U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced a 2010 Pentagon budget Monday that reflects major changes in the "scope and significance" of Defense Department priorities.
One of the high-profile programs on the chopping block is the Air Force's most expensive fighter, the F-22 Raptor.
The proposed budget cuts several traditional big-ticket items while investing in programs designed to bolster the military's ability to wage an ongoing conflict against terrorists and other extremist elements in multiple regions at the same time.
Gates acknowledged that parts of the budget are likely to run into significant opposition on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are concerned in part about preserving valuable defense contracts for their districts and states. "This is a reform budget, reflecting lessons learned in Iraq and Afghanistan," Gates said. "There's no question that a lot of these decisions will be controversial."
He called on Congress to "rise above parochial interests and consider what is in the best interests of the nation as a whole."
House Armed Service Chairman Ike Skelton, D-Missouri, acknowledged that congressmen have concerns about job losses in their home districts but said that ultimately, "the national interest overrides anything."
"The buck stops with us," he said. "We still have a lot of hard work ahead of us."
Three key priorities are reflected in the changes, Gates said. The priorities are a stronger institutional commitment to the military's all-volunteer force, a decision to "rebalance" defense programs to better fight current and future conflicts, and "fundamental overhauls" of the military's procurement, acquisition and contracting process.
Among other things, Gates called for production of the Air Force's most expensive fighter, the F-22 Raptor, to be phased out by fiscal year 2011.
He also called for terminating a proposed fleet of 23 presidential helicopters estimated to cost more than $13 billion. The proposed fleet, he noted, was originally projected to cost $6.5 billion. It "has fallen six years behind schedule and runs the risk of not delivering the requested capability," he said. Gates maintained that a new fleet of presidential helicopters will still ultimately be necessary, however.
At the same time, he said he did not want to pursue a development program for a new Air Force bomber "until we have a better understanding of the need, the requirement and the technology."
Gates did request 50 Predator and Reaper-class unmanned aerial vehicles by fiscal year 2011, translating to a 62 percent increase in capability over the current level and 127 percent from a year ago.
Turning to the military's overall troop levels, Gates proposed spending an additional $11 billion to complete a planned expansion of the Army and Marine Corps while halting reductions in the Air Force and Navy. A planned 547,000 troop increase, while capping the growth of Army brigade combat teams at 45 as opposed to a previously discussed level of 48, will be sufficient to "ensure that we have better manned units ready to employ and help put an end to the routine use of stop-loss," Gates maintained. "This step will also lower the risk of hollowing the force," he said.
Gates also proposed a reduction in the use of support service contractors from 39 percent of the Pentagon work force to a pre-2001 level of 26 percent. The contractors, Gates added, would be replaced with full-time government employees.
To help create a more mobile, flexible force, Gates proposed boosting special operations personnel by 2,800, or 5 percent, as well as purchasing aircraft designed to provide greater lift mobility and rapid transportation of those forces.
Among other things, he cited a proposed increase in the purchase of "littoral combat ships, a key capability for presence, stability and counterinsurgency operations in coastal regions," from two to three ships.
The Pentagon's ultimate goal, he said, is to acquire 55 of these ships.
Another $500 million is directed toward boosting "global partnership capacity efforts" through enhanced initiatives for "training and equipping foreign militaries to undertake counterterrorism and stability operations."
In what may prove to be one of the most controversial aspects of his proposed budget, Gates announced the cancellation or reduction of key elements of the Pentagon's missile defense system, including the installation of additional ground-based interceptor missiles in Alaska. The proposed overall missile defense system budget was trimmed by $1.4 billion.
A bipartisan group of senators released a letter during Gates' announcement that urged him "not to allow deep cuts in U.S. missile defense programs that are critically important to protecting our homeland and our allies against the growing threat of ballistic missiles."
"The threat from ballistic missiles is significant and on the rise. [It] has been underscored by Iran and North Korea's recent missile tests," they argued. The letter was signed by both senators from Alaska -- Republican Lisa Murkowski and Democrat Mark Begich -- among others.
Although Gates was initially appointed Pentagon chief by former President George W. Bush, his overall budget received what appeared to be a mixed reception from congressional Republicans.
"Republicans appreciate Secretary Gates' effort to shape the Department of Defense so that we more effectively fight the wars our troops are engaged in today. However, we are concerned about the tradeoffs involved in re-balancing the Department," New York Rep. John McHugh, the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services committee, said in a written statement. "It remains the Congress' responsibility to provide for the common defense," he warned.
Former Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, however, said Gates' budget "is a major step in the right direction."
"It has long been necessary to shift spending away from weapon systems plagued by scheduling and cost overruns to ones that strike the correct balance between the needs of our deployed forces and the requirements for meeting the emerging threats of tomorrow," he said. "I believe Secretary Gates' decision is key to ensuring that the defense establishment closes the gap between the way it supports current operations and the way it prepares for future conventional threats."
Georgia Republicans slammed President Obama for Gates' announcement about the phase-out of the F-22 Raptor, which is assembled in Cobb County, Georgia.
Rep. Tom Price, whose district includes the Raptor production facility, called the cut "outrageous" and said Obama's "priorities are deeply flawed." Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss said he was "disappointed" in the cuts and accused the administration of being "willing to sacrifice the lives of American military men and women for the sake of domestic programs."
Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Connecticut, was also dismissive of the F-22 phase-out, although he said he generally supported Gates' moves to modernize the military. Some F-22 production takes place in Connecticut as well.
The proposed overall fiscal year 2010 Defense Department budget is almost $534 billion, or nearly $664 billion when including the costs of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The current Pentagon budget totals slightly over $513 billion, or almost $655 billion including the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.
#3
...What's funny is the Dem senators and congressmen from the southeast may end up drawing their knives over the -22. IIRC Eglin and Tyndall still haven't gotten their -22s (and Langley still doesn't have its full complement)and those bases would be looking at losing units if they don't. Not to mention the job losses at LockMart...
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
04/06/2009 20:07
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Hey, it's only 90,000 high paying, high tech jobs. Might even include a few union members. Those Congresscritters shouldn't have a problem with this. Gotta fix the Health System and pay ACORN you know. /s
NEW YORK (Reuters) -- The Associated Press unveiled rate cuts on Monday to help member newspapers reeling from declining advertising revenue and said it would sue websites that use its members' articles without permission.
Changes announced by the AP at its annual meeting in San Diego include $35 million in rate assessment reductions for 2010 on top of $30 million it already instituted for 2009.
The 163-year-old newswire service also will allow member newspapers to cancel their membership with one year's notice instead of two, while offering a discount to papers that stay on a two-year cancellation notice.
Jim Kennedy, AP's vice president of strategic planning, said in a telephone interview that AP would have to reduce its costs to compensate for the rate cuts. That includes not filling vacant jobs and possibly buyouts.
Dean Singleton, AP chairman and chief executive of Denver-based publisher MediaNews Group, said, "We feel it is critical to help our members during these extremely difficult times, and these numbers show our deep commitment to doing that."
The AP, a nonprofit cooperative formed by its member newspapers, said revenue from U.S. papers would fall by about a third between 2008 and 2010. In 2007, 25 percent of its $710 million in revenue came from U.S. newspapers.
Seventeen percent of its revenue comes from digital sales, such as the Internet and mobile devices, Kennedy said, adding that the number could grow to more than 20 percent in 2010. Most newspaper publishers get about 10 percent of their revenue online, and the other 90 percent in print.
The AP also threatened to "pursue legal and legislative actions" against websites that do not properly license news content. It said it would develop a system to track its members' and its own news distributed online to determine whether it is being legally used. "We can no longer stand by and watch others walk off with our work under misguided legal theories," Singleton said.
The announcement came a day before Google Inc's Chief Executive Eric Schmidt is due to speak at the Newspaper Association of America's annual conference, also in San Diego.
Many newspapers resent search websites like Google and Yahoo Inc because they say they siphon away ad revenue that should be going to their own websites.
Last October, the AP suspended plans for a new pricing structure because of complaints from member papers, who said they could not afford it. Some newspapers have threatened to cancel their membership, prompting the AP to try to find ways to keep them. One option the wire service is offering is a limited service for papers "with minimal world and national coverage needs."
Back in January, while filling in as guest blogger on the Pet Rock blog, I wrote about the capitalization of the Obamas, from Malia and Sasha Beanie Babies (which have since been renamed) to the Obama Chia Pet. Why I didn't think to post it here -- Chias are plants, after all -- is beyond me. I stand humbled before you. Mea culpa.
The Obama Chia is enjoying its national rollout this week, and I wanted to be sure you were the first to know.
Obamaphiles now can purchase an Obama Chia, available in both "Happy" and "Determined" poses. Happy Obama sports a wide grin, while Determined Obama has that head-held-high presidential quality about it.
Continued on Page 49
There's a reason he refuses to accept repayment of TARP money.
By STUART VARNEY - Wall Street Journal
I must be naive. I really thought the administration would welcome the return of bank bailout money. Some $340 million in TARP cash flowed back this week from four small banks in Louisiana, New York, Indiana and California. This isn't much when we routinely talk in trillions, but clearly that money has not been wasted or otherwise sunk down Wall Street's black hole. So why no cheering as the cash comes back?
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
04/06/2009
17:11 ||
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I must be naive. I really thought the administration would welcome the return of bank bailout money.
Yes you are naive. You don't even know socialism/marxism while it is hitting you in the face. This marxist needs nationalised opertions to share with his cronies, so he can stay in power. The more companies he can hand over to HIS thugs, the better chance of beating America and staying in power as long as he can.
Besides, this is not scary. We have been fighting tyrants and dictators for centuries. This one got into the White House because the stupidest generation in American History voted him in, but the other half of the country will throw him out on his boney ass if they ever realize what he is doing before he gets too much ahead of them.
Death-row inmate Mumia Abu-Jamal lost his bid for a new trial in the killing of a city police officer after the U.S. Supreme Court said Monday that it will not take up the case. Abu-Jamal, a former Black Panther and one-time radio reporter, had claimed prosecutors improperly excluded blacks from the jury that convicted him of murdering white Philadelphia police Officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981.
Abu-Jamal's attorney, Robert R. Bryan of San Francisco, called his client's trial "a mockery of justice" and said Monday he would seek a rehearing by the high court.
But prosecutor Hugh Burns said that "for practical purposes, this was the last remotely realistic chance for getting a new trial."
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I doubt this will happen at this time, but it did bring out some funny comments from Young Conservatives of Texas
If State Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas) has his way, a portion of Interstate 20 in Dallas County will be renamed the "President Barack Obama Freeway," 1200 WOAI news reports.
West's bill was introduced in conjunction with fellow Dallas Democrat John Carona, who heads the senate Transportation Committee. West's measure attempts to bypass current laws which state that Texas freeways are named only in honor of 'deceased people,' and only people who 'were significant in the state's history, or in the lives of people in this state.'
Opponents, like Laura Elizabeth Morales of the Young Conservatives of Texas, joked that any road named after Obama should be a toll road, with tolls that 'increase with a driver's income.'
"Checkpoints should be set up every three miles to make sure that everyone's tires are inflated properly," she joked.
Morales also suggested that, in keeping with President Obama's philosophy, SUV's should be banned from the President Barack Obama Freeway, that all tolls should include 'carbon offsets,' and efforts should be made to insure that any lanes which are not HOV lanes are 'constantly congested.'
There are freeways in Dallas currently honoring President George H.W. Bush, and Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston is named in honor for the first President Bush, who, of course, lives in Texas and once represented Texas in Congress.
"Texans support naming freeways after Texas heroes, not after liberal Chicago machine politicians who oppose our state's values," Morales said.
In the wake of an Obama administration program to rescue troubled homeowners, several federal agencies are teaming up to fight mortgage and foreclosure scams, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said Monday.
The administration's $75 billion effort to help as many as 9 million mortgage holders get new or refinanced loans is drawing a lot of interest from homeowners, Treasury Department officials explained.
"Those who would seek to prey on the most vulnerable also seek to intensify their efforts as well," Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said. "We will aggressively pursue those involved in mortgage rescue scams."
Treasury, the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Housing and Urban Development will lead the effort from Washington. State attorneys general will also participate.
The Treasury's financial crimes investigative unit is sending financial institutions a checklist to help them spot suspicious loan activity and foreclosure rescue scams.
Meanwhile, the Federal Trade Commission reviewed online and print advertising for mortgage foreclosure companies nationwide and found "71 distinct companies running suspicious ads," Treasury said.
The FTC has filed five civil cases against companies offering loan modification or foreclosure services, including one against a company that spent $9 million on TV and radio ads in less than a year.
"These companies are kicking people when they're down, charging enormous upfront fees and sabotaging homeowners who could be getting help for free," said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz. "These companies are giving people false hope. They are shameless, as well as opportunistic."
The initiative will bring more resources for the FBI and the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute mortgage fraud, Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan told a congressional panel last week.
The announcement is timely. Mortgage fraud has reached an all-time high even as the number of home loans being issued has shrunk, according to a report issued last month by the Mortgage Asset Research Institute and the Mortgage Bankers Association.
The FBI is investigating more than 2,100 mortgage fraud cases, up almost 400% from five years ago, Attorney General Eric Holder said.
#1
They needn't worry - a whole lot of crooks are running scams to fleece Americans of their hard-earned cash.
Congress, for a start....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/06/2009 14:36
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You're late. Fix your Mortgage Scams are plentiful.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/06/2009 14:37
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Congress, for a start....
Ah, they're concerned about the competition, even though they have a multi-trillion dollar head start. Taking other people's money to spend yourself is well entrenched. They just don't want to share in the process. So much for redistribution.
#4
Absolutely correct Barbara. Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and a cast of many others created the scam in the first place with the subprime loan mess. We are all paying the price now.
Via the Telegraph's intrepid Toby Harnden, I hear that Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan introduced Obama as, ""the distinguished President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama."
That's it. Erdogan's off the McCain campaign.
Posted by: Mike ||
04/06/2009
12:44 ||
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Where does one begin? Obama says in America there is a failure to appreciate Europe's leading role in the world. Maybe that's because when there was a civil war in Europe's doorstep in the Balkans and genocide it didn't lift a finger until America led. Maybe it's because there was an invasion in Kuwait it didn't lift a finger until America led. Maybe it's because with America spending over half a trillion a year keeping over the sea lanes and defending the world, Europe is spending pennies on defense.
It's hard to appreciate an entity's leading role in the world when it's been sucking on your tit for 60 years as Europe has with regard to the United States, parasitically .
And then he goes on and calls America arrogant, dismissive, and derisive regarding Europe. The London Telegraph, a correspondent in Strasburg, said this was the most critical remarks he had ever seen a president give on foreign soil, and I think he's right. When Kennedy arrived in Paris, he did not attack Eisenhower and the United States. When Obama's elected president, he is president of all of the United States, including Americans who opposed him, and he owns American history, including a past he may not have wanted to engage in.
I think what he did is, in order to gain the adoration of the crowd, he denigrated his country in a way that I think is disgraceful.
Posted by: Mike ||
04/06/2009
12:40 ||
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He is disgraceful as much as his wife is beautiful, which is saying not much. I don't know what is more pathetic - his description of his own country or the fact he made it outside of his country. My God the standard has now been lowered lower than Jimmy Carter bashing in the Middle East.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
04/06/2009 13:07
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#2
"He is disgraceful as much as his wife is beautiful"
Are we talking about the same wife, Jack? Michelle - beautiful?
I guess if you like horse faces....
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/06/2009 14:25
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#1
Mr Obama devoted much of his speech to calling for a greater bond between Americans and Muslims, admitting that "the trust that binds us has been strained".
"Let me say this as clearly as I can: the United States is not and will never be at war with Islam," he stated.
#2
"We will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over so many centuries to shape the world for the better, including my own country," Obama said.
#3
The most naive, incompetent charlatan of a politician we have ever had as President. He makes Jimmy Carter look like a founding father. Boy, was Rush and Hannity wrong in stoking the Project Chaos and Stop Hillary Express. I guarantee you that Willie would have kept Hillary on short leash and under a verbal microscope.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
04/06/2009 12:56
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That doesn't bother me all that much. The law in TN says that drinking establishments w/in 300 ft. of churches may be prohibited. Such laws shouldn't exist but if they do they're fine if equally enforced (or not enforced as the case may be).
#11
My point was the law does allow exceptions and several churches in Knoxville have compromised with Restaurant owners. The Muslims will not compromise.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
04/06/2009 17:36
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#12
It seems to me that someone sinking upwards of $1M in rennovations into a property would consider the local zoning laws prior to commencement of the work. I don't have much sympathy for the restaurant owner if he sunk the money into the project with a mosque already extant on his doorstep and if Knoxville's ordinance was in place when he began the work.
#13
Knoxville's local beer ordinance establishes a 300-foot buffer zone around churches and other similar institutions for a beer permit but waives the requirement if the establishment is granted a liquor license by the state of Tennessee.
Wanda Day, an employee with the Knoxville Beer Board, said in the past year one or two other establishments have obtained liquor licenses and subsequently beer permits, despite being within 300 feet of a church or school.
Hill is busy completing the last steps toward getting local Alcoholic Beverage Commission approval for his liquor license.
Virginia Stooksbury, administrative secretary at the Knoxville ABC office, said she's heard complaints from a couple members of the Knoxville Muslim community, but unless there's a legal reason to deny Hill a permit, the office will give him the go-ahead.
The local office's recommendation is being sent on to the Nashville office, where the assistant director will make the final decision.
Deny the permit at your own risk of career, AD. Let's see how "tolerant" the religion of peace is
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/06/2009 18:38
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#14
There are the heathen muslims believers (al-Qaeda) and then there are the true muslim believers. Tell me again what the differences are?
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Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
04/06/2009
09:43 ||
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Glorious! I love the portrayal of Olbermann.
Posted by: Mike ||
04/06/2009 13:32
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#1
Obama has promised $50,000 USD quake aid. I sh*t you not. $50K. Better to have not offered than to be a twit about it. He'll also send over Region 1 Director's Cut DVDs of "Earthquake"
(OK - I made that last part up)
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/06/2009 16:12
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"UPDATE: A State Department reader emails: 'Quick point of clarificationthe 50K for Italian quake relief is the amount immediately available from US Chiefs of Mission to release on their own authority. More will inevitably follow.' Ah, I should have thought of that, and the story should have noted it."
Legacy Media strikes again. Is anyone surprised?
Let's beat Bambi up on sh*t he actually does, guys. There's plenty to go around, just not this particular one. Yet.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/06/2009 19:11
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Hugh Pickens writes to mention that Italian scientist Giampaolo Giuliani, a researcher at the National Physical Laboratory of Gran Sasso, recently gave warning about an earthquake that was to happen on March 29th of this year near L'Aquilla. Based on radon gas emissions and a series of observed tremors he tried to convince residents to evacuate, drawing much criticism from the city's mayor and others. Giuliani was forced to take down warnings he had posted on the internet. The researcher had said that a 'disastrous' earthquake would strike on March 29, but when it didn't, Guido Bertolaso, head of Italy's Civil Protection Agency, last week officially denounced Giuliani in court for false alarm. 'These imbeciles enjoy spreading false news,' Bertalaso was quoted as saying. 'Everyone knows that you can't predict earthquakes.' Giuliani, it turns out, was partially right. A much smaller seismic shift struck on the day he said it would, with the truly disastrous one arriving just one week later. 'Someone owes me an apology,' said Giuliani, who is also a resident of L'Aquila. 'The situation here is dramatic. I am devastated, but also angry.'"
ANKARA, Turkey - Barack Obama, making his first visit to a Muslim nation as president, declared Monday the United States "is not at war with Islam" and called for a greater partnership with the Islamic world.
Addressing the Turkish parliament, Obama called the country an important U.S. ally in many areas, including the fight against terrorism. He devoted much of his speech to urging a greater bond between Americans and Muslims, portraying terrorist groups such as al Qaida as extremists who did not represent the vast majority of Muslims.
"Let me say this as clearly as I can," Obama said. "The United States is not at war with Islam. In fact, our partnership with the Muslim world is critical in rolling back a fringe ideology that people of all faiths reject."
#1
In a sense that's true, but Islam's sure at war with Humanity, and that includes US(A).
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/06/2009 14:24
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"The United States is not at war with Islam"
Maybe YOU ain't, cookie, but you don't speak for a lot of Americans (and citizens of quite a few other civilized countries, too).
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/06/2009 14:33
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The core strategy in Iraq, the central front in the war on terror, has been, and is, to defend the MUSLIM population from killers. This is being repeated in Afghanistan. Classic counterinsurgency yes, but it does mean fighting a war to PROTECT Muslims.
Now THAT'S irony.
Posted by: Minister of funny walks ||
04/06/2009 15:29
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#4
Considering that all obama utterances come with a drop-dead date, abu et al better start worryin...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/06/2009 16:12
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#5
Obama is off his head, if 71,000,000 Muslims join the EU ( JUST BECAUSE HE THINKS IT IS A COOL IDEA )the shores of my country will be flooded with yet more " Peace Loving Muslims " We have had enough.
Posted by: Dave UK ||
04/06/2009 16:52
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#6
no mention of Armenian Genocide. Wasn't that one of his campaign promises?
#7
Fundamentalist Islamists must be snickering. Nice. President of the most powerfull infidel nation in the world just assured them that they are not at war with the theology that demands Muslims harm infidels in the most painfull way, i.e. 9/11/01...
The teenage girl who was filmed being flogged by the Taliban in Pakistan's restive Swat valley has denied that the incident ever occurred in a statement made to government officials, media reports said on Monday. "Nope. Nope. Never happened."
Chand Bibi, the 17-year-old girl who was shown being held down by three men while a fourth flogged her, reportedly told the judge of a Qazi or Islamic court and Divisional Commissioner Syed Mohammad Javed yesterday that such an incident had never happened. "Not to me, not to nobody."
The incident was condemned in Pakistan and around the world and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani ordered an inquiry into it after TV channels last week aired the video of the girl being flogged. "Huh huh! This is better'n gun sex!"
"Lemme whack her! Lemme whack her!"
Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry too took suo moto notice of it and directed the interior secretary and other officials to appear before him to give an explanation. "What's the meaning of this?"
"Here, Judge! Give her a whack yourself!"
[WHACK!]
"Hooooo! Owwww!"
"Say! This ain't bad at all! Lemme have another go at her!"
[WHACK!]
"Hooooo! Waaaah!"
North West Frontier Province Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told The News daily that Chand Bibi had made a statement to the two officials who visited her village of Kala Killay in Kabal sub-division yesterday. "We're here to receive your statement, miss."
"Never happened."
"Hokay. And who're these stout fellows?"
"Witnesses."
"Say! Ain't you the guys that wuz holding her down? And ain't you the guy that wuz whacking her?"
"Wudn't us."
Quoting the divisional commissioner, Hussain said the girl made it clear she was married to a man named Adalat Khan. An electrician by trade...
She refuted reports that both of them were flogged by the Taliban as punishment for having "illicit relations" and then forcibly married. "Au contraire! I been in love with Whatsisname here since I wuz a girl.!"
Hussain also said Chand Bibi had expressed her inability to appear in the Supreme Court as she and her family felt it was not appropriate for a purdah-observing Pashtun girl to do so in the presence of TV cameras and onlookers. "I mean, what would the neighbors think? More to the point, what would they do?"
"She requested the judge and the commissioner to spare her from appearing in the court in Islamabad," he said, adding the two officials visited the village to record the statements of the couple on the directive of the NWFP chief secretary. "No way I could go to the big city and survive!"
The incident caused outrage in Pakistan where civil society and rights activists organised protests across the country. The incident was also condemned by most political parties and religious scholars. "If it's on film it's un-Islamic, you betcha!"
Chand Bibi's husband said he was ready to appear in the Supreme Court. The Qazi court judge also recorded his statement and he too denied reports that he or his wife had been lashed by the Taliban. "No, no! Certainly not!"
Hussain claimed a fake video had been used to tarnish the reputation of the people of Swat and to disrupt the peace process in the area. "We condemn the acts of repression against women...But the incident depicted in the videotape never took place in Swat," he said. "Yeah! You can tell it's a fake!"
"How?"
"Lotsa stuff."
He claimed the videotape was released as "part of a conspiracy to foil the peace agreement in Swat and put pressure on President (Asif Ali) Zardari not to sign" a regulation for implementing Islamic law in the region. "And to give Islam a bad name!"
Meanwhile, the man who filmed the Taliban flogging Chand Bibi has said that the incident occurred about two weeks ago. Shaukat told Dawn News that the treatment meted out to the girl was actually a "punishment" for her refusing a marriage proposal from a militant. "Marry me, Chand Bibi!"
"Never! My heart belongs to Whatsisname!"
The man who proposed to marry Chand Bibi joined the Taliban after the rejection and this was how he took revenge on the girl, Shaukat said. "Hrarrrr! Let's flog the wench!"
"I'll get my whip!"
"I'll geet my mascara!"
"I'll get my leather chaps!"
Asked about the reaction of the people who had witnessed the incident, Shaukat said the people in Swat are so scared that no one has the courage to stand up and speak out against the Taliban and their verdicts.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/06/2009
07:31 ||
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#1
they sure are sensitive about being seen as barbarian animals, huh?
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/06/2009 8:26
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Jordan's Criminal Court has charged a 19-year-old man with stabbing to death his sister in what is believed to be an honor killing.
Judge Jihad al-Dridi charged the man Monday with premeditated murder and the possession of a dangerous weapon. Al-Dridi said the man confessed to repeatedly stabbing his 22-year-old sister to cleanse the family honor because she left the house too often.
The victim is the eighth person to be killed in honor crimes this year. About 20 women are killed annually in Jordan by male relatives. The conservative society tolerates the killings and perpetrators often receive light sentences.
The name of the man and the victim were not revealed due to the sensitivity of the case.
#1
The IRA operated the Officials and the Provos. Officials supported Provo terror, even though they were not directly involved in same. The Taliban operates the same way.
Two young Americans who left their homes to join an Al Qaeda-linked terrorist group in Somalia held a rare press conference in Southern Somalia on Monday, saying they want to be killed for the sake of God, according to a U.S. law enforcement official and a video posted on a Somali news Web site.
For several months the FBI has been investigating at least 20 Somali-American men from the Minneapolis area and elsewhere in the United States who traveled to war-torn Somalia to join the terrorist group al-Shabaab, which has been warring with the moderate Somali government since 2006. Last month, a source familiar with the FBI investigation told FOX News that several of the men had returned to the United States, while others are still there [in Somalia]." Today is the first time any of these men have spoken publicly.
"We came from the U.S. with a good life and a good education, but we came to fight alongside our brothers of al-Shabaab to be killed for the sake of God, one man said in the video, as translated by Omar Jamal, the executive director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center in St. Paul, Minn. In the video, two men, identifying themselves as Abu-Muslim and Abu Yaxye, say they are Somali youth from the United States who are now stationed near the city of Kismayo, more than 300 miles southwest of Mogadishu, according to Jamal. The men say they are talking to media for the first time so others can learn why they joined al-Shabaab, he said.
A spokesman from the FBI Field Office in Minneapolis, E.K. Wilson, said he is aware of the video, which was posted on the Web site dowladnimo.com. He said the video was first brought to his offices attention early Sunday. Wilson would not say whether the FBI has identified the men in the video.
At their press conference, the men did not say exactly how many other U.S. citizens have joined al-Shabaab, but they insisted that many Somali-Americans are now all over Somalia to join the Jihad, according to Jamal's translation. Some of us are still in training, others are on the frontline of the Jihad, Abu-Muslim said in the video, according to Jamal. Sadly a few of us are dead, one of whom carried out a suicide bombing.
In October 2008, Shirwa Ahmed a 27-year-old college student from Minneapolis became what the FBI calls the first known American suicide bomber when he blew himself up in Somalia, killing dozens. The men in the new video said they want others like Ahmed to fight in Somalia, according to Jamal. We are here to invite others to come and join us" said Abu Yaxye, as translated by Jamal.
This comes a week after another video featuring an American in Somalia surfaced online. But unlike the new video, which is essentially a news story covering a press conference, the video posted last week is a highly polished production with the primary intent of recruiting foreign youth.
It was a "clear appeal to foreign youth, especially in English-speaking countries, to join the jihad in Somalia," according to the Washington-based Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which first provided the video to Fox News. In the 30-minute video, featuring an anti-American hip-hop score and images of Usama bin Laden, a man dubbed "The American" purportedly leads a group of al-Shabaab militants in an ambush of Ethiopian forces, which oppose an Islamic state and have backed the new Somali government. If you can encourage more of your children and more of your neighbors, anyone around, to send people like him to this jihad it would be a great asset for us," the so-called American says in the video, which was posted on an Islamist web site.
A law enforcement official confirmed to FOX News that the man, identified in the video as Abu Mansur al-Amriki, is originally from the United States, but said he has been in Somalia for some time. The official said the man is in his late 20s or early 30s, and left the United States many years ago.
The FBI investigation into how young American men were recruited to join al-Shabaab in Somalia is active in Columbus, Ohio; Cincinnati, Ohio; Boston; Seattle; and San Diego, according to testimony from counterterrorism officials and others at a Senate hearing last month. But, officials said, there is no intelligence to indicate that Somali-Americans who traveled to Somalia are planning attacks inside the United States.
The source familiar with the FBI investigation would not say publicly if authorities know the whereabouts of the men who returned to the United States, nor would the source say if authorities are pursuing arrests in the case. But Muslim leaders in the Minneapolis area told FOX News that they believe arrests are coming. It will be a big relief for the community once this comes to an end, Jamal said.
I'd like them to be killed for the sake of God. Why are we fighting when we agree on so much?
Posted by: Formerly Dan ||
04/06/2009 12:32
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There are Somalis missing from the UK and OZ, too. They also have valid passports, so they could return or travel easily elsewhere to carry out attacks.
It happens that desperadoes hold groups of people hostage - for instance in planes or banks. Sometimes the police or military take some quick action or try some ruse to remove the danger. Sometimes they refrain from moving an inch for fear that hostages will be killed or some disastrous explosion set off.
They may seek to talk the desperado out of his corner, perhaps offer to fly a plane hijacker to another destination after releasing his hostage. In many cases, they simply wait. Often - but not always - tiredness and exhaustion bring an end without drama.
Are we in a similar situation with North Korea? The big powers recognise that the threat or use of military power is not an option. Actions against key targets in North Korea could hardly be quick enough to prevent the regime inflicting horrible damage on South Korea and perhaps Japan. It need not use nuclear weapons. Seoul is within artillery range from the North. A sudden collapse of the North Korean state would also be a nightmare.
So what about talking? It has been done with varying success for many years and will no doubt be continued. The US has sometimes voiced threats and increased pressures, and usually thereby made the situation more dangerous. However, even during the Bush administration (second term), the US seems to have concluded that to talk North Korea out of its nuclear programme the regime must be offered something that is more useful to it than nuclear weapons and missile programmes. Conversely, the regime knows that for doing away with these programmes, it can demand a great deal.
Over the years, the North Korean regime has had good reasons to fear efforts to eliminate it through actions from outside - military attacks or subversive activities. It seems wise, therefore, that guarantees against such actions may have been placed on the table. For the North Korean government, the question may be what offers the best security - nuclear weapons of their own or a piece of paper.
Perhaps a piece of paper could be made more attractive if it were signed by all the relevant great powers and combined with a peace treaty. Perhaps it would also be more credible if it were offered in the margin of the revival of international nuclear disarmament. While allowing civilian nuclear power and guaranteeing access to uranium fuel, it would have to comprehensively ban nuclear weapons, enrichment of uranium, and reprocessing on the whole Korean peninsula.
The North Korean regime has often been isolated and ostracised. Although there have been good reasons for this, the country may well have felt humiliated. Against that background, the offer of diplomatic relations with the US and Japan, and normal relations with the world at large, may have considerable value as a part of a quid pro quo for dismantling the nuclear weapons programme and for other forms of engagement, for instance against the proliferation of nuclear and missile technology.
Many other offers can and are already part of the sweet talk: food and economic assistance of various kinds, and energy assistance - oil and perhaps a resumption of the construction of the two light-water reactors that were part of the 1994 agreed framework. There may be limits to the persuasive power of the Chinese government, but it is significant - and there can be no doubt that Beijing has an enormous interest in using it. A nuclear-capable North Korea shooting missiles over Japan could push Tokyo in a direction that would sharply increase tensions with China.
So while the security council and everybody else will condemn the latest North Korean missile tests, a resumption of the talks will be sought rather than more sanctions. Perhaps President Carter will go again to Pyongyang, reminding Kim Jong-il and the regime of the wishes of Kim Il-sung. We must hope that in the six-power talks formulas are found that can bring sufficient benefits to all sides. Such formulas are unlikely to include sufficient inspection to guarantee that no undeclared fissile material is hidden but must have guarantees against any capability to produce more such material.
And what if nothing is enough to persuade the North Korean regime? If it fears that nothing but a continued demonstration of its nuclear weapons and missile power will guarantee its existence? Then we shall have to be patient, seek to prevent proliferation, and wait for another day.
Hans Blix is chairman of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission and former head of the UN weapons inspection team in Iraq secretariat@wmdcommission.org Hans, about that UN Security Council condemnation.... anything forthcoming?
Privacy Groups And Small Web Companies Are Raising Concerns About The Company's Ubiquity On Government Sitesby Neil Munro
Executives at online-advertising giant Google are helping President Obama and Capitol Hill legislators get their messages out to the public, but they're facing nascent opposition from privacy advocates and small competitors who say Google is inappropriately using its presence on government Web sites to track users' political activities online.
These critics say that Google, aided by the White House, is using "cookie" software and the popular goal of government transparency to boost its own revenues and to build a vast database of citizens' political attitudes.
Google's expanding role in government is illustrated by the deals that Google struck with the Democratic-controlled Congress and with President Obama's White House. Both allow Google's data-collecting cookies -- compact files automatically downloaded onto Web-surfers' computers when they visit a site -- to be placed on citizens' computers when they view politicians' video speeches, or even when they merely view the pages where the speeches can be watched.
In a short statement to National Journal, a White House spokesman said "we aren't using [Internet] data for political purposes, nor do we have any plans to."
But it is clear that the administration's use of cookies blurs traditional distinctions between government and corporate information, and between public outreach and political campaigning. It's also clear that the White House's use of cookies is very different from the administrations of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, both of whom minimized tracking of citizens' online activities by sharply limiting the use of federal and corporate cookies.
The current system "allows one company to collect huge amounts of data.... The idea that the government would be endorsing any corporation having access to citizens' political concerns... is a concern," said Jeff Chester, founder of the D.C.-based Center for Digital Democracy. The data collected from government Web sites, he said, "can then feed into the very sophisticated political campaign-ads products that Google is peddling to legislators all across the country."
Even without any role for Google, the government's use of data-collecting cookie software on its Web sites and those of its affiliates is questionable, said David Sohn, a privacy-advocate at the left-leaning Center for Democracy & Technology. "It's something we're going to be looking at... there will be, and there should be, scrutiny."
From their first day in office, White House officials used Google's YouTube software to display videos of Obama's speeches on WhiteHouse.gov. Because of this choice, some pages on the site inserted Google's cookies onto visitors' computers, even if the visitor did not watch the YouTube videos.
After a spurt of protests from privacy advocates, White House officials and Google officials modified the system so that YouTube cookies were inserted only if visitors watched the videos, said Christopher Soghoian, a computer expert at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, who discovered the YouTube cookies on the White House Web site.
Next, the White House began using commercial software made by Akamai to display the videos. But this service is expensive, and it too inserted cookies into each browser that displayed the Web page, even when the visitor did not watch the video. By March 10, White House officials stopped the transfer of those cookies and restarted use of YouTube software -- and YouTube cookies -- after National Journal asked for details about the White House's policies. Balance at the link. Few surprises here.
OK, now how many carbon credits are required to offset this? 2-3 years GDP? There has not been a word w/r to this nasty polluter.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Mount Redoubt volcano in Alaska has had another large eruption after being relatively quiet for nearly a week. This is the 19th major eruption in the last two weeks. The Alaska Volcano Observatory in Anchorage says the volcano about 100 miles southwest of the city erupted early Saturday.
The National Weather Service said radar indicated a plume of volcanic ash rose 50,000 feet into the sky, making this one of the largest eruptions since the volcano became active on March 22. The ash cloud was drifting toward the southeast and there were reports of the fine, gritty ash falling in towns on the Kenai Peninsula.
Meanwhile, a plan is under way to draw down millions of gallons of oil stored in two tanks near Mount Redoubt.
The volcano began erupting on March 22. Since then, it has produced numerous large explosions that have sent mud and rock cascading down its flanks. Some of that mud and debris has reached the Drift River Terminal, 22 miles away from the volcano.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/06/2009 14:28
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Without being funny, this will cause a great melting of the snowcap wherever the darker ash lands on snow.
Solar heat is then magnified by the darker surface.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/06/2009 14:35
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Volcanos dump a huge amount of particulate material into the atmosphere. The Mt. Pinatubo eruption produced a noticable cooling effect for a few years as well as some beautiful sunsets.
Hopefully, this eruption doesn't screw up Global Warming. I got big money invested in Global Warming Scam futures.
#5
Boy howdy!
Does BO's "cap and trade" scam include volcanic eruptions?
What's the carbon footprint of a volcano anyway?
I once heard that the average run of the mill volcanic eruption (as if there is anything run of the mill about one of these suckers) puts more CO2, NO2, SO2, etc and particulate into the air than all of the cars, coal fired plants, oil field fires combined since the beginning of the industrial revolution.
We could have zero emission everything and these things would still affect our weather.
Alcoholics try to control the uncontrollable....perchance the Enviros fall into that category.
Posted by: James Carville ||
04/06/2009 15:01
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Governor Palin was brought up on federal charges today for failing to set aside enough of Alaska's Carbon Notes, or CANs, for such a disaster. One senate aide stated, "Governor Palin had plenty of advance warning to take action to prevent the Gaiac eruption, and failed to protect humanity by disregarding established EGADs (Emergency Goric Accounting Disciplines) principles by not preparing a contengency emergency carbon budget allowance. There is a motion on the floor already to regain this negligent greenhouse emmission release by adding an ammendment to the federal duty, over the next 10 years, required for carbon related industries who conduct any business in or with the state of Alaska in for programs designed to offset atmospheric carbon, such as the Nevada Rainforest Reclamation Act. Additional eruptions may force an emergency measure, extending the current electricity curfew earlier to make it from 2 am until 6 am, except in structures designated as Obama Rescue and Community qualified."
Governor Palin, if convicted, faces up to a 10 year Privilage in the Department of Forestry and Agriculture Techniques and will be liable in civil court for any animal injuries linked to the fallout. The verdict is expected later today.
Isn't it time for him to go home yet? It is good, in theory, that the new President of the United States is taking so much time to tour Europe. He arrived in London last Tuesday, has been to Strasbourg, Prague yesterday and now he's off to Turkey. It shows, I suppose, that he cares about the outside world and that is 'A Good Thing'. But his long stay means that we are hearing rather a lot from him, way too much in fact.
His speeches have long under-delivered, usually leaving a faintly empty sensation in this listener even though I welcomed, moderately, his victory last year as offering the possibility of a fresh start and a boost to confidence.
Yet, we are told that he is a great orator and in one way he certainly is. He does have a preternatural calm in the spotlight and a mastery of the cadences we associate with the notable speakers in US history - such as JFK and MLK. But beyond that, am I alone in finding him increasingly to be something of a bore?
His performance at the first press conference in London with Gordon Brown featured moments in which he sparkled - his riff on loving the Queen was a high-point. But most of the serious answers that I listened to were interminable, windy and not very impressive. At points there were pauses so long that it appeared he had simply lost his train of thought.
Today, we were treated to another set-piece Obama speech, and my didn't he go on a bit? The crowd in Prague was huge, and initially wildly enthusiastic, but what he served up was not any more impressive than his damp squib in Berlin last year. Is there a computer which churns this stuff out for him?
"For over a thousand years, Prague has set itself apart from any other city in any other place. You have known war and peace. You have seen empires rise and fall. You have led revolutions in the arts and science, in politics and poetry. Through it all, the people of Prague have insisted on pursuing their own path, and defining their own destiny. And this city - this Golden City which is both ancient and youthful - stands as a living monument to your unconquerable spirit."
Empires rising and falling, destinies being defined and a Golden City standing as a monument to unconquerable spirit... goodness, what a ham. When he really gets going he's worse than Tony Blair.
But Obama was only warming up. "When I was born," (Everything usually leads back to him, you'll notice)... "the world was divided, and our nations were faced with very different circumstances. Few people would have predicted that someone like me would one day become an American President." (Him again)...
"Few people would have predicted that an American President would one day be permitted to speak to an audience like this in Prague. And few would have imagined that the Czech Republic would become a free nation, a member of NATO, and a leader of a united Europe. Those ideas would have been dismissed as dreams". (Not by Ronald Reagan they wouldn't have been, when most of Obama's Democrat friends thought the then US President's robust approach to the Cold War made him a loony on the loose).
"We are here today because enough people ignored the voices who told them that the world could not change. We are here today because of the courage of those who stood up - and took risks - to say that freedom is a right for all people, no matter what side of a wall they live on, and no matter what they look like... (subtly this time, but right at the end the sentence leads back to him again).
The Obamas have handled their trip well and in their public appearances have been a credit to their country. But I'll wager that within a year or so he'll be marked down as a wind-bag.
He's as much of a great orator as Bill Clinton was "The Education President". Bill Clinton was then the governor of a state at the bottom of the educational rankings.
It's the oldest trick in the book. Take your weakness and use foot-licking lackeys in the media to make it your biggest strength.
#4
Well, at least our newest spotlighted I hate America American didn't go up there and say, "I love Prague's Old World Style and Robusto, and that it has a full serving of vegetables in every 1/2 cup." or some off-the-script joke about how, in his brief but historic tenure as president, that after he is done with them these will e=be the first checks he has handled which won't bounce.
#4
I knew Pepsi would make it but Coke is the drink of "republicans".
I was surprised he didn't can RC and moon-pies also. Did you notice all the airlines, railroads and power companies survived as well as Big Oil? And where the hell was Wal-Mart?
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
04/06/2009 12:53
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Jack, it was a short sketch, so they couldn't do all of the economy at once. Besides, they were concentrating on manufacturers rather than marketers.
Once they've got the manufacturers in line, they'll move to the stores.
There can be only one.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
04/06/2009 18:31
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Besides, SNL should never be encouraged to make their skits longer!
[Kyodo: Korea] U.S. President Barack Obama laid out an ambitious vision for a world without nuclear weapons Sunday, saying the United States will take the lead in doing so as the only country that has used one. Delivering a speech in the Czech capital, he branded nuclear arms ŽŽthe most dangerous legacy of the Cold WarŽŽ and blasted North Korea for launching a rocket earlier in the day in a suspected test of a Taepodong-2 long-range ballistic missile.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009
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Moron.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/06/2009 0:38
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If that's a true quote of Obambi, then it shows his gross ignorance of historical fact. We're not the only country to use one, we're the only country to use TWO!
Getting in my daily snark.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/06/2009 14:20
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Took the time away from gladhanding g20 faces to give us this generic response to an utterly predictable event did he? Well break out the palm leaves and love beads, mix the kool-aid, and gather round the olde Obama website for some Ethel Merman to-night!
CHISINAU (Reuters) - Moldova's ruling Communists gained enough votes on Sunday to hold on to power in parliament, exit polls showed, but lacked the number of seats to install a new president, raising the spectre of another election.
Parliament's first step is to elect a new president, and if the Communists do not garner support among the opposition and approve a candidate within three votes, then, under the constitution, a new parliamentary election must be called. President Vladimir Voronin, the only Communist president in Europe and the former Soviet Union, has to step down as he cannot stand for a third consecutive term.
But with 45 percent of the vote and 55 seats in parliament, according to the latest estimate by the Moldovan Institute for Public Policies, Voronin's Communists would need another six parliamentarians to vote in their own candidate. Three opposition parties that passed the 6 percent threshold to enter parliament said they would not enter a coalition with the Communists.
The opposition broadly advocates more integration with the European Union, including closer ties with EU member neighbour Romania, with which Moldova shares linguistic heritage, and NATO membership -- an ambition that is likely to infuriate Russia.
Voronin promotes integration with Europe but has cooled to the idea of closer ties with Romania.
"We have repeatedly said that this is a criminal regime and we will not go into a coalition," Vlad Filat, leader of the Liberal Democratic party, said speaking on PRO-TV channel.
Voronin said the free-market orientated policies of the opposition parties were incompatible with Communist policies, but hoped for a one-off grouping to pass a candidate. "I expect an ad hoc coalition to vote for the president," he told the same television station.
So that the commies can remain in power ...
The Liberal Democratic Party and the Liberal Party are likely to get some 14 percent of votes each and Our Moldova 10 percent, according to the exit poll by the Institute of Public Politics, a local umbrella group of thinktanks.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/06/2009
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[Bangla Daily Star] The process of trying war criminals is expected to begin on April 8 with the appointment of an investigation officer and a public prosecutor.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh has accepted a UN offer of sending a team of war crime experts to help Bangladesh try those who were involved in various war crimes during the Liberation War of 1971.
Law ministry officials said the group of UN specialists, having experience in dealing with war crimes that had occurred in different nations, might visit Dhaka shortly.
UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Renata Lok Dessallien put forward the offer at a meeting with Law Minister Shafique Ahmed at his ministry. Home Minister Sahara Khatun was also present at the meeting.
"We have offered Bangladesh to bring here specialists, who deal with the war crime issues, so that the trial process of 1971 war criminals meets international standards," Renata told reporters after the meeting.
She said mistakes have been made in trials of war crimes earlier in many countries. "The experts will share their experiences here in Bangladesh to avoid the mistakes," she added terming the process very complex and delicate.
Renata reiterated the UN's cooperation in holding the trial but said the trial would be of Bangladesh's own, not the UN's.
State Minister for Law Quamrul Islam said steps have already been taken so that suspects of war crimes cannot flee the country. He would not say who are on the list of suspects.
An inter-ministerial meeting, scheduled for Wednesday at the home ministry, would discuss the probe and trial issues for the second time since March 25. The meeting may also appoint a public prosecutor.
Once an investigation officer is appointment, law ministry officials said a large team would be formed to initiate investigation into the genocide that took place during the Liberation War. The government has also passed a resolution in parliament paving the way for holding the trial.
"Appointment of an investigation officer is the first step towards kicking off the trial process," said State Minister for Law Quamrul Islam, adding that the investigation officer would be appointed in Wednesday's inter-ministerial meeting.
A similar meeting on March 25, however, failed to make any decision regarding the appointment of investigation officer and public prosecutor.
In reply to a question, the state minister said whatever risk is involved the government is committed to holding the trial since it is in Awami League's election manifesto and people gave the Awami League an overwhelming majority. It has become a national demand, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009
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[Kyodo: Korea] North Korean leader Kim Jong Il observed the launch Sunday of a communication satellite at the launch facilityŽs control and command center on the countryŽs east coast, North KoreaŽs official Korean Central News Agency said Monday. North Korea launched a rocket it said propelled a satellite into space. Japan, the United States and other countries suspect the launch was a cover for test-firing a long-range ballistic missile.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009
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Dammit, a perfect time for a launch "Malfunction" Lost forever.(Read as a laser hitting 1/2 second into ignition)
They're claiming a satelite in orbit, my first thought is "Liars" any proof, either way?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/06/2009 0:38
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[Iran Press TV Latest] Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero conditions his country's full backing for Turkey's membership in the European Union bloc.
Zapatero, at a joint news conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday in Istanbul said that his government would fight in Turkey's favor during Spain's 2010 EU Presidency, on condition it complied with the prerequisites set by the bloc.
"Spain's position is firm, clear and conclusive. And that is how it will remain. We understand that Turkey has to comply in the process, in the same way all the other candidate countries once had to comply. But it will have the doors open by complying with prerequisites demanded by the EU. So that eventually it can be incorporated into the peace and collaboration project, that is the EU," he said.
Erdogan for his part thanked Spain's support and said that US President Barack Obama's earlier backing at the Prague summit on Sunday was very important to his government: "It means a lot for us."
Turkish entry talks with the EU have been held up by European concerns over human rights, a perceived lack of progress on reforms, and by a long territorial dispute with EU member Cyprus.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Spain could always insist that Turkey have mandatory life sentences for those who carry out honor killings. That oughta keep Turkey out permanently.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Mahmoud Abbas has said that Israel must accept the creation of a Palestinian state and stop settlements in order to reopen stalled peace talks.
When will the Paleos accept the two-state solution?
The acting ineffectual Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas, in the first visit of a Palestinian official to Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion, said at a joint press conference with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Sunday that the Palestinian stance remains the same as before on a two-state solution.
"We call on the new Israeli government (of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu) to recognize the two-state solution, stop building settlements and remove all obstacles from the West Bank to allow the Palestinians to resume dialogue and reach a solution with the new government," he said.
Abbas said he discussed the Arab peace initiative, explained the steps Palestine will implement to apply the peace initiative and the means to deal with the new Israeli government to the Iraqi president. "We expressed our concerns to the Iraqi president including Palestinian unity and dialogue. We hope that Palestinian unity will be achieved as fast as possible because without it there will be no political progress," he said and added, 'We also have Iraq's support' in this process.
Abbas said he also discussed the issue of Palestinian refugees stranded on the Iraqi-Syrian border.
Abbas said he expressed his gratitude to the Iraqi president for his country's dealings with Palestinians. He also thanked the Iraqi government for the attention that it gives to the Palestinian people in Iraq. "It considers them part of Iraqi society, and we consider them in safe hands," said Abbas.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009
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That is kinda pointless when the opposition - Hamas and Hizbollah - are one-staters, as are most local Arabs. Fatah support is generally bought. Fatah members are not averse to H-H terror.
[Bangla Daily Star] The Jahangirnagar University (JU) authorities yesterday expelled six students for six months for their involvement in Friday's violent incident in its Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall.
The students are Shafiul Mahmud of Statistics dept, Arif Iqbal Hossain and Sajidur Rahman of History dept, Khan Mohammad Abu Sayeed Al Arabi and Zihan Hossain of Government and Politics dept and KM Taifur Siddique of Geography and Environment department, says a JU press release.
Under section 8 of disciplinary ordinance, Vice-chancellor Prof Sharif Enamul Kabir expelled the students.
At least 15 people were injured in a clash between two factions of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) over establishing supremacy in the hall.
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[Geo News] Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has convened a high-level meeting to review the present law and order situation in the country. Chief ministers of the four provinces will also be attending this meeting, source said. Interior Advisor, Rehman Malik will give briefing on the overall law and order at the meeting, sources added.
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Law makers, political leaders and analysts, lawyers and university teachers simultaneously on Sunday called upon the government to take effective initiatives to stop extra judicial and political killings.
I'm pretty sure it has slowed down the Crossfire Gazette hasn't published in weeks. The RAB likes press releases too much to be quiet about this, right?
In the name of cross fire, encounter and interrogation in police custody as many as five hundred extra judicial killings have been perpetrated by law enforcing agencies under patronization of all the past successive governments in the last few years said discussants at a roundtable meeting on "Political killings of the state" held at National Press Club yesterday.
Barrister Rafiqul Islam Mia, Former law minister and incumbent law maker Abdul Matin Khasru, political analyst Farhad Mazhar, Major General (Retd) Moinul Hossain Chowdhury, BNP leader Shamsuz-zaman Dudu and University teacher Dr. Piash Karim attended the roundtable discussion.
Barrister Rafiqul Islam Mia said that as per constitution the government would have to ensure safety of people and their property. "If the government wants to establish a democratic state, firstly the role of law in the country will have to be ascertained. Otherwise, extra judicial killings will not be stopped," he said, adding that physical torture on people during interrogation should be stopped as it is a total violation of constitutional rights of the people.
Abdul Matin Khasru said that culture of impunity brought up by different governments in past contributed to conducting extra judicial killings in the country. To stop these killings, those who are actually responsible for patronizing extra judicial killing in the country since independence will have to be identified. After all, a political commitment among political parties is very much needed to stop extra judicial killings including political killing.
Calling upon people to be united against extra judicial killing, Farhad Mazhar said that these killings by law enforcing agencies must not be launched under democratic government violating constitutional rights of people. "It would appear that to keep the government in power, is the main duty of the government employees who are being capriciously used by governments to conduct extra judicial killings since long. The government will have to come out from this bad ideology in order to ensure the rule of law in the country," said Major General (Retd) Moinul Hossain Chowdhury.
Echoing the same, University teacher Dr. Piash Karim said that it is the high time to set up a National Human rights protection committee with a view to protecting all sorts of rights of the people.
Excepting, of course, that the bad boys from the Purgla communist party, the Biplobis, the sawans, and the various islamicists have no interest in a Bangladesh that has human rights, law or order. Perhaps you take care of them first?
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/06/2009
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[Bangla Daily Star] Commerce Minister Faruk Khan yesterday said those BDR members who still remain absconding would be considered deserters and would lose their jobs automatically after 60 daysŽ absence from the duty as per the BDR rules.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009
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Of course they could come back and be execued.
I wouldn't.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/06/2009 0:44
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[Bangla Daily Star] Most central leaders of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) yesterday threatened to resign from their posts if Awami League President Sheikh Hasina does not reconsider her decision of withdrawing herself as the organisational chief.
The BCL central leaders last night sat at a crucial meeting with their President Mahmud Hasan Ripon and General Secretary Mahfuzul Haider Chowdhury Roton to discuss the existing unorganised situation of the student body that led Hasina to quit as its guardian on Saturday.
Meeting sources said 110 of the 201 members of the BCL central committee signed a paper, which they said they would consider as their resignation letter if Hasina were not back.
Ripon and Roton did not sign the paper.
The five-hour long meeting ended without any decision. Later, the BCL central committee members went to Hasina's residence at Jamuna to inform her about their decision, the sources said, adding that Hasina told the BCL men that she would have a meeting with them this evening.
"Those of us who believe in the ideologies of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Sheikh Hasina will resign from Chhatra League if she [Hasina] does not come back as our organisational chief," said BCL Vice-President Abu Sayeed.
Hasina quit as the BCL's organisational chief on Saturday at an AL Presidium meeting and directed law enforcement agencies to take stern action against those involved in criminal activities, extortion and tender manipulation, no matter which organisation they belong to.
The student leaders yesterday blamed Ripon and Roton for failing to effectively lead the party and control frequent unrest at several educational institutions after Awami League assumed power.
Referring to the recent clashes at different universities and educational institutions, many BCL leaders at the meeting criticised Ripon and Roton for not following their recommendations in dealing with the situation.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Geo News] Chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Imran Khan and other leaders of the country expressing concern on the increasing terrorist activities, have demanded of the government to give up what they called being slave to the US and ensure safety to the life and property of the people. In a statement issued here, Imran Khan and other leaders of TI condemned the drone attacks in North and South Waziristan and the suicide attacks in Islamabad, Chakwal and Miranshah.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009
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[Bangla Daily Star] A group of leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) allegedly beat up some listed contractors of Dhaka University yesterday over tender for two development works worth Tk 10 lakh on the campus.
Sources said some BCL men, including a former president of Sergeant Zahurul Haq Hall, a central committee vice-president, two activists of Surya Sen Hall and their followers, beat up some 12 to 15 contractors at Haji Mohammad Muhsin Hall playground when the contractors denied to hand over schedules of tender for two development works.
Yesterday was the last date for purchasing tender schedule of development two works--one worth Tk 7.5 Lakh in Muhsin Hall and another worth Tk 2.5 lakh at Shibbari on the campus, said a contractor on condition of anonymity.
"Where will we go? Please write our story so that the vice chancellor notices it. Otherwise, we would not be able to submit our schedule on Monday," the contractor said.
Vice-Chancellor Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique last night told The Daily Star they would take up all necessary security measures to ensure safe dropping of schedule today.
Campus sources said some former and incumbent BCL leaders and Juba League leaders directly negotiated a development work worth Tk 24 crore in the last week of February on the DU campus.
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JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said his government would immediately get to work on Mideast peace issues, promising to present a diplomatic agenda in the coming weeks.
Let's hope it doesn't get watered down.
Speaking at the first meeting of his Cabinet, Netanyahu said he planned to appoint an inner Cabinet on Sunday to deal with the nation's most pressing security and political issues. 'In the coming weeks, we shall complete our policy guidelines for progress on peace and security,' he said.
Netanyahu has sent mixed signals about his diplomatic program in recent weeks. Elected on a platform highly critical of his predecessor's peace talks with the Palestinians, he took a softer line when he was sworn into office last week, telling parliament he would pursue a 'full peace' with the Arab and Muslim world.
However, Netanyahu has given few details about his program and has so far refused to endorse the idea of an independent Palestinian state. Palestinian independence is a cornerstone of U.S. policy in the Mideast, and the Palestinians have said that if Netanyahu does not commit to a two-state solution, there is no point in negotiating.
Precisely. The Paleos haven't committed to a two-state solution so why should Israel?
Netanyahu's hard-line foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, raised additional concerns on his first day in office when he dismissed as meaningless the past year of U.S.-led peace negotiations and said concessions to the Palestinians only invite war.
Lieberman did endorse the 'road kill map,' an internationally backed peace plan that calls for a staged process leading to Palestinian independence. The road kill map has been frozen for several years due to failure by Israel and especially by the Palestinians to meet their initial obligations.
Also high on Netanyahu's agenda is Iran's nuclear program. Netanyahu believes Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons and has called on the international community to prevent this from happening. Upon taking office last week, Netanyahu stressed that Israelis 'know how to protect' their country _ a possible hint that Tehran's nuclear facilities could be struck if the international community fails to persuade it to stop its nuclear activities.
You have to think that Bibi is willing to do what Olmert wasn't. And you have to think that Bibi will do it even if Bambi says don't.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/06/2009
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Coming from Bibi, I expect this to be a true peace plan - the kind that actually achieves peace. Of course, that will require tanks and bombs, not just snippy letters and UN blustering.
BAGHDAD - Ineffectual Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sought to repair relations between Palestinians and the Iraqi government and find solutions for Palestinian refugees stranded in camps during his first visit to the country since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. The visit Sunday is significant because it marks a major step in improving ties between the Shiite-led government of Iraq and the Palestinian leadership, which had warm relations with the ousted regime of Saddam Hussein.
And the rest of Iraq noticed that.
Iraqi spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the Iraqi government would affirm its support for the Palestinians and the creation of a Palestinian state during Abbas talks with President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
That's just boilerplate ...
Palestinian exiles who fled to Iraq after the establishment of the state of Israel enjoyed a privileged status during Saddams rule, but that privilege ended when the U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam and paved the way for his Shiite opponents to take power.
They didn't 'flee', they were recruited. A fair number of them served in Saddam's Feyadeen both in Kuwait and in Iraq. They worked as thug-boys. And the rest of Iraq remembers ...
About 11,000 Palestinians still live in Iraq, mostly in Baghdads Shiite district of Baladiyat. Hundreds of Palestinians, overwhelmingly Sunni, were slaughtered during the sectarian violence of a few years ago in Iraq.
Precisely because the Shi'a remember what the Paleo thugs did to their families ...
Several thousand remain stranded at refugee camps along the Iraqi-Syrian border where they fled the sectarian massacres.
Because their brother Syrians won't take them in. The Syrians, it seems, paid attention when the Paleos alienated the Jordanians, Lebanese, Tunisians, Egyptians, Mauritanians, Kuwaitis, and Iraqis.
Abbas aide, Saeb Erekat, said a main reason for Abbas visit was to discuss the legal situation of the Palestinians in those camps. But al-Dabbagh asserted the situation has improved. 'The Iraqi government has dealt with and overcome this issue, al-Dabbagh said. 'It is no more a problem, and now Palestinians in Iraq are sharing a normal life with Iraqis.
Thus taking their treatment, whatever it is, off the table.
Posted by: Steve White ||
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#1
Has anyone suggested repatriating Iraq's Palestinians to their homeland in the Palestinian territories? What say you: 11,000 Palestinians with their few remaining worldly goods (including tents), to be divided proportionately between the West Bank and Gaza Strip? It wouldn't do to divide them evenly, given that the two parts are of significantly different size and population density.
Q Sonja Sagmeister from a little country, Austria, from Austrian Television. Mr. President, you said you came here to learn and to listen. So a quite personal question -- what did you learn from your personal talk with the European leaders? And did this change in a certain way your views on Europe and its politics?
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Its an interesting question. I had already formed relationships with many of them. Some of them I had met when I traveled through Europe before my election. Some of them I had met because they came to Washington after the election. This is the first time Ive been in a forum with so many of them at the same time.
It was also interesting to see that political interaction in Europe is not that different from the United States Senate. Theres a lot of -- I dont know what the term is in Austrian -- wheeling and dealing -- and, you know, people are pursuing their interests, and everybody has their own particular issues and their own particular politics.
#2
In fairness, Austrian German is very different than German German, coloured as it is by the languages of all the subject peoples of the Austro-Hungarian empire and the more sophisticated concerns of a people concerned with running a stable empire vs. a people living on Europe's battlefield and consequently worrying a great deal about basic survival issues and whether the villagers will need to resort to cannibalism this winter to survive until spring. Nonetheless, President Obama's wording displays a certain ignorance of the common forms used by those accustomed to the circles in which he suddenly finds himself, poor man.
#9
So what he expected? That people have no interests?! Somewhat that sounds a bit xenophobe, it appears he expected that Europeans would not show the same human traits of others.
Posted by: Large Snerong7311 ||
04/06/2009 14:48
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Damn, but the man is insightful. Communicates it well, also.
#12
tw, I only had 3 years of German in high school, but after almost 30 years, I was complemented on my pronunciation by an Austrian (as well as a German speaking Swiss.) The languages can't be that far apart.
Of course, all I did was wish them a Froehliche Weihnachten (Merry Christmas), so it's not a large sample.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
04/06/2009 21:33
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Austrian is to German as Alabama is to Yankee. Swiss German is another beast altogether. But that is neither here nor there. The Glorious Bammo the Pious didn't know what the hell he was talking about. Again.
#14
I've been to all three German speaking countries: Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The Germans bitch about not being able to understand the Swiss, but never about the Austrians.
#shrug# It's been clear for some time now that Obama is no genius, no matter what his followers say. My guess is that he has about the same IQ as Bush... and nearly every other politician: somewhere between 115-130.
[Geo News] Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Sunday that no foreign military boot will step in Pakistan and our own law enforcement agencies and paramilitary forces will conduct anti-terrorism operation inside the country.
Talking to the newsmen at the local airport upon his arrival here, the Foreign Minister said that during his recent visit to Washington he conveyed clearly to the US that NATO will not be allowed to conduct operation in Pakistan adding that it is not acceptable for Pakistan. They have understood our point of view and accepted it, he added.
He said that US has introduced a bill worth US$ 10.5 billion for Pakistan including US$ 7.5 billion as economic assistance and rest of US$3 billion for military assistance. He termed it as a success. Mentioning a statement by US President Barack Obama regarding 'No Blank Cheque', FM said, Pakistan will neither give any blank cheque nor will accept it.
Continued on Page 49
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[Geo News] US special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke and US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen will visit Pakistan on April 6. The two would meet Pakistan's political and military leadership following the announcement of a new US regional policy by President Barack Obama. Several important decisions are expected to be made during the American officials' visit.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
"We may go down, but at least we shall go down talking."
[Geo News] Advisor to Prime Minister on Interior Affairs Rehman Malik Sunday said the attackers are Pakistani and that they have not come from outside. He said a suicide bomber is not under any compulsion to carry out attacks. "They are sold for money," he added. Rehman Malik said the family of a suicide bomber gets Rs500,000 for blowing himself up. He hoped to flush out the terrorists out of the country. The Advisor said a high level meeting will be held tomorrow to review security situation in the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009
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ISLAMABAD - A suicide bomber attacked a crowded mosque south of the Pakistani capital on Sunday, killing 22 people and wounding dozens more, officials said. A senior Pakistani Taliban commander claimed responsibility Sunday for the Islamabad attack, saying it was in retaliation for U.S. drone missile strikes against militants in Pakistan near the Afghan border.
The suicide bomber set off his explosives Sunday at the entrance to a mosque in Chakwal city in Punjab province, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Islamabad, during a religious congregation, said Nadim Hasan Asif, a top security official in Punjab. He said the blast killed 22 people and injured more than 30. The suspected man was stopped at the entrance and pushed himself in and exploded, Asif said.
Another police officer, Nasir Khan Durrani, said the attack could have been much worse. Had he succeeded in exploding inside it could have caused a much bigger loss because there were hundreds of people inside, Durrani said.
Chaudhry Nasrullah, the top health official in Chakwal, confirmed that 22 people were killed and that more than 50 were injured, a dozen of them critically. He appealed to the government to send helicopters to evacuate the most seriously wounded.
Farid Ali, who left the mosque just before the attack occurred, said he felt the blast on his back and looked back and saw smoke and dust. I saw several people lying dead, he told Express News TV. There was blood everywhere.
Local television footage showed pools of blood on the road in front of the mosque. Torn clothes and a pair of shoes also littered the ground. Police investigators were shown collecting evidence, not far from a car and four motorcycles that were damaged by the blast.
A policeman with both his legs bandaged and another wounded man whose shirt was stained with blood were shown on hospital beds crying in pain. A woman standing in the emergency ward of the hospital wailed, Oh my God. Oh my God.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani condemned the attack, saying it was masterminded by people who are against the state and want to give Islam a bad name.
Seems to be a lot of that going on in Pakistain.
Posted by: Steve White ||
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#1
I see headlines blaming this on the Taliban. I think not likely unless they have a few spare Saudi boomers they haven't used in Afghanistan that are approaching their "boom by" date.
#6
A suicide boomer blows himself up in front of a mosque in Pakistan, blaming it on the US attacking targets in the NWFP. That can only make sense in a place like Pakistan. Just one more nail for the coffin of that failed state. The US and India need to start making contingency plans for when the pakistani government totally collapses.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/06/2009 14:11
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"The US and India need to start making contingency plans for when the pakistani government totally collapses."
They'd better hurry up, OP.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/06/2009 14:30
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[Geo News] CHAKWAL: Pakistan Muslim League-Q has condemned in strongest terms the suicide blast in Chakwal and expressed grief on the loss of innocent lives. In a statement issued in Lahore, leaders of PML-Q Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, MNA Chaudhry Wajahat Hussain and MNA Munis Elahi termed the increasing acts of terrorism in the country as deplorable. They described these acts as conspiracies to destabilize the country. They prayed to God for grant of solace to the bereaved families and quick recovery for the injured.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009
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DUBAI - The deputy prime minister of Chechnya is being sought by Dubai Police for 'masterminding' the killing of former rebel leader Sulim Yamadayev. Whoa! I am so surprised!... No. Wait. No I'm not.
Dubai Police Chief Dhahi Khalfan Tamim said that Adam Delimkhanov brought a pistol into the UAE while on an official state visit, and that pistol was later used in the murder. "There is no immunity for the mastermind of this crime, or for the killer himself," Tamim told reporters on Sunday. "Therefore the name of the Chechen leader, Adam Delimkhanov, will be listed and circulated to Interpol."
Bet he's safely in Mother Russia now ...
The police chief further said, "This murder was part of the struggles that seem to happen on a daily basis in Chechnya. It is also one which the Chechen Republic is exporting outside its borders. These struggles cannot be allowed to take place in Dubai."
Sulim Yamadayev was shot dead in the car park of Rimal 6, in Jumeirah Beach Residence on March 28. At the time, police called the murder an "assassination". Once a fierce opponent of president Ramzan Kadyrov, the former commander of the largest independent militia in Chechnya fled to Dubai four months ago.
There are six suspects, including Delimkhanov, and police already have two men in custody. The other men have been placed on a wanted list.
Tamim said that the murder weapon was a Russian pistol owned by Delimkhanov. "The weapon was not bought in the UAE. We believe that Delimkhanov brought the weapon in on a previous state visit," he added, without specifying the date. "It was an abuse of the diplomatic process."
Police sources said previously that Russian authorities had been unwilling to cooperate in the investigation. The Russian consulate was unavailable for comment on Sunday.
Tamim said that the killer shot Yamadayev in the back of the head and then dumped the weapon. The bloodied gloves and shirt the killer had been wearing at the time were dumped on The Walk in JBR, while the gun was thrown elsewhere.
Police named the five other suspects on Sunday, but did not say who among them might have carried out the actual killing. One person acted as spy, Tamim said, reporting on Yamadayev's movements to time the killing properly.
Yamadayev had two guards with him at the time, both of Middle Eastern origin, although neither is suspected in the murder.
Those the police have in custody are Makhsood Jan, a Tajik, and Mahdi Lurnia, an Iranian. Search is on for the remaining: Zalim Khan Mazayev, a Russian, Salman Kemaef, a Kazak, and his brother Turbal Kemaef. They are believed to have left the country soon after the murder.
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Hokay, show of hands: who thought this was coming?
The U.N. Security Council met in emergency session on Sunday afternoon to discuss concerns over North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket. But the closed-door consultations did not produce a clear and unified response.
Even though diplomacy is the only possible approach to solving the problem of North Korea, donchaknow ...
Diplomats say the council was unified in its deep concern over the launch, but that it could not immediately agree what form its response should take.
Of course not. The Chinese won't curb their dog, the Rooskies enjoy meddling, and the rest of the Security Council is ineffectual and unwilling to take action.
The United States and Japan say they want a clear message in the form of a Security Council resolution condemning the launch.
We already have one of those. The next step is to do something about it, which the UN won't do.
U.S. Ambassador, Susan Rice said "It is our view that this action merits a clear and strong response from the United Nations Security Council. We will be embarked on additional consultations with partners in the Security Council as well as allies and concerned parties outside of the Security Council towards obtaining that kind of outcome."
Though Susie has no idea what the outcome should be. Her timid boss, our President, refused to shoot down the missile and then expressed 'outrage' that the Norks launched, and thus demonstrated himself to be a paper tiger. And his ambassador is clueless as to what we should be doing.
In and of itself the Nork's long-range missile is almost laughable. The Norks can't seriously threaten us. We have a missile defense system that works. It certainly works well enough to stop a single, or a few, TD-2 missiles. A Nork land invasion of the south would roll as far as the first big-box discount store in the South and come to a halt. The Norks can't hurt us, can't really hurt Japan, and could hurt the SKors only if they want their own country to cease to exist.
But what they can do is what they've been doing: sell their WMD technology to any group of thugs that have the cash. It's no accident that the Iranians were in attendance. Bet the Syrians have a full report by now. And Hugo. And so do various terrorist groups that would love to get their hands on a Nork nuclear device.
And so the missile launch was not just a test, it was advertising. It shows the Iranians and the rest that their technology works. And it shows the world that we, the West, the US, the UN, Japan, etc., won't do a damned thing about it. Our ambassador, Susan Rice, doesn't know what to do and what kind of outcome she wants, other than the most base platitude. All she can do is spoon out pablum.
Do we want the Norks to stop building WMDs? Do we want them to stop building and testing missiles? Do we want them to stop their proliferation efforts? What are we willing to do to stop them? Diplomacy has failed. Clinton tried. Bush tried. Bambi now will try. Pretty soon their efforts will rival our efforts to produce a lasting peace in the Middle East. We can enlist the Party-of-Six. We can bring in the UN. We can perhaps even enlist the EU for all the good it will do. None of it will matter. Diplomacy is meaningless with the Norks, because it's been shown previously to be meaningless.
No serious person wants a full-out war with the Norks. Lots of innocent people would die, and such a war could destabilize our relationship, such as it is, with China. Indeed, the Chinese might now be telling Barry, "mess with the Norks and we won't buy your T-bills anymore." You can bet that Timmy the Treasurer worries about that.
But it is time to put the Norks on notice: we won't do another damned thing to help you. No more food or oil. Threaten all you like, launch as many missiles as you want, even test your puny nuke device if you wish. We obviously can't stop you. But there will be no more aid of any kind.
We'll follow that up with relentless efforts to shut down all your ways of bringing in cash. Nork ships carrying missile parts will have tragic accidents. Nork diplomats will be compromised. Nork military officers will have fatal strokes. Nork counterfeiting, money-laundering, and drug-running schemes will be discovered and shut down. We'll starve you for cash, Kim: no more cognac, no more blondes, and no more boodle to spread to your generals so that they tolerate you in power. We had fifty years practice in running a cold war, Kimmie, we know cold war.
And we make it clear to the SKors: if you aid the North, we'll pull out and let you defend your own country. We can base our AEGIS ships from Yokohama, we can pull our other forces back to Okinawa or Guam, and you can handle Kimmie yourselves.
North Korea's allies - China and Russia - are calling for less severe action. Chinese Ambassador, Zhang Yesui said "Our position is that all countries concerned should show restraint and refrain from taking actions that might lead to increased tensions."
Never mind that the Norks have already increased tensions. Apparently they're the only ones allowed to do so.
Diplomats close to the talks say council members agreed on their concern about the launch, North Korea's need to return to the Six Party Talks and its need to respect existing Security Council resolutions. But there is disagreement over whether the launch of what North Korea says was a communications satellite was a violation of U.N. Security Council resolution 1718. That resolution prohibits North Korea from conducting "any further nuclear test or launch of a ballistic missile".
So the snow-job worked.
Whether the council's response will take the form of a resolution with new sanctions or a non-binding statement that carries weight because it requires council unity, will likely play out over the coming days.
Posted by: Steve White ||
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#3
And a UN Security Council respnse would have accomplished what? Response or no response, the result is the same.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
04/06/2009 0:58
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#4
"the Chinese might now be telling Barry, "mess with the Norks and we won't buy your T-bills anymore."
I would not be at all surprised to learn Barry and the Hildebeast consulted with China on this issue prior to making any statements at all. We're "all in" with the Chinese Communists and have been for years. Now they call the shots.
#5
Well it would have been nice to shoot down the Nork missile but we didn't. Maybe this was because China asked us not to.
I don't think the PRC cares much about the missiles but there is some reason to think they have restricted the NORK nuke program (no tests lately, no satellite signature of a reactor operating) If the cost of slowing the NORK nuke program is letting them shoot a missile, its not too high a price.
#6
This is just the beginning. Obambi is a limp-dick and everyone knows it. He will be rolled by every country in the world, big and small. No wonder they were cheering him on so much.
#7
Biden: Mark my words, it will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking... were gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy.
#8
Barry might as well hold up a sign and tell the Chinese Communists to go ahead and take Taiwan. Of course there would be the perfunctory, strongly worded appear to the UN Security Council.
[Geo News] Residents of Swat valley have denied occurrence of any incident in which a girl had been whipped in front of public. Meanwhile, IG Police NWFP will present his report in connection with incident before the larger bench of Supreme Court on Monday. E pur si muove.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Arrestee Maulana Mohammad Russell of Green Crescent Orphanage and Madrasa yesterday in a confessional statement said one Hasan Saifuddin Badal and Humayun Ahmed used to hold meetings at Green Crescent.
He made his confessional statement to a Bhola magistrate under section 164 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). Answering to a query during the confession he said expatriate Faisal was the owner of the madrasa-cum-orphanage and Russell did not know anything about militant activities there.
Rab arrested Russell from the orphanage at Bhola on March 24. The elite law-enforcing agency also recovered a huge volume of arms and ammunition from there.
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[Iran Press TV Latest] A week into his new job as CEO of GM, Fritz Henderson says he is confident in the future of the company but a bankruptcy remains a possibility.
Posted by: Fred ||
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I wonder who the clients were?
New York's attorney general has filed civil fraud charges against a hedge fund manager who funneled billions of dollars in client money to Wall Street swindler Bernard Madoff. The complaint charges J. Ezra Merkin with lying to his investors about how he was handling their money. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo says Merkin invested $2.4 billion in client cash with Madoff without their permission. The complaint said Merkin collected $470 million in management fees from the accounts. Merkin claimed he was victimized by Madoff like everyone else. He is the former chairman of the financing arm of General Motors Corp.
#2
I support sending GM into bankruptcy, because it would force re-organization. UAW contracts allow full-time workers to be on the job less than 180 days per year. Granted that management over-produced gas guzzlers, but those incompetents are already being turfed out; the union contract needs similar treatment. Can't be done? There is a legal concept of "Frustrated contract," which is applicable where performance is impossible. Clearly UAW' imposed non-viability frustrates their sweetheart deals. And the public - most of whom work 240 days per year - has no desire to subsidize sloth.
#3
The problem is bankruptcy as envisioned by the Obama administration is to spit GM into two parts. One w/o debt that has a chance at viability. The other saddled with debt, poor products, union pensions and retiree health care. Every few months taxpayers will pump billions into the second entity until all members die of old age. The second entity will also go by the more familiar name "Detroit".
Posted by: ed ||
04/06/2009 15:56
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#4
Theres no need for confusion. Part 935 of Regulation 823, Section 323, Part L, Subpart iii clearly states automobiles shall be designed in the following manner
[Iran Press TV Latest] PakistanŽs Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi says Islamabad will block any decision by the US to conduct operations inside its territories.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009
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#1
OK Big mouth, just how Y'all planning to do that?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/06/2009 0:40
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#4
Helluva lot of foreign troops in Pakland, just that they die for AQ and the Talibunnies. Certainly not from just locals. If you don't control the territory, its not yours to claim sovereignty over.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/06/2009 18:04
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#8
IF they don't get their sh$$ together and do some housecleaning, there may very well be LOTS of foreign troops in Pakistan, and they won't have a thing to say about it but "aiiiieeeeeee".
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/06/2009 18:55
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NAIROBI - Somali pirates have hijacked a 20,000-tonne German container carrier in the Indian Ocean, a Kenya-based maritime official told AFP on Sunday. The ship was taken yesterday (Saturday) far out at sea, around 400 nautical miles from the Somali coast, between Kenya and the Seychelles, said Andrew Mwangura, of the East African Seafarers Assistance Programme.
He said he believed the ship has a crew of around 24 and may be using a flag of convenience.
400 miles is a long ways out to sea.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/06/2009
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#1
A long time ago there was an attempt to electrify the skin of a ship with AC to remove barnacles.
#2
Barbed wire worked for the Israeli ship. I can just vision ships putting in to harbor with a roll of concertina wire around the whole vessel, just below the deck. Leave out the claymores, though - that would be hazardous to everyone's health.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/06/2009 13:53
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[Bangla Daily Star] Five more Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) jawans yesterday confessed to magistrates that they were involved in the February 25-26 mutiny in the BDR headquarters.
Meantime, a Dhaka court placed 24 BDR jawans and a civilian on a five-day remand for each to interrogate about the carnage.
Besides, 45 more jawans were shown arrested in the mutiny case and they were sent to jail after being produced before the court yesterday. Apart from them, Rab at Pilkhana headquarters arrested eight more BDR men yesterday.
The jawans who made confessional statements under the section 164 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) are havildar Yusuf Ali, Abu Taher, sepoys Nafiul Kazi, Alim Reza and Shafuil Azam.
Following a petition submitted by investigation officer (IO) of the case Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Abdul Kahar Akand of Criminal Investigation Department (CID), metropolitan magistrates Tofail Hasan, Zulfikar Hayat, Abdur Rahim and AKM Emdadul Haque recorded their statements.
After recording statements, the five accused were sent to jail. With yesterday's tally, a total of 19 BDR jawans made confessional statements in connection with the case.
Metropolitan magistrate Faisal Atiq Bin Kader placed 24 BDR jawans and a civilian on a five-day remand for each after the IO prayed for 10-day remand.
The jawans, nayek subedar Monoranjan Sarkar, havildar Momin Ali, lance nayek Badsha Alam, nayeks Abu Sayeed, Abul Kalam, sepoys Iqbal Hossain, Shahjahan Ali, Abdur Razzak, Masud Rana, Mohammad Mizan, Mojibur Rahman, Hadiul Islam, Jalal Uddin, Bulbul Hossain, Mohaddes Kazi, Tarapada Mondol, Mohammad Zia, Shafiqul Islam, Shahjahan, Jahangir Aalm, Alam Ali, Abdur Rashid, Abdul Hossain, Akhter Hossain, and a civilian Abdullah Al Mamun are placed on remand.
A total of 155 BDR jawans have been placed on remand so far in the case.
Moreover, a total of 851 BDR jawans had been shown arrested in the case after it was filed with Lalbagh Police Station on February 28.
The were identified as Nayek Sheikh Mohammad Shahidur Rahman, Sepoys Sri Pulak Kanti Mallik, Mohammad Obaidul Islam, Zakir Hossain, Mohammad Rien Ahmed, Mohammad Rajibul Hasan, Mohammad Fazlur Rahman and Mohammad Rofiqul Islam.
Rab sources last night said they were preparing to hand them over to Lalbagh Police Station.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009
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[Geo News] Chairman Pakistan International Human Rights, Raja Liaquat Ali has said that the video footage of a 17-year old Swat girl being aired on media is fictitious and termed it a conspiracy to malign Islam. Addressing a press conference in Swat Press Club, he said the video footage of a girl being flogged in public has nothing to do with Swat and that it is a made-up video. "The purpose of displaying this video is to tarnish the image of Islam." He said some elements want the Swat peace agreement to fizzle out.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/06/2009
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On this day in history: April 6th
1862 - American Civil War: The Battle of Shiloh begins.
1896 - In Athens, the opening of the first modern Olympic Games is celebrated.
1917 - World War I: The United States declares war on Germany.
1965 - Launch of Early Bird, the first communications satellite to be placed in geosynchronous orbit.
1973 - The American League of Major League Baseball begin using the Designated Hitter.
#5
ethinyl estradiol They are: menstrual cycles may become more regular. SIDE EFFECTS: May cause dizziness, lightheadedness, headache, stomach upset, bloating, or nausea. These effects should disappear as your body adjusts to the medication. Report promptly: mental/mood changes, skin rash, hot flashes, stomach pain, breast tenderness, blurred vision, abnormal vaginal bleeding. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist. Where can I get more information? Your pharmacist can provide more information about Mircette. It is important to take your pill at the same time every day, as missing doses of Mircette increases your risk of pregnancy. Oral Contraceptive, Mircette, Receives FDA Approval Oral Contraceptive, Mircette, Receives FDA Approval Unregistered User If this is not your name, click here.
#7
Just saw the picture of Marilu Henner today. I wish these retired actresses could learn how to grow old gracefully and not get plastic surgery that makes them look like alien creatures.
Posted by: Jonathan ||
04/06/2009 21:23
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced a 2010 Pentagon budget Monday that reflects major changes in the "scope and significance" of Defense Department priorities.
In the wake of an Obama administration program to rescue troubled homeowners, several federal agencies are teaming up to fight mortgage and foreclosure scams, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said Monday.
[Kyodo: Korea] U.S. President Barack Obama laid out an ambitious vision for a world without nuclear weapons Sunday, saying the United States will take the lead in doing so as the only country that has used one. Delivering a speech in the Czech capital, he branded nuclear arms ŽŽthe most dangerous legacy of the Cold WarŽŽ and blasted North Korea for launching a rocket earlier in the day in a suspected test of a Taepodong-2 long-range ballistic missile.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Mahmoud Abbas has said that Israel must accept the creation of a Palestinian state and stop settlements in order to reopen stalled peace talks. 
Law makers, political leaders and analysts, lawyers and university teachers simultaneously on Sunday called upon the government to take effective initiatives to stop extra judicial and political killings.
[Bangla Daily Star] Commerce Minister Faruk Khan yesterday said those BDR members who still remain absconding would be considered deserters and would lose their jobs automatically after 60 daysŽ absence from the duty as per the BDR rules.
[Geo News] Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Sunday that no foreign military boot will step in Pakistan and our own law enforcement agencies and paramilitary forces will conduct anti-terrorism operation inside the country.
ISLAMABAD - A suicide bomber attacked a crowded mosque south of the Pakistani capital on Sunday, killing 22 people and wounding dozens more, officials said. A senior Pakistani Taliban commander claimed responsibility Sunday for the Islamabad attack, saying it was in retaliation for U.S. drone missile strikes against militants in Pakistan near the Afghan border.
DUBAI - The deputy prime minister of Chechnya is being sought by Dubai Police for 'masterminding' the killing of former rebel leader Sulim Yamadayev. 
[Bangla Daily Star] Arrestee Maulana Mohammad Russell of Green Crescent Orphanage and Madrasa yesterday in a confessional statement said one Hasan Saifuddin Badal and Humayun Ahmed used to hold meetings at Green Crescent. 
NAIROBI - Somali pirates have hijacked a 20,000-tonne German container carrier in the Indian Ocean, a Kenya-based maritime official told AFP on Sunday. The ship was taken yesterday (Saturday) far out at sea, around 400 nautical miles from the Somali coast, between Kenya and the Seychelles, said Andrew Mwangura, of the East African Seafarers Assistance Programme.
[Bangla Daily Star] Five more Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) jawans yesterday confessed to magistrates that they were involved in the February 25-26 mutiny in the BDR headquarters.
