I watched The One's speech to the Marines -- he didn't connect with them. Usually, the CIC wears some kind of jacket of the unit present (The 2nd Marines in this case) -- The One worn a suit. He appears from behind the curtain, after the invocation by a Marine Chaplain (and I'm prolly more than wrong, please correct me, but it looked like he was wearing a SEAL trident) and the singing of the National Anthem. Can our President, before Marines, not even stand, with his hand over his earth, as a Marine sang our Anthem?
Here's the last part of today's speech by Obama:
Finally, I want to be very clear that my strategy for ending the war in Iraq does not end with military plans or diplomatic agendas it endures through our commitment to uphold our sacred trust with every man and woman who has served in Iraq.
You make up a fraction of the American population, but in an age when so many people and institutions have acted irresponsibly, you did the opposite you volunteered to bear the heaviest burden. And for you and for your families, the war does not end when you come home. It lives on in memories of your fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who gave their lives. It endures in the wound that is slow to heal, the disability that isn't going away, the dream that wakes you at night, or the stiffening in your spine when a car backfires down the street.
You and your families have done your duty now a grateful nation must do ours. That is why I am increasing the number of soldiers and Marines, so that we lessen the burden on those who are serving. And that is why I have committed to expanding our system of veterans health care to serve more patients, and to provide better care in more places. We will continue building new wounded warrior facilities across America, and invest in new ways of identifying and treating the signature wounds of this war: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury, as well as other combat injuries.
We also know that service does not end with the person wearing the uniform. In her visits with military families across the country, my wife Michelle has learned firsthand about the unique burden that your families endure every day. I want you to know this: military families are a top priority for Michelle and me, and they will be a top priority for my administration.
We'll raise military pay, and continue providing quality child-care, job-training for spouses, and expanded counseling and outreach to families that have known the separation and stress of war. We will also heed the lesson of history that those who fight in battle can form the backbone of our middle class by implementing a 21st century GI Bill to help our veterans live their dreams.
This is a very subtle form of the soldier-as-victim trope that is fast becoming an Iraq legacy. For soldiers throughout history--those who have endured physical and emotional sufferings of an essential similar quality, if less clinically expressed--the trials of war were at least partially ameliorated by the salve of personal honor and, if the battle went well, the celebration of a victory. The troops who have served and serve still in Iraq should be singled out not just for the burdens of the fight but because they emerge from it, as Bing West's book puts it, as the "strongest tribe."
No doubt there is a genuine tenderness in the president's feelings for soldiers. But there is little of the praise of warriors in his words. Gratitude or sympathy for suffering is quite different from honoring a sacrifice. I am sure Obama will honor his pledge to continue to ensure that people in uniform "form the backbone of our middle class." But the pay, the benefits, the programs alone are never enough and never, ultimately, what make the call to service worth answering.
It is never easy for a civilian to fully empathize with a soldier's experience, particularly with that of long-service professionals asked to serve constant watch on distant, dusty frontiers, in wars that ebb and flow but do not end. The only wisdom can come from acknowledging this almost unbridgeable gap and trying to mentally leap across it. Soldiers more easily see that we civilians are not like them; we civilians are mistakenly prone to think that soldiers are like us.
For the president, the civilian who stands at the beginning of the chain of command--who, by his constitutional authority as commander-in-chief really resides on the far side of the gap--making the leap is an obligation, not an option.
He, above all, should speak to his troops in the language of duty, honor, and country which is their native tongue but seems to be such a foreign dialect to a detached, cool, post-modern politician. President Obama must not simply bind up the soldier's wounds or care for his widow, but lead him.
Unemployment in California shot up to its highest level in nearly 26 years in January, leaving more than 1 in 10 workers without a job.
Figures released Friday show that 79,300 jobs were lost in the state last month, bringing the total number of unemployed to 1,863,000, or 10.1% of the workforce. That's the highest since the rate touched 10.4% in 1983.
California unemployment rate reaches 10....Conditions are even worse in Los Angeles County, which saw its unemployment rate jump to 10.5% in January from 9.2% the month before.
The deep job losses follow a sharp drop in the gross domestic product -- the value of all goods and services produced -- in the waning months of 2008. Nationwide, GDP shrank at an annual rate of 6.2% in the fourth quarter, the Commerce Department said Friday. That was far worse than the 3.8% drop the agency had estimated, and the biggest decrease since 1982.
Paul Policarpio knew it was only a matter of time before he would be laid off.
In his final months as a sales associate at a Nordstrom store in Canoga Park he spent most of his time straightening out the piles of unsold clothes. A couple of weeks ago, the ax fell.
Policarpio's experience has been repeated across L.A. County, where retail jobs have taken the hardest hit in an ever-growing wave of layoffs and downsizing.
The outlook for Southern California is considerably worse than the national forecast presented by President Obama's budget team this week because the economy here -- usually considered resilient because of its diversity -- relies on sectors battered by this particular recession, said economist Jack Kyser of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.
L.A. County alone, his group projects, will lose 89,000 jobs in 2009, and Kyser suggested the unemployment rate could surpass 10.5% for the year. In the Inland Empire, the group predicts the unemployment rate will rise to 11.1%, while Orange County, which lost 41,400 jobs last year, is projected to see unemployment climb to 7.3%, the highest rate in 16 years. January figures for those counties will be released next month.
Los Angeles County lost a net 41,900 jobs last year and nearly all of them -- about 41,000 -- were in retail, manufacturing and construction, in that order. In January, retail shed 15,100 jobs, manufacturing lost 6,800, and construction, 4,800. The three sectors were caught in the collapse of the housing boom and recession.
To make matters worse, another key California industry -- the film business -- lost 22,300 jobs in January, leading L.A. County layoffs for the month.
Sally Wang found out she was losing her job the day she returned from a New Year's vacation.
The mother of one managed a high-end women's clothing showroom in the garment district in downtown Los Angeles selling wholesale to department stores such as Barneys and Neiman Marcus. She said 2008 started poorly and got progressively worse.
"First, very few people were coming in," Wang, 36, said. "Buyers stopped traveling so they asked us to send pictures. Then people wanted to return stuff because it wasn't selling. And then they started canceling orders."
Wang agreed to a $25,000 cut from her $80,000 salary before the winter holidays. But that wasn't enough to save her job. She was fired after four years with the company.
"It doesn't look like I'll be able to get a job in the same industry for the same salary," said Wang, who is concerned she'll have to scrap her plans to enroll her 5-year-old daughter in private school. "The only things available are very skilled jobs where you need lots of experience or $10-an-hour jobs."
Hollywood studios and television networks have been slashing payrolls as financing and revenue ebb. Although box-office sales are up 23% for the first few weeks of the year, other parts of the entertainment business, such as DVD sales, have been struggling.
Warner Bros. announced last month it would eliminate 800 jobs. Other entertainment heavyweights, including Viacom Inc., video game giant Electronic Arts Inc. and Hollywood's largest independent studio, Lionsgate, have also downsized.
Economic pressures have forced studios to scale back the number of films they are shooting, further eroding the number of available jobs.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
02/28/2009 21:40
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When the money really does finally run out and the welfare/support checks are not in the mail, watch a big chunk of that sucking at the tit finally disappear from the area like fleeing cockroaches when the lights go on. Which raises the thought, what will cost more, bailing out CA or being stuck with the non-working class that squats on your community [with the associated other social activities they bring with them]?
Details have been spilling out over the last few days that the RIAA has been making pretty massive cuts to staff. We already knew that EMI was cutting back on its support of the RIAA/IFPI, and it seems that with the rest of the RIAA's major label supporters also having economic troubles, the writing is on the wall that the RIAA is about to go through a major transformation.
I'm sure some will somehow "blame piracy" for this turn of events, but it's hard to see how that's even remotely the issue. The real issue is that the RIAA has basically managed to run one of the dumbest, most self-defeating strategies over the last decade.
Rather than helping major record labels adjust to the changing market, it continually, repeatedly and publicly destroyed its own reputation and the reputation of the labels -- each time shrinking their potential market by blaming the very people they should have been working to turn into customers.
They may claim that they "had" to take this strategy because it's what the labels wanted (and, indeed, that was Hilary Rosen's excuse), but that's ridiculous. It was evident to pretty much anyone who took the time to understand the issues back in the mid- to late-90s, that the internet represented an opportunity to those who embraced it.
The RIAA's decision to fight progress and its own customers at every turn has been nothing short of a complete disaster. That the group is now being gutted is the inevitable result of a poor strategy that could have easily been avoided.
I'm sorry that Iran is run by loons, greedy dictators, and pedophile-worshippers (but I repeat myself....).
Will that do, DinnerJacket?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
02/28/2009 19:03
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In 2007, the war epic '300', a smash hit in the United States for its gory portrayal of the Greco-Persian wars, drew the wrath of Iranians for showing their ancestors as bloodthirsty.
Substituting neo-nazis would have been a bit much.
Similarly 'The Wrestler', was booed in Iran and heavily criticised for the scene of breaking and tearing of the Iranian flag by the picture's star, 2009 Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke.
But state-sanctioned burning the American flag for television cameras is okay, right?
#5
What a bunch of maroons! If they would spend more time looking at the blondes in American movies, and less time murdering their neighbors, the world would be a better place.
The Israeli air industries first unveiled its new Harop "loiter drone" for taking out ground-to-air missiles at the annual Aero-India 2009 air show which closed recently at Bangalore. The Harop is an upgraded version of the Harpy with more advanced features for taking out radar installations and anti-air missile installations. It can travel 1,000 km to patrol an assigned area and loiter there until a hostile target is exposed. Its 23-kilo warhead then strikes the target before it is activated in attack mode.
The Russian S-300 missile purchased by Tehran is one such target. It is classified in the West as a "game-changer" designed to rule out air attacks on its nuclear sites. This missile system is capable of engaging up to 100 targets at once, tracking targets with a mobile radar station which is immune to jamming.
The Harop is an expendable unmanned aerial vehicle which can sustain a mission of several hours over an assigned area. Operated by electro-optical sensors, Harop can detect weapons systems in inert mode, weapons on the move and radar installations switched off to avoid detection.
Our military experts maintain that once it penetrates Iranian airspace, this drone can silence surface-to-air batteries and open the skies to aerial and missile attack.
Mossad was rumoured to be behind the death of Ardeshire Hassanpour, a top nuclear scientist at Iran's Isfahan uranium plant, who died in mysterious circumstances from reported "gas poisoning" in 2007. Other recent deaths of important figures in the procurement and enrichment process in Iran and Europe have been the result of Israeli "hits", intended to deprive Tehran of key technical skills at the head of the programme, according to Western intelligence analysts.
Mossad's covert operations cover a range of activities. The former CIA operative revealed how Israeli and US intelligence co-operated with European companies working in Iran to obtain photographs and other confidential material about Iranian nuclear and missile sites. "It was a real company that operated from time to time in Iran and in the nature of their legitimate business came across information on various suspect Iranian facilities," he said.
Israel has also used front companies to infiltrate the Iranian purchasing network that the clerical regime uses to circumvent United Nations sanctions and obtain so-called "dual use" items metals, valves, electronics, machinery for its nuclear programme. The businesses initially supply Iran with legitimate material, winning Tehran's trust, and then start to deliver faulty or defective items that "poison" the country's atomic activities.
Mossad and Western intelligence operations have also infiltrated the Iranian nuclear programme and "bought" information from prominent atomic scientists. Israel has later selectively leaked some details to its allies, the media and United Nations atomic agency inspectors. On one occasion, Iran itself is understood to have destroyed a nuclear facility near Tehran, bulldozing over the remains and replacing it with a football pitch, after its existence was revealed to UN inspectors. The regime feared that the discovery by inspectors of an undeclared nuclear facility would result in overwhelming pressure at the UN for tougher action against Iran.
#4
The regime feared that the discovery by inspectors of an undeclared nuclear facility would result in overwhelming pressure at the UN for tougher action against Iran
Ha ha ha ha ha - you kidders!
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/28/2009 17:29
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Iran, fear the strongly worded UN memo! /sarcasm
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
02/28/2009 18:24
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Are they still some bad guys around, like gangsters or spies or terrorists, that could keep Holder busy? Isn't there something for him to do other than make whites see him sneer?
AFGHAN President Hamid Karzai has ordered that presidential elections be held by April, months earlier than a date of August 20 set by the voting authority because of security and logistic issues.
In a decree that comes after weeks of consultations about the controversial date, Mr Karzai said today that the Independent Election Commission had to conduct the elections according to provisions of the constitution.
He cited an article of the constitution which says the vote must be held within 30 to 60 days before the end of the presidential term, which is on May 21.
Following the constitution? There's a novel concept.
The decree also said the commission should "provide the necessary conditions based on laws for peoples' participation in a transparent, clear, just, free'' election. Government must do all it "can to solve the problems the commission faces'', the decree said.
The commission last month delayed polling day to August 20, saying security and logistical concerns meant it would not be ready to hold legitimate and credible polls in the timeline provided by the constitution. "The IEC considered logistics, weather, security and funding and all aspects when it chose August 20,'' deputy chief electoral officer Zekria Barakzai said.
The president has said he would stand for a second term, although he recently suggested he might reconsider.
AN Afghan court has sentenced a man to death for giving "wrong information" to US-led troops about insurgents that led to air strikes which killed dozens of civilians. Mohammad Nader was sentenced to death on Saturday in a primary court in the western city of Herat, capital of the province where the August 22 strikes intended for Taliban insurgents destroyed several houses.
Investigations by the Afghan government and United Nations said around 90 civilians were killed, including many children. The US military said 33 civilians and 22 militants had died.
It was one of the heaviest civilian tolls since the international forces invaded Afghanistan in late 2001 to oust the Taliban government, and caused a rift in relations between Kabul and Washington.
"You, Mohammad Nader, are sentenced to capital punishment for spying for foreign forces and giving wrong information that caused the death of civilians,'' judge Qazi Mukaram told the suspect.
Nader, in his late 30s, denied the charges. "My information was accurate and I did it for the well-being and security of my village,'' he said.
How times change. For the past eight years, Lafayette Square, directly in front of the White House, was littered with liberal protesters. But with a Democrat in office, it's the Republicans' turn now.
Roughly one hundred protesters gathered there Friday afternoon to launch their own conservative revolution with a modern-day Boston Tea Party.
"We have to do what the blacks did in the civil rights movement," said Randy Michaux, a protester from Virginia. "What we need is something like the Million Man March."
Judging by the crowd on Friday, that's a long way off. And as Michaux himself observed, "Small groups like this don't mean nothing,"
The idea for this protest came about after CNBC's Rick Santelli called for a new tea party during a rant on the floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange. Conservative groups took up the call and now protests like this have been popping up across the country; this one was organized by some of those groups, along with the American Spectator.
Though the event's planners described the tea party as a non-partisan event, the crowd appeared to be largely Republican, a mix of pin-stripe suit types in town for the Conservative Political Action Conference and people who'd come in for the day Maryland and Virginia. But while the protesters' dress codes may have differed, they were at least united by their hatred of government intervention.
The real Boston Tea Party actually came in response to a tax-cut -- the British government cut tea tariffs for the East India Company in the colonies, allowing them to lower their prices and undercut American merchants. That, however, was lost on the crowd Friday, which might not have shared its predecessor's views on taxation but had a similar revolutionary fervor. One of the stars of the show, conservative blogger Michelle Malkin, even greeted the crowd by saying "Hello fellow rebels!"
Malkin, a speaker at the event, was met in turn with cheers from protesters wielding signs like "Don't tread on me" and "Say no to Porkulus." Another, held by a little girl, read, "Don't tax what I haven't earned."
One after another, the speakers attacked federal bailouts and increased taxation. Even Joe the Plumber was there, adding to the chorus of outrage.
"We're here for one reason and one reason only," event organizer J. Peter Freire, of the American Spectator, told the crowd. "The government has gotten too big."
Speaking to Salon after the protest, Freire said the tea parties had harnessed the genuine anger over government intervention. "I've gotten 4,000 emails through the website," he said. "These are people who have jobs and kids but they took time off to come today because this has really tapped into something."
Freire also said that the protesters had not assembled to criticize a particular party or politician because Democrats and Republicans alike were to blame for "fiscal recklessness."
Still, anyone on the scene couldn't help but notice the angry shouts of "socialist" and "Marxist" whenever Obama's name was mentioned. Indeed, many of the protesters had harsh words for the president.
"I don't believe he's my commander-in-chief," said Maryland resident Kathy Fuller. "People are afraid. I'm buying durable goods, because in five years there won't be companies to make them and inflation will be too high to buy them." Fuller added that the GOP is not "the party of 'no,'" and does have constructive ideas -- but, she said, the mainstream media keeps them from the public.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
12:05 ||
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Watched some of this on the tely. Appears to be a bunch of Wallstreet lobbyists and angry WASP, top 2 percenters, aka ememies of change, the people, etc. Rahm had better call the detail, get the Suburban gassed up and the mini-gun oiled and ready. Barry may want to drive over and meet with these elitist vermin.
#3
Certainly true for me. The Chicago Tea Party was 11 am Friday -- right in the middle of a busy clinic session for me. No way I could have gone but I was there in spirit.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/28/2009 17:15
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Found out about this through Michelle Malkin site, noon yesterday. She mentioned 'Chuck Simmins' site for the list of 'Parties'. Here is the "Link" to his page.
Posted by: Tom- Pa ||
02/28/2009 17:47
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EMT Chuck was a frequent and loved commenter here after 9/11, but tapered off due to developing his own site. He's missed here, but his work is always top-notch
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/28/2009 18:00
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President Obama's $3.6 trillion budget came under criticism from an unexpected source yesterday - Sen. Kent Conrad, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, who vowed to give the spending plan a "thorough scrubbing."
The blast from within the ranks of Obama's own party comes as Congress is girding for battle over the budget document - which pays for health reform, clean energy and other programs with $1 trillion in tax hikes over the next decade. "I am concerned about the long-term buildup of debt," the North Dakota senator told CNBC. "I'm especially concerned about the second five years of this budget. I don't think it goes far enough in a plan to reduce our long-term debt. So I think that requires additional work."
Conrad - who was one of the first senators to endorse Obama for president - took aim at a controversial plan to raise more than $300 billion in revenue by lowering the tax deductions wealthy filers can claim. "I can assure you that is going to have a lot of attention as we seek to alter the president's budget so that it can get passed, so that it can get implemented and so that it really works for this economy," Conrad said. "I would put that high on the list of things that will be given a thorough scrubbing and may well not survive."
Another Democratic senator also expressed concern about Obama's budget. "While President Obama inherited much of the deficit he's battling, his budget has eye-popping numbers, and its size and scope concern me," said Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska, who helped broker a deal on the stimulus package.
The budget calls for publicly held debt of 65 percent of gross domestic product in 2010 - a jump of 24 percentage points. By 2019, debt would be 67 percent of GDP, totaling $15 trillion. "The problem is that this country's become addicted to debt," said David Walker, CEO of the Peterson Foundation, a fiscal watchdog.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
11:59 ||
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North Dakota is not San Francisco. Conrad has to worry about sane voters.
Senator Kirstin Gillibrand is under fire from conservatives for changing her positions on several major issues since being chosen by Governor Paterson to replace Hillary Clinton.
Gillibrand had earned a reputation as a moderate Democrat from upstate, but this week she frustrated the NRA by changing her mind about a bill to make it easier to trace gun purchases.
The National Rifle Association used to love Kirstin Gillibrand, but on the day she was selected to join the Senate, downstate politicians predicted she would change positions on guns.
"I'm confident that as Kirsten comes to see the cities of the state, and sees the problem of gun violence, her views will evolve to reflect the whole state, and that is part of the process," Senator Chuck Schumer said.
Chuckie spoke and Kirstin jumped ...
This week Gillibrand earned a headline as a flip flopper on guns by opposing a bill that she sponsored just eight months ago.
Mike Centola of nyfirearms.com was disappointed. He'd welcomed the selection of Gillibrand, but now he wonders if she ever truly valued gun rights. He said, "I think it should be very important to her...if she's claiming to represent upstate gun enthusiasts, that she stick to that and not say one thing and then do something different."
According to Gillibrand's spokespersons, she didn't understand the gun legislation she sponsored last year.
Unfortunately I can believe that ...
Her office says she is still a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights, but felt this particular bill limited Washington D.C.'s ability to regulate itself.
Freshmen Congressman Eric Massa says he will not change his mind on guns. In his statement Friday, he said simply, "I will not support new federal gun control legislation."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
11:57 ||
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"I have strong principles, that I will change often"
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/28/2009 13:09
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As a representative of an upstate district she 'represented' their position by voting in favor of gun owner rights. Now she is a Senator and 'represents' the whole state, and as a whole the state opposes gun owner rights, so that's how she votes. Is she supposed to vote her personal preferences or to vote representing the preferences of her constituency? It is a fundamental question of how our system works.
#4
as GH9014, either she's reversed her lifelong take on the Constitutional protections of the 2nd amendment, and the slippery slope, or she's an opportunistic political whore. It would be different if she said: "I support gun ownership, but my mind could be changed if polls told me otherwise to get reelected". At least then, she would be truthful. But then she wouldn't be a Democrat, would she?
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/28/2009 17:00
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Gun owners as a group cannot be content to hold a static defense on gun rights. The have to be assertive in improving and increasing their rights.
For example, if a group of parents created a gun club for children, I have no doubts that the anti-gunners would accuse them of "child abuse", and try to stop it. This is an outgrowth of schools having a zero tolerance policy to even mentioning guns--which should also be challenged.
Another example would be to encourage judges to *require* training and the carrying of weapons in public by people who are at risk for violence, especially abused women. There is incredible demand for protection for such women, far beyond the ability of the authorities to provide. Therefore, they must protect themselves. A court order to be armed is an effective "nudge" to get them to do this.
(KTVI - FOX2now.com) - Angry taxpayers re-enacted the Boston Tea Party on the banks of the Mississippi River Friday in downtown St. Louis. Their message: Congress is taxing future generations for today's economic mess. The protesters tossed loose tea into the muddy water cheering as the wind blew it away from the levee.
The stimulus bill, the bailout plans and proposed tax hikes drew the ire of demonstrators who describe themselves as fiscal conservatives and not necessarily Republicans. A crowd of some 400 people stood on the steps of the Gateway Arch as speakers criticized Congress for rushing approval of the nearly eight billion dollar economic relief package. One of the rally's organizers, conservative blogger Bill Hennessy of Ballwin said, "We're trying to preserve the Republic and you can't do that when you're borrowing trillions of dollars every week from China."
Pam Grow of Rolla fears government has become too large. "I have four children ages 14 through 28 and I'm concerned that my children and their children will never dig their way out from underneath this enormous spending," she said.
A former aide to Senator Jim Talent, Shamed Dogan of Ballwin believes politicians in Washington have mortgaged the future of America's children. "I have worked in Congress so I understand usually with this kind of legislation if you are considering anything this huge, it has to go through a lot of scrutiny," Dogan explained. "But with this legislation hardly anyone seems to have read it."
Demonstrators also criticized President Obama's plan to raise taxes on those making more than $250,000 a year. They fear such action will hurt small to medium sized businesses by taking funds that would be used to expand the business and hire more workers. "Small business, that's a sole proprietorship, you can have 250 thousand dollars in income and you're paying that back out in the business; you're paying employees; you're paying for the business with that," said Hennessy.
St. Louis Attorney Ed Martin, who once served as former Governor Matt Blunt's chief of staff, thinks the Democratic Party leadership failed the country. He thinks only a small portion of the nearly $800 billion stimulus bill will actually produce new jobs.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
11:54 ||
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Hundreds of people gathered in the pouring rain at the state Capitol to protest the multi-billion dollar federal stimulus package signed by President Barack Obama. Protesters chanted, "Take back America," and held signs against bailouts. Another protester held a U.S. Navy Jack with the rattlesnake and the words, "Don't Tread on Me."
Protests across the country have sprung up today, inspired by Rick Santelli of CNBC, who stood on the floor of the Chicago Board of Trade last week and went on a spontaneous on-air rant against Pres. Obama's proposed mortgage bailout. Santelli mentioned holding a tea party to protest the idea, like the Boston Tea Party, when colonists protested unjust taxation from England.
The idea has taken a life of its own, and Friday, about 200 protesters showed up in Atlanta, some with tea bags, to protest the stimulus bill and other bailouts.
"My concern is that this country is going down a dangerous path toward socialism and that's not what my forefathers, or my ancestors, fought and died for," said protester Allen LaBerteaux, 41, of Lilburn. He had two tea bags in his pocket.
The state employee went to the Capitol in the cold rain to register his opposition to the stimulus bill, which he sees as irresponsible spending by the federal government.
Supporters say the $787 billion stimulus package is designed to jump-start the economy with public works construction, new jobs and tax cuts for millions of Americans.
Protesters at the Capitol handed out One Trillion dollar bills with the faces of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nevada).
Now there's an idea ...
State Republican politicians lined up to speak in the rain, including gubernatorial hopefuls Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine and Rep. Austin Scott (R-Tifton).
State Senate Majority Leader Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock) also spoke, urging the crowd to find socialists in office and "kick them out." "Let's go after them," Rogers said, to cheers from the crowd.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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"Another protester held a U.S. Navy Jack with the rattlesnake and the words, "Don't Tread on Me.""
That's probably not the "Navy Jeck", its the likely Gadsden flag.
The time for partisan bickering just ended. This is as serious as a heart attack. Obama is going to spend so much money, which he intends to get from China via the sale of government backed bonds, that the Chinese apparently don't think he'll be able to make good on them.
So President Obama gave the Chinese eminent domain rights to American land and businesses as collateral - i.e. we don't pay, they now own America.
#4
Possession is nine tenths of the law. The possessors are armed. China could try to take possession, as could Obama, but it's not going to happen. Besides, T-bills and Treasury bonds are backed by the full faith of the U.S. government, not by real property, just as our currency is not backed by gold.
Not to mention that the article is speculation rather than reportage. There are too many real things to worry about these days -- I'll give this one a miss.
#7
Heck, I'm in favor of the western States demanding their land back from the federals. It's not their land, they had and have no authority to take it.
The Chicago Tribune published this letter from a soldier, Scott Stream of Mattoon, Ill. Mattoon is in the flattest county of the Illinois flatlands; corn, soybeans, and people with deep roots. Sgt. Stream was killed by a roadside bomb earlier this week.
A strange thing...
When I think about what surrounds me, the institutional corruption, the random violence, the fear and desperation. I feel the reasons why I am here more and more sharply. As we grow in our soldiers skills, surviving by finding the hidden dangers, seeing the secret motives and the shifting politics... we grow a set of skills that is unique and powerful in this situation.
We also see what you cannot see in the States, you are surrounded by the love of Christ and faith in freedom and humanity, like a fish you think water is 'a puff of air' because it is always there, you do not notice it... we who are out of the water look back and see the world we love surrounded by enemies, poison and envy that wants to fall on you like a storm of ruin.
We who joined with vague notions of protecting our country see how desperate the peril, how hungry the enemy and how frail the security we have is. So the more I love you all the more I feel I must keep fighting for you. The more I love and long for home the more right I feel here on the front line standing between you and the seething madness that wants to suck the life and love out of our land.
Does that mean I cannot go home? I hope not, because I want this just to be the postponement of the joy of life, not the sacrifice of mine. If it costs me my life to protect our land and people then that is a small thing, I just hope that fate lets me return to the promise land and remind people just how great our land is.
War is a young mans game, and I am getting an old mans head... it is a strange thing. I just hope that I am not changed so that I cannot take joy in the land inside the wire when I make it home. I want to be with you all again and let my gun sit in the rack and float on my back in a tube down a lazy river...
#1
According to a linked article in the Tribune, Sgt. Stream joined in 2005 at the nadir of the operation in Iraq, knowing that by volunteering there were real odds he might die in combat. He was 34 when he signed up, with an established career as an electrician, but he joined anyway. Let us as a nation continue to be worthy of such devotion.
The criminal indictment against the final "enemy combatant" held on American soil marks a stunning departure from the Bush administration's handling of terrorism cases, but it may also help preserve one of the Bush era's most contentious policies.
A federal indictment unsealed Friday in Illinois charges Ali al-Marri with providing material support to al Qaeda. The charges come as the Supreme Court prepares to hear his challenge to Bush administration detention policies; Mr. al-Marri has been held for nearly six years in isolation in a Navy brig in South Carolina.
The Obama administration hopes that the criminal charges will end the Supreme Court case, which would allow Bush administration policies to continue. On Friday afternoon, the Justice Department's solicitor general filed a motion to dismiss Mr. al-Marri's pending litigation before the Supreme Court.
President Obama has ordered that Mr. al-Marri be transferred from the brig to a federal prison. The Justice Department said it will make the transfer after the Supreme Court rules on the Justice's motion to dismiss the al-Marri case as moot.
Mr. al-Marri's Supreme Court case challenges the legal and constitutional authority of the president to designate any person in the U.S. as an "enemy combatant" and order him held without charges by the military in the U.S.
Mr. Obama said in his order that his decision reverses Mr. Bush's designation of Mr. al-Marri as an enemy combatant.
Mr. al-Marri's lawyers say they will fight the Obama administration's motion to dismiss and will demand a hearing on the case's merits before the justices.
"Despite this indictment, the Obama administration has yet to renounce the government's asserted authority to imprison legal residents and U.S. citizens without charge or trial," said Jonathan Hafetz, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union's National Security Project.
"It is important that the court hears Mr. al-Marri's case and rejects, once and for all, the notion that any president has the sweeping authority to deprive individuals living in the United States of their most basic constitutional rights by designating them 'enemy combatants,' " he said in a statement.
The court, which had been scheduled to hear arguments in the case April 27, told Mr. al-Marri's lawyers to file legal responses by Tuesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
11:02 ||
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(Bloomberg) -- Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc. posted a fifth-straight profit drop, the longest streak of quarterly declines in at least 17 years, on losses from derivative bets tied to stock markets.
Fourth-quarter net income fell 96 percent to $117 million, or $76 a share, from $2.95 billion, or $1,904 a share, in the same period a year earlier, the Omaha, Nebraska-based firm said in its annual report.
Berkshire, where Buffett serves as chairman, chief executive officer and head of investing, suffered as the benchmark Standard & Poor's 500 Index turned in its worst year since 1937. Liabilities widened on derivatives linked to world equity markets, though the contracts don't require Berkshire to pay out until at least 2019, if at all.
"This is an abnormal time," said Tom Russo, a partner at Gardner Russo & Gardner, in an interview before the earnings were released. The derivatives, Russo said, "are pegged to a market that's declining, so you're going to see some losses on those."
Berkshire shares have fallen 44 percent in the past year as the value of the firm's top stock holdings dropped and losses increased on the derivatives. Nineteen of the top 20 stocks in Berkshire's U.S. portfolio, valued at $51.9 billion as of Dec. 31, declined last year. Coca-Cola Co., Berkshire's top holding, dropped 26 percent. American Express Co. plunged 64 percent. Oil producer ConocoPhillips fell 41 percent.
Derivative Bets
Book value, a measure of assets minus liabilities, fell 9.1 percent in the three months ended Dec. 31 to $109.3 billion on the declines in the equity and fixed-income portfolios and the derivatives writedown. Berkshire's liability on equity derivatives grew about 49 percent in the quarter to $10 billion.
"Derivatives are dangerous," Buffett said in his annual letter to shareholders that accompanies the yearend results. "Our expectation, though it is far from a sure thing, is that we will do better than break even and that the substantial investment income we earn on the funds will be frosting on the cake."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
10:38 ||
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#1
From Buffett's 2002 report "I view derivatives as time bombs, both for the parties that deal in them and the economic system." Warren must have crossed the red & black wires when he assembled this one.
#5
Fourth-quarter net income fell 96 percent to $117 million, or $76 a share, from $2.95 billion, or $1,904 a share, in the same period a year earlier
In other words, they still made a profit and are retaining their original capital which is something a number of other venerable institutions can't claim.
#7
Further proof that Buffet is better at making money by owning insurance companies (the core of his company - Now you know why his politics suck) than he is by trading stocks.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
02/28/2009 17:40
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theres another less pleasant reality: During 2008 I did some dumb things in investments. I made at least one major mistake of commission and several lesser ones that also hurt Furthermore, I made some errors of omission, sucking my thumb when new facts came in that should have caused me to re-examine my thinking and promptly take action.
#9
I believe Buffett wrote plain vanilla put options on various world equity indexes. The problem for him is if we end up with a Japan-like scenario (where equities fell 80% over 19 years). Depending on the size of these positions, Berkshire could lose its shirt and then some.
This year's report will include the fuller description that Buffett promised U.S. regulators he would provide about how Berkshire values its derivatives contracts.
Many involve put options that are tied to where the Standard & Poor's 500 and three other stock indexes are trading starting in 2019.
#10
Notional value is $35.5b. If the indexes fall in half as of 2019, Berkshire is on the hook for $18b.
Berkshires derivative contracts were sold to undisclosed buyers for $4.85 billion. Under the agreements, Berkshire must pay out if, on specific dates starting in 2019, four market indexes are below the point where they were when he made the agreements. In the meantime, Berkshire can invest the cash. Buffett has been buying preferred shares and debt of companies including General Electric Co. and Harley-Davidson Inc. to lock in yields as high as 15 percent.
The indexes, which include the S&P and three others Buffett hasnt identified, would all have to fall to zero for Berkshire to be liable for the entire $35.5 billion thats at risk.
The liabilities on the derivatives -- those expected to have affected book value in the fourth quarter -- are accounting losses that reflect the falling value of the stock indexes, not cash that Berkshire has paid out.
Theres the potential for significant losses on that position, said Bill Bergman, an analyst with Morningstar Inc. who gives Berkshire five stars, his firms highest rating. But this is what they do. Theyre in the risk absorption business, and in the long term its hard to see how there are going to be significant losses in 2019 or later.
While most Californians lament that the state is broke and many criticize a broken system, an organization formed primarily by agricultural interests seeks to break up the state. Citizens for Saving California Farming Industries (CSCFI) have proposed dividing California into a primarily coastal state and a primarily inland state.
The eastern portion would include 45 counties, including San Diego and Orange, while the western portion would cover 13 counties between the Los Angeles basin and the Bay Area.
"We'll be able to manage what kind of revenue we're getting," said CSCFI chief executive officer and president Bill Maze.
Maze, who lives in Visalia, has seen the impact of the state's problems both from county and state government positions. He was in the California State Assembly from 2002 to 2008 and spent the previous 10 years on the Tulare County Board of Supervisors. "They [the state] hold local government -- cities, counties, and other special districts -- hostage," he said.
Maze saw a polarization of political parties while in the state legislature and also saw the results of a redistricting process intended to preserve incumbents rather than to represent citizens.
His Assembly district was the largest geographic state Assembly, House of Representatives, or House of Delegates district in the continental United States. It covered 33,000 square miles including Highway 99 through the San Joaquin Valley, Twenty-Nine Palms and part of Lake Havasu and reached both the Nevada and Arizona state borders.
The passage of Proposition 11 in last November's election may mitigate some of the gerrymandering of legislative districts, but Maze feels that the political process is still present. "We've all had these little 'plans' to fix how we design the districts," he said. "All of them still have political input into them."
Those who represent large geographical districts often complain not only about the relative lack of political power compared to urban legislators but also about their inability to represent a variety of constituencies. The diverse state constituency is seen as a need for two separate states.
"To me the final straw that broke the camel's back was the passage of Proposition 2," Maze said.
Prop. 2 addressed the housing conditions of poultry. Animal rights activists saw Prop. 2 as improving the welfare of agricultural birds while farmers doubt they can remain economically competitive with imported egg production. "They're going to put them out of business in California and we will lose tens and tens of thousands of jobs," Maze said.
Although Prop. 2 passed on a statewide basis, it was rejected in 41 of California's 58 counties. "You have these kind of voting numbers of basically agriculturally uneducated city dwellers," Maze said. "That's the way we see this thing."
The split would likely make the eastern portion of California a politically conservative state while making the coastal area a liberal state. The general conservative politics of San Diego and Orange counties, along with strong agricultural economies, led to the placement of those coastal counties into the eastern state. "It's all the agricultural base of it as well as what has been more rational commonsense thinking," Maze said.
Ironically, the type of conservative politics in the two states could be different.
While urban conservatives often focus on social issues, rural conservatives place more emphasis on local government, and water issues are also more important in the decisions of rural voters and legislators. While that would give the western remnant an agricultural college, Yolo County and the University of California Davis would be part of the eastern state, as would Fresno State University, University of California Merced, Cal Poly Pomona, and University of California Riverside.
"We can be very self-sustaining, self-supporting," Maze said.
Maze also noted that the retention of the Port of San Diego, as well as river-accessible ports in Stockton and Sacramento, would allow for commercial transportation to the mostly inland state.
The deficit of the Los Angeles basin and the Bay Area wouldn't be the problem of the eastern state. "They're getting the lion's share of the state budget as well as having almost exclusive control of what the outcomes are," Maze said.
The current population of what would be the coastal state is approximately 18.4 million while the population of the 45 counties slated for the primarily inland state totals approximately 19.6 million.
Maze isn't averse to a unicameral legislature for the new state (currently Nebraska is the only state with only one legislative chamber) and feels that a part-time legislature is a possibility in the eastern state. "We ought to be thinking about how we change the whole legislature up there," he said.
The proposed new state does not yet have a specific name, although Grand California has been mentioned as well as East California.
CSCFI had a booth at a farm show in Tulare in February and between 5,000 and 6,000 people dropped by on February 10.
Maze noted that the response in the San Joaquin Valley is approximately 95 percent supportive.
CSCFI will utilize an initiative ballot measure to divide the state. "You think this legislature in California is going to get anything done?" Maze said. "This will be by the initiative process."
The initiative, if sufficient petition signatures are collected, will likely be on the 2012 ballot. "It takes a long process here," Maze said.
The actual petition process timeline could place the initiative on a 2010 ballot, but CSCFI will hold seminars and other educational forums throughout 2009.
Individuals will be identified to be county coordinators in each county; at this time no San Diego County or Riverside County coordinator has been identified. The outreach will extend to other business groups in addition to the agricultural origin.
"People can really think about it," Maze said. "Let's really create some change to this state."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
10:37 ||
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The "Western State" folks will go ape-sh*t because a huge chunk of California's tax revenue (and food and water) (and socioeconomic victims 'we need to help' - in words only) comes from the "Eastern State". The Pacific Coastal Commission would be a good first place to look to find their new bureaucracy.
Plus, they won't be able to legislate how the "Easterners" can do business anymore.
The "Westerners" could locate their new capital to Richmond and empathize with the folks there.
This I'm sure is not going to happen, but it's actually not the absolute worst idea I've heard to date.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
02/28/2009 11:36
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#2
Western Californistan, more commonly referred to as the Caza Strip. Make it so!
#6
I'm in "eastern California" and I'd love to see this happen, but it never will. Just for starters, the sate is too incompetent to even go through the process of splitting itself. It's not even comptetent enough to carry out sentences on its death row inmates. An inmate on death row has far greater odds of dying from old age, than from execution. Perhaps when the state finally implodes into bankruptcy, something can happen. There's gotta be a better name than "Eastern California", though. Perhaps "Free California" would be better.
#7
The usual proposal is Northern California wants the counties north of Bakersfield and Southern California wants the counties south of Bakersfield. Nobody seems to want Bakersfield.
#8
Split it int three states if not four. Then, two of them, Bay Area and LA, would have to start housing all the criminals they produce instead of exporting them to civilized areas.
On Thursday, the White House released its federal budget proposal--declaring war on United States energy producers. Though somewhat anticipated, there are a number of tax incentives for the oil industry that may be repealed. At first glance, it appears that independent producers who primarily operate within the U.S. stand to be hurt the most.
As it pertains to the budget, the biggest tickets items include the repeal of the Gulf of Mexico royalty relief, the expensing of intangible drilling costs (IDCs), the manufacturing tax deduction, and the percentage of depletion method for oil and natural gas.
The Gulf of Mexico Royalty relief calls for lower royalties when commodity prices are below certain thresholds. Given the long investment cycle, large investment, and geological risk associated with offshore drilling, producers claim the royalty relief is necessary to reduce capital impairment risk. The budget also provides for a fee on nonproducing leases on federal lands (primarily offshore)--basically a "use it or lose it" clause. Players that stand to be impacted by this change include the majors: ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and large independents like Anadarkoand Devon. Portfolio diversity will insulate the largest producers from these higher taxes to some degree.
Perhaps of greater importance is the repeal of the IDC deduction. IDCs (roughly 80%-90% of the well cost) are tax-deductible, allowing producers to defer taxes. An especially active producer that increases its drilling budget every year can effectively avoid paying cash taxes for years.
Given the heavy capital requirements for early- to mid-stage producers, the IDC tax deduction is a critical component of a firm's financing strategy. Small to medium-sized E&Ps that are still rapidly growing stand to be impacted the most from this change: Chesapeake Energy CHK, Range Resources RRC, Ultra Petroleum UPL, XTO XTO, and Southwestern Energy SWN, among others. Because natural gas is primarily a regionally traded commodity, we believe this places a governor on the pace at which domestic natural gas production can grow, putting upward pressure on prices in the longer term. Producers with clean balance sheets who aren't as reliant on IDC tax credits as part of their financing strategy stand to benefit.
The manufacturing tax credit is pretty straightforward and was enacted with the 2004 American Jobs Creation Act. In 2008, it represented a 6% tax credit on manufacturing activities. The budget calls for oil companies to be ineligible for this deduction.
The percentage of depletion clause is a little more complicated and only pertains to nonintegrated producers. It is essentially a form of accelerated depreciation, which defers tax payments.
Bottom line, cash taxes appear to be headed higher, which points to higher oil and natural gas prices in the longer term. With a higher cost structure, we wouldn't expect U.S. producers' profits to move in lock step.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
10:33 ||
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At first glance, it appears that independent producers who primarily operate within the U.S. stand to be hurt the most.
And this reduces our dependence upon foreign oil how?
OBAMA: In ten years, we can reduce our dependence so that we no longer have to import oil from the Middle East or Venezuela. Number one, we need to expand domestic production and that means telling the oil companies the 68 million acres that they currently have leased that theyre not drilling, use them or lose them.
#4
From yesterday's investors' news letter by John Mauldin: "This week saw President Obama give us a budget with a projected deficit of $1.75 trillion dollars, and a massive tax increase on the "wealthy." But hidden in the details was an even larger tax increase on everyone. Obama wants to create a cap-and-trade program for carbon emissions. This is expected to generate $79 billion in 2012, $237 billion by 2014, and grow to $646 billion by 2019. These will be payments by energy (primarily utility) companies to the government. That will cause utilities to have to raise the prices they charge customers for energy. Such a level of taxation is eventually 4-5% of total US GDP. That is not small potatoes. And since the wealthy do not use all that much more power than the rest of us, it will affect the lower incomes disproportionately.
It will take money out of consumers' pockets and transfer it to the government. You can call it cap-and-trade, but it is a tax. And a huge one. Anything that will take 4% of GDP away from consumer spending is not business friendly. And by driving the cost of energy up, it will drive high-energy-using businesses away from the US to developing countries where energy is cheaper. It will make it even harder for people to save money and drive up costs for the elderly and retired. But it will make the environmental lobby happy."
#5
For the short term, energy exploration and production has been slowing due to falling prices, but has overall been supportive of the economy. The above tax changes is sure to decrease jobs in the energy exploration and service areas, as well as equipment manufacturing.
A big hit to the U.S. economy over the next twelve months.
#7
Next he will go after the electric companis, tax the crap out of them. Then he will brag about not increasing income tax and blame the high cost of energy on greedy corperations. Good god he is transparent.
Im glad my solar power is up.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
02/28/2009 23:58
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David Sarno
In the latest example of how user-produced media can capture so-called "massively-shared" events in a way mainstream media can't, a wave of images, blog posts and videos from a nationwide protest has been washing across the Web. The protests, dubbed "tea parties" by participants, were held Friday in several U.S. cities including Portland and Washington, D.C. as a response to what demonstrators see as unfettered spending and encroaching government as represented by President Obama's economic recovery plans.
The tea parties were catalyzed by the widely seen screed by CNBC personality Rick Santelli, in which he jokingly suggested he'd organize a Chicago tea party to protest what he saw as the president's plan to "subsidize the losers' mortgages."
The idea is a reference to the Boston Tea Party, the famous revolutionary-era event in which American colonists dumped British tea into the Boston Harbor to protest oppressive taxation policies by the British government.
Though even a year ago it would've been a slow and difficult process to chronicle a widely scattered protest such as this, the online community is now mastering the art of high-speed media sharing, a trend that can unite geographically disparate communities via the Web. Much of the sharing is now facilitated by the fast-growing messaging site Twitter, where today the keyword "teaparty" was one of the most frequently used terms. Users sent out a flurry of updates about attendance, links to photos on Flickr and Photobucket, and videos on YouTube and other sites.
The protests appeared to be rather small and did not attract much coverage in the mainstream new media. But interested observers had a remote window into the activities taking place in cities such as Tulsa, Okla., Austin, Texas, Nashville, Chicago, Lansing, Mich., Houston, Hartford, Conn., and Los Angeles, where a group that gathered this morning on the Santa Monica pier. (This blog reports that, as a part of that action, former "Saturday Night Live" actor Victoria Jackson read the definition of "socialism").
If social media is a good barometer, it looks like the spending bill is stimulating the citizenry already.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
10:28 ||
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Among others, Instapundit has a listing of tea party dates/locations, photos and after action reports. Just keep scrolling down.
That super-soft toilet paper you're fond of using? It's an ecological disaster, environmentalists say.
Millions of trees are harvested throughout the Americas -- including rare old-growth forests in Canada -- to sustain the United States' obsession with quilted, ultra-soft, multi-ply toilet paper, the New York Times reported.
The Times owns a lot of forest land used to generate paper pulp. Wonder if that is also wrong ...
Although toilet paper manufacturers could produce products from recycled materials at a similar cost, the newspaper reported, the fiber taken from standing trees are necessary to help give the tissue its fluffy feel. "No forest of any kind should be used to make toilet paper," said Dr. Allen Hershkowitz, a senior scientist and waste expert with the Natural Resource Defense Council told the Times.
Some expert. Trees are grown specifically for this. Fast growing trees like poplar or pine are harvested. Saying that we shouldn't harvest trees is like saying we shouldn't harvest wheat ...
What year do they cover what "should" be in scientist school?
The United States is the largest market for toilet paper in the world, the newspaper reported,
That sounds about right. We've got a lot of assholes running around telling the rest of us how things "should" be...
but tissue from 100 percent recycled fibers makes up less than 2 percent of sales for at-home use among conventional and premium brands. People from other countries throughout Europe and Latin America are far less picky about what they use to wipe.
Shed a tear of sympathy for the French when they poop...
No wonder they're so grumpy ...
"This is a product that we use for less than three seconds and the ecological consequences of manufacturing it from trees is enormous," Hershkowitz told the Guardian newspaper, which cited the chemicals used in pulp manufacturing and process of cutting down forests. "Future generations are going to look at the way we make toilet paper as one of the greatest excesses of our age," Hershkowitz said. "Making toilet paper from virgin wood is a lot worse than driving Hummers in terms of global warming pollution."
Professor Heshkowitz no doubt keeps a supply of pebbles in his WC for scraping the leftovers from between his cheeks, like the Arabs are reputed to use. Periodically he has to call in a plumber at $80 an hour, minimum one hour, subsequent billing in half hour increments, to blast the pebbles out of his sustainable housing's plumbing.
However, hope is on the horizon,
Yes, Brethren and Sistern! A new hope! Paging Luke Skywiper! Luke Skywiper to the brown courtesy phone!
if Hollywood is any indicator. The Times reported the Academy Awards ceremony last weekend used 100 percent recycled toilet paper at the Kodak Theater's restrooms.
And since we all wanna be just like Gollywood stars we're gonna use 100 percent recycled bumwipe from now on, you betcha.
#1
However, hope is on the horizon, if Hollywood is any indicator. The Times reported the Academy Awards ceremony last weekend used 100 percent recycled toilet paper at the Kodak Theaters restrooms.
#7
Years ago when building a new bathroom in my home, I got a water-saver flusher, when installed it wouldn't flush, investigating they had put a 1 1/2 gallom plastic tub around the drain, and It would only use that small bit, hence no flush, a quick "Repair" with my pocket knife got the flusher working correctly.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/28/2009 17:35
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It's obvious that this is a religion. Among other ridiculous things, they are complaining because some brands have a bit of lotion impregnation.
They also believe it to be more moral to fold your own squares instead of ripping off one that's already folded.
They won't be happy until we are forced by regulation to use only that shiny stuff you can read a newspaper through. The newspaper works better, actually. Expect there won't be any, sooon.
#1
My grandmother told me that, in her neighborhood in Brooklyn, people cut up sheets of the German newspaper for toilet paper. It seems that the ink was easier on the skin than the ink in the Harold Tribune or the NYT.
#1
After Stimulusol XR wears off, the traditional meds Damnitall and Fuuckitall will no longer work.
Hopefully, Replacemol will be effective - if not, and only as a last resort, Hangemal is indicated. However, Hangemal is very dangerous and can lead to unintended consequences.
KOCHI: India on Saturday laid the keel of the country's first aircraft carrier here, heralding the coming of age of the Indian Navy as a maritime power.
Speaking at the Cochin Shipyard Ltd, Defence Minister A.K. Antony described the occasion as a "historic moment for India". "It is a crucial milestone and a moment to cherish in the country's maritime history."
The yard began steel cutting for the project in April 2005, after the government sanctioned the design in January 2003.
The planned ship will be 260 metres long and 60 metres wide and will be propelled by two LM2,500 gas turbines that will enable it to attain speed of over 28 knots.
It will also have two runways and a landing strip and carry a maximum of 30 aircraft.
Posted by: john frum ||
02/28/2009
05:59 ||
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Is this like when Homer Simpson tried to build an aircraft carrier? Because that was funny.
Posted by: john frum ||
02/28/2009 7:24
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#6
According to the Indian journalist Shiv Aroor
But it is now clear that while Cochin Shipyards will build three aircraft carriers in the current 37,500-ton category (the second and third are to be christened INS Viraat and INS Vishaal apparently), design work has already begun in earnest to develop and build two more aircraft carriers with not only much larger displacements, but possibly nuclear propulsion as well.
Posted by: john frum ||
02/28/2009 7:26
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#7
Not much into the navy, ships and the like but it would appear a bow approach is out of the question? :(
#8
An aircraft carrier is just a huge target for modern antiship missiles. I've no idea why developing nations insist on building them - useless white elephants.
#9
Because they're extraordinarily useful for power projection. Nothing like a floating air base you put where you want it.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/28/2009 12:07
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#10
An aircraft carrier is just a huge target for modern antiship missiles. I've no idea why developing nations insist on building them - useless white elephants.
Well, the anti-missile defenses we have prove you wrong. It takes a massive force with a massive launch to get past the defensive screen nowdays. The soviets could afford the ships, planes and missiles. The Chinese can, but other nations can't. So, they can fire a couple of anti-ship missiles at a carrier, watch them get shot down, and then have enemy planes bombing your coast anyway.
#13
I think the Arleigh Burke class DDGs carry 36 Patriots and 64 Sea Sparrows each. Most CVNx are equipped with Phalanx and Sea Sparrow for close-in defense.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/28/2009 16:52
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#14
And remember the Western doctrine about carrier escorts : when they run out of defensive missiles, the destroyers literally put themselves in the path of the oncoming missiles aimed at the carrier. The Navy figures that destroyers, cruisers, and frigates are much more replaceable that carriers.
#15
Aircraft carriers are very vulnerable and i can count by the fingers in one of my hands that number of times a missile was intercepted in War by an anti-missile. So anti-missile is not a proven technology. Now aircrafts carriers are also the best ships to protect and project( or better put less worse).
Indian ship is based in Italian Conte Di Cavour
http://digilander.libero.it/shinano/Italia/Conte%20di%20Cavour/foto.htm
Posted by: Large Snerong7311 ||
02/28/2009 19:15
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A Kuwaiti man, identified only as NM, who is being held by the State Security police is said to have confessed about the formation of a new terrorist organization called New Jihad Group to which he is affiliated, reports Al-Shahid daily. The daily quoting highly reliable security sources said the man has given the names of five Kuwaitis, two Bedouins, one citizen from an unidentified GCC state and an Iraqi, who he said, are the founder members of group which was formed three years ago.
NM disclosed during interrogation that the organization is reportedly headed by a well-known Saudi religious figure. He also disclosed members of the organization use computers and modern state-of-the-art communication equipment to ensure their calls and contacts are not tapped and to prevent their movements from being detected. Initial interrogations with the accused revealed the organization is considered as the right wing for al-Qaeda and that its duty is to prepare and recruit Gulf and Arab youths to promote sectarianism in various countries around the world.
He also said the new Jihad group last year sent 21 Bedouin youths to Afghanistan to take part in the so-called jihad operations against the occupying foreign forces a term normally referred to Western fighters. The group has also reportedly succeeded in getting fake passports to these youths to enable them to reach their destination.
The State Security is now trying to establish a link between members of this group and 85 people wanted by law around in many countries in the region for their involvement in terrorist operations. During interrogation the names of group members given by N.M. are Obaid Mubarak, Abdullah Mustafa, Saleh Suleiman, Khalid Ibrahim, Hassan Al-Shaan, Ahmed Al-Farhoud, Osama Al-Shahri, and Waleed Ali who are reportedly using forged passports to move between states.
None of them named Mohammed. That explains their joining jihad - lack of self-esteem from not having that name which most Muslims have. I mean, what are the odds of 8 middle eastern Muslims without a single one of them having some variant of Mohammed in their name?
An Army officer who shot and killed an Iraqi detainee during an interrogation was convicted of murder Friday night by a military jury.
First Lt. Michael Behenna of Edmond, Okla., avoided conviction on the more serious charge of premeditated murder in the death of the detainee he took aside for questioning last May. A military panel of seven officers at Fort Campbell also found him guilty of assault but acquitted him of making a false statement after three hours of deliberation.
A sentencing hearing was scheduled for Saturday, and Behenna faces up to life in prison on the murder conviction. The more serious premeditated offense would have resulted in an automatic life without parole sentence.
Behenna has testified that he was trying to defend himself when he shot Ali Mansour Mohammed and that the detainee reached for his gun in a secluded railroad culvert near Beiji, Iraq. Behenna said he hadn't intended to kill him.
But Capt. Jason Elbert, a military prosecutor, said the detainee was defenseless against Behenna and that the officer's threats and other actions showed he had planned to kill the man. "He controlled the whole situation as an officer of the U.S. Army, armed and protected and under no threat," Elbert said during closing arguments Friday.
Defense attorney Jack Zimmerman countered that Behenna was trying to interrogate the detainee, which is why he brought along an Iraqi translator. Behenna has also testified that he threatened Mohammed and pointed his gun at him to scare out information about a roadside bombing that killed two members of his platoon. "You just don't take a translator to an execution," Zimmerman said.
Neither Behenna's defense attorney nor prosecutors would comment after the hearing.
Zimmerman argued that at the time of the shooting, Behenna was suffering from an acute stress disorder as a result of the bombing. Behenna said Thursday he believed Mohammed was involved in the bombing and could provide names of the insurgents responsible.
After the detainee was shot twice, once in the head and once in the chest, another Fort Campbell soldier testified that he tossed an incendiary grenade on the body.
Staff Sgt. Hal Warner, pleaded guilty this month to charges of assault, maltreatment of a subordinate and making a false statement. Warner, from Braggs, Okla., was sentenced to 17 months in prison and testified against Behenna.
Posted by: ed ||
02/28/2009
00:53 ||
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#1
"After the detainee was shot twice, once in the head and once in the chest, another Fort Campbell soldier testified that he tossed an incendiary grenade on the body."
This is about good order and discipline. I've sat on Courts Martial and the interest of the panel is to get to the truth. It's not easy and shouldn't be. Better to clean your own house than allow outsiders, without any understanding of the military or tactical situations, meddle in operations and standards which will certainly happen [and has in fact been attempted recently]. Its one of the things that separate us from 'them'. 'They' rationalize their unconstrained behaviors.
#4
Ditto Procopius. Nobody on a Courts Martial board wants a soldier or officer to go down. If he was convicted, he's a murderer. Mitigating circumstances, combat fatique, rage and anger, state of mind, etc, all come into play at sentencing. Summary execution of prisoners is not an option.
#5
I agree that Courts Martial really cuts through the legal b.s. that lawyers use in civilian courts. They are not bashful at all in pointing out when things don't add up, and heaven help a witness or lawyer who tries to pull a fast one.
#6
yes, the officer should get a completely fair sentence. i have seen (while enlisted) three of my peers get radically different punishments for what would seem to a civilian to be the same crime under UCMJ due to the details that were given merit in each individual case. The court will definitely take all details into consideration and the sentence will be appropriate.
you can't summarily execute them. i checked with a JAG.
You have to try them, find them guilty of fighting out of uniform, then hold them for six months, and then you can kill 'em.
which means all those US GI's who summarily executed the members of certain German units or summarily executed german soldiers who wore american uniforms are or were war criminals under Geneva. discuss.
Follow the procedure. After the initial attempt at interrogation, turn the Illegal over to the Intel guys, who will extract info that an amateur will not.
Summary killing like that is not only against the ruels and laws of combat, its counterproductive in that you lose a potential source that can unravel an entire cell of operatives.
I do believe that is a mistake is not trying and hanging illegal combatants in accordance with the Geneva Convention.
On account you never know when it might come in handy. Those jinns are pretty devious. There's also some guidance if you run across a efreet. For further study you should scroll thru the other publications on the right sidebar.
#2
I had a problem with jinn once. Couldn't get the cap off. A pair of pliers fixed the problem - no wait, that was gin not jinn. I got confused because both are demons.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
02/28/2009 9:31
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RAWALPINDI PML-N protest went wiled on Friday, making Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Road and the areas that surround it into a battlefield for party workers and police.
The PML-N workers blocked roads and streets, burnt tyres, and showered stones and bricks on police and private vehicles on the third consecutive day of their agitation against a Supreme Court (SC) order disqualifying their leaders Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif from electoral process.
Shouting anti-government, they ran amok forcing the police to baton-charge and tear-gas them to break up the tension. They damaged electricity poles, private hoardings and security barriers.
Mukhtar has a close shave: They attacked vehicle of Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar; threw stones on it near Dhoke Kala Khan on Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Road. The defence minister had a close shave as his driver sped off the troubled spot on time. Police and law enforcement agencies succeeded to take the minister to a safe place.
PML-N convoy attacked: PML-N Chairman Raja Zafarul Haq's convoy also came under attack by some unknown people when he tried to go to Liaquat Bagh to lay floral wreath at Benazir Bhutto's monument. Rare windscreen of his jeep was damaged. PPP leaders and Police high-ups advised him not to go there because PPP workers were infuriated over burning of BB portrait by PML-N workers on Wednesday.
Faizabad violence: In the evening, stick-wielding people took over Faizabad, blocking all traffic, attempted to torch three buses and ransacked the market. The police retaliated and succeeded in routing the hoodlums.
Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Road remained the centre of all protesters, where PML-N leaders Raja Zafarul Haq, Hanif Abbasi, Haji Pervaiz, Malik Abrar, Yasir Hafeez, Sheryar Riaz, Sardar Nasim and others led a mega rally of hundreds of people. The protesters blocked a road from Raja Bazaar to Committee Chowk. They held up sticks, burnt tyres and effigies of President Asif Ali Zardari. They shouted slogans against the government and the judiciary, demanding the SC to reverse its decision. The PML-N workers also attacked police vehicles at different places.
Raja Bazaar, Iqbal Road, Bohar Bazaar, Liaquat Road, DAV College Road and Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Road from Liaquat Bagh to Fiazabad remained highly tense. Armoured Personnel Vehicles (APVs) were seen moving in disturbed areas where heavy deployment of police and personnel of other law-enforcement agencies was made. Clashes were also reported in various parts of the city between the PPP and PML-N workers.
The tension escalated after Friday prayers when the PML-N workers thronged roads and starting damaging buildings and steel-n-glass shopping malls. The police told fuel stations on Liaquat Road, Ratta Road, Gunjmandi, Bagh Sardarn, Asghar Mall Road to close down because of violence.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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Aswat al-Iraq: Two sahwa (Awakening) tribal fighters were killed and two others wounded by unidentified gunmen fire in al-Huweija district on Friday, a senior security source said. "Unidentified gunmen opened fire at a checkpoint of the sahwa forces in al-Askari neighborhood, al-Huweija district, (65 km) southwest of Kirkuk, leaving two fighters killed and two others wounded," Brig. Sarhad Qader, the Kirkuk Districts' Police Department chief, told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. "The gunmen managed to escape to an unknown place," the source added.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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#1
This is the answer of Iraqis to those who say they are getting freedom without watering the tree of liberty. May their memories strengthen the desire of their countrymen for democracy and the rule of law for all, and bring comfort to those who loved them.
The police yesterday took control of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) sector and battalion headquarters across the country while BDR jawans deserted several border outposts leaving those vulnerable. BDR jawans at various sector and battalion headquarters laid down their arms and handed over the keys to the armouries to the deputy commissioners concerned at the instruction of the home ministry.
However, a home ministry source said BDR jawans are patrolling the borders with India and Myanmar with light firearms. The police will remain in control of the headquarters until further notice, several district administrators told The Daily Star.
Subedar Maj Siddique and Subedar Shamsul Haque of Rajshahi sector headquarters, now under control of police, handed over their arms and keys to the armoury to the district official. A number of BDR jawans looked distressed and scared while surrendering their arms.
Our Khulna correspondent reports: Khulna Metropolitan Police took control of the BDR sector headquarters after discussions with BDR members there. Two platoons of police had been deployed there. The BDR barracks in Khulna earlier witnessed a revolt following the Wednesday's mutiny in the capital.
The situation at BDR camps in Thakurgaon and Panchagarh remained calm after the mutineers surrendered their arms. BDR patrol along the borders with India also resumed, said 25 Rifles Battalion head Deputy Assistant Director (DAD) Nazmul Huda and 20 Rifles Battalion head DAD Nurul Islam Fakir.
In Kurigram, BDR Jawans of 27 Rifles Battalion released Maj Kamal, Maj Altaf and Commanding Officer Suman Kumar Barua and surrendered their arms to Kurigram DC Asaduzzaman. The police took control of the battalion headquarters.
Our Chittagong correspondent reports: BDR jawans as well as departmental officers of BDR Chittagong Sector Headquarters began surrendering weapons and ammunition, said Chittagong Deputy Commissioner Ashraf Shamim in the evening.
Our correspondent in Dinajpur adds: the police took control of the BDR sector headquarters at Kuthibari in the afternoon.
Our Rajshahi correspondent reports: The bordering areas remained vulnerable as distraught BDR members were reluctant to return to duty amid confusion. A BOP commander told The Daily Star, "The smugglers will not be able to cash in on the prevailing situation as the Indian Border Security Force remains on red alert on the other side of the border."
Our correspondent from Benapole adds: Although BDR jawans patrolled the border with India at Benapole, the situation remained tense. The jawans were without a commanding officer as no army officer deputed to BDR went to the Benapole border camps or barracks.
Hundreds of passengers and goods-laden trucks remained stranded on the Benapole-Petrapole border after Indian Border Security Force (BSF) closed their side of the border.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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#1
The BDR NCOz have entered the kill zone. This could get even uglier.
The U.S. government will boost its equity stake in Citigroup Inc to as much as 36 percent, bolstering the bank's capital base in the latest emergency effort to save the ailing banking giant.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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Why does this not give me a warm and fuzzy feeling? Perhaps because the only group I can think of who would be less competent to run a big bank than the current Citi executives is the current US administration?
(AKI) - The international tribunal established to try those responsible for political killings in Lebanon will begin its inquiries next week, the United Nations said.
"All the necessary measures have been taken for the special tribunal for Lebanon to commence functioning this Sunday," UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said in a report to the Security Council.
The tribunal is designed to try those accused of recent political murders in Lebanon, particularly the February 2005 assassination of Rafiq Hariri, (photo), who was killed in a massive car bombing in downtown Beirut with 22 others.
The probe into the killings is being carried out by the International Independent Investigation Commission, headed by Daniel Bellemare, a Canadian prosecutor.
According to the report, Bellemare will assume office as prosecutor of the special tribunal on 1 March and continue his investigations from The Hague in the Netherlands, where the court is based.
The judges of the trial and appeals chambers will assume their responsibilities on a date to be fixed and court hearings are expected to begin in early 2010.
UN legal counsel Patricia O'Brien will attend a ceremony in the Netherlands on Sunday to mark the start of the Tribunal.
Ban has pledged to ensure that the court is able to achieve its mandate in the most effective manner.
Hariri, a successful business entrepreneur, was prime minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 until his resignation in October 2004.
Widely credited with reconstructing the capital, Beirut, after the country's civil war, Hariri was assassinated on 14 February 2005 when explosives equal to 1000 kg of TNT were detonated as his motorcade drove past a hotel in the centre of the city.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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MOSCOW - A Russian news agency is reporting that an admiral said the navy may commission at least three nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.
RIA-Novosti has quoted Vice Adm. Anatoly Shlemov as saying that engineers have begun work to design a new carrier.
Shlemov said Friday the prospective carriers will be nuclear-powered and have a displacement of 50,000-60,000 tons, according to the report. His statement appeared to contradict comments by Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov that the navy should focus on smaller ships, no bigger than frigates or corvettes.
#8
They can operate both navalized MiG-29s and SU-27s. Without catapults the aircraft are lightly fueled and loaded.
Kuznetsov
Posted by: ed ||
02/28/2009 1:35
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#9
So these carriers will be slightly larger than the Wasp-class LHDs, of which the US has 8 in service, along with 3 Tarawa-class LHAs. That does NOT count the Nimitz class carriers.
The US Marine Corps has effectively 4 times the projected carrier strength of the Russians and about 60 years more experience with them.
#10
Excellent! Keep the Russians spending their money on useless crap like aircraft carriers, nukes, and boomers, and less on actual useful things like UAV development and combat robots.
#11
Somewhere I have video of flight operations aboard the Kuznetsov I downloaded from Venik Russian aviation page. Iffin anyone has a link,please post it.
That carrier was designed around the aircraft it was s'posed to carry the Yak-38 jump jet, a small light VSTOL jet aircraft. The aircraft they were trying to move in and out of bays were navalized MiG-29s and the navalized SU-25UTG, ( formerly designated the SU-25UM) both of which Russian sailors could barely move through the bulkheads, the openings were too small, probably built for the YAK.
Russian AEW aircraft consists of the KA-31 Helix, standard Russian navy helo fitted with a medium range radar, low tech and vulnerable. At the moment the Russians have no long range navalized aircraft capable of airborne early warning, such as our venerable E-2C "Hawkeye"
The Russian Navy is a littoral force. Russian defense doctrine stretching back hundreds of years is that the homeland is what is to be defended. Even with carriers I seriously doubt Russians would want them to sail very far from their shores,no power projection, no blue water operations, not especially against the US which has 70 years and counting of experience with carrier operations.
Most Russian naval aviation operations will still, as long as there is a Russian, operate from Russia,s very shores.
#15
My wife's comment on the video of the planes landing was "What are they doing - practicing touch and go?". I said that I thought they had just missed the wire(s). There is not a lot of room for error in a carrier landing, especially with a short deck like the Kusnetzov.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
02/28/2009 13:18
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#16
Russian carrier doctrine is very different from ours. They see their carriers as defensive, not offensive platforms. Remember, too, that the Admiral Kuznetsov has vertical launch cells!
#17
I watched this puppy being built. Let's just say that crew comfort is not a consideration of the Russian Navy. The "island" underwent three modification before the ship was launched.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/28/2009 16:42
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#18
OP, you forgot to mention the state of DC and their construction that is not conducive to DC efforts.
The US Navy excels at DC, and constructs its ships to survive.
The Russian Navy and its vessels are not set up that way. Smaller crews, fewer bulkheads, etc.
At least one person was killed and two students injured on Friday when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a school van in Hangu district.
Locals said the assailants, who struck near Bahadar Banada area on the main Hangu-Kohat road, also abducted five students.
They said a school van was carrying children to Al-Asar Academy in Astarzai when the gunmen attacked it, killing its driver, Asghar Ali, and injuring two students - Irfan and Zafar. The locals claimed that at least three people had been killed and eight taken hostage, but government officials denied the claim.
Police immediately closed the Hangu-Kohat road for all kinds of traffic and cordoned off the area to launch a search operation to recover the abducted children. The Pakistan Army was assisting the police. Hangu DPO Sajjad Khan said the police had recovered a student, Zarin Haider, from the abductors. He said the abductors were still holding four school children and efforts for their safe recovery were underway.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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#1
Run out of kindergartens to burn?
Posted by: ed ||
02/28/2009 0:51
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The little-known group 'Indian Mujahideen' has claimed responsibility for terror attacks in Mumbai, New Delhi and Ahmadabad, according to reports in Indian media. A private news channel, quoting an Indian TV channel, reported that detained chief of Indian MujahideenSadiq Shaikh had admitted that his group carried out the blasts in Mumbai on July 11, 2006. He said a group of five people planted bombs in different trains. Maharashtar anti-terror squad had arrested Shaikh on March 21, last year on charges of car theft and bomb blasts.
This article starring:
SADIQ SHEIKH
Indian Mujahideen
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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Several thousand BDR personnel who were in their headquarters at Pilkhana started to flee at around 1:00 pm on Thursday, sensing trouble. In a frantic bid to escape, they scaled the boundary wall at more than 15 points between BDR Gate-1 and Gate-5, near Gate-2, said local people.
Around 25 BDR members left their arms outside the boundary wall. Many others who escaped later however threw those back inside the wall. And about 60 border guards re-entered the BDR headquarters crossing the boundary wall after 8:00 am yesterday, locals said.
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) detained 193 fleeing BDR men at different points in and around the capital, and seized 25 tolas of gold from their possession, said Commander SMAK Azad, director of legal and media wing of Rab.
A law enforcement agency official said they found around 300 BDR personnel in the headquarters yesterday while their number was about 100 on Friday.
Monir Hossain, a resident of nearby Ganaktuli Lane, told these correspondents that escape of BDR men started at about 1:00 pm on Thursday and continued till 8:00 pm. They chose their escape points as a long stretch of the boundary wall from Azimpur to Hazaribagh, and Hazaribagh to Jigatala was out of army watch at the time, he said.
Another resident of the area -Ainul Haque- said two BDR members were wounded while jumping from the wall. Other escapees took them along. Most of the escapees put off their uniforms inside the boundary wall and the others outside it, said Jahangir, another local. Some people of the area later threw inside the wall the uniforms found outside it to avert possible trouble.
"About 1,000 people crossed the boundary wall at five points near BDR Gate-2 at Azimpur," said a local resident seeking not to be named.
Two rifles were found in a drain just inside the wall near Gate-2 at 3:00 pm yesterday, one source said.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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#1
There's way to0 (hai Jimmuah) much goodness in the article... but... umm....
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) detained 193 fleeing BDR men at different points in and around the capital, and seized 25 tolas of gold
The mutiny in Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) was spearheaded by a group of 20 to 25 non-commissioned soldiers who forced others to take up guns and participate in the savagery that followed, according to information shared by surviving officers and some fleeing mutineers.
They said the small group of leaders, all of whom were based in Pilkhana BDR Headquarters, carried out all the mindless killings, most of which took place between 9:00am and 11:00am on Wednesday.
As soon as the first shot was fired, some of the rebel leaders armed themselves and locked the officers inside Darbar Hall at gunpoint, while some others rushed to the residence of the BDR director general and other officers. Some went to the arms depot and broke open its doors. Then they forced other soldiers present in Pilkhana to take up arms as well, many of whom were there that day from battalions outside Dhaka, on the occasion of the BDR Week.
"If you don't take up arms and join us, you will be shot," a leader of the mutiny was quoted by a soldier, who like many others fled the headquarters on Thursday.
He said the majority of the soldiers were against the killing of so many officers. "There were arguments between the mutiny leaders and other soldiers about the killings. Many tried to convince the leaders that all officers are not bad. But the leaders were furious," he said.
Another soldier said many of the soldiers felt deprived and were angry about the role of some top officers, whom they branded as corrupt. "There was no argument about the fate of the corrupt persons," he said adding some soldiers were also killed as they tried to stop the killings.
The soldiers said most of them broke down in tears seeing so many dead bodies of officers, scattered at different places in the compound. Initially many bodies were dumped in sewers. The wholesale killing prompted them to flee the headquarters, the soldiers added.
They also said there was no specific leader of the mutiny. All soldiers of the small leading group seemed to be the leaders in the brutality.
They said a few officers were able to come out alive from Pilkhana, because many of the soldiers protested when the mutiny leaders wanted to kill them.
While narrating the horrible deeds that went on inside Darbar Hall, Lt Col Syed Kamruzzaman, who survived the killing spree, said he was saved by 'a few good soldiers'.
"They took me to another place and kept me hidden from the others," he said at a media briefing in the army staff college officers' mess in Mirpur Cantonment.
As the mutineers heard a rumour that the army could storm Pilkhana, the small group of leaders ordered the soldiers to bring out four armoured personnel carriers (APC). "They pointed their guns at us and ordered us to operate the APCs," said a soldier, who was present in Pilkhana during the mutinee. The unwilling mutineers also had to take positions at different points to face any retaliation.
Some of the soldiers also said the mutiny bosses forced them to dig a mass grave behind the BDR mortuary Wednesday evening and dumped the bodies of dead officers in it. "I saw three trucks with bodies parked there and some jawans were digging a ditch," said a soldier, who had hidden an officer inside a bathroom to save him. "There were many soldiers who tried to save the officers and their families in many ways," he added.
Major Firoz, who survived the mutiny, told The Daily Star that some soldiers helped his pregnant wife to leave Pilkhana on Thursday morning. "She became ill and they were kind enough to let her go outside."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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MALAYSIA'S trade-driven economy grew a dismal 0.1 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2008 from a year earlier, bringing full-year growth to 4.6 per cent, the government said on Friday.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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Bubba Smith - 64 "Defensive End Baltimore Colts" (Now ?)
This Day In History:
1854 - The Republican Party is organized
1885 - American Telephone and Telegraph Company is incorporated
1942 - The heavy cruiser USS Houston (CA-30) is sunk in the Battle of Sunda Strait
1993 - Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents raid the Branch Davidian church in Waco, Texas
1997 - The North Hollywood shootout takes place.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/28/2009 14:52
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#10
By the way, if a .5 Morse Taper existed, it would be the size of half a common lead pencil, (NOT a child's fat pencil) or about .375 (3/8 inch diameter) and 3 1/2 inches long.
Be proud with whatever you've got.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/28/2009 14:59
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#11
For those numerically challenged, a .375 rod would rattle loosely in a coke bottle opening.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/28/2009 15:02
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Assailants threw an explosive at a Jewish community center on Thursday, but nobody was hurt in the blast - the second assault against Venezuela's Jewish community this year.
Abraham Garzon, president of the Jewish Community Center, told the local Globovision television news channel that a small explosive resembling a pipe-bomb was lobbed at the building in Caracas before dawn on Thursday. The explosion damaged the doors to the center.
"It seems there are people in the country dedicated to sowing terrorism," Garzon said.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack, which immediately reignited fears of rising anti-Semitism in Venezuela.
A Caracas synagogue was ransacked and vandalized last month. The assailants shattered religious objects, spray-painted "Jews, get out" on the temple's walls and stole a computer database containing names and addresses of Jews living in Venezuela.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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#6
Thank you, .5MT. Yes, I would, g(r)omgoru. Obambia is, I have faith, a temporary and reversible state of affairs. My mother twice walked away with what she could carry in her school bag and an overnight case. I can do the same if I must, and start over somewhere civilized.
Israeli right-winger Benjamin Netanyahu and centrist Tzipi Livni met on Friday but failed to agree on forming a coalition government and left it unclear whether negotiations between their parties would continue.
After meeting for over an hour in Tel Aviv, each came out and blamed the other for lacking the will to compromise and form a broad-based, national unity government. Livni indicated her disappointment with Netanyahu's skeptical approach to peace talks with the Palestinians, which she has led since 2007. However, neither of them ruled out further coalition negotiations.
"I have done everything possible to achieve unity ... but to my great regret, I faced categorical rejection from Mrs Livni," Netanyahu, the leader of the right-wing Likud party said.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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#1
Good. In 3 months half Kadima MKs will defect to Likud.
#3
I faced categorical rejection from Mrs Livni," Netanyahu
Out of camera range, Netanyahu, Ayalon, and Lieberman... 'high-fives' all around, followed by pats on the back and ice cold Maccabee. Tzipi's talks with Gazukians, brahhahahaha.
Al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility Thursday (February 26th) for the deadly attack that killed nine security guards Sunday night near Ziama Mansouriah in Jijel province (350km east of Algiers), AP reported. In an internet statement, the group said it had killed 10 guards. This is the ninth attack claimed by the organisation this month, including the execution of three off-duty soldiers at a false checkpoint.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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A day after two Sderot homes were damaged by a rocket fired from Gaza, Palestinian terrorists in the Strip resumed their attacks on Israeli civilian areas early Friday morning, firing a Kassam that hit an open area in the Sdot Negev region. No one was wounded and no damage was caused by the rocket launched from northern Gaza.
A number of Sderot residents were treated for shock following Thursday's attack in which tragedy was narrowly averted when a rocket landed close to two houses.
In response to that attack, IAF aircraft hit smuggling tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip. Palestinian sources were quoted by Israel Radio as saying that there were no wounded in the attack, during which at least three missiles were fired.
Rockets also hit the Eshkol and Sha'ar Hanegev regions Thursday, causing no casualties or damage.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
where can i get a count of the numbers of rockets by month (or similar) data. was arguing with a dufus on an other site and needed 'proof' that Hamass never upheld the terms of the previous 'ceasefire'...
the guy is not an idiot, but goes to a lib arts college and only get his news form the asshats there. the fool believed that Cast Lead was just naked aggression and that the poor Hamass freedom fighters have no choice...
Posted by: abu do you love ||
02/28/2009 0:22
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The United States has decided not to participate in a UN conference on racism in April unless the final document is changed to drop all references to Israel and the defamation of religion, a senior US official said Friday. Not just any religion, mind you...
The conference is a follow-up to the contentious 2001 conference in the South African city of Durban which was dominated by clashes over the Middle East and the legacy of slavery. If you thought the original was stoopid and vicious, you ain't seen nothin' yet...
The US and Israel walked out midway through that eight-day meeting over a draft resolution that singled out Israel for criticism and likened Zionism to racism.
Israel and Canada have already announced that they will boycott the upcoming World Conference Against Racism in Geneva from April 20-25, known as Durban II, but US President Barack Obama's administration decided to assess the negotiations before making a decision on US participation. Last week, the State Department sent two US representatives to Geneva, where the final document to be issued by conference participants at the end of the conference is being negotiated. The representatives - Betty White, a former US ambassador to the UN Economic and Social Council, and Felice Gaer, the chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom - held 30 meetings with representatives of different countries and attended the negotiations, the US official said. While the US presence was warmly welcomed, the US official said that in the negotiations, a bad document got worse.
The United States has decided that it will not participate in further negotiations on the outcome document and will not participate in the conference itself on the basis of the latest text, the US official said. The Obama administration would reconsider its position if the document improves in a number of areas including dropping references to any specific country, references to defamation of religion which the US views as a free speech issue, and language on reparations for slavery. It also wants a shorter text and does not want the final document for Durban II to reaffirm the final document from the 2001 Durban conference, the US official said.
Itzhak Levanon, Israel's former UN envoy in Geneva, said before departing last August that with Libya chairing preparations for Durban II and Iran and Cuba also involved, the conference had the making of another international "bashing of Israel."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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When Comrade Ogabe's major Jewish donors called him up and told him that he was out of line, he belatedly realized he was on thin ice. This jerk isn't having a change of heart, he changed his mind when he realized his oxygen was about to be cut off. Re-election isn't a given, and he has all kinds of starry-eyed Jewish advisers who could have the scales fall from their eyes and ruin his administration will tell-all memoirs about his radicalism and limited abilities if Ogabe actually follows through with his anti-Semitic instincts.
An attacker stabbed a U.S. citizen in front of his wife in a popular Cairo tourist area on Friday in the second attack on foreigners in the Egyptian capital in less than a week, security sources said.
They said the American, a teacher in his fifties in an American school in the coastal city of Alexandria, was with his wife and a friend when he was lightly wounded in an unprovoked attack in a tourist area that is home to the 14th century Khan el-Khalili market.
The assailant, who was arrested at the scene, told police he attacked the American out of hatred for foreigners, particularly after Israel's recent offensive on the Gaza Strip, one security source and state media said.
The Egyptian government, a strong ally of Washington, has faced heightened domestic discontent in recent months over its enforcement of an Israeli blockade on Hamas-run Gaza, especially during an Israeli invasion that ended on January 18.
Police were alerted to the attack on the American by his wife's screams, witnesses said. State news agency MENA said the American had suffered a superficial wound to his face and that police stopped the attacker before he could inflict further damage.
Security sources described him as mentally ill and said he also attacked a policeman who tried to arrest him. They said the stabbing had no connection to a bombing earlier this week that killed a French tourist nearby.
Posted by: ed ||
02/28/2009
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That's always the default answer by the Egyptians (or that the Jews were behind it), which could be another default answer due to Gaza. They also declared the Muslim in the circa 1995 attack at the Intercontinental Hotel in Cairo of three Westerners as "mentally ill". Once sentenced, he was allowed to leave the jail and work in the family bakery where he hatched another plan which resulted in the attack on a Germany tour bus that left 11 dead in Sept of 1997. Finally he was executed, when the "he's mentally ill" was impossible to utter. Let's hear what the sermons at the mosque were.
A second video of two Canadian diplomats and their driver who were kidnapped in Niger in December has been passed to the Canadian and Malian authorities, a Malian source said Thursday. The source, who previously revealed the existence of the first video, said he had viewed the tape in which Fowler was seen speaking French. Moukaila's family had also seen the tape, he added. "Legume! Make a note! 'Fowler was speaking French.'"
Earlier this week the same source said that an Algerian leader of the self-proclaimed North African branch of Al-Qaeda was holding the two Canadians as well as four European tourists who were kidnapped on the Mali-Niger border last month. The hostages were in the hands of Mokhtar Bel Mokhtar, one of the leaders of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in the southern region. He confirmed earlier reports that Al-Qaeda had demanded the release of two Mauritian members of the group currently held in one of the countries of the Sahel region that includes Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Algeria, Libya and Chad. And Paraguay. It also includes Norway, Finland, and Bangladesh.
Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb seeks to unify armed Islamist groups in Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco with emerging groups in sub-Saharan African countries bordering that desert. However, analysts say Al-Qaeda is effectively split in the southern Maghreb, which includes southern Algeria and the northern regions of Mali and Niger, with two leaders each controlling their own region.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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Ameer Jamat-e-Islami (JI) Qazi Hussain Ahmed said Friday Nawaz Sharif had to pay the price to follow principled politics. He was speaking at the gathering of Friday prayer here. He termed Supreme Court ruling as the desire of President Zardari and added this crisis might lead Zardari to destruction. Desire to keep all powers under one's hand, by politicians in past, has always proved fruitless for them and President Zardari is making same mistake. Media will surely be in firing line after Sharif brothers' issue is resolved, Qazi predicted.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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Spain's Judge Fernando Andreu is set to go ahead with an investigation into crimes against humanity by top Israeli military officials.
The decision came after Andreu studied translated documents he received from the Israeli embassy, revealing Tel Aviv has not launched any legal procedure concerning a 2002 bombing of Gaza.
Andreu agreed last month to pursue a complaint of crimes against humanity against seven senior Israeli military figures over the bombing. The prospect of the investigation, which is in line with Spain's assumption of the principle of universal jurisdiction in alleged cases of crimes against humanity, genocide, and terrorism, has enraged the Tel Aviv government.
Has the Spanish government ever investigated crimes against humanity committed by the Franco government, the socialist government before that, the Crown, Cortez and the Princes of ancient Upper Spain?
The probe by the Spanish judge could be suspended only if the alleged crimes are subject to a legal procedure in the country involved.
Andreu now plans to officially notify former Israeli defense minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer and six senior military officials of the inquiry, and also seek witness testimony from Palestinians, AFP quoted sources as saying.
The investigation will look into a complaint by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights concerning the Israeli assassination top Hamas leader Salah Shehadeh in an air strike on July 22, 2002 on Gaza City. At least 14 civilians - mainly infants and children - fell victim to the attack which also left 150 Palestinians wounded.
Maybe Salah shouldn't have been hiding amongst the women and kiddies ...
In January, Andreu said the attack in a densely-populated area "showed signs of constituting a crime against humanity."
Israel's current Defense Minister Ehud Barak has rejected the complaint as "delirious" and vowed to do "everything possible to get the investigation dismissed."
In a bid to alleviate Tel Aviv's rage, Spanish Foreign minister Miguel Moratinos immediately informed his Israeli counterpart, Tzipi Livni, on Jan. 30 of plans to limit the country's powers.
Which apparently doesn't include gagging the judge ...
Spanish judges can independently launch war crimes investigations against foreign officials. In 1998 a Spanish judge practiced his power, issuing an arrest warrant for former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet who was accordingly detained in Britain.
This article starring:
Salah Shehadeh
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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#1
We should appoint Lieberman a Minister for Europe, and give him a few good terminator teams.
North Korea appears to have begun assembling a rocket that it claims will launch a satellite, a report said Friday, despite US and South Korean warnings to halt what they see as a planned missile test."It appears that [the North] has begun assembling the rocket on the ground."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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#1
If this doesnt get me banned for wishign ill to enemies of freedom: I hope the launch fails, spectacularly. We've had our fair share as seen below
#6
A mud volcano is usually a natural occurrence, meaning it's an "act of God". Indonesia has suffered at least a dozen earthquakes, several regular volcano eruptions, and now a mud volcano. I'd assume by now they'd understand that their god is either very angry with them, or unable to do anything about nature. Better to blame it on "others" than to go there, though...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/28/2009 16:27
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Alice Anywar lives in the Pagak resettlement camp in Gulu and at 39 is a multiple victim of the over-20-year-old Lords Resistance Army (LRA) insurgency in Northern Uganda. The rebels first attacked her home in the village of Kilak in 1987, killing both her parents and abducting her 12-year-old brother. In 2002 they murdered her husband.
The rebels have retreated into the jungle in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) but Anywar, like many other residents, fears they could re-enter Uganda.
The elusive peace was dealt a near deathblow, many argue, in 2004 when Yoweri Museveni's government requested the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague to indict and prosecute the rebels. The body has since become a source of further tension between the warring parties. The LRA has accused the ICC of bias for not charging their adversaries in Uganda's army.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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#1
As opposed to Traditional Justice in S. Africa: Necklacing (tire, gasoline).
10,000 and 15,000 Taliban fighting inside his country, and the insurgent group is operating across about 17 provinces. Mohammad Hanif Atmar offered a rare estimate of the size of his government's most organized and potent opponent during a visit to Washington. A large delegation of senior Afghan officials was in the U.S. capital this week, along with a delegation from Pakistan.
Both groups were weighing in as the new Obama administration forms a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan and a related policy for Pakistan. Afghan officials say they told their hosts that a new strategy must include better cooperation from Pakistan, where Taliban and other militants have command operations.
Afghan and Pakistani officials met separately this week, as well as in three-way sessions with U.S. hosts. President Barack Obama has named a new envoy to manage an overhaul of U.S. policy toward a region Obama calls the real central front against terrorism.
Posted by: ed ||
02/28/2009
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#1
a region Obama calls the real central front against terrorism.
Well sure, now that former president Bush took care of the Iraqi front. And what about that other central front that is Iran? All those centers can be so confusing!
#2
Barry is in quite a pickle with Iraq. It is a very, very fragile situation which if not handled correctly, as the Generals have advised, could rapidly and revert to chaos. If Barry squanders the "W" Surge dividend he'll be blamed for letting victory slip away, the halo comes off and he's an instant loser. If the situation in Iraq begins to worsen and he has initiate an "O" Surge from CONUS, the halo is off again and he's a loser. His only real course of action is to "train & maintain" in Iraq (see original Petraeus & Bush plan) and keep a force and enough regional power both air and ground close enough to respond if needed. Read that Afghanistan. The strategy in Afghanistan ie, going after the Warzistan and border sancuaries will eventual prevail, but it will be a long and drawn out affair. Like Musharoff, Karzai must go. New, more aggressive leadership is needed. Just my two cents worth.
#5
Besoeker: I'd have to say that Iraq is pretty over, but Afghanistan is the real nightmare. Short of an Iranian invasion, there just isn't any organized opposition in Iraq any more. About the worst that could happen would be a Sunni uprising, but the Sunni know that if they tried that, they would be butchered, then the survivors exiled.
Afghanistan, however, has all the prospects of another Vietnam. If NATO or the US screws up, that 10,000 Taliban could become 100,000, or even 1 million overnight. Afghans become predatory around weakness.
#6
Anonymoose...I unfortunately believe you are correct. And we do not have 500,000 troops to throw at the place (I am not suggesting that, meerly recalling the peak number circa 1970).
The problem of course is logistics. There is no way to get supplies in other than through Pakistan. Our best bet is to ratchet up the ground troop presence to a level that we are able to maintain some semblance of control (as we are doing now), and accelerate our Predator and Reaper programs to maintain a 24 hour overwatch in the lawless areas...and kill anything that moves...literally. Also, we need to shift as much of our SOF to Afghanistan as we dare to work with the UAVs. And finally we need to focus on defoliating the poppies. I don't care how we do it. Drop "defoliant" soaked 20 dollar bills on the poppies. Whatever. But we have to eliminate the jihadi source of income.
No rocket science here: We will never be able to put enough boots on the ground with the appropriate logistical tail in Afghanistan.
Southern African finance ministers agreed on Friday to push for donor help to rebuild Zimbabwe after economic collapse.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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#1
Its a pity Ian Smith has left our plane. He might have had a thought or two which would not cost too much.
Where are all the apologists who sang the praises of Mugabe when he with fighting the government of Southern Rhodesia? He promised a new world, peace, freedom and change.
#2
I recommend a read of "Bitter Harvest." There are no shocking surprises in any of what has happened in Zimbabwe over the past few decades. None whatsoever.
#3
I wonder how Zambia is making out? Initially they brought in a good number of white Rhodesian refugees to help them improve their farming and technical capabilities with some positive results. But I never heard any follow-up after the first year or two, and being caught between Mugabeland and South Africa is tricky, to say the least.
The Somali government has slammed the recent attacks by African Union forces on civilians, urging all foreign troops to leave the country.
Somalia's newly-formed government stated on Friday that it was saddened by the shelling of residential areas by the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) in Mogadishu. "AMISOM actions are unacceptable. They were sent here to protect civilians, not to kill them," Suleiman Olad Rooble, the minister for youth and sports said in a news conference.
He also added that an urgent cabinet meeting will soon discuss the withdrawal of all foreign troops from the Horn of African nation, a Press TV correspondent reported.
The statement follows three days of intense fighting in residential areas between rebels and AMISOM forces in Mogadishu, leading to the deaths of nearly fifty people -- mostly civilians -- and the injury of almost a hundred others.
The presence of the nearly 34,000 peacekeepers from Uganda and Burundi has been a thorny issue for the new Somali government. Influential clerics and local clan elders have demanded the government to call for the withdrawal of the foreign force within 120 days. Somali opposition groups have meanwhile vowed to continue fighting the AMISOM troops until the peacekeepers are completely withdrawn from Somalia.
The new Somali government led by president Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed has repeatedly said that there would be no need for further foreign forces and those currently deployed would leave the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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#1
How does he shoot with that friggin hat?
I suppose it's better to look good then to fight good. He looks like some rapper's bodyguard.
#2
I looks like the cap's holding the sunglasses in place. And keeping his "DO" down.
Remember when all the blacks put softener in their hair, and used shower caps to keep the greasy mess in place, looks like that to me.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/28/2009 15:13
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#3
Jim, you're pushing the limit really hard right now on a couple fronts. You and .5MT can trade penis/intelligence insults all you like so long as you maintain decent language while doing it.
There are only a few things that are out of bounds at Rantburg. One of them is calling for the murder of Americans, especially but not limited to officials in public office.
Another is racial crap. Don't go there. The mods will not tolerate it and it's an abuse of Fred's hospitality.
The next comment with snide racial overtones gets you a time out for a while.
North Korea has started testing missile-tracking radar and other monitoring equipment at its northeastern missile test site following its announcement of a satellite launch, a Seoul daily reported Friday. ''North Korea has made preparations for the launch of Taepodong-2 (missile) at the Musudan-ri test site and started test-operation of equipment related to missile tracking and control such as 'Fire Work' radar,'' a South Korean government source told the Chosun Ilbo newspaper.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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#1
Divert the food and fuel aid ships from NK. Wouldn't want one to be hit by an errant missile.
Posted by: ed ||
02/28/2009 0:50
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Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/28/2009 9:14
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#6
Now that's old skool DeaconMan... here's an illustration of mine..... I can damn near touch it... long wire antenna thrown overn an oak limb counter balanced with sand in a tennis ball container. No lightning arrester.
Also it was purdy mucha POS. But hey.... $89.99. Justa to remind myself that things get better.
Army and Rab rescuers yesterday found a mass grave on the premises of BDR headquarters and recovered bodies of 38 officers including the slain director general of the paramilitary force. With three more bodies pulled out of manholes, the casualty count in the 33-hour mutiny at BDR Pilkhana rose to 62. Those include around 50 army officers. Of those retrieved, 18 were too badly decomposed to be identified immediately.
So they've been dead a while ...
As of filing this report last night, rescuers were yet to trace at least 50 officers and the late BDR chief's wife, said sources.
Brigadier General Moinul Hossain was appointed DG of the embattled force yesterday. He faces the task of reorganising BDR and restoring its chain of command.
Meanwhile, Brigadier General Moinul Hossain was appointed DG of the embattled force yesterday. He faces the task of reorganising BDR and restoring its chain of command.
The sheer scale of savagery the mass grave brought to light yesterday left the nation numb with grief. Rescuers fear there might be more unmarked mass graves at Pilkhana. "We can tell from the bodies many of the officials were first shot and then bayoneted to death," said Major Momtajur Rahman of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab). Brings to mind 1971, doesn't it?
Major General Shakil Ahmed's corpse was pitted with bullet holes and marks of bayonet charge. It had at least seven bullet wounds. Many of the bodies were in briefs as uniforms of the officers littered the lawn inside BDR HQ.
The mass grave is behind the mortuary of BDR Hospital. It is around a kilometre off darbar hall, where the bloody mutiny erupted at an assembly of BDR officials and jawans Wednesday morning. "We have gathered that the bodies were carried there by two trucks," added Major Momtaj.
A group of heavily armed border troops led the acts of mindless violence. They said they were only protesting discriminations. But now as the extent of brutalities emerges, rescuers say, it seems the bloodbath might have been instigated by "some unseen quarters with an ill motive". They added that the atrocities reminded them of the torture and genocide carried out by the Pakistan occupation army in 1971. I was just thinking that myself...
"Officers' houses were looted and their cars set on fire. The two-storey residence of the DG was left in ruins. The staircase there was stained with blood," said a rescuer who would not speak on record.
The mutineers ransacked and burned the house of slain Colonel Mujibul Haq. "We suspect some of those missing were killed and reduced to ashes," he said citing information gleaned from some BDR jawans who opted to stay put after the revolt ended Thursday evening.
Around 300 jawans are now inside the headquarters. They claim they did not participate in the mutiny or any brutalities. "But they were forced to cooperate with the culprits," said the rescuer. "They did not try to escape as they felt the army won't do them any harm once things calm down," he added.
"It seems there was a plan chalked out long ago. Those who committed the atrocities were young soldiers recruited in the last few years. They received huge sums from somewhere, and did not care much about their career."
Another rescuer who had talked to one such "involuntary mutineer", told The Daily Star, "It seems there was a plan chalked out long ago. Those who committed the atrocities were young soldiers recruited in the last few years. They received huge sums from somewhere, and did not care much about their career."
The police took control of the BDR headquarters Thursday. The army and Rab entered the compound with armoured personnel carriers at 10:00am yesterday. At around 12:30pm, army rescue squads recovered huge Arges grenades, machine guns and ammunition and a mortar from atop the arch at the main entrance. Some rescuers said they found arms and ammunition scattered all over Pilkhana. They recovered arms even from ponds inside. Arms were found just outside the headquarters as well. "We believe some mutineers have fled with small arms," said a rescuer. All the arms recovered have been taken to the armoury.
Since early morning yesterday, people crowded the BDR gates and sites of rescue operation beyond the compound. At the Jhigatala entrance, anxious relatives of the army personnel missing waited for hours with eyes brimming with tears. They kept enquiring if there was any news of their dear ones. Some of them resented the failure to save the family members. Lt Col Sajjad's wife was seen lying nearly unconscious on the pavement in front of the main gate at around 12:30pm. She kept mumbling, "They [authorities] must let me know if he is dead or alive."
Sajjad's body was among those recovered from the mass grave at around 5:00pm.
Meanwhile, the unrest at BDR outposts in different districts quietened down yesterday. At Kurigram outpost, the jawans released three officers taken hostage Thursday and sent them to Rangpur cantonment.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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#1
Might I interest the good general in a purge before the reorg?
Posted by: ed ||
02/28/2009 0:26
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#2
Adding pieces together, I suspect that some Jihadi or smuggling gang had been frustrated by the border police once too often, so decided to neutralize them.
#3
I was thinking they should disband the unit and burn the colors. Preferably after decimation.
But that's just me. I'm olde fashioned.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009 9:10
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#4
That's what India did with the 9th Sikh which mutinied after Operation Bluestar in 1984 (the assault against Sikh terrorists holed up inside the Golden Temple).
Posted by: john frum ||
02/28/2009 10:01
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#5
John, wasn't the assault on the Golden Temple what led to the assassination of Indira Ghandi?
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
02/28/2009 19:42
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Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari sacks the country's deputy Attorney General and Special Public Prosecutor Sardar Mohammad Ghazi. The decisions were made nearly two weeks after the senior official sparked controversy by claiming that Islamabad had formally requested India to hand over Ajmal Amir Qasab in a bid to speed up investigations into Mumbai terror attacks, Pakistani Dawn News Television reported on Friday.
On February 18, Ghazi said that Qasab was the 'prime suspect' and it would be difficult to prosecute the other defendants arrested in Pakistan if the lone surviving terrorist in Mumbai attack was not handed over by India.
Over 170 people lost lives in last November's terror attacks on India's financial hub, Mumbai.
He made the comments shortly after he was named the Special Public Prosecutor in the case related to the Mumbai attacks. Ghazi's comments were denied hours later by the Pakistani Foreign Office, which said no formal request had been made to India for Qasab's custody.
Qasab, the lone serving gunman of the Mumbai attacks was arrested by India and is expected to be formally charged in India during a hearing session on Tuesday.
Relations between New Delhi and Islamabad have been tense since the death of over 170 people in last November's terror attacks on India's financial hub. India blamed banned Pakistan-based militants for the raids, alleging that the perpetrators were 'clients and creations' of the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) -- a claim Islamabad has repeatedly denied.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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US OUT OF NEW ORLEANS!!!
NEW ORLEANS -- Three and a half years after Hurricane Katrina, the National Guard is pulling the last of its troops out of New Orleans this weekend, leaving behind a city still desperate and dangerous. Residents long distrustful of the city's police force are worried they will have to fend for themselves. Sorry, folks. It's a quagmire. Gotta go...
"I don't know if crime will go up after these guys leave. But I know a lot more of us will be packing our own pieces now to make sure we're protected," said Calvin Stewart, owner of a restaurant and store. Looks like Calvin's ready. Calvin doesn't strike me as a Walther PPK type ...
New Orleans Police Superintendent Warren Riley said his rebuilt police department is up to the job of protecting the city. "I think we're ready to handle things," he said. Yeah, upholding the proud history of the NOPD...
The National Guardsmen were welcomed as liberators when they arrived in force in a big convoy more than four days after Katrina struck New Orleans in August 2005 and plunged the city into anarchy. The force was eventually 15,000 strong. The last of the troops were removed in January 2006 as civil authority returned, but then, after a surge in bloodshed, 360 were sent back in beginning in mid-2006 to help police keep order. As of February, only about 100 troops were left in the city. Was this New Orleans or Baghdad?
With Louisiana facing a $341 million budget deficit, state lawmakers were reluctant to keep the Guard in place any longer. The Guard was used to patrol the less populated sections of the city where Katrina's floodwaters left most houses uninhabitable. That included the woeful Ninth Ward, where renovated houses are outnumbered by moldy, boarded-up wrecks and weed-choked vacant lots. In their camouflage uniforms and Humvees, the troops were often a welcome sight.
"We don't have enough cops. It's not that they're bad, it's just that there's not enough of them. These guys are Johnny-on-the-spot when you need them," said 57-year-old Tom Hightower, who is still trying to get the mold out of his house. He added: "This is still a spooky place after dark."
The troops had full arrest powers but were required to call New Orleans police on serious matters. In their time on the streets, Guard troops were involved in only one shooting, and the district attorney ruled it justified. The Guardsmen answered lots of calls involving domestic violence, reported to be up in New Orleans since the hurricane, and handled car wrecks, house and business alarms and other problems.
"One of the biggest things we did was keep those places safe so people could rebuild," said Sgt. Wayne Lewis, a New Orleans native who has been patrolling the streets since January 2007. "People would put the things to rebuild in their houses and thieves would come along and take them right out again. We stopped a lot of that."
New Orleans had 210 murders in 2007, making it the murder capital of America, with the highest per-capita rate in the country. That number dropped to 179 in 2008. Nevertheless, "crime continues to be this community's No. 1 concern. Even with the lower numbers it is still unacceptably high," said Rafael Goyeneche, executive director of the Metropolitan Crime Commission.
Before the hurricane, the police force had more than 1,600 officers. But its ranks were reduced after the storm by more than 30 percent because of desertions, dismissals, retirements and suicides. (New Orleans has only about 70 percent of its pre-Katrina population of 455,000.) The department has climbed back up to about 1,500 officers, and hopes to add by the end of April more than two dozen Guardsmen who liked the work so much they signed on.
The Guard was supposed to leave on Jan. 1, but Louisiana lawmakers approved funding to keep 100 troops through February to give the police more time to recruit officers. The Guard's departure, which will take place after the final patrol ends at 3 a.m. Sunday, will be low-key. There will be no convoy, no bands playing. The last few Guardsmen on the street will check in their vehicles and head home for good.
"I don't think the city is ready for us to leave," said Lt. Ronald Brown, who has been part of Task Force Gator since April 2007. "I'd like to see us stay. I think we make a difference, but I guess it's a money thing."
#1
They should never have rebuilt it. Those parts of NO were a shit-hole anyway, a warren of generations of poverty and laziness and government dependency.
They should have just bulldozed some of those wards, then opened the levees to reflood the wetlands, and use the rebuild money to build new neighborhoods on the higher ground to the N, with proper hurricane proofed structures, a better city layout, proper policing, and mass transit into the city for jobs.
#2
Even if they didn't re-flood them, bulldoze those sunken neighborhoods and turn them into parks, etc. Put some green space in there. The rest done as you say.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/28/2009 1:23
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#3
And kill every 3rd person in Colorodo to protect what ever shitass thing I don't like about Denver.
#5
..maybe because, in the end, we all ended up paying for it. It's the standard operating procedure now for government to ignore the warnings and when the problem blows up on them, it's expected everyone else has to bail them out. Then they turn around and repeat the same stupid behavior again. Since we can't stop it, we just bitch.
#6
Shortly after Katrina a number of planners and politicians advocated something very similar to Old Spook's proposal. It would have cost far less to rebuild, to protect in the future, and to rebuild again in the future when that protection fails. But people felt they had a RIGHT to go home and demagogic politicians fanned flames of racism around the issue, and of course governments at all levels saw it as a way to get their hands on a bigger pot of money to play with, so ..... here we are. Those who refuse to learn from history are doomed to repeat it - hold on to your wallet, if there's anything left in it.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/28/2009 11:39
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#9
Here's a map of the New Orleans levee system showing where the Katrina breaches occurred and where the flooding occurred. Which levees would you breach? Which areas of the city would "reflood"?
Posted by: Matt ||
02/28/2009 12:04
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#10
I'd have shortened the effective levee lengths by shifting pumping to the mouths of the canals, which is sort of what they have done.
I'd have concentrated on rebuilding upriver of the Industrial Canal, and on strenghthening the protections of those areas. I would have sacrificed New Orleans East and St. Bernard (& Lower 9th Ward) and offered buyouts for all those properties instead of spending money rebuilding (and I'd have tended to base the buyout offers on their tax assessment valuation.)
#12
.5mt you are fucking stupid with that remark - or else you forgot to switch to one of your other sockpuppet names you asshole.
Who said anything about killing peopel, you drooling jerk? I advocated simply letting a horribly damaged area be cleard and relocate the people *with aid* to a better place with better homes. And you, like the room temperature IQ you are, decided to equate that with decimation? How stupid ARE you to think that can slip by?
Did you ever consider I did missionary work there in the 9th ward, so I *KNOW* the area, personally?
Did you ever consider I have friend in the Guard who told me how it was post-Katrina down there?
By God, that part of New Orleans is as bad as some parts of Haiti I saw in the Army, and thats BEFORE the hurricane.
And its not just me - my younger brother was there as well for missionary work for a lot longer.
So .5IQ, you wanna apologize for being a shit-for-brains and restract that bullshit of yours?
#13
i agree with old spook it was a shit hole and i called what would happen after Katrina, they migrated too such places as atlanta and continiued what they do best. sell crack and commit crimes
#14
Surprisingly enough, a fairly large percentage of the former residents of New Orleans don't plan to go home. I don't know if it's 25% or 30%, but those numbers are very close. That includes a LOT of people that relocated to Denver, Omaha, NE, Saint Louis, MO, Tulsa, OK, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, and even some that moved as far away (more climate-wise than distance) to El Paso, Texas.
I've been to New Orleans many times. The school sponsored trips down there to see the port, the zoo (which was first-rate 45 years ago - don't know what it's like now), Tulane University, and other sites. That's where the MEPS station was when I first enlisted in the Air Force. A friend of mine's father founded the New Orleans Baptist Seminary there, and I visited several times. I shipped a car from New Orleans to Germany. I've never lived there, but New Orleans was a typical big city, with big-city crime problems, made worse by being the third largest port area in the US, and having a history of rampant corruption. It hasn't changed just because a hurricane destroyed half of it.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/28/2009 18:08
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Old Patriot, the zoo is great, and considerably better than it ever was 45 years ago (can't say it's quite back to pre-Katrina, but it wasn't really damaged much, so any minimal decline would likely be due to volunteer & funding limits.)
And yes, a lot of New Orleanians left for good. Unfortunately for New Orleans I think they were disproportionately the more desirable residents. But too many good jobs left, so the good workers had to leave too.
Oh, that oil slick...
DUBLIN (AP) -- The Russian navy finally admitted Friday it caused an oil slick off Ireland's southwest coast -- 12 days after European and Irish marine authorities first spotted the threat and linked it to the Russians' breakdown-prone aircraft carrier.
Ireland's government and coast guard also offered a much bigger estimate for the size of the slick than the Russians did -- ten times as big. But they agreed with a Russian navy statement that the slick was unlikely to pose a major risk to Ireland's coastal habitat, thanks chiefly to unusually mild seas that were keeping the slick offshore.
In Moscow, Russian navy spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo said unspecified ships spilled 20 to 30 metric tons of oil. It was Russia's first public admission of involvement, although Russian Navy officials admitted their role in a private meeting Monday in Dublin with Irish Coast Guard commanders.
The Irish Coast Guard said Friday that the size of the remaining slick involved an estimated 300 tons of light crude. It said the mishap happened when Russia's only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, was being refueled by an accompanying tanker.
The Kuznetsov has been plagued with technical problems since entering full service in 1995, suffering lengthy dockings for repairs. Since leaving its Arctic base in Severomorsk in December, the carrier has been accompanied by a tanker and at least one tugboat in case of a breakdown. In January, while the carrier was operating off Turkey's coast, a fire on board the ship killed a crew member.
Ireland estimates it has already spent more than euro250,000 ($325,000) monitoring the slick by helicopter and screening shellfish for pollution. Its transport department has asked the Russian Federation to reimburse Ireland for at least some of that expense. The Irish Coast Guard said the slick was moving slowly eastward about 45 miles (70 kilometers) south of the County Cork coastline, and was unlikely to reach shore before disintegrating, unless the wind strengthens and changes course unexpectedly. "(The slick) is continuing to weather and significantly disperse ... and has not significantly moved over the last number of days," it said.
#3
We need to rehab the Kitty Hawk and freaking give to the Indians for a dollar! At least the Kitty can go on deployment without an unending string of disasters and mishaps.
#4
Having a carrier is not the same as operating a carrier.
In 1957, the Russian Defence Minister, Marshal Zhukov, visited India. In Cochin, Rear Admiral RD Katari, the Fleet Commander, invited him to a banquet on board the flagship. In his memoirs, "A Sailor Remembers" he recalls: (Page 83). "From the moment Marshal Zhukov, stepped on board, he virtually impaled me against the centre-line capstan and demanded to know why we were acquiring an aircraft-carrier. Resisting the temptation to tell him that it was none of his business, I tried to explain to him the reasons which induced us to do so, but he could not, or would not, accept them. The discussion was obviously reaching a point of exasperation to both sides but the climax came when Zhukov made the provocative observation that we were buying the carrier at the behest of the British and to please them."
Posted by: john frum ||
02/28/2009 7:23
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A report by the CID Special Branch has revealed that Taliban are present in the city.
According to details, the special branch additional IG has sent a written report to the DIG and Sindh Government about the secret hideouts of Taliban in the city. Sources in the report have revealed that Taliban, belonging to tribal areas, were residing in Sohrab Goth and Quaidabad in the small motels in the areas. Apart from that, the Taliban were also hiding in the hills of Manghopir and Orangi town as well as in other low-income areas and slums. The report said that the Taliban has huge caches of weapons and ammunition with them and they could take the city hostage at any point. Sources have also said that the Naib Ameer of the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban, Hasan Mahmood, was also hiding in Karachi.
After the report, police and security personnel are said to be terrified, as already the MQM has said many times that the Taliban were in the city. Some time ago, on a tip off, Anti-Violent Crime Cell's head SSP Farooq Awan, along with a police party, had raided a guesthouse in Sohrab Goth but the Taliban apprehended them instead. The Taliban were trying to execute the policemen when another police party intervened. Though the policemen managed to get away, two policemen died while Awan and 11 other policemen were seriously injured. After this operation, CID SSP Fayyaz Khan and Aslam Khan raided the location and arrested eight men who were said to be pro Taliban militants and were involved in the attack on Awan.
Meanwhile, on the directives of the Sindh government, a survey has been undertaken on the rest houses all over Karachi while police high-ups have asked for surveillance of these facilities.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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#1
and of course, the actual Pak army can do nothing about any of this...
Posted by: abu do you love ||
02/28/2009 0:29
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The U.S. economy suffered its deepest contraction since early 1982 in the fourth quarter, shrinking at a much worse-than-expected 6.2 percent annual rate as exports plunged and consumers slashed spending.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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#1
It's like the people (without capital P) weren't trusting the One---don't they understand that his economic advisors have the best education that money can buy?
#4
Darth, I hope you are right. Problem is the mass of government growth will likely stifle any recovery, and the jump in taxes will kill off business and job creation, and the good old Laffer curve will rear its head as taxes increase, tax intakes will drop, meaning a bigger deficeit.
And that spells stag-inflation and high unemployment like it did under Jimmy Carter.
Head of Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam (F) Maulana Fazl ur Rehman said on Friday Supreme Court verdict to disqualify Sharif brothers from contesting polls will strengthen hands of anti-democratic forces in Pakistan and hinted it will destabilize democracy. Inconceivable!
He told a press conference here and added the aftermath of SC ruling will increase tension in Punjab. He revealed his contacts with Awami National Party (ANP)'s head Asfandyar Wali and Sharif brothers would be fruitful in finding a peaceful solution of the prevailing political turmoil. Defending President Zardari's version over SC judgment, he said President Zardari termed SC verdict as court's ruling instead of his conspiracy while due to constitutional requirement, President was forced to impose Governor-rule in Punjab. Inconceivable!
Fazl called for establishing independent judiciary and urged to dismiss those judges who took oath under Provisional Constitutional Ordinance (PCO). He accused US of netting conspiracies against Pakistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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Fighting in the key south Sudan town of Malakal this week has killed about 50 people and left another 100 wounded, a United Nations official said on Friday.
"According to our estimates, drawn from on-the-ground observations and different sources, the violence has resulted in about 50 deaths and 100 wounded" among both combatants and civilians, the official said.
Fighting erupted on Tuesday between former rebels of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA), which now runs south Sudan, and supporters of Gabriel Tang, a former militia leader who fought alongside the Sudanese army in the 1983 to 2005 civil war. The clashes lasted a day, and an official said the situation was "fairly quiet" on Friday.
Tang supporters, or Tangginyang, have been incorporated into Khartoum's regular forces, joining a mixed north-south unit patrolling areas that are still sensitive four years after the end of a war that caused two million deaths.
Tang has been based in Khartoum since 2006, after clashes between his men and the former SPLA soldiers.
He returned this week to the town near the border between the northern and southern regions of Sudan.
Gabriel Changson Chang, information minister in the semi-autonomous south Sudan, on Wednesday accused the national army of seeking to provoke "a new civil war" following the Malakal clashes.
But in a Khartoum news conference on Wednesday, Tang denied the south Sudan allegations and said he had gone to Malakal because a member of his family had died.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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SPRINGFIELD Sen. Roland Burris took aim at Attorney General Lisa Madigan on Friday, disputing her opinion that Illinois lawmakers could legally set a special election to replace the states embattled junior senator.
Weighing in for the first time on Madigans mid-week opinion, Burris lawyer Timothy W. Wright III said her opinion is incorrect and federal election laws trump the attorney generals argument. Sen. Burris position is clear: The General Assembly will violate clearly established federal law if it creates a special election, Wright wrote Madigan in a letter released by Burris office Friday.
Asking Madigan to reconsider her opinion, Wright went on to note the potential cost of a special election, estimated at as much as $50 million. I encourage you to take a second look at your analysis before the General Assembly wastes millions of dollars on an unlawful election, Wright wrote.
The move marks the clearest sign yet that Burris is poised to wage a legal battle against any legislative efforts to wrest away his position amid growing calls for his resignation.
Gov. Quinn has been pushing for a special election, but Democrats at the Statehouse have been reticent to take up a cause that could well trigger a racially-tinged backlash against the party for helping unseat the U.S. Senates only African-American member.
Senate Democrats placed two bills that would provide for special elections in a subcommittee Thursday, which is the legislative equivalent of putting the idea on ice. In the House, Democrats are split on the question and House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) has ignored repeated Republican attempts to push special-election legislation.
The attorney general's office said Burris' lawyers' argument is flawed. "The legal analysis in his letter does not apply to the current circumstances," Madigan spokeswoman Robyn Ziegler said of Wright's letter. "Because President Barack Obama vacated the U.S. Senate seat, the 17th Amendment controls and allows the vacancy to be filled by an election as the Legislature may direct."
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/28/2009
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#1
Gov. Quinn has been pushing for a special election, but Democrats at the Statehouse have been reticent to take up a cause that could well trigger a racially-tinged backlash against the party for helping unseat the U.S. Senate's only African-American member.
So they admit that skin color trumps the law and justice. And they also admit that Blacks bloc-vote on the basis of skin color, i.,e. that blacks are racist.
#2
Gov. Quinn has been pushing for a special election, but Democrats at the Statehouse have been reticent to take up a cause that could well trigger a racially-tinged backlash against the party for helping unseat the U.S. Senate's only African-American member.
Could also "trigger" a Republican victory. Hang on Senator! The lower the Dem bow goes on the waterline, the better the Republican chances for victory.
#6
"The lower the Dem bow goes on the waterline, the better the Republican chances for victory"
In Illinois, the bow would have to be about 300-fathoms deep for the 'Machine' not to work it's "Election Majik".
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
02/28/2009 11:39
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#7
Is Burris the ONLY ONE in Illinois who has read the US Constitution? Quinn has flip flopped on special elections so often it is hard to keep track of todays position, the Dems KNOW they will not only loose a special election but are looking at an election slaughter in the next election, and the Chicago Inner City Dems want a Senate seat as an Affirmative Action Perq... And this mentality is now running the United States!
Morocco sentenced notorious terrorist Saad al-Hussaini to 15 years in prison on Thursday (February 26th). The Sale court imposed lesser sentences on 17 co-defendants. Nicknamed The Chemist, al-Hussaini is believed to have fashioned the bombs that killed 45 people in Casablanca in 2003. Al-Husseini is also reputed to be the founding leader of the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (GICM). According to police, his terror network recruited many would-be suicide bombers to Iraq. Spanish authorities also suspect him of involvement in the 2004 Madrid blasts.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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#1
"Why did you have to come to Casablanca? There are other places."
Aswat al-Iraq: Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told U.S. President Barack Obama in a telephone call that Iraqi forces are ready to receive security responsibilities in the country, according to Maliki's media advisor on Friday. "Oabam phoned Maliki a couple of hours ago to renew his country's commitment to the framework agreement signed between Iraq and the United States and the items of the status of forces agreement (SOFA) on U.S. forces' pullout from Iraq," Yassin Majeed told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. "Obama reiterated to Maliki that all combat operations in Iraq would end by late August 2010 and that the last U.S. soldier will leave Iraq on December 31, 2011," Majeed said.
Obama had earlier announced on Friday his plan to end combat operations and start withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq on August 31, 2010. Obama made the announcement in a speech to military troops and officers at Camp LeJeune (leh-JUHN) N.C. He said his administration will "proceed cautiously" on the withdrawal and that U.S. commanders will bring it about in close consultation with the Iraqi government.
During his campaign for the presidency, Obama had advocated pulling troops out within 16 months of taking office. The timeline he announced Friday, involving roughly 100,000 troops, was two months longer. It still hastens the U.S. exit, nevertheless. Obama also said that between 35,000 and 50,000 troops will initially remain there to help train Iraqi forces and undertake counter-terrorism missions.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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Farhatullah Babar, spokesman of President Asif Ali Zardari Friday said the new chief minister of Punjab will be from Pakistan People's Party. Talking to media after the meeting of PPP's parliamentary party Punjab held under the chairmanship of President Zardari, he said the meeting had expressed its confidence in the leadership of President Asif Ali Zardari. He said the Punjab CM will be from PPP and that President Asif Ali Zardari will nominate the candidate for the post.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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Six people were hurt when Afghan police opened fire on demonstrators who claimed U.S. troops had desecrated the Holy Quran during a raid on a mosque, as Amnesty International urged the importance of prosecuting the troops who cause civilian deaths.
The incident took place in Deh Khodaidad village in Ghazni, southwest of the capital, Kabul.
Police said a government team had been sent to investigate claims that foreign troops had raided the mosque, rounded up worshippers and tore apart copies of the Holy Quran on Thursday night.
A spokesman for the U.S. military said he was aware of a "peaceful protest". Afghan police said any injuries had been caused by "saboteurs" in the crowd.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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#1
Another imaginary desecration believed by these tribal fools.
W/B Islamic Rage Boy - long time no see.
And the source? Amnesty International. Yeah, really an unbiased organization there.
#4
g(r)omgoru...I would qualify your statement further by saying, "Nation building in an Islamic country where right is wrong and wrong is right sucks.
#5
Nation-building gets easier when you're not trying to coddle two two-faced, backstabbing, money-grubbing leaders from two different countries, neither of which REALLY wants nation-building to succeed. Crush both national governments, start from the ground up rebuilding, shoot anyone that starts pushing an extremist agenda (islam), and things will work out much better.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/28/2009 15:57
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(Aki) - A new video purportedly from Al-Qaeda criticises the German government for squandering taxpayers' money on troops stationed in Afghanistan. The video, which has been posted to jihadist websites, urges Germany to renounce capitalism and embrace Islam to escape economic recession.
The video shows a still image of a German citizen turned Al-Qaeda and Taliban fighter in Afghanistan, who calls himself Abu Talha. He delivers a 44-minute message in German with Arabic subtitles.
"Where are the German philosophers and economists, now that economic crisis besets us?" Abu Talha asks in the message. "And what has happened to all the taxpayers' money? Much of it has been spent on keeping our soldiers here in Afghanistan," the message continues.
Abu Taba talks at length about Islamic finance and its prohibition of interest ('ribah' in Arabic), a central concept of western capitalism. "After the end of communism, everyone in Germany believed that capitalism was the answer. But what I am saying to you is that Islam is the only way to escape from the economic crisis," he says.
The video bears the logo of Al-Qaeda's Al-Sahab media arm but has yet to be authenticated.
An individual calling himself Abu Taba last month appeared in a previous video with his face concealed and threatened Germany over its 3,460 troops currently deployed in northern Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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(PTI) Pakistan was back in denial mode today with Navy Chief Admiral Noman Bashir claiming there was no proof that Ajmal Kasab and other terrorists took the sea route from this country to carry out the Mumbai attacks, a view rubbished by India. "We have seen no evidence that confirms he (Kasab) went from Pakistan to Mumbai," Bashir told reporters here. The Navy Chief's contention contradicts Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik's admission two weeks back that the Mumbai attacks were "partly" plotted on Pakistan soil and launched from its shores for which it has arrested six persons.
"The evidence that I have doesn't show" that the terrorists went from this country. "This is India's claim from day one. Even before the Mumbai incidents had ended, India was saying that the terrorists have used sea route," Bashir said.
Asked about Bashir's contention, Home Minister P Chidambaram said in New Delhi this was part of "prevarications" by Pakistan.
"I am sure somebody will deny it tomorrow. This is part of prevarications," Chidambaram said.
Chidambaram said after prevaricating for several weeks, Pakistan was "forced to admit that its territory was used to plot and carry out the terrorist attacks".
He said a reply to Pakistan's queries is being prepared by the Home Ministry and it will be handed over to External Affairs Ministry for further action.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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#1
Sounds like a certain Admiral needs to be given a leaky rowboat and dropped into the sea 500NM due south of Diego Garcia. If he asks very nicely, we'll even give him a paddle.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
02/28/2009 16:10
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Pakistani police fired tear gas and rounded up protesters in the capital Friday, with the nuclear-armed nation in turmoil since a court banned the top opposition leader from contesting elections.
The cabinet met to discuss the crisis and paramilitaries went on alert as thousands rallied, one day after the country marked the biggest protests yet against President Asif Ali Zardari, who took office last September.
Protesters are heeding a call from former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who leads the second largest party in Pakistan, to rise up after the Supreme Court Wednesday barred him and his brother from holding public office.
Zardari and Sharif are at loggerheads over the future of Pakistan, a key U.S. ally in the fight against Taliban and al-Qaeda militancy which has been teetering under financial crisis, Islamist extremism and weak government.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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Leader of the opposition in parliament, Khaleda Zia, yesterday demanded tough actions and trial of the killers of army officers and others in BDR Headquarters, through proper investigation of each killing and torture.
She said announcing the general amnesty while army personnel and their family members were confined in Pilkhana was 'a strategic mistake'.
The BNP chairperson also said it is clear that the number of casualties rose due to a delay in giving permission to launch the operation for rescuing the army officers and their family members. "Time was wasted in the name of negotiations and junior level representatives were assigned," she said
She made the observations public through a media briefing last night in her Gulshan office, but she did not take any question from reporters.
Earlier in the day, she visited the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka to see first hand the casualties of the BDR mutiny, and later met the bereaved families of slain army officers.
She also stood in silence before the coffins of slain army officers.
"It is clear that the incident was instigated by some anti-state forces, I am demanding that the conspiracy is unearthed," Khaleda said, adding that the Pilkhana tragedy has given rise to resentments and mistrust which must be resolved soon.
She said, "The nation wants to know how the killers fled after surrendering arms following the announcement of the general amnesty. The government should disclose specific information on the matters for the sake of national interest."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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As the bodies were being brought out from the sewer one by one, and as a mass grave was being excavated within the BDR headquarters, the people of Bangladesh, perhaps of the world at large, stood aghast at the extent of the barbarity perpetrated on the officers of our border security forces. As we watched on television the heart rending scenes of distraught families desperately trying to get a last glimpse of the mutilated bodies of their loved ones and others anxiously waiting for some news of those missing, the natural question that came to our mind was, for what "crimes" were these officers meted out such inglorious death? For what unprofessional acts were life snuffed out of them at the height of their career? For what possible action of theirs could a section of BDR jawans murder their officers in such an inhuman and un-soldierly manner? The answer escapes reason, words and logic. However, one thing can be said with certainty, if there were some sympathy for the points raised by the rebellious jawans, not an iota of it remained in the public mind after the initial extent of the crime became evident yesterday.
No, these cannot be outbursts of anybody that ever wore any uniform of a disciplined force. These cannot be the soldiers of BDR as we knew them and respected them for their untiring work in guarding our borders. These were the work of premeditated murderers who planned, prepared and then executed what amounts to the biggest loss of life of our well-trained officers corps of our armed forces.
We express our deepest shock and heart felt condolences for the families, relatives and friends of those who gave their lives while serving the cause of our security. We join the nation in mourning for them and praying for the salvation of their souls and hoping that Almighty will grant them eternal peace. We express our solidarity with the families of the bereaved and promise to stand by them as their children and families struggle to move forward in life.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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#1
Gee, does "These cannot be the soldiers of BDR as we knew them" sound familiar to anyone else?
The continuing efforts by Israel's presumptive next prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, to assemble a rightwing-dominated government have sparked serious concern about the effects such a government might have on peace efforts with the Palestinians. In addition, the fact that Netanyahu has invited Avigdor Lieberman.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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#1
Seems like small potatoes compared with the steady stream of rocket launches, kidnappings and suicide bombings from the other side.
#3
I think it is funny that the press attempts to equate the right with war when it is the left that actually ends up perpetuating low level conflict for decades resulting in the killing of far more people.
How many people died under the last Israeli regime? Had they gone in stronger and finished the job, maybe more would have died in that operation but there would not be continuing violence and that would save lives overall.
The left kills more people overall, they just do it in a slower fashion.
#4
Notice that peace negotiations does not mean pecae prospectives. It can be both sides around a table with one side not interested in peace but only on the propaganda value and the neagtive effect on the other side will to fight. Examples: North Korea, North Vietnam, the Paleos...
#6
The Press will hate Prime Minister Netanyahu as much as they did President Bush, and equally attempt to destroy him. All because, as g(r)omgoru points out, the Jews refuse to bare their necks to the sword.
Point of information, g(r)omgoru: it would be die Juden, because it's a plural.
der Jude, the Jew (masculine)
die Judin, the Jewess (feminine) - not much used in American English
die Juden, the Jews (plural)
#9
<<<<< Israel's lurch to the right deal blow to peace negotiations >>>>>>
So a "lurch to the left" would increase the chances of peace.
<<<<< have sparked serious concern about the effects such a government might have on peace efforts with the Palestinians >>>>
Yep. I suspect that once the government is in place and gets seriously serious about the daily rocket attacks, tunnels smuggling in arms and a few of those other irritating little factors which contribute to the current circumstances, they will have a better shot at putting Hamas under such pressure that Fatah will be in the ascendancy again and they can all get the talks going with Egypt as the mediator.
Funny how it the left seems to have a monopoly on peace and the right has a prediliction to conflict. I'll have to revisit my history for the last century.
#10
I think it's a good thing. Most of the peace negotiated has not been helpful to Israel's interests. Israel has benefited more from war attempts than peaceful ones.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
02/28/2009 9:36
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#11
deh Juice is easier to remember than all dem damn die der and such liker.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said those who committed the killings during the BDR mutiny would not be under the declared general amnesty. "They will be tried according to law and punished," PM's press secretary Abul Kalam Azad quoted the prime minister as saying.
The government also announced a three-day national mourning from yesterday to mourn the deaths of those fallen during the border guards' mutiny. The national flag will be kept at half-mast during the mourning.
Meanwhile, the government formed a six-member committee headed by Home Minister Sahara Khatun to investigate the massacre of army officers and innocent civilians by disgruntled BDR jawans at the BDR headquarters at Pilkhana.
The prime minister alerted all so that none can stage any new incident capitalising on Wednesday's "dastardly" occurrence at the BDR headquarters, reported news agency UNB. "All must remain alert so none can stage any new incident because games of provocateurs are not over," she said while talking to reporters after visiting injured BDR officers at CMH in Dhaka Cantonment.
The prime minister also talked with members of the bereaved families who lost their beloved ones. She said although she had declared general amnesty, every institution has its own rules and inquiry into the incident will be done accordingly.
"It seems that all BDR personnel were not involved in it. It seems a certain group staged the incident," she said. "It must also be inquired if any quarter provoked this incident," she added.
"We must see also whether there was any plan to use this incident for a different purpose," the PM said on a note of skepticism and questioned: "Why this incident was staged, what was the purpose?"
She said about the rebellious BDR men that they might have their grievances and demands, and they could tell the government. But why fire should be opened on their brothers, she wondered.
While extending sympathy to members of the bereaved families, Hasina mentioned the August 15 tragedy and said she does feel the pain of losing father, mother and brothers. "We don't want such bloodshed. Why this cruelty being staged time and again!"
The premier categorically said such "cruelty must end, all must remain peaceful".
Hasina, who tackled the terrible mutiny through hectic negotiations with the rebels, said she kept army on the standby alongside the negotiation to cool down the rebels and disarm them. "Our main concern was to rescue those kept hostage inside the headquarters and we completed the task successfully," she told the journalists.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2009
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Killers dug a hole and dumped 38 bodies of the officers of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) during the 33-hour mutiny of border guards at its headquarters in the city. The mutineers buried the army officers deputed to BDR, including BDR Director General Major General Shakil Ahmed, in the mass grave after the gruesome killing, apparently to hide their brutality.
The hole, which is around 12 feet in length, 10 feet wide and 15 feet deep, is located on the eastern side of the BDR hospital. The rescuers found the bodies dumped haphazardly in the hole. It was hard to identify many of the bodies as mutinous BDR men fired innumerable shots on the bodies and also charged bayonets to vent their anger.
Among the deceased officials, BDR DG Maj Gen Shakil received seven bullets in different parts of his body, including his arms, chest and head. One of his eyes was also gouged out.
Family members and relatives of the deceased BDR officers thronged Dhaka Medical College (DMC) and Sir Salimullah Medical College morgues since yesterday afternoon to identify their near and dear ones. They were facing difficulties in identifying the bodies. The bodies of the BDR officers were decomposed and family members were seen identifying the deceased through different familiar marks on the body of their beloved ones.
A total of 30 bodies, recovered on Thursday night and yesterday, were sent to Sir Salimullah Medical College morgue while 21 bodies to DMC morgue for autopsy. Family members and relatives could not identify 10 bodies until yesterday midnight, sources said.
Anwar Hossain, a sweeper of Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) who assisted the rescuers, told The Daily Star, "I got stinky smell and requested the rescue officials to step forward. Later, they dug a place where they unearthed the mass graveyard."
Personnel from Bangladesh Army and Rab conducted the body recovery operation while the members of Fire Service and Civil Defence and DCC staff accompanied them.
Anwar said he also found three bodies dumped into two manholes inside the BDR headquarters.
A witness to the operation said the undressed bodies were dumped first inside the hole as these bodies were found at bottom of the hole while the uniformed bodies were found above. Some rescuers suspected that the killers undressed many of the officials during dumping. At one stage, they dumped the bodies in uniform as they buried the bodies in a hurry.
Commander SMAK Azad, director legal and media wing of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) who was present during the recovery operation, told The Daily Star, "It is difficult to identify the bodies, as the bodies were decomposed after burial."
He said one of the officials sent him a message while he was trapped in a room.
Witnesses said 16 bodies were found undressed while others in BDR uniform among the recovered bodies. It was difficult to identify the bodies of uniformed BDR men, as there were no badges on the uniform. Sources said some officials removed their badges from the uniform to save themselves during the attack.
Many officers took shelter inside manholes and drains but they could not save themselves.
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Antigua's Senate voted Friday to seize R. Allen Stanford's property, setting up a possible showdown with a court-appointed receiver who is securing the billionaire's assets for investors in his allegedly fraudulent offshore bank scheme.
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Pakistan Muslim League-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif has said that President Asif Ali Zardari wants to drag the nation toward mid-term elections. In an exclusive interview with Geo News today (Friday) after his disqualification, Nawaz Sharif said that no third force could come into power if the government showed maturity and responsibility. Â"I will not come in their way if President Zardari restores the deposed judges,Â" he said. He further said that Zardari had backed out from the promises he made with his Nawaz League. The democratic revolution could rise in the days to come and it must happen, he added. Former prime minister said that deposed judges were not being restored due to the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO). Â"We have not closed the door to contact the Prime Minister,Â" he said. Mr. Sharif said that President Zardari should become the descendant of Benazir Bhutto, not of former president Pervez Musharraf.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Slogan: "Re-elect Zardari! He only takes ten percent!"
(AKI) - The European Union is ready to resume its monitoring mission at the Rafah border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Friday. According to the Palestinian news agency, Maan, Solana said the EU would participate in the operation of the crossing when it had received approval from all the relevant parties.
Solana spoke to the media during a visit to the Erez border crossing in the north of the coastal strip, Solana also expressed the European Union's support for the Palestinian reconciliation talks taking place in Egypt.
"We came to Gaza to express our solidarity with Gazans and to see what the recent Israeli war has caused in the Gaza Strip," he said.
Solidarity with the Gazooks. Figures ...
Under a 2005 agreement with Egypt, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority, the EU sent observers to monitor the operation of the Rafah crossing under Egyptian and Palestinian control. The Border Assistance Mission was suspended when Egypt and Israel decided to close the crossing in June 2007.
Solana's visit to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip was his first since Hamas took full control of the territory in 2007. He was not scheduled to meet any representatives of the Hamas-run de facto government.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Sort of an above-gounr smuggling tunnel. With the added bonus of dhimmi human shields...
Representatives of rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas met in Cairo this week for talks aimed at national reconciliation and the formation of a unity government.
"Egypt hopes this meeting is the real start of a new period ending the state of division which has gone on too long," Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, Egypt's point-man on Palestinian affairs, was quoted as saying.
On Wednesday, delegations from both Fatah and Hamas held preliminary meetings in Cairo aimed at removing obstacles to rapprochement. Delegation members later described the meetings as "positive." According to the state press, the two groups agreed to release each other's detained members, currently being held in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip and the Fatah-controlled West Bank respectively. As a gesture of goodwill, Fatah reportedly released 42 Hamas members from West Bank prisons, with promises of additional releases soon.
The issue of detainees has tripped up reconciliation talks in the past. Last November Hamas and other resistance factions pulled out of a scheduled reconciliation summit in Cairo at the last minute, citing the ongoing mass arrest of their members in the West Bank.
Ever since Hamas swept Palestinian legislative elections in early 2006, the two factions have pursued bitter rivalry featuring intermittent fighting and arrest campaigns. Mutual hostility reached boiling point in the summer of 2007, when Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip from the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority (PA) in a pre-emptive coup.
Further complicating the situation, Israel and Egypt - with the PA's blessings - have both sealed their borders with the strip, hermetically sealing the enclave off from the outside world. On Thursday, talks in Cairo were broadened to include ten more Palestinian factions in addition to Fatah and Hamas. Along with the formation of a national unity government, discussions touched on upcoming presidential and legislative elections, the restructuring of Palestinian security apparatuses and the role of Hamas in the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). Details of Thursday's closed-door meeting remain vague, but Suleiman reportedly stressed the importance of reaching a mutually acceptable agreement.
"Do not prolong the disagreement and deepen the division," he was quoted as saying in advance of the gathering.
"Unite ranks to fulfill the hopes for an independent Palestinian state." According to Essam al-Arian, prominent member of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood opposition movement, Hamas' steadfastness during Israel's recent three-week-long assault on the Gaza Strip served to bolster the group's negotiating position.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Is there anyone who would benefit from a Fatah and Hamas "reconcilation"? Whatever that is. I don't see either party to benefit, nor any of the friends of either party or any of their enemies benefitting. Seems like a loss all the way around.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
02/28/2009 10:35
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"Unite ranks to fulfill the hopes for an independent Palestinian state."
Lets see here boys stead of goin round shootin' each other in the feet hows bout we focus on the things we do agree on. Numero Uno now we all agree that everybody here hates the Juice. Right? [harummphh] See right there were makin progress. Now everybody that thinks extortion and kidnapping is legitimate negotiation raise yer mits. [Yeeiieeghhh] Next...
Bahrain and Iran foreign ministers said on Friday they will maintain "good" bilateral ties, following a crisis over official Iranian remarks that questioned the national sovereignty of the Arab Gulf state.
Bahrain's Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad al-Khalifa, during a visit to Tehran, said after a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki that the kingdom will continue "good neighborly" relations with Iran.
In a televised statement, the two men indicated that the diplomatic row was over.
Earlier this month, Ali Akbar Nateq-Nouri, an adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said that Iran had sovereignty over the kingdom, according to media reports.
Gulf Arab states called on Iran last week to condemn the remarks, which Bahrain's interior minister earlier rejected as irresponsible.
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Presidential spokesman has denied the reports saying the President has demanded resignation from the Prime Minister. According to the Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar brushed these reports, saying they are fabricated and baseless. He said these reports are aimed at disintegrating the party and the government.
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TEHRAN/BUSHEHR -- Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani declared on Friday that Iran is technologically capable of starting up and operating the Bushehr nuclear power plant, even without the help of the Russians. Russia and other countries should be aware that even if they do not come, we ourselves can complete the Bushehr nuclear plant, he said.
And in fact you'd like if only to grab the spent fuel and reprocess it yourselves ...
In the test run of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, which began on Wednesday, non-nuclear fuel was used instead of enriched uranium. Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Director Gholamreza Aqazadeh and Sergei Kiriyenko, the chief executive officer of Rosatom Corp, visited the plant to observe the beginning of the test run.
Aqazadeh said the plant will start producing electricity in four to seven months. Rafsanjani said the Bushehr nuclear power plant project experienced various hurdles and delays over the years and it will still be a few months until the plant becomes operational. Rafsanjani stated that serious efforts must be made to bring the plant on stream as soon as possible.
In the first stage of its operation, the plant will provide Irans southern provinces with 500 megawatts of electricity, Aqazadeh explained. We hope that in a few months it will supply electricity to this region, the AEOI director said.
Were celebrating Bushehrs pre-commissioning, which means we are getting closer to the launch of the plant, Aqazadeh told reporters in Bushehr. This virtual fuel testing was successful.
Kiriyenko also praised the successful test of the reactor, Reuters reported. In recent months, there have been significant improvements. Im very satisfied with what I saw, Kiriyenko told reporters.
Kiriyenko also said he and Aqazadeh held talks on signing a deal according to which Russia would deliver nuclear fuel to the Bushehr nuclear reactor for ten years. In negotiations with Mr. Aqazadeh today (Wednesday), we also held talks about signing a deal for delivering nuclear fuel to Iran for ten years, he explained.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/28/2009
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#1
Given the Inshallah approach to tech in that part of the world, I'd advise staying upwind.
Potassium Iodide supplements would be a good addition to the diet too.
Posted by: N guard ||
02/28/2009 0:31
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Have the Iranians trained their cadre of suicide fuel rod swappers already?
Posted by: ed ||
02/28/2009 0:46
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Cause the 13th Imam will warn them if something goes wrong?
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.
Unemployment in California shot up to its highest level in nearly 26 years in January, leaving more than 1 in 10 workers without a job.
That super-soft toilet paper you're fond of using? It's an ecological disaster, environmentalists say.
PML-N protest went wiled on Friday, making Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Road and the areas that surround it into a battlefield for party workers and police. 
PML-N convoy attacked: PML-N Chairman Raja Zafarul Haq's convoy also came under attack by some unknown people when he tried to go to Liaquat Bagh to lay floral wreath at Benazir Bhutto's monument. Rare windscreen of his jeep was damaged. PPP leaders and Police high-ups advised him not to go there because PPP workers were infuriated over burning of BB portrait by PML-N workers on Wednesday. 
The police yesterday took control of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) sector and battalion headquarters across the country while BDR jawans deserted several border outposts leaving those vulnerable. BDR jawans at various sector and battalion headquarters laid down their arms and handed over the keys to the armouries to the deputy commissioners concerned at the instruction of the home ministry. 
The U.S. government will boost its equity stake in Citigroup Inc to as much as 36 percent, bolstering the bank's capital base in the latest emergency effort to save the ailing banking giant.
(AKI) - The international tribunal established to try those responsible for political killings in Lebanon will begin its inquiries next week, the United Nations said.
Madagascar's political rivals have agreed a return to negotiations to resolve a power struggle.
Assailants threw an explosive at a Jewish community center on Thursday, but nobody was hurt in the blast - the second assault against Venezuela's Jewish community this year. 
Israeli right-winger Benjamin Netanyahu and centrist Tzipi Livni met on Friday but failed to agree on forming a coalition government and left it unclear whether negotiations between their parties would continue. 
Al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility Thursday (February 26th) for the deadly attack that killed nine security guards Sunday night near Ziama Mansouriah in Jijel province (350km east of Algiers), AP reported. In an internet statement, the group said it had killed 10 guards. This is the ninth attack claimed by the organisation this month, including the execution of three off-duty soldiers at a false checkpoint.
A day after two 
The United States has decided not to participate in a UN conference on racism in April unless the final document is changed to drop all references to Israel and the defamation of religion, a senior US official said Friday. 
An attacker stabbed a U.S. citizen in front of his wife in a popular Cairo tourist area on Friday in the second attack on foreigners in the Egyptian capital in less than a week, security sources said.
A second video of two Canadian diplomats and their driver who were kidnapped in Niger in December has been passed to the Canadian and Malian authorities, a Malian source said Thursday. The source, who previously revealed the existence of the first video, said he had viewed the tape in which Fowler was seen speaking French. Moukaila's family had also seen the tape, he added. 
Ameer Jamat-e-Islami (JI) Qazi Hussain Ahmed said Friday Nawaz Sharif had to pay the price to follow principled politics. He was speaking at the gathering of Friday prayer here. He termed Supreme Court ruling as the desire of President Zardari and added this crisis might lead Zardari to destruction. Desire to keep all powers under one's hand, by politicians in past, has always proved fruitless for them and President Zardari is making same mistake. Media will surely be in firing line after Sharif brothers' issue is resolved, Qazi predicted.
Southern African finance ministers agreed on Friday to push for donor help to rebuild Zimbabwe after economic collapse.
The Somali government has slammed the recent attacks by African Union forces on civilians, urging all foreign troops to leave the country. 
North Korea has started testing missile-tracking radar and other monitoring equipment at its northeastern missile test site following its announcement of a satellite launch, a Seoul daily reported Friday. ''North Korea has made preparations for the launch of Taepodong-2 (missile) at the Musudan-ri test site and started test-operation of equipment related to missile tracking and control such as 'Fire Work' radar,'' a South Korean government source told the Chosun Ilbo newspaper.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari sacks the country's deputy Attorney General and Special Public Prosecutor Sardar Mohammad Ghazi. The decisions were made nearly two weeks after the senior official sparked controversy by claiming that Islamabad had formally requested India to hand over Ajmal Amir Qasab in a bid to speed up investigations into Mumbai terror attacks, Pakistani Dawn News Television reported on Friday. 
A report by the CID Special Branch has revealed that Taliban are present in the city.
The U.S. economy suffered its deepest contraction since early 1982 in the fourth quarter, shrinking at a much worse-than-expected 6.2 percent annual rate as exports plunged and consumers slashed spending.
Head of Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam (F) Maulana Fazl ur Rehman said on Friday Supreme Court verdict to disqualify Sharif brothers from contesting polls will strengthen hands of anti-democratic forces in Pakistan and hinted it will destabilize democracy. 
Fighting in the key south Sudan town of 
Morocco sentenced notorious terrorist Saad al-Hussaini to 15 years in prison on Thursday (February 26th). The Sale court imposed lesser sentences on 17 co-defendants. Nicknamed The Chemist, al-Hussaini is believed to have fashioned the bombs that killed 45 people in Casablanca in 2003. Al-Husseini is also reputed to be the founding leader of the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group (GICM). According to police, his terror network recruited many would-be suicide bombers to Iraq. Spanish authorities also suspect him of involvement in the 2004 Madrid blasts.
Six people were hurt when Afghan police opened fire on demonstrators who claimed U.S. troops had desecrated the Holy Quran during a raid on a mosque, as Amnesty International urged the importance of prosecuting the troops who cause civilian deaths.
(Aki) - A new video purportedly from Al-Qaeda criticises the German government for squandering taxpayers' money on troops stationed in Afghanistan. The video, which has been posted to jihadist websites, urges Germany to renounce capitalism and embrace Islam to escape economic recession. 
(PTI) Pakistan was back in denial mode today with Navy Chief Admiral Noman Bashir claiming there was no proof that Ajmal Kasab and other terrorists took the sea route from this country to carry out the Mumbai attacks, a view rubbished by India. "We have seen no evidence that confirms he (Kasab) went from Pakistan to Mumbai," Bashir told reporters here. The Navy Chief's contention contradicts Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik's admission two weeks back that the Mumbai attacks were "partly" plotted on Pakistan soil and launched from its shores for which it has arrested six persons.
Pakistani police fired tear gas and rounded up protesters in the capital Friday, with the nuclear-armed nation in turmoil since a court banned the top opposition leader from contesting elections. 
Leader of the opposition in parliament, Khaleda Zia, yesterday demanded tough actions and trial of the killers of army officers and others in BDR Headquarters, through proper investigation of each killing and torture.
Killers dug a hole and dumped 38 bodies of the officers of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) during the 33-hour mutiny of border guards at its headquarters in the city. The mutineers buried the army officers deputed to BDR, including BDR Director General Major General Shakil Ahmed, in the mass grave after the gruesome killing, apparently to hide their brutality.
Antigua's Senate voted Friday to seize R. Allen Stanford's property, setting up a possible showdown with a court-appointed receiver who is securing the billionaire's assets for investors in his allegedly fraudulent offshore bank scheme.
Pakistan Muslim League-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif has said that President Asif Ali Zardari wants to drag the nation toward mid-term elections. In an exclusive interview with Geo News today (Friday) after his disqualification, Nawaz Sharif said that no third force could come into power if the government showed maturity and responsibility. Â"I will not come in their way if President Zardari restores the deposed judges,Â" he said. He further said that Zardari had backed out from the promises he made with his Nawaz League. The democratic revolution could rise in the days to come and it must happen, he added. Former prime minister said that deposed judges were not being restored due to the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO). Â"We have not closed the door to contact the Prime Minister,Â" he said. Mr. Sharif said that President Zardari should become the descendant of Benazir Bhutto, not of former president Pervez Musharraf.
Representatives of rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas met in Cairo this week for talks aimed at national reconciliation and the formation of a unity government.
