ignite the entire middle east and perhaps the entire world"
I say, if we need to ignite the middle east, we should ignite it sooner than later. It is much better to ignite it with conventional weapons now than to wait and have to use the kind of weapons that makes things glow in the dark.
besides, I havent seen too much of an activity either political or military taking place in Italy and ultimately we will have to count on our own strength.
Posted by: Elder of Zion ||
01/22/2006 12:34
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The Italian FM is worried about destablizing the region? That's original.
#8
such a strike would be a "terrible mistake that would ignite the entire middle east and perhaps the entire world"
Yes, we need to be concerned about inflaming the "arab street". That and the "brutal afghan winter". So much for conventional wisdom.
The harsh fact of the Iranian situation is that it is one of those real-world choices between bad and worse. Choosing not to choose usually means a vote in the "worse" column.
#10
Has anyone been following the Iranian blogs about this? If so, does anyone in that strange country seem to have any understanding of how close they are to being turned into a sheet of radioactive black glass? I can't believe they're all nuts in Iran and I would think that the deadly serious threat of nuclear obliteration they now face would have the sane people ripping the mullahs to bloody shreds with their bare hands if that was what it took to prevent complete destruction.
Posted by: mac ||
01/22/2006 20:55
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The U.S. Navy boarded an apparent pirate ship in the Indian Ocean and detained 26 men for questioning, the Navy said Sunday. The 16 Indians and 10 Somali men were aboard a traditional dhow that was chased and seized Saturday by the U.S. guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill, said Lt. Leslie Hull-Ryde of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain.
That's 26 summary trials. Crowded on the yardarm, however. Do Navy ships have yardarms these days?
The dhow stopped fleeing after the Churchill twice fired warning shots during the chase, which ended 87 kilometers (54 miles) off the coast of Somalia, the Navy said. U.S. sailors boarded the dhow and seized a cache of small arms. The dhow's crew and passengers were being questioned Sunday aboard the Churchill to determine which were pirates and which were legitimate crew members, Hull-Ryde said. How do you separate the pirates from the galley slaves in the Soomali navy? With a crow bar.
Sailors aboard the dhow told Navy investigators that pirates hijacked the vessel six days ago near Mogadishu and thereafter used it to stage pirate attacks on merchant ships.
The Churchill is part of a multinational task force patrolling the western Indian Ocean and Horn of Africa region to thwart terrorist activity and other lawlessness during the U.S.-led war in Iraq. The Navy said it captured the dhow in response to a report from the International Maritime Bureau in Kuala Lumpur on Friday that said pirates had fired on the MV Delta Ranger, a Bahamian-flagged bulk carrier that was passing some 320 kilometers (200 miles) off the central eastern coast of Somalia.
Why didn't the Bahamian Navy handle that one?
Hull-Ryde said the Navy was still investigating the incident and would discuss with international authorities what to do with the detained men. Hang the Somalis from the nearest yardarm and give the Indians a regimen of AZT. Rest at link.
Posted by: ed ||
01/22/2006
10:21 ||
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#6
WTG Winny! BTW I read that three U.S. Navy ships are named after British heros and all have one British Navy member assigned. Imagine this prospect BEFORE the war of 1812? Yes we have come a long way. I think that they should make the pirates walk the plank after a speedy trial at sea.
#8
No plank, keelhaul after court maqrtial on CVN at 40 kts.
Let them learn to water-ski, without the skis. Tie a rope around them, drag them behind that carrier at 40kt, and watch for the shark action.
International law used to say that any pirate caught by any legitimate vessel could be immediately terminated at the discretion of the ship's captain. I hope the UN hasn't screwed up THIS law, too.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/22/2006 14:34
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Does the UK still have those cage things they use to display the bodies pirates in? We should borrow them if they do.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/22/2006 20:58
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A guided missile destroyer against a dhow?
Those boys must be really bored!
What about the pirates of the carribean?
They should clean up the local pond.
#19
The brits have all those glorius names, so how about HMS Blasfemous?
Posted by: Al Aska Paul ||
01/22/2006 22:06
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The BBC is calling them "Pirates" as if they naturally are not just because we caught some.
One of those missiles should land on BBC World Heaquarters. I am so tired of the MSM foreign and domestic I could almost go postal on their wasted skins.
#2
Some of the comments to the article are funny in a sad/pathetic sort of way. A number of them insist that our beloved Commander-in-Chimp be added to the list of the World's Worst. A teensy point they all miss is that here in America we have elections every four years and you can only be President For Life for two terms.
#3
Interesting that Parade is willing to print this. It kind of puts a damper on the ol' GW as terrorist meme.
They've been doing this annually for years. I don't remember how many.
Some of the comments to the article are funny in a sad/pathetic sort of way.
You know what's sad/pathetic? Parade's filters are blanking out certain strings which form naughty words, even if they are contained within complete unobjectionable words, such as Cons***ution, embarr***, and **** Cheney. I still haven't figured out ****stan, though. It has something to do with bombing people on bad intelligence (you know, like we didn't do the other day). Surely it can't be "Paki"?
Somebody go over there and give Scunthorpe as your home town. See what happens.
EFL
Israel's defense minister hinted Saturday that the Jewish state is preparing for military action to stop Iran's nuclear program, but said international diplomacy must be the first course of action. "Israel will not be able to accept an Iranian nuclear capability and it must have the capability to defend itself, with all that that implies, and this we are preparing," Shaul Mofaz said.
His comments at an academic conference stopped short of overtly threatening a military strike but were likely to add to growing tensions with Iran.
Israeli leaders have also repeatedly said they hope the crisis can be resolved through diplomacy, and they said any military action would have to be part of an international effort. They have denied having plans for a unilateral preventive strike.
Israel's concerns about Iran have grown since the election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who said last year that Israel should be "wiped off the map."
#1
This is shaping up to one of two scenarios. First, that Israel and the US wait for Iran to make the first move. This is risky. Second, that Israel makes the first move; then when Iran responds with a counterattack, it does so "over" Iraq, in US controlled airspace, so the US can respond to this "act of war".
The advantages of letting Iran go first are that you previously arrange with all the other powers that if Iran attacks, it loses all support. It also allows you to focus entirely on overwhelming defense against whatever they throw, costing them much of their offensive capability at the outset, leaving you time and space to build up your own offense.
However, as Napoleon said, you should never let your opponent have any advantage. This includes letting them go first, unless it immediately results in a major defeat for them.
For this reason, Israel should attack first. Not only because they have the airpower, but because they have infiltrated any number of ground personnel who can wreak havoc at the start. This will also reduce the Iranian counterattack, so the US can focus less on absolute defense, and more on its own counterattack when Iran responds.
The third element are our infiltrators, who unlike the Israelis, want to coordinate those groups who could take advantage of the situation in Iran, those being the Kurds, the Arabs, the Baluchs, and possibly even the Zoroastrians. Uprisings in any of those areas could neutralize missile sites and airbases, and could cause national disruption.
While Israel's attacks would focus on the actual nuclear targets themselves; other than attacking their radar and CCC, the US would probably go against their infrastructure and military. The US could also "soften up" heavily defended targets with unmanned weapons, leaving them open to Israeli attack.
#2
Here is a pretty thorough but pessimistic analysis of the available options.
Posted by: Matt ||
01/22/2006 11:49
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A few operational notes: US ground forces will be in the middle of a rotation from March to June of this year, so there will temporarily be more than the usual deployment. The deployment also seems to be with slightly "heavier" units.
Right now, on the other hand, our naval forces in the region are fairly light in the Med, Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea. I would suspect that repair/refit/rearm operations are very underway in the Atlantic fleet.
#5
US and Israeli forces will do their coordination, and a lot of it, ahead of time. Tons of stuff, from IFF codes, anti-missile systems, areas and times of operation, liasons, and Sea Air Land coordinations, all the way to mutual assistance on the battlefield. Emphasis on avoiding friendly fire and target redundancy.
However, Israel is not NATO-standard, which means that there are a lot of "interlocking parts" that don't interlock. This means to some extent, we have to give each other a wide berth for mutual safety.
The ultimate mission of the action is also very up in the air, as US and Israeli long term objectives may be very far apart, and also how to accomplish those objectives. Certain things the US will have to tell the Israelis "hands off".
The US may also have to make Israel some very strong guarantees to insure their nuclear missiles stay in their silos.
Wretchard the Cat at Belmont Club; EFL'd. As usual, he's on to something.
The terrorist "suitcase nuclear weapon" is the nightmare scenario often invoked to explain why such weapons should never be allowed to fall into the hands of leaders like President Ahmadinejad. . . . But a closer examination of the suitcase nuke problem suggests that this method of delivery has certain limitations. Let's begin a thought experiment by considering the number of suitcase nukes that would be required to destroy a country like France or the United States.
The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a somewhat left of center think tank, produced a very respectable model of how many nuclear weapons would be required to inflict damage to the point of diminishing returns, a concept accepted by Robert McNamara at the height of the Cold War. This inflection point is known as the "knee" and occurred where around 25% of the target population was killed. . . . According to these figures it will take about 150 nukes to 'destroy' the fabric and cohesion of the United States and about 30 to do the same to France. Note that inflicting this damage will not have any substantial effect the US ability to perform an immediate counterstrike with thousands of nuclear warheads because these are deployed in hardened facilities or on submerged platforms which would survive a paltry (by Cold War standards) 150 warhead strike. But this number would be enough to finish the target nation as cohesive society for decades.
The problem with suitcase nukes is maintaining command and control over them. Any suitcase nuke which could be armed and detonated by its possessor (protected only by a combination detonator just like the movies) would have serious defects as a weapon. This method delegates so much command and control over the weapon to the possessor that it is effectively "his". In our thought experiment, imagine a rogue state providing such weapons to 150 terrorist teams for use against the United States. There would be no assurance that once deployed these weapons would not be stolen or used for unintended purposes. It would be possible for a rogue team to sell the weapon to the highest bidder, perhaps a rival rogue state looking for such devices. It would not be impossible for one of the teams to turn against its masters and use it against them. A team with a suitcase nuke might divert to Switzerland where they could demand the payment of a few billion dollars in exchange for not blowing up Zurich. A suitcase weapon could be captured by the CIA or the Mossad and reimported into the rogue state where it could be detonated against targets who could hardly admit its true provenance. If the teams belonged to rival political terrorist organizations they could be used against each other. Clearly, releasing a large number of suitcase nuclear weapons without positive command and control would be less than ideal and probably disastrous for the wielder.
The most probable workaround to the problem would be to deploy these weapons at a very low rate by sending them out one trusted team at a time. In that way the weapon would be used within a short period and watched, probably by a large number of mutually counterchecking personnel, every step of the way. One nuke to Paris. Boom. One nuke to New York. Boom. The problem with solving the control problem by slowing down the rate of attack is apparent from the table above. One nuke in Paris or New York will be grossly insufficient to finish the infidel enemy but quite sufficient to provoke a massive response. Once the fissile traces are identified ten thousand warheads will be headed back the other way.
The other obvious possibility is to deploy a large number of suitcase nukes in a componentized configuration so that it requires the assembly of several teams, each with part of the requisite firing information or componentry to activate the device. (This is conceptually similar to the two key system on boomers) For example, Iran could deploy 450 teams -- three teams to activate a suitcase bomb -- with the intent of controlling 150 devices targeted at the United States. Unfortunately a force of this size could hardly remain covert for any length of time. The teams security would rapidly "deteriorate" in a deployed environment and would almost certainly be discovered before long. Once discovered the game would be up. The weapons would no longer be deniable and their use would be open belligerency. The suitcase weapons would have no advantage to nuclear bombs delivered by the air force of the rogue nation. . . .
Posted by: Mike ||
01/22/2006
09:33 ||
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#1
This seems to be right on target though the primary assetion is a modified MAD:
"One nuke in Paris or New York will be grossly insufficient to finish the infidel enemy but quite sufficient to provoke a massive response. Once the fissile traces are identified ten thousand warheads will be headed back the other way."
A modified MAD is a rather flawed analysis when the stated objectives of the enemy, Iran-AlQaeda is the elimination of Israel and the removal of the US as a global deterrent to Islam. They have stated that thier own anihilation would be worth the objective.
The 150 nuke attack appears right on target for the US; however, Israel would not survive a single attack. Once a single nuke is set off a cascading chain of response will be start that no one can really predict where it will end.
Example: How many nukes will make the US pull back to isolation to heal its economic wounds? Will we have the stomach to launch a massive counterstrike to eliminate Islam? Will we have the stomach to interr/deport all members of Islam allready in this country? Who else in the world will decide to take advantage of our internal distractions to advance their own objectives?
I think the 150 number is a little over stated. I am thinking more like 5-10.
#3
slightly off but relating to Wretchard's point,
Natural events produce "energy equivalent" effects somewhat similar to Hiroshima for instance.
Of course Natural disasters are not precise models for "suitcase nuclear weapon" attacks, as those would most likely be targeted against population centers [not critical nodes] for maximum terror effects, but they can be useful tools for examining the aftermath.
The total energy released by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake is equivalent to 32,000 megatons of TNT or 133 exajoules (1.33Ã1020 joules). This exceeds the total amount of energy consumed in the United States in one year by 30%, or the energy released by the wind of a hurricane like Hurricane Isabel over a period of 70 days. Using the mass-energy equivalence formula E = mc^2, this amount of energy is equivalent to a mass of about 1500 kg. Equivalently, this amount of energy is enough to boil 10,000 liters (2,600 US gallons) of water for every person on Earth.
#4
Tom-
Actually, the number is in the middle three figures. Let me point something out here: the US is like any other nation on Earth, in that we could lose our capital and all our major cities at once and still function. Why?
For starters, The Federal Building. Just about every good sized city has one. In those buildings are, usually, at least some offices of EVERY Federal department, and with them all the regs, rules, and procedures. Then you have the Armory - one in every county (or every few counties) for every branch of the service. Finally, you have the food distribution system, overwhelmingly located in rural areas (don't forget, the system ENDS in the cities).
Why does all that matter? because in just about every other nation on earth, everything is centered in the Capital - the bureaucracy, communications, etc. For example, kill Paris and France becomes no more than a few provinces that speak variants of the same language. Kill someplace like Teheran or Beijing, and those nations cease to exist as coherent entities - their populations will be at each others throats within hours. All the reins of power have been channeled through the capital, and when they are gone, so is control over the rest of the nation. that's not the case here.
Yes, you will have horrible damage - the medical system will collapse within days. The transportation system will last as long as there's fuel in the pipelines (a week, 10 days tops) - but what you end up with is the US in, say, 1890, and that was a strong, cohesive society.
If you want to kill the US as a functioning society with NO hope of recovery, you are talking about one weapon on each state capital, the two or three major cities in each state (and in some states 4-10), then EVERY major military base, EVERY Federal building of ANY size at all. Once you add all that up, you have more targets than anybody's got weapons for today.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/22/2006 11:08
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Mike-
What you forget about the 1890s is that people had the knowledge and tools to get everything done without electricity. I live near one of the last (non-Amish etc) communities to farm using horses and mules. Even they have a lot of equipment that relies on gasoline and electricity. There are also a lot of dead and dying trades like blacksmithing and wheel making. (If these sound simple to revive, read Foxfire #9.) I think even most of the rural areas would collapse very quickly once the transportation and the pre-packaged food run out. Remember, in the old system it takes about 30 acres of worked farmland to support a family.
This article is worried about the destruction of the fabric of our society. But what about more simple terror? Wouldn't a suitcase nuke be 9-11 multiplied tenfold?
#7
Planning for possible future disasters is entertaining & necessary, but always off the mark. There are many more "players" on the field and too many interconnecting possibilities.
"Command and control" - the Soviets had an extensive espionage network in the US since at least the 1930's. Some of it was cracked during & after WWII. Some Soviet agents in the West were never uncovered, and have likely retired on their double pensions & died of old age. The Soviets had pretty good network security. I don't think the Russians have discontinued these activities, and their espionage networks would serve as a method of C&C if the desire rose. The current Russian regime is not really friendly toward the US, and they have reason to feel humiliated to a far worse extent than Muslims. The Russians are currently assisting the Iranian mullocracy in developing their own brand of nukes.
No crash program has been launched to train adequate numbers of interpreters to even read the intelligence the US is collecting, and it's going on five years since 9/11.
The anthrax attacks of 2001 and hurricanes Katrina & Rita illustrated how brittle and unresponsive state & federal governments are when stressed. In 2001 the Senate partly shut down & was unable to do its business, even though none of its members was injured. Apparently there are no plans for an alternate seat of government should DC become unusable. We have lots of scarcely used federal facilities, but no plan to relocate and restore operations if part of the current system suddenly becomes inoperable. Vulnerabilities in our society's life support networks continue to go unaddressed: e.g., most of our gas stations can't function "off the grid". (It's not like they don't have the money and fuel to run generators, either.) The US scorns civil defense.
Compared to the unity of purpose which gripped the USA during WWII, the national "fabric and cohesion" is already severely impaired, at least in my mind. For example, some of my elderly relatives who volunteered to put their lives on the line at Pearl Harbor, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa are/were very much against the current response to 9/11. I was disgusted by this, but didn't argue with them out of respect. What does the West have the stomach for? What in our history has prepared for this era?
What you forget about the 1890s is that people had the knowledge and tools to get everything done without electricity.
You're partly correct, I personaly can do it, I have the knowledge and the skills to live quite well without highline electricity.
But that does not mean I could, it would be a year or so to survive before any "Farm" produce was available, and very few folks have a year's supply on hand.
Plus the very real danger of looters finding that you have food, then it's kill or be killed, or starve after being robbed.
Won't work. A month's supply is practical to store, more and the cry "Hoarder" crops up.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/22/2006 14:01
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#9
Anyone interested in how to survive in such a scenario would do well to look at Steven Stirling's books, Dies the Fire and The Protector's War. Now, Mr. Stirling is a little too much into a medieval mindset for my taste at points, but he develops the themes that Jim and Faith touch on -- how does one survive when none of the 20th and 21st century technology we rely on works?
It wouldn't be pretty.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/22/2006 14:05
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#10
We saw that in New Orleans in Septmber. It *wasn't* pretty.
#11
5-10 nukes and the US is back to the 1890s? What universe are you people living in? We live on a continent, people. I live in Oregon on the West Coast - a nuke taking out New York City would be a horrific event but would have no major impact on food, water, oil, or electrical power in my region, let alone my town. Such a strike would impact the pricing of those commodities but would not limit their availability. You would have to take out the major hydroelectric dams here in the Northwest to impact our supply of power; we grow enough varieties of basic foodstuffs in the Pacific Northwest to survive; and California could produce all the oil products we need, under martial law. 5-10 nukes would produce incredible losses, untold human suffering, and a thirst for revenge that would result in genocidal retaliation, here and abroad. It would not collapse the industrial base of this country, that would take 50-100 nukes aimed at all major ports and transportation nodes -- you know, the scenarios in MAD when the Soviets were around? A better example would be England during WWII : rationing of all items for the national good. But no civilizational collapse -- way too Twilight Zone there, people.
#12
And if you think I was overestimating the number of nukes to take out the ports in the U.S., please take a look at "http://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/ndc/wcsc/portname03.htm"
for a listing of the ports in this country.
#13
. I live in Oregon on the West Coast - a nuke taking out New York City would be a horrific event
How about taking out (Name your closest big city upwind), and it's not necessary to destroy the dams, in fact it's undesirable, just destroy the power lines for a week or so and spoil the refrigerated foodstuffs, canned goods only would survive the power loss.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/22/2006 16:32
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#14
No, it would not take out all of the power lines. Take a look at the power grid in the U.S. -- it is not interconnected nationwide : there are separate regions that supply the power to that region. And for the EMP to take out the majority of the power substations in an area, it would have to be an airburst at a height that eliminates all but ICBMs. Remember people, they were doing above ground nuke tests in Nevada throughout the 1950s, and did not take the power down in Las Vegas, even though the tests were within 60 miles of that city. The EMP myth was started by a specific test at a height that required a very sophisticated delivery system, and even then, it only impacted half the area and for one day. The power was restored to the affected area within 2 days of the event.
#15
Most of these issues are outside my own expertise to opine on, but it certainly is true that the US infrastructure (physical, social, military and political) are considerably less centralized than in most countries.
Remember, TCP/IP (the data communications protocols used by the Internet) was originally developed by DOD precisely to allow a computer network to continue to function despite a major nuclear strike. The lack of a single central controller or directory for the Internet Protocol is a distinctly American feature - check out the European-designed OSI protocol stack for contrast.
The which? you say?
My point exactly.
My first job out of college was programming a database which was intended to allow senior commanders to figure out what forces were where, so that if we lost a major portion of the country or our forces overseas, the remaining commanders could organize quickly. That was during the cold war ... different capabilities are in place now. I don't think the reaction today after such a strike would be gentle, especially if Washington were hit. I wonder, though, how much dithering would occur if the civilian command chain were left more or less intact. Depends on who is leading it, I suspect.
The earlier "Terrs launch attacks on military bases in Ramadi" article seems to have borrowed from the first two paragraphs of this article:
WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 2006 â Iraqi and U.S. security forces repulsed attacks on military bases in Ramadi, Iraq, today about 100 kilometers west of Baghdad, officials reported.
The attacks by insurgents were a combination of small arms and mortar fire, and coincided with the Iraqi government's announcement of results from the first democratic election under the new constitution.
Iraqi soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 1st Public Order Brigade, along with U.S. soldiers and Marines, defeated the attacks within an hour using a combination of small-arms fire, medium and heavy weapons and preplanned aviation assets.
In other action, Task Force Band of Brothers soldiers detained a suspected terrorist after an improvised-explosive-device attack near the northern town of Hawijah yesterday, officials in Tikrit said today. Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team were hit by small-arms fire as they were recovering a vehicle damaged by the IED.
The soldiers returned fire, forcing the gunman to flee, but they didn't get far, officials noted. A U.S. patrol en route to the site chased and stopped the suspect's vehicle, in which the soldiers found a sniper rifle and a rocket-propelled-grenade launcher with a warhead. Officials said two soldiers received minor injuries and were treated and returned to duty.
U.S. military officials in Tikrit also reported that Task Force Band of Brothers soldiers detained four terrorists after an IED the men were transporting detonated prematurely. Two Iraqi men, who were transporting a wounded man, flagged down soldiers from the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, and told the American soldiers about the incident. The soldiers took the wounded man to a nearby military medical facility and a second patrol was sent to investigate the explosion.
When the patrol arrived at the site they found three other uninjured men, who admitted that they and the wounded man were transporting the IED, officials noted.
In an incident 155 miles north of Baghdad, Task Force Band of Brothers soldiers captured four suspects believed to be involved with an explosion that ripped through the Siniyah city government building the evening of Jan. 19, officials said. The building was reportedly leveled by the blast, but no injuries were reported to coalition forces. A tip led soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade Combat Team to two homes in the area, where the men were detained without incident.
In other news, terrorists killed 12 Iraqis in a drive-by shooting and took two others hostage Jan. 18. Elsewhere, U.S. and Iraqi forces captured suspected terrorists in several incidents.
Officials said the terrorists in the drive-by incident fled the scene in three vehicles: a red BMW, a green BMW and a red Mercedes. Who's funding these guys? Oh, yeah. The ransom-payers. After Multinational Division Baghdad military police arrived at the scene, a rocket-propelled grenade was fired at them from a nearby building. The grenade hit an Iraqi truck that was recovering a damaged vehicle. Coalition forces returned fire to the building and conducted a cordon-and-search operation. The murder victims and hostages all worked for a national phone company.
Elsewhere, Iraqi army and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers nabbed seven suspected terrorists during a pre-dawn mission east of Haswah, 25 miles south of Baghdad, today, officials said. Soldiers from 4th Brigade, 8th Iraqi Army Division, cordoned off the area. Their counterparts from 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, rappelled in and detained the suspects, who were trying to flee the area.
Officials in Tikrit also reported that a coalition aircraft killed three terrorists Jan. 17 after observing them emplacing an IED near Tal Afar. Soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, along with an explosive ordnance disposal team, safely destroyed the IED, which consisted of two artillery rounds.
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/22/2006
08:37 ||
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#1
In other news, terrorists killed 12 Iraqis in a drive-by shooting and took two others hostage Jan. 18. Elsewhere, U.S. and Iraqi forces captured suspected terrorists in several incidents.
I seem to recall someone (a'moose?) positing this would be the last and safest form of attacks by the lions 'o islam.
#3
If you catch them with an IED just shoot them then and there. It's would be rough on the people having to do it but I am sure IED emplacement and transportation would be lessened as a result. The Iraqi government would need to proclaim this as government policy.
FORT CARSON, Colo. (AP) - An Army officer was found guilty of negligent homicide late Saturday in the death of an Iraqi general at a detention camp, but was spared a conviction of murder that could have sent him to prison for life. A panel of six Army officers also convicted Chief Warrant Officer Lewis Welshofer Jr., 43, of negligent dereliction of duty. He was acquitted of assault after six hours of deliberations.
Welshofer was accused of putting a sleeping bag over the head of Iraqi Maj. Gen. Abed Hamed Mowhoush, sitting on his chest and using his hand to cover the general's mouth while asking him questions in 2003.
Welshofer, who stood silently and showed no reaction when the verdict was announced, faces a dishonorable discharge and up to three years in prison for negligent homicide and three months for negligent dereliction of duty. Sentencing was scheduled for Monday. If convicted of the original murder charge, he could have been sentenced to life in prison.
The defense had argued a heart condition caused Mowhoush's death, and that Welshofer's commanders had approved the interrogation technique. "What he was doing he was doing in the open, and he was doing it because he believed the information in fact would save lives," attorney Frank Spinner said.
Spinner said he was disappointed with the verdict and would decide after sentencing whether to appeal. "The verdict recognizes the context in which these events took place," he said. "It was a very difficult time in Iraq. There was confusion, and they were not getting clear guidance from headquarters."
Welshofer and prosecutors left without commenting.
During the trial, prosecutor Maj. Tiernan Dolan described a rogue interrogator who became frustrated with Mowhoush's refusal to answer questions and escalated his techniques from simple interviews to beatings to simulating drowning, and finally, to death. "He treated that general worse than you would treat a dog and he did so knowing he was required to treat the general humanely," Dolan said.
Welshofer used his sleeping bag technique in the presence of lower ranking soldiers, but never in the presence of officers with the authority to stop him, Dolan said. The treatment of the Iraqi general "could fairly be described as torture," Dolan said.
In an e-mail to a commander, Dolan said, Welshofer wrote that restrictions on interrogation techniques were impeding the Army's ability to gather intelligence. Welshofer wrote that authorized techniques came from Cold War-era doctrine that did not apply in Iraq, Dolan said. "Our enemy understands force, not psychological mind games," Dolan quoted from Welshofer's message. Dolan said an officer responded by telling Welshofer to "take a deep breath and remember who we are."
The defense urged jurors to consider conditions in Iraq at the time of the interrogation: Soldiers were being killed in an increasingly lethal and increasingly bold insurgency. Welshofer had to make some decisions on his own because guidance was lacking and other techniques weren't working, Spinner said. Officials believed Mowhoush had information that would "break the back of the whole insurgency," said defense attorney Capt. Ryan Rosauer. They also thought Mowhoush helping to bring foreign fighters into Iraq from across the Syrian border, he said.
Several prosecution witnesses, including one whose identity is classified and who testified in a closed session, had been granted immunity in exchange for their cooperation, Spinner noted. Two soldiers who were initially charged with murder in the case also were given immunity.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/22/2006
06:15 ||
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By the way, how's the Milosevic trial going in the much vaunted International Court of the Hague?
When you clean your own house well, you don't need a**holes trying to do it.
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) - An opposition-sponsored strike closed shops and shut down public transport across Bangladesh on Sunday as authorities deployed thousands of security forces to deter violence. The main opposition Awami League and its 13 allies called the dawn-to-dusk strike to protest an alleged government plan to compile new voter lists that favor the ruling coalition.
Nearly 7,000 police and security forces were mobilized in the capital to prevent any violence during the protest, Dhaka Metropolitan Police said in a statement. There were no immediate reports of clashes.
Stores were shuttered and schools closed in Dhaka, a city of 10 million people. The streets remained largely devoid of public transport, and only a few tricycle rickshaws operated with permission from strike organizers. Similar disruption occurred in more than 60 cities and towns, according to police officials who requested anonymity because they are not allowed to speak to media.
Police erected barbed-wire barricades around the Awami League's downtown Dhaka headquarters, preventing several hundred protesters from taking to the streets.
The opposition parties were calling for the resignation of three election commission officials whom they accuse of plotting to create voter lists that would drop names of government opponents head of next year's general elections. The government denies the allegations and opposition charges that it influences the five-member commission.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/22/2006
06:12 ||
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KATMANDU, Nepal (AP) - Maoist rebels and government forces clashed in a village in southern Nepal, killing 14 militants and six security forces, the royal army said Sunday.
The gunbattle began Saturday night when the insurgents attacked a security patrol in Phapar Badi village, 100 miles south of the capital, Katmandu, a Royal Nepalese Army official told The Associated Press. Fourteen militants, five soldiers and one police officer were killed, he said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Security forces have taken control of the area where the gunfight took place and were searching for rebel cadres in helicopters, the military official said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/22/2006
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For the first time in memory, the word "activist" doesn't make me cringe... Angered by a Supreme Court ruling that gave local governments more power to seize people's homes for economic development, a group of activists is trying to get one of the court's justices evicted from his own home.
The group, led by a California man, wants Justice David Souter's home seized to build an inn called the 'Lost Liberty Hotel.'
They submitted enough petition signatures - only 25 were needed - to bring the matter before voters in March. This weekend, they're descending on Souter's hometown, the central New Hampshire town of Weare, population 8,500, to rally for support.
'This is in the tradition of the Boston Tea Party and the Pine Tree Riot,' Organizer Logan Darrow Clements said, referring to the riot that took place during the winter of 1771-1772, when colonists in Weare beat up officials appointed by King George III who fined them for logging white pines without approval.
'All we're trying to do is put an end to eminent domain abuse,' Clements said, by having those who advocate or facilitate it 'live under it, so they understand why it needs to end.'
Bill Quigley, Weare deputy police chief, said if protesters show up, they're going to be told to stay across the street from a dirt road that leads to Souter's brown farmhouse, which is more than 200 years old. It isn't known whether Souter will be home.
'They're obviously not going to be allowed on Justice Souter's property,' he said. 'There's no reason for anybody to go down that road unless they live on that road, and we know the residents that live there. The last time (Clements) showed up, they had a total of about three or four people who showed up to listen to him.'
Clements, of Los Angeles, said he's never tried to contact Souter, who voted for the decision.
'The justice doesn't have any comment about it,' Kathy Arberg, a Supreme Court spokeswoman, said about the protesters' cause.
The petition asks whether the town should take Souter's land for development as an inn; whether to set up a trust fund to accept donations for legal expenses; and whether to set up a second trust fund to accept donations to compensate Souter for taking his land.
The matter goes to voters on March 14.
About 25 volunteers gathered at Weare Town Hall on Saturday before setting out in teams to go door-to-door. Organizer Logan Darrow Clements gathered nine signatures in less than an hour, with only one resident declining to sign.
He also distributed copies of the Supreme Court's decision, Kelo vs. City of New London, to residents.
The court said New London, Conn., could seize homeowners' property to develop a hotel, convention center, office space and condominiums next to Pfizer Inc.'s new research headquarters.
The city argued that tax revenues and new jobs from the development would benefit the public. The Pfizer complex was built, but seven homeowners challenged the rest of the development in court. The Supreme Court's ruling against them prompted many states, including New Hampshire, to examine their eminent domain laws.
Supporters of the hotel project planned a rally Sunday at the town hall. Speakers were expected to include some of the New London residents who lost the Kelo suit.
State Rep. Neal Kurk, a Weare resident who is sponsoring two pieces of eminent domain legislation in New Hampshire, said he expects the group's proposal to be defeated overwhelmingly.
'Most people here see this as an act of revenge and an improper attack on the judicial system,' Kurk said. 'You don't go after a judge personally because you disagree with his judgments.' We'll see. I do hope Souter and the rest of the SCOTUS asshats who voted in favor of the decision to allow seizure of Susette Kelo's home find out how it feels. The result of this unAmerican decision is a snowballing epidemic of outrageous land grabs. This is not happening in a vacuum... The books will be rebalanced - with interest - before this is over.
This issue makes my blood boil. E.D. should be the last resort executed on absentee land lords or against known crack houses *NOT* for Grandma's old 2 bedroom house in a blue-collar neighborhood. I seem to remember a revolution was fought over similar circumstances. It is a land grab of the worst kind. I don't know how these justices/politicians et al that back this legislation look themselves in the mirror at night. Personally, I would defend my home w/shotgun in hand.
#2
The important thing is not publicity, but strategy. They care little if you make the papers, but they really do care if you make them *have* to start signing papers to protect themselves.
So what they should do is buy a small parcel of land, then take advantage of whatever absence of zoning laws to move in a whole bunch of people in high-density just long enough to vote in the next council elections. Then, unless you get agreement from every councillor, you target just those that oppose you in the next election with a large enough block to most likely defeat them.
Make it clear to the rest of the town that you will leave *them* alone, and will pick up and leave just as soon as Suter is punished, even returning his land to the city once his house is demolished.
#6
My mom was becoming a LLL moonbat of sorts, so after the eminent domain decision came down from SCOTUS, I sent her the decision and majority and minority opinions from the court reporter. I told her that is why we need to replace those so-called "liberal" justices on the bench with ones that read the Constitution. She now understands that anyone, herself included, can be affected the same way. This decision makes nobody safe.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/22/2006 12:45
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#7
They may not get his house, but I'm sure they have his attention.
#8
E.D. should NEVER be used to benefit a private organization. We use it only for public improvements (streets, fire/police/libraries) and ONLY as a last resort. I'd consider an ED condemnation a failure of negotiations and probably a failure on my part as Project Manager, if the other party was willing at all....
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/22/2006 15:47
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A Dutch company is selling nazi helmets to Dutch football fans to wear during the World Cup Finals in Germany. Wow. Clever.
Free Time Products, from Schijndel, has already sold 15,000 plastic orange helmets in just two weeks reports Het Laatste Nieuws. I'm expecting a high body count among the Dutch "fans". Somewhere above 15,000.
The plastic helmets are adorned with slogans such as "Attack", "There he goes" and "Go Holland go". How about "I'm a moron!"
Designer Weno Geerts said they were meant as a joke: "We just want to support our team and tease the Germans. Nothing else. That's why we called it 'Helmpje' (Small helmet)." Well okaaay, then. At first I thought it might be offensive.
Geerts said the company had received only a few complaints and expected to sell another 100,000 helmets before the finals this summer. Heh. Yep, a much higher body count.
"They are meant for the supporters who watch the game on the television, in the pub but also those who are travelling to Germany," he said. Okay, maybe those traveling to Germany will show more sense than old Geerts. Moderate that body count accordingly.
However, the Dutch Football Association KNVB said the helmets were in poor taste. Duh.
And official supporters club chairman Lloyd Vandenberg said: "They go too far. It has nothing to do with football. We go for friendship and we don¹t want to refer to war times." It'll be a real hit with host country Germany. Is there an optional monogrammed body bag? Idjits.
#3
Of course, being Germans, I wonder if they will decide to confiscate all the helmets at the gate for violating the anti-Nazi laws. Remember that Schroeder successfully sued their newspapers for making fun of his dyed hair.
#4
i would've been as surprised to hear this as everybody here seems to be if i didn't know much about european soccer fans(which i don't)but i know there are dramatic displays of racism at the stadiums. Not only against black players (whom they chant ooga-booga monkey sounds to when they have the ball) but against each other by rioting over nazi party politics. Would like to see nazis yell nigger at an American football game, say the Oakland Raiders or maybe the Carolina Panthers.
#5
Many Dutchstill haven't coped with the 1940 invasion. In fact there is a village at the
border who is half Dutch and half German and where well into the eighties there were frequent street fights between the Dutch and the German citizens involving dozens of people in either side. In fact I would not be surprised if they still fought.
Wearing Nazi helmets in Germany that is teh kind of things you could expect from a vengeful Dutch.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/22/2006 15:50
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#7
When Ajax of Amsterdam (the leading Dutch club who was created by Jews) visits its archrival Feyenoord, the Feyenoord people scream "Jew, Jew, Jew" and then
imitate the hissing sound of gas chambers.
The sensible and soophisticated Europeans at work.
An Argentinian woman who went missing after a New year's Party turned up at her own funeral. How, um, inconvenient, lol. New Year's party, huh? This is why I don't drink anymore.
Angela Saraiva, 20, from Salta, was only gone for 20 hours and was amazed to find herself declared dead. 20 hrs? Hell, I've gone missing for years... only it was intentional - like I said, I don't drink anymore.
Her worried mother mistakenly identified a dead body as being that of her daughter, reports Terra Noticias Populares. Mom! What about that cool birthmark I have on my, um, er, nevermind. Maybe it was that Gerber Life policy she took out when Angie wuz a baby...
And the funeral was in full swing when Ms Saraiva finally turned up again. I like swinging funerals. Mariachi & Calypso bands, dancing Gypsies, dog acts, the Houdini seance, David Copperfield making the stiff disappear, y'know, the run of the mill Texas funeral.
She said: "My parents thought I was this woman because she looked just like me. Dead dopplegangers. Wow, what will they think of next? And what about the REAL dead woman's family? Suddenly this isn't quite so funny...
"I loved this whole experience, it made me realise how much my friends and family love me and how much they would miss me if I die; that made me feel important!" Everyone else: Yeah, well, you've made us look like fools. I gotcher love right here... How about we try again, with the right corpse, smartass?
An Australian woman has become famous for her ability to paint with her breasts
Di Peel's first canvas sold for £5, her second for £10 and she's now busy with an order for 10 at £40 each.
The mother of two, from Tasmania, who is happy to describe herself as a big woman, works at the kitchen table rather than at an easel, reports the Mercury newspaper.
She said: "I either apply the paint to my breasts and lean on to the canvas or apply the paint to the canvas and then lean into it to spread the paint.
"I sign every picture with my nipple."
Di says she has to take a shower ever time she changes colours and uses canvases because drawing paper tends to slide around the table.
Commenting on her work, she added: "They are more like abstract flowers. But my latest piece, people say, looks like the Earth from space. My son named it Earthquake, because he thinks it looks like an earthquake." The artist's, uh, ample profile (NSFYE*) and examples of her boobs' work. Heh, I've seen worse - art that is. There was this toilet, you see, and...
* NSFYE - Not Safe For Your Eyes -- Fair Warning: Better left to your imagination.
This could be nothing, but it looked interesting and thought I'd pass it along:
Bank of America customers in Seattle have reported a rash of illegal cash withdrawals from checking accounts apparently coming from foreign automated teller machines and debit card purchases. According to customer service representatives at Bank of America, there have been numerous reports of checking account fraud in Seattle, but many more incidents being reported from other states. The increases in fraud reports are generally about overseas cash withdrawals, they said.
Michael Chee, Bank of America's Pacific Coast spokesman, refused to say if the company was experiencing a rash of checking fraud. He would not confirm or deny any information that pertained to the bank's security investigations. He also declined to comment on any incidents in general or information from consumers and bank representatives. Seattle police have been taking "a lot" of calls and reports involving Bank of America customers, said police spokeswoman Debra Brown. She could not provide a specific number of complaints, but said that while officers routinely get calls about financial fraud involving a variety of banks, people have been reporting an unusual number of Bank of America-specific thefts.
Samantha Crowley was assured by Bank of America that her business checking account would be credited after she reported 15 thefts to the bank and to police on Wednesday. Crowley doesn't know how her information would have ended up in the hands of thieves who, according to her bank records, withdrew cash from ATMs in Russia and in Chicago. [S]he has never been lured by e-mail "phishing" attacks -- e-mails that masquerade as official notices from financial institutions asking people to update their account information. "It's a concern for me that this information is out there," she said. "I want to find out how this kind of thing happened." Note: I edited out the handwringing and wild-a** guesses about how "The increase in this activity and the psychological impact on society might be a reason why the United States trails other countries in using high-tech payment systems," and the quotes from a university professor. I would much rather have seen some reporting on *which overseas countries* are making the withdrawals. Russia is mentioned, but no other information.
#3
"The increase in this activity and the psychological impact on society might be a reason why the United States trails other countries in using high-tech payment systems."
No. The reason the US trails other countries in using high-tech payment systems is because our credit card companies and banks are still using cutting-edge security technologies from the 1980s, or even earlier.
Even though credit card fraud is and remains at obscenely high levels, mostly due to this refusal to upgrade their security by the credit card companies; the banks are allowing, permitting, or even condoning outright theft and fraud.
Credit card companies issue card numbers that are *consecutively* numbered, so if someone steals *a* card, they automatically know what the next 1-99 card numbers are, *and* their expiration dates. Security codes are only used by a tiny minority of companies to check card authenticity.
The biggest bank fraud, however, comes through "automatic withdrawl". Theoretically, such withdrawl can only be made from "flagged" accounts; but routinely, some corporations withdraw from $100 to $500 from unflagged accounts. The account holder is unaware of this until they get their monthly statement. When they complain, the bank shrugs and tells them to contact the corporation that took their money.
The corporation promptly returns the stolen money, but keeps the "float" on that money it had for a month; whereas the bank does *not* pay the interest to the account holder it would have paid on the stolen money, had it remained in the account.
This means both the bank and the corporations that do automatic withdrawl are rewarded handsomely for this fraud, and perhaps millions of small account holders are annually defrauded.
The amount of the fraud is too small for federal court, and the banks are too powerful for small claims court. By stealing just a few dollars from a hundred thousand people, they get away with it, where they would be prosecuted from stealing even a few hundred dollars from a person.
#5
Hee hee, raptor. But let's say most of the fraudulent ATM withdrawals are being made in Lahore. (That is, if Lahore even *has* ATMs). Would that be an issue of concern? Maybe they're being made in the banlieus outside Paris. Would that cause any alarm bells to go off? Or would that be considered petty crime comitted by bored kids...
#6
Interesting how you can order that telemarketers not call your landline phone, but you are not allowed to forbid withdrawals from your bank account into foreign ATM's, or withdrawals from your account direct to another corporation without your signature, etc. etc. The banks seem to be profiting indirectly from this theft, bit by bit.
#7
BTW - I got a phishing expedition email from "Paypal" saying overseas attempts were made to access my Paypal acct. I was directed to go to their "Paypal site link" and change my password.....nice try
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/22/2006 14:21
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#8
Unfortunately, a major reason for the lack of security changes is not just the banks, but the merchants. They whine and scream if you try to increase the security measures in place for transactions. You'd not believe how often I got screamed at for not removing security features without a signed letter by the merchant accepting responsibility for chargebacks if they get fraudulant charges.
The Credit Card Processors have been trying to push people into upgrading to newer equipment and software but it's a very difficult sell to these merchants who typically want all the security features turned off to decrease the time it takes per transaction. So alot of the blame lies not just with banks but the merchants as well.
Another note, credit card fraud does fund terrorism, you don't hear much about it, but I've seen cases involving the FBI hunting for these guys.
#9
This is one of several reasons I have a signed, notarized statement that I presented to my bank several years ago that stipulated that a) I would not accept any credit cards, b) I did not want, nor would I accept, a "debit" card, and c) that I would not authorize ANY cash withdrawals from my account except by signed affidavit. I've had them take money out twice. Both times they not only apologized, but someone ended up being fired. Banks have rules they have to operate under. If you're thoughtful enough, and nasty enough, they'll do what you say. We've had our account at the same bank (different names, different owners) for 35+ years. It's not a big account, but we do seem to have some clout.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/22/2006 18:03
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MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan - A helicopter used by the Red Cross for earthquake relief operations in Pakistan has gone missing with seven crew on board, an official said Sunday. The helicopter lost contact with the air control tower after leaving the northwestern city of Peshawar on Saturday, Red Cross quake relief chief Andre Paquet said.
The helicopter had been chartered by Turkmenistan to the International Committee of the Red Cross for relief work in the quake zone for the past three months. The Mi-8 transport craft was returning to Turkmenistan, Paquet said. The helicopter left Peshawar around noon Saturday and lost contact with the tower half an hour later after crossing the Afghan border, said Paquet, who did not have any more details. "We are still searching for the helicopter," he said.
Officials in Afghanistan's Interior Ministry and the airport in Kabul said they were unaware of any reports of a crash inside Afghanistan. There must be more to this story. Developing...
Do Al Gore and other Democrats really want to keep the government from finding al Qaeda agents in the U.S.?
In a speech last week, Al Gore took another swing at the National Security Agency's electronic surveillance program, which monitors international communications when one party is affiliated with terrorists. Specifically, Mr. Gore argued that George Bush "has been breaking the law repeatedly and persistently," and that such actions might constitute an impeachable offense. The question he raises is whether the president illegally bypassed the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). But the real issue is national security: FISA is as adept at detecting--and, thus, preventing--a terrorist attack as a horse-and-buggy is at getting us from New York to Paris.
I have extensive experience with the consequences of government bungling due to overstrict interpretations of FISA. As chief counsel for the Senate Intelligence Committee from 1981 to 1984, I participated in oversight of FISA in the first years after its passage. When I subsequently became deputy assistant attorney general in the Reagan administration, one of my responsibilities was the terrorism portfolio, which included working with FISA.
In 1985, I experienced the pain of terminating a FISA wiretap when to do so defied common sense and thwarted the possibility of gaining information about American hostages. During the TWA 847 hijacking, American serviceman Robert Stethem was murdered and the remaining American male passengers taken hostage. We had a previously placed tap in the U.S. and thought there was a possibility we could learn the hostages' location. But Justice Department career lawyers told me that the FISA statute defined its "primary purpose" as foreign intelligence gathering. Because crimes were taking place, the FBI had to shut down the wire.
FISA's "primary purpose" became the basis for the "wall" in 1995, when the Clinton-Gore Justice Department prohibited those on the intelligence side from even communicating with those doing law enforcement. The Patriot Act corrected this problem and the FISA appeals court upheld the constitutionality of that amendment, characterizing the rigid interpretation as "puzzling." The court cited an FBI agent's testimony that efforts to investigate two of the Sept. 11 hijackers were blocked by senior FBI officials, concerned about the FISA rule requiring separation.
Today, FISA remains ill-equipped to deal with ever-changing terrorist threats. It was never envisioned to be a speedy collector of information to prevent an imminent attack on our soil. And the reasons the president might decide to bypass FISA courts are readily understandable, as it is easy to conjure up scenarios like the TWA hijacking, in which strict adherence to FISA would jeopardize American lives.
The overarching problem is that FISA, written in 1978, is technologically antediluvian. It was drafted by legislators who had no concept of how terrorists could communicate in the 21st century or the technology that would be invented to intercept those communications. The rules regulating the acquisition of foreign intelligence communications were drafted when the targets to be monitored had one telephone number per residence and all the phones were plugged into the wall. Critics like Al Gore and especially critics in Congress, rather than carp, should address the gaps created by a law that governs peacetime communications-monitoring but does not address computers, cell phones or fiber optics in the midst of war.
The NSA undoubtedly has identified many foreign phone numbers associated with al Qaeda. If these numbers are monitored only from outside the U.S., as consistent with FISA requirements, the agency cannot determine with certainty the location of the persons who are calling them, including whether they are in the U.S. New technology enables the president, via NSA, to establish an early-warning system to alert us immediately when any person located in the U.S. places a call to, or receives a call from, one of the al Qaeda numbers. Do Mr. Gore and congressional critics want the NSA to be unable to locate a secret al Qaeda operative in the U.S.?
If we had used this ability before 9/11, as the vice president has noted, we could have detected the presence of Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi in San Diego, more than a year before they crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon.
And to correct an oft-cited misconception, there are no five-minute "emergency" taps. FISA still requires extensive time-consuming procedures. To prepare the two- to three-inch thick applications for nonemergency warrants takes months. The so-called emergency procedure cannot be done in a few hours, let alone minutes. The attorney general is not going to approve even an emergency FISA intercept based on a breathless call from NSA.
For example, al Qaeda Agent X, having a phone under FISA foreign surveillance, travels from Pakistan to New York. The FBI checks airline records and determines he is returning to Pakistan in three hours. Background information must be prepared and the document delivered to the attorney general. By that time, Agent X has done his business and is back on the plane to Pakistan, where NSA can resume its warrantless foreign surveillance. Because of the antiquated requirements of FISA, the surveillance of Agent X has to cease only during the critical hours he is on U.S. soil, presumably planning the next attack.
Even if time were not an issue, any emergency FISA application must still establish the required probable cause within 72 hours of placing the tap. So al Qaeda Agent A is captured in Afghanistan and has Agent B's number in his cell phone, which is monitored by NSA overseas. Agent B makes two or three calls every day to Agent C, who flies to New York. That chain of facts, without further evidence, does not establish probable cause for a court to believe that C is an agent of a foreign power with information about terrorism. Yet, post 9/11, do the critics want NSA to cease monitoring Agent C just because he landed on U.S. soil?
Why did the president not ask Congress in 2001 to amend FISA to address these problems? My experience is instructive. After the TWA incident, I suggested asking the Hill to change the law. A career Justice Department official responded, "Congress will make it a political issue and we may come away with less ability to monitor." The political posturing by Democrats who suddenly found problems with the NSA program after four years of supporting it during classified briefings only confirms that concern.
It took 9/11 for Congress to pass the amendment breaking down the "wall," which had been on the Justice Department's wish list for 16 years. And that was just the simple tweak of changing two words. The issues are vastly more complicated now, requiring an entirely new technical paradigm, which could itself become obsolete with the next communications innovation.
There are other valid reasons for the president not to ask Congress for a legislative fix. To have public debate informs terrorists how we monitor them, harming our intelligence-gathering to an even greater extent than the New York Times revelation about the NSA program. Asking Congress for legislation would also weaken the legal argument, cited by every administration since 1978, that the president has constitutional authority beyond FISA to conduct warrantless wiretaps to acquire foreign intelligence information.
The courts may ultimately decide the legality of the NSA program. Meanwhile, the public should decide whether it wants NSA to monitor terrorists, or wait while congressional critics and Al Gore fiddle.
#1
Ironically, while such programs are very important in capable and honest hands, they would be horrific in the hands of those who are dishonest, dishonorable, treacherous, and seek only political advantage. Such as democrats.
This is why I am all in favor of what Al Gore is doing. I hope he is successful in convincing as much of the left as possible that such tools are wrong, evil, and must be outlawed. In fact I hope he expands on his idea to encompass a very liberal view of all civil liberties.
I hope he expands on this idea to include the abolition of the RICO statutes along with the confiscation of assets without trial and giving a 10% "cut" of seizures to local law enforcement--corrupting them too.
He should get democrats ranting against all forms of espionage and secret courts against US citizens. He should demand congressional oversight of all intelligence operations.
He should call for the creation of a Public Accountability Office to investigate abuse of power claims against appointed government officials.
He should start the ball rolling for a Constitutional Supremacy Amendment to the constitution, that says the constitution is superior to any foreign treaty.
Elimination of all federal laws redundant with, and usurping State laws, and not specifically authorized in the constitution.
Prohibition of public identity checks without due cause. Prohibition of a national identity card. Prohibition of sharing medical records between a health care provider, insurance companies, government agencies, or other outside companies without a court order.
Restoration of the "whistleblower" acts, with special provision for extra-organizational review of classified information (so CIA does not investigate CIA, etc.)
And finally, creation of a National Personal Information Database Registration Act. All databases containing above a certain threshold of personal information about citizens must be registered with the government. Except for law enforcement, some information cannot be held by a private entity without the express, written permission of the person.
The bottom line is that, while it is unwise to have thieves guarding the bank, it can be very useful indeed to have thieves demanding that bank security be increased, and pointing out why.
That is why I am hoping that Al Gore convinces many democrats that civil liberties are far more important that using the law to oppress the civil liberties of others, as Wm J. Clinton did.
#2
Do Mr. Gore and congressional critics want the NSA to be unable to locate a secret al Qaeda operative in the U.S.?
In a word: YES!
Gore and the Left don't care about Al-Qaeda operatives in the US, or the deaths of innocent american civilians as long as they can ride the coattails of the deaths into power.
The democrats find themselves in a position where America must be defeated so that they can claim power. And I think (by looking at the acts of Gore, Clinton (less so), Carter, Murtha, Kerry, and Kennedy) that they are knowing trying to tie our hands behind our back so we can get the sh*t kicked out of us (like, according to them, we deserve). They hate everything to do with America and anyone (especially Bush) who would defend her.
#3
Like business, marriage, parenting, etc. there is a certain amount of trust has to be put into succesful relationships them to make them work. The same is true with our government. If a leader is or becomes corrupt and abuses the system, it is the balance of powers that allows us to go through the purposely difficult process of ridding ourselves of the bum.
The terrorists are using the our strengths as our weaknesses and if they succeed (looking at France and Britain and Spain and The Netherlands and Australia, it's easy to see that they might) you won't have to worry about any of those rights that Al Gore claims he seeks to protect. I say seeks, because CF nailed it, Al is about power, not protection.
Pretending that we need to fear our leaders, even Hillary or Al Gore, more than we do terrorists wishing to create mass destruction and genocide within our borders is nothing short of insane. Al and Hillary are constrained by the checks and balances of our government - Ahmadinejad and bin Laden are not. We need to rid ourselves of this terrorist threat and we will need to give up some of our liberties to do it, or we won't have any liberties to protect.
Think of it like WalMart. Lower prices to run your competition out of business and then raise them back up when its gone.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/22/2006 12:29
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#5
As Stassen's replacement in the eternal prez run...
He will over print Stassen's old buttons
Student's For StassenGore for Peace
Stassen had so many that he could reuse the same buttons election after election. Now Gore will save the enviornment and the world by continuing their use.
The Afghan government has fined a privately run television station 1,000 dollars for broadcasting âunIslamicâ material, including raunchy clips from Bollywood movies, officials said on Saturday. A committee within the ministry of information and culture that monitors private television stations ruled against the Afghan TV channel last week, committee secretary Zia Wazir said. Wazir declined to give details of the offending material, saying only: âThey had broadcast stuff that was against Afghan culture and it was unIslamic, but mainly it was unIslamic.â âThe channel was fined 50,000 afghanis (1,000 dollars),â he said. Another ministry official said the channel had been accused of showing footage of half-naked people, including clips from Bollywood movies. Officials at Afghan TV declined to comment. Afghanistanâs post-Taliban constitution grants freedom of expression but conservative circles within the judiciary often pressure the government to adhere to what they call âIslamic valuesâ
#2
The smart thing for this TV station to do is fill its programming with all sorts of references to neurotic, sexually incapable, immature censors who hate and fear women and *anything* new.
If that is too blunt, then show them to be utterly ignorant of what is in the Koran, misquoting and making stupid errors, for which everybody on the street corrects them--which makes them mad. So instead they demand that the government *makes* everybody else follow their wrongheaded beliefs.
This same basic idea could be repeated in dozens of ways, but in the public mind should equate censors with buffoons. That is the weakness in their armor, and if done properly will eliminate much of the censorship in their society.
#1
Sea, found an extended version of this article here.
He hits all of Osama's talking points and isn't the least bit displeased by his newest fan or the attention he's getting. Why am I not surprised he was part of the State Department??
Blum said his lifeâs mission has been this: "If not ending, at least slowing down the American Empire. At least injuring the beast. Itâs causing so much suffering around the world."
Can you imagine how the American public would have reacted toward an author who had been endorsed by Hitler during WW2, and who had made comments like the one above? I find it difficult to understand the indifference to the best interests, or even the survival, of our civilization by so many today.
Pakistani politicians on Saturday criticised the armed forces, the Punjab province and intelligence agencies in a meeting with Nicholas Burns, the US deputy secretary of state for political affairs. Burns said he supported democracy in Pakistan but refused to comment on the countryâs internal matters. The visiting US official held a meeting with the leaders of opposition and ruling parties. The politicians raised internal matters like unequal distribution of resources and lack of consensus on Kalabagh Dam. âMeeting Pakistani politicians is a learning experience for me. Apparently, the whole lot of them is stark raving bonkers. When does my plane leave, again? We (the US government) want to play a role in the promotion of democracy in Asia. And Pakistan is fundamentally important to us,â sources privy to meeting quoted Burns as saying.
MNA Fauzia Wahab of the Pakistan Peopleâs Party Parliamentarians questioned how the US could promote democracy in Pakistan when it supported a military dictator. She said political parties had been marginalised by the military regime. She told the US official that former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was being threatened with court cases if she returned to Pakistan. Abdul Hayee Baloch, a Baloch nationalist, briefed Burns about the Balochistan situation. He claimed the Balochistan had suffered a lot from âmilitary dictatorsâ. Nasreen Jaleel, a leader of the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), complained that Sindh was not given its due share by the federal government. Sources said the MQM leader criticised President Musharraf for announcing Kalabagh Dam and launching an operation in Balochistan.
Sources said Burns refused to comment on Pakistanâs internal issues. He said provincial autonomy and the distribution of resources were purely internal issues.
Human rights activist Asma Jehangir said that Musharrafâs policies were âdamaging the federation of Pakistanâ. âElections are held in ISI offices rather than in towns,â sources quoted her as telling the US official. MNA Sheikh Waqas Ahmed, who belonged to the ruling PML, claimed intelligence agencies and military officials were patronising banned religious outfits.
An interview with Mukhtar Mai in the United Nations scheduled for Friday night has been cancelled because of pressure from Pakistanâs government, according to the New York Times.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, currently on an official visit to the US, said he was not aware of the planned interview or cancellation. âI have no Idea. I donât know how the place functions.â
Aziz said he supported Mai. âI have supported her and her efforts. She is a great proponent and champion of women rights,â he said.
The New York-based charity Virtue Foundation and the Asian American Network Against Abuse of Human Rights had set up several interviews with Mai at the United Nations on Friday. âFaced with pressure from Pakistanâs mission to the United Nations, which asked them to cancel the event, it was cancelled at 8 pm last night,â said Joseph Salim, founder and executive director of the foundation, Reuters reported. UN sources said Pakistani envoys did not want to detract attention from the prime ministerâs visit. Pakistani diplomats were not immediately available for comment.
Shashi Tharoor, the under general secretary for communications, said he could not comment on this specific case. âAs a general principle, indeed there are written instructions guiding the holding of any event on UN premises in which we are obliged to take into account views formally expressed by member states. This is a building and an organisation that belongs to member states,â the NYT quoted him as saying.
#2
So have it in Madison Square Garden. He$$, have it in the middle of Pennsylvania Station. Either one would torque the jaws of the radical islamonazis in Pakiwackiland to the point a couple would die from lockjaw. Of course, hellfires are faster and more efficient. I think it's time to put the screws to Pakistan and its militant islamo-nutcases. The faster, the better.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/22/2006 16:53
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Four carjackers were killed in a 'shootout' with police at Durgapur on the outskirts of the district town early yesterday. They were identified as Jahangir Alam alias Zakir, 30, son of Joynal Abedin of Chandpur, Alamgir Hossain Kalam, son of Abdul Karim of Narayanganj, Suja Mia, son of Chan Mia, and Ershad, son of Moslem Mia, of Sherpur.
Police said they arrested two of the gang from Comilla on Thursday night with a hijacked microbus.
What did they do with the fifty people in and on top of the microbus?
Following their painfully extracted statement, another two were arrested in Gazipur on Friday.
"Howdy boys! Don't bother identifying yourselves, we have a coroner for that."
Taking a tip from the arrestees, police took them to Durgapur to recover hidden arms and arrest their accomplices.
Once again, Mr. Pliers helpfully points out a hidden lair.
When the law enforcers reached near Shafiul Alam Steel Mill along with the four, their accomplices opened fire, prompting police to retaliate.
Bullets filled the air, which is unfortunate for our heroes because ...
Police said the carjackers were caught in the crossfire while trying to flee from police custody.
Their feets failed them, and their last words were a chorus of 'rosebud'.
They were rushed to Comilla Medical College and Hospital ...
... not a Level I trauma center, though that's not important to our tale ...
... where the doctors declared them dead, police added.
"He's dead, Jim!"
Two cops, including a sub-inspector, were also injured in the encounter.
"Lift with the legs, Mukkarjee, not with the back!"
Police recovered two revolvers, one light gun and some bullets from the scene.
Shutter gun was on loan to the RAB.
Sources said six members of an inter-district gang of carjackers, including the four, hired a microbus from Shimrail in Narayanganj on Thursday to go to Sherpur. After reaching Nokla in Sherpur, they strangled the microbus driver, Kamaluddin, 28, and fled with the vehicle. Police recovered the body of the driver from Baneshwardi in Nokla upazila of Sherpur district on Thursday night.
Jahangir and Alamgir were arrested in Comilla when they came to sell the microbus on Thursday night. According to their statement, police arrested Suja and Ershad in Gazipur early Friday. Two other suspected female members of the gang--Tahmina and Halima--were arrested in Laksam upazila of Comilla district.
Wonder if female miscreants will end up in a crossfire?
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/22/2006
01:11 ||
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#1
What? The regular cops are horning in on the RAB's territory?
#3
The 2005 results are in, and here is the chart from shutter guns to cocktails in the evidence locker! http://www.rab.gov.bd/rabacheivement.htmlClicking 'Library Reference', then 'picture gallery' will reveal the miscreants, dacoits, but shutterguns still a mystery...enjoy.
KUWAIT CITY, 22 January 2006 — Kuwait’s Cabinet yesterday initiated constitutional procedures to remove the ailing Emir Sheikh Saad Abdullah Al-Sabah just days after he was appointed leader following the death of long-serving Emir Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. The emir has however sent a letter to Parliament Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi requesting a house session during which he would be sworn in as ruler.
A statement issued by the Cabinet following an extraordinary session held yesterday said it was taking the constitutional move because of the poor health of the emir. “The Cabinet expresses its deep sorrow...over the health of his highness the emir, Sheikh Saad Abdullah Al-Sabah, and it has therefore decided to invoke constitutional procedures under Article 3 of the 1964 Succession Law,” said the statement.
Article 3 stipulates that if the emir fails to meet, for health or other reasons, constitutional conditions set down for him to fulfill his duties, the Cabinet, after establishing this, must present the issue before Parliament within a closed-door session. The Parliament in turn could then decide by a two-thirds majority vote to transfer the emir’s duties temporarily to the crown prince, or transfer state leadership to him permanently.
"You can't transfer power! The Emir is still capable of drooling on his own!"
House Speaker Al-Khorafi yesterday told a press conference at the Parliament that he had not yet been apprised by the Cabinet of its decision but that he did indeed receive the letter from the emir requesting that he be sworn in before the house, and that constitutional experts were assigned to study the matter. “Yes, I received a letter from his highness the emir, Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah, on allocating a special National Assembly session for taking the constitutional oath,” he said.
He said he had been assigned to meet with the emir, and hoped the meeting would take place as soon as possible.
"Nurse! He's doing it again!"
Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad called the extraordinary Cabinet meeting yesterday to continue addressing leadership succession issues one day after a large gathering of Al-Sabah elders reaffirmed their confidence in him to continue running the day-to-day affairs of the country in light of the newly-appointed emir’s bad health. He accepted the responsibility as de-facto ruler under Sheikh Saad Abdullah.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/22/2006
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IRAQâS most wanted man, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, goes to sleep every night wearing a suicide belt packed with explosives, according to a leading insurgent who met him two weeks ago. âHe never takes it off,â said Sheikh Abu Omar al-Ansari, leader of a Sunni resistance group called Jeish al-Taiifa al-Mansoura (Army of the Victorious Sect).
His account, passed to The Sunday Times by a reliable intermediary, is the first description of Zarqawi in Iraq since Washington slapped a $25m bounty on his head, the same as the reward for the killing or capture of Osama Bin Laden. According to the sheikh, Zarqawi sat cross-legged on a rug to eat with his guests and some of his 12 bodyguards, most of whom also wore suicide belts and carried American and Russian automatic rifles.
The sheikh also claimed one of the most widely circulated pieces of supposed western intelligence about Zarqawi â that he sought treatment in Iraq after losing a leg in a US missile strike on Al-Qaeda militants â is false. Ansari confirmed that he has both his legs and âwalks with confidence and balanceâ. He appeared to have recovered from chest and shoulder injuries he suffered in a separate US airstrike last year.
Zarqawi was born to a Palestinian refugee family in Jordan, where he is said to have grown up a tattooed, semi-literate, Shiâite-hating thug.
And that's changed?
Intelligence analysts are divided over how much authority Zarqawi commands in the insurgency. Some in the Middle East have even suggested that Zarqawi may not exist.
The meeting with Zarqawi had been arranged to help insurgent groups co-ordinate their attacks on coalition forces. Al-Qaeda members said the insurgent groups attending the meeting were discussing possible co-ordination of their attacks and plans to create an Islamic state. âWe exchanged talks and views and I spent many hours with him on the first day,â said Ansari. âHe did not dominate the meeting and refused to impose his views.â
The meeting led to the subsequent announcement about an umbrella body called the Mujaheddin Council, which posted a statement on the internet two weeks ago. The council claims to be representing Al-Qaeda in Iraq, the Army of the Victorious Sect and the four lesser-known Sunni groups. Other leading Sunni groups were conspicuously absent.
The development suggested to some Middle East watchers that despite his reputation, Zarqawi may be struggling to consolidate his grip on the resistance. Many Iraqis have tired of violence and politicians were beginning negotiations this weekend to form a coalition government after election results announced on Friday.
âZarqawi is not in the position he used to be before â he seems to have lost the hospitality that he enjoyed in the past in Iraq,â said Dr Nimrod Raphaeli, a specialist at the Middle East Media Research Institute in Washington. âHe is trying to find a new base and new links with other groups.â
#1
If by any chance he has a bladder, prostate, or constant urination problem at night, he could very well make a wrong move and go kaboom! Ahhh .. let us pray and hope!
#13
"He seems to have lost the hospitality that he enjoyed in the past in Iraq,â
Even the stupid understand that if your offer sanctuary to our enemies, you will discover the effects of an air strike. Now that they know we will go after him in any country, his sanctuary there will wane.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
01/22/2006 11:20
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#15
Ansari confirmed that he has both his legs and âwalks with confidence and balanceâ. He appeared to have recovered from chest and shoulder injuries he suffered in a separate US airstrike last year.
The money-quote, kids. Hint: One of Saddam and Osama's habits.
#22
"com" has the right of it.
What's the igniter resonate frequency?
(dynamite cap whatever)
They have to have standard models.
Pump the suspected area with radio waves around the likely resonate frequencies when he sleeps. (day night whatever - I assume day as he's a vampire)
Enough power and he should go kaboom.
#27
Well if you focus enough electromagnetic energy in a small enough area at the right frequency, it will induce an electric current in a conductor. You ever put foil in a microwave? Suicide belts use electrical blasting caps. ¿Entiende?
#28
"...if you focus enough electromagnetic energy in a small enough area at the right frequency..."
If you know where to focus, I'd suggest that you use bullets.
#29
The topic at hand was whether or not you could blow up an electrically primed suicide belt remotely. The answer is yes. I've actually seen with my own two eyes a certain dumbass walking around a microwave tower with an unshunted, electrically fired blast simulator get a big, big surprise. Whether it is practical or not, I'll leave to the experts.
Though one positive would be that if no one in the house targeted had a suicide belt, nobody gets hurt. This eliminates the possiblity of getting set up to take out a house full of innocents as has happened to us in the past.
GAZA CITY, 22 January 2006 — Thousands of Palestinian security forces started to vote yesterday morning in the legislative elections ahead of the scheduled date of Jan. 25. The forces will be free to protect the voting process on the day of the civilian voting.
The early voting reflected the tense security situation in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which have been plagued by election-related chaos and other lawlessness in recent months. Security forces will take up positions at polling stations during Wednesday’s election to ensure order. The special voting for some 59,000 security personnel, running through tomorrow, was meant to give the forces time to prepare for the deployment.
And to make sure everyone else knows how to vote.
“Today is the beginning of the democratic process which we are very proud of,” said Palestinian Preventive Security Chief Rashid Abu Shbak, who voted in Gaza’s Jabaliya refugee camp. “Everything is moving in a smooth and quiet way and we hope the next two days will occur in the same atmosphere and that Jan. 25 will be a national celebration for Palestinian democracy,” he said.
You betcha.
Turnout was heavy yesterday, with more than 40 percent of eligible voters casting ballots, officials said. There were no reports of violence. Security forces, some in civilian clothes and others wearing berets and olive-green uniforms, waited patiently to vote at polling stations throughout Gaza and the West Bank. In the West Bank city of Nablus, hundreds of officers lined up to vote. The stations were heavily guarded, and voters had to present identification and surrender their weapons to cast their ballots.
So if the security forces were voting, who was providing security?
To prevent fraud, forces guarding the stations were barred from voting areas, and voters marked their fingers with special ink to prevent double voting. Observers from local human rights groups monitored the voting.
Outside the station, a small group of Hamas activists wearing the group’s trademark green ski masks baseball caps and bandannas greeted voters. There were no Fatah activists in sight.
"Hi, howya doin', vote for me, that's Mahmoud, Hamas Party, or we'll kill you ... hi, howya doin', remember to vote or die ..."
Hanna Nasser, head of the Palestinian election commission, said commanders were instructed to let their troops vote in peace. “We have made it clear that there should be no such actions,” he said, adding that safeguards are in place to ensure privacy in the polling booth. “You have the full freedom...to vote for whomever you want to vote,” he said.
"Or we'll kill you."
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/22/2006
00:58 ||
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#1
Paleo 'Security' Personnel Cast 'Vote'
Perhaps they can forge a consensus and extrude a government.
BAGHDAD - Iraqi terrorists rebels launched concerted attacks on military bases in the western town of Ramadi as final general election results were being announced Friday, the US military said Saturday. “The attacks by terrorists insurgents were a combination of small arms and mortar fire which coincided with the Iraqi governments announcement of results from the first democratic election under the new constitution,” the military said in a statement.
There were no indications on the number of casualties in the town some 100 kilometres (60 miles) west of the capital, but the military said the fighting lasted an hour with US forces calling in aviation and firing heavy artillery.
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LISBON - Portuguese voters cast ballots Sunday in a presidential election with polls indicating former centre-right prime minister Anibal Cavaco Silva is far ahead of his five left-wing challengers. Cavaco Silva, who oversaw a period of economic growth as a Social Democrat prime minister between 1985 and 1995, has 52-53 percent support, more than the 50 percent needed for a first round win, four polls published Friday showed.
His closest challengers are Socialist lawmaker and poet Manuel Alegre, 69, running as an independent, and former prime minister and two-time president Mario Soares, 81, who has the backing of the Socialist Party he helped found. The split left-wing field also includes Communist Party leader Jeronimo de Sousa, the chief of the far-left Left Block, Franciso Louca, and Antonio Garcia Pereira who heads the tiny Communist Party of the Portuguese Workers.
Splitters!
Cavaco Silva, 66, is credited with introducing economic reforms as prime minister that, combined with the arrival of billions in aid from the European Union which Portugal joined in 1986, helped lift living standards in the nation of some 10.5 million.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/22/2006
00:53 ||
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#1
Does this mean another country is going to join the vast rightwing conspiracy? There may be hope for Europe yet!
#3
Cavaco Won. Some caveats:
Portuguese President is a sort of ceremonial King that only has an atom bomb as weapon: Parlament Dissolution if Governement isnt "working". It also can make politics in newspapers and undermine the governmement. He is a centrist.
PRISTINA, Serbia and Montenegro - Kosovo Albanians began the search on Sunday for a new president to lead the disputed Serbian province into independence negotiations after Ibrahim Rugova died aged 61, leaving no clear successor.
Rugova’s death on Saturday of lung cancer left the 90 percent Albanian majority leaderless on the eve of direct talks with Belgrade to decide whether Kosovo becomes independent or remains part of Serbia, as Belgrade insists. A charismatic and powerful figurehead, Rugova has no obvious replacement as president or at the helm of the Kosovo negotiating team. He will be buried on Wednesday, the day United Nations-mediated talks were due to begin. The talks in Vienna have been postponed to early February.
Of what year?
Parliament has three months to vote in a new president but Kosovo’s Western backers will want Rugova’s Democratic League of Kosovo to overcome bitter factionalism and nominate a successor sooner. “I expect the momentum generated by President Rugova to be sustained, and that Kosovo’s political leaders assume the responsibility to remain unified,” said Martti Ahtisaari, the U.N. envoy appointed in November to chair negotiations.
Fe-e-e-el the momentum!
Legally part of Serbia, the province of 2 million people has been run poorly by the United Nations since 1999, when NATO bombing drove out Serb forces accused of the “ethnic cleansing” of Albanian civilians in a two-year war with separatist guerrillas. The U.N. Security Council gave the green light to status talks late last year, responding to growing Albanian impatience with the status quo and US warnings of fresh violence.
The major powers have signalled they want a decision on status within the year. Serbia says Kosovo is the cradle of the Serb nation and can never become independent.
But the Albanian majority has ruled out a return to Serb rule after years of repression in the 1990s, when Rugova turned the other cheek while he created a virtual underground state.
His policy of passive resistance was eclipsed by the guerrillas in 1998, but he bounced back after the war and was twice elected president. Five days of mourning began on Sunday.
Diplomats say Western powers will likely steer negotiations towards a form of independence, under continued international supervision for years to come.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/22/2006
00:50 ||
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Inspectors from the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency will come to Iran in the next two days to continue the process of verifying Iranian nuclear program. A Tehran-based official told IRNA on Saturday that the upcoming visit to Iran of IAEA team indicates Iranian determination to work with the UN nuclear agency to verify the civilian nature of the national nuclear program.
Iran signed Additional Protocol to Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 2003 to give 'objective guarantee' to IAEA that Iranian nuclear program will not be deviated from civilian use. IAEA Charter specified the Additional Protocol to NPT as 'objective guarantee' to ensure that nuclear programs of the member states are not be diverted to military purpose.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in a press conference in Tehran last Saturday that Iranian nuclear program is in line with Safeguards Agreement of the IAEA. Asked about Russian proposal for cooperation in the production of fuel, he said that Iran is studying the offer and negotiations on the issue will be held in Moscow on February 6.
Commenting on extraordinary meeting of IAEA Board of Governors on February 2-3, he said that the Islamic Republic of Iran will proceed with diplomatic drive with the UN nuclear agency and Non-Aligned members and other nations of the governing board. He said that Iran is also ready to go ahead with negotiations with the European Union.
WASHINGTON - US leaders are expected to call for more intensive efforts by Pakistan to flush out Osama bin Laden and his number two from their sanctuary in meetings with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz here this week. akistani President General Pervez Musharraf, who is facing an increasing litany of tribulations at home, has sent Aziz, among his most trusted lieutenants, to meet with President George W. Bush and other leaders.
Bring gifts.
Counter-terrorism is widely expected to hog the agenda, as the back to back release of bin Laden and Zawahiri’s recordings has sent a chilling reminder to Americans that the masterminds of the September 11, 2001 attacks remain at large, experts said.
Another additional US concern is the jump in suicide bombings and roadside blasts in Afghanistan, attributed to an influx of foreign militants from the border with Pakistan, said Strategic Forecasting Inc. (Stratfor), a private US intelligence firm. “While Washington continues to get cooperation from Pakistan, it is always concerned about the quality of the cooperation and its longevity, if you will,” said Kamran Bokhari, Stratfor’s senior analyst for Middle East and South Asia.
Which means we're not getting cooperation the way we want.
Stratfor believes bin Laden and Zawahiri are in northwestern Pakistan. “To the best of our understanding, our company places them somewhere in northwestern Pakistan, we don’t even think they are in the tribal areas.
“How they have survived this long? Definitely, there is evidence to suggest that in certain quarters of the military and security apparatus, there are sympathisers,” Bokhari said.
Brilliant guys, I could do this from Chicago.
Pakistan could be harbouring Al Qaeda leaders “as something that can be traded for American goodwill,” said Frederic Grare, a visiting scholar with the Washington-based Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he is leading a project assessing US and European policies toward Pakistan. “The earlier they get rid of them, the lesser their leverage. So, they have an interest in keeping them as long as possible,” he said. “Not that I suspect any ideological sympathy, let’s be clear on that.”
"No, no! Certainly not!"
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/22/2006
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Via Western Resistance
COPIES of the Koran were handed to the jurors in the Abu Hamza trial yesterday as his defence argued that some of the cleric’s “offensive” statements were drawn directly from Islam’s holy book.
Which doesn't make them any less offensive.
Edward Fitzgerald, QC, for the defence, said that Abu Hamza’s interpretation of the Koran was that it imposed an obligation on Muslims to do jihad and fight in the defence of their religion. He said that the Crown case against the former imam of Finsbury Park Mosque was “simplistic in the extreme”.
He added: “It is said he was preaching murder, but he was actually preaching from the Koran itself.”
"Which was preaching murder. Yer honor, this is an entirely different thing! Any litigator can see that!"
Mr Fitzgerald cited two verses of the book that Abu Hamza would rely on, among many others, as theological justification for the words that had led to him being charged. They were Chapter 2, verse 216 and Chapter 9, verse 111. He said that all the great monotheistic religions had scriptures that contained “the language of blood and retribution”.
Which doesn't make blowing up stuff right today.
Abu Hamza’s remarks, which the prosecution alleges amount to an attempt to stir up racial hatred against the Jewish people, were, Mr Fitzgerald said, a reference to the Hadith — sayings of the Prophet Muhammad — in which fighting between Jews and Muslims is predicted. The Hadith says that the trees will call out to the Muslims “there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him”.
The defence counsel said this was “a highly unusual case” because unlike most prosecutions for incitement to murder it did not involve someone telling a specific person to kill an identifiable individual.
Abu Hamza’s sermons had to be viewed in context, coinciding with conflicts in Afghanistan, Algeria, Bosnia, Kosovo and the Palestinian territories. Mr Fitzgerald said that the West had initially been on the side of the Mujahidin in Afghanistan when they were fighting the Soviet Union army. There had even been a James Bond film, The Living Daylights, in which 007 fought alongside the Mujahidin.
He added: “Mr Hamza has said things that most people will find deeply offensive and hateful. But he is not on trial for describing England as a toilet. There is no crime of simply being offensive.”
Posted by: ed ||
01/22/2006
00:19 ||
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#1
"There is no crime of simply being offensive.â
You just wait! We're workin' on that in the great U S of A! We're gonna fix it so NOTHIN's offensive to NOBODY!
Sigh...
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/22/2006 8:22
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I didn't see this and attempted a duplicate post.
#3
It is said he was preaching murder, but he was actually preaching from the Koran itself.
This should put a major dent into the "Religion of Peace" meme. The defense is on very dangerous ground here.
It is true that there is lots of blood and thunder in old scriptures. However, religions adapted to the modern world have outgrown advocating the murder of unbelievers and don't consider killing infidels a central tenent of belief.
#5
Oooooo, what HE said! This puts Islam itself on trial. We now have direct proof that it's the religion that preaches hate, and the Imams just repeat it. Not a smart move for Hazma or his defence lawyers. Wake the world up to just what we're up against, why don't you?
Yes, there is blood and gore in all religious teachings, but only ONE religion is based solely on blood and gore - Islam. It's time to quit playing games and eliminate such a wicked and unrepentant murderous blood cult. As someone mentioned on my blog a couple of days ago, Christianity is the religion of loving thy neighbor, Judiasm is the religion of redemtpion of God's Chosen, and Islam is the religion of hate. Yet they're all supposed to derive from the same God, and the same origin. Something got twisted, and I don't think it's Christianity or Judiasm. Time to clean out the sewers.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/22/2006 15:52
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Just as long as it doesn't mean answering too many questions.
On reported mediation efforts to tackle strains in the Syrian-Lebanese ties, Al-Assad indicated that some influential Lebanese figures rejected ideas, put forward by Damascus to thrash out some of the thorny issues, namely the demarcation of the Lebanese-Syrian border. Al-Assad questioned the timing of raising the issue of identity of the border Shebaa farms, while they have remained under Israeli occupation. "The objective of raising the issue of the Shebaa farms now is against the Lebanese resistance and the sole benefiting party is Israel and the demarcation there now will benefit neither Lebanon nor Syria," he said.
On Iraq, the Syrian president said, "We have expressed the desire to establish a relationship based on brotherhood and coordination and expressed readiness to aid the Iraqi people." Al-Assad reiterated that Syria was being targetted by super powers as part of a larger scheme to alter conditions in the region, and re-affirmed Damascus' support for establishing a just peace in the Middle East.
Oops, Assad is catching on to Dubya's game. Getting a little hot in the kitchen there, Bashar?
From the Rantburg Diplomacy Desk:
NEW DELHI, Jan 21 (KUNA) -- Saudi Ambassador based here, Saleh Al-Ghamedi, said on Saturday his country and India would sign a number of cooperation protocols during the visit of The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah Bin Abdul-Aziz Al-Saud. He told a press conference, held to mark the opening of the "Saudi Products in India Expo", that the king, whose multi-day visit would commence on Jan 24, will sign agreements to cancel double taxation and protect investments.
A high-level delegation comprising the finance and oil ministers is accompanying the monarch. A group of over 80 Saudi businessmen were invited to attend a joint business council that will be held here during the king's visit. The two countries trade exchange is valued at over USD 7 billion a year, while over 1.7 million Indian nationals work in Saudi Arabia. King Abdullah will be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day 2006 celebrations set for Jan. 26.
The Indian president will hold a state banquet in honor of King Abdullah, who would also meet and hold talks with Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. The king would inaugurate a Saudi Exhibition at Pragati Maidan and address a Business Summit hosted by the apex Chambers of Indian Commerce and Industry. The King would also visit Jamia Millia Islamia where he would receive an Honorary Doctorate.
The United States has said that British police can board and search rendition flights carrying terrorist suspects if the authorities can produce evidence of a crime and officers turn up with a search warrant. The US has been criticised for not allowing routine inspections of aircraft at UK airports amid allegations it is flying suspects to be tortured.
We could certainly demand to search all British Airways flights on some pretext.
But yesterday Cecile Shea, the US consul in Scotland, told The Scotsman that if UK authorities had evidence that a crime had been committed then under British law police could seek a search warrant and if succesful board the aircraft. "If the crown prosecutor does believe a crime is being committed they should file a warrant and search the plane," she said. "If the crown prosecutor was to obtain a search warrant we would honour it."
However she again ruled out allowing routine searches of US aircraft, as requested by opponents of the US policy of extraordinary rendition. "These people are asking to search every plane and the answer to that is no," she said.
The CIA should be flying baby duck chow on every plane for the next few months.
Colin Boyd, the Lord Advocate, has previously stated that he has no evidence to justify the issuing of a search warrant to inspect US flights and yesterday the Crown Office said police would not be able to board flights without a warrant. A Crown Office spokeswoman said that aircraft were treated as private property. She said police could board a plane if they believed there was "evidence that there is an ongoing dangerous situation", but said that would not cover the movement of terrorist suspects. "In the case that someone was being taken somewhere, that would not be enough to board immediately because the torture was not happening then and there. The immediate risk to life is not there," she said.
The SNP yesterday urged the US to voluntarily allow British investigators to board flights suspected of being involved in rendition without warrants. Angus Robertson, the party's foreign affairs spokesman, said: "If we are going to work together and maintain the highest human rights standards we need to show that none of these activities are going on." Human rights campaigners have argued that the UK has a duty under international law to investigate allegations that its airports are being used by aircraft transporting prisoners to be tortured.
But the Crown just said there was insufficient evidence to get a warrant, which means the allegations are just piffle.
#1
Angus Robertson, the party's foreign affairs spokesman, said: "If we are going to work together and maintain the highest human rights standards we need to show that none of these activities are going on."
No, Angus, if we are going to work together and maintain the highest human rights standards you need to get off your effete, over-civilized ass and concentrate on the REAL threat to your human rights: Muslims who want to take away ALL of those rights and make you live under sharia.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
01/22/2006 5:40
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Scottish Nationalist Party. TRANZI clowns. Typical of the politicians and media of Scotland. These people can out moonbat 99% if the wankers we have here.
the jooooooos did this
Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, has blamed a global plot against the Arab nation for his country's deteriorating relations with Lebanon. In a powerful address at a conference of the Arab lawyers union in Damascus on Saturday, al-Assad said: "What is happening between Syria and Lebanon is part of a global plot against all Arabs, which has many facets." It's the jooos, dammit
The Syrian president said he was in favour of the UN commission of inquiry into the murder of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri continuing its work, but on a legal and not political basis. "Total cooperation with the UN commission must be made while respecting principles of national sovereignty, the neutrality of the inquiry and on a legal basis," he said. "National sovereignty is the strongest thing and not UN resolutions."
Syria has come under sustained international pressure for internal reform following the 14 February assassination of al-Hariri, which was widely blamed on Damascus. Al-Assad has denied responsibility for the killing and a string of other political assassinations in Lebanon over the past year.
Al-Assad said the UN inquiry was determined to blame Syria regardless of the facts but vowed it would not bow to international pressure. He said Damascus was still willing to cooperate with UN investigators but not at the expense of its national sovereignty. "They have created a condemnation committee, not an investigation committee," al-Assad told the conference, convened in Damascus under the headline Defending Syria.
Perhaps because you should be condemned?
"They identified a perpetrator even before any accusation was made and from there they identified a single suspect, Syria, instead of several suspects, and then began searching for evidence to condemn Syria."
They did eliminate the Esquimaux from the list rather quickly.
A Security Council resolution passed in October demanded Syria cooperate with the investigation or face unspecified further nagging action.
Al-Assad vowed in his speech to speed up reforms aimed at introducing more political freedom and a measure of democracy to Syria but said he would resist foreign pressure for change.
Syria has repeatedly denied any involvement in al-Hariri killing. Nope, nutin ta da wit us
"Reform begins with our domestic needs and we totally reject any reform imposed from outside under any slogan or pretext," he told the gathering of Arab lawyers. "We are still at the beginning of a long road, but we will not let it be said that we have achieved nothing. Maybe the [pace] is slow ... but we are speeding as much as possible."
Syria freed from jail this week five opposition figures whose release had been demanded by several Syrian and Arab parties. They had been detained since 2001 for violating the constitution after calling for reform during what the Western press has dubbed the "Damascus Spring".
Because Pencilneck wasn't willing to take any criticism.
Syria's ruling Baath party agreed in June to draft a new law that would allow independent political parties and overhaul election laws. It also partially lifted an emergency law in place since the Baath seized power in 1963, but activists have called for it be abolished entirely.
"We are undertaking several projects that will boost public participation and help enrich democratic life, whether it be linked to the parties law or to election and local government laws," al-Assad said. No really, we can pretend along with the best of 'em
"We are also working on strengthening institutions, the rule of law and judicial independence to activate political life, enrich our national activities and remedy some negative symptoms it is facing." because this is a natural segue...
Al-Assad accused Israel of assassinating former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, the cause of whose death 14 months ago remains a mystery to those who don't understand how HIV works "Of the many assassinations that Israel carried out in a methodical and organised way, the most dangerous thing that Israel did was the assassination of President Yasser Arafat," al-Assad told the gathering of Arab lawyers.
"This was under the world's gaze and its silence, and not one state dared to issue a statement or stance towards this, as though nothing happened."
Arafat died in Paris on 11 November 2004 at the age of 75 after being rushed from his West Bank compound to the Mal de Mer a French military hospital. Israel has denied being responsible for the deterioration in Arafat's health before his death and has denied poisoning him. like his deterioration needed help
Like they couldn't have whacked him anytime they wanted in the last 40 years ...
Israeli officials said he had access to medical treatment, food, water and medication during the two years he spent in his battered compound in Ram Allah, which was besieged by Israeli troops for months in 2002. French doctors denied rumours that Arafat was poisoned but have refused to publish his medical reports, citing strict privacy laws.
Arafat aides had quoted doctors as saying he had a low count of platelets, which help the blood to clot. They later said he had gone into a coma, suffered a brain haemorrhage and lost the use of his vital organs one by one. But no definitive cause of death was announced. seems like major organ shutdown would do it. but that's just me.
Entertainer Harry Belafonte, one of the Bush administration's harshest critics, compared the Homeland Security Department to the Nazi Gestapo on Saturday and attacked the president as a liar. "We've come to this dark time in which the new Gestapo of Homeland Security lurks here, where citizens are having their rights suspended," Belafonte said in a speech to the annual meeting of the Arts Presenters Members Conference. ??? Shouldn't someone whack him in the head to justify this garbage?
"You can be arrested and not charged. You can be arrested and have no right to counsel," said Belafonte. Nice anti-Ciklis, he'd kick your ass thru your mouth, you decrepit piece of Fidellista SH*T
Belafonte's remarks on Saturday _ part of a 45-minute speech on the role of the arts in a politically changing world "pay us to insult you" were greeted with a roaring standing ovation from an audience which included such unemployed as singer Peter Yarrow of the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, and members of the arts community from several dozen countries. several dozen? Zimbabwe in there? Turkish Kurdistan? Afghans? I didn't think so...
Laplanders, Samoans, Esquimaux, the whole bunch. Can't trust none of 'em.
Messages seeking comments from Homeland Security and White House officials were not immediately returned. "we're in the toilet wiping creating our response "
He had called President Bush "the greatest terrorist in the world" during a trip to Venezuela two weeks ago. Belafonte, 78, made that comment after a meeting with Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.
Right on cue, too.
The Harlem-born Belafonte, who was raised in Jamaica, said his activism was inspired by an impoverished mother "who imbued in me that we should never capitulate to oppression." she was twisted, so I am as well...
He acknowledged that the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks demanded a reaction by the United States, but said the policies of the Bush administration were not the right response. "Fascism is fascism. Terrorism is terrorism. Oppression is oppression," said Belafonte, who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. I am the egg man goo goo ga joob!
Bush, he said, rose to power "somewhat dubiously and ... then lies to the people of this nation, misleads them, misinstructs, and then sends off hundreds of thousands of our own boys and girls to a foreign land that has not aggressed against us."
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/22/2006
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#1
The image of Harry Belafonte, 78, that comes to mind is not a pleasant one. He's basically an embittered old man literally sitting on a park bench and screaming at kids playing in the park to "stop making all that noise!" A Stalinist with a dwindling fan base.
#3
There was a recent pic of him on Drudge, next to Hillary in a different pic. Unfortunately it was too small to use. He was wearing headphones, and more than anything else, he looked like Darth Vader after his helmet had been taken off.
#6
..I thank God Mr. Belafonte can say things like that here. Because quite frankly, if he ever saw what the REAL Gestapo was capable of, he'd sh*t himself.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/22/2006 11:38
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#7
Way-O Way-O
Alzheimer come an I can' fin' ma home!
Edited 'cause I haven't finished it yet
Maybe later
NEW YORK, Jan. 21, 2006 (AP Online delivered by Newstex) -- Entertainer Harry Belafonte, one of the Bush administration's harshest critics, compared the national Homeland Security department to the Gestapo and attacked the president as a liar during a fiery Saturday speech.
"We've come to this dark time in which the Gestapo of Homeland Security lurks here, where citizens are having their rights suspended," Belafonte told thousands of people at the annual meeting of the Arts Presenters Members Conference. No sooner had he equated Bush with Hitler then his lips fell off.
"You can be arrested and not charged, you can be arrested and have no right to counsel," said Belafonte, who called President Bush "the greatest terrorist in the world" during a trip to Venezuela two weeks ago. Belafonte, 78, made that comment after a meeting with Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez. Chávez, who does everything that Belafonte dishonestly accuses Bush of doing, approved.
The Harlem-born Belafonte, who was raised in Jamaica, said his activism was inspired by an impoverished mother "who imbued in me that we should never capitulate to oppression." So you support oppressors. Way to honor her, moonbat.
He acknowledged that the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks demanded a reaction by the United States, but charged that the policies of the Bush administration were not the right response "The right response is to let them kill us all."
Bush, he said, was a president "who has risen to power somewhat dubiously and ... then lies to the people of this nation, misleads them, misinstructs, and then sends off hundreds of thousands of our own boys and girls to a foreign land that has not aggressed against us."
#2
Have these idiots noticed that only foreigners and fruit loops are bitching about this? Most Americans are accepting that this is a result of them desperately trying to keep us alive. Who really stands to have their rights infringed here anyway? People who are quite probably guilty of terrorism but we cant prove it under the old laws. Oh, be still my beating heart!
#3
I take exception to using the photo of an American Greater Loon for Belafonte. Loons are nice, clean birds. A sh##-eating buzzard would be more appropriate.
Belafonte has reached the point where his BDS has overtaken his Alzheimers as his primary source of energy and intelligence. He was once a halfway decent entertainer. Now, like most of Hollywierd, he's just a mindless flake. The most fitting response to his latest tirades should be to force him to live in Chavez' Venezuela, anonymously.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/22/2006 16:20
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The Cabinet held an extraordinary meeting on Saturday headed by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah in which it discussed the current situation of the country after the passing of the late Amir, His Highness Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Following the session Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs Mohammed Dhaifallah Sharar stated that the Cabinet reviewed local and foreign reactions to the passing of the late Amir.
The Cabinet said that the late Amir was the symbol of the country who dedicated his life for the service for his country and people, and to the Arab and Islamic nations, adding that his legacy would remain in the memory of Kuwaitis and humanity forever. On this, the Cabinet expressed its deep appreciation and thanks for the Kuwait people and to leaders of brotherly and friendly nations, as well as for expatriates living in Kuwait for their sentiments and prayers on the great loss of the passing of the late Amir.
Yeah, yeah, get on with it.
The Cabinet also discussed the constitutional situation that came with the passing of the late Amir, and commended the unity of the ruling family and its keenness on national interests. It reaffirmed its full confidence in the ruling family, its wisdom, and its ability to evaluate what would best serve the country and people at present and in the future, pushing forth in the footsteps of the forefathers and their distinctive relations with their leaders, as well as their keenness on unity in the interest of the country. The Cabinet expressed its appreciation and pride at the historic role played by His Highness the Amir, Sheikh Saad Al-Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, in all fields, and his efforts to elevate the status of his country and maintain its sovereignty.
It noted the heroic role played by His Highness Sheikh Saad during the Iraqi invasion and up to the liberation of Kuwait, as well as his efforts for reconstruction. It highlighted the high regard accorded to him by the people, which was consolidated with his history of serving Kuwait and Kuwaitis in all fields.
Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir underlined on Saturday that the core issue is success not chairmanship of the African Union (AU) summit. Speaking to the Sudanese News Agency, he underlined the role of the sixth AU summit slated here on Monday, in massing together people of the African continent through activation of cultural and scientific activities.
"Cos here in the Sudan, we're all about the culture and the scientific progress. You could look it up."
Turning to the Darfur issue he said this not just an internal issue but regretfully a major world issue with off border forces involved in. He said the other parties to the conflict are not yet ready for sealing a peace agreement, despite the efforts made so far to unite the factions in Darfur. He underlined his country's keenness to keep the Darfur file in the hands of Nigeria because shifting the file to any other party would mean starting from zero.
Read as: Nigeria will stay bought.
Sudan's drive to head the AU gathered pace yesterday with no rival bid emerging despite concerns that a Sudanese presidency would hurt Africa's reputation and AU-sponsored peace efforts in Darfur. Sudan is hosting a summit of the 53-nation body on Monday, and by tradition the host takes over the chairmanship.
Critics say this would undermine AU-mediated talks to end the conflict in Sudan's west where AU troops are monitoring a ceasefire.
Sudan, under fire for its human rights record, says it already has the backing of 12 East African states for its bid to take over the chair from Nigeria. Meanwhile Minister of foreign Affairs, Dr. Lam Akol, has criticized before the meeting of the AU's Ministerial Council today the report of the AU's Commission on the conflicts in Africa, including the situation in Darfur. Dr. Akol has described the AU Commission's report as contradictory and did not give regard to the positive developments in the country. He said, the AU Commission's report has neglected the great change in Sudan which resulted from the signing of the comprehensive peace agreements and the efforts of the government and Sudan People's liberation Movement (SPLM) toward implementation of the agreement's items. He refuted the report's claim that the committee for the border between North and South Sudan was not yet established, explaining that this committee was already set up in November 2005.
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.
Tehran plans a nuclear weapons test before March 20, 2006 – the Iranian New Year, moves Shahab-3 missiles within striking range of Israel
Firebrand Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has assured Iran that his Shi'ite Muslim militiamen will support the Islamic Republic if it comes under attack, the official IRNA news agency reported on Sunday. "If neighbouring Islamic countries, including Iran, should come under attack, then the Mehdi Army will support them," Sadr said on a visit to Tehran.
An American worker held hostage in Nigeria is sick and his kidnappers will kill three fellow hostages if he dies, a militant leader threatened Saturday. Brutus Ebipadei of the 
Iran on Sunday said Israel would be making a "fatal mistake" should it resort to military action against Tehran's nuclear program and dismissed veiled threats from the Jewish state as a "childish game."
The U.S. Navy boarded an apparent pirate ship in the Indian Ocean and detained 26 men for questioning, the Navy said Sunday. The 16 Indians and 10 Somali men were aboard a traditional dhow that was chased and seized Saturday by the U.S. guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill, said Lt. Leslie Hull-Ryde of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain.
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) - An opposition-sponsored strike closed shops and shut down public transport across Bangladesh on Sunday as authorities deployed thousands of security forces to deter violence. The main opposition Awami League and its 13 allies called the dawn-to-dusk strike to protest an alleged government plan to compile new voter lists that favor the ruling coalition.
Angered by a Supreme Court ruling that gave local governments more power to seize people's homes for economic development, a group of activists is trying to get one of the court's justices evicted from his own home.
A Dutch company is selling nazi helmets to Dutch football fans to wear during the World Cup Finals in Germany.
An Argentinian woman who went missing after a New year's Party turned up at her own funeral.
An Australian woman has become famous for her ability to paint with her breasts
MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan - A helicopter used by the Red Cross for earthquake relief operations in Pakistan has gone missing with seven crew on board, an official said Sunday. The helicopter lost contact with the air control tower after leaving the northwestern city of Peshawar on Saturday, Red Cross quake relief chief Andre Paquet said.
Do Al Gore and other Democrats really want to keep the government from finding al Qaeda agents in the U.S.?
For example, al Qaeda Agent X, having a phone under FISA foreign surveillance, travels from Pakistan to New York. The FBI checks airline records and determines he is returning to Pakistan in three hours. Background information must be prepared and the document delivered to the attorney general. By that time, Agent X has done his business and is back on the plane to Pakistan, where NSA can resume its warrantless foreign surveillance. Because of the antiquated requirements of FISA, the surveillance of Agent X has to cease only during the critical hours he is on U.S. soil, presumably planning the next attack.
The Afghan government has fined a privately run television station 1,000 dollars for broadcasting âunIslamicâ material, including raunchy clips from Bollywood movies, officials said on Saturday. A committee within the ministry of information and culture that monitors private television stations ruled against the Afghan TV channel last week, committee secretary Zia Wazir said. Wazir declined to give details of the offending material, saying only: âThey had broadcast stuff that was against Afghan culture and it was unIslamic
Pakistani politicians on Saturday criticised the armed forces, the Punjab province and intelligence agencies in a meeting with Nicholas Burns, the US deputy secretary of state for political affairs. Burns said he supported democracy in Pakistan but refused to comment on the countryâs internal matters. The visiting US official held a meeting with the leaders of opposition and ruling parties. The politicians raised internal matters like unequal distribution of resources and lack of consensus on Kalabagh Dam. âMeeting Pakistani politicians is a learning experience for me. 
An interview with Mukhtar Mai in the United Nations scheduled for Friday night has been cancelled because of pressure from Pakistanâs government, according to the New York Times. 
Four carjackers were killed in a 'shootout' with police at Durgapur on the outskirts of the district town early yesterday. They were identified as Jahangir Alam alias Zakir, 30, son of Joynal Abedin of Chandpur, Alamgir Hossain Kalam, son of Abdul Karim of Narayanganj, Suja Mia, son of Chan Mia, and Ershad, son of Moslem Mia, of Sherpur.
KUWAIT CITY, 22 January 2006 — Kuwait’s Cabinet yesterday initiated constitutional procedures to remove the ailing Emir 
IRAQâS most wanted man, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, goes to sleep every night wearing a suicide belt packed with explosives, according to a leading insurgent who met him two weeks ago. âHe never takes it off,â said Sheikh Abu Omar al-Ansari, leader of a Sunni resistance group called Jeish al-Taiifa al-Mansoura (Army of the Victorious Sect).
PRISTINA, Serbia and Montenegro - Kosovo Albanians began the search on Sunday for a new president to lead the disputed Serbian province into independence negotiations after Ibrahim Rugova died aged 61, leaving no clear successor.
Inspectors from the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency will come to Iran in the next two days to continue the process of verifying Iranian nuclear program. A Tehran-based official told IRNA on Saturday that the upcoming visit to Iran of IAEA team indicates Iranian determination to work with the UN nuclear agency to verify the civilian nature of the national nuclear program.
WASHINGTON - US leaders are expected to call for more intensive efforts by Pakistan to flush out Osama bin Laden and his number two from their sanctuary in meetings with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz here this week. akistani President General Pervez Musharraf, who is facing an increasing litany of tribulations at home, has sent Aziz, among his most trusted lieutenants, to meet with President George W. Bush and other leaders.
The United States has said that British police can board and search rendition flights carrying terrorist suspects if the authorities can produce evidence of a crime and officers turn up with a search warrant. The US has been criticised for not allowing routine inspections of aircraft at UK airports amid allegations it is flying suspects to be tortured. 
Entertainer Harry Belafonte, one of the Bush administration's harshest critics, compared the Homeland Security Department to the Nazi Gestapo on Saturday and attacked the president as a liar. "We've come to this dark time in which the new Gestapo of Homeland Security lurks here, where citizens are having their rights suspended," Belafonte said in a speech to the annual meeting of the Arts Presenters Members Conference.
NEW YORK, Jan. 21, 2006 (AP Online delivered by Newstex) -- Entertainer Harry Belafonte, one of the Bush administration's harshest critics, compared the national Homeland Security department to the Gestapo and attacked the president as a liar during a fiery Saturday speech.
Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir underlined on Saturday that the core issue is success not chairmanship of the African Union (AU) summit. Speaking to the Sudanese News Agency, he underlined the role of the sixth AU summit slated here on Monday, in massing together people of the African continent through activation of cultural and scientific activities. 
