TWO Brits have been jailed in Ibiza for beating up a man while dressed as Batman and Robin.
The unnamed pair, both 18, were returning from a party in the resort of San Antonio when they got in an argument with their victim.
The 30-year-old Spaniard lost three teeth in the attack in the early hours of Wednesday. Both men were sentenced to a year in jail and ordered to pay £5,000 compensation.
They will be released and have their sentences suspended when the money is paid.
A third arrested Brit, dressed as Batmans arch-enemy The Joker, was cleared of any involvement.
TEHRAN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he met two military commanders from US-led forces on his trip to Iraq in March and that they even took souvenir pictures to commemorate the encounter. His claims were published on Saturday in reformist newspapers and the conservative Jomhouri Eslami, which said the comments came in a speech he made over a month ago that was first broadcast by state television late Wednesday.
There was no immediate confirmation of the comments from the Iranian presidency or any further reaction on Sunday.
Ahmadinejad has also said he was the target of an assassination plot during his historic visit to Iraq. "When I was in Iraq ... I was told that one of the occupying commanders wanted to see me," Ahmadinejad was quoted as telling commanders from the volunteer Basij militia. "Apparently, he was due to leave on vacation but he had delayed his vacation to see me and I agreed. When he saw me, he told me that he was proud of me and said 'you are in our hearts.' Then he asked me to take a souvenir picture with me. And he and his deputy did just that." Probably Photoshopped.
"So I patted him on the shoulder and I encouraged him and told him to protect Iraqi people," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying.
He did not say which country the commanders were from, although the context of his comments suggested that they were supposed to be American.
Jomhouri Eslami, a newspaper close to Iran's hard-line establishment, reacted with skepticism to the reported comments. "If the American commanders [in Iraq] are with Iran then how come the Americans wanted to abduct the Iranian president there?" it asked.
Ahmadinejad's remarks were also published in the reformist Aftab-e Yazd, Etemad-e Melli and Sarmayeh newspapers and a video of his speech has been posted on the YouTube video-sharing website.
Ahmadinejad said in June that enemies had planned to kidnap and kill him in Iraq but the plot was foiled. Some newspapers openly ridiculed his suggestion, with one saying that if the Americans had wanted to kidnap him they would have done it during his annual visit to the UN General Assembly in New York.
His envoy to Rome also said that Ahmadinejad was the target of an "X-ray radiation plot" during his trip to Rome for the UN food summit in June.
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama expects to be accompanied on his battlefront tours of Iraq and Afghanistan by two fellow senators who are military veterans and often mentioned as potential running mates. Sens. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., and Jack Reed, D-R.I., are experts on foreign policy, Obama told reporters while flying to California late Saturday. Hagel served as an Army sergeant in Vietnam and was twice wounded in 1968, earning two Purple Hearts. Reed, a West Point graduate, was an Army Ranger and paratrooper.
"They reflect, I think, a traditional bipartisan wisdom when it comes to foreign policy. Neither of them are ideologues but try to get the facts right and make a determination about what's best for U.S. interests _ and they're good guys," Obama said.
Obama planned to visit Europe as well, and he told reporters that he hoped to resolve concerns expressed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel about using Brandenburg Gate as a backdrop for a speech in Berlin. Merkel questioned the propriety of a foreign political figure using such a historic backdrop as that former Communist demarkation point to deliver a campaign speech.
"I want to make sure that my message is heard as opposed to creating a controversy," Obama said. "So, you know, our goal is just for me to lay out how I think about the next administration's role in rebuilding a trans-Atlantic alliance, so I don't want the venue to be a distraction. What I want to do is just work with folks on the ground to find someplace that's appropriate."
In other remarks during his first conversation with his traveling press corps in five days, Obama said:
_There is "little doubt we've moved into recession," which he said underscores the need for a second economic stimulus package, swift steps to shore up the housing market and a long-term energy policy to reduce reliance on foreign oil.
_Removing U.S. forces from Iraq won't be "perfectly neat," adding that a call from Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for a withdrawal timetable supports his position more than the longer-term presence favored by rival John McCain or his fellow Republican, President Bush. Bush and the Arizona senator have chided Obama for proposing to withdraw U.S. forces within 16 months of taking office. McCain, a Vietnam War veteran, has even suggested it exhibits naivete by his rival, a freshman senator from Illinois.
"John McCain and George Bush both said that if Iraq, as a sovereign government, stated that it was time for us to start withdrawing our troops, then they would respect the wishes of that sovereign government," Obama told reporters as he flew from Chicago to California.
_He has been closely monitoring the financial health of mortgage providers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Concerns falling home values may require a government bailout prompted a Wall Street sell-off Friday before markets recovered. "There are a lot of different definitions of what a `bailout' would look like," Obama said. "There are issues related to the short-term liquidity _ can they borrow money? _ versus issues related to whether the underlying assets of the two corporations are really unsound. And I think we need to watch carefully and see how it plays out before we make a decision about which steps need to be taken."
_He hadn't spoken with the Rev. Jesse Jackson since the civil rights leader spoke into an open microphone that he wanted to castrate Obama for delivering a speech about fatherhood that Jackson thought spoke down to black men. "I had spoken to him before, a few days before what he said was released, and, we had actually discussed some of the concerns that he had raised about my fatherhood speech, and I told him that I absolutely believe that we have structural inequalities that have to be dealt with," the senator said.
1.) Selma Got Me Born - NOT EXACTLY, your parents felt safe enough to have you in 1961 - Selma had no effect on your birth, as Selma was in
1965. (Google 'Obama Selma' for his full March 4, 2007 speech and articles about its various untruths.)
2.) My Father Was A Goat Herder - NOT EXACTLY, he was a privileged, well educated youth, who went on to work with the Kenyan Government.
3.) Father Was A Proud Freedom Fighter - NOT EXACTLY, he was part of one of the most corrupt and violent governments Kenya has ever had.
4.) My Family Has Strong Ties To African Freedom - NOT EXACTLY, your cousin Raila Odinga has created mass violence in attempting to overturn a legitimate election in 2007, in Kenya . It is the first widespread violence in decades. The current government is pro-American but Odinga wants to overthrow it and establish Muslim Sharia law. Your half-brother, Abongo Oba ma, is Odinga's follower. You interrupted your New Hampshire campaigning to speak to Odinga on the phone.
Obama's cousin Odinga in Kenya ran for president and tried to get Sharia muslim law in place there. When Odinga lost the elections, his
followers have burned Christians' homes and then burned men, women and children alive in a Christian church where they took shelter.. Obama SUPPORTED his cousin before the election process here started.
Google Obama and Odinga and see what you get. No one wants to know the truth.
5.) My Grandmother Has Always Been A Christian - NOT EXACTLY, she does her daily Salat prayers at 5am according to her own interviews. Not to mention, Christianity wouldn't allow her to have been one of 14 wives to 1 man.
6.) My Name is African Swahili - NOT EXACTLY, your name is Arabic and 'Baraka' (from which Barack came) means 'blessed' in that language.
Hussein is also Arabic and so is Obama.
Barack Hussein Obama is not half black. If elected, he would be the first Arab-American President, not the first black President. Barack Hussein Obama is 50% Caucasian from his mother's side and 43.75% Arabic and 6.25% African Negro from his father's side. While Barack Hussein Obama's father was from Kenya , his father's family was mainly Arabs.. Barack Hussein Obama's father was only 12.5% African Negro and 87.5% Arab (his father's birth certificate even states he's Arab, not African Negro). From....and for more....go to.....
7.) I Never Practiced Islam - NOT EXACTLY, you practiced it daily at school, where you were registered as a Muslim and kept that faith for 31
years, until your wife made you change, so you could run for office.
4-3-08 Article "Obama was 'quite religious in islam'" http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=60559
8.) My School In Indonesia Was Christian - NOT EXACTLY, you were registered as Muslim there and got in trouble in Koranic Studies for making
faces (check your own book).
February 28, 2008. Kristoff from the New York Times a year ago: Mr. Obama recalled the opening lines of the Arabic call to prayer, reciting
them with a first-rate accent. In a remark that seemed delightfully uncalculated (it'll give Alabama voters heart attacks), Mr. Obama described the call to prayer as "one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset." This is just one example of what Pamela is talking about when she says "Obama's narrative is being altered, enhanced and manipulated to whitewash troubling facts."
9.) I Was Fluent In Indonesian - NOT EXACTLY, not one teacher says you could speak the language.
10.) Because I Lived In Indonesia , I Have More Foreign Experience - NOT EXACTLY, you were there from the ages of 6 to 10, and couldn't even speak the language. What did you learn, how to study the Koran and watch cartoons?
11.) I Am Stronger On Foreign Affairs - NOT EXACTLY, except for Africa (surprise) and the Middle East (bigger surprise), you have never been anywhere else on the planet and thus have NO experience with our closest allies.
12.) I Blame My Early Drug Use On Ethnic Confusion - NOT EXACTLY, you were quite content in high school to be Barry Obama, no mention of Kenya and no mention of struggle to identify - your classmates said you were just fine.
13.)An Ebony Article Moved Me To Run For Office - NOT EXACTLY, Ebony has yet to find the article you mention in your book. It doesn't, and never did, exist.
14.) A Life Magazine Article Changed My Outlook On Life - NOT EXACTLY, Life has yet to find the article you mention in your book. It
doesn't, and never did, exist.
15.) I Won't Run On A National Ticket In '08 - NOT EXACTLY, here you are, despite saying, live on TV, that you would not have enough experience by then, and you are all about having experience first.
16.) Voting "Present" is Common In Illinois Senate - NOT EXACTLY, they are common for YOU, but not many others have 130 NO VOTES.
17.) Oops, I Misvoted - NOT EXACTLY, only when caught by church groups and Democrats, did you beg to change your misvote.
18.) I Was A Professor Of Law - NOT EXACTLY, you were a senior lecturer ON LEAVE.
19.) I Was A Constitutional Lawyer - NOT EXACTLY, you were a senior lecturer ON LEAVE.
20.) Without Me, There Would Be No Ethics Bill - NOT EXACTLY, you didn't write it, introduce it, change it, or create it.
21.) The Ethics Bill Was Hard To Pass - NOT EXACTLY, it took just 14 days from start to finish.
22.) I Wrote A Tough Nuclear Bill - NOT EXACTLY, your bill was rejected by your own party for its pandering and lack of all regulation -
mainly because of your Nuclear donor, Exelon, from which David Axelrod came.
23.) I Have Released My State Records - NOT EXACTLY, as of March, 2008, state bills you sponsored or voted for have yet to be released,
exposing all the special interests pork are still closed.
24.) I Took On The Asbestos Altgeld Gardens Mess - NOT EXACTLY, you were part of a large group of people who remedied Altgeld Gardens . You failed to mention anyone else but yourself, in your books.
25.) My Economics Bill Will Help America - NOT EXACTLY, your 111 economic policies were just combined into a proposal which lost 99-0, and
even YOU voted against your own bill.
26.) I Have Been A Bold Leader In Illinois - NOT EXACTLY, even your own supporters claim to have not seen BOLD action on your part.
27.) I Passed 26 Of My Own Bills In One Year - NOT EXACTLY, they were not YOUR bills, but rather handed to you, after their creation by a
fellow Senator, to assist you in a future bid for higher office.
28.) No One on my campaign contacted Canada about NAFTA - NOT EXACTLY, the Candian Government issued the names and a memo of the
conversation your campaign had with them.
29.) I Am Tough On Terrorism - NOT EXACTLY, you missed the Iran Resolution vote on terrorism and your good friend Ali Abunimah supports the destruction off Israel .
30.) I Want All Votes To Count - NOT EXACTLY, you said let the delegates decide.
31.) I Want Americans To Decide - NOT EXACTLY, you prefer caucuses that limit the vote, confuse the voters, force a public vote, and only
operate during small windows of time.
32.) I passed 900 Bills in the State Senate - NOT EXACTLY, you passed 26, most of which you didn't write yourself.
33.) I Believe In Fairness, Not Tactics - NOT EXACTLY, you used tactics to eliminate Alice Palmer from running against you.
34.) I Don't Take PAC Money - NOT EXACTLY, you take LOADS of it.
35.) I don't Have Lobbysists - NOT EXACTLY, you have over 47 lobbyists and counting.
36.) My Campaign Had Nothing To Do With The 1984 Ad - NOT EXACTLY, your own campaign worker made the ad on his Apple
in one afternoon.
37.) I Have Always Been Against Iraq - NOT EXACTLY, you weren't in office to vote against it AND you have voted to fund it every single time.
38.) I Have Always Supported Universal Health Care - NOT EXACTLY, your plan leaves us all to pay for the 15,000,000 who don't have to buy it
"Qui non intelligit aut discat aut taceat"
Who does not understand should either learn, or be silent
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear smart, until you hear them speak!
WASHINGTON: Iraq's national security adviser on Sunday denied a report that Washington and Baghdad have abandoned efforts to conclude a deal on the status of US troops in Iraq before the end of the presidency of George W. Bush. Muwaffaq al-Rubaie said a Washington Post story Sunday was "missing the point" and that the two sides were still aiming to achieve a pact.
The Post reported that in place of the formal status-of-forces agreement negotiators had aimed to complete by July 31, the two governments are now working on a "bridge" document that would allow basic US military operations to continue beyond the expiration of a UN mandate at the end of the year, the report said. "I don't think this is true, to be quite honest," Rubaie told CNN. "We are trying very hard to get to this [July] timeline, and I believe that there is still hope," he added.
The failure of months of negotiations is being blamed on both the Iraqi refusal to accept US terms and the complexity of the task, the daily said.
Although Bush has repeatedly rejected calls for a troop withdrawal timeline, "we are talking about dates," acknowledged one US official close to the talks, according to the Post. Iraqi political leaders "are all telling us the same thing ... Iraqis want to know that foreign troops are not going to be here forever," the official was quoted as saying.
Unlike the status-of-forces agreements with South Korea and Japan, where large numbers of US troops have been based for decades, the document now under discussion with Iraq is likely to cover only 2009, the report said. Negotiators expect it to include a "time horizon," with specific goals for US troop withdrawal from Baghdad and other cities and installations such as the palace that now houses the US Embassy, the Post said.
Rubaie used similar language when discussing possibilities for agreement on troop withdrawal, saying "it is the right time now to start talking about planning a time line horizon" for an exit of foreign troops.
Last week in Najaf, Rubaie said Baghdad would not reach any security pact with Washington unless it sets a "specific date for a complete withdrawal of foreign troops," a proposal turned down by Bush.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, July 12 (Reuters) - A volcano in Alaska's Aleutian chain erupted on Saturday, sending a cloud of ash 35,000 feet (10.7 kilometres) into the air and prompting the evacuation of the 10 people who live on the eastern side of the island, officials said.
Okmok Volcano, located on Umnak Island, had an explosive eruption that started just before noon and was continuing through Saturday night, reported the Alaska Volcano Observatory, the joint state-federal agency that monitors Alaska's volcanoes. The volcano rises to 3,520 feet (1,073-metre) and is located about 65 miles (105 kilometres) southwest of Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, a major fishing port with 4,300 full-time residents, and about 900 miles (1,450 kilometres) southwest of Anchorage.
Shortly after the eruption, the residents of the island's cattle ranch, located close to the volcano, placed a call seeking evacuation, the U.S. Coast Guard said. A fishing vessel took the Umnak residents to Unalaska, the Coast Guard said.
In Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, residents have been showered with a light ashfall, said Jennifer Adleman, a geologist with the Alaska Volcano Observatory. "There have been reports of eye irritation and people being able to taste it, if you will," Adleman said. "Some folks have seen it on their windshields."
At least two airline flights into Unalaska/Dutch Harbor were canceled and advisories have been sent out to aircraft pilots and mariners, Adleman said.
Okmok Volcano is highly active, with about 16 eruptions occurring every 10 to 20 years since 1805, she said. The last eruption was in 1997, an event that produced ash clouds and a lava flow that traveled five miles across the volcano's caldera floor, she said.
There is a small Aleut village, Nikolski, that is also located on the other side of Umnak Island. That village of about 40 people is to the west of Okmok Volcano and out of the southeasterly path of the ash cloud. I looked on NOAA's Alaska Aviation Weather Unit site this morning and there is a SIGMET out from Okmok Volcano up the Aleutian Island Chain and the Alaska Peninsula, even covering Kodiak Island. The SIGMET warns of volcanic ash clouds to 45,000 ft. This is not good for jets. Some years ago, a KLM 747 suffered a 4-engine flameout flying through the ash cloud. They fortunately got the engines going, after losing 10,000 ft. The plane landed in Anchorage, and had looked like it had been severely sandblasted.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/13/2008
15:53 ||
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#1
That ash isn't ash. It's more like rock-sponge. It's worse if it rains; then it turns into a liquid cement. I remember my St. Helens.
That plane was lucky to get restarted; I'm surprised they'd be foolish enough to fly through the cloud. I thought they diverted everyone around this kind of thing.
I've been looking for a webcam with no success. Any word where it falls on the EI scale for eruptions?
#2
this will not help Glowball Warming. Obamessiah should be called upon to stop the eruption
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/13/2008 17:10
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#3
To: Halliburton Volcano Division
From: Director, Halliburton Targeting Committee
Look, boys. We don't necessarily mind you guys testing out your newest toys, but you simply must consult on the choice of targets with this committee before the test.
Our target list includes a host of opportune sites where you could have received all kinds of data from your recent test such as the effects of volcanic ash on the respiratory systems of mullahs and Muslim citizenry, the effects of volcanic ash on the targeting systems, lubrication, and fuel economy of IRG ballistic missile, the efects of the ash on Iranian nuclear laboratory facilities, and the results of large-scale volcanic eruptions on the movement of populations in remote desert countries floating on a sea of oil.
Please, in the future, limit your tests to our approved targeting list as follows,
Tehran, Qum, Islamabad, Mecca, Medina, NWFP, etc., etc.
#4
So let me guess. This is in WOT Operations because the Taliban somehow managed to bomb the volcano into activity in order to terrorize the townsfolk?
Posted by: Swamp Blondie in the Cornfields ||
07/13/2008 19:56
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#6
FOTSGreg, Please, in the future, limit your tests to our approved targeting list as follows,
Tehran, Qum, Islamabad, Mecca, Medina, NWFP, etc., etc.
Citizens Mandate..
.. Washington DC shall be targeted first things first, for continuous eruptions till it is buried 100 yards deep. :)
#10
Sorry for the WOT dept misfiling. It should have been under Local.
There is now better monitoring of volcanic eruptions on the Aleutians and Russian Kamchatka Peninsula, as there is a lot of air traffic on the North Pacific routes.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/13/2008 21:50
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#11
Moved to Local at 9:18 CDT. AoS.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/13/2008 22:17
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Nine U.S. troops were killed in an attack Sunday on a base in a remote province of eastern Afghanistan, a Western official familiar with the situation said.
It's the deadliest attack on U.S. troops in Afghanistan in three years.
Though details of the attack were not immediately available, an earlier statement from NATO's International Security Assistance Force said Afghan and ISAF soldiers were involved in "heavy fighting" with insurgents at a command outpost in Kunar province.
"Insurgents have been firing at the [command outpost] with small arms, machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars, using homes, shops and the mosque in the village of Wanat for cover," according to the statement.
ISAF and Afghan soldiers, backed by air support, responded with small arms, machine guns, mortars and artillery, the statement said.
"There have been casualties on both sides of the fight, but accurate numbers could not be confirmed as the fighting is ongoing at the time of this release," the statement said.
Since the start of coalition operations in Afghanistan, 470 U.S. troops have died. This figure includes Sunday's casualties.
News of the dead U.S. troops came after a suicide bomber riding a motorcycle killed at least 21 people, including four police officers, in southern Afghanistan Sunday.
The latest incidents are part of a deadly wave of weekend attacks that also included a suicide attack at an army camp in Helmand province and the death of two coalition soldiers.
The motorcycle attack occurred in the southern Afghanistan city of Tarin Kowt on Sunday, Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi said.
The suicide bomber blew himself up in a market, authorities said.
Helmand province was the site of a deadly suicide attack by a teenager Saturday. Authorities said the teen detonated his explosives-laden vest outside an Afghan National Army camp. The blast killed the bomber and three others, officials said.
The boy approached the army camp in the Marja district. A soldier discovered the vest while searching the teenager, but it detonated immediately, ISAF said.
The blast killed the teen and two soldiers. A child later died of his injuries, ISAF said.
In other developments:
Also in Helmand province, a coalition member was killed in a roadside bomb Sunday, the U.S. military said. The identity and nationality of the soldier was not disclosed.
In northern Afghanistan on Saturday, a soldier assigned to ISAF was killed in an explosion. The soldier's nationality was not released.
The Indian Embassy in Afghanistan will resume issuing visas on Monday, a week after a massive bombing outside its gates killed 58 people. An embassy staff member said maintenance work at the offices was almost complete. The suicide car bomb detonated July 7 in a crowded street outside the embassy, where dozens of people were lined up to apply for visas.
Also in Helmand province, Afghan National Security Forces and coalition troops killed at least 40 militants in an ongoing operation, a coalition statement said. "Militants attacked an ANSF and coalition forces security patrol beginning [Saturday] in Sangin district, using small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades, from multiple concealed and fortified positions. The ensuing fight led ANSF and coalition forces to return fire and call for precision air strikes," the coalition statement said. "At least 40 militants have been killed in the last two days, while over 30 enemy boats and several hand bridges were also destroyed on the Helmand River."
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/13/2008 14:39
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#2
More details.
KABUL, Afghanistan - A multi-pronged militant assault on a small, remote U.S. base killed nine American soldiers and wounded 15 Sunday in the deadliest attack on U.S. forces in Afghanistan in three years, officials said.
The militant assault on the American troops began around 4:30 a.m. in a dangerous region close to the Pakistan border and lasted throughout the day. Militants fired machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars from homes and a mosque in the village of Wanat in the mountainous northeastern province of Kunar, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said in a statement.
#3
You won't make permanent headway in Afghanistan until you cut of the head of the serpent in the frontier providences of Pakistan and even Pak itself. They will respect force. I agree with Old Patriot. We need BUFFS over the base areas. They are not impressed with precision JDAMs, but they are impressed with area pulverization. They do respect power.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
07/13/2008 14:49
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#4
Paul...I think the period between the election and inauguration will be a very interesting period. We pretty much know where the islamo-cockroaches are. It's a matter of doing the job. It would not surprise me that we do just that: MOAB's in the Pak mountain fortresses and arc-light's in the Pak training camps. And let the world...especially allan... be d*mned.
#6
The status quo not only isn't working; it cannot work as long as NATO allows the Pashto Heroin industry to flourish. After the harvest ends in May, Taliban recruits for the Summer Offensive. And they have at least $150,000,000 in their pockets at the time. The RPGs they use are not donated.
Reminder: Karzai praised Taliban "morality" in a der Spiegel interview last month. That Pashto dirtbag has to go.
#7
Roggio is reporting that fighting is ongoing. It wasn't so much a hit and run attack as it seems to be a fairly protracted battle that is still continuing.
#8
Note the difference in Iraq: they have NO shelter, and are prusued reletlessly, by untis that seekk to close with, engage and destroy the enemy.
In Afghanistan, that's not the case wiht much of the NATO contingent - plus the Taliban and Al Qaeda have sheltered logistics support in Pakistan for recovery and re-organization thanks to the Pakistani government being utterly incompetent or else maliciously involved in supporting the Talib.
Until we pursue and destroy the enemy in Pakistan, Afghanistan will remain a mess.
#9
hola goat bugger! Long time no hear! Dad finally left the laptop unsecured?
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/13/2008 17:03
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#10
Poor little justice. He hasn't noticed that his jihadi world-conquerers have been so thoroughly defeated in Iraq that they are running away to be killed in Afghanistan and Pakistan, land of the ignorant and impure. Not to mention that Dr. Fadl, the emir of Al Qaeda, the boss of Osama bin Laden and his assistant, that Egyptian al-Zawahiri, publicly repudiated all Al Qaeda has done in the name of jihad. Dr. Fadl even declared that those who kill innocents in the name of jihad or takfir, even Jews and Christians, will go straight to Hell, along with those who seduce them onto that false path.
But perhaps poor justice has not learnt Arabic, and so he does not know what all who have read the newspapers or watched the discussions on Al Jazeera televisions know: that the great modern theorist of Islam condemns those who engage in jihad against the West, against those who are guests in Muslim countries, and against those who are residents of countries where Muslims are allowed to live in peace and safety.
And justice, dear, do try to develop a sense of style. Your choice of colour combinations is appalling. Your parents must be so embarrassed when you leave the house.
#12
The North Vietnamese had Laos and Cambodia for sanctuaries, the Taliban have Pakistan and Iran. If we don't put a stop to this situation we're talking about the same no win policy that made Vietnam a 'Quagmire'.
#15
Oh, and just a BTW, there NoJustice...ass-wind, you're obviously not Muslim or Islamic, simply a little boy troll who wants to post something to get us going.
If that's really what you believe, I invite you to stand in the public square of any town in this country and spout your nonsense and racist filth. I'd love to be standing nearby to watch you count your teeth. If you're really brave, try it in Skokie or NYC or downtown Antioch where I live - or just come by the house sometime. I'd love to show you my bayonet collection.
#17
Militants fired machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and mortars from homes and a mosque in the village of Wanat in the mountainous northeastern province of Kunar, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said in a statement.
Need to reduce areas from which they are firing to rubble. I wonder if these were special forces units or regulars and if they had air support.
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
07/13/2008 20:11
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#21
Besides a friendlier regime in Pakistan, the Taliban benefit from a recent influx of foreign jihadis fleeing the rout of terrorist forces in Iraq. It is likely as well that the latter have brought their financial and western ideological and propaganda support with them.
Expect the left-liberals in this country to drop their phony bait-and-switch support for the Afghan operation and return to the full-blown defeatism/sedition that characterized their position before the Iraq invasion.
#24
Nine US soldier among scores who die in wave of attacks in Afghanistan
I recall a fairly good video or...two, about some semi-permanent US base/s in the A-Stan Mountains very near the Paki border. The Location best I can remember was West of Tank or South of Jalalabad in the A-Stan mountains.
The reason for my comment is that I was struck how few of our folks were stuck there perched up high on a mountain side in Indian country.
They ran regular hard ass defensive patrols but still the villages were not particularly friendly because there were so many hard core Talib types around.
Our guys had registered fires and aircraft on call but they seemed to be like sitting ducks inspite of the supporting arms.
The Talibs made their lives interesting by firing in harassment fire on a regular bases.
does anyone have these videos?
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
07/13/2008 20:34
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#25
Nimble, I expect B*O to flip away from that position as soon as the situation in Iraq is so bad for the jihad that even the MSM must acknowledge it.
The Anglican Church's only openly gay bishop says banning him from a once-a-decade meeting is a mistake.
The Most Rev. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire has not been invited to the Lambeth Conference, a summit of Anglican bishops that starts in Britain on Tuesday.
Robinson was consecrated bishop of New Hampshire in 2003 by the Episcopal Church, causing outrage among conservative Christians.
Robinson is quoted by Britain's Sunday Telegraph newspaper as calling it a mistake to ban him from the conference. Instead, he says he'll use his London sermon to denounce Anglican bishops who preach intolerance of homosexuality.
Robinson's presence as an openly practicing homosexual, and demands that his inherently disordered behavior be accepted as "normal", in contravention of a coouple of millinea of biblical and theological restrictions against that sort of thing (sexuality outside of marriage, marriage reserved to man and woman) is a symptomatic of the rot that has infiltrated the Anglican Church.
There will be a schism. Robinson and his gang will go their own way and end up fading into unitarianism, and other heterodox and heretical positions.
The orthodox part of the Anglican church will likely move further into orthodoxy and possibly rejoin with the Catholic Church.
#2
Hey, bishop, they don't want you around. Get it? So be a good lad and go off to bugger yourself on your own. Then go start the unstraight church of Episcopals. Those who wish may join you. Those who don't, well just bend over with your friends and give the straights a parting shot. I will be among those who see your backsides.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
07/13/2008 19:52
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TIKRIT, Iraq An Iraqi Police officer and a Sons of Iraq member were killed as a result of anti-Iraqi forces firing upon a soccer game south of Duluyiah July 13.
Two Iraqi civilians and a Sons of Iraq member were wounded in the attack, including a nine-year- old child.
To fire upon a soccer game where the people of Iraq are starting to enjoy normalcy and happiness is another example of the barbaric nature of the insurgents, said Maj. Peggy Kageleiry, spokesperson for Multi-National Division - North. To open fire at a soccer game where children are in attendance is horrific.
WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush long has vowed that the United States would leave Iraq if asked by Baghdad's leadership, but now that the request has been made, Bush is in no hurry to exit, analysts say.
Iraqi leaders have pressed for a withdrawal timetable as part of negotiations over the US military role beyond December 31, when the UN mandate which provides the legal basis for a foreign troop presence in Iraq expires.
The request was made first by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who last Monday said he was seeking a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops as part of a security agreement, which both sides were striving to conclude by July.
National security advisor Muwaffaq al-Rubaie followed on Tuesday by asserting Iraq would reject any security pact if it does not give a specific date for a complete withdrawal of foreign troops.
For Bush -- who said on May 24, 2007: "We are there at the invitation of the Iraqi government. ... If they were to say 'leave,' we would leave" -- it would appear Iraq's request for a US departure date has been made loud and clear.
But the White House has remained opposed to any set date for US pullout on the basis it could hand insurgents a victory, resisting attempts by foes in Congress to impose a withdrawal date.
The White House reacted to Maliki's comments by saying it was not negotiating a "hard date" for a US withdrawal from Iraq but it did not rule out discussions on "time-frames" with Baghdad.
Eventually, the administration will have "basically no choice" but to exit, according to Iraq expert Anthony Cordesman at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
"Iraq is a sovereign nation. The United States has repeated that point constantly. This is a government in Iraq that makes its own choices, and the US will have basically no choice," he said.
However, he warned that Iraq's leaders may not be as steadfast as they appear in calling for a withdrawal date.
"We ought to be very careful not to read too much into a report or an agreement nobody has seen, with conditions which may be surprisingly vague," Cordesman said.
A departure of combat troops, he stressed, could still leave behind large numbers of advisors to help in the fight against Al-Qaeda.
The Bush administration is playing on this uncertainty by publicly assuring that Iraq's call for a withdrawal date indicates an improvement of the situation, while sticking by its opposition to any fixed pullout schedule, experts say.
The White House has indicated it is open to what spokeswoman Dana Perino has called "aspirational time frames," but has repeated that any decisions must be based on conditions on the ground.
In a further sign that the two sides are far from a deal, a Washington Post report Sunday suggested the negotiations to conclude a so-called Status of Forces Agreement between the United States and Iraq by the time Bush leaves office have been abandoned, effectively leaving talks over the US military presence in Iraq to the next US administration.
The two governments were now working on a "bridge" document that would allow basic US military operations to continue beyond the expiration of a United Nations mandate at the end of the year, the Post reported, citing unnamed senior US officials.
Behind the scenes, US officials acknowledge that Iraqi leaders are ramping up calls for control of their own affairs because Iraqi sovereignty is a key campaign issue ahead of provincial polls in October.
The radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has likened any long-term US military presence to "eternal slavery."
Bush, who has often said he envisions a prolonged military presence in Iraq citing the South Korean situation as an example, was not being sincere when he said the United States would leave if asked, according to analyst Lawrence Korb, former assistant secretary of defense to president Ronald Reagan.
"He said it but he didn't mean it, he never thought they would ask for it," Korb said, adding it is unlikely, in his view, that anything more than a "target date" could be proposed before Bush leaves office in January 2009.
"Basically what Bush is going to do and Maliki is going to do is kick the can down the road to see who gets elected," Korb said.
- CHICAGO (AP) Comedian Bernie Mac endured some heckling and a campaign rebuke during a surprise appearance Friday night at a fundraiser for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.
Toward the end of a 10-minute standup routine at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Chicago, the 50-year-old star of "The Bernie Mac Show" joked about menopause, sexual infidelity and promiscuity, and used occasional crude language.
"My little nephew came to me and he said, 'Uncle, what's the difference between a hypothetical question and a realistic question?'" Mac said. "I said, I don't know, but I said, 'Go upstairs and ask your mother if she'd make love to the mailman for $50,000.'"
As the joke continued, the punchline evoked an angry response from at least one person in the audience, who said it was offensive to women.
"It's not funny. Let's get Barack on," a man shouted from the crowd, which paid $2,300 each to support the Illinois senator.
About 15 minutes later, Obama tried to smooth things over with a joke of his own.
"We can't afford to be divided by race. We can't afford to be divided by region or by class and we can't afford to be divided by gender, which by the way, that means, Bernie, you've got to clean up your act next time," Obama said. "This is a family affair. By the way, I'm just messing with you, man."
The incident drew response from Obama's campaign, which criticized Mac for his choice of material.
"Sen. Obama told Bernie Mac that he doesn't condone these statements and believes what was said was inappropriate," spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement after the event.
Mac, a Chicago native, said he's a longtime Obama supporter and called the presumptive Democratic nominee a "man's man" while offering him advice for the duration of the campaign trail.
"People like rumors. They're going to say things like you was at the club with Lil' Kim, and you and Kanye West got into a fist fight," he said. "You can't get upset. You've got to keep hope alive."
Mac's appearance was Obama's first celebrity event of the evening. Later at a Lincoln Park nightclub, Obama spoke to a raucous crowd of music fans, who paid up to $500 per person to see a performance by Wilco lead singer Jeff Tweedy, and two other band members.
"Before these guys go, I want them to know that I had heard a rumor that they had suggested that I had nothing by them on my iPod," Obama said. "That is not true. I love Wilco."
#1
Nothing like reinforcing the notion that the Left has become dry and devoid of any type of humor.
Angry Marxism -- welcome to the Democratic Party Bernie.
The Czech Republic's main oil refiner said on Saturday it was tapping state oil reserves and bringing in crude through an alternate pipeline after Russia cut deliveries to the central European state.
Czech officials said on Friday the cuts would nearly halve incoming oil from Russia -- which could hurt ties already under strain after the Czechs disregarded Russian objections and signed a missile defence pact with the United States this week.
The European Union and NATO member has been quick to quell speculation the reduced deliveries are politically motivated, and refinery Unipetrol said they were the result of "technical organisational" problems in Russia.
Unipetrol board member Ivan Ottis said in a statement the company had offset the reduced deliveries with state reserves and had increased the crude volume from the TAL-IKL pipeline from the Mediterranean. "At this moment, we have the situation under control," Ottis said. "Our production is not affected in any way."
He said there would be no fuel shortages or a rise in prices in what Unipetrol said it believed would be a "short outage".
Czech officials said they have demanded an explanation from Russia for the supply cuts, and government and energy officials are scheduled to meet on Monday to discuss the situation.
The Czechs depend for most of their oil supplies on Russia, but also have an alternative link to Ingolstadt in Germany. The country of 10.4 million people has oil products reserves for over 90 days.
Posted by: ed ||
07/13/2008
12:40 ||
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I hope they make long term changes to eliminate their dependency on Russian oil. That goes for their vodka supplies also. As long as Russia thinks it can dominate it's neighbors, it will. Try to only trade with neighbors who play fair.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
07/13/2008 19:41
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Incredible advice from someone in the mortgage business. From TFA:
Behind on his payments and fearful of losing his home of 16 years a 900-square-foot bungalow in Wilmington, N.C. Mr. Bailey had spent the previous six months unsuccessfully lobbying Countrywide, at the time the nations largest home lender and loan servicer.
Mr. Bailey, 41, promised in his e-mail message that he would pay every nickel he owed if Countrywide would modify his mortgage in a way that allowed him to keep his home. He sent the message to a grab bag of Countrywide e-mail addresses, which he had received from www.LoanSafe.org, an online forum for borrowers.
Among the recipients of his e-mail was someone he had never heard of before: Angelo R. Mozilo, Countrywides co-founder and chief executive. Lo and behold, Mr. Mozilo replied inadvertently, as it turned out.
This is unbelievable, Mr. Mozilo said in his message. Most of these letters now have the same wording. Obviously they are being counseled by some other person or by the Internet. Disgusting.
Within days, Mr. Mozilos e-mail was widely circulated on the Internet and in the news media, offering a rare instance when candid comments from a powerful C.E.O. entered the public realm. For Mr. Bailey, however, the disdain that Mr. Mozilo expressed was depressingly familiar.
After all, Mr. Bailey had received little else from Countrywide after he began trying to renegotiate an adjustable-rate loan that he could no longer afford. Until then, he says, the only guidance the lender provided was a suggestion from an employee of Countrywides home retention team that he cut back on groceries to pay his mortgage.
I told her that I probably spend $10 a day on groceries, Mr. Bailey recalls. And she said Maybe you can eat less.
#3
I wonder if it has occurred to the Democrats that their jacking up of the price of oil over the years by denying areas to production has caused people to default on mortgages because they need the money to get to work.
#4
This is unbelievable, Mr. Mozilo said in his message. Most of these letters now have the same wording. Obviously they are being counseled by some other person or by the Internet. Disgusting.
#5
Hey, A little Tabasco sauce on those loan papers and you got a tasty lunch. Got to be at least 50 pages. Every thing taste better with Tabasco I know that it works with "C" rats and its under $10
If you would like to donate to the Household Cavalry Operational Casualties Fund, send a cheque payable to Central Bank HCR to Walk New York c/o Welfare Officer, Household Cavalry Regiment, Combermere Barracks, St Leonards Road, Windsor SL4 3DN, or contact alistairgalloway@gmail.com.
#1
He got himself a good one there--classy lady, and beautiful to boot.
She did pretty well for herself, too.
May they both have a long and happy life together, and plenty of great-grandchildren to spoil.
Posted by: Mike ||
07/13/2008 15:38
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Just in case they don't publish my comment.....wishing them both many long, happy years together and all the best! Congratulations!
Posted by: Swamp Blondie in the Cornfields ||
07/13/2008 20:01
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#3
I salute you and your good service and wish you all your lovely bride the very beste Corporal!
Honi Soit Qui Mal (Shame on him who thinks this evil).
#4
If you would like to donate to the Household Cavalry Operational Casualties Fund, send a cheque payable to Central Bank HCR to Walk New York c/o Welfare Officer, Household Cavalry Regiment, Combermere Barracks, St Leonards Road, Windsor SL4 3DN, or contact alistairgalloway@gmail.com.
International and Afghan security forces killed at least 40 militants in an operation still under way in the southern province of Helmand, the US-led coalition said Sunday.
The fighting started on Saturday after militants ambushed an joint Afghan and international security patrol in the province's volatile Sangin district, the US-led coalition said in a statement. "The ensuing fight led ANSF (Afghanistan National Security Forces) and coalition forces to return fire and call for precision air strikes," it said. "At least 40 militants have been killed in the last two days, while over 30 enemy boats and several ... bridges were also destroyed on the Helmand River," it said.
A soldier with the same unit was killed by a bomb blast Sunday, the coalition announced earlier.
Posted by: ed ||
07/13/2008
12:12 ||
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#1
Pay Back!
MORE!
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
07/13/2008 20:46
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There have been many very different reactions to Max Mosleys basement bunk-up. Some have been offended and some unmoved, but most people, since its so Carry On up the Khyber, have read the reports and sniggered.
Hmmm. I wonder if Im alone in having a bit of respect for the man. I mean, there he is, a 68-year-old pensioner getting it on with five girls in the middle of the afternoon. Fair play to you, fella.
I felt much the same way when I heard Prince William had put his chopper in Kate Middletons back garden. Oooh, there was a lot of harrumphing but come on, chaps. The mans a prince. All he did was borrow one of his grannys helicopters to drop in on the floozy. Wouldnt you?
David Cameron laid out a new set of guidelines last week to which all Tory MEPs must now adhere. They fill me with horror and dread because it means were soon to be governed by a bunch of people who go to bed at 10, only drink ginger beer, never try to look up their secretaries skirts and are quite happy to get paid £4.50 an hour. In short, were going to be governed by bores and failures.
Why is this a good idea? No one says of their friends, I chose them because they are all so kind to animals and they do good works. We like people who like to laugh, to have fun, to break the rules once in a while.
Trouble is, its hard to find people like that any more . . .
In the olden days Private Eye was full of stories about journalists whod ripped off their employers for 40 grand and been in bed with a hooker when the story they were supposed to be covering broke. Now, its just an endless parade of mild hypocrisy. Eighteen months ago the Daily Mail said this. And now its saying the exact opposite. So what.
The maelstrom of expenses fraud and serial shagging has become a gentle eddy of honest-to-God mistakes. And whatever happened to the long lunch? Today, whenever I order a glass of wine in the middle of the day, people look at me as though I might be a Martian. And thats before I step outside for a cigarette.
This brings me on to Amy Winehouse. Has it occurred to anyone that she might be having a jolly good time? In the 1950s and 1960s, before the world became so po-faced, the rich and the famous would gather in Mustique and the south of France for debauched, drug-fuelled orgies and no one batted an eyelid. Today we tut because Russell Crowe has thrown a telephone at someone. And look what happens when an Old Etonian tries to make some governmental alterations in Africa. Instead of a statue in Trafalgar Square he gets 34 years in the slammer.
Imagine if we had someone like Winston Churchill in power today. A smoker. A drinker. A man given to Herculean bouts of depression. Under a hailstorm of criticism he wouldnt last a week. Look at poor old Charles Kennedy. Gone now and replaced with someone who, I feel sure, would get a dopamine rush from taking his dog for a walk.
Its the same for all of us. You can be ostracised by your neighbours for putting your refuse in the wrong-coloured bin, you can have your car vandalised if it has four-wheel drive and last week there were calls for cyclists to be jailed if they attempted to enliven this ludicrous means of transport by getting a move on.
Worse, the town of Redruth in Cornwall has imposed a 9pm curfew on all under16s, which means that every 15-year-old boy must now be at home each evening with his parents watching Panorama. I fear the Cornish courts had better brace themselves for a massive increase in cases of matricide.
I look sometimes at the microcosm that is my own life and its terrifying. Because in recent years I have been criticised for bumping into a horse chestnut tree; Ive been called a berk, on the front page of a national newspaper, for using an iPod while driving. And only a couple of weeks ago I was blasted for enjoying a gin and tonic while at the North Pole.
Theres a constant bombardment for me to sit up straight, eat my greens, comb my hair. It drives me mad. Honestly. Next time James May and I are at a Pole, weve decided hes going to mainline heroin and Im going to shoot a baby polar bear in the face. For fun.
I fear for our future. I worry that bad behaviour is being erased from society, and that unless the trend can be reversed somehow well all have to go through life on the Planet Stepford, a rictus grin masking the boiling turmoil of desperation inside. I yearn sometimes when I encounter a neatly stacked pyramid of tins of beans to push it over. Dont you? Wouldnt it break the monotony of having to drive at 30mph and eating a wholefood fair-trade sandwich at your desk.
Recently Annie Robinson and I dreamt up a TV show that would serve as an antidote to the endless parade of hectoring and finger-wagging programmes we get today. Instead of running down the street after a cowboy builder whod charged an old lady a million quid to build a fireplace, we would go after the victims.
It was to be called Sucker and it would celebrate the ingenious while pointing the finger and howling with laughter at the stupid, the gullible and the fat. Never has the nation needed such a show more. And never has such a thing been less likely to get commissioned. Unless, of course, we could get Max Mosley to present it.
#2
And look what happens when an Old Etonian tries to make some governmental alterations in Africa. Instead of a statue in Trafalgar Square he gets 34 years in the slammer.
I hope I live long enough to learn the truth of that entire affair. Something tells me the "Old Etonian" was left holding the bag.
Taliban militants executed two women in central Afghanistan late Saturday after accusing them of working as prostitutes on a U.S. base. The women, dressed in blue burqas, were shot and killed just outside Ghazni city in central Afghanistan, said Sayed Ismal, a spokesman for Ghazni's governor. He called the two "innocent local people."
Taliban fighters told Associated Press Television News the two women were executed for allegedly running a prostitution ring catering to U.S. soldiers and other foreign contractors at a U.S. base in Ghazni city.
1st Lt. Nathan Perry, a U.S. military spokesman, said he had not heard allegations "anything close to that nature."
A suicide attack in south Afghanistan has killed at least 21 people, many of them children, police say. The bomb was detonated in a market in the Deh Rawud district of Uruzgan province at about 1030 local time. Provincial police chief Jumma Gul told the BBC that a suicide bomber on a motorbike had struck a police vehicle.
The attack comes amid an increase in militant attacks. US forces said 40 insurgents had been killed in Helmand province in the past 24 hours. There is no confirmation. A local official, quoted by Reuters, blamed Taleban fighters for the latest attack. Officials said four of those killed in the Uruzgan attack were policemen and the rest were civilians. A further 43 people were wounded.
Several shops were reported to have been destroyed by the blast. The attack came as Nato-led and Afghan troops were engaged in fierce fighting with insurgents in the eastern Kunar province. Insurgents were reported to have attacked a remote International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) outpost.
A local shopkeeper told AFP that the marketplace in Uruzgan was crowded when the bomb went off. "Most of the casualties are shopkeepers and people and children who were selling stuff on the roadside," said the man, who gave his name as Fazlullah. "I can see human flesh, blood and pieces of metal, wood, clothing scattered around. Everything is bloodied."
The BBC's Martin Patience in Kabul says no group has yet claimed responsibility for the blast but the Taleban are known to be active in the area. Local government officials have been attacked by the Taleban in the past.
Some analysts believe that the movement has gained strength as it increases its attacks across Afghanistan. Aid agencies have expressed concern about the rising civilian death toll in Afghanistan. The Red Thingy Cross said that in July at least 250 civilians were killed or wounded over a six-day period. The UN said recently that the number of civilians killed in fighting in the country had jumped by nearly two-thirds compared to last year.
Posted by: john frum ||
07/13/2008
10:50 ||
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It is beyond me what is hoped to be gained by this. I mean, it isn't Spain for chrissakes. Time for an awakening ala Iraq.
#2
They hope to gain power through fear. Islam is the religion of blood and rape. In the civil war after the Soviets left, the rocketing of Kabul killed 50,000 civilians and looting and rape was the order of the day.
Posted by: ed ||
07/13/2008 11:37
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#3
And yet those villagers killed the Taliban who tried to kidnap their aid workers... not to mention the farmers in poppy country who've decided wheat is more profitable. Osama bin Laden's popularity has sunk in Pakistan from -- if I recall correctly -- 70% approval to something in the teens. Rather like Congress, except for the starting point. Not to mention that Al Qaeda has been recruiting entirely too many abandoned women and mental defectives, of which the Muslim world has, sadly, considerably more than they ought.
Link goes to the first of a set of 14 videos of Shane Smith's guided 'tour' of North Korea. I saw a highlight of this on CNN and tuned into the 'News to Me' show to catch the tail end.
He basically points out that N. Korea is the 'land that time forgot'.
Episode's 1,4,9, and 12 I found particulary interesting.
Personally I think all those North Korean people are going to be mightly pissed off when they find out what they have been missing on the outside.
Hey kids, VBS founder Shane Smith is going to be on CNN's News To Me this weekend at 7:30 PM, half-past midnight, and again at 5:30 in the morning both Saturday and Sunday to talk about his exploits in the People's Democratic Republic of Korea. If that doesn't sync up with your tubin' schedule you can also see the interview online at the link we just gave you sometime after Saturday night, we think.
SEOUL (Reuters) - A North Korean soldier gunned down a 53-year-old South Korean woman tourist who wandered into a military area at a mountain resort in the North in the predawn hours of Friday, a South Korean official said.
The woman identified by her family name Park, was killed in an incident that comes as ties between the two states have chilled since a new South Korean president took office in February promising to get tough with Pyongyang.
Park was strolling on a beach and entered a fenced-off North Korean military area near the Mount Kumgang resort, just north of the border on the east coast, and was shot in her torso and leg by a sentry, the official said.
South Korea will halt tourism to the resort from Saturday, Unification Ministry official Kim Ho-nyoun told a news conference.
...and the inevitable Norkie response
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) regrets the death of a South Korean tourist killed by a DPRK soldier but the woman should take full responsibility for the incident, a DPRK spokesman said Saturday.
South Korean government should take full responsibilities, make an apology to the DPRK and promise that a similar incident would never happen again, said the spokesman for the DPRK Guidance Bureau for Comprehensive Development of Scenic Spots.
#2
Watched all 14 of the episodes, couldn't stop.
I'm not familiar with Shane Smith, I suspect he was going to try to put the hippie, liberal spin on things until he saw how truly f*cked up Nkor really is. He took some real risks to make this, it's the most film I've ever seen out of NKor. Very interesting and worth the time to view.
Crank the Rage-O-Meter
(St Pete Times) Nielsen Co. announced 170 more layoffs at its Oldsmar facility Tuesday. This will bring the total number of reductions at the company to 402 since 2007. Nielsen is also planning a staff realignment in Dunedin that will lead to more layoffs there, too. In Oldsmar, Nielsen is outsourcing more work to India-based Tata Consultancy Services, company spokesman Gary Holmes said Tuesday. The work formerly done in Oldsmar will now be transferred to India.
Although companies that hire outsourcing firms often try to limit the release of information about layoffs through employee nondisclosure agreements tied to severance and public statements, Nielsen was unable to do so in this case. That's because it received property tax breaks in 2001 to build a $100 million global technology center in Oldsmar. The tax breaks were pegged to the number of high-wage jobs -- those that paid at least $52,000 -- the company created. That forced Nielsen to disclose hiring details at that facility, effectively putting the employee count of the facility on the local political radar. Nielsen announced a 10-year outsourcing agreement valued at $1.2 billion with Tata Consultancy Services in Mumbai.
Time for somebody to demand increasing the minimum wage again. That'll make us more competetive.
Under the original 2001 agreements, Nielsen has received some $3.1 million in tax incentives for its Oldsmar facility, which includes $1.7 million in breaks from the state and $1.4 million from Oldsmar and Pinellas county. From the Tata Contract there are further outrages - the H1-B are being used to REPLACE US Citizens - so that the H1B can be used as a virtual slavery device The Nielsen-Tata pact states 'there shall be no additional charge for overtime work', allows Nielsen to have unsatisfactory Tata (H1B) hires replaced within 4 weeks of starting with no charge for the original or re-performed work, gives Nielsen up to 6 man-weeks of free labor when a Tata (H1B) worker is replaced, and allows Nielsen to make 'any TCS Resource' (read H1B) essentially disappear with no more than 5 days notice if their presence 'is not in the best interests of Nielsen.'
Tata was awarded the contract by Exec VP Michela Habib who has a history of outsourcing large numbers of jobs to Tata. He sent thousands of jobs overseas to Tata when he was at GE Medical Systems, and Citigrouop.
During the Citibank outsourcing, Citibank's NAIT managers were given the proverbial handcuffs and told that they could not review the resumes of the incoming consultants and it was alleged that TATA managers themselves told Citi managers, "You have no choice. You take what we give you." They killed the US jobs $50K they promised, sent some overseas and are using H-1B to DIRECTLY REPLACE the US Workers IN THE US - the H1B are here taking the Americans jobs!
KILL H-1B NOW! STOP IT!
Its killing the US middle class.
From multiple sources listed below
The fired US employees MUST TRAIN THIER REPLACEMENTS in order to receive severance - that includes ones that are being replaced by H1B visa holders. Many jobs that are staying are being filled by Tata H-1B workers.
Thats right -- That's US Workers in $50K+ a year jobs being DIRECTLY DISPLACED by lower cost H-1B slaves from overseas! This isn't outsourcing, this is REPLACEMENT. Its abuse of the H-1B program of the worst sort.
And look at the contract language - they are using H-1B virtual indentured servants who cannot complain about forced OT and abusive policies lest they have their H-1B sponsorship pulled and get sent back to India.
DO NOT WORK WITH NEILSON EVER ON ANYTHING! Boycott them and put them out of business.
#2
I was at Citigroup when Habib brought in Tata for a 2nd time. Initially, he brought them in for the credit card division. He was then promoted to CIO of North America and by then it was obvious to everyone that after what happened at GE and in our credit card division that there existed a quid pro quo arrangement between Habib and Tata. So there was no suprise when Tata was awarded the contract for all of North America, even though there was a 'competition' with at least 5 Indian outsourcing companies. I've got no idea if Habib thought that this move was really in the best interests of our company, I only know that he promptly left Citi for Nielsen right smack in the middle of all the resulting layoffs that he initiated. And anyone paying attention knew at the time that Tata and Nielsen would soon be working together, and every IT worker at Nielsen needed to get their resumes polished up in a big hurry. These firms derive their characteristic competitive advantage from their ability to exploit their workforce in ways that would not be legal with normal US citizens or in the United States.
If we need these workers, then bring them in with green cards, where they have every right the US Citizen does. This way they cannot be made hostage to their visa status, and if we are truly shrot in that type of tech worker, then we need them here longer - and we want them to become citizens and live here eventually.
These are the kind of peopel we want as citizens, not as servants to corporations who use them to depress US labor costs by using the H1B as leverage to distort the US labor market.
#6
Work Visas May Work Against the U.S. Data for the fiscal year 2006, which ended last September, show that 7 of the top 10 applicants for H-1B visas are Indian companies. Giants Infosys Technologies (INFY) and Wipro (WIT) took the top two spots, with 22,600 and 19,400 applications, respectively. The company with the third most applications is Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH), which is based in Teaneck, N.J., but has most of its operations in India. All three companies provide services to U.S. companies from India, including technology support and back-office processing.
The only other U.S. companies among the top 10 are the accounting and consulting firm Deloitte & Touche and consultancy Accenture (ACN). They rank seventh and ninth, with 8,000 and 7,000 applications, respectively.
#8
I hear talk of a shortage of engineers, doctors, and just about every other professional- (excluding lawyers)- in this country. This is not an IT issue anymore, they will come for your job too, no matter what it is.
#9
A little hard, though not impossible perhaps, to out-source medical care.
However, we have a different issue --
[soapbox]
We have about 11,000 graduates from US medical school each year, and a few thousand more than that of residency program openings. So we import a few thousand foreign MDs every year to fill those spots. They come on H-1B and J-1 visas, mostly, though I've seen some others. They're obligated to return home after training and some do, but others decide to stay. I can't blame them at all, and a fair number of them are decent docs who learn to love America.
So what's the problem? What it means is that 1) we're essentially taking the best and brightest from India, Pakiwakiland, Malaysia, Ethiopia, the Phillipines, etc., and bringing them here, depriving these countries of the talent they need to fix their own problems and 2) we're depriving pretty good American kids of a chance to be doctors. We could expand our med schools by 10%, and I'm betting that the extra 1,100 students would be equal to or better than the average FMG.
But no-o-o-o-o, that would cost money, so we take doctors from other countries instead. It's short-sighted and frankly, in my mind, truly imperialistic. I like to point that out to my liberal friends here in the Department; they get pretty uncomfortable.
[/soapbox]
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/13/2008 12:51
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#10
And, to add additional insult to injury in the med field, the UK terrorist attack was accompanied with a video threatening "those who cure you will kill you", making the H1B and J1 visas and entry to the US for would-be jihadis. Check out all the Arabic names in the phone book sometime--Syrian internists, Iranian heart specialists, Jordanian nephrologists, etc.
#11
Looks like the feds are finally starting to pay attention...
Editorial: Feds crack down on visa fraud, finally
WASHINGTON- Highly educated Americans with much-sought-after technical and scientific skills have been complaining for years about not being able to find jobs or being replaced by foreign workers who have come to this country on H1b visas (Congress authorizes only 65,000 H1b visas annually, for hiring foreign workers with skills that can't be found here). Turns out they were right. The Department of Labor has finally started cracking down on law firms and corporations deliberately bypassing federal laws aimed at protecting American workers from being displaced by foreigners willing to work for much less.
When they apply for H1b visas, U.S. companies must first certify that they cannot find any qualified American applicants. But, as Chicago network engineer David Huber discovered, the certification process can be rigged. Huber, a University of Chicago graduate with NASA management experience, had to train his own replacement at Commonwealth Edison. He claimed Chinese nationals were given access to Commonwealth Edison data communication switches controlling the Chicago electrical grid. Huber told The Examiner that when he applied for a Cisco Systems job advertised in the Chicago Tribune last year, he noticed that the contact was not a Cisco hiring manager, but an attorney working for the nation's largest immigration law firm, Fragomen, Del Ray, Bernsen & Loewy.
A subsequent Labor Department audit uncovered evidence that the New York-based Fragomen- whose client list includes many Fortune 500 companies - was improperly advising clients to disqualify American candidates so they could hire much cheaper foreign workers. In an unprecedented move, Labor Department officials are now auditing all of Fragomen's pending visa applications.
The probe has been extended to San Francisco where LawLogix was caught red-handed submitting more than 100 fraudulent applications. The software firm is now barred from submitting any applications for the next three years. And after a video of Cohen & Grigsby attorney Lawrence Lebowitz brazenly telling clients that "our goal is clearly not to find a qualified and interested U.S. worker" was posted on YouTube, Labor officials placed the Pittsburgh law firm on "supervised recruitment" which means heightened scrutiny for all future visa applications.
The displacement of highly qualified American scientific and technical workers by foreign visa holders has gotten scant attention by the media, which tends to focus on protecting illegal immigrants in sanctuary cities like Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. The legal part of our broken immigration system has gotten much less attention, which is why it may very well pose as grave a threat to national security as porous borders.
#12
A subsequent Labor Department audit uncovered evidence that the New York-based Fragomen- whose client list includes many Fortune 500 companies - was improperly advising clients to disqualify American candidates so they could hire much cheaper foreign workers. In an unprecedented move, Labor Department officials are now auditing all of Fragomen's pending visa applications.
#13
dvising clients to disqualify American candidates so they could hire much cheaper foreign workers
This has been going on in IT for at least fifteen years. College students aren't interested in going into IT anymore cause they think it's a dead-end (they're right). Congress not only doesn't care but is doing their best to make things worse.
Meanwhile our military is using more off the shelf hardware / software that is developed overseas or by foreign nationals.
This will not end well.
Posted by: Bob Thinemp8308 ||
07/13/2008 16:00
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#14
Cheating bastard lawyers at the root of it.
Figures.
Too bad there is no way for the workers screwed by their illegla activity to personally collect damages from the cheaters.
Bangladesh has repeatedly denied any terror infrastructure on its soil. But there's a clear indication that terror organisations on the run in India are setting base in Bangladesh. For the first time ever Bangladesh has handed over such insurgents to India.
The Bangladesh police handed over three Indian insurgents over to India. Three among the four men handed over by Bangladesh belong to the banned National Democratic Front of Bodoland and had sneaked across the porous border to train there. Their deportation corroborated TIMES NOW's chilling expose of how Bangladesh was fast becoming the training hub for Indian insurgent groups. The intelligence map that TIMES NOW acquired clearly showed the training camps of various banned militant outfits spread across Bangladesh.
Bangladesh has denied this fact time and again. But with India stepping up diplomatic pressure on Bangladesh, Dhaka had few options but to start the process of deporting insurgents.
Bangladeshis should watch it -- India got them their freedom, and India can take it away.
Posted by: john frum ||
07/13/2008
09:46 ||
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The responsible nations really need to announce a hot pursuit doctrine. Those who willingly host terrorists are as guilty as the terrorists themselves.
A covert war against the LTTE is underway as India deepens its military engagement with Sri Lanka
SETTING ASIDE domestic Tamil sensitivities, the Indian government appears to have involved itself in a full-fledged proxy war in Sri Lanka. While claiming to have adopted a hands-off policy with regard to its neighbour's continuing ethnic conflict between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the forces of the Sinhalese government, India is extending the latter its covert support. This was revealed by Sri Lanka's army chief, Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka, last week during an interaction with members of the Foreign Correspondents' Association in Colombo. "Eight hundred of our officers are trained (in India) every year; free of cost," Fonseka is reported to have said. "India gives them an allowance for the duration of their courses there. The support from India is huge."
Fonseka's remarks came on the heels of a high-level Indian delegation's visit to Colombo at a time when the government troops and the LTTE are locked in a fierce battle in northern Sri Lanka. The Indian officials' trip was kept a close secret. According to media reports, even the Lankan foreign ministry came to know about the visit of India's national security adviser, MK Narayanan, defence secretary Vijay Singh, and foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon only hours after they landed in Colombo on an Indian Air Force plane.
Fonseka, who survived an assassination attempt last year, has vowed to achieve a military victory against the LTTE. His confidence stems from his military success against the rebels in the Eastern provinces last year and covert Indian support to his war efforts. Fonseka, President Mahinda Rajapakse and his brother and defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse together form the powerful Colombo triumvirate that advocates a military solution to the ethnic strife that has claimed over 70,000 lives in the last three decades. In March, Fonseka made a six-day state visit to India, during which he met with top defence officials.
Military relations between India and Sri Lanka have developed over recent years even though the two countries have not entered any formal cooperation agreement. While many in Delhi support such an agreement, it has not seen the light of day due to stiff opposition from political parties in Tamil Nadu. At present, however, India appears to have cast aside all neutrality in the Tamil-Sinhala conflict, and adopted a policy best encapsulated by an unnamed military officer to a news agency on the eve of Fonseka's Delhi visit: "India wants to ensure that the Sri Lankan army maintains its upper hand over the LTTE."
India's training of Sri Lankan army personnel has never been officially confirmed by either country, until Fonseka's boast last week. More details of the military cooperation are, however, emerging. According to a July 1 report in The Times of India, in 2008-2009 alone, over 500 Lankan army personnel are to be trained in Indian institutions like the Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School at Vairengte in Mizoram and the School of Artillery at Devlali in Maharashtra. According to the report, about 100 gentlemen cadets will receive training at the Indian Military Academy at Dehradun, 39 officers at the College of Military Engineering at Pune, 15 in the School of Artillery at Devlali, 29 in the Mechanised Infantry Regimental Centre at Ahmednagar, 25 in the College of Materials Management at Jabalpur, 30 in the Electronics and Mechanical Engineering School at Vadodara, and 14 at the Military College of Telecommunication Engineering at Mhow.
Support does not stop at training alone. India has been supplying 'defensive' military equipment to Sri Lanka, including the indigenouslymanufactured Indra radars. Officially, India claims it does not supply offensive weapons to Sri Lanka, but there are strong possibilities of a secret arrangement being in place already. However, in June last year, when MK Narayanan publicly cautioned Sri Lanka against purchasing arms from China and Pakistan, he also said it could approach India for any help it required. Narayanan's statement could have meant only one thing, that India was ready to meet Sri Lanka's arms demands.
India's relations with Sri Lanka is seen by many from the perspective of the Chinese geopolitical strategy in the region. Sri Lanka has moved closer to China in recent years, and Rajapakse, who came to power in 2005, has been particularly adept at playing the China card against India. Sri Lanka figures prominently in Chinese naval strategy, being part of China's "string of pearls" (or strategic bases) starting from the South China Sea and extending through the Strait of Malacca, Indian Ocean and on to the Arabian and Persian Gulfs.
Security experts like B. Raman, a former additional secretary of the Government of India, have been expressing concern about the Chinese threat. In a recent column, Raman noted: "The semi-permanent presence, which the Chinese are getting in Sri Lanka, will bring them within monitoring distance of India's fast-breeder reactor complex at Kalpakkam near Chennai, the Russian aided Koodankulam nuclear power reactor complex in southern Tamil Nadu and India's space establishments in Kerala."
WHILE INDIA'S need to counter this threat is beyond doubt, sections of those sympathetic to the Lankan Tamil cause see striking similarities in the present developments to the situation in the 1980s, in the run-up to the signing of the Indo-Sri Lanka accord in 1987. In that period, the then Sri Lankan president, JR Jayawardene, got India embroiled into fighting the LTTE. The consequences of that flawed intervention, and the immense suffering it caused Tamils at the hands of the Indian army, are yet to be erased from the bruised memories of Tamils all over the world. Discontent over the Centre's policies in Sri Lanka continues to simmer in Tamil Nadu, with various parties urging the Indian government to stop military aid to the country. The LTTE has also made appeals. Following Fonseka's visit to Delhi in March, the outfit issued a statement against India's growing military aid to Sri Lanka, saying: "While proclaiming that a solution to the Tamil problem must be found through peaceful means, India is giving encouragement to the military approach of the Sinhala State. This can only lead to the intensification of the genocide against the Tamils."
A pro-LTTE Sri Lankan Tamil MP said recently, "We are optimistic even during this darkest hour. The Sri Lankan government will ditch India in favour of the Chinese in due course. Then India will have to change its policy and support the Tamils as Indira Gandhi did during her time." Whatever may be the future twists and turns in South Asia's highly unpredictable diplomatic world, as of now India cannot disown responsibility for its part in the Eelam tragedy.
Posted by: john frum ||
07/13/2008
09:19 ||
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Looks like MK Narayanan has decided to play hardball...
Posted by: john frum ||
07/13/2008 11:27
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#2
Didn't the LTTE assassinate Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi?
Posted by: ed ||
07/13/2008 11:42
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An Indian air force contingent with eight Sukhoi Su-30MKI combat aircraft, two Ilyushin Il-78 air-to-air refuellers and one Il-76 transport has left India to participate in the 9-23 August multinational exercise Red Flag '08 at the US Air Force's Nellis AFB in Nevada.
It will be the first time that the Russian-made Su-30MKI will participate in multinational manoeuvres involving US and other NATO fighters. India expects to spend around Rp1 billion ($23 million) on its participation in the air combat exercise.
Sources in India's state-owned Defence Research and Development Organisation meanwhile say that preparations are in full swing for the first full test firing of the nation's home-grown Astra beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile from an Su-30.
DRDO sources say the weapon will interrupt targets at speeds of Mach 1.2 to M1.4, but have not revealed the missile's range. The Astra - intended to arm aircraft such as the Dassault Mirage 2000 and RSK MiG-29 in air force service - has already undergone ground tests to check its avionics, electronics and other subsystems. The DRDO has also hinted at its intention to develop hypersonic weapon systems.
Posted by: john frum ||
07/13/2008
08:52 ||
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...Oh, MAN...would I give anything to be on the ramp at Nellis when those guys show up. I guarantee they'll be treated like royalty.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
07/13/2008 11:15
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It'll be interesting to see how the Su-30 fares against other aircraft, most notably the F-16, the F-16, and maybe the F-35. I understand it's a very advanced and stealthy aircraft itself (designed to go up against the F-16?).
#3
Prior to this Exercise, the IAF contingent would be working up at Mountain Home Air Base in Idaho, US from 17 Jul 08 till 07 Aug 08. At Mountain Home, the IAF contingent would ready to fly with the F-16s & F-15s of USAF.
RED FLAG PARTICIPANTS
July 2008
Participating units are subject to change at any time.
Red Air
F-15s and F-16s, Nellis AFB, Nev.
Blue Air
F-15s, RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom
F-5s, Brazilian Air Force
Air-To-Ground
B-52s, Minot AFB, N.D.
F-16s, Turkish Air Force
Gripens, Swedish Air Force
F-16s, Hill AFB, Utah
Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses
EA-6Bs, NAS Whidbey Island, Wash.
Command and Control; Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance
E-3, Tinker AFB, Okla.
E-3, NATO
Air Refueling
KC-135s, Fairchild AFB, Wash.
KC-135s, Turkish Air Force
KC-137, Brazilian Air Force
_______________________________
RED FLAG PARTICIPANTS
August 2008
Participating units are subject to change at any time.
Red Air
F-15s and F-16s, Nellis AFB, Nev.
Blue Air
F-15s, Jacksonville, Fla.
F-15s, Eglin AFB, Fla.
Rafale', French Air Force
Air-To-Ground
Rafale', French Air Force
F-15s, Nellis AFB, Nev.
SU-30s, Indian Air Force
F-15Ks, Republic of Korea Air Force
Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses
EA-6Bs, NAS Whidbey Island, Wash.
F-16s, Nellis AFB, Nev.
F-16s, Eglin AFB, Fla.
EC-130Hs, Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.
Command and Control; Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance
E-3s, Tinker AFB, Okla.
Airlift
C-130s, French Air Force
C-17s, McChord AFB, Wash.
Air Refueling
KC-135s, unit to be determined
IL-76/78, Indian Air Force
Posted by: john frum ||
07/13/2008 13:38
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#4
wonder if the Indians will just park their birds and trust US security to prevent anyone from taking an unathorized peek.
#2
The Sauds want jihadi action directed at correct targets: Israel, Kashmir (India), Shiites, Serbs.
Why on earth would the Saudis stop financing terror? Political leaders don't have the balls to utter criticism, let alone take action. Last I heard, the State Department labeled Saud' creation of a Shura' hate factory, as a democratic murmer.
Seeking an "out of the box" settlement to the Kashmir issue with India, Pakistan has said that the two countries need to go beyond the confidence-building measures and engage in serious dialogue to address the "real issues."
"We have to look out of the box...We have to look at innovative ways of resolution (to the Kashmir issue). We have our minds open to such issues," Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Friday, while delivering a lecture at the Brookings Institution. "It is now our hope that the leadership of the two countries would not shy away from taking such steps and move beyond the CBMs to engaging in a serious dialogue to address the real issues, not only the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir," Qureshi said.
He said that Islamabad has shown "flexibility," adding that there was "a general feeling and a public perception in Pakistan that a matching response should come from India."
Qureshi said that India-Pakistan dialogue should "now move from resolving conflicts rather than lingering with them".
All in Pakistan's favor, of course ...
Replying to question on whether the Kashmir issue could be sorted out by the two countries in the next three to five years, Qureshi said that it is a long-standing problem, where there are no quick fixes or solutions.
"We have to be honest. We have to be realistic. But the issue needs to be addressed. We cannot keep it under the carpet indefinitely," he said. "That is why we are building an environment of confidence for any resolution. But the most important thing is trust, belief. And that is what we are trying to do," he said.
Posted by: john frum ||
07/13/2008
08:11 ||
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How about India taking charge of the whole of Kashmir? That is sufficiently out of the box.
Posted by: john frum ||
07/13/2008 9:07
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I think they might mean "outside the box."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008 11:01
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I believe the old UN resolution actually called for a vote of the people, which never occured. Surprise, surprise. True democratic proposals from the people themselves, rather than have artificial tribal boundaries imposed from bureaucrats at the UN (or Britain) may just work this time around. Muslims can live and worship in their sector and Hindus in their historic lands.
#4
Actually it called for Pakistan to withdraw its troops and Pashtun tribal raiders. The Indian army was to take control.
Only when security was reestablished was a plebiscite on joining either India or Pakistan to be held.
Pakistan never withdrew. India held elections in its part where a majority voted for the Pro-Delhi party.
Since then, Pakistan has (a) never held elections in Kashmir (b) has settled Punjabis in Kashmir, changing the demographics. Hundreds of thousands of Kashmiri Hindus have also been ethnically cleansed from Indian Kashmir
By contrast, India does not permit non-Kashmiris to settle in J+K. It also holds regular elections.
About 3 years ago there was a poll by a Brit company on the option of India or Pakistan, most Kashmiris actually choose India (for economic reasons).
Since the instrument of accession (mandated by the UK's Indian Independence Act) was in favor of joining the Dominion of India, India's position is that it has legal claim to Kashmir.
Like the US, the Indian constitution does not allow secession from the Union.
Throughout prepartition India the Muslims and Hindu populations were intermixed. Partition was only possible by the massive ethnic cleaning that occured in the Punjab and Bengal.
Posted by: john frum ||
07/13/2008 15:04
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Al Qaeda continues to grow its network and expand its capabilities in northwestern Pakistan, US military and intelligence officials told The Long War Journal. The peace agreements have given the Taliban and al Qaeda time and space to re-establish their networks, which pose a threat not only to Pakistan, but the West as well.
Al Qaeda, the Taliban, and allied terrorists groups, collectively called al Qaeda and allied movements, or AQAM, by some in US military and intelligence circles, has set up a series of camps throughout the tribal areas and in the settled districts of the Northwest Frontier Province. "More than 100" terror camps of varying sizes and types are currently in operation in the region, a senior US military intelligence official told The Long War Journal. As of the summer of 2007, 29 terror camps were known to be operating in North and South Waziristan alone.
Some camps are devoted to training the Taliban's military arm, some train suicide bombers for attacks in Pakistan and Afghanistan, some focus on training the various Kashmiri terror groups, some train al Qaeda operatives for attacks in the West, and one serves as a training ground the Black Guard, the elite bodyguard for Osama bin Laden. A US Special Forces raid against the Black Guard camp in Danda Saidgai in North Waziristan, Pakistan in March 2006 resulted in the death of Imam Asad and several dozen members of the Black Guard. Asad was the camp commander, a senior Chechen al Qaeda commander, and associate of Shamil Basayev, the Chechen al Qaeda leader killed by Russian security forces in July 2006.
The growth in the number of camps US intelligence officials said Pakistan is outpacing Iraq as the destination for recruits, The New York Times reported earlier this week. Iraq is now seen as a lost cause by jihadists while Pakistan is now seen as al Qaeda's main effort. Recruits from Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East are heading to Pakistan.
Al Qaeda has also reformed Brigade 055, the infamous military arm of the terror group made up of Arab recruits. The unit is thought to be commanded by Shaikh Khalid Habib al Shami. Brigade 055 fought alongside the Taliban against the Northern Alliance and was decimated during the US invasion of Afghanistan. Several other Arab brigades have been formed, some consisting of former members of Saddam Husseins Republican Guards, an intelligence official told The Long War Journal.
A strike in South Waziristan
The deteriorating situation in Pakistan's tribal agencies is highlighted by the increased incidences of cross-border attacks over the past several months. Today, 11 Pakistanis, including nine soldiers, were wounded in an attack launched from Afghanistan into the lawless, Taliban-controlled tribal agency of South Waziristan.
Conflicting reports exist on the nature of the attack, and there is no confirmation on who carried it out. An unnamed Pakistani official told Reuters that "about 60 rounds fell in Angoor Adda," a town near Wana in South Waziristan. BBC reported more than 10 "shells" landed near a military outpost just hundreds of yards from the Afghan border. Xinhua and The News reported that the attack was conducted by US aircraft. The US military has not confirmed conducting an attack, but it rarely confirms such incidents.
The attack inside Pakistan appears to be a response to a Taliban attack on a base in Barmal in Paktika province in Afghanistan, according to several of the reports. In the past, the US military has conducted hot pursuit of Taliban forces as they flee across the border to Pakistan.
Afghan and Coalition forces have fought a series battles with the Taliban along the ill-defined border as Taliban have been attempting to overrun military bases and district centers in the region. US and Afghan forces have killed more than 200 Taliban fighters in the lopsided battles. Many of the Taliban attacks have been launched from inside North and South Waziristan in Pakistan.
The most controversial counterattack into Pakistan occurred as US forces engaged a Taliban force as it retreated from Afghanistans Kunar province across the border into Pakistan's Mohmand tribal agency on June 10. The engagement sparked an international incident. The US confirmed it killed eight Taliban fighters, while the Pakistani government said 11 Pakistani paramilitary troops were killed. The Pakistani government expressed outrage over the strike. But the incident sparked suspicions that the Pakistani paramilitary Frontier Corps either aided the Taliban or were part of the attack force.
The security situation in Pakistan's tribal agencies has spiraled downward since the government negotiated peace agreements with the Taliban in North and South Waziristan in 2006 and throughout early 2007. The agreements gave the Taliban and al Qaeda time and space to consolidate their hold in the tribal areas and in some settled districts of the Northwest Frontier Province. The Taliban renewed their efforts to destabilize the Afghan government and boldly conducted a series of military attacks in northwestern Pakistan and a bloody suicide campaign in the major cities.
The new Pakistani government has reinitiated peace negotiations with the Taliban in the northwest. Peace agreements have been signed with the Taliban in North Waziristan, Swat, Dir, Bajaur, Malakand, Mohmand, and Khyber. Negotiations are under way in South Waziristan, Kohat, and Mardan. The Taliban have violated the terms of these agreements in every region where accords have been signed.
Posted by: john frum ||
07/13/2008
07:59 ||
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#1
The Taliban have violated the terms of these agreements in every region where accords have been signed.
Diplomats - are hey incapable of learning, or just congenitally stupid?
#2
Ahmed Rashid has documented how, with full backing from Perv, the ISI created an "NGO" to handle the Taliban. Staffed by retired ISI and other retired Pak military officers with jihadi links, they reported for duty at ISI HQ but were officially off the payroll.
It was this "NGO" that revived and sustained the Taliban. The then ISI chief Kayani is now the head of the Pak Military.
Posted by: john frum ||
07/13/2008 9:32
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#3
Is that all? Did they forget to count the Pak military camps?
#5
" A US Special Forces raid against the Black Guard camp in Danda Saidgai in North Waziristan, Pakistan in March 2006 resulted in the death of Imam Asad and several dozen members of the Black Guard."
This is type type of operation that Armitage put a stop to. Whenever someone extols the wisdom of these "sophisticated diplomats" we should remind them of the before and after in North Warzistan.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
07/13/2008 14:25
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#6
I keep saying a little napalm and an ARCLIGHT strike or two would put an end to this. We NEED someone with the cojones to do it in Washington. I was hoping Bush would be that person. Now I'm not sure there IS such a person - at least no one that can actually get elected.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/13/2008 14:53
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#7
OP...Arc-light is the answer. Take no prisoners. Any "civilian" is at least sympathizer if not a collaborator. Send their hearts and their minds to allan.
#8
9-11 followed indulgence of Al-Qaeda/Taliban genocide camps in Afghanistan. Surely something similar will follow NATO's follies.
If Senator McCain wants another election issue; he needs to promote a hardline on cross border terror. Unwinnable wars are eventually lost; our current politicians seem illiterate at times.
#9
I'm afraid most of our politicians are spineless and weak kneed. Hell, we can't get them to do much about our own border situation or for that matter the price of gasoline. I don't have much hope for anything to be done about Pakistan. McCain would be the one that might show some intestinal fortitude.
#11
McCain aint going to do jack about the cross border stuff. He's a gimp on waterboarding, and guess who one of his top advisors is?
Armitrage. The same moron that screwed the ops side of the house by playing politics.
McCain is a fool, and is now proving to be an idiot with his choice of advisors like Armitrace and Juan Hernandez, his amnesty pandering, and his stupidity regarding global warming.
#12
Carly Fiorino may be the most hated person to ever work at Hewlett Packard. In a certain sense that's not saying much because most people who've worked there weren't particularly hateful, regardless of their competence. On the other hand, a LOT of people have worked there.
And she's the McCain advisor who said Phil Graham's place was under the bus.
Memo to Arianna: Here's what you say about moderating your comment boards:
Huffington Post pre-moderates comments on our blog posts and post-moderates comments on news stories. We never censor comments based on political or ideological point of view. We only delete those comments that include the following transgressions:
-- are abusive, off-topic, use excessive foul language
-- include ad hominem attacks including comments that celebrate the death or illness of any person, public figure or otherwise
-- contain racist, sexist, homophobic and other slurs
-- are solicitations and/or advertising for personal blogs and websites
-- thread spamming (you've posted this same comment elsewhere on the site
-- are posted with the explicit intention of provoking other commenters or the staff at Huffington Post.
Sleeping late today Arianna? The comments from your loyal readers on the death of Tony Snow are pretty horrendous. Get to work with your delete key.
Posted by: Mike ||
07/13/2008
07:49 ||
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Arianna Huffington and Class are mutually exclusive
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/13/2008 10:06
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I only read the first page of comments and they all seemed to express regret for Tony's death and extend consolation to his family. Does it get worse?
(Sorry, I have a time limit that I can visit Huffington Post with - it's measured usually in seconds before the radiation starts to burn through my containment suit)
Under pressure from fundamentalist forms of Islam and bursts of sectarian violence, the most populous Christian community in the Middle East is seeking safety by turning inward, cutting day-to-day social ties that have bound Muslim to Christian in Egypt for centuries, members of both communities say. Attacks this summer on monks and shopkeepers belonging to Egypt's Coptic Christian minority, and scattered clashes between Muslims and Christians, have compelled many of Egypt's estimated 6 to 8 million Copts to isolate themselves in a nation of more than 70 million Muslims.
Across much of Egypt, Muslims and Christians note a drawing apart of their communities, especially in the working class. Many say they mourn the loss. Others say the separation is for the best. "It's natural," Ayad Labid Faleh, a Coptic Christian, said in his auto parts store in the Shobra neighborhood of Cairo. In the dim, oil-slicked shop front, Faleh waited for customers, surrounded by boxed hoses and florid icons.
Faleh shrugged as he described his life and the lives of his Christian neighbors, who begin their days smiling at a Christian satellite program in which a Coptic priest needles Muslims for their beliefs. Faleh and his neighbors send their children to church schools, and the children belong to church soccer teams. Increasingly, Faleh said, they choose to spend their vacations on pilgrimages to holy sites with fellow Copts. "When we all go together as Christians on those things, we feel like we're one. We're secure, and we're able to relax," he said.
Violence between Muslims and Christians flares every few years. In the most dramatic confrontation this spring on May 31, settled Arab Bedouins attacked monks who have been reclaiming the 1,700-year-old monastery of Abu Fana from the desert in southern Egypt. Monks say the attackers fired on them with AK-47 assault rifles and captured some among them to torture. Attackers broke the legs of one monk by pounding them between two rocks. One Muslim man was killed.
A few days earlier, gunmen in Cairo killed four Copts at a jewelry store but left without taking anything. Strife over liaisons between Christian and Muslim men and women led to recent clashes between the communities in Egypt's countryside.
Egypt's government invariably denies that sectarian tension lies behind the violence. It blamed the violence at the Abu Fana monastery on a land dispute. Abu Fana's monks deny that.
"Is it a land dispute when they kidnap monks and torture them?" Brother Michael, 34, asked from a hospital bed in Cairo, where he cradled an arm hit by shrapnel in the attack. "Is it a land dispute when they tell you to spit on the cross, when they try to make you say the words to convert to Islam?" asked Brother Viner, 30, sitting on Brother Michael's bed. He wore a neck brace because of the beating he received in the attack.
When he was a boy, Brother Viner said, he and his neighbors played together without paying attention to who was Muslim and who was Christian. But recently, he said, his niece came home from her first day at school with tales of Muslim and Christian first-graders refusing to share desks with children of the other faith.
Sidhom said he has a simple rule for predicting where Muslim and Christian violence will break out. In a community where Muslims and Christians still live and work together, he said, there will be no problem. At another auto parts store in Shobra, where Copts and Muslims intermingle, clerks laughed at the idea of religious strife. "Any wedding, funeral, they will be there," Hussein Mohammed Negem said of his Christian friends. A black bruise on his forehead showed Negem to be a Muslim who regularly bows his head to the floor in prayer.
Nagib Emed Aziz George, a Christian shopkeeper from next door, smiled as he leaned on Negem, his arm and chin propped on the Muslim man's shoulder. Once, when a neighborhood mosque caught fire during prayers, Christians came running to douse the flames, the parts dealers said. And when a beloved Christian customer died recently, Negem's co-workers shut their store for a day to travel across Egypt for the funeral. "We feel like it is all one home," Negem said.
Invariably, Sidhom said, in communities where Muslims and Christians live separately, trouble comes. Such is the situation in parts of rural Egypt, including around the monastery at Abu Fana, where monks stood one day in bare concrete sleeping chambers blackened by fires set by the Muslim men in May's attacks. "I believe we will be the new martyrs," said one, Brother Shenouda, walking the desert road from his scorched church. Much more at link
Officially called the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, it is a country in South Asia bordering the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Peoples Republic of China and the Bollywood Republic of Hindustan. In the north it also shares a dubious border with the mountainous and scenic Holy Divine United Taliban Emirates of Dhamakaistan.
The climate
Pakistan has a moderate climate most of the year, but extremes can be found in the north where summers can get terribly hot due to the infamous, counter-monsoon winds called the Wrath of God blowing in from the Holy Divine United Taliban Emirates of Dhamakaistan. Men in the north are known to keep beards to protect themselves from these winds whereas the women wear long top-to-toe sheets of cloth called burqas for the same purpose. Sometimes tanks, trucks and barbed wire are also used to counter these winds, even though some politicians advise dialogue to lessen the harmful effects of the wind. Many people find this strange, asking how can one have a dialogue with a dusty, hot gust of wind? But since the climate around the countrys politicians is usually composed of hot air, it is believed that this hot air can very well compliment the extreme winds.
So, tourists with sensitive white skins should avoid travelling to the north, unless they are looking for a blast.
The people & religion
Pakistan is a multiethnic and multicultural society, where 103 per cent of the population is Muslim, while the rest are animals. So in case of a medical emergency, the non-Muslim tourist is advised to visit a vet instead of a doctor. The 103 per cent Muslims are broken up into various sects with each sect claiming their version of Islam being 104 per cent correct and other interpreters of Islam being 107 per cent wrong and thus deserving death.
Pakistani society is generally conservative, but tiny pockets of liberalism can be found in posh, urban drawing-room theme parks. The themes of these parks can range from Little Milan, Small Beverly Hills, Tiny London and Cleaner Bombay. Non-English speaking tourists may struggle in these theme parks even if they have managed to learn a bit of Urdu. Only English is spoken here, preferably in an odd American accent. However, a tourist can visit a vet and get his or her jaw readjusted to be able to speak accented English in these theme parks.
Pakistan is composed of four to five to six to four ethnic groups. The largest group resides in central Pakistan and are called Maula Jats. The second largest resides in the south and are called the Bhuttos. The third largest resides in the north and are called Askareeyat Pasand. The smallest ethnic group can be found in the West and are called Sui Gas. There are two more ethnic groups. The first one mostly resides in Karachi and are called Martians. The other one resides in South Punjab and are called nothing. Both are not officially recognised because people who divided Pakistan into four provinces couldnt count beyond the number 4.
The male-female ratio of the population is 50-50, even though, according to local traditions in the north, women do not exist. Only men and goats. Certain NGOs operating in the north want to change this perception and the locals have agreed only if the government of Pakistan declared women to be satanic abominations engineered by Hindu Fanatics, Christian Crusaders, Wily Jews and Hamid Karzai.
The culture
The main plank of culture in Pakistan is asking what is the culture of Pakistan?
But if you believe in the official history text books taught at local schools, the culture of Pakistan is very Islamic, very pro-army, very anti-India, and had it not been for some malicious Hindu historians distorting history, Pakistanis would have been known for their true cultural and genetic origins: Arabic!
Thats why most Pakistanis behave as if they all arrived from ancient Arabic kingdoms and had nothing to do with India. They were the true Aryans until the British came and started to build railway networks. Of course, this doesnt make much sense, but who cares, as long as one is an Aryan and is genetically connected to Mohammad bin Qasim. Just like Shahrukh Khan who should actually have been a Pakistani had it not been for socialists like Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to have nationalised banks, factories and colleges in the 1970s. Of course, this doesnt make much sense either, but who cares. Youre just a tourist. About to be kidnapped and beheaded.
The politics
Pakistan is a feudal fiefdom jokingly called a republic. The most democratic sections of the country are the army and fat feudal lords. Also very democratic are members of the clergy and the bureaucracy. The most undemocratic and tyrannical are the countrys common people who do not appreciate the feudals, the armys and the clergys vision, passion and efforts for a progressive, democratic and rich Pakistan. This is because the common people choose to remain illiterate and prefer to watch a Sharhrukh Khan flick instead of reading their official history books that clearly state that had Mughal Emperor Auranzeb Alamgir created Pakistan in 1747 AD, the people of Pakistan would have gladly watched reruns of Ayub Khan, Ziaul Haq and Mushharrafs speeches instead of Shahrukh Khan films and there would have been much joy and happiness and love and understanding, and no India and no PPP and instead of being a pesky politician, Nawaz Sharif would have become the Ameer of the United Islamic Emirates of Dhamakaistan. Of course, this doesnt make much sense, but who cares when you have Ahmed Ali Kurd to keep you entertained.
How to get there
You can reach Pakistan without a visa by either sneaking in from the Afghan border in the north or getting shipwrecked in the south!
How to get out
You dont!
Posted by: john frum ||
07/13/2008
07:41 ||
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LOL, nice catch, John
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/13/2008 8:43
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Amidst the current brouhaha surrounding Charlie Rangel's cheap rent, it’s worth noting that the veteran congressman (since 1971) has a relatively piddling net worth of "$566,000 to $1.2 million, according to Congressional disclosure records." That's not much on Capitol Hill where Speaker of the House Pelosi is worth well in excess of 25 mill and a whole passel of senators (Kerry, Kohl, Kennedy, Clinton, etc.) are even richer. Hell, Rangel's not even worth half of Ralph Nader. Now I don't mean to justify rent cheating, if that's what he's doing, but the guy's 78-years old with 37 years in Congress and if all he's got to show for it is a million bucks, there's reason to think that, compared to his colleagues, he's a saint.
Posted by: Mike ||
07/13/2008
07:19 ||
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Or too stupid to figure out the whole graft thing.
#4
And yet it has been long noted that on average, he submits bills to congress just for his tiny New York district, whose annual value would be worth over $500 billion. And even as chairman of the House Appropriations committee, only a tiny fraction have ever passed.
#5
Nah. Charlie knows the graft thing, and how to respond when questioned on it...
Congressman Charles Rangel was recently seen getting out of his Cadillac DeVille, which he leases for $774 per month. Then there was Congressman Jose Serrano, getting out of his Buick LaCrosse, which he leases for $317 per month. And how about this one: Congressman Gregory Meeks was recently seen waiting for Congressman John Conyers to step out of Meeks' Lexus LS460, which Meeks leases for $998 per month. All those leases are picked up by taxpayers through a little-known program available only to members of the House of Representatives.
Rangel: "I could probably find something for ... one of those red cars and then I think my constituents would say, 'With all the money that he gets, this is the respect he shows us?'"
"When I'm in New York, my car is my office. I use it to conduct Congressional business. It really pleases me that (my constituents) appreciate driving in a comfortable car, especially the senior citizens," Rangel said. "The car isn't just a vehicle for getting around; it's an important part of doing my job and my constituents appreciate it."
Ms. El Aroud began her rise to prominence after her husband, two days before the attacks on September 11, 2001, carried out a bombing in Afghanistan that killed the anti-Taliban resistance leader Ahmed Shah Massoud at the behest of Osama bin Laden. Her husband was killed, and she took to the Internet as the widow of a martyr.
She remarried, and in 2007 she and her new husband were convicted in Switzerland for operating pro-Qaeda Web sites. Now, according to the Belgium authorities, she is a suspect in what the authorities say they believe is a plot to carry out attacks in Belgium.
Ms. El Aroud collects more than $1,100 a month in government unemployment benefits. "Her jihad is not to lead an operation but to inspire other people to wage jihad," said Glenn Audenaert, the director of Belgium's federal police force, in an interview. "She enjoys the protection that Belgium offers. At the same time, she is a potential threat'"
Posted by: ed ||
07/13/2008
06:57 ||
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Her jihad is not to lead an operation but to inspire other people to wage jihad...
#2
Very sensible. Subsidize the one who tells you to your face that they are going to kill you. To do this, you ARE mentally defective, and, perhaps, deserve your coming fate.
Margaret Thatcher is to be given the ultimate accolade of a State funeral when she reaches the end of her days the first British Prime Minister since Winston Churchill to be afforded such an honour.
But the possibility of a formal procession could be jeopardised by fears that there are insufficient troops available to line the route because the Armed Forces are so overstretched in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Although Lady Thatcher is currently in good health she was with the Queen at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday The Mail on Sunday has learned that plans are under way for her funeral, when the time eventually comes, to take place at St Pauls Cathedral.
The Queen and Gordon Brown are both in discussions with Lady Thatchers private office concerning the arrangements. This does not reflect any concern over Lady Thatchers health, but simply the prudent long-term planning necessary for any event involving the Queen.
It has not yet been decided whether the 82-year-old former Conservative leader will lie in state in Westminster Hall. To date the only Prime Minister in the 20th and 21st centuries to be given this honour was Churchill.
There were four non-Royal State funerals in the 19th century Nelson, Wellington, Palmerston and Gladstone.
St Pauls was chosen at Lady Thatchers request. The Queen is expected to be among the many world leaders, Royals and other dignitaries who would be in attendance.
But when she passes, how about asking the Commonwealth countries to send a detachment each? The Indians, Canadians, Aussies, etc -- each would look outstanding in their dress uniforms. Send a detachment of the US Marines as our representatives in their dress blues. I think Maggie would look at that and smile.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/13/2008 13:03
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#6
I suspect that this is a sneer from Labour, who still bitterly hate Lady Thatcher for tearing down much of their cathedral of inefficiency, bureaucracy and waste.
#8
Well, if there aren't enough active British troops, I would bet there would be plenty of veterans who would take part. Might be troops from Canada and Australia who would be willing to take part too. Heck, the US might even be willing to send a battalion or two.
U.S. and Iraqi negotiators have abandoned efforts to conclude a comprehensive agreement governing the long-term status of U.S troops in Iraq before the end of the Bush presidency, according to senior U.S. officials, effectively leaving talks over an extended U.S. military presence there to the next administration.
In place of the formal status-of-forces agreement negotiators had hoped to complete by July 31, the two governments are now working on a "bridge" document, more limited in both time and scope, that would allow basic U.S. military operations to continue beyond the expiration of a U.N. mandate at the end of the year.
The failure of months of negotiations over the more detailed accord -- blamed on both the Iraqi refusal to accept U.S. terms and the complexity of the task -- deals a blow to the Bush administration's plans to leave in place a formal military architecture in Iraq that could last for years.
Although President Bush has repeatedly rejected calls for a troop withdrawal timeline, "we are talking about dates," acknowledged one U.S. official close to the negotiations. Iraqi political leaders "are all telling us the same thing. They need something like this in there. . . . Iraqis want to know that foreign troops are not going to be here forever."
Unlike the status-of-forces agreements between the United States and countries such as South Korea and Japan, where large numbers of U.S. troops have been based for decades, the document now under discussion with Iraq is likely to cover only 2009. Negotiators expect it to include a "time horizon," with specific goals for U.S. troop withdrawal from Baghdad and other cities and installations such as the former Saddam Hussein palace that now houses the U.S. Embassy.
The fixed dates will likely include caveats referring to the ability of Iraqi security forces to take over from U.S. units, but without them, U.S. negotiators concluded that Iraqi acquiescence was doubtful. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his political allies have come under intense domestic pressure to reject any perceived infringement on Iraqi sovereignty. Maliki, who last week publicly insisted on a withdrawal timeline, wants to frame the agreement as outlining the terms for "Americans leaving Iraq" rather than the conditions under which they will stay, said the U.S. official, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity because U.S.-Iraqi negotiations are ongoing.
The idea, he said, is to "take the heat off [Maliki] a little bit, to rebrand the thing and counter the narrative that he's negotiating for a permanent military presence in Iraq."
The most contentious unresolved issue is the legal immunity of U.S. troops and Defense Department personnel from Iraqi prosecution for any alleged crime. "We're trying to come onto the same page," a second U.S. official close to the negotiations said. "But with U.S. forces in potential combat situations, we have some real bottom lines.
"But even on that question, it's one thing on immunity if in the Iraqi mind it's an agreement for U.S. troops forever," he said. "It's another thing if these immunity arrangements are temporary because U.S. forces are temporary."
Largely cosmetic compromises have been made on other difficult questions, such as the formation of joint U.S.-Iraqi commissions to oversee all unilateral U.S. combat and detainee operations and provide a veneer of Iraqi control. Washington has acquiesced to Iraqi refusal to grant immunity to private contractors, an issue that is controversial because of incidents in which American security contractors have killed Iraqi civilians.
U.S. and Iraqi officials also hope the new, bare-bones agreement -- called a "temporary operating protocol" in Washington and a "memorandum of understanding" in Baghdad -- will allow them to sidestep significant political roadblocks that have impeded completion of a broader agreement.
The status-of-forces negotiations have been sharply criticized by Democrats, and some Republicans, as an attempt to tie Bush's successor to the president's policy in Iraq. Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, supports the administration position. He has said he hopes to bring U.S. combat troops home by 2013 but has insisted that any timeline or lessening of U.S. control over its own operations would undercut recent military gains and aid U.S. enemies.
Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), the presumptive Democratic nominee, has said he would immediately begin withdrawing combat troops at a rate of one or two brigades a month, a pledge he has softened recently by saying he would consult with U.S. commanders on the ground. But he has said that after 16 months in office, the U.S. presence in Iraq would be far smaller than the 144,000 troops there now, with only a "residual" number remaining.
Lawmakers have also objected to Bush's insistence that a status-of-forces agreement -- and a separate strategic framework outlining broad economic, political and security cooperation -- can be enacted with his signature alone and does not require congressional approval.
With some U.S. troops expected to remain in Iraq no matter who becomes president, administration officials said they anticipated that negotiations over a long-term status-of-forces agreement would continue. But with the end of the U.N. mandate looming, one official said, "we need a bridge which allows us to have some measure of authority to continue operations" after December.
Protest over the agreement has been far more vociferous in Iraq, where Maliki's government -- heading toward provincial elections this year and a parliamentary election in 2009 -- has been scrambling to show that it is reclaiming Iraqi sovereignty from the Americans. Just one month after discussions on the status-of-forces agreement began in March, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari warned in an interview that a U.S. draft was unacceptable.
In May, Iraqi and foreign media published U.S. negotiators' demands that one administration official now describes as "frankly unrealistic," including unilateral control over U.S. combat and detainee operations, immunity for U.S. personnel from Iraqi prosecution, and control over Iraqi airspace. Additional accounts outlined a list of 58 separate military installations that would remain under U.S. control.
Maliki's political competition, led by radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, deemed the absence of a timeline a deal-breaker. Iraq's top Shiite leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, warned against any agreement that violated Iraqi sovereignty and was not approved by the Iraqi people.
In late May, Maliki told Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that the negotiating process "was not working," one U.S. official said. Beneath the public controversy over major issues, negotiators were locked in the minutiae of arrangements over things such as environmental regulations and license plates for U.S. vehicles -- standard items in formal status-of-forces agreements with other countries -- and "we weren't having the strategic level conversation we needed to be having," the official said.
Bush subsequently instructed U.S. negotiators to "be more flexible and open-minded," one official said. But it was becoming clear that the July 31 deadline for completion -- set to ensure a deal was in hand before the August Iraqi parliamentary recess, the month-long observance of Ramadan in September, and the final stretches of the U.S. presidential campaign -- would not be met.
"What we're doing now is more . . . a bridge to have the authority in place so we don't turn into a pumpkin on December 31," the official said. Neither country wants an extension of the U.N. mandate. Iraq has rejected its explicit limits on sovereignty, and the administration believes that a limited extension would only postpone the need for a bilateral accord and potentially leave U.S. troops with "our backs against the wall."
According to U.S. officials, Maliki also hopes that a temporary protocol would circumvent the full parliamentary review and two-thirds vote he has promised for a status-of-forces agreement. "He is trying to figure out, just as we did, how you can set up an agreement between the two and have it be legally binding," one official said, "but not go through the legislative body."
A biker is riding by the zoo, when he sees a little girl leaning into the lion's cage. Suddenly, the lion grabs her by the cuff of her jacket and tries to pull her inside, under the eyes of her screaming parents.
The biker jumps off his bike, runs to the cage and hits the lion square on the nose with a powerful punch. Whimpering from the pain the lion jumps back letting go of the girl, and the biker brings her to her terrified parents, who thank him endlessly.
A reporter has seen the whole scene, and addressing the biker, says: Sir, this was the most gallant and brave thing I have ever seen a man do in my whole life.
The biker replies: Why, it was nothing, really, the lion was behind bars. I just saw this little kid in danger, and acted as I felt right.
Well, I'll make sure this won't go unnoticed. I'm a journalist, you know, and tomorrow's papers will have this on the first page. What motorcycle do you ride?
A Harley Davidson, was the bikers response.
The journalist leaves.
The following morning the biker buys the paper to see if it indeed bring news of his actions, and reads, on first page:
Biker gang member assaults African immigrant and steals his lunch.
The news that Al Qaeda in Iraq has been soundly beaten and is on the verge of annihilation, was met with worries and a quick call to action on Capitol Hill today. In an attempt to salvage some semblance of victory for the embattled fighters, Congressional Democrats voted early Thursday to approve funding that would provide desperately needed supplies for the group.
There is no question but that they are in a bad way, said Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. What began as a glorious campaign against the American occupiers, has taken a turn for the worse. These culturally equal individuals have been shot at, had missiles fired at them, and been made to miss at least one of their five daily prayers on several occasions. Whats more, our polling data shows that a full 100% of them are living below the poverty line! If it werent for that fact that many of them have dual citizenship between their home countries and Holland, they wouldnt even be receiving welfare payments or free health care. But I have sponsored legislation that will go a long way towards turning the tide back in favor of these brave freedom fighters.
Pelosis bill calls for two battalions of Code Pink protesters to be sent to Iraq immediately. They will be deployed at key positions to block advancing U.S. Marines.
We were toying with the idea of using the Code Pinkers against the Iraqi forces as well, but it turns out that they are even less enlightened than our own barbaric military personnel, Pelosi said. During one of the ladies patented Breasts Not Bombs rallies in Fallujah recently, the Iraqi commander ordered them at gunpoint to put their shirts back on while his men screamed and covered their eyes.
These elite protest battalions will bring with them a host of sorely needed supplies including:
* clean placards, new magic markers, and sturdy wood slats for making state-of-the art anti-American-miliary signs
* teddy bears, dolls, and blood-splattered rubble for use in AP photographs depicting the barbarity of U.S. troops
* the direct number for the head of the ACLU
* several cases of Goat Fancy magazine
#1
How about sending a human shield force there from Congress. Surely, some of Pelosky and Reed's faithful will step up to the challenge. Jihad for Nancy!
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
07/13/2008 9:38
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Considering some of the pictures I've seen of the Breasts not Bombs campaigns (I am almost done with the resulting psychotherapy), I think even American commanders in the field would order the women to put their shirts back on, at gunpoint if necessary.
Posted by: Rambler in California ||
07/13/2008 16:28
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#3
When I first read this I thought it was scrappleface. our own barbaric military personnel
are you kidding me? As in whose side are you on here....
while his men screamed and covered their eyes
I would have liked to see this. While I've been known to moon or have some fun times after throwing a few down, I'm at the age now that I'd probably scare a few folks too, so I have no room to talk here ;)
Posted by: Jan ||
07/13/2008 18:51
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#4
thenoseonyourface.com is just like Scrappleface
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/13/2008 18:53
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#5
thanks,
I hadn't gone to the original link with this article.
With Pelosi it sounded believeable sadly enough.
Posted by: Jan ||
07/13/2008 23:45
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#4
The CIA - the organization that didn't see 9/11 coming, and that provided bad intelligence on Iraq. The organization that spent billions during the cold war spying on the Soviet Union and was SURPRISED by it's collapse in the 90's. Yeah, I'm so going to listen to advice from these folks.
The government is to sponsor a theological board of leading imams and Muslim women in an attempt to refute the ideology of violent extremists. The committee, to be announced this week, will issue pronouncements on areas such as wearing the hijab and the treatment of wives and is part of a government strategy to counter radicalism. It will rule on interpretation of the Koran and promote the moderate strain of Islam practised by most British Muslims. It will also comment on controversial issues affecting Muslims living in Britain, including whether or not they should serve in the armed forces.
Its members have been recommended by leading moderates in the Muslim community and will be technically independent, although the government is expected to provide civil service support, a secretariat and members expenses. Hazel Blears, the communities secretary, will announce the committee as part of an anti-extremism strategy called Prevent, devised following the 2005 London bombings. It tries to foster close contacts between Muslims and the rest of society to combat the glorification of terrorism.
The Muslim public affairs committee questioned whether the board would address issues relevant to Muslims lives. To be successful, this initiative must have credibility with the Muslim community as a whole. What matters is what happens at the grass roots in someones local mosque, said a spokeswoman. The government is concerned that extremist leaders who preach jihad have been able to radicalise young Muslims, partly because of the failure of leading Islamic figures to challenge them.
A committee of Muslim young people will try to ensure the policies are relevant to them and do not inadvertently lead to further radicalisation. The government also plans to support Muslim women by providing discussion groups and work placements. As part of the Prevent strategy, Blears will go on an international tour to learn the roots of British Muslims. A spokesman said: Hazel is going to the subcontinent to deepen her understanding of communities.
#1
More nonsense. Merely accomodating the conquerers. Obey British law or leave. That should be the only choice. No discussion, councils, or boards required. Just a stiff backbone to go with the upper lips.
A Michigan man is seeking $70 million from two Christian publishers for emotional distress and mental instability he received during the past 20 years from versions of the Bible that refer to homosexuality as a sin.
Bradley LaShawn Fowler, a gay man, claims his constitutional rights were infringed upon by Zondervan Publishing Co. and Thomas Nelson Publishing, both of which, he claims, deliberately caused homosexuals to suffer by misinterpretation of the Bible. Fowler, 39, is seeking $60 million from Zondervan and another $10 million from Thomas Nelson.
According to a USA Today report, Fowler's two separate suits against the publishers claim the intent of the Bible revisions that refer to homosexuals as sinners reflect an individual opinion or a group's conclusion. Fowler says the deliberate changes made to first Corinthians, chapter six, verse nine caused him "or anyone who is a homosexual to endure verbal abuse, discrimination, episodes of hate, and physical violence ... including murder."
Fowler, who is representing himself in both lawsuits, claims the publishers are misinterpreting the Bible by specifically using the word homosexuals, which made him an outcast from his family and contributed to physical discomfort and periods of demoralization, chaos and bewilderment. "These are opinions based on the publishers and they are being embedded in the religious structure as a way of life," he tells a local NBC TV station affiliate in Grand Rapids.
Fowler admits that every Bible printed is a translation that can be interpreted in many ways, but he says specifically using the word "homosexual" is not a translation but a change. Fowler says Zondervan Bibles published in the '80s used the word homosexuals among a list of those who are "wicked' or unrighteous and won't inherit the kingdom of heaven."
Zondervan, for its part, issued a statement to the Grand Rapids press stating it does not translate the Bible or own the copyright for any of the translations it publishes "We rely on the scholarly judgment of the highly respected and credible translation committees behind each translation and never alter the text of the translations we are licensed to publish," the statement reads. "We only publish credible translations produced by credible Biblical scholars."
U.S. District Judge Julian Abele Cook Jr., who will hear Fowler's case against Thomas Nelson, says the court "has some very genuine concerns about the nature and efficacy of [Fowler's] claims."
#1
So much for the separation of church and state, let alone the principles of the first amendment. However, the judiciary never passes up an opportunity to extend its power and venue. It just waits for the proper moment.
#2
Note that Zonderan Bible Publishers publishes the New International Version of the Bible which (I think - i don't track such things) is pretty well accepted.
Yes I looked up the offending scripture:
1 Cor 6:9-11 (NIV)
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral not idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers no swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And this is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
If I had some of the other translations I'll quote them too - for context.
#4
Maybe I'll sue the publisher of the Anarchist's Cookbook, I'll say I blew my nuts off trying to make nitro with the tech in their book. I'll ask for $500million.
#9
And FYI, go back to the latin vulgate, and it refers to men who have sex with other men. So its not recent.
Typical gay activists - wants to force acceptence of his perversion (orthodox and traditional Christain belief) as normal, and is trying to use the court to do so.
#10
Maybe he thinks he's living in Canada. Wasn't a Canadian pastor ordered to recant his christian beliefs, pay resitution(sp?), and never preach again by the Canadian / Alberta Star Chamber (Human [Abusers] Rights Commission)?
Ah.... Here it is (Google's good for something....)
San Francisco, CA (AP) — Federal officials say San Francisco authorities have started turning over the names of juvenile offenders who may be in the U.S. illegally. Forced to obey federal law. I'll bet that breaks their balls.
Officials say that the city given the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency the names of 10 immigrant offenders in juvenile custody, most of them being held for drug-related offenses. ICE officials say they are investigating whether the youths should be deported.
Amazing. SF is following the law? Wonder what Newsom's file contains ...
The move comes after Mayor Gavin Newsom reversed the city's 20-year-old policy of shielding young immigrant offenders from federal deportation under San Francisco's sanctuary city policy. His administration came under intense criticism after three teenage boys escaped from a San Bernardino County group home where they were placed by the city. The city also had been paying for free trips home for youth offenders rather than report them to federal officials.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/13/2008
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Did someone whisper the words conspiracy and obstruction in their ears?
#3
Go tell it on the mountain! Let the people know what their government is doing. Their city is imprisoning young people for using drugs? Those children are just doing what comes naturally. And now the city is turning some of these nubile youth over to the mean. evil, nasty Feds? I feel a change coming on. It's time to go to city hall and clean house. It's time to restore San Francisco's basic freedoms. Their freedoms of drugs, sex and antiwar violence are being threatened. San Francisco life style is in danger of being suffocated by normalness.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
07/13/2008 9:32
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#4
Forced to obey federal law. I'll bet that breaks their balls Do they even have any?
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
07/13/2008 10:24
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#5
some of the wymyns do
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/13/2008 10:51
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#7
Apparently they are only doing this for offenders convicted of crimes. They have learned that it is cheaper to turn them over to the feds than to take care of them themselves. It's really about money. SF is still a "sanctuary city" and city employees are still instructed not to assist federal immigration officials in the course of their daily work.
Practically every restaurant and hotel in the city would close down if they were to crack down on illegals.
"Pakistan-based Taliban" attacked a remote Afghan district on Saturday, the Afghanistan government said. "Pakistani Taliban began attacks on Bargi Matal district from 11am. The fighting continues," the Interior Ministry said in a statement released on Saturday evening. The attack was launched from Pakistan's adjoining Chitral area, it said. "The youths of the area are joining the security forces to defend their district against the Pakistani militants. One of those brave youths died in fighting," it said. Security forces had sent reinforcements, it said, without giving details.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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#1
"The youths of the area are joining the security forces to defend their district against the Pakistani militants. One of those brave youths died in fighting," it said.
May that brave youth find himself in Paradise as a true martyr, for he chose to act as a true Lion of Islam. Quite unlike those cowardly murderers, the Taliban, whom Dr, Fadl wrote are condemned to the depths of Hell.
NAGAPPATTINAM (Tamil Nadu) Two Indian fishermen were killed when a Sri Lankan Navy vessel allegedly opened fire on their fishing boat, a survivor of the incident said here yesterday. The bodies of the fishermen were brought ashore after K. Murali, a fisherman injured in the shooting in the wee hours of yesterday, tipped off relatives on a mobile phone that his mates S. Vasagan and N. Narayanswamy were killed in unprovoked firing by the Sri Lankan Navy in the Palk Straits.
Completely unprovoked, of course, with no mention of the arms being delivered by the fishermen, I'm guessing ...
The Sri Lankan mission in Chennai, 350km north of here, was unavailable for comment.
The Communist Party of India (CPI) announced yesterday it would picket the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission in Chennai on July 30 to protest the "incessant killing of innocent Indian fishermen by the island's navy". Announcing the protest in a statement, CPI state secretary D. Pandiyan also called on the central government to raise the issue of unacceptable behaviour of the Sri Lankan Navy at during the Saarc summit next month. "It is unfortunate that the poor fishermen were killed in cold blood on a boat that was granted to them as part of the rehabilitation package since the 2004 tsunami. We will network other like-minded parties to take part in the protest," Pandiyan added.
So the commies in India are supporting the Tamil Tigers, eh ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/13/2008
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U.S. security experts have discovered a major flaw in the design of the Internet's address system that affects virtually every corporate computer network.
The flaw in the Domain Name System could allow hackers to steer most people using corporate networks to malicious Web sites, The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
So far, hackers haven't taken advantage of the flaw, and the security experts say every major software company affected is in the process of issuing patches to fix the problem.
The man who discovered the flaw, Dan Kaminsky of the Seattle-based security firm IOActive Inc., says he hopes the patches will be broad enough that hackers won't be able to reverse-engineer them. "We got lucky in this particular bug, because it's a design flaw," says Kaminsky. "It shows up in everyone's network, but the fix is a design fix that doesn't point directly at what we're improving."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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Posted by: ed ||
07/13/2008 7:06
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#3
yeah, I uninstalled the KB951748 update. I'd rather have my ZA firewall at high, and don't want to switch to Comodo. I expect ZA, and not MS, will fix this. WTG MS! Good testing!
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/13/2008 8:46
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ed and FrankG: You might consider going for a different firewall. A few years ago, ZoneAlarm was purchased by the Israeli company Check Point.
"Check Point's development centers are located in Israel and in Belarus. They also have offices in Redwood City, California and in the Dallas, Texas area."
#7
Frank, you can download a fixed version of ZA from their website. It works with the MS fix. I also use a HW firewall for internet stuff but keep ZA for any wireless networks.
Posted by: ed ||
07/13/2008 11:12
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#8
I do have Comodo installed on one machine but is harder to use and monitor.
Posted by: ed ||
07/13/2008 11:13
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#9
yep, thx. I also have all of my wireless, including the gaming bridge for the XBOX in the living room secure encrypted. Not only is it good security, it keeps neighbors from piggybacking on your wireless-N signal
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/13/2008 11:24
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I am a bit upset that I have not seen patches on NetGear for their home router firmware.
Former interior minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao on Saturday sounded "serious" threats to the country's sovereignty and integrity, saying that the United States could attack Pakistan any time soon. "There is an imminent danger of [a] US attack on Pakistan," Sherpao told reporters at his residence.
His comments came two days after NATO attacked a Pakistani outpost on the Afghan border in South Waziristan. "The government should immediately call a joint session of parliament to discuss the situation and evolve a national consensus," the former minister said. "The country's security is apolitical issue and we must all be concerned about it," he added.
He however said it was difficult to say the US would land boots in the Tribal Areas or continue with airstrikes to target what Washington terms militants. "We don't know this ... they may be Iraq-like mercenaries."
Posted by: John Frum ||
07/13/2008
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
I doubt there would be many tears shed by the city folk if some of these mountain tribes were decimated. And we could do a lot of pinpoint strikes without them even losing sleep over it.
Sovereignty means a lot more if you actually control your country.
#3
I like the San Francisco analysis. Seriously, if someone were to take San Francisco off our hands, can anyone explain why that would be a bad thing?
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
07/13/2008 10:43
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yeh, bigjim, but how miffed would the San Franciscans be if China invaded Houston?
#7
g(r)omgoru, you're correct about Telegraph Ave. I miss browsing Moe's & Shakespeare's terribly. But I make do with Alibris and Abebooks. And it costs a lot less.
The harbor is useless because there are no more Navy bases and the USN isn't welcome. Seattle is a day closer to Japan and LA has better train connections.
Finally I'd contend that SF has been taken off our hands, they just didn't issue a press release.
#8
Since I don't speak either Chinese or Spanish, How would you ever know?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/13/2008 15:56
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Houston would give China a port on the Gulf of Mexico, something I don't think would be tolerated. The situation is more that of Laos during the Vietnam War. We bombed it, but we didn't invade it. We tried to get the Vietnamese to do it, but they weren't very serious about it.
Taking the fight to the Taliban where they live would be a very good thing, IMHO. Wasting a half-dozen towns in Pakistan's NWFP might just get the idea across that we're serious about this WOT thing, and anyone that stands in our way, or helps our enemies, will pay a very heavy price. Bush needs to go out a winner, not a whiner.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/13/2008 17:22
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OP, I didn't mean to imply the Chinese would GET Houston (probably something like 5 million small arms in that town - not counting the ones held by gang members and other incompetents), merely that much of San Francisco would not care if they tried to.
Two American-born teenagers forced by their father to attend a madrassa in Pakistan for nearly four years have returned home to Atlanta after a documentary filmmaker pushed for their release.
Noor and Mahboob Khan, now 17 and 16, arrived in Atlanta late on Thursday from Jamia Binoria, a madrassa in Karachi. The boys are featured in a new documentary "Karachi Kids" by filmmaker Imran Raza, due to be released next week.
The boys' father, Fazal Khan, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he sent them to the madrassa because he wanted them exposed to Islam. He said he had tried to bring his sons home but the boys could not get exit visas. "I sent a ticket. But I couldn't get the paperwork," he told the Journal-Constitution on Wednesday.
Role: Raza had been working to get the boys home when US Rep Michael McCaul, a Republican from Texas, got involved. In a July 4 visit to Pakistan, he asked President Pervez Musharraf to release the Khan brothers. The teens were sent home just a few days later. So they're back? And with their Pakistani madrassa educations? That's just...great.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
The two will need a lot of unfucking that 4 years of the madrassa have indoctrinated. Unfortunately I don't think the amount the of resources required is worth an uncertain payoff. Not that any contact with dear old dad will help matters. Quarantining the entire family to Pakiwakiland is the most cost effective and safe strategy for America.
Posted by: ed ||
07/13/2008 6:43
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#2
A fabulous opportunity for the FBI to watch for madrassa bred jihadi dysfunction and then pounce.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/13/2008 8:55
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Local Taliban on Saturday released four workers of a team administering anti-polio vaccine in the Mohmand Agency, an official said. A spokesman of Health Ministry said that the workers have returned to Peshawar safely. According to an agreement reached between the NWFP government and the local Taliban, workers of anti-polio campaign would not be harmed. The polio team was facilitated in Swat, while the local Taliban violated the agreement in Mohmand Agency and kidnapped the workers. So... now what? Double Secret Probation?
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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July 11, 2008: U.S., British, Canadian and Dutch diplomats are leaning hard on other NATO members to provide more meaningful support in Afghanistan. This is not the first time such complaints have been made, but because U.S., British, Canadian and Dutch troops are doing nearly all the fighting, while most of the 50,000 NATO troops (particularly the Germans and French) stay in the north, where there is very little action, tempers are getting short. What particularly irritates the four "fighting nations" are the 70-80 "special instructions" the other NATO nations have attached to the use of their troops in Afghanistan.
This pressure has had some effect. France is moving some of its combat troops to eastern Afghanistan, where there has been an increase in the number of Pakistani Taliban crossing the border. Some nations have offered to send much needed helicopters and medical units, but even this will take time. Since the end of the Cold War in 1991, most European nations have sharply cut their military spending (as a percentage of GDP), and just let their armed forces quietly fall apart. This has become embarrassingly obvious as they are now called on to step up to help out in Afghanistan. Many politicians said yes, only to find themselves caught short by the realities of their decrepit armed forces.
The U.S. has been trying to supply more troops, but this is unpopular in the face of other NATO members shirking their responsibilities. Some 2,200 American marines are leaving in November, and the U.S. Army is reluctant to send another brigade to Afghanistan, after they just chased al Qaeda out of Iraq. Remnants of the terrorist organizations have fled to Pakistan, but the defeat in Iraq has hurt recruiting and fund raising worldwide. Even NATO politicians realize that this is an opportunity to deliver another crushing defeat to the Islamic terrorists, if only they have enough fighting troops in Afghanistan.
#1
but the defeat in Iraq has hurt recruiting and fund raising worldwide.
Poor Al Qaeda. Mr. bin Laden, assuming he yet lives, must be feeling terribly frustrated. He started this to force his god to take a hand in bringing forth the Caliphate, and his god gives him defeat. Clearly he is unworthy.
#2
What happens when you have people on welfare for generations? Same as when you have nations on military welfare for generations. They lack the attitude and will to actually carry the work. Surprise.
#5
As I recall from comments made by Swamp Blondie in the past, the neutering has indeed taken a while.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/13/2008 12:59
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#6
You never know about the Germans, though. It's hard to say if they have gone totally pacifistic, or this war just isn't on a large enough scale for them.
#7
You never know about the Germans, though. It's hard to say if they have gone totally pacifistic, or this war just isn't on a large enough scale for them.
They're confused because the French are on their side.
#1
I'd love to see McCain do a press conference from the ANWR coastal plain. I'd also love to see the McCain staff to neglect to mention DEET to the press corps.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Bush administration is considering withdrawing additional troops from Iraq beginning in September, The New York Times reported in Sunday editions, citing administration and military officials. The withdrawal, which the Times said would constitute a marked reversal from the war's darkest days of 2006-2007, stemmed partly from the need for more U.S. troops in Afghanistan to fight the rising insurgency by the Taliban and other fighters. U.S. and allied casualties there have outpaced those in Iraq in recent months.
And mostly from the fact that the fight has gone well in Iraq. But count on the NYT to find the gray cloud in the silver lining ...
No final decisions have been made, but at least one and as many as three of the 15 combat brigades now in Iraq could be withdrawn, or slated for withdrawal, by the end of the administration in January, the Times said, citing officials.
The White House declined to discuss the withdrawals, but spokesman Gordon Johndroe told the newspaper that while the president hoped to bring more troops home, he would await the recommendation in September of Gen. David Petraeus, the U.S. commander in Iraq, the Times said. "For now," Johndroe said, "we will continue discussions with the Iraqis on our shared goals of a reduced U.S. troop presence," it quoted him as saying.
Despite consensus among officials that fewer forces are needed in Iraq and more in Afghanistan, one senior administration official also cautioned that President George W. Bush would resist deep or rapid reductions if that threatened the prospects for a stable, democratic government in Iraq, the Times said.
Bush is right to be careful. Any slip or regression in Iraq would be a PR disaster, and we can't afford that right now. Keep the screws on AQI, make sure the Iraqis continue to recover, and keep working with Maliki on security issues.
"There hasn't really been any discussion of numbers, and it's definitely based on conditions on the ground," the Times quoted a military officer in Baghdad as saying. Conditions "are a lot more favorable than in December or April or even two months ago," he added.
But Petraeus, who leaves Iraq in September to head the U.S. Central Command, which also has oversight over the Afghanistan war, and has already begun the review of security and troop levels, is expected to be more cautious than some administration and Pentagon officials might want, the Times said. Officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said Petraeus would more likely recommend a smaller reduction.
The most optimistic course would be 120,000 to 130,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, the Times said, which would be down from the peak of 170,000 in 2007 after Bush ordered the troop increase. As of July 9, there were 146,000 U.S. troops in Iraq.
Iraq is a major issue in November's presidential election battle between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama. McCain supports the Bush administration's current strategy there, while Obama has called for a timetable for withdrawal.
Let's bring home a brigade in late September. Let's throw a parade for them. In, say, Washington. March down Pennsylvania Avenue, get a key to the city, have a ceremony on the Mall. Invite Senators McCain and Obama.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/13/2008
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#1
NYT and Al Reuters. Last check I had was that Petraeus determines pull out.
#2
an accelerated pullout would not be in Iraq's best interest, but this could also be a reminder to Maliki that Iraqis aren't the only ones who decide when the Americans withdraw.
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/13/2008 9:49
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#3
Hey, while they're on that parade down Pennsylvania Avenue, do ya' think they could maybe take the time to make about 650 arrests over at Capitol Hill?
#4
HMMMM, HMMMMM, another one for 2008-2012 [2016?] POTUS Period = ISLAMIST NUCLEARIZATION vv CENTRAL ASIA, + also another good background sign for the ISLAMIST HIDDEN IMAM-MAHDI, perhaps even PRE-IMAM/MAHDI?, to make his Appearance in the ME, AS PER MOUD + OSAMA etal.???
NEW DELHI Unidentified gunmen shot dead three people in two incidents of firing in the national capital, police said yesterday. Two people were gunned down in Amar Colony and one was killed at nearby Andrews Ganj Flyover in south Delhi by the same shooters on Friday, the police said.
Four unidentified motorcycle borne assailants were following Arshneet, 28 and Hardeep, 27, who were also on a motorbike, the police said, adding the attackers opened fire at them near Garhi area. Arshneet died on the spot as Hardeep received serious injuries. The police was informed about the incident at around 8.45pm on Friday.
"The assailants fled from the spot. At nearby Andrews Ganj flyover they forcibly snatched a bike of another person. But entered into an argument with a bystander, Sanjeev, on a scooter," said deputy commissioner of police (south) H.G.S. Dhaliwal. They tried to scare Sanjeev by firing in the air and unfortunately a bullet hit him, Dhaliwal added.
Hardeep and Sanjeev were taken to AIIMS where they succumbed to their injuries.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/13/2008
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July 11, 2008: In the last year, the U.S. Army has established 35 Warrior Transition Units (WTUs), to serve some 9,000 soldiers recovering from combat injuries. The WTUs look after the needs of soldiers requiring six months or more of medical care before they are well again. Most have combat injuries, but there are many with accident injuries, and a few recovering from diseases contracted overseas.
Each WTU is staffed with a few officers and 15-20 NCOs (platoon sergeants and squad leaders). In addition there are nurses and other medical professionals. The WTU staff sees to it that those under their care receive the proper medical treatment on a timely and sufficient basis. The WTU staff deal with any paperwork problems, helping the patients cope with the many bureaucracies that come out of the woodwork.
The WTU NCOs have the hardest jobs, because they are often combat veterans themselves, relate well to the patients, and they are the main problem solvers. This is particularly useful for WTU patients who are reservists, and are not familiar with a lot of the active duty paperwork and procedures. Because of the stress placed on the WTU NCOs, they initially received Special Duty Pay of $225 a month. This is sort of like combat pay, but given to any troops in particularly difficult jobs.
This is all good news/bad news. The good news is that the WTUs work, and are very popular with the recovering soldiers. The bad news is that it's rough on the WTU NCOs, and the word got around. It has become difficult to get NCOs to volunteer for this duty, especially ones who have done several tours in Iraq or Afghanistan, or have just gotten back from one. So the army has upped the Special Duty Pay to $375 a month, and eliminated the requirement that the NCOs have two years experience as either platoon leaders or squad leaders. This enables a large number of newly promoted NCOs to serve in WTUs, and is expected to solve the staffing shortages.
#1
In the last year, the U.S. Army has established 35 Warrior Transition Units (WTUs)
When the Army discovered during the Walter Reed debacle that the old [mainly peacetime] Medical Holding Company system worked like crap. When you had a draft and a million men, losing personnel accountability and pushing paper with troops dumped on the VA, it wasn't a big thing. When you have a much smaller professional force, they expect, well, professionalism, not the worst of bureaucratic paper pushing and finger pointing.
Now get your butt into gear in orienting the peacetime personnel promotion system towards warfighting. Reward the successful battlefield leaders and not the box checking managers.
Johnson! Stop the presses!!
CHICAGO (Reuters) - The U.S. Green Party, which captured far less than 1 percent of the vote in the last presidential election, chose former Democratic Rep. Cynthia McKinney as its 2008 presidential candidate on Saturday. McKinney, 53, will be joined on the ticket for the November election by vice presidential candidate Rosa Clemente, a hip-hop artist and activist. So that should really cut into Obama's support...right?
McKinney received 313 out of 532 votes cast at the party's nominating convention in Chicago, party spokesman Scott McLarty said. Who else got votes? Zippy the Pinhead? Mister Ed? Voldemort ...
In 2004, the Green Party drew 119,859 votes, or 0.1 percent of the total, finishing in sixth place behind the two major parties and three other third-party tickets. But they've got...hiiigh hopes...they got hiiiiigh hopes...
McKinney served six terms in Congress and lost her 2006 bid for re-election. She was the first black woman to represent Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives. I'm just glad she won so I can keep using that picture.
#1
Hey! Don't insult Mr Ed cause, "Mr. Ed will never speak unless he has something to say."
Posted by: ed ||
07/13/2008 7:47
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I thought she was a democrat? why is she green now - oh maybe she just wants attention and power. Though I'm not sure how he green party provides these.
Moroccan security forces foiled a terrorist plot to attack tourists this summer, in what has become a "near-daily" struggle to root out extremist cells increasingly linked to al-Qaida in Iraq, a top security official said Friday.
Abdelhak Bassou, head of Morocco's Renseignements Generaux domestic intelligence agency, told The Associated Press in a rare interview that four separate terrorist cells have been broken up so far this year. He said one of those groups, with 11 militants arrested in May, was preparing attacks "planned for this summer" in a plot aimed at tourist hotels in Morocco, which is a largely moderate Muslim kingdom and strong U.S. ally.
The country has seen a rise in radical Islam in recent years, and the government has jailed hundreds of suspected militants since a string of bombings killed 45 people in 2003.
Bassou said authorities had broken up "about 30 cells" over the past five years and predicted they would dismantle "another three or four" radical cells during the rest of this year. "At this point, it's become near-daily work," he said.
The investigations have revealed extremist networks that extended from Europe to the al-Qaida terror operation in Iraq, he said. Most of the Moroccan cells support al-Qaida in Iraq via militant bases in neighboring Algeria, channeling cash, weapons and combatants, he said.
Three of the four alleged cells currently being prosecuted were focused on supporting insurgents in Iraq and had smuggled "some 30 to 50 (Moroccan) fighters" into that country, Bassou said. "We have to continue to anticipate," he said, adding that the threat also comes from "loose elements" of one or two individuals who plan small attacks on their own.
Some 1,100 alleged Islamic radicals are now behind bars, either convicted of terrorism charges or awaiting trial.
Bassou said a "huge improvement" in cooperation between Arab and Western intelligence services has helped limit terrorist attacks since the 9/11 assault on the U.S., but he said another factor is that many al-Qaida loyalists are focused on the war in Iraq. "It doesn't mean they wouldn't blow up a bus of tourists here if they have the opportunity," he said.
But the fact that al-Qaida is relying on many support cells in North Africa for fighters, money and guns is a sign that it is losing ground in Iraq, Bassou said. "If they don't show results, I don't give them five more years of existence," he said, contending that al-Qaida needs victories in Iraq to attract new recruits in the Arab world.
Posted by: ed ||
07/13/2008
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A U.S. military official says Iran fired only one missile Thursday, not a full round, based on U.S. intelligence assessments. Iranian media reported the country's military conducted a second day of test-firing missiles, but the U.S. military official told CNN U.S. radar and satellite imagery don't support the claim. The military official said it was possible that Iran tested short-range missiles.
U.S. diplomatic and military officials said they believe Iran did fire seven missiles -- including one long-range Shahab-3 -- Wednesday, as it said. But the source talking to CNN said one missile failed to launch and the Iranians fired it the following day.
The Iranian exercises came a month after Israel conducted a military drill in the eastern Mediterranean. Tensions between Iran and Israel have been growing. Iran has accused Israel of trying to weaken Tehran while Israel hasn't ruled out a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities.
Israel was expected to unveil an advance aircraft its military said is capable of spying on Iran. Israeli Army Radio told CNN the Eitam airplane is a "practical answer" to recent Iranian "threats."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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#1
I'm personally wonderin' why, besides whatever missles were indeed test-launched, Iran also didn't put up an air show wid some its its tacair?
Hamas yesterday rejected Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's call for Palestinian reconciliation.Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman of Hamas in Gaza, told reporters that Fayyad was implementing a US-Israeli agenda rather than Palestinian one.
He also described Fayyad as "the most dangerous man in the history of the Palestinian cause because of his US-backed ideas that he has tried to implement. Fayyad's call is far away from any national proposal ... he is a part of the Israeli and American equation." Salam might wanna buy a remote car starter.
Barhoum was reacting to Fayyad's interview to a pan-Arab newspaper in which he has said that "the home must be reunited because this is the way to respond to the Israeli actions."
Hamas does not recognize Fayyad's government based in the West Bank city of Ramallah and formed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in June 2007 when Hamas ousted Abbas and seized Gaza. Hamas rules the Gaza Strip with a government headed by Ismail Haniyeh.
"Hamas is too great to listen to a man who destroyed the Palestinian cause. Hamas is a great Palestinian faction which once formed a unity government and led the Palestinian people, said Barhoum.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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Syria and Lebanon have agreed to open embassies in each other's capitals, French leader Nicolas Sarkozy has said. The announcement came after Mr Sarkozy held talks with Lebanon's President Michel Suleiman and then Syria's leader Bashar Assad in Paris.
Lebanon and Syria broke off diplomatic ties after former Lebanese PM Rafik Hariri was assassinated in 2005. Beirut accused Syria of involvement.
Mr Assad's welcome in Paris marks his return to the world stage. "I would like to say what a historic step forward it is for France that Syrian President Bashar Assad is determined to open a diplomatic representation in Lebanon, and that Lebanon should open a diplomatic representation in Syria," Mr Sarkozy announced after meeting both men.
There has been no announcement by either Syria or Lebanon, but Mr Sarkozy said their leaders had authorised him to speak on their behalf. Relations between Syria and Lebanon have been tense since the forced withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon in mid-2005 after Mr Hariri's assassination. But the two nations have not had diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level since they became independent in the 1940s.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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President Raul Castro warned Cubans on Friday to prepare for a "realistic" brand of communism that is economically viable and does away with excessive state subsidies designed to promote equality on the island. Addressing Cuba's parliament in its first session since lawmakers selected him to succeed his older brother Fidel in February, Raul Castro announced no major reforms, but suggested that global economic turbulence could lead to further belt-tightening on the island.
"Socialism means social justice and equality, but equality of rights, of opportunities, not of income," the 77-year-old president said in a speech that was taped and later aired on national television. "Equality is not egalitarianism."
I don't recall Marx and Ingels phrasing it quite like that ...
Cuba's rubber-stamp parliament convenes for only for a few hours twice a year and rumors were rampant that Friday's session would see an easing of restrictions on travel abroad or a strengthening of wages by increasing the value of the peso, worth about 21-1 against the US dollar.
The government controls well over 90 percent of the economy and the average salary is just 408 pesos per month, US$19.50, though most Cubans get free housing, health care, education and ration cards that cover basic food needs.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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#1
"Socialism means social justice and equality, but equality of rights, of opportunities, not of income,"
#6
It will probably turn out to be Euro style socialism with small businesses not only permitted but encouraged; however, the police state and the mansions for the Castro family will be retained. So it will be exactly what the EU wishes it could enforce on the Europeans : the leadership living like kings, with the proles living like the lower class they are supposed to be.
Zimbabwe has hailed the failure of a UN Security Council resolution to impose new sanctions on the country's leaders. Russia and China vetoed the resolution, saying the situation in Zimbabwe posed no threat to international security.
The UK said it was incomprehensible, while the US said the veto brought into question Russia's reliability as a G8 partner. But South Africa said sanctions would interfere with attempts to form a national unity government. The measures proposed in the draft UN resolution had included an arms embargo and a travel ban for President Robert Mugabe and 13 of his key allies.
There has been growing international criticism of Zimbabwe since the re-election of President Robert Mugabe in a run-off boycotted by the opposition. The opposition's Morgan Tsvangirai and his Movement for Democratic Change party say they had faced a campaign of violence by Mugabe supporters, which left dozens dead and thousands injured and forced from their homes.
Zimbabwe's Information Minister Sikhanyiso Ndlovu described the resolution as an attempt to make the people of Zimbabwe suffer so they would turn against their government. Britain, he said, "wanted to divert attention by bringing unfounded allegations against Zimbabwe, against the people of Zimbabwe, trying to make the people of Zimbabwe suffer more with the economic sanctions... so that they can turn against their own government".
Mr Ndlovu thanked Russia and China for upholding, as he put it, the United Nations principle of non-interference with member states. "We... would like to thank those who helped defeat international racism disguised as multilateral action at the UN."
The resolution had the support of nine council members, the minimum required to pass in the 15-member council. But the veto of any of the five permanent members - which include Russia and China - is enough to defeat a resolution.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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Just as soon as they're done populating Britain ...
ISLAMABAD Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that his government would bring down the annual population growth rate to 1.55 per cent in the next five years as it would further improve the poverty ratio in the country.
Speaking at a World Population Day seminar here Gilani said the government is committed to launching the Population Welfare Programme. He said that planning a family was not just a duty but also one of the fundamental rights that every citizen needed to exercise in the present-day world.
The seminar was informed that at present growth rate in population, Pakistan would rank third most populous country in the world in next few decades.
Since there is no prosperity, few prospects, lots of disease, no education, no life for women, a need for cannon fodder and emigration as the only outlet, yup, might as well make a bunch of babies ...
Gilani said the current annual net addition of 2.9 million people was too much and if it continued to go like this it would cause a major gap between the available resources and population and it would eat up all the achievements. Therefore, strategic planning for population management was among the top most priorities of the government, he said.
Speaking on the occasion, United States Ambassador Anne Peterson appreciated the Pakistan government's efforts being undertaken to control the population explosion.
Did her lips fall off? She can't be serious. The things you have to say as a diplomat ...
She said the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey Report offers a solid foundation for making profound changes in the way that people in Pakistan receive health care services.
Just as soon as they fix that polio problem ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/13/2008
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A recent border clash that wounded several Pakistani and Afghan security personnel was sparked by insurgents in Afghanistan who fired at targets in both countries, apparently to stoke cross-border tensions, NATO said Saturday.
The alliance said it responded to the Thursday evening assault with artillery and a bomb, and had verified that its rounds had struck insurgent positions inside Afghanistan.
But the incident has prompted Pakistan to protest to NATO. On Saturday, Pakistan's army spokesman stuck to earlier statements implying that foreign or Afghan forces fired mortar rounds he said wounded eight Pakistani security forces and two civilians.
The clash came amid already high tensions between the neighboring nations, whose border areas have often been the scene of skirmishes between security forces as well as militants. It also occurred about a month after a high-profile border incident in which Pakistan said 11 of its soldiers died when U.S. aircraft bombed their post.
A NATO official said the alliance suspects insurgents deliberately tried to spark tension by aiming at targets on both sides of the long, poorly demarcated border. "Because it was very close to the border, we verified that the origins of the fire was within Afghanistan," NATO spokesman Mark Laity said. "And once we got that, we fired on the two points of origin, and aircraft also were called in and put one bomb on target. "Our assessment is that this was an attempt to create a border incident."
According to Pakistan's army, six mortar rounds appeared to have targeted a military post in Angore Adda in South Waziristan on Thursday, seriously wounding six Pakistani troops, lightly wounding two other troops and also injuring two civilians in a nearby market.
Pakistani forces immediately returned fire. The country also lodged a "strong protest" with NATO's International Security Assistance Force, Pakistan army spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said. Details of the complaint were not immediately available.
Asked Saturday to respond to NATO's statement that militants were responsible for the incident and that NATO had not struck Pakistani positions, Abbas insisted that Pakistan still had its suspicions. "It was a precision engagement which destroyed the post," Abbas said. "It doesn't make sense that anybody else was fighting."
NATO said it had reports that four Afghan border police were also wounded in the incident. Afghan and Pakistani troops have skirmished repeatedly along the border over the years, despite urgings from U.S. officials that they improve their coordination.
The border areas are considered havens for Taliban and al-Qaida-linked militants who often travel between the two countries. Pakistan has been accused of not doing enough to crack down on militants operating on its side.
Posted by: ed ||
07/13/2008
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Somebody from Nato should tell the Paks that if they won't fight the Talibunnies, they surely won't fight us. And if they won't fight, they shouldn't waste breath protesting. It will only increase the carbon credits they have to buy.
British Prime Minster Gordon Brown will press the European Union to take harsher action against Zimbabwe, after Russia and China vetoed proposed new sanctions at the U.N. Security Council, his office said Saturday.
Brown plans to discuss EU action against President Robert Mugabe's regime when the British leader meets with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana at a summit starting Sunday in Paris.
The three will be among 43 leaders of European, Middle Eastern and North African nations at the summit.
Brown's office said he would propose new EU travel bans on members of Mugabe's government and action against companies owned by Mugabe allies.
Russia and China on Friday vetoed a proposal from the United States and Britain for a new U.N. arms embargo and other punitive measures against Zimbabwe's president and top aides. Western powers mustered nine votes, the minimum needed to gain approval in the 15-nation council, but the action failed because of the vetoes by two of the five permanent members.
And Obama wants 'tougher sanctions' on Iran. Oh yeah, that'll work well in a U.N. that can't even sanction Zimbabwe ...
The vetoes came as a surprise and disappointment for Brown. The British prime minister believed he had secured sufficient international backing for U.N. sanctions against Mugabe during last week's summit of leaders from the Group of Eight industrialized nations, said a Brown spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government policy. "It was a high-stakes gamble, which earlier in the week looked promising because the Russian president had made commitments at the G-8 to go along with financial sanctions," said Mark Malloch-Brown, Britain's minister for African, Asia and the U.N.
Zimbabwe's opposition party said Friday that at least 113 of its members have been killed in political violence since March.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said Britain would continue to press Mugabe over government-backed violence and intimidation of the opposition during Zimbabwe's first-round presidential vote in March and runoff ballot in June. "Mugabe is more isolated within his own country than ever before," Miliband told British Broadcasting Corp. radio. "We have got to make sure, though, that the final hold that he has on power, which is at a barrel of a gun, is as short as possible because the misery for those people is absolutely overwhelming."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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how hard do you think Obama would even push for sanctions on Iran? It's all bullshit. He doesn't have the spine or desire to back up even his vacuous promises, much less tough positions. He's a p*ssy
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/13/2008 8:37
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India on Saturday said it has a fair amount of intelligence about Pakistan's involvement in the Monday's suicide attack on its embassy in Kabul.
"We not only suspect but we have a fair amount of intelligence (on the involvement of Pakistan)," National Security Advisor M K Narayanan told Times Now news channel when asked whether India suspects Pakistan's involvement in the attack. "The people of this country deserve to know the facts rather than being carried away by people who make statements that these are insinuations. There are no insinuations," he said.
Four Indians, including an IFS officer and a Brigadier of the Indian Army, were killed in the blast caused by a suicide bomber driving an explosive-laden Toyota Corolla.
The NSA said there was a need to retaliate to such acts of terror. "I think we need to pay back in the same coin. We are quite clear in our mind," he said. When asked who should be paid back, he replied, "Those who are responsible."
And I'll bet the NYT won't hear about it afterwards, either ...
Narayanan said India-Pakistan relations were sought to be improved through a comprehensive dialogue mechanism. "The anti-terror mechanism was one piece of this picture. The hope was that in course of time both sides would share whatever information they have and come up with a holistic idea of what was going on," he said. "Talk-talk is better than fight-fight. But it hasn't worked so far. In some way, we haven't arrived at the decision that we should go for fight-fight so let talk-talk continue for the moment," Narayanan said.
Posted by: john frum ||
07/13/2008
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It needs to be paid back in Zimbuck quantities and a foreclosure on the house of islam.
Posted by: ed ||
07/13/2008 7:02
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Militants on Saturday abandoned a hijacked bus and freed all 22 passengers close to the Nag area in the Washak district, Dawn News reported on Saturday. The channel said these passengers had been abducted on Saturday in the limits of Nag Police Station when they were travelling in a Khuzdar-bound passenger coach from Panjgur. Police officials thought that the passengers had been kidnapped for ransom and had launched a search operation to ensure the safe recovery of the passengers, it said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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Local militants in the restive Bajaur Agency have warned criminals against kidnappings. The warning came from leader of local Taliban Maulvi Niamatullah in the Salarzai tehsil of the agency on Saturday. He said those involved in kidnappings were trying to defame the Taliban. He said stern action would be taken against such people. The militant leader said they had assigned their activists in the agency to point out those involved in kidnappings. So Maulvi, does it have to be the actual guys or are you gonna tell us who it is?
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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A Kassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed in an open area in the Sha'ar Hanegev region Saturday afternoon. No casualties or damage were reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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Seven people including two women were killed and four others injured on Saturday in clashes between the Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) and Ansar-ul-Islam in the Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency. The militants groups exchanged heavy fire, although a jirga of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) led by Shujaul Malik was due on Saturday in the valley to defuse the tension in the area. The two groups have been fighting in the valley on the Pak-Afghan border for a fortnight now. The clashes have already claimed over 100 lives.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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An Egyptian security official says police have discovered 250 kilograms of explosives hidden in the Sinai desert near the border with Israel.
The official says Bedouin trackers working for authorities found an underground hiding place in Nagaa Shabanah, a village a few miles south of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to media. Several anti-tank land mines were also found with the explosives.
The official said Saturday that the material was to be taken across the border into Gaza. Israel has repeatedly accused Egypt of not doing enough to stop smuggling of weapons into Gaza.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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But did it have STARK ENTERPRISES stenciled on the explosives?
AHMEDABAD -- A 36-year-old under-trial lodged in the high-security central jail here after the Godhra train carnage in 2002, has sought the permission of the special Pota (Prevention of terrorism Act) court to immolate himself.
Does he need gas money?
I've got an antique Zippo to donate to the cause ...
In his application, Farooq Shaikh, an accused in the ISI conspiracy case, has said that he wishes to spend a fortnight with his 'traumatised family but he is not being granted bail for the past six years. Shaikh had attempted to kill himself earlier but was saved by cell inmates.
Denied him his 72 virgins? How cruel. Pro'ly only got a lacerated larynx; he can still breathe if he takes it real slow ...
His application stated that his mother died a year ago and his brother was now on the death-bed.
Put 'em both into the same death-bed ...
Meanwhile, the Pota court allowed a 24-hour parole to three Godhra train burning case convicts to visit their families. The trio included Ruhulamin Hathila, a prominent advocate of Godhra, who had filed at least 50 bail applications soon after his arrest. Hathila had said in his parole application that his son Rameez had secured first class in Class X and, as a responsible father, he wanted to congratulate him.
"Thanks pops! How's the martyrdom in prison going?"
"Well my son. Now you make sure you learn your lessons at the madrassa next term!"
Investigations had proved that Hathila had helped Hussain Umarji in hatching the Godhra conspiracy to torch a train packed with devout Hindus, 59 of whom were roasted alive, triggering three-month-long communal riots in Gujarat that claimed 1,500 lives.
He seems to have a "thing" for fire.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/13/2008
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He seems to have a "thing" for fire When he dies I do believe he will get more fire than he bargained for.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
07/13/2008 10:06
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If he wants to Die by fire OK With me, Just be sure he gets NO painkillers beforehand, See if he still wants death by fire THEN.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/13/2008 15:46
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The government is aiming to pull the vast majority of British troops out of Iraq by the middle of next year, defence sources have revealed. While there are no plans to withdraw before George W Bush hands over to the new American president at the turn of the year, the decision is now expected to be made in the first half of 2009.
That's fine, southern Iraq is doing better and as long as Maliki can stay tough the Brits should be able to go. Perhaps they'll move some troops to Afghanistan.
Only troops training Iraqi military or police and special forces are likely to stay, unless there is a sharp change for the worse.
In an indication of Britains keenness to withdraw, Des Browne, the defence secretary, emphasised last week that Iraqi troops were better able to keep southern Iraq peaceful than British soldiers.
That turns out to be true ...
The Iraqi military had broken the grip of militias controlling the southern city of Basra, he said on a visit to the United States. If British troops had tried to oust the militias, we would still be fighting, Browne told the Brookings Institution in Washington.
His comments followed the leaking of an army report that criticises the Treasury for fuelling unrest in southern Iraq by failing to fund reconstruction quickly enough. The paper, written in 2006 and overseen by Lieutenant-General Bill Rollo, now deputy coalition commander, said too few resources, both human and financial, were allocated.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/13/2008
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Perhaps they'll move some troops to Afghanistan.
At the rate Brown is handling them, they're probably best left at home for Margaret's funeral. One last great gesture before Britain closes shop and fades away into international socialist bureaucratic nothingness.
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salaam Fayad on Saturday called for the establishment of a unity government with Hamas, saying it was time to reunite the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Referring to the recent IDF crackdown on Hamas-affiliated institutions in the West Bank, Fayad said: "The response to the Israeli measures should be the immediate reunification of the two parts of the homeland [West Bank and Gaza Strip]. We must end the division and restore unity immediately."
Fayad's remarks were published in the London-based Al-Hayat daily.
Calling on Hamas to accept PA President Mahmoud Abbas's initiative for "national unity," Fayad said he was prepared to form a transitional government to run the affairs of the Palestinians and prepare for new elections.
Addressing Hamas, Fayad asked: "Why are you reluctant? We must not keep the homeland hostage to political differences.
We must agree on a transitional government." Fayad expressed outrage over the IDF measures and accused Israel of seeking to sabotage his government's efforts to enforce law and order in the West Bank.
Last week Fayad visited Nablus and urged residents not to comply with the IDF orders to shut down several Hamas-affiliated institutions. Fayad also paid a solidarity visit to the Hamas-dominated Nablus Municipality, which was also raided by IDF troops who confiscated files and equipment.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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A JUI-F jirga has completed its negotiations with the leaders of the Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) and the Ansarul Islam (AI) in the remote Tirah Valley of the Khyber Agency on Saturday. The jirga left for Tirah Valley on Friday to bring an end to the ongoing fighting between the LI and AI. The jirga members met AI chief Qazi Mahboob and LI chief Mangal Bagh and asked them to stop fighting for a temporary period so that a permanent solution to the problem could be found. Midnight basketball?
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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July 11, 2008: The recent rescue of fifteen high-profile kidnapping victims in Colombia was, it turns out, a classic deception operation. In short, Colombian military intelligence had taken advantage of the recent death of the FARC founder, and Internet access to both the rebel group (led by a fellow called Cesar) that was holding the fifteen high value hostages, and the new FARC leader (Alfonso Cano). Colombian intel knew that Cano and Cesar had never met, and knew very little about each other. So the military intel took a chance and used a communications relay (a third party that passed on email messages, to make it more difficult for the government to identify and locate rebel leaders) they had taken over, to make Cesar believe that Cano had ordered him to move the hostages (to where they could be rescued), and keep Cano in the dark about what was going on.
The army was able to pull this off because, for the last six years, they had been hammering FARC, and caused much disruption to communications. The FARC has lost over half its people in that period, and much territory. FARC leaders have often never met some of their peers, and have to scramble to keep in touch with supreme headquarters.
The U.S. had contributed several billion dollars of military aid to Colombia during this period, including the services of electronic warfare specialists. As a result of that, FARC had stopped using cell phones for important communications, and were forced to use codes, "man in the middle" and all manner of tricks to keep from getting hunted down via their communications. But along the way, the government allowed some lines of communication they had tapped into, to stay active, so that they could monitor what the FARC leadership was up to. This is another old trick in the intel business, and the Colombian intel people were willing to sacrifice one of these valuable "monitored lines" in order to free the fifteen captives.
It's likely that the government has tapped into other types of FARC communication. That won't be known for a while, since the deception game is still going on. Once the fifteen captives were rescued, and the media was all over it, FARC figured out real quick the extent to which their communications had been compromised. But it got worse, since FARC had to consider that the degree of compromise might be even greater. Setting up new communications will take time, and will leave the FARC high command, and several dozen senior subordinates, out of touch with each other over the next few months. This gives the army yet another battlefield advantage. And the FARC realizes there's no guarantee that the army intel people have not infiltrated the new communications systems. This adds some more fear to the environment the FARC leadership has to operate in. That's another advantage for the army, and the Colombian government, which is urging many FARC factions to accept an amnesty deal (which many left and anti-left rebels have already done successfully.)
Thus the rescue of fifteen hostages (including a former presidential candidate and three Americans) was much more of a military victory than it first appeared to be.
Taliban militants killed at least 15 paramilitary soldiers in an ambush in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, officials said. The militants attacked a convoy of paramilitary troops as it was heading towards the volatile town of Hangu, 40 km (25 miles) west of the garrison town of Kohat. "At least 15 soldiers including an officer have been killed in the attack," a senior government official in Hangu told Reuters. A military official said up to 12 soldiers were killed. A Taliban spokesman said one of their fighters was killed.
Tension has been running high in and around Hangu since Thursday when militants took 11 paramilitary soldiers and government workers hostage to press for the release of their seven men arrested earlier. Militants have threatened to kill the hostages if their comrades were not freed.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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#1
Hand don't know what glove is doing?
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/13/2008 12:58
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NEW YORK - Pakistan's top diplomat said Saturday there are no U.S. or other foreign military personnel on the hunt for Osama bin Laden in his nation, and none will be allowed in to search for the al-Qaida leader.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said his nation's new government has ruled out such military operations, covert or otherwise, to catch militants."Our government's policy is that our troops, paramilitary forces and our regular forces are deployed in sufficient numbers. They are capable of taking action there. And any foreign intrusion would be counterproductive," he said Saturday. "People will not accept it. Questions of sovereignty come in."
The United States has grown increasingly frustrated as al-Qaida, the Taliban and other militants thrive in Pakistan's remote areas and in neighboring Afghanistan, and has offered U.S. troops to strike at terror networks. Critics in Washington also have expressed frustration with the new Pakistani government's pursuit of peace deals in the region. Bin Laden is believed to be hiding somewhere along the rugged and lawless Afghan-Pakistan border region.
Pakistan's newly elected civilian government is negotiating with tribal elders to secure peace with militants along the Afghan border in hopes of curbing a surge in violence. It is a step back from the heavy-handed tactics pursued by the previous government led by supporters of President Pervez Musharraf.
Tension between the U.S. and Pakistan have been high after Pakistan said U.S. aircraft killed 11 of its soldiers at a border post in June. U.S. officials have said coalition aircraft dropped bombs during a clash with militants.
Despite Pakistan's previous statements that it does not allow U.S. forces on its territory, villagers in the border region that is a haven for al-Qaida and Taliban fighters have reported seeing U.S. drones fire missiles at suspected militant targets on several occasions in recent years.
Qureshi said he tried to reassure Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at their meeting Friday that his government was doing everything it can to combat militants in lawless tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. Pakistan and Afghanistan regularly exchange criticism about not doing more to fight extremists operating along their long, remote, mountainous border that is seen by the U.S. as crucial to stopping terrorism.
Qureshi acknowledged "there are some infiltrations" still occurring, but there are no covert U.S. military operations trying to catch al-Qaida figures and its chief, Taliban members or any other suspected militants. "There are none," he said. "It will create such an anti-U.S. feeling in Pakistan that I would say would mar the atmosphere of cooperation that exists between us."
Qureshi described Pakistan's counterterrorism as a "grassroots" approach."Our strategy is that the military option alone is not enough," he said. "This war has to be fought besides the armies, with the help of the people, by winning hearts and minds."
Does he believe bin Laden is in Pakistan? "I don't think so. I'm not sure," he said. "Nobody's aware of that. Nobody can speak with certainty. But our policy's very clear. We are allies in this war. And if Pakistan has actionable information vis-a-vis Osama bin laden or any other high value target, Pakistan will immediately take action."
Qureshi also met Thursday with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who agreed to Pakistan's request to establish an independent commission that will investigate former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's killing.
On Saturday, Qureshi declined to repeat the accusations by Musharraf's government and the CIA that Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, a Pakistani militant commander often blamed for suicide attacks, had orchestrated the Dec. 27 killing. "We cannot jump to conclusions before the investigation is started," Qureshi said. "You cannot rule it out that he was responsible, but you cannot say with certainty that he is responsible. Only the inquiry will determine who was or was not responsible."
Qureshi also ruled out any future investigation into whether his nation's military helped disgraced Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan spread nuclear weapons to rogue nations. "What had to be found out, was found out," he said. "A.Q. Khan, as far as we are considered, is history. A.Q. Khan no longer has any official status. The network that he put together has been effectively broken."
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said U.S. President George W. Bush was not interested in the Middle East peace process and as result he did not expect direct talks with Israel until Bush leaves office next January.
Ending years of isolation from the West, Assad on Saturday met French President Nicolas Sarkozy on the eve of a major EU-Mediterranean summit and signalled his willingness to improve relations with both Syria's neighbours, Israel and Lebanon.
Assad said he did not believe Iran was seeking atomic weapons, but he wanted a political solution and would convey Sarkozy's doubts about Tehran's nuclear programme to Iranian leaders, with whom Syria has close relations.
The Syrian president also said he wanted France to play a role in any eventual face-to-face talks with Israel, but added that it was essential for the United States to also be present.
"Quite frankly, this American administration is not interested in the peace process, so the question (of direct talks) won't arise before the arrival of a new American administration," Assad told a news conference.
The United States elects a new president in November and President George W. Bush will step down in January 2009.
Syria launched indirect peace talks with Israel this year under Turkish mediation over the return of the Golan Heights captured by Israel in 1967.
The last direct talks between the Israel and Syria under U.S. sponsorship broke down eight years ago and Washington has been reluctant to re-engage with Damascus because of its role in Lebanon and close ties with Iran.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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Local Taliban will be held accountable if any harm is done to 29 kidnapped government officials, NWFP Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said on Saturday. A Taliban spokesman on Friday warned that militants would kill 29 kidnapped government officials, most of them security personnel, if security forces continued their operation in Hangu district. The minister said in a statement the government would have no other option except to pay in the same coin, if someone challenges its writ.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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#2
blah, blah, blah. Whatever. If the Paks really wanted to exterminate the islamo-cockroaches (and they do not), they would invite MNF's into the Waziristan's to eliminate the problem (which they will not).
U.S. and Israeli officials Friday denied reports that Israel is using U.S. airbases in Iraq to prepare for a possible attack on Iran. Several Mideast media outlets reported an Iraqi minister as saying Israeli airplanes were in Iraqi airspace and landing at U.S. airbases in preparation for an attack on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said, "I find that report inconceivable, and clearly someone is either misinformed or intentionally trying to create mischief," Press TV of Iran reported.
An Israeli military spokesman also played down the report, describing it as "utterly baseless."
Meanwhile, officials of an unnamed Arab country told Israeli officials that they and representatives from other countries would not oppose an Israeli strike against Iran, sources told Haaretz. The representatives said they were concerned about Iran's growing influence in the region, creating potential Shiite-Sunni rifts.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak Thursday said Israel was the "strongest country in the region," the Post reported, and has "already proved it did not shy away in the past from acting when it fears its vital interests are at stake."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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#1
Taken together, Iraq and Israel could pretty well clean the clocks of their neighbors. The I and I Coalition.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
07/13/2008 10:36
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Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Kayani has told US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen that border violations by US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan would no longer be acceptable to Pakistan, a private television channel reported on Saturday.
According to Dawn News, the two officials discussed the prevailing security situation in north-western Pakistan during their meeting at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi. Kayani also maintained that such military "adventures" were counterproductive and might impact Pak-US bilateral co-operation in the ongoing war against terrorism, the channel said.
Mullen was on a surprise, one-day trip to Pakistan. US embassy officials confirmed the visit but said they had no details on Mullen's itinerary.
According to the channel, Gen Kayani told the visiting US official that Pak-Afghan border security was the responsibility of all stakeholders. He said Pakistan's security forces were capable of fighting militant outfits in the restive tribal belt near the Afghan border. Mullen praised Pakistan's performance in the war on terror.
Mullen had recently remarked that militants were flowing into neighbouring Afghanistan more freely this year compared to last year because Pakistan's government and military were not putting enough pressure on insurgents.
During his stop in Pakistan, Mullen also met President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and National Security Adviser Mehmood Ali Durrani, said Mullen's spokesman Capt John Kirby.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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#1
So when are the Paki gonna desist?
Posted by: ed ||
07/13/2008 7:14
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Half the troops they sent would get lost or captured by the Taliwhackers on their way to the border.
#3
I hope Mike Mullen said something like this: "Clean up your mess in the Tribal Agencies, or we'll sterilize them for you. You have 60 days". Doesn't sound like he did, though. The border violations ARE unacceptable, but it's the taliban whose movements are unacceptable. If you don't want the wrath of the US military coming down on your neck, do something about it but spew propaganda. Remember, WE have nukes, too, and the means to deliver them ANYWHERE. Just keep that in mind. I think the belief that the US will "never" use its nuclear arsenal for anything may be a bit off base. If I were CnC, you'd all be glowing a bright blue right now.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/13/2008 18:02
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LAHORE: Chief of Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Kayani has told US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen that border violations by US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan would no longer be acceptable to Pakistan, a private television channel reported on Saturday.
According to Dawn News, the two officials discussed the prevailing security situation in north-western Pakistan during their meeting at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi.
Kayani also maintained that such military adventures were counterproductive and might impact Pak-US bilateral co-operation in the ongoing war against terrorism, the channel said.
Mullen was on a surprise, one-day trip to Pakistan. US embassy officials confirmed the visit but said they had no details on Mullens itinerary.
According to the channel, Gen Kayani told the visiting US official that Pak-Afghan border security was the responsibility of all stakeholders. He said Pakistans security forces were capable of fighting militant outfits in the restive tribal belt near the Afghan border. Mullen praised Pakistans performance in the war on terror.
Mullen had recently remarked that militants were flowing into neighbouring Afghanistan more freely this year compared to last year because Pakistans government and military were not putting enough pressure on insurgents.
During his stop in Pakistan, Mullen also met President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and National Security Adviser Mehmood Ali Durrani, said Mullens spokesman Capt John Kirby.
Posted by: john frum ||
07/13/2008
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#1
Don't sell them the Allan damned targeting pod.
Don't give them any money.
No weapons.
July 12, 2008: The U.S. Army has activated its first Network Warfare Battalion. The unit will not operate together, but mostly as many detachments, supporting combat forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, counter-terror operations throughout the world, as well as in joint Cyber War operations with other services and foreign countries. The battalion belongs to the 704th Military Intelligence Brigade, which is in turn subordinate to INSCOM (the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command).
All the services are making a major effort to develop defensive and offensive Cyber War weapons. The U.S. Air Force has established a major command (involving over 20,000 specialists) for this, and is attempting to become the lead for all Department of Defense Cyber War activities. The other services oppose this attempt to take over, although they appreciate air force efforts to develop new tools and capabilities. The army and navy both have thousands of troops, in many different units, working on Cyber War activities. Creating major units (battalions and larger) dedicated to Cyber War, is a new development.
Banned sectarian and jihadi organisations are flouting the government bar and are re-emerging in various parts of Karachi, a satellite television reported on Saturday.
Wow. Floored me. You too?
According to a report of Dawn News, sectarian slogans, flags and posters of defunct sectarian groups are visible on walls across the city, indicating re-emergence of the banned groups. Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan, Sipah-e-Muhammad and Mukhtar Force are the most conspicuous groups, the report added.
The channel quoted its sources as saying that the sealed offices of the organisations have reopened, working under different identities.
A common enough trick in that part of the world, requiring only a wink and a nod from the ISI ...
Some of the groups held meetings in Qayyumabad, North Karachi and Soldier Bazaar, the sources said. Jihadi groups have also enhanced their activities, disguised but towing the familiar jihadist agenda, the report said.
Leaders of the organisations have termed the ban unjustified, saying their viewpoint was never impartially heard.
And theirs is the only viewpoint that matters. You could look it up.
Sindh Information Minister Shazia Marri, however, told the channel that these organisations were still banned and illegal. The organisations are not allowed to carry out any activity in the city, she said, adding the government would take immediate action if it found any actionable information.
The re-emergence of the groups is causing fear among the people about impending sectarian violence in the city, the report said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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#1
Pakistan is falling apart. Soon it will be time to seize the nukes and then wall the place off.
India on Saturday claimed it had "a fair amount of intelligence on Pakistan's involvement" in Monday's suicide attack on its embassy in Kabul.
In an interview with a private TV channel, Indian National Security Adviser M K Narayanan vowed retaliation to such acts of terror. "I think we need to pay back in the same coin," he said, adding that the Indian government did not only suspect, but believed in Pakistan's role.
He said there were no insinuations about Pakistan's involvement, but facts backed by credible intelligence. "The people of this country deserve to know the facts rather than being carried away by people who claim these are insinuations. There are no insinuations," he said.
Four Indians, including an IFS officer and an Indian army brigadier, were killed in the blast when a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden Toyota Corolla into the Indian embassy in Kabul. Narayanan said the dialogue process aimed at improving relations between India and Pakistan had not worked so far, adding, "Dialogue is better than fighting, but so far it hasn't worked. In some way, we haven't taken the decision to fight, so lets talk for the moment."
On the US-India nuclear deal, Narayanan said India had not circulated documents to the IAEA, adding that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's meeting with US President George W Bush had nothing to do with the documents' circulation. He said the documents were made public soon after the Left allies withdrew support from Singh's government. He said certain scientists were "polluting" the minds of Left leaders to oppose the deal.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/13/2008
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Suspected Taliban militants ambushed a Pakistani paramilitary convoy Saturday in a restive northwestern town, killing 16 soldiers and wounding others, officials said.
The convoy was heading to a fort outside Hangu district near the border with Afghanistan when the rebels attacked it with rocket propelled grenades and assault rifles, local police officer Shakirullah Jan told AFP. He did not confirm the death toll. But a senior security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said 16 soldiers were killed in the neighbourhood of Zargari, outside Hangu city.
Security forces responded by attacking Taliban positions using gunship helicopters and artillery fire in the mountainous region.
"16 Frontier Constabulary were killed in the ambush and a few were injured. Security forces have pounded militant positions using gunship helicopters, the number of casualties on the Taliban side was unknown," the official told AFP.
Hangu district, which has a history of violence between minority Shiite and majority Sunni sects, is close to tribal areas bordering Afghanistan where pro-Taliban militants are active.
Pakistan is battling a resurgence in Islamist violence after a brief lull brought about by the new government's negotiations with Taliban militants in the tribal belt bordering Afghanistan. The negotiations, launched after the government came to power five months ago, has drawn criticism from the United States and other Western allies.
Local official Fazan Khan said Saturday's attack -- the latest incident in a week of bloodshed in the country that included a suicide bomb attack -- involved hundreds of Taliban militants. "Hundreds of Taliban attacked the convoy and did not allow security forces to retrieve the dead bodies of the soldiers for several hours," Khan said.
Posted by: ed ||
07/13/2008
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#1
the mighty Pak Army, Paras, and FC seem to be ineffective losers
again
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/13/2008 9:14
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By SALIM MANSUR
In How Democracies Perish published during the late Cold War years, Jean-Francois Revel, French political philosopher, offered a rich meditation that remains compelling in the post-9/11 world of Islamist terror and rampage against the West. Revel wrote about the paradox of democracy when facing an internal enemy -- as were the communists with their totalitarian agenda -- since his "right to exist is written into the law itself."
This is how Revel explained the dilemma: "Democracy can defend itself only very feebly; its internal enemy has an easy time of it because he exploits the right to disagree that is inherent in democracy. His aim of destroying democracy itself, of actively seeking an absolute monopoly of power, is shrewdly hidden behind the citizen's legitimate right to oppose and criticize the system."
In the post-communist world of Islamist terror, democracy in the West also is threatened by the misguided view of those individuals indicating readiness to accommodate demands generally advanced by Muslim mosque-based organizations.
The most recent example of such misguided view is the opinion offered by Nicholas Phillips, the most senior judge in England and Wales, that Islamic law or Sharia could be introduced in Britain.
Lord Phillips' opinion concurred with that of Dr. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Neither of them, in offering their weighty opinions, took into account the reality of a large portion of immigrants, including many Muslims, making home in Britain after fleeing from Sharia-ruled countries of the Arab-Muslim world.
Lord Phillips expressed his views at a Muslim Centre in East London where a sprinkling of Islamists would have been present. He probably would not recognize an Islamist apart from a Muslim, nor -- giving him the benefit of doubt -- would he have been likely informed that the demand for Sharia in Britain and elsewhere in the West originates with Islamists deceptively indicating this is a commonly shared request of all Muslims.
Islamists residing in the West are agents of another totalitarian ideology -- Islamism -- that is more insidious than communism since it wears the mask of religion. Their push for Sharia is acceptable to individuals such as Lord Phillips and the Archbishop of Canterbury because, in upholding multiculturalism, they willingly suspend their critical faculties when it comes to dealing with other faiths and cultures, in particular Islam.
Sharia is a legal system derived from the Qur'an and the traditions of Prophet Muhammad, and devised by Muslim scholars more than a millennium ago to dictate just about every aspect of individual living and thinking. It is a closed system disallowing any innovation based on a modern reading of Islam's sacred texts, and it is violently at odds with liberal-democratic values.
The Islamist demand for introducing Sharia is strategically conceived to render Muslim populated areas in a multicultural Britain -- and similarly in other western democracies -- as Sharia-based enclaves set apart from the majority population.
The evidence of havoc Islamists have wrought across the Arab-Muslim world is overwhelming, and since Sept. 11, 2001, this evidence is daily news.
Yet a growing elite opinion in Britain, defying logic and history, has taken hold in support of Sharia while remaining unmindful of consequences and dismissive of the peril as Revel reminded of how internal enemies push their agenda to fatally weaken democracies.
#1
The problem is not in democracy, but in incorrectly defining democracy.
Democracy is not about freedom or liberty. They are just side effects. The biggest, most powerful, and undeniable advantage of democracy is efficiency.
Democracy is more efficient than tribalism, Sharia Law, Dictatorship, Royalism, Socialism, Communism, Bureaucratic Rule or any other system. As a basic tenet, it assumes that among the people, many people will be better at things than the leaders. No leader can be best at doing it all.
This means that it is the people that create, innovate, and adapt, and it is the leaders who must use their wisdom to manage what the people have done, for the benefit of the social contract.
Problems develop in democracy only when leaders assume that they always know better, and there is a break in the communication and execution of ideas from the people. The resulting decline in efficiency makes other forms of government appear more attractive.
Often this takes the form of factions that seek to usurp the voice of the people, and pretend to be their representatives to the elected politicians. In this way, factions strive to disenfranchise the public.
Importantly, a multitude of factions is not such a threat, because they tend to work at cross purposes, neutralizing each others efforts to usurp the public voice.
Ironically, democracy seems impossible, because it is decentralized authority. And proto-democratic systems can and do exist in other forms of government as well, which explains their durability in the face of democratic revolution.
But make no mistake, democracy continues its advance in the world, even when not called democracy.
"Democracy is not about freedom or liberty. They are just side effects. The biggest, most powerful, and undeniable advantage of democracy is efficiency."
This is backwards.
Democracy is the most efficient implementation or Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. IT is the effect of Liberty, not the cause.
Individual Liberty by definition must be the foundation for a truly democratic system. Otherwise you get the GDR and that ilk. Freedom first, THEN democracy.
#3
Tyrants can generate popular support. Hitler cultivated a personality cult, and people bought it. That is one reason why Nazism was outlawed under terms of occupation, after WW2.
The use of civil means to address jihad terror phenomenon, is madness. Frankly, jihad suspects should be put in a show cause situation where they would have to disprove accusations. Financing, advocacy, participation, arming, etc should warrant the death penalty. However, I would create procedural safeguards so that convictions wouldn't be based on mere accusation. I would also allow infiltration of mosques, planting of wire taps and easy video gathering.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
TEHRAN: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he met two military commanders from US-led forces on his trip to Iraq in March and that they even took souvenir pictures to commemorate the encounter. His claims were published on Saturday in reformist newspapers and the conservative Jomhouri Eslami, which said the comments came in a speech he made over a month ago that was first broadcast by state television late Wednesday.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, July 12 (Reuters) - A volcano in Alaska's Aleutian chain erupted on Saturday, sending a cloud of ash 35,000 feet (10.7 kilometres) into the air and prompting the evacuation of the 10 people who live on the eastern side of the island, officials said.
The Czech Republic's main oil refiner said on Saturday it was tapping state oil reserves and bringing in crude through an alternate pipeline after Russia cut deliveries to the central European state.
International and Afghan security forces killed at least 40 militants in an operation still under way in the southern province of Helmand, the US-led coalition said Sunday.
Taliban militants executed two women in central Afghanistan late Saturday after accusing them of working as prostitutes on a U.S. base. The women, dressed in blue burqas, were shot and killed just outside Ghazni city in central Afghanistan, said Sayed Ismal, a spokesman for Ghazni's governor. He called the two "innocent local people."
A suicide attack in south Afghanistan has killed at least 21 people, many of them children, police say. The bomb was detonated in a market in the Deh Rawud district of Uruzgan province at about 1030 local time. Provincial police chief Jumma Gul told the BBC that a suicide bomber on a motorbike had struck a police vehicle.
Under pressure from fundamentalist forms of Islam and bursts of sectarian violence, the most populous Christian community in the Middle East is seeking safety by turning inward, cutting day-to-day social ties that have bound Muslim to Christian in Egypt for centuries, members of both communities say. Attacks this summer on monks and shopkeepers belonging to Egypt's Coptic Christian minority, and scattered clashes between Muslims and Christians, have compelled many of Egypt's estimated 6 to 8 million Copts to isolate themselves in a nation of more than 70 million Muslims.
U.S. and Iraqi negotiators have abandoned efforts to conclude a comprehensive agreement governing the long-term status of U.S troops in Iraq before the end of the Bush presidency, according to senior U.S. officials, effectively leaving talks over an extended U.S. military presence there to the next administration. 
The government is to sponsor a theological board of leading imams and Muslim women in an attempt to refute the ideology of violent extremists. The committee, to be announced this week, will issue pronouncements on areas such as wearing the hijab and the treatment of wives and is part of a government strategy to counter radicalism. It will rule on interpretation of the Koran and promote the moderate strain of Islam practised by most British Muslims. It will also comment on controversial issues affecting Muslims living in Britain, including whether or not they should serve in the armed forces. 
A Michigan man is seeking $70 million from two Christian publishers for emotional distress and mental instability he received during the past 20 years from versions of the Bible that refer to homosexuality as a sin. 
San Francisco, CA (AP) — Federal officials say San Francisco authorities have started turning over the names of juvenile offenders who may be in the U.S. illegally.
"Pakistan-based Taliban" attacked a remote Afghan district on Saturday, the Afghanistan government said. "Pakistani Taliban began attacks on Bargi Matal district from 11am. The fighting continues," the Interior Ministry said in a statement released on Saturday evening. The attack was launched from Pakistan's adjoining Chitral area, it said. "The youths of the area are joining the security forces to defend their district against the Pakistani militants. One of those brave youths died in fighting," it said. Security forces had sent reinforcements, it said, without giving details.
U.S. security experts have discovered a major flaw in the design of the Internet's address system that affects virtually every corporate computer network.
Two American-born teenagers forced by their father to attend a madrassa in Pakistan for nearly four years have returned home to Atlanta after a documentary filmmaker pushed for their release.
Local Taliban on Saturday released four workers of a team administering anti-polio vaccine in the Mohmand Agency, an official said. A spokesman of Health Ministry said that the workers have returned to Peshawar safely. According to an agreement reached between the NWFP government and the local Taliban, workers of anti-polio campaign would not be harmed. The polio team was facilitated in Swat, while the local Taliban violated the agreement in Mohmand Agency and kidnapped the workers.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The Bush administration is considering withdrawing additional troops from Iraq beginning in September, The New York Times reported in Sunday editions, citing administration and military officials. The withdrawal, which the Times said would constitute a marked reversal from the war's darkest days of 2006-2007, stemmed partly from the need for more U.S. troops in Afghanistan to fight the rising insurgency by the Taliban and other fighters. U.S. and allied casualties there have outpaced those in Iraq in recent months.
NEW DELHI Unidentified gunmen shot dead three people in two incidents of firing in the national capital, police said yesterday. Two people were gunned down in Amar Colony and one was killed at nearby Andrews Ganj Flyover in south Delhi by the same shooters on Friday, the police said.
A U.S. military official says Iran fired only one missile Thursday, not a full round, based on U.S. intelligence assessments. Iranian media reported the country's military conducted a second day of test-firing missiles, but the U.S. military official told CNN U.S. radar and satellite imagery don't support the claim. The military official said it was possible that Iran tested short-range missiles.
British Prime Minster Gordon Brown will press the European Union to take harsher action against Zimbabwe, after Russia and China vetoed proposed new sanctions at the U.N. Security Council, his office said Saturday.
The government is aiming to pull the vast majority of British troops out of Iraq by the middle of next year, defence sources have revealed. While there are no plans to withdraw before George W Bush hands over to the new American president at the turn of the year, the decision is now expected to be made in the first half of 2009.
Taliban militants killed at least 15 paramilitary soldiers in an ambush in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, officials said. The militants attacked a convoy of paramilitary troops as it was heading towards the volatile town of Hangu, 40 km (25 miles) west of the garrison town of Kohat. "At least 15 soldiers including an officer have been killed in the attack," a senior government official in Hangu told Reuters. A military official said up to 12 soldiers were killed. A Taliban spokesman said one of their fighters was killed.
India on Saturday claimed it had "a fair amount of intelligence on Pakistan's involvement" in Monday's suicide attack on its embassy in Kabul. 
Suspected Taliban militants ambushed a Pakistani paramilitary convoy Saturday in a restive northwestern town, killing 16 soldiers and wounding others, officials said.
