It is reasonable to assume that Iran is at some stage in the development of nuclear weapons. Once they are built, however, the Iranians are believed to have several types of missiles already built that can carry them to their intended targets. (See range maps on bottom of page.)
This gives rise to several questions. The first of these being, will Iran immediately use its nuclear weapons as soon as they are built? Unfortunately, the harsh rhetoric and unpredictable if scheming behavior of their government gives no clear answer. It is even unclear who would have the authority among them to make such decisions, to use such weapons.
Not being able to answer this fundamental question requires the rest of the world potentially affected by such use to prepare strong countermeasures, even to considering proactive efforts to prevent development in the first place.
A proactive approach, namely what amounts to aggressive war carried out by the US and possibly Israel, would be an extraordinarily difficult achievement, and would have to be done in an exceedingly hostile international environment. Both nations would much prefer some alternative means. I will add that first use of nuclear weapons to prevent the development of nuclear weapons would not be considered a viable option.
An alternative would be the creation of a multi-layered defense, designed to detect pre-launch and launch efforts, which would then be met with an "overkill" anti-missile effort to insure that such a weapon could never find its target. The last layer of such a defense being an airburst nuclear munition, raising kill probability to over 99%.
Such a first use, and subsequent defense would be presented to the nuclear powers, stripping Iran of any international support through any number of war treaties. A war to supress Iranian nuclear ambitions would be far easier in such circumstances.
And to postulate such an eventuality, and to receive assurances before the fact, would be wise foreign policy.
That is, the US presenting the other nuclear powers with the scenario, "If Iran launches an aggressive nuclear war by firing a missile, and the US documents its shoot-down, presenting such evidence to you, will you pledge full support to the de-nuclearization of Iran?"
Given the strong anti-first use policies of the nuclear powers, I would suspect they would readily agree to such a sanction.
The next question would then be, what if the Iranians build such weapons, then either just announce that they have them, or perform a nuclear test to prove it? To admit the fact would be to invite economic sanctions against Iran, and could be the deciding factor to attack them militarily sooner rather than later.
This then begs the next question, if the Iranians build such weapons, but do not intent to use them immediately, then what do they hope to achieve with them?
Much like pre-WWII Japan, Iran wants "its place in the sun", dominating its region militarily, economically and religiously.
Its stated ambitions are seemingly not territorial, that is, they do not wish to carve out sections of other countries to annex to their own. However, they would like to have military hegemony in the region, which right now is only challenged by the US and Israel; and economic hegemony, controlling or dominating the oil of the Middle East.
This economic hegemony is intertwined with their desires for Shia religious dominance. That is, a Shia caliphate including all of the Shia peoples, from Afghanistan to Palestine. This would also include the Shia of Arabia and Iraq, thus cementing their control of Middle East oil.
Lastly, through this military, economic and religious hegemony, their "place in the sun" would be assured as a world, not just as a regional power.
The final question would strictly be tactical, how would the US and possibly Israel, reduce the Iranian military and Iran's nuclear weapons and missile capability? Ironically, it would seem that the variation from Gulf War I would be less tactically, then technologically.
First of all, unlike GWI, the US would be intensely devoted to stopping *any* missile launches from Iran, for the obvious reason. Not just of the nuclear capable missiles, but even of the ubiquitous SCUDs that dot the landscape, but are able to carry other types of WMDs.
Achieving air superiority and supression of both ADA and CCC would be similar to GWI, excepting that it would be considerably more advanced and dangerous, much of it state of the art technology provided by Russia specifically to protect their nuclear targets.
Unconventional war would also work both ways, the US attempting to incite civil unrest in at least three ethnic minority provinces (Kurd, Arab and Baluch). This could well lead to the partitioning of Iran, re-drawing the map of the Middle East.
Experts have concluded that air power alone would not be sufficient to guarantee de-nuclearization, leaving the options of the use of significant ground assets, or the use of space based weapons that could annihilate hardened targets. Both of these have their advantages and disadvantages.
Ground forces would be under great restriction from concentrating, less they make a good target for a ground nuclear weapon. Even remaining in Iraq, they would have to be spread out for their own protection, the shorter distance making a missile shoot-down more problematic. They would also need considerable reinforcement of heavy weapons, such as tanks and artillery. Last, production of replacement weaponry back in the US still lags, and shortages of critical equipment could impact ground forces.
Space based weapons are still mostly on the drawing board, though how quickly they could be built and deployed is indeterminate. Their other drawback is that they are very powerful weapons, perhaps weapons that should be reserved for the future instead of used against Iran.
#1
"Layered defense": Now why else is FOXNEWS focusing on "Missing Blonde" stories ala ARUBA - ARUBA is on the other side of CHAVEZ and Venezuela, with the "Chavez Line" weirdly and mysteriously going thru CUBA-HAITI, espec Cuba - A-A-T-T-T-A-A-A-C-C-K-K-K NOWWWWWW. INVADE NOW, SAVE THE BEACH BABES - BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHA..............!
IS THERE ANYTHING CUTER than two identical twin twelve-year-old girls who have a band together? How about if they dress in matching plaid skirtsâthat ups the cuteness quotient, right? And what if they perform folky versions of classic racist songs by bands like Skrewdriver and Rahowa? Whoa! Now we are heading into the cute danger zone.
And the best part of it all? These girls have the talent to back it all up. They sing like angels, harmonize like only siblings can, and are more adept at their chosen instruments than most one-hit-wonder crap. "Disco punk," you say? "New wave of necro metal?" Those are passing fancies. Prussian Blue are doing nothing short of trying to change the course of humanity. Ladies and gentlemen, we give you Lynx and Lamb, the girls of Prussian Blue...
#1
It's quite real, sorry to say. National Vanguard is the slick upmarket neo-nazi gang founded by the late unlamented William Pierce. He is best known to the sane world for his racist novel, The Turner Diaries, which served as inspiration for the equally unlamented Tim McVeigh.
#2
Oh for pete's sake. I just puked on my keyboard after looking at that site. Poor girls are getting used and abused and really don't even realize it. Just sick.
EFL
THE official investigation into corruption in the £20 billion United Nations oil for food programme is now looking at the brother of Kofi Annan, the UN secretary-general.
Kobina Annan, the Ghanaian ambassador to Morocco, is said by investigators to be âconnectedâ to an African businessman at the centre of the scandal.
Kobina is the second member of Annanâs family to be drawn into the scandal, which has led to the resignation of several senior UN officials.
The secretary-general has so far escaped censure, but the final verdict on his conduct will not be delivered by investigators until the autumn.
Kojo Annan, the secretary-generalâs son who was involved with several companies seeking to profit from the programme, has been criticised and remains under investigation.
Inquiries into Kobina are at an early stage and he has not been interviewed.
However, investigators are understood to suspect that Michael Wilson, an African businessman, and Kobina had a business relationship at the time of the scandal.
A source close to the investigation said: âWe believe Kobina Annan may be involved with Michael Wilson and Kojo Annan. We know there is a connection between Kobina and Wilson.â
#39 I like to fellate myself. Because I like it, other people like it too. Simple logic. Because other people like it, I'll keep posting articles about me licking myself. If anyone objects, they're wrong. Because someone else out there is right, even if they don't speak up in support of me licking myself.
Remember: Kofi can't be proven guilty until someone proves him innocent! It's LOGIC, I tell you!
.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
08/13/2005 23:43
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#7
Good to see our new Ambassador is making progress!
#1
This does not jibe with the announcement, about a week ago, that about 20 or so Sheriffs have been deployed to Iraq. At the time I speculated it might have been to have them available in time for the constitutional referendum and maybe the national elections, in case somebody tries to disrupt the proceedings with "rent-a-mobs".
#2
This article is dated June 4. StrategyPage updated it with a posting on August 3 linked here at RB. After several years of talking about it, the U.S. Department of Defense is finally sending itâs Sheriff ADS (Active Defense System) to Iraq.
In a show of force, founders and political leaders of the terrorist group Hamas appeared Saturday on a stage together for the first time in 10 years to tell the Palestinian people that the militant group's armed struggle will go on after Israel's impending withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. "thanks Israel, we'll keep up the attacks. Don't you dare respond" Where are the EU denunciations? Hypocritical anti-semites.
In a direct challenge to the Palestinian Authority, the Hamas leadership positioned itself in front of the group's logo and a green Islamic flag to send a message that they have the right to possess weapons and to claim responsibility for pushing Israel out of the Gaza Strip. Popcorn, please
The Hamas news conference comes just a day after the Palestinian Authority held its first official celebration â with the attendance of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas â of Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements.
Speakers at the celebration made clear that all celebrations of the withdrawal would take place under the official Palestinian banner â the red, black, green and white flag â a message to Hamas which is planning military-style celebrations of its own.
Tensions between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas are heating up in the days just before Israel begins its withdrawal, with each trying to claim victory for Israel's evacuation of 25 settlements.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005
17:09 ||
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This is a most excellent business opportunties for the Weapons Division of ACME of Gaza. My ammo sales will be huge, and based on prior accuracy of my countrymen, we will suffer only light would with millions of rounds fired. Maybe now I can afford that beautiful goat I want, Praise to Allah!
Posted by: Achmed of ACME of Gaza ||
08/13/2005 18:14
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#2
Why withdraw now? What will Israel get out of this deal? There doesn't seem to be any motivation for them in this.
#3
Think about it,AP.Just what do think is going to happen when after the pull-out.HAMASS' fires some rockets and mortors into Israel.Israel will then be able to say to the Euro wennies(and others)"See we have done everything that we can possably do to make a deal with these animals".I expect a no holds barred,no mercy fight.And it ain't gonna be Israel who gets wupped.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005
15:35 ||
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#1
I find the data fairly convincing that global warming is currently occurring, and at a rather rapid rate. Warming has been going on, at greater or lesser rates, since the end of the last Ice Age.
I find the premise that increased atmospheric CO2 should enhance global warming rather convincing. And it is certain than mankind is increasing atmospheric CO2. If that was all that was going on, then we're 'guilty, as charged.'
Methane is, I believe, an even more potent greenhouse gas than CO2. Mankind is busily extracting it from the ground before it can leak into the atmosphere, and converting it to CO2. What effect does that have?
Increased temperature and CO2 seem to remarkably enhance plant growth. What effect does that have?
How does oceanic CO2 concentration change in response to temperature and atmospheric concentration, and how does that concentration affect carbonate-fixing activities within the oceans? And how do changes in oceanic plant levels affect oceanic temperatures, or animal concentrations? And how do human fishing activities tie in? Etc.
Improved pollution control reduces atmospheric particulates ('shade'). What effect does that have?
Global climate is complex. It warrants great study. Reduced CO2 emissions make good sense on a number of levels - climate effect (whatever it is), energy conservation, 'unknown' effect.
The Kyoto treaty does not make sense. It is an economic redistribution scheme disguised as an environmental protection scheme. Bush's recent proposal would be substantially more effective from strictly a climate perspective. But it is 'sacrilage.'
#2
Glenmore: as your notes follow - nobody really knows how it works, and our contributions may/may not/have neglible effects/increase warming, especially in respect to global changes outside man's effects (cyclical). We shpould avoid Kyoto as a document written for western elites' guilt and to strap down our eceonomy. EU wishes....
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 18:05
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Glenmore,
1. at the climatic optimum (about 8500-6500 BCE), the temperateures averaged about 3.5 deg C higher than today. Whole freaking 2k years. Due to the fact that estimated number of humans at the time was just a few millions, it is unlikely that they had any effect on the climate.
2. Granted, we count about 6 billion at the present time, but our output is still rather negligible compared what nature can produce. For instance, the last eruption and volcanic activity that followed of Mt. Etna produced during 2 months as much of particular and gaseous pollution as the whole mankind during previous 15 years. That was just Mt. Etna.
3. CO2 is not a greenhouse gas. It is climatically neutral. You've mentioned its function as plant food--it gets recycled all the time and there seems to be a substantial margin for excess or lack of the gas.
4. The amazing fact is that the rise in temperature has been noticed in oceans, from bottom up, but there is actually a measurable decrease of average temperature in athmosphere.
EFL - RTWT
U.S. Marines and Afghan troops launched an offensive Saturday to take a remote mountain valley from insurgents tied to the deadliest blow on American forces since the Taliban regime was ousted nearly four years ago.
The operation is the biggest yet aimed at rebels believed responsible for twin attacks that killed 19 U.S. troops in June. Three Navy SEALs were killed in an ambush, and all 16 soldiers on a helicopter sent to rescue them died when it was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.
The offensive came at the end of a deadly week for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Seven Americans have died along with dozens of militants and civilians, reinforcing concerns that crucial legislative elections next month could be threatened by a surge in violence.
U.S. and Afghan commanders said militants in the Korengal Valley, in eastern Kunar province near the Pakistani border, were intent on disrupting voting. They said the valley held hundreds of Afghan rebels, as well as extremists from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Chechnya.
"We want them running for their lives way up in the hills where they can't attack polling stations," said Capt. John Moshane of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, based in Hawaii. "We want to isolate them from the community."
Hundreds of Marines and Afghan special forces troopers started moving into position at one end of the valley Thursday, about 120 miles east of the capital, Kabul. They dug mortar and machine-gun pits for a resupply base in a corn field near Kandagal, a village of about 100 farm families.
Reacting quickly, rebels fired rockets at a nearby U.S. post and a troop convoy but did not hit anything.
American and Afghan forces hiked into the rugged mountains Friday and Saturday, many leading lines of donkeys laden with food and water. A-10 attack planes circled high above. The operation was expected to last at least two weeks, Moshane said.
One of the main objectives is breaking up a network of militants led by a local Taliban officer, Ahmad Shah, also known as Ismail, who claimed responsibility for the June 28 attacks, said Kirimat Tanhah, a commander in the U.S.-trained and financed Afghan Special Forces. Shah is suspected of having ties to al-Qaida militants in Pakistan, he said.
"Ismail's men ambushed the SEAL team and shot down the helicopter," Tanhah told The Associated Press. "Many of them are foreigners and have trained in Pakistan and elsewhere."
He said Shah also pays impoverished villagers to fight for him.
Lt. Col. Jim Donnellan, commander of the Marine battalion, said the valley was a base for lots of other "bad guys" besides Shah, including al-Qaida militants, fighters loyal to renegade former premier Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and other Taliban groups.
Dozens of criminals involved in timber and gem smuggling are there, too, he said.
"Some of them are thugs, others are political ideologues, coming in and throwing their money around," Donnellan said. "Many villagers are paid good money to work with the militants."
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005
15:10 ||
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"One of the main objectives is breaking up a network of militants led by a local Taliban officer, Ahmad Shah, also known as Ismail Soon-to-be-Dead, who claimed responsibility for the June 28 attacks, said Kirimat Tanhah, a commander in the U.S.-trained and financed Afghan Special Forces. Shah is suspected of having ties to al-Qaida militants in Pakistan, he said."
#2
why not "soften" up that valley and teh insurgents with a couple MOABS the brass was always showing off. At least the sale of hearing aids and eye patches might lead to tips on the ones that get away
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 15:24
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And remember boys, no prisoners no explanations.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 15:33
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Where's the B-52 filled with napalm canisters? It'd clean out that valley PERMANENTLY, without putting US lives at risk. The do-gooders want to make war so expensive nobody will pursue it. All they do is handicap those who have to fight wars. About the third time some cave complex got hit with napalm, there wouldn't be a cave in Afghanistan inhabited for more than ten minutes at a time. Stupid "antiwar" idiots! You notice they never put THEIR lives on the line trying to get what they want. They should be the first to be put in harm's way, so their silly ideas will be proven most conclusively not to work. It also has the secondary effect of cleaning out the gene pool - something long overdue.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/13/2005 15:36
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Guys ... sad news on two accounts:
Apparently we did away with napalm thanks in part to the Vietnam War protesters and the MOABS - last I read, they were discontinued.
#8
Old Spook discussed the reasons against destroying the whole area not long ago. As I recall, quite a few of the locals are quietly helping us, and we do not deliberately kill innocents. Angry as the situation may (does!!) make us. And he wrote this while, or shortly after, working 24/7 as part of the team supporting the rescue effort over the July 4th weekend.
#11
OldSpook: A friend of mine in the AF has stated that part of the reason they got rid of napalm is that it was hard to handle, and they got replacements for doing the same task of "bombing an area but having the damage relatively contained, thus minimizing collateral damage."
Of course, they want to ban that munition too.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
08/13/2005 17:28
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#12
OOPS: mistook Old Patriot for Old Spook. Sorry.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
08/13/2005 17:29
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#13
Could be we're going light on the airstrikes because we think there's a target in the area who's body we'd like to identify.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 18:12
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#15
No idea it just has seemed strange to me that they have filmed a documentary in the area and the overal amount of firepower that seems to be concentrated there. It's obvious that those Seals ran into something they were not expecting.
#17
Welcome back. The hunting's sparcer as the marshall's have been scaring off trolls.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
08/13/2005 21:03
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#18
And a good thing IMO as there will be increasingly controversial real shit coming down over the next few months. Save your ammo, friends and neighbors ... it will be a target-rich environment.
Posted by: leader of the pack ||
08/13/2005 21:07
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#19
How many more American mothers will have to lose their sons?
#20
Sadly too many. If only we could visualize whirled peas, bunnys and kitties would play in the sunshine and noone would ever ever be mean to one another and all the murderous Islamofascists would peacefully return to the perfection of their calligraphy. And then the brave ADULT men and women of our armed forces would not need to deploy to counter them.
You may consider yourself a victim. They do not - they are proud to serve.
Alas, regarding that visualization? Whirled peas bear many resemblances to baby puke, unfortunately, and while I'd love to see real and lasting peace I'm not hopeful that it will come anytime soon. We are at the start of a major geopolitical shift. It will take a generation - and those who would retreat into sobby slogans will no more avoid it than those who face it straight on.
Posted by: leader of the pack ||
08/13/2005 22:51
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#21
I think we have advanced a bit since 'nam. That said, the folks will paint the targets and the fly-boyz will accomodate.
No sense killing or maiming the people we are trying to protect, the same folks who will be voting.
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/13/2005 23:01
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Posted by: ed ||
08/13/2005 23:17
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#23
I suggested FAE for that valley back in July. I still think so. Tell the "innocent" to get out and sterilize the place for "pour l'encourager les autres." I know that we don't (like to) kill innocents, but did our share in WW II. We were as vicious as we needed to be to defeat the enemy and end the war.
My patience is just about exhausted. Who are the innocents? The innocents are the ones who turn the asshats in. Talk is cheap. Whiskey costs money.
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder rejected the threat of military force against Iran on Saturday, hours after U.S. President George Bush said he would consider it as a last resort to press Tehran to give up its nuclear programme.
Schroeder, one of the most prominent European opponents of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, told an election rally in his home city of Hanover that the threat of force was not acceptable. thanks Gerhard - your negotiations are doing the other side's work for them. Traitor and coward
'I am worried about developments there because no one can want the Iranian leadership to gain possession of atomic weapons,' Schroeder said. 'The Europeans and the Americans are united in this goal. Up to now we were also united in the way to pursue this. "...but now somebody actually wants to DO something about it. We cannot stand for that"
'This morning I read that military options are now on the table. My answer to that is: 'Dear friends in Europe and America, let us work out a strong negotiating position. But let's take the military option off the table. We have seen it doesn't work,'' he said.
The comments came after Bush told Israeli television that 'all options are on the table', including the use of force.
Schroeder's opposition to the Iraq war was seen as a decisive factor in his unexpected victory in the 2002 general election, which he won narrowly after coming from behind. But his critical stance caused serious ruptures in Germany's traditionally strong relations with the United States.
He faces another election this September. Schroeder's Social Democrats are currently lagging the opposition conservatives, but the latter's lead has shrunk in recent weeks.
Iran angered the European Union and the United States by resuming uranium conversion at its Isfahan plant last Monday after rejecting an EU offer of political and economic incentives in return for giving up its nuclear programme.
Tehran says it aims only to produce electricity and denies Western accusations it is seeking a nuclear bomb.
Schroeder said he was against the spread of atomic weapons to more countries. But he included a rebuke to the current group of countries which already have the nuclear bomb.
'We don't want atomic weapons to be more widespread. And here, let me say this to those who have atomic weapons: We would all be more credible than we were in the past if getting rid of these weapons were addressed decisively,' he
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005
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German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder declares that after two major ass-whumpings, in 1918 and 1945, the Eloi-Germans are to assume the position of bend-over and await the Jihadi insertion.
#3
Ah the Germans -- either at your feet or at your throat. I guess we know which way our little teutonic pals are going this century.
Posted by: regular joe ||
08/13/2005 15:17
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Hey regular joe:
You know what's so frustrating here? When the Germans fought, they fought like hell. Just took on too much, especially in WW2. But now when we could use a little of that old German spirit to help us out, look at these jerks!
Yeah, Schroeder's done a great job on the economy also. What's the German unemployment rate these days, 10%, 12%??
#5
Schroeder the socialist wonder that has brought Germany more unemployed than before the 2nd world war. He'll do anything to deviate the attention from the mess he has left.
#6
We would all be more credible than we were in the past if getting rid of these weapons were addressed decisively
Did he just say what I think he said??? Surely a translation error. Check his bank accounts. Any recent money transfers, say, Tehran -> Frankfurt? Absolutely breath taking Schroeder et al.
/pissed off
Posted by: Rafael ||
08/13/2005 16:12
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#7
When is the german election again? It's time for this clown to depart the stage.
I think you might want to consider rephrasing that. Especially as they came close to achieving their primary goal (world domination was actually secondary).
#10
What's funny about this is that Germany doesn't have anmilitary option to reject.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
08/13/2005 17:15
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#11
"Schroeder Tells W to Stand Down Without German Imprimatur" would be just as likely/laughable
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 17:22
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#12
Where's the surprise meter? It's deja vu all over again.
But no, the German press is all over Stoiber because he's telling people the truth about the absurdity that East Germans should vote for a leftist party, whose leaders are Gregor Gysi (member of the ex commie SED) and Oskar Lafontaine (who was against reunification).
"Nur die dümmsten Kälber wählen ihre Metzger selber"
Which doesn't translate with the rhyme but means:
"Only the dumbest calves elect their own butchers."
#13
TGA - you've got your bona fides established here - our "German" criticism doesn't rain on you. Kind alike Teflon, if you can stand the political implications..
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 17:45
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#14
Ah, yes, negotiations have done such WONDERS, haven't they? They ended the Paleo/Israeli war, they ended the Iran/Iraq war, they did such wonders of keeping Saddam contained, and they've helped so much in Timor, Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, and Nepal. You just have to have faith in them.
Schroder has no cojones, and is envious of those that do. It's time for Iran to learn that we have a different president than Jimmah Cahtah - one that believes in speaking softly and carrying a HUMONGOUS stick - one capable of wiping the entire nation of Iran off the face of the earth quicker than you can say it. Tell Schroder to remember Dresden...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/13/2005 17:51
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#15
Easy, OP. No need to nuke anything Iranian more than Qom and their military/nuclear installations. I agree it is time for the HUMONGOUS stick. Time to take the fun out of nuclear proliferation. Time to give the NorKs an urge to negotiate in good faith.
#16
Unfortunately we're exactly in the same situation as in 2002. Schroeder needs to fight off the extreme leftists in order to win. That worked last time, with the Iraq issue.
Now he might think he can pull off the same stunt with Iran. I hope that the WH is smart enough to ignore everything Schroeder says. No reaction, please, nothing.
#19
I'll be the odd man out here, but non-militaristic Germans after the two world wars in the 20th Century is not necessarily a bad thing. I think most of the criticism is that the man is opening his mouth when he has nothing constructive to contribute and becomes an obstacle for others to act.
#22
Actually Gerhard misspoke. He should have said "Germany has no military option, we have no military power to project. We can't even defend ourselves."
The Election results the Grand Coalition will be left, left, left. Gerhard wants only to be relected and is willing to give away the security of Europe and Israel to do it. Thank you for giving Iran exactly what they want Germany. There can be no more negotation now they have what they want you stupid TRANZI bastards.
#23
I am reluctantly coming to the conclusion that many of the European leaders truly are responsible for some horrendous dangers in the world right now.
The irony, of course, is that they are firmly convinced they are more moral than we and they will take absolutely no responsibility for the outcome of their choices.
Posted by: too true ||
08/13/2005 19:35
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#24
too true? too true. They will be footnotes in the future battle of civiliztions, with the excuse "I did what I was elected to do". Leadership is in short supply in the world. I count W among leaders
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 19:43
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#25
The Election results the Grand Coalition will be left, left, left. Gerhard wants only to be relected and is willing to give away the security of Europe and Israel to do it.
#27
This reminds me of when President Clinton said that troops on the ground were not an option in Kosovo. Is there any way to weaken a bargaining position? The ironic thing is that by weakening the Westâs position he is actually making the military option more likely.
They've been dangerous appeasers for decades. Some of those clowns give new meaning to the term "legend in their own minds."
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/13/2005 22:19
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#29
#24 Frank: "They will be footnotes in the future battle of civiliztions"
No kidding. If they even make it into the footnotes.
"What did you do in the great war, Daddy Mr. Schroeder/Mr. Chiraq?"
"Well, son, I shoveled shit in Louisiana Germany/France."
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/13/2005 22:23
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#30
Schroeder, one of the most prominent European opponents of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, told an election rally in his home city of Hanover that the threat of force was not acceptable.
To YOU it isn't. Of course, you're entitled to your opinion....
It's not really opinion, but it's not news, either. I was fooling around on google today and I came across this tidbit. Does anyone know what the original source was for this story? Can anyone confirm this is the same house the FBI recovered the explosives from earlier this year? Between that and this (link) I'm thinking that the Feds knew it was there the whole time.
The FBI made mortgage payments on Terry Nichols' home after he was arrested and before he was convicted of conspiring to bomb the Oklahoma City federal building, according to new court documents. A Justice Department spokeswoman said Tuesday she did not know why the government made the payments nor the amount. The small, frame house is in Herington, Kansas, where Nichols was living with his wife and their two children when the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was bombed April 19, 1995. The mortgage payments were disclosed by Nichols' lawyers in a court filing Monday, part of Nichols' arguments that he does not have sufficient assets to pay a fine or restitution.
#1
I assume the gov. made the mortgage payments to preserve evidence. Otherwise the house would have been foreclosed and sold off.
It was the same house that the explosives were found. It was stored in a crawl space and it was a tip-off that caused the feds to search the house again. I am surprised the feds didn't use (my assumption) an explosives sniffer diring the first search.
Posted by: ed ||
08/13/2005 23:25
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WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 - A four-star general relieved of his command this week for adultery was ordered last January to break off the affair but continued to have contact with the woman, two senior Army officials said on Friday.
A major reason the general, Kevin P. Byrnes, was dismissed as head of the Army Training and Doctrine Command was that the inspector general found that he had violated the direct order from the Army chief of staff, Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case is still being adjudicated.
Army officials disclosed the details of the inspector general's inquiry to explain the unusual decision to relieve a four-star officer with a distinguished record.
The order to break off contact with the woman, whose identity has not been made public, came after the inspector general began an inquiry into an accusation that General Byrnes was involved in an adulterous affair, the officials said.
General Schoomaker told him to cease contacts with the woman until the inspector general completed the inquiry, the officials said. But the inspector general later found that General Byrnes continued to make telephone calls to her, although the officials would not say if the contacts went beyond calls. "He was told to knock it off, and he ignored it and continued the affair," a senior Army official said.
Yup, that'll do it.
Several Army officers said they considered the punishment surprisingly harsh for a general who was nearing retirement.
The Army officials also disclosed that another senior officer, Gen. Dan K. McNeill, has been appointed to determine if any additional action should be taken against General Byrnes. Possible penalties range from a reprimand to a court-martial. General Byrnes faces uncertainty over whether his rank will be reduced to major general, with a resulting loss of retirement benefits.
The Army's Manual on Court Martial describes adultery as "unacceptable conduct," and Army officials say that it is barred under a provision of the Uniform Code of Military Justice that prohibits bringing discredit on the military.
General Byrnes separated from his wife, Carol, in mid-2004, but the couple did not divorce until earlier this month.
A lawyer for General Byrnes, Lt. Col. David H. Robertson, said Wednesday that the general had been relieved because of an accusation about "a consensual, adult relationship." The statement said the person was a female civilian.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/13/2005
13:27 ||
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#1
TS [and I don't mean top secret]. An officer by law and oath holds his office by special trust and confidence, when he disobeys a lawful order [and it was, just ask Kelly Flynn], he brought it upon himself. Now shut up and retire gracefully. No frigging medal either, but I'll take bets that some weenie while rationalize that out too. Note to the gay advocates - the military disciplines hetros for their behaviors as well, for adultry and fraternization. Keep burying that fact everytime you whine about the military, its going to come back and hammer you.
#2
bah. Call me cynical -but I expect that politics was involved here. I can think of one Admiral in particular where sexual harassment, adultery, misuse of government property, lying and nepotism played a role in his promotion. But kiss the right behinds and you are golden.
#3
Adultery is rarely prosecuted. The first poster brought up Kelly Flynn. She was initially busted over disobeying a direct order, not sexual misconduct. I had a soldier prosecuted for adultery. The only reason we went after him (and this was in a command with a lot of very ethical, if not to say moralistic, born again Christians in charge) was because he was screwing another guy's wife and the other guy happened to be in the same company. Plus he had lied to get out of some hazardous duty to bang her while her husband was 1,200 miles away on the same hazardous duty (can you say David and Bathsheba). If he had been messing around with one of the Engineers' wives across the street, believe me, no one would have bothered. It went before a special court and without any photographic or eyewitness evidence, the judge threw it out.
GOs and FOs should be held to the highest standards, of course. If Byrnes couldn't keep it in his pants until the divorce went through or he retired, he deserved to get relieved.
#4
Gen Schoomaker orders you to do something and you disreguard the order, well, you get what you deserve--relieved of command. hope it was worth it for Byrnes, he embarassed himself and his service. I have total confidence in Gen S and there is probably more to the story.
Posted by: 49 PAN ||
08/13/2005 18:46
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#5
Maybe I served in a different service but this was VERY big in the Air Force. If you couldn't keep your gun in the holster you were asking for trouble. Of course all bets are off when you go on a short tour or TDY (what goes TDY stays TDY). Even then you had to be discreet or it would come back to haunt you.
#6
My dad messed around alot on TDY while in the Air Force, wives used to tell my mom about the stories and names too... it was very devastating to mom... and today adultry is still king. They only bust those that they want to bust and overlook those who keep a low profile. During Desert Storm in Germany it was rampant and there were few people willing to push the issue to reveal the affairs to the troops down range. During Iraqi Freedom it was barely concealed, especially in Baghdad. It wasn't just between US military... it even crossed US & British military and then on over to contractors and so on. Did I have the misfortune to catch someone in the act? Thankfully not. Was it all just a bunch of rumors? Nope... but I am sure some were just that. Almost everyone just looked the other way, or feigned ignorance, since life was complicated enough and they didn't want to end up being labled a snitch, stuck writing statements, end up on convoy escort duty or worse. So what my dad did was wrong and those before him did wrong and there are those who continue that wrong even today. These people live the slogan " What happens in Las vegas, stays in Las Vegas ". It crosses all ranks, genders, services, nationalities, cultures and sexual preferences. It should not be tolerated but should never be surprising.
#7
FDP is right that there is a hell of a lot of fooling around during TDYs, and even back at home station. I don't condone it, but its been a part of the military culture for a long time, and I don't expect it to change anytime soon. This 4 star would have been fine if he had just obeyed a direct order until his divorce was final, and everyone would have looked the other way.
President Bush signed into law a bill to create electronic monitoring programs to prevent the abuse of prescription drugs in all 50 states.
The new law creates a grant program for states to create databases and enhance existing ones in hopes of ending the practice of "doctor shopping" by drug abusers seeking multiple prescriptions. It would authorize $60 million for the program through fiscal 2010...
A July letter from the American Medical Association in support of the bill called prescription drug abuse "one of the fastest growing public health problems" in the United States. The letter cited a 2002 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration survey that estimated there were 6.2 million recreational prescription drugs users then.
The bill passed the House by voice vote and the Senate by unanimous consent in July... I'm sure this will stop Oxycontin junkies, who may have spent the time, effort and energy to shop 20 different doctors, from getting their heroin-class addictive substance. Fancy that, a middle-class and wealthy-person prohibition!
#3
Yep, time to get them out of their Hollywood, Belair, and Beverly Hills [re: Blue zone] enclaves and mix with the common folk. Soon to mix with the same common folk at the booking station.
#5
Actually, all told, it's about time. Some of these drugs are both widely available and horribly abused. Most popular with the age 40 and up crowd, they cover the political spectrum, and are as popular for abuse in the red states, too. They are starting to have a real impact on society. The eventual solution is already in the works, with additives that can be added to the pills that beyond a certain dose, neutralize the effect of the drug. That means that you could swallow a handful and still not get any more effect than from a single pill.
#6
At least the dealers these junkies buy from don't have turf wars that kill innocent people. Now let's have DEA break into some of the upper class houses to bag the dopers the way they do in the slums. Sounds like a good first step to drug legalization to me.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
08/13/2005 18:07
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#7
At least the dealers these junkies buy from don't have turf wars that kill innocent people
I hear oxycontin wars have broken out in a few places.
Posted by: too true ||
08/13/2005 18:11
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#8
We have the same problem in Australia of doctor shopping for prescriptions drugs and a nationwide centralized system of recording all prescriptions filled. While the government makes noises about stopping the abuses, in practice it does nothing, becuase of a combination of medical politics and 'privacy concerns'.
#9
Most of you people have no clue. These people will still abuse these drugs. They will just find a different way to aquire them.
What this really means is that Doctors will stop writing prescriptions for drugs from this schedule. California already has this and I can't find a Dr who will write a prescription for a certain drug that is "controled" that works for a condition I have. Therefore I suffer from this easily treated problem. Doctors are afraid they will get fined, have their license to practice removed or be sent to jail if they make even the slightest mistake.
When the government starts paying for my drugs and the doctors treatment of me they can take a look at my medical data. By the way the government will end up sharing this info with your employeer and insurance company someday too count on it. This information is none of the governments business. If they need it then they can get a warrant, Judges hand them out as if they were candy anyhow. Have you ever heard of an application for a warrant being turned down? You haven't because it doesn't happen. This whole thing is screwed up.
#10
money wasted. Libertarian here as far as War on drugs. Tax it, sell it, no tolerance on driving/public usage.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 19:40
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#11
Frank G. - Add that no money confiscated from me for taxes EVER goes to a drug addict (or drunk, for that matter) and I'm in.
They can do whatever they want to themselves, but I shouldn't have to pay one thin dime for them. Not welfare, no "disability" (addiction is not a disability, it's addiction). Let 'em live in the gutter they chose for themselves.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/13/2005 21:07
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Thereâs an abandoned town in Labrador called Davis Inlet. An Innu community â i.e., natives, of the Mushuau people, if youâre big on whoâs who in the Great White North. About a decade ago Canadians switched on their televisions and were confronted by âshockingâ images of the townâs populace passing the day snorting drugs, glue, petrol and pretty much anything else to hand.
So, as any impeccably progressive soft-lefties would, Her Majestyâs Government in Ottawa decided to build the Mushuau a new town a few miles inland â state of the art, money no object, new homes, new heating systems, new schoolhouse, new computers, plus new more culturally respectful town name (Natuashish). Total cost to Canadian taxpayers: $152 million, which works out to about $217,142.85 for each of the townâs men, women and children. Got a wife and two kids and youâre looking at a government handout of about nine hundred thousand bucks.
And the upshot of Canadian taxpayersâ generosity? Two years after the new town opened, the former Mushuau chief and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police both agreed that there were more drugs, alcoholism, gas-sniffing etc., than ever before. Also higher suicide rates.
Gas-sniffing is not a traditional native activity. Before the first European settlers came, the Mushuau did not roam the tundra hunting for Toyota Corollas to siphon the tanks of. Thatâs a particularly perverse form of cultural co-mingling, but one in which âcompassionateâ white liberals seem determined to keep the natives mired. The government showers native communities with money; thereâs no economic downside to sniffing petrol all day; and as everyone in Natuashish is driving around in brand-new pick-ups on roads that go nowhere you might as well use that full tank of gas for something. The net result of 40 years of a âcaringâ policy intended to maintain communities in their traditional âcultureâ is that Canadian natives now have tuberculosis, diabetes, heart disease and brain damage at levels accelerating further and further away from those in society at large, not to mention lower life-expectancy, higher infant mortality, and endemic suicide. On the last point, the Canadian government doesnât give natives the rope with which they hang themselves, but they do give them free supplies of ammunition. (Natives have higher murder rates, too.) Identity-group grievance-mongers routinely go on about the first Europeans introducing disease to hitherto vigorous North American Indians four centuries ago, but the current health crises afflicting literally dying communities are of less concern. Nonetheless, the math seems unarguable: too many agonised white liberal multicultural chiefs leads to not enough Indians.
Canadian natives, as the most comprehensively wrecked minority on the continent, are a microcosm of everything thatâs wrong with multiculturalism. The premise of multiculturalism is that all cultures are equally âvalidâ, but of course thatâs bunk: some cultures are better, some are worse, some are successes, some are failures. Iâm not being âEurocentricâ here. Perish the thought: an awful lot of European cultures have proved hopeless at sustaining over any length of time representative government, property rights, the rule of law and individual liberty. Those are largely features of the Britannic world â not just of the United Kingdom, America, Australia and New Zealand but also of India, Singapore, St Lucia, as well as Quebec and Mauritius, to name but two francophone jurisdictions all the more agreeable for having spent their formative years under the British Crown.
Thatâs one reason why Iâm a Eurosceptic â because I donât think the British have anything to learn from the Belgians or Germans; on the other hand, the Belgians and Germans have quite a lot to learn from Belize and Barbados. The debate led by the editor of this magazine and others over this last month about promoting âBritishnessâ is perplexing to an offshore observer, if only because the superiority of the Britannic inheritance should be self-evident. Even in the dodgier parts of the globe, a good rule of thumb is head for the joint that was under British rule the longest: try doing business in Malaysia and then in Indonesia and youâll see what I mean. The fact is that the further you remove people from the Britannic inheritance, the greater disservice you do them â the unfortunate Innu of Davis Inlet, excluded from the normal currents of advanced society (home ownership, economic activity, etc.) are merely a particularly grim example of this general truth.
In the Telegraph the other week, Boris Johnson mentioned Mary Seacole, a 19th-century black nurse from Jamaica who was in her day as famous as Florence Nightingale. And, reading of her, I was reminded for the umpteenth time of why the British, of all people, should never have fallen for the neo-apartheid of multiculturalism. âBritishâ was the prototype multiethnic nationality: if you were a doctor from Kingston-on-Thames or a nurse from Kingston, Jamaica, or an assistant choreographer from Kingston, Ontario, you were British â and, unlike the Germans, race didnât come into it. âThe British,â wrote Colin Powell of his Jamaican background, âtold my ancestors that they were now British citizens with all the rights of any subject of the Crown.â Thatâs correct: in law, there was no distinction between a British subject in Wales and a British subject in Tobago. Britishness was far more of a genuinely multicultural identity than the yawning we-are-the-world nullity of modern multiculturalism. Iâm still a wee young thing but my earliest passports bore in bold print on page three the words âA Canadian citizen is a British subject.â It requires a perverse ahistorical fanaticism to decide that Britishness is some shrivelled Little-Englander thing that should never be passed on to our children. Itâs always been the great outward, global, embracing identity.
Conversely, I donât see why we should pretend that self-evidently deficient cultures are our moral equal. In so far as I understand the Arabist mindset of the FCO, it would seem to be something to do with the old Lawrence-of-Arabia routine, dressing up in robes and singing âThe Desert Song calling/ Its voice enthralling/ Will make you mine...â. Iâm sympathetic to the romance of the noble Bedouin riding his Arab on the moonlit sands, just as, apropos the Innu, I can see the attraction of seal and bear hunting. But both cultures seem to have a difficulty accommodating contemporary life. Even in corners of the Arab world that have the veneer of modernity, people say nutty stuff to you all the time. Not misfit weirdsmobiles in loser jobs, but fellows at the very heart of the community. To pluck at random, take Abd Al-Sabour Shahin, respected Egyptian professor, lecturer at Cairo University and head of the Sharia faculty at Al-Azhar university, the Harvard of Sunni Islam. On Monday on Saudi Channel One, Dr Shahin told viewers:
âOur enemies weave many lies about us, which we are not necessarily aware of. For example: one day, we awoke to the crime of 9/11, which hit the tallest buildings in New York, the Empire State Building. There is no doubt that not a single Arab or Muslim had anything to do with these events. The incident was fabricated as a pretext to attack Islam and Muslims.â
Er, OK. So if no Muslim hit the, um, Empire State Building, who did? On that, Dr Shahin was in no doubt: âI believe a dirty Zionist hand carried out this act.â
Dr Shahin is the product of a deformed culture. In the days after 9/11, we heard innumerable reprises of the lazy leftist trope âpoverty breeds terrorismâ. But the Arab world is wealthy. It suffers, as David Pryce-Jones has said, from intellectual poverty. And, whether or not Boris and co. need to talk up Britishness, weâd be doing ourselves and them a great favour if we were to make a concerted effort to talk down Muslim nuttiness. With hindsight, the problem with the Salman Rushdie affair â the prototype example of the Islamists claiming global jurisdiction for their psychoses â was that the resistance was left to a bunch of largely humourless self-important literati who made it all into a dreary business about the âneedâ for âtransgressiveâ âartistsâ to âchallengeâ ...zzzzzzz ...losing will to type.... Instead we should have resisted with a gleeful mocking campaign against Islamoparanoia. Every day of the week you can find some bonkers story from the Muslim world. Hereâs the Sunday Age in Melbourne reporting on 31 July on Werribee Islamic College:
âThe imam told the students that the Jews were putting poison in the bananas and they should not eat them.â
You donât have to be bananas to teach in an Islamic school but it helps. Thatâs a college, by the way, that receives funds from Australian taxpayers of about $3 million a year. For three million bucks they canât hire a catering guy who can find them Jew-free bananas?
Even their terrorism is mostly laughable. The shoebomber gets his bomb on the plane but has only a damp book of matches. The 21 July bombers are all hot for their 72 virgins but their bombs refuse to perform, like a bunch of dud fireworks. One Palestinian suicide bomber is intercepted en route by another Palestinian who tries to steal his suicide bomb and they both get blown up before theyâve got near any Jews.
The only thing these guys have going for them is our undervaluation of ourselves and perverse boosting up of them. By pretending that all cultures are equal, multiculturalism doesnât âpreserveâ traditional cultures so much as sustain them in an artificial state that ensures theyâll develop bizarre pathologies and mutate into some freakish hybrid of the worst of both worlds. With the Innu, the destructive âcompassionâ of guilt-ridden white liberals is no big deal â at least for us. The Innu live a long way away from anybody else and so for the most part they mostly harm each other.
But the Islamists are much closer to home. Like the Innu, theyâre a dysfunctional amalgam of traditional and Western culture, fundamentalist Islam filtered through an old-school European fascist movement. Like the Innu, theyâre hooked on welfare and the glorification of self-destruction. Like the Innu, theyâre the creations of Western largesse â from the firebrand imams bilking the British welfare state, to the bananaphobic imams of taxpayer-funded Aussie schools, to Osama bin Laden himself, who took his paâs dough from the US-fuelled Saudi construction boom and sunk it into a hole in the ground in Tora Bora. Remember Mohammed Atta? He piloted the jet that hit the first World Trade Center tower â or, for any Saudi TV viewers reading this, the first Empire State Building tower â and his main concern seemed to be that his corpse would make it to paradise without being contaminated by infidels and whores. As he wrote in the will he left behind, âHe who washes my body around my genitals should wear gloves so that I am not touched there.â
Young Mohammed graduated from Cairo university with a degree in architectural engineering and later studied at Hamburg university. One had assumed his wealthy parents didnât put junior through architectural engineering in order to pull off one spectacular demolition job. But his dad, also called Mohammed, recently popped up on CNN to praise the 9/11 attacks and the 7 July bombings and tell the network that if it wanted another interview it would cost $5,000 which heâd donate towards financing the next attack in London. Heâs a lawyer, his son was an engineer and qualified pilot (well, except for the landing and take-off part, which he told his flight school he didnât need to learn). But theyâre kookier than the most in-bred backwoods up-country yakherd.
Yet somehow weâve wound up in a situation where it requires a hugely agonised public debate â even in the Telegraph â about whether we should state the obvious and historically indisputable truth about British culture, while simultaneously we all agree to dissemble like crazy about Muslim culture, handling it with the kid gloves Mohammed Atta wanted reserved for his genitals. This is a disastrous strategy. One lesson of Dr Shahinâs drivel is that a culture in which it is difficult if not impossible to tell the truth eventually goes nuts. It would be a most unBritish ending.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/13/2005
13:08 ||
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#1
Awesome Steyn grab, Steve.
I'll say it: Arab culture sucks, and we should denounce and ridicule their pipsqueak fatwas and pronouncements at the loudest voice possible.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 15:57
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#2
Frank - luv ya, man. But hear me now and believe me later. In publicity, it's all about focus and there is no such thing as negative publicity focus
When you denouce in the loudest possible voice that your date does not have a big butt - everyone in the room will turn around and wonder if your date's butt is too big.
If someone says your date has a big butt and you tell him he's got a small you-know-what - it's now his you-know-what that is suddenly on trial.
#3
If I say , lets say for ..uh..discussion's sake only...that my ex-wife is a RAVING lunatic, and all pronouncements coming from her mouth are likely to be lies, or true only in her little universe, then I'm doing my best at defending myself in the battle of ideas. To say Mogadishu culture is as valid and civilized as our own is an out-and-out lie, something that hasn't yet been brought back to bear in Academia and the MSM. There is such a thing as too much negative PR - ask the Saudis...they just figured it out
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 16:21
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#4
Ok. But if your wife has to defend in the loudest possible voice that she is not a lunatic, then I have to wonder if she is sane.
#5
wait - that didn't come out right. When I say that I wonder if she is sane, I mean her sanity is up for debate. Before, she was just a wife. Now she is a wife with her sanity in question.
If you walk into a room and say, "my wife is not insane", we will immediately question your wife's sanity.
#6
ex - and that was a facetious example. I simply meant that in the battle of civilizations, words and ideas matter, and to say that all are equal is false. We shouldn't allow for the "Arab" or "African" seats on the Security Council for the same reason. Either you have a stabilized society that feeds all who are willing to work, or you're Zim-Bob-We. ....that's a judgement I'm willing to make
BTW - her psychiatrist says she's making progress. Since we've been divorced 14 + yrs, I would expect that I am no longer a possible suspect :-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 16:36
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#7
Well, ok, but I'm still wondering if your wife is sane. The damage is done.
#10
A number of years ago a wealthy white infiltrated the KKK -- essentially a terrorist organization -- to learn its culture in order to figure out how to best dismantle it. He gave its secret codes, pass words, etc. to a friend who developed television cartoons, and pretty soon, Superman was chasing and destroying the KKK on Saturday's kids cartoons. That one act (resulting in making KKK members look ridiculous and bad to their children) apparently caused KKK membership to rapidly shrivel and contributed to its eventual demise.
#11
but that's my point! Your wife's (or ex's) sanity is now the question. You put it in focus. It never occured to me before. Heck ..I never even though about you being single, married or divorced. The more you tell me she's sane, the more I have to wonder if she is crazy.
#12
Ok..I'm sorry Frank. I'm being over zealous in my point. I know if you have a wife - she's probably really nice. Sometimes I go overboad to make a point. Please forgive.
#17
what's left that's British in Rhodesia ZimBobwe? The removal of all that's british has left a nasty brutish starving society, begging for help from outside without willingness to reform. Your point is?
Oh yeah, you forgot, didn't you? Glenmore
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 17:48
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#18
Instead we should have resisted with a gleeful mocking campaign against Islamoparanoia
I know we're late to the party, but isn't that what we're doing now?
At least at Rantburg, LGF, etc.?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/13/2005 17:48
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Kenneth Kratzer did all he could to try to help an elderly woman ... who was stung more than 400 times Friday morning outside her residence. When Kratzer got to the woman, she was lying face down and was covered in bees, who were yelling "allahu akhbar" and passing out honey to their children. He began spraying the water on her to dissipate the bees, but he had to get away when he became the bees' target. I'm sure some will see that as a metaphor for joining in the liberation of Iraq and any subsequent terrorist attacks. After all, bees are suicide attackers.
The bees were likely Islamic Africanized bees, he said. They were aggressive, going after firefighters - stinging four of them - after the woman was taken to University Medical Center.
The hive, which was located inside a mosque shed wall, was about 3 feet long, 1 1/2 feet wide and 1 1/2 feet deep, McDonough said. I clipped a bunch. I was worried when they said her condition was "stable," but remember this isn't the KSA.
I was hoping someone would be able to organize something like this.
More than 100 supporters of President Bush held a rally Friday night across the road from the makeshift campsite of anti-war demonstrators, but authorities kept the groups separated and there was little confrontation. Makeshift camp my @ss. That makes it sound like one poor housewife, grieving for her son .... This woman is working with Democratic political operatives and the George Soros raft of political agitation groups.
You weren't expecting the MSM to report that, were you?
Many of the Bush supporters rode on a bus from Dallas in a trip organized by nationally syndicated conservative radio talk show host Mike Gallagher. They said they wanted to counter the war protest, started last weekend by a grieving mother who set up camp on the road leading to Bush's ranch.
At first, the 100 or so war protesters held a 40-foot banner that read "Support our troops; bring them home now!" Then they sang "God Bless America." But as Gallagher rallied his spirited, flag-waving group over a bullhorn - and the Bush supporters chanted "USA!" and "Go George go!" - the protesters put down the banner and for the most part ignored the other side. Cindy Sheehan of Vacaville, Calif., who started the peace vigil, was not present during the counter-rally. She was resting at the Crawford Peace House.
Robert Pinson, who served in Vietnam in the Army, said he took the three-hour bus ride to Crawford because he believes Bush is protecting the nation and that the troops are heroes. "I just wanted to show support for my country, since I served and would serve again if I could," said Pinson, 67.
Before the Bush supporters boarded the bus about 30 minutes later, they placed their flags beside rows of white crosses with names of fallen U.S. soldiers. The war protesters erected the crosses, which stretch about two-tenths of a mile down the road.
Sue Niederer, whose son Seth Dvorin died in Iraq last year, said she and other war protesters were glad there were no major confrontations. She said she was touched by one Bush supporter who looked at her, then asked if he could hug her. "It was a beautiful, beautiful thing," she said. "Even though he may have been a Republican, it didn't matter."
There were a few tense words between the opposing sides in the beginning, as sheriff's deputies steered the Bush supporters in a sunny ditch on - appropriately enough - the right side of the road. The protesters' camp was in the shade, but authorities said the pro-Bush group shouldn't mingle with the other side.
A few Bush supporters arrived on their own earlier Friday and stood at the edge of the site, initially enduring some ridicule by the war opponents. "Over the last two or three days Cindy Sheehan has been talking about how our president is a murderer and how the war is for no good reason, and I disagree with her," said Thomas F. Zapp, 52, of Richmond, whose 20-year-old son T.J. was killed in Iraq last fall.
Before noon Friday, Bush's motorcade sped by the protesters en route to a fundraiser, but it didn't stop. It's unclear if Bush, riding in a black Suburban with tinted windows, looked at the demonstrators. One woman said first lady Laura Bush looked out the window at them.
He made time for her last year, which was appropriate.
Law enforcement agencies blocked two intersecting roads where the protesters have camped out and required them to stand behind yellow tape about 10-15 feet from the main road. No one was asked to leave.
Bush passed the group to and from his neighbor's ranch, where he met about 230 donors at a lunchtime barbecue that was expected to raise at least $2 million for the Republican National Committee.
In the last week, dozens have joined Sheehan, 48, whose 24-year-old son Casey died in Iraq last year. From their makeshift campsite of tents and anti-war banners, they vow to remain until Bush meets with grieving parents or until his monthlong ranch visit ends.
Bush has said that he sympathizes with Sheehan but did not say if he will talk to her. Bush has met with about 900 relatives of 272 U.S. soldiers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. But Sheehan said she wants to hold the president accountable for faulty prewar intelligence that she says led to an unnecessary war. "I don't want comfort from him," Sheehan said. "I want answers. I want the truth."
She wouldn't recognize the truth.
On Friday, she released a 60-second television ad running on cable channels in the Crawford area the rest of the month. The $15,000 cost was paid for by Gold Star Families, a group Sheehan co-founded.
Wonder where they got the money?
Posted by: leader of the pack ||
08/13/2005
06:54 ||
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#1
Bush sucks.(Waiting for smartass remark from Cletus S Yokel)
#4
This counter protest is important, but it's coming too late. Sheehan and her buddies have hogged the TV news for a week, including overseas. The other voices won't be heard.
We need to start making our voices heard immediately when the LLL pulls this sort of stunt.
#6
On Friday, she released a 60-second television ad running on cable channels in the Crawford area the rest of the month. The $15,000 cost was paid for by Gold Star Families, a group Sheehan co-founded
This is why the media gets no respect these days. Sheehan co-founded the group. Who founded it? Who gave them $15,000?
#8
She needs to rest? Aside from her doing interviews, what else is she doing down there, training for the NYC Marathon?
It's tiring work dragging down your country, self-promoting, and despoiling everything your son died for while selling your worthless soul to Soros and crew
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 10:22
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#9
Uh-oh! Are there two WhiteCollarRednecks on this board? I didn't make that last comment.
#12
But Sheehan said she wants to hold the president accountable for faulty prewar intelligence that she says led to an unnecessary war.
If the prewar intelligence was faulty (and some most likely was, but not all IMO) the person who could of completely altered the course of the whole Iraq problem was Saddam himself. If he knew he didn't have any chemical or biological waeapons why was he stonewalling Blixie so much. What did he have to gain other than thinking France and Germany were going to stall Bush and Blair long enough to prevent an invasion. And how come the MSM never thinks to ask that question?
#13
"And how come the MSM never thinks to ask that question?"
Maybe for the same reason they take pains to avoid pointing out that Bush hasn't made any claims about Iraq's WMD that were significantly different from those already made by Clinton: because they're paid propagandists for the Democratic Party-- and trying to make a Republican president look bad is far more important than being truthful.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
08/13/2005 12:38
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#14
I've commented off and on the last couple of years. Just been too busy to comment much the last few months. No problem though, I'll be lower-case wcr.
#16
The "Crawford Peace House" is an heir to Father Coughlin.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/13/2005 13:43
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#17
Man, the quality of trolls at RB has really gone downhill lately. Used to be we got wit and intelligence or at least phosporescent bile from our trolls. Now it's just schoolyard namecalling.
No wonder the left is in such trouble.
Posted by: too true ||
08/13/2005 14:02
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#18
Yeah, the good old days of Murat, Gentle and Antiwar. God rest their unhappy souls.
#19
To liven things up a tad, I once began a Troll Dictionary, TrollDix, heh), but gave up as they proliferated faster than I cared to maintain the document. I haven't updated it in about 18 months. I offer it for your amusement - or feel free to edit and pick up future maintenance, lol.
2) Baitrolls - pretends to be Zerolls to distract and obfuscate any real discussion; includes the Cambridge / Oxford pooftas and ponces
3) Appeacers - antiwar at any cost;"Not just anti-war, they're on the other side."
4) Onatrolls -
..A) self-absorbed megalomaniacal fools who post disingenuous ejaculate to impress themselves with their command of the Word Tools (Dictionary, Thesaurus, Grammar and Spell Checker)
..B) posts are seldom relevant to the topic, they're usually about themselves or whomever they are attempting to bait or trash - and attempt to build themselves up by ad hominem or faux-logic attacks on others
5) Trolljans -
..A) overtly apparently rational and reasonable, they post anti-jihadi spew, laud military, only mildy openly criticize policy and try to make that seem on-topic
..B) on the inside, when their guard drops, you find remarkably disingenuous and irrational spew; Oreo: cookies with a bile-cream center
6) Trone - droning, hari-splitting, uber-reasonable, implacable, sometimes pointless / often mindlessly centrist; defenders of the institutions obviously subverted by Moonbats
7) Turdtroll - hit and run screecher who deposts little turds â sometimes pointless drivel, sometimes LLL / DU Talking Points; Trail of Turds
8) HateTroll -
..A) simple abusive ad hominem attacker
..B) no attempt to address topic
9) ICanTypeMoreShitThanAnyoneElseAlive(ICTMSTAEA) - argumentative in the extreme, overwhelms with volume - usually large tracts of gibberish lifted from DU-style sites, logic optional
10) ConversationOfOne - ICTMSTAEA who regularly answers himself
11) Muslimozoid - non-jihadist Muslim apologist / practitioner, a True Believer with full djin dysfunction
12) Izzoid - militant jihadi Muslimozoid
TrollRoll... Examples of each type...
{deleted, lol}
Thank you for this definitive troll classification system.
Is there also a category for CAPITALTROLL, one who simplistically thinks using all caps somehow makes a point, albeit not the one they had hoped for.
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/13/2005 14:45
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#21
Well, there ya go, CA - you've pointed out one reason why I gave it up, lol! "Capitrol? So many variants, so little time. You can have it, bro - just try to be fair and judicious in the taxonomy, heh. Variants on "troll" are preferred, of course. ;-)
#22
Sheesh - should've spell-checked it before posting - I just grabbed it and slapped an intro on it. Apologies for the obvious glaring (*slaps forehead*) errors.
#25
"It was a beautiful, beautiful thing," she said. "Even though he may have been a Republican, it didn't matter."
Thus demonstrating the quality of her thought process, such as it is. How many of us here at Rantburg are not Republicans of any stripe, nor even Libertarians/libertarians... or for that matter not even truly Conservative or Neocon? Not to mention that something like a quarter of the troops "out there" identify as Democrats. If those people weren't living in their makeshift tent city, they'd be protesting the whales, or the cutting down of trees, or which ever cause crossed in front of their eyes at a moment their brain cells managed to fire sequentially.
:) Lol. We all steal from each other, liberally, and though they were unaware of it, others contributed heavily to this compilation, lol, I just tweaked and twisted things a bit to fit the project. Today I'm just kinda bored - I don't even have the energy to properly whack our prolific little retard du jour, heh.
#29
Nice, .com. LOL! I, for one, miss the old trolls--no matter the type. (Even he who must not be mentioned! Naw, maybe that's going too far.) Not much fun for me now around here, except to view my old buddies' stuff now and then. Take care, all, and keep up the good work. Hillary's on the way and THAT'S going to totally suck. So get ready. Cheers!
#30
tw - The first? Surely not! I don't believe it! :)
ex - I miss the teethmarks you left on certain folks, lol! And I agree about Hillary in 2008. Sad, but true. Teflon can be acquired by marriage - or that may have been the initial attraction between them, lol! That and naked ambition, of course. :-)
Schadenfreude -- From German words damage and joy, implying taking joy at the damaging of others.
Trollenschadenfreude: to actively cause the damaging of others that joy is taken in;
Sporkentrollenschadenfreude: to discipline those who actively cause thedamaging of others that joy is taken in;
Screechensporkentrollenschadenfreude: to whine about the discipline being meted out to those who actively cause the damaging of others that joy is taken in;
Freudenscreechensporkentrollenschadenfreude: to take joy in the whining about the discipline being meted out to those who actively cause the damaging of others that joy is taken in;
Schizofreudenscreechensporkentrollenschadenfreude: to be so very upset at those who take joy in the whining about the discipline being meted out to those who actively cause the damaging of others that joy is taken in that he/she/edwin pucks blood and profanity and finally splits into eight or more Schizofreudenscreechensporkentrollenschadenfreudists, each
of which is also really, really angry;
Sigmundfreude: to derive remuneration from the treatment of Schizofreudenscreechensporkentrollenschadenfreudists.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/13/2005 17:25
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#32
no way HRC in 08....I'll put $ on it. See this
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 17:26
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#35
I only speak spanish, and spanish political jokes are kinda ....redundant
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 17:30
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#36
tw - Well, you've put me in a box here, lol... I'll be a gentleman and defer - but certainly not my first *applause* - of that I am absolutely certain!
#38
.com, phil_b, and a few of you others, are circling this poor grieving mother who has lost her humanity in the tragedy of it all, like buzzards over carrion! Why don't you just present your long knives, draw and quarter her in the town square. Drink with revelry at the trophy of your understanding!
#40
ooooh another facet of smn! I, for one, think she should quit exalting in her media whoreness to ideals her son DID NOT DIE FOR. Is that unclear? Bring it on smn.....
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 17:50
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#42
wank, wank...I felt sorry for her at first. But then it became clear that she is only about "LOOK AT ME!!! and her son is only a tool in her LOOK AT ME toolbox.
Her family has disowned her as an loon. Even if we wanted to, none of us could could say more.
#45
This just in: Mother Sheehan refuses to meet with pro-Bush protesters. Pro-Bush protesters don "Mother Sheehan, why won't you meet with me" t-shirts.
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/13/2005 18:07
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#46
change of drink and heart - you're not worth it - carry on! Expect evisceration at will
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 18:07
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#47
2b, her family is probable persuaded by the social, political or military complex! How many times will they say she's a loon...exactly three!
#48
They could have done this a week ago and it still wouldn't make the MSM. Overall the more she speaks the more she shows herself to be a nut so I say let her talk away.
#49
ooooohhh Denounced three times before the cock crows blows me? Sophomoric references won't fly - dig deeper. My opinion of you diminishes by the post
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 19:09
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#50
Not sure how valid thi was but I heard a woman claiming to be the Aunt of Casey on a radio show this week. She said that Casey joined up to get away from mommy dearest and actually reenlisted to go to Iraq. She calimed to have gone to School with the mom and she "Didn't have a conservative bone in her body." It's easy to she why the son went in another direction and where mom is today.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 19:40
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#55
Alright Frank, then consider this; had she been a raging, rampaging Ape mom distraught over the loss of her ape sibling, what would authorities have done? That's right cornered, shot and caged her. Why hasn't measures tantamount to this (metaphorically speaking) been done yet? The blazing glaring lights of Public Opinion. I've seen it before in Tieniman Square when one lone objector stopped a multi ton tank!! Call your Senator, your Representative; have them call the local police to come a cage her(arrest),put her somewhere dark and dank so we can all sleep easier tonight.
#57
you really need help, smn, and I don't mean that in a bad way, ok? Your commenting isn't advancing any points that (I think) you may sincerely wish to advance. Take some time off, regroup, review, and come back refreshed is my best advice...worked for me
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 19:50
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#58
" I' packs nimmer! " Colloquial for " I can't take it anymore! "
" Weis der Geier was! " Who cares!
" Weis der Dabel was! " again... " Who cares! "
" Alle es Wurst! " Its all the same! " or " it doesn't matter! "
Del Valle is a solid expert on islamism but is pretty controversial, and he is (was?) a quasi-eurasian self-styled geopolitician, having notably one of his earlier book about the use of islam as a proxy by the United States against Russia and Europe. He now has at least publicly changed his view on that matter, and is attacked by the left for his rightwing background, and by the right for now being too "pro" USA (while he used to be a vocal opponent of the US Grand Strategy) and an Israel supporter. Some articles in english :
http://www.alexandredelvalle.com/publications.php?rub=etrangers&rub2=48
"The Western world should not be surprised by the ferocity of the attacks that are hitting the four corners of our planet: World War Three is well underway and for the moment the fundamentalists are winning" argues Alexandre Del Valle, a well-known French writer and expert on radical Islam. In an interview with Adnkronos International (AKI) Del Valle commented the recent terrorist attacks in Sharm el-Sheikh and London and said the West must rethink its approach and recognise the enemy.
"The third world war has started and, despite those who think it started on September 11th, it actually began well before that, after the first military operation in Iraq in 1990" said Del Valle. As the expert argued in his controversial book "Islamic totalitarianism's assault on democracies" (2002), the enemy is a reactionary anti-colonial Islam, in favour of the third world. This Islam wants to kill the "bad Muslims", who betray the original Islamic message, and its major goal is to conquer the West and islamise it.
"It's a real and serious war," emphasises Del Valle, "a war between civilisations fought on two levels."
The first level is within Islam, a clash between reactionary Muslims backed by rich Islamic states - such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran and Pakistan - and moderate Muslims, considered apostates - a wide category which also includes the Egyptian and Tunisian Presidents Hosni Mubarak and Ben Ali.
The second level of this global conflict touches us much more closely, points out Del Valle: It is the attempt to islamise the Western world, a precise project that includes terrorist attacks "to advertise the radical ideology" as much as killing people.
"In order to move forward and conquer the West, the terrorists use our own values of freedom, democracy and equality" explains Del Valle. He underlines how for the moment the winners of this war - fought without armies but with high stakes - are the extremists.
"We saw it in Spain, with the withdrawal of the troops from Iraq right after the bombs in Madrid. And we can see right now even in the Middle East or in Iraq where the West is afraid and is more open to a dialogue with Hamas and the guerrilla groups," said Del Valle this attitude is a big mistake."
"The fundamentalists use our values against us and we pretend it isn't happening" he said. Even in Europe, says the expert, "we listen to people, associations and radical groups that are actually our enemy."
"Something has to change. We have to understand that this is the third world war and they are winning."
#1
Because this war doesn't involve massed armies and fleets of warships or aircraft most people simply can't make the mental leap to the fact that this is a World War. And if you want a start date November 1979 is as good as any. The goal of one side is nothing less than Global Hegomony while for the West it is nothing less than survival
#2
If 1979 is indeed the date, it is incumbent upon George Bush to apologize immediately on behalf of the American people. It was the height of arrogance to send those helicopters into Iranian territory without their permission. Never should America have given to its lust for power to satisfy a primitive urge for retribution.
Posted by: James E. Carter ||
08/13/2005 13:06
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#3
yeah right, Jimmuh. We also never thanked them for feeding and well-treating our "tourists" who carelessly left our embassy unsecured....
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 13:21
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#4
1968 - a pal kills a pres candidate.
in between hijackings and an attempt to take over Jordan.
1974 - an oil war against the US pubic
A non-idiotarian view from an assumed left, may still irritate, but refreshing.
Christopher Hitchens is one of America's and the English speaking world's leading public intellectuals. He is the author of more than ten books, including, most recently, A Long Short War: The Postponed Liberation of Iraq (2003), Why Orwell Matters (2002), The Trial of Henry Kissinger (2001), and Letters to a Young Contrarian (2001). He writes for leading American and British publications, including The London Review of Books, The New Left Review, Slate, The New York Review of Books, Newsweek International, The Times Literary Supplement, and The Washington Post. He is also a regular television and radio commentator.
For many years, Hitchens was seen as one of America's leading leftist commentators. Shortly after the September 11 attacks in the United States, he began publicly criticizing fellow leftist intellectuals for what he viewed as their "moral and political collapse" in their failure to stand up to what he saw as "Islamo-fascism". He publicly feuded with many of America's leading leftist intellectuals about the war in Iraq, which he supported, much to their anger. He subsequently resigned from his position as a columnist for the Nation, America's leading leftist magazine, in protest.
Born in England, Hitchens has lived in the United States for more than twenty years. He is one of America's most recognizable intellectuals and has taught as a visiting professor at the University of California, Berkeley; the University of Pittsburgh; and the New School of Social Research. He spoke with Washington Prism at his home in Washington D.C.
Q - Your much-discussed separation from the American left began shortly after the September 11 attacks. What prompted your displeasure with the left?
A - The September 11 attacks were one of those rare historical moments, like 1933 in Germany or 1936 in Spain or 1968, when you are put in a position to take a strong stand for what is right. The left failed this test. Instead of strongly standing against these nihilistic murderers, people on the left, such as Noam Chomsky, began to make excuses for these murderers, openly saying that Bin ladin was, however crude in his methods, in some ways voicing a liberation theology. This is simply a moral and political collapse.
But its not only that. Itâs a missed opportunity for the left. Think of it this way: If a group of theocratic nihilists drive planes full of human beings into buildings full of human beings announcing nothing by way of a program except their nihilism and if they turn out to have been sheltered by two regimes favored by the United States and the national security establishment, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia to be precise, two of only three countries to recognize the Taliban, and if Republicans were totally taken by surprise by this and if the working class of New York had to step forward and become the shield of society in the person of the fire and police brigades, it seemed to me that this would have been a good opportunity for the left to demand a general revision of all the assumptions we carried about the post cold war world. We were attacked by a religious dictatorship and the working class were pushed into defending elites by the total failure of our leadership and total failure of our intelligence. The attack emanated partly from the failure of regimes supported by that same elite national security establishmentâ Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. If the left canât take advantage of a moment like that: whats it for? whats its secularism for? Whats its internationalism, class attitude, democracy for?
You donât get that many measurable historical moments in your life, but you must recognize them when they come. This was one of those moments and the left collectively decided to get it wrong and I realized at that moment that, to borrow a slogan that slightly irritates me, but is useful: "Not in my name.â I'm not part of that family. I wanted to force a split, a political split on the left to which a small extent I think succeeded. Today, there is a small pro-regime change left and I'm a proud part of it.
Q - It seems that the left had less difficulty accepting the war in Afghanistan as they did the war in Iraq.
That is true, but of the hard core left it isnât true. They also opposed the removal of the Taliban. When it came to using force, the least they did was predict a quagmire. By the way, there weren't alone. The New York Times did so too. They said at minimum we would witness another Vietnam, which is a pretty serious charge to make as someone who believes that then and now the Vietnam war was a war of aggression and atrocity and racism. When someone says something is another Vietnam, they better be serious because thatâs a serious charge.
But lets look at the case of Iraq and the left. If you asked someone who has the principles of a 1968 leftist the following question: what is your attitude to a regime that has committed genocide, invaded its neighbors, militarized its society into a police state, that has privatized its economy so it is owned by one family, that has defied the non proliferation treaty in many ways, that sought weapons to commit genocide again and cheated on inspections, that has abolished the existence of a neighboring arab muslim state? What is your view of this as anyone who is a 1968 leftist? For me, I would be appalled if anyone knew me even slightly would not guess my attitude. Iraq should have been taken care of a long time ago. Instead, when I made my view public, I was berated by the left and my view was seen as an insane eccentricity.
I should also note that I have friends and comrades in the Iraqi and Kurdish left going back at least till the early 1990s. For me, supporting the war was an elementary duty of solidarity. I said: I'm on your side and Iâll stay there until youâre in and theyâre out.
Q - If there was a Democratic president on 9/11, would there have been a difference of opinion in the American left about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq?
Not from people like Michael Moore (the American film director and strong critic of President Bush), who makes a perfectly good brownshirt [fascist]. Or Noam Chomsky. No, it would not. To them it would have been further proof that the ruling class just has two faces and one party. But I think, in the mainstream of the democratic and Republican parties, you would have seen an exact switch. Richard Holbrookeâs position (Holbrooke was Clinton's UN Ambassador and is a leading Democratic foreign policy thinker) would be Dick Cheneyâs position. The ones in the middle would have just done a switch, finding arguments to support or criticize the war. In fact, I remember that people in the Clinton administration spoke of an inevitable confrontation coming with Saddam. They dropped this idea only because it was a Republican president. That is simply disgraceful. It is likewise disgraceful how many Republicans ran as isolationists against [former Vice-President] Al Gore in the 2000 elections. The only people who come out of this whole affair well are an odd fusion of the old left â the small pro regime change left â and some of the people known as neoconservatives who have a commitment to liberal democracy. Many of the neocons have Marxist backgrounds and believe in ideas and principles and have worked with both parties in power.
Q â In your book, Why Orwell Matters, you noted that Orwell once refused an invitation to speak at the League of European Freedom on the question of Yugoslavian freedom â a cause he believed in. He refused to speak because he felt that the organization failed to condemn British imperialism in India and Burma. He saw that as a fatal flaw. Do the neoconservatives have a fatal flaw: on the one hand supporting Middle East democracy, on the other refusing to condemn Israeli policies that stifle Palestinian freedom aspirations?
A â Orwell said, at the time, that he would not speak for any organization that was opposed to tyranny that did not demand British withdrawal from India and Burma. He also noted that the liberation of Europe did not include the liberation of Spain from the fascists or Portugal. He also noted that it had included the enslavement of Poland.
In the case of the Palestinians, it is generally true that United States political culture doesnât care about the Palestinians. We are taught to think of them as an inconvenient people who are in the way of Israel and a regional settlement. They are people about whom something should be done or, more condescendingly, for whom something should be provided.
I've spent three decades writing about the Palestinians and publishing a book with Edward Said [leading Palestinian intellectual and critic of Israel] about it. All political factions in this country have been lousy on this issue, but none lousier than the Democratic party. The Democrat party truly is what some people crudely say: a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Israeli lobby. It is one thing it has never deviated on: that and abortion. The only two things the Democrats have never flip flopped about.
The neocons are honorably divided on Israel. Take Paul Wolfowitz, for example. He is very critical of settlements and the whole idea of Greater Israel. Whereas Richard Perle (a prominent neoconservative thinker) doesnât regard the areas known as Judea and Samaria (the West bank) as occupied territory. He regards them as part of a future Israeli state. I'm looking forward to the neoconservative split on this getting wider.
Q - Some have said that only columnists and public intellectuals can afford principles, whereas politicians sometimes must succumb to realism. In your book, Why Orwell Matters, you admired Orwell because you said that he understood that that politics are fleeting but principles endure. In our day, can a politician rule by principle?
A - It depends on what the principle is. If the principle is that all men are equal or created equal, I donât think its possible to observe that principle in practice. But if the principle is, say, something cruder such as: can we coexist with aggressive internationalist totalitarian ideologies, then I think you not only can but you should act consistently against that. Never mind the principles for one minute, but the lesson of realism is: that if you donât fight them now you fight them later.
They [Islamist radicals or, as Hitchens calls them, Islamo-fascists] gave us no peace and we shouldnât give them any. We can't live on the same planet as them and I'm glad because I donât want to. I donât want to breathe the same air as these psychopaths and murders and rapists and torturers and child abusers. Its them or me. I'm very happy about this because I know it will be them. Itâs a duty and a responsibility to defeat them. But it's also a pleasure. I donât regard it as a grim task at all.
#1
gag - it was all I could do to get past the puff. Sure, some pretty words - but he's far from a leading public intellectual..
witness: All political factions in this country have been lousy on this issue, but none lousier than the Democratic party. The Democrat party truly is what some people crudely say: a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Israeli lobby.
The neocons are honorably divided on Israel... blah, blah.. I'm looking forward to the neoconservative split on this getting wider.
#2
He falls down on the colonialist bit. We are all colonialists. Its just a matter of how far back you go. But he is solid on Islamo-facists and the Left's moral and intellectual incoherence on the subject.
WHEN MUSLIM extremists murder innocents in cold blood, there is often a politically correct reluctance to call the killers terrorists, or to denounce them unequivocally. But there was no such reluctance last week when an Israeli Jew, Eden Natan Zada, opened fire inside the bus he was riding through the Arab town of Shfaram in northern Israel. Zada, 19, was active in the outlawed extremist Kach movement, and had deserted his army unit to protest Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. His rampage left four Arabs dead -- Michel Bahus, 56; Nader Hayak, 55; Hazar Turki, 23, and her sister Dina, 21 -- and another 12 wounded.
Zada was immediately labeled a terrorist and widely condemned. ''A reprehensible act by a bloodthirsty Jewish terrorist," one Middle Eastern leader called the massacre. Another said he was ''deeply shocked and distressed by the murder of innocent people." A senior cleric expressed his ''disgust and severe condemnation at the despicable act . . . a murder that is impossible to forgive."
Israel and its supporters complain with reason that Arab terrorism against Jews is too often shrugged off or excused by Arab and Muslim leaders, or that a murderous attack will be condemned in English for international consumption, while the government-run local media extols the killers in Arabic. But when the terrorists themselves are Jews -- admittedly a rare event -- do Israel's defenders live up to the standard they expect of others? How many of the statements quoted above, for example, would leading Israelis have been willing to make?
All of them.
It was Prime Minister Ariel Sharon who described Zada as a ''bloodthirsty Jewish terrorist" and Shimon Peres, the vice prime minister, who referred to the attack as ''the murder of innocent people." The cleric who pronounced Zada's ''despicable act . . . impossible to forgive" was Rabbi Shlomo Amar, the Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel.
Equally harsh was the judgment of the Yesha Council, the organization of Jewish settlements in Gaza and the West Bank. Though passionately opposed to the Gaza evacuation, it denounced Zada as ''a terrorist, a lunatic, and immoral." Especially noteworthy were the words of Rabbi Menachem Froman of the West Bank settlement of Tekoa, who spoke at the funeral of two of the victims. ''We the Jewish people in the land of Israel share in the pain and suffering" of the mourners, he declared. ''All people who believe in God . . . express their outrage at such an act."
Indeed, so horrified were Israelis by Zada's bloody crime that, as the newspaper Ha'aretz reported on Sunday, ''No cemetery will accept Jewish terrorist's body." (Zada was lynched by Shfaram residents in the wake of his attack.) The defense minister banned an interment in any military cemetery, saying Zada was ''not worthy of being buried next to fallen soldiers." Neither his hometown of Rishon Letzion nor Tapuah, the settlement to which he had recently moved, wanted his grave to be within their borders.
The denunciations weren't limited to Israel. Among American Jews, too, the repudiation of the Israeli terrorist was swift and unsparing.
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations issued a statement almost as soon as the news broke: ''We unequivocally condemn today's attack. . . . Such acts must be denounced by all responsible leaders."
The American Jewish Committee ''condemned in the harshest language" the slaughter in Shfaram, while the Zionist Organization of America called it ''a terrorist act which we condemn unreservedly."
Speaking for more than 900 Reform Jewish congregations nationwide, Rabbi David Saperstein of the Religious Action Center in Washington deplored the massacre, calling it ''a betrayal of the dream of Israel as a pluralistic nation and an attack" on its fundamental values. In Boston, the Rabbinical Assembly of Conservative Judaism assailed the killings as ''a desecration of God's Name" and prayed that ''never again will a Jew so wantonly spill blood."
The reaction of the Orthodox leadership was equally fervent. Agudath Israel of America said it was ''tragic" that any Jew could adopt ''the methods and madness of the enemies of the Jews." The Orthodox Union declared: ''Acts of violence in the name of Zionism and/or Judaism must be eradicated from the midst of the Jewish people."
All of these statements -- this is only a partial list -- were made within a day or two of the atrocity in Shfaram. Without being prompted, without making excuses, Jewish communities instinctively reacted to Zada's monstrous deed with disgust and outrage, all the more angrily because the perpetrator was a fellow Jew. When that is the way every community responds to terrorism, terrorism will come to an end.
Another feel-good story from South Africa, along with the "jack rollings" (now exported to UK), the "drug-fuelled rape orgies", and the carjackings... oh, and the future land redistribution, Mugabe style.
A young Matatiele mother admitted in the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Friday to killing her nine-month-old baby because she was HIV positive. Thobeka Mtoto, 22, killed baby Unathi on 14 March this year by stuffing her into a sack and drowning her in a school toilet.
In a written statement to the court the mother said that after the birth of Unathi in June 2004, she had tested positive for HIV. At the time of the baby's birth she was a Grade 12 pupil. Mtoto, who is now five months pregnant with another man's child, said Unathi's father had promised to help her, but never did.
A few days prior to the murder she said she had been "irritable and depressed about her HIV status". She had been involved in an argument with her sister. "On that day I had an argument with my sister, which turned into a physical confrontation. I was feeling depressed so I took the baby and went to sit on the roadside. "
Mtoto said she then went home, fed the baby and put her to bed. A little while later she said she felt "very aggressive". "I felt like grabbing someone and killing them. I went to the next room and got a sack. I returned to the bedroom and placed the baby in the sack. I went to a nearby school where I dumped the deceased (baby Unathi) in the toilet."
When Mtoto's mother enquired about the missing baby, she said the baby had been sent to its father. Mtoto's mother grew suspicious and called the police. When the police arrived, she admitted everything and showed them where the Unathi's body was. She said her HIV status made her afraid of the future of her baby.
A muvver was barfin 'er biby one night,
The youngest of ten and a tiny young mite,
The muvver was poor and the biby was thin,
Only a skelington covered in skin;
The muvver turned rahnd for the soap off the rack,
She was but a moment, but when she turned back,
The biby was gorn; and in anguish she cried,
Oh, where is my biby?' - and the angels replied:
Your biby 'as fell dahn the plug-'ole,
Your biby 'as gorn dahn the plug;
The poor little thing was so skinny and thin
E oughtern been barfed in a jug;
Your biby is perfeckly 'appy,
E won't need a barf any more,
Your biby 'as fell dahn the plug 'ole
Not lorst....... but gorn before!
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
08/13/2005 10:00
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#2
...That song reminds me of something I heard in a history class, long ago: "Father's A Drunkard, And Mother Is Dead."
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
08/13/2005 13:01
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Chief Iranian Nuclear Affairs Negotiator Hosein Musavian: The Negotiations with Europe Bought Us Time to Complete the Esfahan UCF Project and the Work on the Centrifuges in Natanz
The following are excerpts from an interview with Iran's chief nuclear affairs negotiator, and Supreme National Security Council member Hosein Musavian, which aired on Iranian Channel 2 on August 4, 2005. To view this clip visit http://memritv.org/search.asp?ACT=S9&P1=805. To view several MEMRI TV clips on Iran's Defense Program, visit http://memritv.org/Search.asp?ACT=S5&P1=135.
Musavian: "Those [in Iran] who criticize us and claim that we should have only worked with the IAEA do not know that at that stage â that is, in August 2003 â we needed another year to complete the Esfahan (UCF) project, so it could be operational. They say that because of that 50-day [ultimatum], we should have kept [the UCF] in Esfahan incomplete, and that we needed to comply with the IAEA's demands and shut down the facilities.
"The regime adopted a twofold policy here: It worked intensively with the IAEA, and it also conducted negotiations on international and political levels. The IAEA gave us a 50-day extension to suspend the enrichment and all related activities. But thanks to the negotiations with Europe we gained another year, in which we completed (the UCF) in Esfahan.
[...]
"There was a time when we said we would not work with Europe, the world, or the IAEA, and that we would not comply with any of their demands. There were very clear consequences: After 50 days, the IAEA Board of Governors would have undoubtedly handed the Iranian dossier over to the (U.N.) Security Council. There is no doubt about it. As for those who say we should have worked only with the IAEA â this would have meant depriving Iran of the opportunity to complete the Esfahan project in the one-year extension.
"Esfahan's (UCF) was completed during that year. Even in Natanz, we needed six to twelve months to complete the work on the centrifuges. Within that year, the Natanz project reached a stage where the small number of centrifuges required for the preliminary stage, could operate. In Esfahan, we have reached UF4 and UF6 production stages.
[...]
"We suspended the UCF in Esfahan in October 2004, although we were required to do so in October 2003. If we had suspended it then, (the UCF) in Esfahan would have never been completed. Today we are in a position of power: (The UCF) in Esfahan is complete and UF4 and UF6 gases are being produced. We have a stockpile of products, and during this period, we have managed to convert 36 tons of yellow cake into gas and store it. In Natanz, much of the work has been completed.
[...]
"Thanks to our dealings with Europe, even when we got a 50-day ultimatum, we managed to continue the work for two years. This way we completed (the UCF) in Esfahan. This way we carried out the work to complete Natanz, and on top of that, we even gained benefits. For 10 years, America prevented Iran from joining the WTO. This obstacle was removed, and Iran began talks in order to join the WTO. In the past, the world did not accept Iran as a member of the group of countries with a nuclear fuel cycle. In these two years, and thanks to the Paris Agreement, we entered the international game of the nuclear fuel cycle, and Iran was recognized as one of the countries with a nuclear fuel cycle. An Iranian delegate even participated in the relevant talks. We gained other benefits during these two years as well."
[...]
Host: "Mr. Musavian, there is a point that our viewers might find interesting - the comparison between Iran's nuclear activity dossier and North Korea's.
[...]
"There is a belief that if we adopted the North Korean model, we could have stood much stronger against the excessive demands of America and Europe.
[...]
Musavian: "During these two years of negotiations, we managed to make far greater progress than North Korea. North Korea's most important achievement had to do with security guarantees. We achieved the same thing a year ago in the negotiations with the Europeans. They agreed to give us international guarantees for Iran's security, its national rule, its independence, [and] non-intervention in its internal affairs, [as well as] its national security, and for not invading it."
#4
despite the sheer evil of their intent - I have to respect their "in your face" attitude. Little dogs never look as small when they are chasing after a big one with it's tail tucked.
#5
Don't most of the EU countries still trade with the Iranians? I mean all their economies are tankin' so badly that it couldn't be in they're interest to upset the Iranians. I mean I see it as the final nail in the socialist economies in Europe to threaten sanctions.
How long do we give 'em before the grownups have to step in for guidance?
#6
2b, I said the same thing 3 months ago on Rantburg, and you accused me of being a leftist War Protester! You're a hypocrite, and I may have to re-evaluate you.
#11
Hard to tell whether it's "self-confidence" as we know it, or just delusions emanating from their fanatical beliefs. My WAG? Coupla years...
Posted by: Dave D. ||
08/13/2005 18:19
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#12
IOW, Good Clintonian allies demand to be attacked and invaded now, not later, ergo justifying new 9-11's ags America, sub-ergo also justifying Commie-style Totalitarian/Absolutist-tyle domestic Regulation, Centralization, and Militarizations, when "Fascist", "benevolent" Authoritarianism just isn't enuff anymore. * HAIL HILLARY, FOR THAT KINDER, GENTLER, GULAG AND DEATH CAMP - GOOD CLINTONIANS AND AMERIKAN FASCISTAS DEMAND THAT THE COMMIE AIRBORNE SAVE AMERIKA FROM NEW FASCIST-LED ERGO FASCIST-BLAMED NATIONAL ANARCHIES!
Very long Independent article on political comedy right now in Britain. I'm including the part on just one comedian, a Muslim woman here. Hat tip to the Interested Participant, for all your one-stop female-teacher-having sex-with-underage-boy stories.
But the best Muslim stand-up - and perhaps the best stand-up on the fringe - is Shazia Mirza. A tinder-dry woman from Birmingham, she lives trapped in a pincer movement between two prejudices: those of the wider society against Muslims, and those of many Muslim men against an independent, brilliant woman who earns her living by daring to stand in front of clumps of white men, unveiled and laughing. Her breakthrough set last year toyed with the first set of prejudices. She would introduce herself with the words, "My name is Shazia Mirza. At least, that's what it says on my pilot's license." Later, she would ask, "Does my bomb look big in this?"
But this year - in an even more powerful show - she delivers a long comedic howl against the way Muslim women are treated as second-class citizens, both within their own community and by many well-meaning liberals deferring to what they think of as a fixed and unchanging Muslim culture.
She explains how, as a girl, she was taught by her parents to fear and dread sex. "My mother would constantly say, 'Don't go out after 4pm - you will be raped.' Do all rapists come out a 4.01pm? Do they say, 'Oy, Ahmed, let's get her before Countdown?' And she would say, 'Don't have a parting in your hair.' As if men go, 'Phwoar, look at the parting on that.' I always wanted to be like my white friends, who had abortions, herpes and chlamydia. And my mother would say, 'Wait until you are married, your husband will give you all of that.'"
Mirza tells us about scores of disastrous "arranged dates", in which educated Muslim men who have always lived in the West express their contempt for a woman who fails to show them "respect". One man says simply, "do you realise if we were still in Pakistan, you would be beheaded?" Another writes to her father saying, "in a lesser family, she would be killed." But Mirza refuses to submit to this militant misogyny. "If men are the ones with no self-control, why do we have to be covered head to toe?" she demands. "Surely it's them who should be covered up - or, better yet, chained."
Mirza takes her audience on a tour of the sexual dysfunctions that are thrown up by her community's conservative morality. One joke runs: "My dad has sex with prostitutes. It's OK - my mum pays. She hates sex." She has a Turkish friend who has been told constantly that she must have her hymen intact on her wedding night, so she only has anal sex on dates. "'I'll be a virgin on my honeymoon,' she says. Yeah, a virgin with haemorrhoids." She was constantly being told that any hint of a nipple through a woman's top can "bring a devout Muslim man crumbling into a state of total moral collapse." "So," she says, "these tough suicide-bombers can strike fear into the heart of London - so long as nobody opens a copy of the Sun newspaper."
She explains softly, "I'm terrified I'll die a virgin. Not because I'm obsessed with sex. I'm not, I don't think it's that big a deal. But I don't want to get to Paradise and have to sleep with one of the suicide bombers."
More at the link.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/13/2005
02:17 ||
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KATHMANDU (Reuters) - The Nepali army said on Friday faulty Indian assault rifles were partly responsible for its heavy death toll in a gun battle with Maoist rebels as troops hunted for 75 soldiers still missing after the fighting. Well, they're still better than the Enfield rifles that Nepal started the war with.
I recall the Marines of yore making the Enfield do its job just fine.
Forty-three soldiers and a civilian were killed when hundreds of rebels attacked an army base in the remote Kalikot district, 600 km (375 miles) from the capital, Kathmandu, late on Sunday. The Maoists, fighting to topple Nepal's monarchy and establish communist rule, say they captured 52 soldiers after the raid, a claim rejected by the army. A rifle that won't shoot - can't defend yourself. Not surprised they snatched some hostages.
Army spokesman Brigadier-General Dipak Gurung said the Indian-manufactured INSAS rifles malfunctioned during the fighting which continued for about 10 hours. "Soldiers complained that the INSAS rifles did not function properly during the fighting which lasted for a long time," Gurung told a news conference when asked why the army death toll was high.
"May be the weapons we were using were not designed for a long fight. They malfunctioned," he said. "There were stoppages during the firing ... the rifles got hot and soldiers had to wait for them to cool," another officer told Reuters.
Some light machine guns and a few mortars, and the Nepalese soldiers wouldn't be standing around waiting for their rifles to cool.
India is a key military supplier to the poorly equipped Nepali army. But New Delhi suspended arms supplies six months ago after the king's power grab to press the monarch to restore multi-party democracy and civil liberties.
Nepali troops have complained in the past about technical problems with the Indian designed and built INSAS or Indian Small Arms System assault rifle. Indian troops using the rifle are also known to have faced difficulties using it, Indian defence experts say. Indian defence officials declined to react to the Nepali comments.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 10:28
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#4
Indian army problems with the INSAS were with high altitude operation. Overheating appears to be a problem with usage - inexperienced Nepali troopers firing on full auto.
SEPTEMBER 23, 2003
THE TIMES OF INDIA
The OFB is now working on an export version of
the rifle which is expected to be ready by the
end of the year.
Some improvements are being made to the
plastic fittings which were used to keep the
weapon light. Steel plates will be inserted to
reinforce the plastic. The appearance of the
weapon is also very important for the
international market. The overall appearance will
be improved. However, the costs will be
competitive, said general manager, Rifle
Factory, Ishapore, B.C. Biswas.
The INSAS rifle which replaced the trusty but
outdated 7.62 mm Ishapore SLR rifle the
primary weapon used by Indian infantryman till a
few years ago has been plagued by complaints
from soldiers, mainly from those posted in high
altitudes. A section of OFB officials confided
that India has a long way to go so far as
metallurgy for weapons were concerned. They also
pointed towards the need for more stringent
quality control of procurements from private
agencies. The OFB procures over Rs 500 crore
worth of stores from the private sector.
There were a few INSAS rifles which suffered
from cold arrest in Siachen. An enquiry
revealed that the unit using the rifles had been
recently posted to the region from the plains. In
the plains, soldiers use lubricating oil for the
barrels. In the colder climes, soldiers are
supposed to use a kerosene mixture. The unit was
not aware of this fact explained Biswas.
OFB officials from the repair and maintenance
wing, who travel to forward areas to repair
weapons, complained of misuse. In certain
areas, the temperature falls to 50 degrees below
freezing. Soldiers are so tired that they simply
throw down their weapons when they return to the
barracks. While on long mountain treks, soldiers
often throw weapons to paths 100 feet below, to
be collected when they get there. Unlike the SLR,
the INSAS is much more sensitive and can get
damaged by such treatment, they said.
According to officials, nearly 600,000 INSAS
rifles have been issued to infantrymen in the
Indian Army. Those under production are for issue
to Central and state police forces.
Most bulk demands have been met. There are
only a few units remaining who are yet to be
armed with the INSAS. However,we are lagging in
the number of weapons in the war reserve.
Whenever there is a war, a lot of rifles are
lost. There have to be adequate rifles in stock
to replenish them said Biswas.
Posted by: john ||
08/13/2005 10:37
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#5
The INSAS looks like an AK-47 variant (or deviant) chambered in .223 with a blowback action. Nothing special here, except that they don't always work. That's a real problem for a combat gun.
#6
Do we have a few warehouses of WWII .30 carbines we can donate or sell cheap?
I'd much rather be an embarrased soldier than a dead one.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
08/13/2005 14:44
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#7
No assault rifle is designed to fire on full auto for any length of time.
Let go 100 rounds from an AK47* and you won't be able to carry the damn thing, it gets that hot.
*it was an AK knock-off, maybe the real mccoy is different
Posted by: Rafael ||
08/13/2005 15:38
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#8
I take it the "7.62 mm Ishapore SLR" is their version of the Lee-Enfield?
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
08/13/2005 17:04
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#9
Well, a quick google revealed Wikipedia's entry on the Lee-Enfield; some interesting bits:
Ishapore-made .303 calibre SMLE Mk III* rifles have appeared with 1980's manufacture dates suggesting that it may still be manufactured in the Indian sub-continent. Attempts to contact the Ishapore Arsenal to confirm this have so far been unsuccessful.
It was at first thought that some of these may be a product of the small manufacturers in the Khyber Pass region of the Indian/Pakistani/Afghani border, but "Khyber Pass Copies", as they are known, tend to be copied exactly from a "Master" rifle, which may itself be a Khyber Pass Copy, markings and all- which is why it's not uncommon to see Khyber Pass rifles with the "N" in "Enfield" reversed, and the "VR" ("Victoria Regina") cypher from years well after her death.
It has been positied that the 1980s dated Ishapore SMLEs were made for the Mujahadeen during the Soviet invasion.
The Manufacturers Names found on SMLE Mk III/III* rifles are:
Enfield: Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield, UK
BSA Co: Birmingham Small Arms Company, UK
LSA Co L: London Small Arms Company Ltd, UK
Lithgow: Lithgow Small Arms, Australia
GRI: Ishapore Arsenal, India (GRI stands for "George, Rex, Imperator")
RFI: Rifle Factory, Ishapore (Post-Partition)
SSA: Standard Small Arms, UK
NFA: National Firearms Assembly, UK
For the Rifle, Number 4 Mk I and Mk II:
ROF(M): Royal Ordnance Factory Maltby, UK
ROF(F): Royal Ordnance Factory Fazakarley, UK
Savage: Savage Arms, USA
Longbranch: Longbranch Arsenal, Canada
POF: Pakistani Ordnance Factory, Pakistan
Usage today
Lee Enfields are still used by reserve forces and police forces in many Commonwealth countries, particularly India and Canada, where they are the main rifle issued to the Canadian Rangers. Television news footage of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan revealed that many Afghan tribesmen were still armed with Lee-Enfields, the rifle being common in the Middle East. Bolt-action rifles remain effective weapons in a desert environment, where long-range accuracy is more important than volume of fire.
[...]
Photos from the current civil war in Nepal show that the Government troops are being issued SMLE MK III/III* rifles to fight the Maoist Rebels with. The SMLEs seen thus far are not in especially good condition, but it should also be noted that the Maoists are also armed with SMLEs (and anything else they can acquire), but as to whether the SMLEs in question are of British or Indian manufacture is unknown, as is the year of manufacture.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
08/13/2005 17:18
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#10
A real problem. They are overheating. I doubt they are firing full auto, quite simply they would run out of ammo in a ten hour engagement of pray and spray. I am thinking this is a design or manufacturing issue.
I have an "Indian" Enfield in 303 and A UK built Enfield Rechambered for 7.62 NATO as well as one in 303. The fit and finish on the indian firearm is fair, good enough for an infantry weapon. A group of well drilled infrantrymen with Enfields can duplicate the effects of an LMG.
#12
If it's a L1A1 variant It's put together poorly and with poor materials. Mine L1A1 will even fire when it won't cycle (which is most of the time) I should have never got rid of the Israeli one I had.
#14
Shades of Vietnam where reliable M-14s were replaced with screwed up M-16s that got a bunch of Marines killed.
Great information and comments, always learn stuff at Rantburg.
Shades of Vietnam where reliable M-14s were replaced with screwed up M-16s that got a bunch of Marines killed.
Great information and comments, always learn stuff at Rantburg.
I had a friend who was a company commander there; he said that the preexisting problems with the M-16 were aggravated by changes to the propellant used in the cartridges and changes of the amount of propellant (which were meant to change the rate of cyclic fire of the gun). Which brings me to Sock's comment...
Yes, the Enfield is a good rifle, and well-maintained examples in private hands shoot well (as do L1A1). It occured to me that part of the problems the Nepalese might be having with both older and newer firearms might be aggravated if they're using stuff like surplus ammo with corrosive primers, which troops in the field may not be able to use without causing corrosion.
(I've always wondered, myself, how the Russians dealt with that in WW2... did they just not bother, or did every fire team have a little spray bottle of Windex or something? Or did they actually make non-corrosive ammo?)
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
08/13/2005 23:40
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Islamist terrorists militants opened fire on a Hindu family in Indian Kashmir, killing five people and wounding nine others, police said on Saturday. Friday night's attack comes just ahead of India's Aug. 15 Independence Day anniversary, when violence usually spikes. "The terrorists militants attacked a Hindu family of village defence committee members with automatic weapons," a senior police officer told Reuters. "Five people were killed on the spot and nine others were wounded. Five of the wounded are in a critical condition," he said.
Indian security agencies have organised groups of villagers in remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir into village defence committees and provided them arms and training to protect themselves against terrorist militant attacks. "This is a far-off place and has to be reached by a mountainous trek. Our team has reached the spot this morning and begun rescue operations and investigations," the officer said.
"Round up the usual suspects. Again."
Indian security agencies say there has been a spurt in violence and terrorist rebel incursions into Indian Kashmir from the Pakistani sector. Islamabad, which says it only gives political and diplomatic support to what it calls an indigenous Kashmiri freedom struggle, has brushed aside Indian concerns.
Via Right Wing Death Beast:
Muslim militants, having scared many people in three southern Thai provinces into not working on Fridays, the Islamic holy day, have distributed a leaflet ordering a work-free Thursday as well. One senior official, admitting that the initial order distributed in July had been effective, dismissed the new leaflet issued by unnamed "Fighters" as inconsequential, but some in the rubber-producing area said on Wednesday that they would heed it. "That first order scared local people. They dare not go to work on Fridays. But this leaflet, they think it's a joke," Boonyasit Suwannarat, the governor of Pattani province, told Reuters.
"Pshaw. They're just stupid locals. What would they know?
However, Yarn Rattananiyom, a rubber farmer in neighbouring Narathiwat province, said he would stay home on Thursday. "They just shot my relative this morning while he was on his way to collect rubber just a short distance from here," he said. "He is now in coma. I am not sure whether he will make it," Yarn said by telephone. "I think I might need to stop working tomorrow. I am concerned about my own safety."
Yeah. Just a dumb hick, alright.
The government of predominantly Buddhist Thailand, which marks Saturday and Sunday as the weekend, has tried a variety of policies to undermine the insurgency, ranging from flooding the relatively poor region with troops to generous development aid.
And origami cranes. Those worked especially well.
So far there have been no signs of success and most people in the three provinces now stay at home on Friday following the first militant order that it be celebrated as a day of prayer. The provinces normally produce around 600,000 tonnes of natural rubber a year, about 20 percent of the output of Thailand, the world's largest producer and exporter of natural rubber. Officials fear the violence in the region, once an independent sultanate annexed by Thailand a century ago, will cut rubber output by 6 percent this year.
Thursday is now the 153rd holiest site in Islam, kufrs.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 11:30
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#2
Buddhist Thailand:
Yep. Wake up dudes! I remember those South Vietnamese Buddhists that had no problem back in 1963 dousing themselves with gasoline and lighting themselves into a blazing fire.
Here's hoping the Thai Buddhists have a slighty modified version of that practice: In the 2005 version, they take a number of Jihadist imams and light them ablaze.
#3
The Thais practice Hinayana Buddhism, which is different from the Mahayana flavor favored by the Viets. I don't believe they've ever gotten into the self-immolation thing.
On the other hand, while they're really very nice people, they're also quite capable of doing terrible things to rebellious mutt-wits. I believe they're holding off at the moment because they're trying to break the habit and because Taksin's an idiot.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/13/2005 20:12
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#4
well, let's hope they get over that squeamishness before they're all dead?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 20:26
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From Compass Direct
Eleven months after Iranian police arrested Hamid Pourmand for converting to Christianity, authorities at Tehranâs Evin Prison continue to pressure the former Muslim to return to Islam. Pourmand, now 48, remains incarcerated with other prisoners of conscience in the political ward at Evin, where he faces at least two more years in jail for his conversion.
According to the former army colonelâs family, Pourmand has not been subjected to any physical mistreatment since late May, when he was acquitted of apostasy charges before an Islamic court in the southern port city of Bandar-i Bushehr. But he remains under verbal pressure from Tehran prison officials to recant his Christian faith. The lay pastor is serving a three-year military court sentence for âdeceiving the Iranian armed forcesâ by allegedly concealing his conversion to Christianity 25 years ago. Iranian law forbids non-Muslims from holding positions as officers over Muslims in the armed forces. ....
Since January of this year various religious and other advocacy groups have begun a wave of letter-writing campaigns to protest Pourmandâs imprisonment to Iranian government officials. In apparent response to diplomatic inquiries from the European Union and various United Nations agencies, the jailed Christian is now receiving letters and cards addressed to him at Evin Prison. ....
Pourmand was arrested last September when Iranian security police raided a church conference he was attending near Tehran. A career army officer, he was also serving as lay pastor for the Assemblies of God congregation in Bandar-i Bushehr. After five months under interrogation in strict solitary confinement, Pourmand was tried in February before a military tribunal and found guilty, despite documented proof of his innocence. He was dishonorably discharged from the military, with his salary and all pension benefits cancelled.
In a subsequent Islamic court trial on charges of apostasy and proselytizing on May 28, the judge acquitted Pourmand in a single hearing. Conviction of apostasy carries the death penalty under Iranâs strict interpretation of Islamic law. ....
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
08/13/2005
00:43 ||
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#2
shows how insecure the reliogous authorities of Islam are: scared that someone will start the mass exodus from the civilizational jail cell the Imams and Mullahs and Princelings have condemned the pious to
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 14:24
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From Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, an article by Richard Giragosian
The working visit to Washington last week by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov came at a very significant time for both countries and could represent something of a turning point in bilateral relations. .... In addition, Mammadyarov's visit was largely overshadowed by speculation about an imminent agreement for a new U.S. military base in the country.
This speculation has been largely fueled by the recent demand by Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov to close the U.S. and coalition air base at Karshi-Khanabad within six months. The loss of the use of the base in Uzbekistan is viewed by some experts as an immediate setback to the U.S. military's operational capabilities in nearby Afghanistan and, as the thinking holds, necessitates the opening of a new air base in Azerbaijan. ....
Despite reports predicting a "new" U.S. military engagement in Azerbaijan, in reality there has been a significant American military mission there for at least three years, comprised of two components.
* The first component was the creation of the "Caspian Guard," an initiative involving both Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan focusing on maritime and border security in the Caspian Sea. The Caspian Guard initiative incorporates defensive mission areas, including the surveillance of Caspian airspace, borders, and shipping. It encourages greater coordination and cooperation in counter-proliferation efforts by Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. This effort was further bolstered by a $20 million program launched in July 2004 and implemented by the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency to train the Azerbaijan Maritime Border Guard. Additional training and combined exercises were also provided by U.S. Navy SEALS to Azerbaijan's 41st Special Warfare Naval Unit in June 2004.
* The second component was the establishment of several "Cooperative Security Locations," tactical facilities with pre-positioned stock that provide contingency access but, unlike a traditional base, have little or no permanent U.S. military presence. These locations are designed to increase the mobility of U.S. military forces and, most importantly, facilitate counter-proliferation missions along Azerbaijan's southern border with Iran and northern borders with Georgia and Daghestan. ....
... while the utility of a permanent, traditional military base in Azerbaijan is seriously limited, the expansion of the forward stationing of forces is likely. (Azerbaijani presidential aide Novruz Mamedov's recent statement to Interfax that Azerbaijan will not host "U.S. military bases" may draw a fine semantic line between "bases" in the traditional sense and forward operating sites.) ....
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
08/13/2005
00:32 ||
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#1
If true, the setback from the loss of the Uzbekistan base would be a strategic plus at the Azerbaijan base, should it hold firm. Iran's north and northeastern sectors would come under a closer and faster response time from US military planners.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A blast Friday near a mosque west of Baghdad killed four people, including three children, and wounded at least 19 other people, police and hospital officials said. Iraqis blamed U.S. forces, but an American spokesman disputed the Iraqi claim. The blast occurred on the outskirts of the town of Nasaf, near Ramadi, an insurgent center 70 miles west of Baghdad, according to police Lt. Mohammed al-Obeidi and Dr. Mohammed al-Ani of Ramadi General Hospital.
A hospital official, Ali Taleb, said a U.S. armored vehicle fired near the Ibn al-Jawzi mosque, about 15 miles east of Ramadi, after worshippers left the building following Friday prayers.
U.S. Marine Capt. Jeffrey Pool, a military spokesman, disputed the account. Pool said two roadside bombs exploded near a U.S. convoy in the Ramadi area. Five gunmen and one civilian driver were killed in the subsequent exchange of fire, Pool said.
He said the incident occurred in a rural area with "no towns or mosques for miles." However, Taleb said 14 of the 19 people wounded in the blast were children.
An Associated Press photographer at the Ramadi General Hospital saw at least three children with serious wounds being treated, including one who appeared to be in shock. One young boy had suffered a head wound.
Sufiyan al-Dulaimi, a 32-year-old resident of Nasaf, said he was stepping out of the mosque when he heard an explosion, then saw a U.S. armored vehicle about a half-mile away fire and hit a wall of the mosque.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/13/2005
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However, Taleb said 14 of the 19 people wounded in the blast were children.
Forgot to mention the baby ducks, asshat.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
08/13/2005 12:39
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Where are those human shields when the Iraqis could really use them? They can chain themselves to mosques and schools to protect the children from the "minutemen." I suppose they're intrest is directly proportional the number of cameras.
#3
Ali Taleb does as much damage with his malicious lies as an insurgent. He needs to spend some time writing "I am a liar" maybe 5 million times on a jail cell wall
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 13:27
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Newsweek reports that none of the now-legendary bomb-, fire- and-explosives' proof Korans were harmed.
"Seems only infidel hands and toilets can harm our Holy Koran," said Ali Taleb.
#5
An innocent child created by God provides a tasty treat for Satan's followers claiming to be Mujahadeen and Jihaadists. The moon worshippers and metorite cultists drool at the site of innocent children created by God. These children of God, the fruit of the one true God, are greedily plucked from the tree of life and bruised, abused and destroyed in defiance of God's plans.
These so-called insurgents that blindly follow Satan's whispers and alluring calls kill anything and anyone in a mindless, heartless and unGodly manner whenever the posionous drool building up in their vile mouths begin to drain down their scaly and unclean bodies. The stench that rises from their uncleanliness, the hissing coming from their snake-like mouths, and the forked tongues betray these so called warriors, fighters, liberators, mujahadeen and jihaadists.
They are truely known by the words they speak and the friends they keep. They are spawn of Satan to punish the families they were bred from. They are to punish those who have offended God's law. They are moon worshippers and death cult followers. They are not Muslims or Islamists. They are converts to militant Satanism plain and simple.
They sacrifice the innocent and worship the flow of blood in hopes of enpowerment from Baphomet. They murder with no rhyme or reason to gain favor from Orion. They conive, deceive, lie and chew on the orfices of swine to please Baal. They condemn everyone unlike themselves to justify and rationalize their Satanic behavior.
They aim for a path to reach the level of God-like existance to be feared, revered, respected and uncotested for the empowerment achieved. They aim for equality with that of the one true God. Their mouths are filled with words of confusion and blasphemy and invite God's wrath to wipe them out and everyone nearby. God's justice is God's justice to be his alone and yet these moon worshippers claiming to be Muslims snatch God's law as though it were of their's alone and use. Shame on these thugs and oppressors.
Shame on UBL & his maiden Zawahiri, Zarqawi and all the other thugs reaching out for a golden moment of shameful fame of media attention by butchering the innocent at Satan's direction. Finally, shame on the ChiCom elements cozying up to these dogs to distract their satanic hunger for violence and continue their hungry eyes towards the West.
#6
Explosion...near a mosque...after Friday prayers...near Ramadi. Sounds a lot like a work accident to me! It's amazing how many Iraqis (especially Sunnis) are red/green colorblind...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/13/2005 17:29
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Isn't there black in there, too, somewhere, OP?
DHAKA--Issuance of blank passports by different passport offices across the country poses a serious threat to national security, police officials have told New Age.
A top police official said the issuance of such blank passports leaves the scope open for âenemies of the stateâ to take advantage of the lapse and threaten national security. He said, âThe passports are neither fake nor duplicate, and that is why anyone willing to do so can easily misuse it.â
Wow, he's good.
Another police official said the blank passports could be used for criminal purposes.
The Special Branch of Police on July 27 recovered 12 blank passports, 30 photo change passports, 80 rubber seals of different local and foreign offices, and 100 passport covers from a house at Shankharipatti in Old Town. During the investigation of the incident, they found that passport officials are involved in issuance of forged passports and visas with the connivance of some foreign nationals and local agents.
The police arrested one Jayanta Das along with three others in connection with the July 27 incident. Jayanata was earlier arrested twice on charges of forging passports.
The police during the investigation also found involvement of a Malaysian citizen, Roshdi Bin Awang, with the syndicate. Roshdi has been in Dhaka since July 18, but the police failed to arrest him from his hotel suite at Baridhara where he had stayed till August 2.
The police became sure that some officials at the passport office are involved in the forgery of passports, and asked the passport offices to send them the application forms and other relevant documents of the blank passports. Though the authorities concerned claimed that they had issued the passports under proper regulation, police officials said the passport office issued the blank passports bypassing proper procedure, and without any verification.
An organised syndicate is supposed to be involved in such illegal business as the blank passports recovered so far were issued from different passport offices across the country, the police said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/13/2005
00:22 ||
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This kinda boggles my mind, if they issue blank passports, could they maybe issue me a blank check or ten?
I swear I won't misuse them, they'll be used for their proper usage, to transfer money.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
08/13/2005 14:39
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From Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, an article by By Kathleen Ridolfo
The south-central Iraqi city Samawah has been touted by Iraqi and U.S. officials as one of the calmest cities in Iraq. Some 550 Japanese ground self-defense troops (GSDF) have been stationed in the city for more than a year, carrying out humanitarian activities. But a recent surge in violence and reports of growing public hostility to the Japanese presence are prompting many to question the prospects for continued humanitarian assistance there. Moreover, the growing unrest leaves many wondering whether Samawah -- named as one of the first cities where the coalition is expected to hand over control to Iraqi forces -- is ready for self-governance.
Like Al-Basrah, it appears that the governorate has fallen into the hands of extremists in the al-Sadr trend who are bent on imposing their vision of Islamic rule on the population. The impact of this turn of events will likely weigh on the presence of Japanese forces, who are stationed in the governorate to provide humanitarian assistance through December. The Japanese government has already hinted that it would be interested in remaining in the governorate for an additional year, and media reports indicate there is an interest in bringing in private sector assistance. With al-Sadr loyalists essentially in control of the city and governorate, it is likely that the Japanese -- labeled "occupiers" by the group -- would be forced out.
The unrest in Samawah culminated last week a massive demonstration by locals outside the governor's office protesting unemployment and poor water and electricity services. Protesters threw rocks at police and police fired into the crowd, killing one and injuring dozens. The ensuing violence left several police cars burned and forced the governor to impose a curfew on the normally calm city. .....
Al-Sadr's group is said to be behind a string of demonstrations in the city that began in June. .... At the same time, the Sunni-dominated Ansar Al-Sunnah Army has purportedly claimed responsibility for at least one attack on Japanese forces in Samawah. .... Fifteen self-proclaimed members of Ansar Al-Sunnah Army identified as Syrian and Iraqi nationals were captured in the city on 14 February and confessed to planning an attack on the Japanese camp ....
Another Sunni insurgent group, the Islamic Army in Iraq, claimed responsibility for a 4 July rocket and explosives attack on the Japanese camp in Samawah ....
An Iraqi sports group and another unidentified association planned a pro-GSDF rally in Samawah for 3 July in support of Japanese assistance, but the rally was canceled because an armed group threatened to "punish" those taking part ....
On 29 July, two explosions rocked a job-training center for women funded by the Japanese through the United Nations Development Program. ....
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
08/13/2005
00:19 ||
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Kathleen Ridolfo is an analyst in the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies at Georgetown University. She previously worked with Palestinian nongovernmental organizations on the West Bank and served as director of programs at the Middle East Institute.
#4
Article: Like Al-Basrah, it appears that the governorate has fallen into the hands of extremists in the al-Sadr trend who are bent on imposing their vision of Islamic rule on the population.
The problem isn't that they're extremists - (1) the Amish are extremists - they won't use modern conveniences because of their religious beliefs and (2) Hindus are extremists - they won't eat meat because of their religious beliefs. The problem is that they have no problem imposing their religious beliefs on others by killing those who won't obey their commands - i.e. that they are religious terrorists.
#5
it is likely that the Japanese -- labeled "occupiers" by the group -- would be forced out.
Last time a checked a history book it appeared that Japanese troops are hard to force out of anywhere. It takes a shit hammering the likes of which al-Sadr's Islamomutts are incapable of administering. I don't think so much has changed in the last 2 generations that the previous 2000 year old warrior code has gone entirely by the wayside.
Here's to hoping the Japanese are armed and ready to teach those animals a very hard lesson.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 10:30
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They are going to go right back to the way it was before we came, 9th century shit.
They would rather sit around growing their beards and beating their women than work at building their country. However they will still bitch about the great satan keeping them down. Occupiers, I'm sick of the talk of it, if they want to go back to herding goats and living in tents then screw em.
#9
The Friends of Democracy website has a number of posts by Iraqis about the Samawah situation. The main gripes seem to be about corruption and the power grid. Here's one. This sounds to me like a fixable set of problems rather than impending doom/gloom/disaster/Fairbanks.
Posted by: Matt ||
08/13/2005 11:51
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#10
I agree, Matt, but the lesson here is that we have to fix and not let it fester. These things have a way of spreading.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/13/2005 12:38
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Iraq the Model has detailed information about Samawah. It seems that the local police are shooting at people who are demonstrating for a return of order, but not interfering with marches staged by the local thugs. Whether that is because the police are aligned with the "militias" or afraid of them is unclear from the posts.
#12
If the Japanese troops behave the way they did in the movie The Great Raid (saw it last night, excellent film!) then the little Jihadis and their civilian enablers are in for a world of hurt.
Here's hoping a tiny, little bitty bit of the Samuri spirit remains.
BEIJING - South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon said during a trip to China the issue of a peaceful North Korean nuclear program needed to be discussed, Chinese state-run Xinhua news agency said on Saturday. âAll concerned sides still need to discuss about the DPRKâs right of peaceful use of nuclear energy,â said Ban.
Translation: they're willing to let the NKors keep their nukes. The Skors have sold themselves out.
Ban made the remark Friday after talks in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart Li Zhaoxing and State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan, a former foreign minister.
Six-nation talks on Pyongyangâs nuclear ambitions broke off last Sunday for three weeks without any sign of agreement on how to get the Stalinst state to abandon atomic weapons. The talks, which involve the two Koreas, the United States, China, Russia and Japan, are scheduled to resume in the final week of August.
Not that there's any point now.
A key sticking point was Pyongyangâs insistence on the right to retain peaceful atomic reactors to produce energy, a demand flatly rejected by the US.
During Fridayâs talks, State Councilor Tang told Ban the most recent round of six-party talks had âentered a new stage of substantial negotiationâ and made âpositive progress,â according to the Xinhua report. Tang said he hoped all sides would maintain contact and coordination, study hard on how to narrow their differences and facilitate the talks in order to bring about more progress, the agency said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/13/2005
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One of two reasons dictate such placidity on the South Koreans; a)they would rather be Red than Dead, or more ominously; b)finally they grasp the true power of Detente and MAD that rides with it. Does that mean the South has Nukes also, or are they signaling that the US will ride shotgun over pushing the button?
#2
The US should cut a deal with the NORKs. They dismantle their nuclear program and allow on-site verification and monitoring. We pull ALL of our troops out of the Korean peninsula. After that, if the SKors have a problem with the NORKs - they can deal with it themselves.
We'll be glad to leave your country sooner rather than later, but after that you're pretty much on your own this time - as you may have noticed, we're busy elsewhere.
But we will have time and troops to help the Japanese stop you and your northern cousins cold if you head south.
Be careful what you ask for - you just might get it. And more.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/13/2005 12:43
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Well, the South would do anything, and I mean ANYTHING, to avoid total regime collapse north of the DMZ...including indulging the Chonger's nuclear fetish.
From Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
[Kurdistan's] Salah Al-Din University carried out a poll in the Irbil, Dahuk, Al-Sulaymaniyah, and Kirkuk governorates asking 1,744 citizens how they will vote should the constitution include certain provisions, Khabat reported on 11 August.
* A vast majority of 92.6 percent of respondents said they will not ratify the constitution if it guarantees federalism but does not return Kirkuk and "Arabized" regions to the Kurds; 4.4 percent said they will approve it anyway; and 2.92 percent said they are undecided.
* Should the constitution not call for a separation between religion and politics, 54.6 percent said they will reject it, while 28.05 percent said they will approve it; 7.33 percent said they are undecided.
* Asked how they will vote if the constitution fails to recognize self-determination for the Kurds, 88.25 percent said they will reject it; 7.29 percent said they will approve it anyway; and 4.3 percent said they are undecided.
* If the constitution calls for a dissolution of the Kurdish peshmerga forces, 81 percent said they will reject it; 13.31 percent said they will approve it anyway; and 5.68 percent are undecided.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
08/13/2005
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As much as I'd like to see all of Iraq adopt a new constitution, the Kurds deserve our support in winning back the "Arabized Regions".
They've suffered death and destruction from the likes of Iran, Saddam, Turkey and Syria. As well as past abandonment by the U.S. and other entities. [thank God we finally woke up after the Gulf war]
Plus they an fight like hell. A good ally.
Posted by: Red Dog ||
08/13/2005 15:47
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I would suggest that the Kurdish constitutional delegates have been very seriously horse trading with the Shia, both sides having primary objectives that are not negotiable, but fortunately are not in conflict, and secondary objectives that can be ironed out. The Sunnis are way behind the power curve on this one, so are being treated accordingly. If their non-negotiable demands are at the expense of the Kurds and Shia, the Sunnis can go get knotted, and the constitution will be approved without them.
KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan and US forces have killed a suspected Taleban leader in their drive to secure unstable parts of Afghanistan ahead of landmark parliamentary elections next month, the US military said. Afghan soldiers and US paratroopers killed Qari Amadullah, believed to have led up to 50 Taleban militants armed with rockets and rocket-propelled grenades, during a firefight Tuesday in eastern Paktika province, a military statement said.
Five other militants were killed and three US service members were wounded during the clash, which erupted in an area where Afghan and US forces were trying to kill or capture suspected Taleban insurgent leaders.
Amadullahâs name is the same as that of the Talebanâs former intelligence chief, but Afghan and US officials were unable to confirm whether it was the same person.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/13/2005
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Do these guys have an inexhaustible supply of leaders? We've killed so many #2, #3 #4 ...
#3
It's like a Walmart greeter making CFO in 3 months - what's not to like?
/sarcasm
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 16:25
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It doesn't matter, as long as Mullah Omar is alive and kicking, he'll just tap the next man on the shoulder to become a field commander. The US has to find and erase Omar.
#5
Generally speaking, it takes six months to master any new job at the management level... then another six months to figure out how to do it really well. If the kill cycle (what is the actual correct terminology?) is inside that six months, Mullah Omar can tap shoulders all he wants -- the ability to execute (yes, pun intended, and no, I'm not sorry) will deteriorate rapidly. Not to mention the ability to bring management trainees up to the point that they are promotable, when the trainers keep getting picked off...
Hugo and his buddy Fidel are looking to start a Latino Al Jazeera. I found this buried in one of the usual pieces about Hugo buying friends down south. Suspect translation provided by me:
"It is my opinion that Chavez isn't looking for commercial trade; he is looking for political trade," added Fraga, and he cited as an example the project of a regional television network, Telesur.
"Chavez has obtained the participation of Argentina and Uruguay, together with Cuba, in his Telesur project, which consists of building an alternative television network to CNN" Here's the teleSUR website in case you can read Spanish and can stomach Hugo's socialist swill. Great, maybe we'll have indio suicide bombers now!
BAGHDAD - Iraqâs Shiite majority made a surprise move toward Kurdish-style autonomy, angering the ousted Sunni Arab elite, just days before a deadline for agreement on a new constitution.
As the Sunni Arabs seethed voiced their anger, Thursdayâs call from leading Shiite politician Abdul Aziz Al Hakim for autonomy in Shiite areas of south and central Iraq angered Sunni Arab leaders who said it could derail the entire political process. âWe are shocked and scared by the demand for autonomy as expressed by my Shiite brothers,â said Salah Al Motlag, a key Sunni member of the constitutional drafting committee. âThe timing of the demand is wrong with just three days left to go for the deadline. Such demands can delay the constitution and Iraq could be without a constitution for another year.â
Some Shiite politicians have previously made calls for autonomy in the south and center of the country, but it was the first time that Hakim, a former exile in Iran who headed the victorious Shiite alliance in January elections, had lent such explicit support. His comments came after meetings in Najaf Wednesday with Shiite spiritual leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani and radical cleric Moqtada Al Sadr.
Sunni religious leaders also made faces strongly condemned the proposal of a Shiite autonomous zone. âThat Iraq is divided into cantons is what the Jews and our enemies want,â said Sheikh Mehdi Al Sulaimi, a member of the influential Association of Muslim Scholars, during Friday prayers at the groupâs main mosque in Baghdad.
Sunnis are fearful the creation of federally autonomous zones will prevent them taking an equal share of the Iraqâs lucrative oil reserves, predominantly located in the countryâs Kurdish north and Shiite south. âWe call for reason from those clamouring to break up (Iraq) ... we, in the center of the country, do not want an autonomous zone,â Sulaimi said.
"We don't want our asses kicked!"
The emerging consensus between Kurds and Shiites on a federal constitution leaves only the Sunni Arabs at odds on one of the key sticking points in the drafting of the new charter. Opposition from the Sunnis could still scupper the new constitution as the interim rules stipulate the charter can be rejected by a two-thirds majority in any three provinces. Three â Al Anbar, Tamim and Salaheddin â are predominately Sunni.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/13/2005
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Wow!!! I'm blown away! I didn't see such ferver at the polls when the Sunnis had a chance to participate in their nation building. 'Talkin bout the kettle callin the pot black'!!
#3
They confuse autonomy and freedom, but I do see why the Kurds have wanted nothing to do with Sunni triangle or even the Shiites in cahoots with Iran. The Kurds have jobs and are working at rebuilding but it won't work as long they squabble over territory, each claiming superiority. They need EQUAL constitutional protections for all so they can live as Iraqi neighbors. Maybe the Kurds should have their own country and let those in Turkey secede to join them and let the Sunnis and Shiites fight to the death.
BAGHDAD - Iraqâs political leaders, racing against time to reach consensus on the draft constitution before Mondayâs deadline, have settled three out of 18 outstanding issues, said a source close to the process. âThree points have been settled: the name of Iraq, the question of the peshmerga (or Kurdish militia) and Kirkuk,â the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Iraq will be officially called âFederal Republic of Iraqâ, and the peshmerga will be considered a security force for the Kurdish-controlled zone of northern Iraq which wants the de facto autonomy established in 1991 enshrined in the new constitution, the source said. As for the northern oil-rich city of Kirkuk, whose demography was altered by Saddam Hussein by expelling Kurds and replacing them with Arabs, the situation should be ânormalisedâ by December 15 at the latest, the source said.
Normalisation could revolve around helping thousands of expelled Kurds to return to their lands which were handed to Arabs, mainly Shia from the south, by Saddam. The source did not provide other details. Iraqâs interim constitution had stipulated that the situation in ethnically-mixed Kirkuk should be normalised without giving a deadline.
The remaining points of difference, including the question of federalism and the role of Islam in legislation, are still under discussion with a finished draft required to be presented before parliament on August 15.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/13/2005
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FROI formerly known as SADDAMISANASSHOLE
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/13/2005 0:47
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#2
Not going to make it! They have nothing to lose in the continuing delays. What will "W" do if they miss the deadline, say: "G*******t, I'm taking my troops out Right Now !" Yeah right.
#5
SMN has been difficult in the past, but I fail to see what is objectionable in his post. Is the commenter who says something with which you disagree automatically a troll? Are we going to allow no one to clean up their act? Are we going to allow no one to disagree with the party line?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
08/13/2005 9:56
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#6
It's been a long hot August already, with more to come, and a tense time with Iran among others.
SMN has been making a habit of moving to provocative language right out of the gate. Not helpful. It's not the disagreement of opinion, it's the intentional use of language designed to hijack the conversation from the start.
Posted by: leader of the pack ||
08/13/2005 10:03
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#7
smn isn't worth troll-banning. The bait is negligible, the arguments tissue-thin, and overall, a weakass effort
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 10:17
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#8
Frank, You and Shipman leave me with a warm feeling inside...phil_b, I can't reach...the fog!
#9
Phil_b, what is a troll? Could it be someone who doesn't atleast censor their own obsenities? Or could it be one which is so pursuaded as not to understand 'the higher, the lonelier'. For 30+ years, you didn't know who Deep Throat was, but you didn't give him as much pain!
#10
Mrs D, my problem with smn is not his (apparently) contrary opinions. I'm a supporter of diversity of opinion here, not least because I not infrequently post contrary opinions myself. My problem with smn is he is incoherent and as a result just noise - more stuff to skip over to get to something interesting. Note, that nobody engages him on the substance of his posts. IMO becuase whatever point he has to make (assuming he has one) gets lost in his convoluted and cryptic (onanastic) verbiage. I don't know what his problem is and I really don't care. All I ask is he either makes sense or goes. And if that requires he be TROLLed then so be it.
#11
phil_b, question for thought...What makes you feel better? Planting your flag on smn's head, or the Iraqi's settling the remaining 15 constitutional issues before the 15th? Even I know that answer!
#17
Congratulations smn, someone is going to respond to you today. Don't project your motivations onto me. If I have something to say, then I say as clearly as I am able. I may not be as funny as some, or eloquent as others, but what I intend hopefully comes through. I clearly stated that you concern me becuase your posts are noise. That is the entire extent of my concern with you.
BTW, I have a soft spot for Joe ALL CAPS Mendiola. It takes all sorts, as my mother used to say.
#18
phil_b, shipman got it right, I'm trying to play nice. I don't like the veil to drop, and the seminar has worked. I try to confine my "rants" to the articles and not direct them to fellow Rantburgers, however when my loyalty to this country is brought to the fore (ie you and 2b and pappy), I will step down from my pedestal and fire from both barrels!
#19
smn, I don't give a rat's arse about your motivations, and I'll wager nobody else does either. Vitriol in the right hands produces good stuff.
Make sense and you'll have no problems with me. I'll even forgive your ignorance which you demonstrated in your comment on Azerbaijan. I get my ignorance on certain topics pointed out to me on a regular basis here. Its part of Ranburg's attraction.
BTW, I'm not an American and references to patriotism in relation to me are off topic.
#22
Frank, your gold coin has copper in it! Phil_b, any idiot reasonable person can see the tactical superiority of establishing an Azerbaijan base in response to any future Iranian threat.
Shipman, your light is a shining beacon, through the fog!! I'm so misunderstood, that's why I didn't introduce myself at the Washington meeting!
Dr Ayesha Siddiqa
Partnering extremist religious groups was an acceptable policy framework until 9/11. It started with the US-led effort through the use of Islamist proxies to counter the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
Actually, it began with the Soviets and the Chinese using guerrilla armies to subvert the rest of the world. Greece, Malaysia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Congo, Angola, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and a host of others would come to mind given a moment's thought. The Soviets were merely getting some of their own back in Afghanistan. I'd also add that these were guerrilla movements and not terrorist movements. While there were acts of terrorism associated with most of them, they didn't rely on terrorism as a primary tool. Contrast the Viet Minh and the Viet Cong with Algeria's FLN, which did run their war using primarily terrorist tactics and in fact perfected them.
Most governments have used terrorist groups for achieving policy ends. The US, Britain and Pakistan â states that are today central to the terrorism debate â are known for keeping company with the terrorists.
We're not. See the above, re the difference between guerrilla and terrorist movements. Counter-guerrilla movements like the Contras fall under the same heading.
The general perception is that these groups can be used and ditched, as and when required. In other words that they are controllable or that their use is unlikely to change the character of a society or state. This is a total misperception.
The purpose of a guerrilla movement is usually to hold territory. Terrorism is used to influence state decisions. The FLN didn't so much take power as cause the French to leave, at which point power fell to them by default. The Viet Minh and Viet Cong, along with many other guerrilla operations, established shadow governments and attempted to administer the territory they controlled.
The recent bomb blasts in London require that all states that have employed violent non-state actors reconsider their approach. As the use of such actors in West and South Asia shows, it is difficult to completely control these elements. Their use in sub-conventional warfare is, therefore, not cost-efficient. Seen particularly in the India-Pakistan context, the sub-conventional warfare option has, in the long run, escalated Pakistanâs cost rather than Indiaâs. Furthermore, the use of non-state actors as strategic reserve is not a viable option in the nuclear or the post-nuclear scenario. In case of a nuclear exchange â if the conflict escalates from the sub-conventional to the conventional and the nuclear â no one would live to tell the tale. In any case, it would mean the failure of deterrence.
In the event nuclear weapons are actually used, no one is going to care whether their use was initiated by the government or the government's proxy, or even if they were used by intrusive actors. The results will demand retaliation in kind.
Over the long term, the jihadi option has not only increased the cost for Pakistan but also shown the policy objective of acquiring strategic depth to be flawed. That is if strategic depth is not just measured in terms of territory but as a sum total of territory and resources. The fact that India today has greater financial resources, military hardware, knowledgebase and purchasing power means Pakistanâs strategic depth has steadily been eroded...
The policy has returned suboptimal results, to say the least. Obviously the guys pushing it aren't big on cost-benefit analysis. Either that or the benefits don't resemble anything the rest of us would recognize as such.
The opportunity cost of using non-state actors or, in a larger context, ideology is extremely high. This is a lesson one learns from the extremely readable and thrilling book by Hussain Haqqani, Pakistan â Between Mosque and Military . While claiming to discuss the relationship between the military and the mosque, the book actually analyses the larger structure of the stateâs use of religious ideology and ideologues to fulfil its interests. However, the book aught to be read along with Vali Nasrâs 2001 publication on the Islamic states of Malaysia and Pakistan. Haqqaniâs excellent case study on Pakistan provides clothing to Nasrâs theory that in the two above-mentioned Muslim countries the state itself was party to manipulating and using religious ideology to further its political goals... Vali Nasr argues that the state, which may have some secular character or might not be an outright theocracy, could still adopt religious principles since these are not opposed to stateâs hegemony. He focuses on General Zia-ul Haqâs period to elaborate his point. However, the relationship between religious forces and the state is not new to Pakistan.
They've been in place since the country's foundation. It was founded as a Muslim majority state and has evolved into an Islamic state. The next step in its evolution will probably into an Islamist state, which will mean that the jihadis are actually running things. This will be the result of 60 years of somewhat less than brilliant policies on the part of Pakland's military and civilian governments.
The nexus began soon after the countryâs independence in 1947. Haqqaniâs work explains both the cause and effect of the state using religious ideology strategically. The authorâs basic argument is that soon after its birth the Pakistani state used religious ideology to sustain itself against the Indian threat. Although the civil-military establishment was keen to develop contacts with the US as well, this connection did not necessarily make the state secular. The military, both Vali Nasr and Haqqani argue, tailored the ideological bearings and the alignments to meet the organisationâs strategic objectives rather than anything else.
Maybe they know more about it than I do, but I'd suggest they tailored things to meet a series of tactical objectives, rather than working toward a strategic objective. This state of affairs has been aggravated by the funhouse mirror view of the outside world that appears to be common in Pakistan. They're a lot longer on guile than they are on comprehension.
This policy had its adverse consequences. It was ideology rather than alignment that had an impact on the minds of the people and the larger civil society.
Yeah. It aggravated their pre-existing condition, y'might say...
Unfortunately, during the process of the tactical use of ideology, the character and chemistry of the state changed as well. Pakistan today is at greater risk of becoming a theocracy than it ever was before... States have, in the past, eagerly surrendered their monopoly over violence to non-state actors for military gains. Other than reaping short-term dividends, this approach has not benefited any party. The times have indeed changed and the non-state actors of today are more focused on and sure about their role as a player in global and regional geo-politics and geo-strategy.
The non-state actors, and not only al-Qaeda and the Pak jihadis, are able to command greater resources today than they did when they were dependent on the Soviet Union, which tried to spread itself all over the world. The price of oil, paid in petrodollars, hit $66 a barrel today, which is a lot more money to flow from Soddy Arabia into international subversion.
So, Pakistan is currently facing the problem of keeping or abandoning the jihadi elements.
My guess is that the decision hasn't yet been made to dump them. Until it is, they're stuck with them. Once it's been taken, there's going to be a fight to shut them down. The Paks have plotted themselves into a corner.
The anger and frustration of the world with Islamabad, especially after the 7/7 attacks in London is very obvious.
I think that after the London booms it's turned from frustration into impatience edging into open contempt. Unless the Western attention span kicks in even faster than usual, Perv might actually have to do something. If he gets out of doing something this time, the reaction next time might be more than simply impatience.
The desperation to see Pakistan pack up the jihadi venture is accompanied with the understanding that the link has been there for too long to be severed in a day or a few months. But there is also an understanding that the jihadi elements are not exactly running on autopilot and their links with the Pakistani state are too deep for the outside world not to notice them.
It's not only Hafiz Saeed who needs to be shut down, but the people running him, which means the ISI, which means the military itself has to be brought under control.
Clearly, Islamabad needs to look carefully at the comparative cost of maintaining the jihadi option as opposed to abandoning it. Pakistan and other states have, in the past, engaged in destroying self-created threats. Eliminating this one would be of a different nature. However, the governmentâs ability and will to clean up the house and the kind of reaction from the society at large would determine the extent to which the societyâs face has changed by years of engagement with an ideology.
Dr Siddiqa is currently a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars in Washington DC
Posted by: Fred ||
08/13/2005
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Fred, a couple notes:
* The whole "The US created the Taliban" myth is well on its way to becoming the historial "truth" even if it's false; it's being done the same way the "The US created the Khmer Rouge" myth became "reality:" endless repetition on the part of the media and university faculty.
* In part of your analysis I think you're off base, but you come close to getting it:
The purpose of a guerrilla movement is usually to hold territory. Terrorism is used to influence state decisions. The FLN didn't so much take power as cause the French to leave, at which point power fell to them by default. The Viet Minh and Viet Cong, along with many other guerrilla operations, established shadow governments and attempted to administer the territory they controlled.
The Viet Minh and Viet Cong followed the same rules of "guerilla warfare" that Mao did: you perform terrorist acts upon a civilian population in a given area until they support you. You wind up with fifteen-year-old kids charging "evil western imperialist" machine guns because the "evil western imperialists" are at worst going to kill *him*, but the "noble guerilla resistance" is going to kill his Mom, his Dad, his two younger sisters, and a large number of uncles, aunts, cousins, etc. if he doesn't.
THAT IS TERRORISM, and it has NOTHING to do with trying to influence the state that you're fighting. Attacking govenrment troops (or their families, etc.) is something you usually put off until you have enough critical mass/territory controlled via terrorizing peasants. Mao miscalculated the tipping point at least once, but it didn't matter to him, because _he_ survived and managed to terrorize a new batch of peasants after the long march.
The Viet Cong miscalculated the tipping point twice, but it didn't matter, because even though the drafted peasants mostly died in the process, the attacks managed to convince the West of an illusory "anti-colonialist" resistance, at which point we stopped supporting South Vietnam and they fell to an armored assault from the PAVN.
It's the standard "model" that Maoist guerillas have followed everywhere.
I know you probably know most or all of this but I'm repeating it because it appears that a lot of readers here (and heads of allied governments and their armed forces) don't understand how pseudo-nationalistic-revolutions are really made.
Some of the recent reports I've seen here lately suggest that the coalition forces are letting a new "Viet Cong" set up shop in Basra, and some are saying that it's OK because it didn't result in any coalition forces casualties last month...
Anyway, that's all of my griping for the day. Take with requisite grain of salt mine.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
08/13/2005 18:11
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A 'red bulletin' has been issued by Interpol on the request of Turkey for a man believed to be in Germany who is wanted in connection to an arson attack by Islamic extremists in 1993 that killed 37 people, reports said Friday. Police spokesman Ramazan Er was cited as saying that the bulletin had been issued for the arrest of Muhammed Nuh Kilic, 32, who has been on the run since a court sentenced him to seven-and-a-half years imprisonment for his role in the arson attack on the Madimak Hotel in the central Anatolian town of Sivas. Hurriyet newspaper last week tracked Kilic down to the German city of Mannheim where he works in a döner kebab restaurant, having received a residence permit. Kilic told Hurriyet he fled Turkey because he believed his sentence was too long.
"Dude. They want me to stay in jug for seven years. No way, man. I'm outta here."
The July 1993 arson attack occurred when a Sunni local preacher whipped his congregation into a frenzy over a cultural festival being held in Sivas by members of the Alawite community. Kilic told Hurriyet that what particularly angered the congregation was that the writer Aziz Nesin was at the festival and that he had announced he was to translate Salman Rushdie's 'The Satanic Verses', a book which was accused of denigrating Islam.
None of this is new to Rantburg readers, but the ugliness of it all still makes me wince.
The 'red bulletin' is the most urgent international bulletin issued by Interpol in seeking a person deemed to be dangerous and wanted to serve a prison sentence or to be questioned in connection with a crime. Interpol also issues a 'green' and a 'blue' bulletin in seeking out suspects or witnesses not deemed to be dangerous.
A quick look at the Interpol home page shows them patting themselves on the back for capturing (or facilitating the capture of) a Bosnian war criminal who was first 'red-carded' in 2001. The second item is a meaningless press release about a '10-years of service' award from a South African Police Chiefs organization. So here's my question: Does Interpol actually *do* anything?
From Geostragegy-direct, subscription req'd.
Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani said the enhanced Shihab-3 intermediate-range ballistic missile could strike targets at distances of nearly 2,000 kilometers. He also said the missile could deliver a weapons of mass destruction payload. That should be a confidence builder for the EU3 negotiators, heh. Al Kaboomi is playing them like fishes.
It's not like they built it for space exploration.
It was the first time a senior Iranian official claimed Teheran had achieved nuclear weapons capability. Israeli intelligence and U.S. intelligence have sought to determine when Iran would reach self-sufficiency in nuclear weapons. And the US and Israel intelligence agencies are playing their cards close.
Shamkhani, who has said he would soon step down from his post, was quoted by Radio Farda as saying that the liquid-fuel Shihab could also be fitted with a nuclear warhead. Iran could strike any Israeli or U.S. base in the Middle East, he said. With the result that Teheran would turn to radioactive dust and glass as a finale.
The Iranian foreign minister scoffed yesterday that the U.S. was the only country who had used nuclear weapons in war. I think he missed the point.
On Aug. 2, the Washington Post reported that a U.S. National Intelligence Estimate, ordered in January 2005, has doubled the previous assessment of five years required for Iranian production of nuclear weapons. The Post said the latest U.S. estimate concluded that Iran would need between seven to 10 years to produce a sufficient quantity of highly enriched uranium, a key element in nuclear weapons production. And where, pray tell, did the WaPo get their estimate? The Iranians have the designs already. They just need the fissile material. Bushehr will supply the Pu and the underground centrifuges will provide the U235. Proxies will move and spot the bombs.ABC-123
Israel, on the other hand, believes Iran could produce nuclear weapons by 2008. I think that it is a lot sooner than that.
Shamkhani said the Shihab-3 had a range of 1,930 kilometers, a major increase from the previous version of the missile, which had a range of 1,300 kilometers. Officials said the Shihab had been enhanced with the development of a solid-fuel engine. Over the past two years Iran achieved self-sufficiency in developing solid-fuel missile propellants. Shamkhani said a solid-fuel engine would enhance the accuracy of the Shihab and would bolster Iranian deterrence. Meanwhile, the EU3 are getting b*tch-slapped around in negotiations with the MMs and look like fools. The MMs are playing a giant game of chicken. They know that they can run over the EUniks. They think that they can run over the US and Israel. Ball is in our court on this one. Iran is doing everything that it can to drive the US out of Iraq. They are providing aid to terrorists both in Syria and across the border. They are using nuclear blackmail as a tool. Maybe they need a crimp in their oil production to send a diplomatic message via their economy. I see black ops in my crystal ball.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/13/2005
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They are definately swinging their sausage around and letting everyone know that they have rockets that will reach our troops, at the same time restarting their nuke program and thumbing their nose at us and Israel. So what are us crackers going to do about it?
#2
Notice to Iranian mullahs:
The Jew rockets can also reach Iran. Unlike Iranian ones, the Israelis warheads will actually work and can end the Persian civilization (what is left of it after Islamization).
Posted by: john ||
08/13/2005 11:10
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The MM'sÃÂ have not thought this through. We have a good chance at defending against ICBMs and will certainly know where it came from. Iran goes glass if they use a missile. No one used nukes in the cold war for a reason.
But the terrorist delivery system is much more effective, especially where it will never be clear if it came from Iran, Pakistan, or Korea.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
08/13/2005 12:03
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But can it deliver a pizza in 30 minutes or less?
#5
So could Saddam's improved nuke-capable FROG battlefield rockets - you know, the weapons which like captured SARIN and MUSTARD GAS stocks showed Saddam did not have WMDS! Its not the Left's fault no one understood they meant nukes only when they used the label "WMDS" - its their definitions and precepts that matter, not anybody else's - you know, "working together" and "non-partisanship". like good anti-Elitism Elitists!?
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas vowed yesterday the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip marked a huge step in his people's quest for an independent state, with a capital in Jerusalem. "Today Gaza and tomorrow Jerusalem if God wills it," Abbas told a demonstration, attended by thousands, on Gaza City's Mediterranean coastline. Today, our march to freedom begins. Tomorrow, it will be Jenin's turn and after that Jerusalem," Abbas told the crowd at the gathering, called "the Festival of Victory and Freedom." The crowd roared back Abbas' popular name: "Abu Mazen, Abu Mazen".
He has a talent for saying precisely the wrong thing, doesn't he?
Posted by: Fred ||
08/13/2005
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"Jerusalem? Bwahahahahhaa. I don't think so"
Posted by: God ||
08/13/2005 0:47
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if God wills it
And if he doesn't? How will you interpret that, then? Will you keep on trying? What if God hates you? Enquiring minds want to know...
Posted by: Rafael ||
08/13/2005 1:21
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"We're going to Gaza, then we're going to the West Bank, then we're going to Jerusalem, then we're going to Tel Aviv!
YEEEEEEAAAARRRGGGHH!"
Posted by: Howard Dean ||
08/13/2005 10:25
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It is this thinking that will ensure that the great-grandchildren of todays rock throwing palestinian children will be throwing stones at the metres tall barrier separating the gleaming Israeli cities from the mega slum that is 22nd century Gaza.
Posted by: john ||
08/13/2005 11:13
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"...if God wills it..."
So far it's not looking like God is on your side, Abu Mazen. My bet is that the only exploding Iranian nuke will land square in the middle of the Gaza Strip.
A bomb exploded in a market in southern Afghanistan on Friday, injuring four civilians, police said. Elsewhere in the region, a gunfight between police and suspected Taliban rebels left two officers and three militants dead. The latest violence comes a day after Afghan and American troops killed a suspected Taliban leader in their drive to secure unstable parts of Afghanistan ahead of Sept. 18 parliamentary elections, the U.S. military said Friday. A U.S. service member was killed Thursday in an explosives training accident in central Uruzgan province — the seventh American fatality in eight days.
Officials have warned of a possible spike in violence ahead of the vote — the next stage in the country's efforts to build a democracy after a quarter century of conflicts. The bomb in the southern city of Kandahar was thought to have been planted in front of shoe and clothing shops that had opened for a half-day at Rangrazal market, which was officially closed for the Muslim day of prayer. Two men, a woman and a child were wounded and several shops were damaged, said Kandahar province's police chief Abdul Malik Wahidi. No suspects were arrested. It was the latest such attack in Kandahar, where a suicide bombing on June 1 killed 20 people. The victims then included a supporter of President Hamid Karzai and the police chief of the capital, Gen. Akran Khakrezwal.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/13/2005
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When aid workers pack up after dealing with the hunger emergency in Niger and other nations along the Sahara, leaders will be left struggling to find lasting solutions to the chronic lack of food in much of Africa. The U.S. ambassador to Niger, Dennise Mathieu, said, "Over the long term, donors and government will also have to look at other factors," not just responding to emergencies like the current food crisis. "In Niger there is a long-term problem of chronic food insecurity," Mathieu said Thursday.
Up to 80 percent of Niger's territory is arid or semiarid. The majority of its 11 million people live in villages, surviving on subsistence agriculture in a narrow band of arable land along the country's southern border. Farmers struggle with erratic rainfall, pest attacks and soil degradation. The United Nations says the combined effects of drought and locusts have left some 3.6 million people in Niger facing severe food shortages this year. Children are most at risk, with some 800,000 under age 5 needing to be fed urgently, the United Nations says. At least 1.6 million people in nearby Mali, Burkina Faso and Mauritania also are affected, the world body says. Even in "normal" times, two-thirds of Niger's population lives on less than $1 a day and 40 percent of children show signs of malnutrition.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/13/2005
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Let them eat yellow cake.
Posted by: Joe Wilson ||
08/13/2005 3:10
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Dennise, come home to your loving America. Take a nice warm bath, steak and wine dinner and forget about Niger! It was here before you were born, and it will be here after your gone.
#3
While I don't think it's our responsibility - or possible - to give everyone a full place or peaceful, democratic government, I do think it's in our interests to help trends in that direction.
There are no hermetic borders we can retreat behind and continue to be safe and prosperous disconnected from the world as a whole.
#4
Niger (and other African nations) wants help with their latest in a long string of crises?
Here's some help: Rule of law, respect for private property, help people start businesses (particularly small ones) instead of shackling them with anti-business rules and graft, education for all, accept GM seed for planting and GM grain for temporary food relief (and tell the Euros to go to hell - feed your own people before you worry about feeding theirs).
You're welcome.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/13/2005 12:49
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"Up to 80 percent of Niger's territory is arid or semiarid."
If I choose to live in the desert, why should anyone feel obliged to feed me? If I choose to live in the desert and have lots of children, why should anyone feel obliged to feed them? My ancestors wandered the world to find a better life. The people of Niger need to pull up stakes too. I'm all for helping to relocate them, but not for feeding them for eternity.
#7
needless to say, they also have so many children knowing that not that many will make it to adulthood in such a harsh environment
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 14:54
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The solution is plain, have two, and then there's enough for those two to survive, not ten and then have eight starve and two survive, the starving dead consume more than the two survivors ever would, leaving the whole family poorer than before.
Simple, easy, workable and humane, that's four reasons right there why it'll never be done.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
08/13/2005 15:04
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Frank, quit wrestling with your conscience; those people need either someone with a cape and an S on his chest or someone who throw thunderbolts!
The tsunami in Indonesia is an excellent example, after the loving and quick support of America, they wanted us out after 3 months.
#10
Not my concern - I was simply stating a fact - in places where many children don't make it to adulthood (to take care of parents in infirmity and old age) - they have shitloads of kids, hoping some will make it.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 16:18
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Frank is right. Having only a few children is the luxury of those of us who live in a safe world where everybody lives to a healthy adulthood.
Egyptian security forces on Friday arrested a man and a woman on suspicion of involvement in bloody bomb attacks last month in the resort city of Sharm el-Sheik. The two were captured separately after a gunbattle in which two police officers were wounded when authorities raided the Sinai hideout of the bombing suspects, some 15 miles east of the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya, the interior ministry said. The woman was captured with an automatic weapon after others in the group escaped the police ambush and fled into the rugged Sinai mountains, the ministry said in a statement. Hours later the man was caught trying to dodge a checkpoint near a tunnel under the Suez Canal.
There are tunnels under the Suez Canal?
Damp ones, I'll bet...
Egyptian investigators were focusing on the likelihood that homegrown Islamic militant cells based in the Sinai, possibly with international links, carried out the July 23 Sharm el-Sheik attacks, in which two car bombs and a bomb in a knapsack ripped through a luxury hotel, a neighborhood full of Egyptians and the entrance to a beach promenade.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/13/2005
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German police discovered four bombs Friday, just hours after the suspected bomber was killed in an explosion as he tried to rig a bomb to the car of an ethnic Turk. Police, who ruled out any terrorist motive, safely detonated two bombs they found on a terrace outside the small-town home of the intended victim, a 66-year-old Turkish-born German national. The incident happened in the small town of Barbing, about 110 kilometres north of the southern German city of Munich. Police declined to release the name of a 67-year-old man who blew himself up overnight as he was planting another device. Police said his identity had not been 100 percent established.
Bavarian coppers not used to reconstructing a deconstructed bomber.
"I am telling you, Reinhardt, we are not meant to put together again Humpty-Dumpty."
Hours later, police searched the suspect's Munich apartment and found two pipe bombs in a garage behind the building. More than 1,000 persons were evacuated at different localities as the search for bombs proceeded, and cordons were thrown up round the sites. Bavarian state police said they were still studying whether racism had been an element in the attack.
#6
The 67-year ethnic Turkish bomber wanted to kill the other 66-year ethnic Turkish, because he was with his ex-wife.
Police still wonder about the very professionally made bombs and where he had the skills from.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 17:20
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The ancestors of the Turks are said to have been brought up among wolves. Hence, the young, the brave and the bold call themselves gray wolves - also a term favored by extreme nationalists. It is also a Turkish terrorist group with many members spread throughout Europe... a lot of them are old and well settled.
Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga has declared a state of emergency following the assassination of the country's foreign minister, her spokesman Eric Fernando told AFP. "The president has declared an emergency," Fernando said in the early hours of Saturday, speaking hours after Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar died in a Colombo hospital after being shot in the head and chest by snipers.
Kadirgamar was also a close confidante of President Kumaratunga. The state of emergency would last for an indefinite period, said Fernando. It allows security forces to arrest and detain suspects for lengthy periods.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/13/2005
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Tamil touch of friendship? They know the smackdown will commence...must've been losing fodder
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 0:06
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Mohammed Billal Youssaf, 23, a resident of Brescia in Italy, was arrested at Charles de Gaulle airport on Sunday after arriving from the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore and preparing to travel to London.
"On business, M. le Customs Agent, on business."
He had five false British passports and five bogus British driving licences on him, all of them filled out and containing photographs of different individuals.
"Oh, these documents, M. le Border Patrol. They belong to a friend."
The anti-terrorist section of the Paris prosecutor's office initially took charge of the case as his motives and connections were investigated and he was questioned. "In the current state of the investigations, there is no clear link with any terrorist enterprise," an official at the office said.
"He said it was a cultural thing and we wouldn't understand, so we sent him over to the Ministry of Culture. Our work here is done. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to the chalet."
As a result, Youssaf's case was Thursday transmitted to the prosecutor's office in the northwestern Paris suburb of Bobigny, which has jurisdiction for criminal offences detected at Charles de Gaulle airport.
#1
"No seriously, you are wondering if I am terrorizing the worlded but I am not doing or willing being going to terrorism or any negating of peace things," said Mohammed Billal Youssaf, a resident of Brescia, Italy?!?
Ummm, by any chance, do the Italians offer generous entitlement programs to foreigners? Is Youssaf a "student", "a drifter," a "goat herder"?
#3
Aw common, lets nuke em. Ya know they'll never give up until we wipe em out, so what are we waiting for?
Besides, they deserve it for being uppity. What makes them think they can pull this shit all of a sudden, just because they have a few long range missiles? We have a few thousand rockets that make theirs look like bottle rockets.
#4
Strange, "W" bucking up in front of the Israeli media; Why didn't he want me to hear this fortitude on CNN or Fox? I don't want to be spoon fed baby food...throw me raw meat!!
#7
In another development, top Iranian figure Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said Iranâs decision to resume sensitive nuclear work was âirreversibleâ and warned that Western opposition to Iranâs program will âcost them dearly.â During a Friday sermon, he said: âYou could drag things on but Iranâs decision is irreversible,â drawing chants of âDeath to Americaâ and âDeath to Israelâ from the faithful.
Let's get this show on the road. Faster, please...
Posted by: Dave D. ||
08/13/2005 7:38
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OK Captian America, how about this...
"Conan!, what is best in life?!"
"Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of the women!"
I have this as my ringtone on my mobile :)
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
08/13/2005 7:51
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You aren't real bright, are you smn? Or should I call you Butch, or perhaps Pat? To reveal my inner id slightly, I don't see this as a War On Terror, but a War Of Testicles! Remove the males "Herodize", remove the problem! The only female I even remotely hold responsible for these problems is Eve!
I think it would be safe to assume that "W" is aware that when he makes a very meaningful statement outside the US, that technology exists for it to be distributed worldwide. It's ok, don't feel bad, we understand your confusion. It's not like you have access to the internet or anything like that.
#13
Iran? I've been waiting 26 years for payback. Not holding my breath but then again, President Bush is a man of his words.
Still have that image of the remains -- a burnt foot to be graphic -- of a US soldier being held up to the cameras by a rag-headed Iranian mullah. He was killed during Carter's Operation Desert One in April 1980.
And then there's the October 23, 1983 massacre of 241 Marines in Lebanon.
The Grim Reaper has yet to collect on both those accounts.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged yesterday that the Kurdish conflict in Turkey would be resolved with âmore democracyâ despite a marked increase in violence by armed Kurdish rebels whom Ankara considers âterrorists.â âI want you to know that there will be no going back from the point Turkey has come to... We will not allow any regression in the democracy process,â Erdogan said in an emotional speech in this key city of Turkeyâs mainly Kurdish southeast. âWe will resolve all problems with more democracy, more civil rights and more prosperity,â he said, frequently interrupted by applause from a crowd of some 1,000 people.
In Arbil, northern Iraq, a senior Turkish Kurd rebel leader welcomed Erdoganâs statement, but said he wanted to see how this translates into action. âWe believe Erdoganâs statements are significant,â but what matters is what concrete actions will be taken on the ground, Zubeyir Aydar, head of KONGRA-GEL, a sub-group of the rebel Kurdistan Workersâ Party (PKK), said in a statement received by AFP. Erdogan was seeking to allay concerns that a recent increase in attacks on military and civilian targets blamed on the PKK might prompt Ankara to introduce measures that would diminish the fragile freedoms the sizeable Kurdish minority has only recently gained. Keen to boost its bid to join the European Union, Ankara has ended 15 years of emergency rule in the southeast and allowed the Kurdish language to be taught at private courses and used in public television and radio broadcasts.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/13/2005
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I have a feeling the Kurds don't care for commies and Maoists anymore than any other group of folks. If Erdogan can keep the army from going after non PPK Kurds he may get some where.
Peshawar Assembly and Pushto
According to the Nawa-e-Waqt, the NWFP assembly was drowned in shouting when a member presented the resolution for making Pushto a compulsory subject up to 8th class in all schools of the province. An MPA from Hazara said that in his district, the population spoke Punjabi and therefore Pushto was not acceptable. Jamaat e-Islami minister Sirajul Haq also opposed the motion but ANP strongly supported it. Hazara members said that the resolution could impose Pushto on Pushtun areas only. After that, there was pandemonium in the house.
Qazi loves music
Quoted in Khabrain, Jamaat Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad said that he loved music and was intellectually impressed with Maududi and Iqbal, but remembered Dast-e-Saba of Faiz too. His greatest grief was the taking of Al Quds by the Jews and he could not sleep at night after the Fall of Dhaka.
Moral police in Gujranwala
According to the Nawa-e-Waqt, the DCO in Gujranwala had given orders that all theatres showing dance would be closed down. He had set up monitoring teams who would go round checking the seven theatres in the city for dance. He had already closed down three theatres: Geo Theatre for Akhiyan karan nazaray (Eyes enjoy scenes), Roxy for Giyaran nariyan (Eleven girls) and Bilawal Theatre for Kuryan chan vargiyan (Girls like moons).
Musharrafâs star is up!
The daily Khabrain published the prediction of astrologer Dr Farooqi, saying that Musharrafâs star Jupiter was in the ascendant and he was going to become the most popular leader in the future. Something startling would happen after 22 July 2005 to make his position stronger. After August 2005, Pakistan would test more nuclear weapons. The stars were kind to Ghulam Mustafa Khar who would soon get Ms Bhuttoâs full support in the PPP.
Osamaâs brother defends him
Quoted in the daily Pakistan, Yaslam bin Laden said his younger half brother was his beloved and he would defend him if he got caught. He said he was hiding somewhere on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Yaslam was from an Iranian mother while Osama was from a Syrian mother. Yaslam was with Osama from 1978 to 1981 and was six years his elder. He was educated in Lebanon and America.
CII is âkuppiâ group!
Quoted in the daily Pakistan, JUI chief and MMA leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the Council for Islamic Ideology (CII) was newly set up to let the rulers drink wine. CII members were known as a kuppi (cup) group of drunkards. He asked Shujaat and Mushahid to swear that they had not accepted the passage of Hasba Bill by the NWFP assembly during negotiations.
Shamim Qureshi and Sayd Akbar
Writing in the Jang, Javed Chaudhry stated that late astrologer Shamim Qureshi was from Kashmir where he had met a Pathan named Sayd Akbar. The same Pathan killed prime minister Liaquat Ali Khan in 1951 while Shamim stood next to Sayd at a public meeting. Shamim got his ability to predict from Benaras and he correctly predicted the death of Rajiv Gandhi. He was much sought after by the intelligence agencies.
9/11 denied on Australian TV
According to the Nawa-e-Waqt, leader of Ahle Sunnat Muslims in Australia Sheikh Muhammad Imran told the Australians on Australian TV that Osama bin Laden had not done the 9/11 bombings, nor had the Muslims done the 7/7 bombings. Osama he said was an exemplary (azeem) Muslim and there was no proof against him for doing terrorism.
âJemima goes love-crazyâ
According to Khabrain, Jemima Khan and actor Hugh Grant got so heated up (itnay andhay ho gayay) that they forgot to draw down the curtains while making love during a tryst in the UK. The housemaid entered the bedroom and saw them both in a bad situation and called her own husband to witness the act.
Using Robert Fisk in Urdu
After Irfan Siddiqi in the Nawa-e-Waqt, Irshad Haqqani in the Jang, Jamaat leader Hafiz Idrees referred to the British journalist Robert Fiskâs accusation that America and Britain were responsible for 9/11 and 7/7. In his article in Khabrain, he said that the Muslims were being victimised in the UK while Britain and the US were bombing Baghdad. He said there was an evil triangle in the world consisting of America, India and Israel.
Friend of Shamzai killed
According to the daily Pakistan, a friend of the late head of Banuri Mosque, Mufti Shamzai, and the head of the Orangi Town mosque (of Sipah Sahaba), Maulana Shamsuddin, was kidnapped and shot to death by unknown assailants in Karachi.
Boota Pir lives!
According to the Nawa-e-Waqt, in Layyah a Boota Pir has been discovered whose grave cures people of all sorts of diseases including skin disease. People use soil and oil available at the grave. Once a bulldozer was used to level the place, but the driver was stricken with blindness. The place he wanted to level contained the graves of Lal Shah and Alamdar. Then people saw dreams about surrounding the area with walls and creating a darbar. Thousands of rupees of charahwah (gifts) are showered on the grave.
Who is against Musharraf?
Writing in the Jang, Irshad Haqqani said that President Musharrafâs statement that he was in contest with reactionary (rajâat pasand) forces was not right. In fact, he had recently described the opposition of the liberals to him. He had admitted that on mixed marathons, he was in a minority together with the liberals. In the Mukharan Mai case, he had castigated the NGOs and liberals and called their outlook as dangerous as that of the fundamentalists.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/13/2005
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Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
08/13/2005 0:13
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#2
an evil triangle in the world consisting of America, India and Israel
See, this writer had a problem. He had to include India, as their archenemy, but if he did, then the US-UK-Israel-India axis would be a square. An evil square just doesn't sound right. So the UK was booted out, and he ended up with a triangle. Perfect.
Posted by: Rafael ||
08/13/2005 1:16
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LOL Mike and Rafael.
But they coulda thrown in Australia, kept the UK and had a sinister pentagon..... another missed opportunity.
Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said on Friday that Iran's decision to resume uranium conversion is "irreversible" Iran resumed work at Isfahan Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF) on Monday. In a sermon at Friday prayers in Tehran, Rafsanjani called the resolution on Iran recently approved by the UN nuclear watchdog âunfairâ. Foreign Ministry also rejected the resolution on Iran on Thursday, saying it was "politically motivated" and passed under pressure from the United States and its allies.
In a resolution issued on Thursday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors asked Iran to resume its suspension of all nuclear fuel related activities and asked the agency to verify Tehranâs compliance. The resolution was initially drafted by Europeans and supported by U.S. and its allies. âWe advise Western countries not to deal with industry and science in this manner, since they can never rob the Iranian nation of this great right,â said Rafsanjani. "Do not take lightly what happened at the IAEA," he warned.
"It is very important and will create new conditions for our country and the region. It will turn a new leaf in the history of our revolution. The 35 nations of the IAEA Board, some supporting Iran, spent two days conferring, but finally what the three European countries (Britain, Germany, and France) and the United States wanted was approved and no one objected,â Rafsanjani pointed out. âThe IAEA Charter clearly says that Iran has the right to make peaceful use of nuclear energy, and we are currently preparing to enrich the uranium that exists deep in our lands in order to use its energy for scientific purposes.â
Iran accepted supervision even before approving the additional protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, he noted. âSo far, Iranâs cooperation with the IAEA has been beyond what is required. We even halted our activities to win confidence, but we never thought they would declare that Iran should suspend all its nuclear activities.â The major powers think they have succeeded in suppressing Iran, Rafsanjani said, adding, âIsrael and the United States even talked about attacking the country. But they are mistaken, for they should bear in mind that they cannot treat Iran like Iraq or Libya. The Westerners can drag things out, but Iran's decision is irreversible.â
Posted by: Fred ||
08/13/2005
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#1
Oh comm'on, I know you don't mean it Raffi.
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/13/2005 0:52
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It will turn a new leaf in the history of our revolution.
You got that right. Personally I think there's nothing that can be done to prevent Iran from getting the bomb. It will happen. The question then becomes, how well do they understand the concept of mutually assured destruction. Considering that the US is light years ahead in this type of technology, their cruise missiles/ICBMs/whatever will not even get off the ground in time to deliver anything. So I'd shut your trap, Raffi, because even if you get a few bombs, you're still in the dark ages.
Posted by: Rafael ||
08/13/2005 1:00
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The problem Rafael, is that Israel is of the mindset that Iran is acting as a sacrificial anode for the "Arab World",that 'that' would be a justifiable edit to base their hardline resolution. In which case someone in Iran could say after all the dust settles..."Well, you got us, but we damn sure got Israel!!" Preimption is the only cure for this Kamikaze strategy.
#5
What he means is the Mad Mullahs are willing to sacrifice themselves and their countrymen to obliterate Israel. If Israel doesn't strike first the Mad Mullahs can launch a first strike that would in all liklyhood come close to obliterating Israel. It would also get the Gaza Strip, West Bank, and parts of Jordan but, oh well, at least they got Israel. The US would retaliate of course but Israel would already be gone.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
08/13/2005 8:24
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smn, Iran is NOT ARAB. They are muslim, but except for a small minority are of persian, indo-european ethnic stock and language, not arab.
Please get the basics right.
Posted by: leader of the pack ||
08/13/2005 8:26
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Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 10:35
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Israel is on a hair trigger. If the MMs launch missiles toward Israel, the IDF must intercept in the ascention phase. There is so little time between launch and target. The Israelis must assume that a launch is a nuclear attack. And a shiiteload of Shahab-3s could overwhelm defenses.
We do not call the MMs Mad Mullahs for nothing. They will unhesitatingly play nuclear blackmail. They will play chicken. And they are fanatics enough to use nukes.
We take them on their words. The EUniks are delusional and ignore their words. Whatever. The fact is that the MMs are unswerving in their quest for nuclear weapons. They will use them to intimidate and frighten or they will use them to kill. But they will use them.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/13/2005 12:12
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#10
Leader Of The Pack #6, you did take note of the quotations I used. It indicates who would take the most offense or pleasure from what would result thereof.
#11
So putting quotes around something means it can be completely and utterly WRONG?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/13/2005 14:41
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#12
Robert, picture this...Iran addresses the jewish problem, a feat even Hitler couldn't complete. PICTURE THIS... Israel is gone!!, assigned to the history books. Who will be the first to joy and dancing in the streets? Case closed.
A Haitian rebel leader who once led a paramilitary group accused of killing and torturing thousands of people has been released from prison, his lawyer said Friday. Louis-Jodel Chamblain, a leader of the armed uprising that ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February 2004, was released Thursday from the National Penitentiary, attorney Stanley Gaston said. Chamblain was jailed in April 2004 on two counts of murder. He was acquitted but kept in prison while authorities investigated allegations that he masterminded a 1993 fire that devastated part of Cite Soleil, a vast waterfront shantytown outside of Port-au-Prince, Gaston said. An appeals court ordered him released on July 26, ruling there were insufficient grounds to hold him for the arson, Gaston said. The lawyer said it took three weeks to push authorities into carrying out the order for Chamblain's release.
A former army sergeant, Chamblain was one of two leaders of the Front for the Advancement and Progress of the Haitian People, a paramilitary group suspected of killing and torturing thousands of people during the 1992-1994 military regime that seized power in the coup that first ousted Aristide. A U.S. military intervention restored Aristide to power in 1994, and Chamblain went to the Dominican Republic. He returned to Haiti in February 2004 to help lead the revolt that ousted Aristide a second time. Jean-Claude Bajeux, the director of the local Ecumenical Center for Human Rights, condemned Chamblain's release. "Chamblain is a hired gun. Killers like him are always ready to serve dictatorial regimes," Bajeux said. "What makes us indignant is not Chamblain's release but the shortcomings of the judicial system and the incompetence of its investigations."
Posted by: Fred ||
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A Moroccan man accused in Germany of abetting the 11 September attacks on the United States was too naive to have been involved in the plot, his defence lawyer has said.
Yeah, yeah. Just an innocent lad in the wrong place at the wrong time...
... is 'naive' the German word for 'stoopid'? ...
Summing up at the retrial of Mounir El Motassadeq, lawyer Udo Jacob on Friday said his client was "naive, fumbling, contradictory" and lacked the cleverness required of an accomplice. Convicted at his first trial in 2003, El Motassadeq became the first person anywhere to be found guilty of abetting the US attacks in which pilots flew hijacked planes into the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. But he won an appeal in 2004 and the right to a fresh trial after a higher court ruled that evidence allegedly obtained by the United States from al-Qaida suspects had been withheld by Washington.
El Motassadeq was part of a circle of Arab students in the German port city of Hamburg which included three of the alleged hijackers, but he has always denied knowing of their plans. Jacob said the Moroccan had made mistakes, including covering up the fact he had allegedly trained in what has been called an al-Qaida camp in Afghanistan, but cited these as evidence of his naivety. He noted that El Motassadeq had made no attempt to flee Germany, as other members of the Hamburg cell had done. "He could have simply cleared off," the lawyer said. Prosecutors wound up their case against El Motassadeq on Tuesday by demanding a 15-year jail term, the same sentence he received at his first trial.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/13/2005
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#1
Is there like a literacy test or something? What's the equivalent of SAT or ACT college admission test for bommers?
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/13/2005 0:41
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Yes, if you could pass the SAT, you're too smart to be a Boomer.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
08/13/2005 14:35
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This El Motassadeq asshat probably has the entire Hamburg cell hiding in his beard. Or maybe those "missing classified documents" Sandy Berger inadvertently removed from the National Archives!
Brilliant headline. I'd call a pile of corpses the antithesis of "peace hopes."
Three men have been shot dead in Sri Lanka, bringing the death toll from a fresh wave of violence to 10. The killings come amid diplomatic moves to end a deadlock in the island's peace bid. Officials said the three men were gunned down in separate incidents overnight on Monday and early Tuesday in the country's east. The military described the deaths as an upsurge in rebel internecine clashes.
So it's the Tigers clawing each other. I like it when that happens.
Seven had been killed on Saturday. "We are noticing an increase in clashes," military spokesman Daya Ratnayake said. "The indications are that this killing cycle will continue as both factions try to demonstrate their strength."
"Meanwhile, we're going to send out for beer and watch the show..."
The de facto number two in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) led an unprecedented split in March last year, and since then the main rebel outfit has been trying to retake control over the east where the renegades are active. The LTTE has accused the security forces of colluding with the breakaway group of V Muralitharan, better known as Karuna, an allegation rejected by the government.
"No, no! Certainly not! Heh heh..."
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
I like the EZ Stand Tripod, ask your doctor if Medicare will cover.
The Jordanian interior minister has said British authorities would deport Muslim cleric Abu Qatada to Jordan, where he will face new trials on charges of conspiracy and terrorist bombings for which he was found guilty in absentia. Awni Yirfas, the minister, told state television on Friday night that Britain had verbally informed authorities in Amman that the cleric "will be sent back to Jordan next week". Abu Qatada would be "retried under a Jordanian law which allows persons convicted and sentenced in absentia the right to retrial once captured," Yirfas said.
The countries signed an extradition agreement earlier this week. Omar Mahmood Othman Abu Omar, better known as Abu Qatada, was among 10 foreigners that British police arrested on Thursday on suspicion of posing a threat to national security in Britain. The detentions came days after British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced tough new proposals to deport Muslim extremists in the wake of the 7 July bombings in London that killed 56 people. Born in the West Bank town of Bethlehem in 1960, Abu Qatada was convicted in absentia in Jordan in 2000 on charges of conspiring to attack US and Israeli tourists during the kingdom's millennium celebrations. According to the indictment, his role was primarily to finance the terror group.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/13/2005
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#1
Mom, I'm home.
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/13/2005 0:05
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Jordan didn't want him back, I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall in the teleconferencing over the wrangling of the Brits to get Awni Yirfas to take him back! My hunch is that the Brits promised to keep the kiddies and the wife and slide Jordan some welfare compensation!
#12
For you, 2b:"The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48"
thou hou ([th]ou), pron. [Sing.: nom. Thou; poss. Thy
([th][imac]) or Thine ([th][imac]n); obj. Thee
([th][=e]). Pl.: nom. You (y[=oo]); poss. Your (y[=oo]r)
or Yours (y[=oo]rz); obj. You.] [OE. thou, [thorn]u, AS.
[eth][=u], [eth]u; akin to OS. & OFries. thu, G., Dan. & Sw.
du, Icel. [thorn][=u], Goth. [thorn]u, Russ. tui, Ir. & Gael.
tu, W. ti, L. tu, Gr. sy`, Dor. ty`, Skr. tvam. [root]185.
Cf. Thee, Thine, Te Deum.]
The second personal pronoun, in the singular number, denoting
the person addressed; thyself; the pronoun which is used in
addressing persons in the solemn or poetical style.
[1913 Webster]
I'm convinced your trying to get me to reveal how many degrees I have, but I will not bite!
#13
Geez. You can't even admit the obvious misspelling of a contraction? Posting a pointless load of BS text to obfuscate qualifies for trolling.
Honest neutral advice. Your posts make you look a fool. Admit mistakes. Engage people, instead of trying to sound witty. Witty you are not - at least in English. You may be a fucking laugh riot in phreakin' Swahili, but you are failing miserably here. Relax and make sense first. Snarkiness will probably come naturally later, when the language is mastered.
#31
Raptor...Raptor, I've already indicated to phil_b and 2b that I'm not a troll, but a highly educated intelligent multi degreed smn; however sensitive that can be! Do you know how many HEART TICKS I've wasted responding to your cutting snipes?
Now throw me down a laurel leaf!
#34
We should stop gobbling up troll chum. Its off target and only plays to the trolls' deranged minds.
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/13/2005 23:08
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No, no, no, bored!
smn said he had accumulated a bunch of degrees -- not at all the same as being educated. I speak as an expert on the subject, being happily educated but degree-free myself, and the offspring and sibling of the merry professorate, none of whom have yet gotten to the point of knowing more and more about less and less until they know everything about nothing at all. Although my mother did go to Med. School for her own amusement in Switzerland, and later acquired a doctorate in psychology by accident. ;-)
Seriously, smn, what have you studied? Do your degrees add weight to your opinions here, as the ones I haven't acquired do not, or were they just for your pleasure and pocketbook? I'm not asking to be mean, but because we seem to be about evenly divided here at Rantburg between those with academic backgrounds and those with degrees in Real Life (I, of course, fall into neither camp, and so am able to admire the achievements of both parties impartially).
#36
Careful, smn. If you are half as educated as you claim, then you are aware of the blood already pooling at your feet merely from tw posing her question. The rapier 'tis exceedingly sharp... pain will come later.
M R Klasra
The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Minorities wants serious action taken to ensure changes in the existing blasphemy laws in light of revelations that in the last ten years, 73 percent cases registered under the Blasphemy Law are against Muslims while only 27 percent are against Christians, Ahmedis and Hindus.
The ministry now claims that the law has been used by the Muslims against the Muslims to settle personal scores. The religious ministry informed the Senate Standing Committee on Minorities about the need for changes in the Blasphemy Law through a report submitted to the senate on August 4, 2005. An official told TFT that MMA leader and senate committee chairman, Maulana Samiul Haq, was not privy to the fact that the religious ministry which has itself rabidly supported the Blasphemy Law over the years would now raise objections against it. âThe Chairman was caught off-guard,â said the official. âNo one expected that the ministry would request the Senate to make changes in the existing laws to accommodate the concerns of the minorities.â
In its report to the senate, the religious ministry reveals that 73 percent cases filed under existing blasphemy laws are against Muslims, 12 percent against Ahmadis, 12 percent against Christians and 3 percent against Hindus. The report also reads that because of the abuse of the Blasphemy Law, the image of Pakistan and its people has been substantially tarnished. The religious affairs ministry has even referred to reports of the USA State Department criticising Pakistan for discriminating against its minorities.
After the submission of the report, the senate committee asked the religious ministry to give a comprehensive briefing about the problems of minorities. In response, the Minorities Affairs Division submitted a report saying the main problems being faced by the minorities were caused by the abuse of blasphemy laws. âWhile the senators took note of the cases of abuse, none of them was in favour of changes in existing laws,â said a source privy to the meeting.
The report of the Minorities Affairs Division, a copy of which is with TFT, traces the complaints against existing blasphemy laws since the enactment of the laws in 1992. According to the report, religious laws have been used to harass minorities and poor Muslims for non-religious reasons also. Some of the main problems highlighted in the report are as follows: a) Islamic laws such as the Hudood ordinance and blasphemy laws are binding not only on Muslims but on minorities as well, causing serious problems for them; b) blasphemy laws are being applied prejudicially and should be revised in accordance with Islamic principles of social justice; c) blasphemy laws can be manipulated and used against an individual because of personal grudges and enmity, as is seen in several cases where blasphemy laws were used as a tool to settle personal vendettas; and d) besides religious minorities, Muslims belonging to the lower classes have been exploited and have had to suffer due to the âmala fide applicationâ of the criminal procedure code by the police. Elaborating on the third and fourth parts, the report states that after analysing several blasphemy cases, it has been noted that powerful individuals and groups, with the conveyance of the local police, have often used blasphemy laws to settle disputes and get back at enemies.
The report says that such cases of abuse exist due to the misuse of power by influential classes and corrupt state authorities who collaborate with them to exploit weaker sections of society. âIt is not just minorities but more particularly weaker, poor Muslims who are bearing the brunt of the Blasphemy Law,â reads the report. âIn fact, in a majority of blasphemy cases under trial during 2004, both the accused and the complainants are Muslims.â
Moving on to its demand for a change in existing laws, the ministry reports states that Pakistan must begin to care about its image in the international arena. âEven the European union has now issued a demarche to the government of Pakistan, blaming it for its prejudices against minorities,â says the report.
While the rationale behind the promulgation of the Blasphemy Law was to ensure reverence for religious beliefs and secure against crises that may emerge if blasphemy were allowed to prevail, the Law has actually been used to harass and abuse minorities as well as the poor. Hence, the religious ministry now feels that its time to âtone downâ blasphemy laws. âIt would not be practical to repeal existing laws but ways must be found to modify the law,â said the report. âRecommendation of the Islamic Ideology Council regarding punishment for false reporting of blasphemy is strongly recommended.â
Observers feel that getting the Blasphemy Law changed will not be an easy victory. âConsidering the presence of the MMA in the parliament especially with the next general elections scheduled to be held in one and half years, changing the Blasphemy Law will be not be easy,â said one analyst. âHowever, just the fact that officials in the religious ministry have woken up to the fact that changes in existing blasphemy laws are essential, is an encouraging start.â
Posted by: Fred ||
08/13/2005
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Yeah, the blasphemy law should only be used on christians and jooos.
The Sihks have been ethically cleansed, the hindus remain but are also being removed.
The Ahmedis (muslims) are proving resistant.
When they go, it will be the turn of the Shia to be cleansed. After that, the Sunni deobandis will cleanse the Barlevis.
Pakistan will then be the perfect islamic state.
Posted by: john ||
08/13/2005 11:16
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the Hudood ordinance
...One of Robert Ludlum's lesser known works. All kidding aside, the blasphemy laws will always be used like any other religiously-based law: to hammer the apostate you don't like.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
08/13/2005 12:59
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The leaders of the 9/11 commission late Friday disputed a congressman's criticism that the panel did not adequately investigate a claim that four hijackers were identified as al-Qaida members more than a year before the attacks.
In a joint statement, former commission chairman Thomas Kean and vice chairman Lee Hamilton said a military official who made the claim had no documentation to back it up. And they said only 9/11 ringleader Mohamed Atta was identified to them and not three additional hijackers as claimed by Rep. Curt Weldon, vice chairman of the House Armed Services and Homeland Security committees.
''He could not describe what information had led to this supposed Atta identification,'' the statement said of the military official.
They also said no else could place the other three hijackers with Atta in a purported terror cell code-named ''Brooklyn'' during the time period cited by Weldon.
The pre-Sept. 11 intelligence on Atta was disclosed recently by Weldon, who said a secret military unit called ''Able Danger'' had identified the four hijackers as part of terrorist cell. He said the information should have been forwarded by the military to the FBI.
In response to the statement by Kean and Hamilton, Weldon accused the commission of purposely omitting information on Able Danger. He said in a statement that he will continue to push for a ''full accounting of the historical record.''
If proves correct, the intelligence would change the timeline for when government officials first learned of Atta's links to al-Qaida. The Pentagon and at least two congressional committees are looking into the issue.
The other three hijackers mentioned by Weldon as being part of the terrorist cell were Khalid al-Mihdhar, Nawaf al-Hazmi and Marwan al-Shehhi.
Al Felzenberg, spokesman for the commission's follow-up project called the 9/11 Public Discourse Project, said this week the panel was unaware of intelligence specifically naming Atta. On Wednesday, he retracted the statement and confirmed the commission had been made aware of the intelligence.
During the July 12, 2004, meeting with the military official, the officer said he recalled seeing Atta's name and photo on an analyst's chart made by the secret Able Danger unit, the statement released by Kean and Hamilton said.
The relevant data discussed by the officer showed Atta to be a member of an al-Qaida cell in New York City from February to April 2000, the statement said.
But the commission knew that according to travel and immigration records, Atta first obtained a U.S. visa on May 18, 2000, and first arrived in the United States on June 3, 2000, the statement said.
Kean, a former Republican New Jersey governor, and Hamilton, a former Democratic congressman from Indiana, said records had been sought from the U.S. Special Operations Command and none mentioned Atta or any other Sept. 11 hijackers. They were requested after staff members from the commission were told about Able Danger during a meeting in Afghanistan.
Weldon said Friday that Atta's name was specifically mentioned during the Afghanistan meeting, but Kean and Hamilton denied that Friday in the statement.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 11:41
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#2
Ring, ring, ring.
Sandy Berger: "Hello ... oh hi Mrs. Gorelick ... ahh ... yes ... I recall, ...oh those papers, don't worry, I've burned them. By any chance, is this line bugged?"
Help! If you have mad Windoze98 skillz, please send me a note.
My computer caught a passel of nasty viruses a week or so ago, and shockingly, the "wait and see if it goes away" method doesn't seem to be working very well.
I was trolling thru Google Images for a smashing new graphic for your enjoyment, and ended up at some stupid gamer site.
Farking gamers.
So now I've got some trojans running loose reporting allan-knows-what back to the mother ship, annoying pop-ups, and endless offers to install "WinFix 2005." No pr0n as far as I can tell, but a lot of system instability and periodic "new" icons in my system tray. I admit the puppy dog icon was cute, but I had to put him down uninstall program "rebate retriever."
I ran out and got Norton Antivirus 2005, but the damn viri disabled the CD.
HELP!
Thanks, Emily
"Seafarious"
seafarious@yahoo.com
PS Send me email or leave a note here, I may be busy tomorrow, but I'll get back to you, promise! Assuming the haxors haven't eaten my OS by then.
1. If it's a laptop or you feel like lugging a desktop up to my place, bring it by and we'll try and kill the virii.
2. If you've still got internet, McAfee has an online virus scan. See if it'll get a bite on the bustards.
#1
Thank you, Fred & Steve. I've tried the Symantec online scan; it found plenty of beasties but was unhelpful in eradicating them. Will try McAfee next but not tonite.
#2
winfix is a spyware popup - run Adaware and Spybot (both free) then the antivirus.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/13/2005 0:10
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#3
Go to google. Look up "housecall". Click on the Trend Micro website. Run the Trend Micro virus scan on your computer. Zap any viruses and spyware it detects. Run the virus scan again to catch anything that may not have been detected on the first go round. Each scan will take a few hours, so be forewarned.
Go to download.com. Download Spy Sweeper. Install the program and let it run through a scan. Delete any spyware items it detects. Buy a subscription and spare yourself a lot of headaches.
Go to google. Look up Firefox. Download and install Firefox. Use it as your default browser. It's slower than Internet Explorer but it exposes you to far fewer items of spyware.
Posted by: Carl in N.H. ||
08/13/2005 0:15
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#5
Oh yeah, and what Zhang said: use Firefox (or Mozilla) -- and Thunderbird
Posted by: Carl in N.H. ||
08/13/2005 0:16
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#6
Emily, PC Magazine has a webpage aimed at duffers like me -- that's where I found the AdAware and Spybot downloads that Frank recommends, plus a whole lot more. The programs are rated, too, and most of them are free or trials. Good luck -- when the virus ate my ability to get onto the computer, my friend the expert said I had the cleanest computer he'd ever seen ... except for that nasty little infection. ;-)
#7
Emily, if you have a non-infected computer capable of accessing the internet and downloading a CD, I would suggest downloading something like knoppix, gnoppix, or ubuntu (three linux distributions that run from CD without installing to the hard drive), and running a program called "clamav" (which can be easily downloaded/installed) on the computer.
Now not to get involved in the OS wars, the neat thing about this trick is that afaik there are no viruses that can infect both windows and linux. Not to mention the fact that it's hard to infect a CD.
(Oh, I just noticed about the CD.)
IF it didn't disable that in the BIOS the CD should boot anyway.
IF it modified the BIOS, you might try rearranging the cabling so the CD drive is "located" somewhere else. (So that, where it was originally (for instance) the slave on the first bus, it would be the master on the second bus. Or vice-versa...) Although I'm a little fuzzy on whether it can be used to boot with if it's a slave...
Anyway, you can usually use "apt" to download optional packages, which is how you'll get clamav... which is meant to screen windows files and partitions for viruses.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
08/13/2005 0:39
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#8
The thing I like about Norton Internet Security is that it notifies you if any program (or inconspicuous file) attempts to access the internet. You can even configure it so that it checks if specific program modules attempt internet access. So you know if you've "got some trojans running loose reporting allan-knows-what back to the mother ship". Theoretically at least.
I'd also recommend a router even if you're not sharing an internet connection (preferably not the wireless kind, because it brings in other security issues).
For all your anti-virus needs, I recommend F-Prot (www.f-prot.com)
With these 3 things, I've never had a problem with ads,spies,younameit, though after having said this, I probably will this morning.
/2cents(2.394canadian)
Posted by: Rafael ||
08/13/2005 0:44
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#9
Oh, and Rafael is right too: for antivirus-from-within-windows, I have found f-prot to be useful in the past.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
08/13/2005 1:01
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#10
Windows 98?!? Are you kidding?
Modern worms are mostly unkillable, due to Windows' crappy features. If you're really infected, there's nothing to do but gather your important data, and reformat. And don't connect to the internet while you do so, your computer is highly vulnerable in an unpatched state.
#11
Emily, like gromky #10 is suggesting; if you have deep registry corruption because of the many tentacles of the spyware and adware; reformatting is the quickest and easiest choice! I'm also assuming you have tried system restoral to an earlier date or trying a repair with your windows cd. In any event, after that's done, protect your pc with the many software freebees you've read about in the previous entries. I keep my machine clean with Counterspy (for the spyware and adware), Norton AntiVirus 2005 and like the others are saying FireFox as your browser version 1.0.6! Good luck.
Before you go all crazy with the others try this.
Go to: Major Geeks
and download CWshredder.
That should get rid of most of the popups and the recurring reinfestation.
Then get Spybot and Adaware and clean out the system.
Good Luck
Dan
p.s. Went through same thing in Spring looking for graphics of an Easter bunny for the wife.
Posted by: DanNY ||
08/13/2005 7:33
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#15
Okay, my 2 cents worth. Norton/Symantec, MacAfee and Trend (maybe others too, but I have not seen myself yet) can all be compromised by certain viruses that attack and corrupt their kernels. AdAware and SpyBot Search and Destroy etc. don't dig deeply enough. These are all half measures. So much for what NOT to count on.
Tenbril SpyCatcher (www.tenebril.com) is the most thorough spyware excavator - best by far. It has a free trial. I use it now, after having used all of the others mentioned in the other comments plus some not mentioned for years. Their ghostsurf ( a step up) contains spycatcher and allows you to surf the web through a third party protected server - you are invisible. Panda AV PlatinumIS at www.pandasoftware.com is the AV of choice; updates several times a day (on some days), has a good firewall. All antivirus programs are mostly reactive - they prevent infection from KNOWN viruses. PlatIS can catch brand new, as yet unknown viruses. Their free online scanner is good too. I think they have a free trial for platis.
Get a router - $50. - with stateful packet inspection (spi). Most routers are firewalls. I suggest a Linksys WRT54G.
The suggestions about bootable linux cd's are worth doing.
At dead worst, reformat and reinstall. DON'T connect to the internet until you get the the AV and spyware programs loaded. Plan ahead. Scan everything at least once a day.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
08/13/2005 9:16
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#16
Carl-
Thanks for suggesting Avast! - it pulled 277 diffeternt viruses and adwares out of my trusty old Emachine! I owe you one.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
08/13/2005 11:47
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#17
Seafarious
I used to run a script on a linux router/gateway I had that would send commands to the offending windows box to shutdown.
I quit doing it as many viri restart from where they left off after a shutdown. I got a serious DOS (denial of service) effect from all the windows machines returning to service. I modified it to get myself a new ppp address every 25 attacks but even that got too frequent.
If you put a machine on to the internet with a packet sniffer and appache web server... you will be amazed at the number of attacks per minute you will quickly get.
#22
If the pop-ups have "Aurora" at the on the left of the top bar, then its about the hardest to clean there is.
I've been cleaning it for people, but none of the cleaner apps will do it. Its manual hacking and slashing in the registry and system folder.
I can't even write down the directions because I still haven't fully understood how I'm finally getting rid of it.
Googling for Aurora Nail should get you some real experts who have developed directions for removal. Good Luck with it.
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KATHMANDU (Reuters) - The Nepali army said on Friday faulty Indian assault rifles were partly responsible for its heavy death toll in a gun battle with Maoist rebels as troops hunted for 75 soldiers still missing after the fighting.
Islamist 
DHAKA--Issuance of blank passports by different passport offices across the country poses a serious threat to national security, police officials have told New Age.
KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan and US forces have killed a suspected Taleban leader in their drive to secure unstable parts of Afghanistan ahead of landmark parliamentary elections next month, the US military said. Afghan soldiers and US paratroopers killed Qari Amadullah, believed to have led up to 50 Taleban militants armed with rockets and rocket-propelled grenades, during a firefight Tuesday in eastern Paktika province, a military statement said.
BAGHDAD - Iraqâs Shiite majority made a surprise move toward Kurdish-style autonomy, angering the ousted Sunni Arab elite, just days before a deadline for agreement on a new constitution.
BAGHDAD - Iraqâs political leaders, racing against time to reach consensus on the draft constitution before Mondayâs deadline, have settled three out of 18 outstanding issues, said a source close to the process. âThree points have been settled: the name of Iraq, the question of the peshmerga (or Kurdish militia) and Kirkuk,â the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.
A 'red bulletin' has been issued by 
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas vowed yesterday the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip marked a huge step in his people's quest for an independent state, with a capital in Jerusalem. "Today Gaza and tomorrow Jerusalem if God wills it," Abbas told a demonstration, attended by thousands, on Gaza City's Mediterranean coastline. Today, our march to freedom begins. Tomorrow, it will be Jenin's turn and after that Jerusalem," Abbas told the crowd at the gathering, called "the Festival of Victory and Freedom." The crowd roared back Abbas' popular name: "Abu Mazen, Abu Mazen".
A bomb exploded in a market in southern Afghanistan on Friday, injuring four civilians, police said. Elsewhere in the region, a gunfight between police and suspected Taliban rebels left two officers and three militants dead. The latest violence comes a day after Afghan and American troops killed a suspected Taliban leader in their drive to secure unstable parts of Afghanistan ahead of Sept. 18 parliamentary elections, the U.S. military said Friday. A U.S. service member was killed Thursday in an explosives training accident in central Uruzgan province — the seventh American fatality in eight days.
Egyptian security forces on Friday arrested a man and a woman on suspicion of involvement in bloody bomb attacks last month in the resort city of Sharm el-Sheik. The two were captured separately after a gunbattle in which two police officers were wounded when authorities raided the Sinai hideout of the bombing suspects, some 15 miles east of the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya, the interior ministry said. The woman was captured with an automatic weapon after others in the group escaped the police ambush and fled into the rugged Sinai mountains, the ministry said in a statement. Hours later the man was caught trying to dodge a checkpoint near a tunnel under the Suez Canal.
German police discovered four bombs Friday, just hours after the suspected bomber was killed in an explosion as he tried to rig a bomb to the car of an ethnic Turk. Police, who ruled out any terrorist motive, safely detonated two bombs they found on a terrace outside the small-town home of the intended victim, a 66-year-old Turkish-born German national. The incident happened in the small town of Barbing, about 110 kilometres north of the southern German city of Munich. Police declined to release the name of a 67-year-old man who blew himself up overnight as he was planting another device. Police said his identity had not been 100 percent established. 
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged yesterday that the Kurdish conflict in Turkey would be resolved with âmore democracyâ despite a marked increase in violence by armed Kurdish rebels whom Ankara considers âterrorists.â âI want you to know that there will be no going back from the point Turkey has come to... We will not allow any regression in the democracy process,â Erdogan said in an emotional speech in this key city of Turkeyâs mainly Kurdish southeast. âWe will resolve all problems with more democracy, more civil rights and more prosperity,â he said, frequently interrupted by applause from a crowd of some 1,000 people.
Peshawar Assembly and Pushto
Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said on Friday that Iran's decision to resume uranium conversion is "irreversible" Iran resumed work at Isfahan Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF) on Monday. In a sermon at Friday prayers in Tehran, Rafsanjani called the resolution on Iran recently approved by the UN nuclear watchdog âunfairâ. Foreign Ministry also rejected the resolution on Iran on Thursday, saying it was "politically motivated" and passed under pressure from the United States and its allies. 
A Haitian rebel leader who once led a paramilitary group accused of killing and torturing thousands of people has been released from prison, his lawyer said Friday. Louis-Jodel Chamblain, a leader of the armed uprising that ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February 2004, was released Thursday from the National Penitentiary, attorney Stanley Gaston said. Chamblain was jailed in April 2004 on two counts of murder. He was acquitted but kept in prison while authorities investigated allegations that he masterminded a 1993 fire that devastated part of Cite Soleil, a vast waterfront shantytown outside of Port-au-Prince, Gaston said. An appeals court ordered him released on July 26, ruling there were insufficient grounds to hold him for the arson, Gaston said. The lawyer said it took three weeks to push authorities into carrying out the order for Chamblain's release.
A Moroccan man accused in Germany of abetting the 11 September attacks on the United States was too naive to have been involved in the plot, his defence lawyer has said.
Three men have been shot dead in Sri Lanka, bringing the death toll from a fresh wave of violence to 10. The killings come amid diplomatic moves to end a deadlock in the island's peace bid. Officials said the three men were gunned down in separate incidents overnight on Monday and early Tuesday in the country's east. The military described the deaths as an upsurge in rebel internecine clashes. 
The Jordanian interior minister has said British authorities would deport Muslim cleric Abu Qatada to Jordan, where he will face new trials on charges of conspiracy and terrorist bombings for which he was found guilty in absentia. Awni Yirfas, the minister, told state television on Friday night that Britain had verbally informed authorities in Amman that the cleric "will be sent back to Jordan next week". Abu Qatada would be "retried under a Jordanian law which allows persons convicted and sentenced in absentia the right to retrial once captured," Yirfas said.
