I'll admit, I laughed when I heard about the Great Australian Bikini March, an upcoming event intended to get bikini-clad Aussies out en masse in protest of Australian Sheik Taj El-Din Hamid Hilaly's suggestion that unveiled women are akin to "uncovered meat" and to blame for rape. It's no secret that Hilaly is on Broadsheet's blacklist, and I'm generally a fan of subversive, outrageous behavior. On second look, though, the big bikini protest seems more frightening than funny.
The protest is scheduled for Dec. 9 in the city of Melbourne, just two days before the anniversary of the Cronulla race riots in Sydney last year. As it happens, so-called white nationalists have taken an interest in the bikini march, which will end at Melbourne's Islamic Support and Youth Centre.
The demonstration is being organized by Christine Hawkins, who refused to describe her "background" in an interview with Australian publication the World Today, saying only that she is a grandmother of two and "veteran bikini wearer." Hawkins hasn't exactly extended a personal invitation to these groups, but she also hasn't made much of an effort to exclude them. Meanwhile, online white nationalist community Stormfront and like-minded blogs like Patriot Downunder are enthusiastically advertising the event. Australian police warn that the event could be co-opted by white supremacists and, understandably, there's buzz of a repeat of last year's violent riots.
Hawkins insists that her aim is simply to deliver a message to Hilaly and his supporters: "We're not changing, we're Aussies." Taking a page from Europeans anxious over Muslims' assimilation throughout Europe, Hawkins also said, "We're actually going to be calling on the government to bring in new citizenship legislation, so that extremists can be weeded out either coming into the country, or if they're here, get rid of them."
There's an interesting and understandable cultural tug of war going on here. But when veils are pitted against bikinis in a cultural and political showdown, I'm not sure there can be any clear winners.
#4
WTF with that last paragraph? Veils against bikinis? Ask any red-blooded male, it's bikinis in a landslide! The veiled idiots and their supporters can take those veils and stuff them where the sun don't shine.
Posted by: mac ||
11/30/2006 17:19
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#5
...the big bikini protest seems more frightening than funny. Agreed. Huge bikinis worn by large women can be awfully scary.
#7
Only small-dick child-rapist worshipers prefer "their" women in a bin-bag. Real women, Western women, free women have the liberty to let it all hang out. Praise God.
#1
If, as Mr. Bardakoglu also lectured the pope, it is "Islamophobic" to say that Islam "was spread over the world by the sword," why is it that almost all the major conflicts in the world today occur on the fault lines between Islam and other faiths?
#1
Confirmation (sort of) that pilot ejected. FoxNews showing short vid of smoking wreckage from a distance - news helicopters not allowed in airspace of Marine Station Miramar, of course.
#3
Hmm, wonder if they were trying to duplicate something that went wrong before? Could just be accident too. Either way I'm relieved the pilot is ok.
Posted by: Charles ||
11/30/2006 16:32
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#4
Charles: Accident reconstruction would not normally involve actual flying of the aircraft and attepmting to duplicate anything suspected of causing the accident. The use of flight simulators and or maintenance trainers would be more likely.
Had a Marine accident board member visit my A-6 flight control trainer and place a rivet bucking bar in the flight controls and witness how it affected the linkage and control surfaces. The bucking bar had been pulled from a wreck and the crew (ejected and survived!) described what the aircraft was doing (or not doing as the case may be) We were able to duplicate the mishap aircraft's actions to a 'T'. A similiar scenario would be employed using the flight simulators and flight control computers. Any 'black box' data that was usable is a gold mine for such an investigation and at no risk to other people/ equipment.
#5
I work a mile or so from Mirimar and saw a pillar of smoke earlier in the day and presume now that that was the crash.
Unlike the Navy top gun school that was at Mirimar before it as far as I can tell the Marines never fly over land only as long as it takes to get over the ocean. Since the smoke was near or on the base I assume the accident happened during take-off or landing.
Mind you this is just a guess. I didn't hear the crash and the smoke I saw might be unrelated.
Mel Gibson Bush Bashing
Posted by Curt on September 24, 2006 at 21:51
Just another reason to dislike this guy:
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Mel Gibson has returned to the spotlight to promote his upcoming movie Apocalypto, and to criticize the war in Iraq, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Almost two months after he railed against Jews when he was arrested for driving drunk in Malibu, the actor made a surprise appearance Friday at Fantastic Fest, an event in Austin, Texas, devoted to new science fiction, horror and fantasy films, the trade paper said in its Monday edition.
He presented a work-in-progress screening of his Mayan adventure tale, and then took questions. About one-third of the full house gathered for the film gave him a standing ovation. The film is scheduled for a December 8 release via Disney.
In describing its portrait of a civilization in decline, Gibson said, The precursors to a civilization thats going under are the same, time and time again, drawing parallels between the Mayan civilization on the brink of collapse and Americas present situation. Whats human sacrifice, he asked, if not sending guys off to Iraq for no reason?
Just how many ways can I say, "Fuvk Gibson"?
Film star and director Mel Gibson has launched a scathing attack on US President George W Bush, comparing his leadership to the barbaric rulers of the Mayan civilisation in his new film Apocalypto.
The epic, due for release later this year, captures the decline of the Maya kingdom and the slaughter of thousands of inhabitants as human sacrifices in a bid to save the nation from collapsing.
Gibson reveals he used present day American politics as an inspiration, claiming the government callously plays on the nations insecurities to maintain power.
He tells British film magazine Hotdog, The fear-mongering we depict in the film reminds me of President Bush and his guys.
I take it Gibson is a big fan of pIslam. 9-11 ring a bell Mel?
Its quite sad that the man who made Braveheart, still my all time favorite movie, and We Were Soldiers has become this twisted old anti-semite.
#1
As an armchair expert in the Maya civilization I was looking forward to this movie when I first heard about it. Since then, witnessing Mel's descent into (or exposure of a chronic) moonbattery: not a chance.
#2
Interesting how Mel is positioning himself. The opposite of a Rino. Big on religion but soft on defense and foreign policy and all that.
I think he's trying to fix up his name amung the Hollywood folks and to churn up some press since I've heard Apocolypto isn't doing so well (who ever thought it would?).
#3
Film star and director Mel Gibson has launched a scathing attack on US President George W Bush
Jew bashing didn't seem to go over very well in Hollyweird. So, Mel's gone after the next best sure thing. Anyone get the feeling that Mel should just slit his wrists and get it over with? First he expresses sympathy for Richards (Kramer) and now he goes about alienating a huge portion of the religious right that he seemingly recruited with his film, "The Passion".
What is it about these all-consuming egos that mandatorily heads straight for the self-destruct button?
#4
I have taught Mayan archaeology so the film is of course of interest to me. Though this feeling is at war with my loathing of Mel Gibson. I look forward to watching a pirated copy.
#5
Now that Gibson has swung over to the Hollyweird crowd, desperately cravening their acceptance, perhaps his next ode to forgiveness will be a film glorifying the artist, Andre Serrano, he of Piss Christ infamy. Call it "The Pissing of the Christ."
EFL
U.S. officials say they have found smoking-gun evidence of Iranian support for terrorists in Iraq: brand-new weapons fresh from Iranian factories. They even have that straight from the factory smell According to a senior defense official, coalition forces have recently seized Iranian-made weapons and munitions that bear manufacturing dates in 2006.
This suggests, say the sources, that the material is going directly from Iranian factories to Shia militias, rather than taking a roundabout path through the black market. "There is no way this could be done without (Iranian) government approval," says a senior official. Well, there's something to talk about, eh?
#6
"This suggests, say the sources, that the material is going directly from Iranian factories to Shia militias, rather than taking a roundabout path through the black market. "There is no way this could be done without (Iranian) government approval," says a senior official."
WTF? Not saying it wouldn't have been done with governmental approval, but what a moronic statement. The capacity for corruption and stealth is stupidly not acknowledged.
It has seemed lately that ABC, as a mainstream news provider, is little closer to the camp of sanity than NBC and CBS show themselves to be. That a mainstream outlet is telling this story at all differentiates it.
#11
Lawzy, lawzy, the collective in-take of breath, immediately followed by some sort of inane bullshit, if Bush does go after the Mad Mullahs will be something to see. I predict a vacuum lasting about 30 secs after the attack ends, followed by 2-3 weeks of breast-beating and pud-pulling about how they figgered it would happen all along. Mixed in, starting about 36 hrs after the last JDAM waxes a terminal complex, will come the bitching cuz it didn't happen per their schedule and / or that it wasn't thorough enough. Should be quite a purple-letter day.
#12
Don't know what I'll do in 2008. The only thing that got me to the polls in 2004 was the fear that Theresa Heinz Kerry might have ended up on the evening news every night for the next four years. Haven't been so disillushioned in years. I don't wanna sound like a war monger. I'm just afraid of what will happen if nobody ever stops the Iranians. I don't care about the oil. I just don't want any more nukes going off and I don't want to have to bow to mecca. Who is Rum Pat Rum anyway? Or Howard neoBeales?
We're all in the same boat. I don't expect there will be nukes tossed around, not unless everything goes titzup. China, down the road, is where that notion might become real.
I'll wager that was Ship's way of saying Run Pat (Buchanan) Run 2008. Isolationism is an idiot's play in this world. Pat's about 100 years too late.
The Howard NeoBeales was in reference to a post I made not long ago. You might say I'm getting tired of the ankle-biting fuckwits who blame everything on Bush. Yep. I am.
Bush is a whole 'nuther person. He believes what he believes, thinks what he thinks.
There's a pretty good chance that there are people you know, maybe even like, who are not your clone. Sis, Mom, Dad, Bubba - we all have folks who we, otherwise, love or like - who are to the Left of Marx. That's life.
Bush has done a lot. He has fumbled a lot. Sounds almost normal. Imagine that, huh: another guy, a guy with a different POV, doing what he thinks is right. That he's not a clone seems to come as a surprise to so many. Dunno why. I've never had one, though Ship might come close when he's on his meds. So Bush not meeting my schedule or doing everything I want when I fucking want it shouldn't come as a surprise.
#15
Well this is the camels nose under the tent. Yes, I am surprised that it was reported at all, but it could be the lever the president needs.
I would like it if he called a press conference tomorrow to point out the obvious fact that the Iranian government is actively causing the deaths of American soldiers and actively working against our interests in destabilizing Iraq.
I would also like him to say that if this activity does not cease immediately then Iranian targets will be hit by the US Military as a clear defense response.
It won't happen, of course, but that is what I would like and what I believe is the appropriate course of action.
But right now it looks like he is showing weakness in the face of the mad mullahs just like Carter did. Granted, idiots like Kennedy and Murtha haven't made it any easier. But Bush has two years to do something about these bastards and then he's going to down as the worst president since Carter and that's pretty bad.
#21
End of the month, which can only mean the armchair-generals and the foreign-policy-ekspurts have been let out of their halfway-houses, and can't get into LGF...
#22
"Granted, idiots like Kennedy and Murtha haven't made it any easier."
And people like you, who can't bring themselves to grant him any more than that, aren't making it any easier, either.
The entire Democratic Party, in a cheap, cynical bid for political gain, has dedicated itself to interfering with the war in every way conceivable since the very day it began, up to and including threats of impeachment.
Nearly every commercial media outlet in print, broadcast, and cable has devoted every last ounce of effort for five solid years to undermining public confidence in both the purpose of this war and the competence with which our military is waging it. They have denigrated every success we've had. They have exaggerated every setback. They have trumpeted one goddamn bogus "scandal" after another to confuse and demoralize the public, to the point where most people anymore don't have the slightest fucking idea what the hell we're fighting for.
Not only that, Bush has had virtually the entire international political establishment set against him since the very beginning as well.
And all you can grant him is that all these things "haven't made it any easier"?????
Go screw yourself.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
11/30/2006 20:48
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#23
This means that Iraq isn't in a Civil War - its (and us) are in a de-facto war with Iran.
That is the most succinct observation in this thread yet. Let's hope our government acts upon this fact.
#24
Dave, your third paragraph is one clue to what's wrong with Bush. He didn't hit back, and he still doesn't hit back. He's a good man and all that, but this is war and we need a prick. A no nonsense bastard who points the finger of censure at the leftist macaca. Instead, we have a lame duck.
Wake me when our leaders are serious.
LEHMAN: "Were you aware that it was the US government established policy not to question or oppose the sanctuary policies of New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, San Diego for political reasons, which policy in those cities prohibited the local police from cooperating at all with federal immigration authorities?"
CONDOLEEZA RICE: "I do not believe I was aware of that."
Sanctuary Cities: What are they?
Despite a federal law that requires local governments to cooperate with Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agency, many large urban cities (and some small) have adopted so-called "sanctuary policies." Generally, sanctuary policies instruct city employees not to notify the federal government of the presence of illegal aliens living in their communities. The policies also end the distinction between legal and illegal immigration -- so illegal aliens often benefit from city services too.
The justification of creating sanctuary cities is often under the guise of protecting "immigrant rights." But illegal aliens are not immigrants -- immigrants come to the US legally, and maintain their legal presence. When a person is illegally smuggled into the US or knowingly violates their visa restrictions -- he/she is not an immigrant or visitor, but an illegal alien subject to deportation. The real reason behind sanctuary policies are public officials bowing to political pressure from the open-border lobby -- and/or an attempt to pander for votes at election time.
The bottom-line is that US cities with sanctuary policies provide safe havens for illegal aliens and/or terrorists in America. These policies allow criminal aliens to avoid deportation because they prevent local police from reporting foreign criminals to ICE.
Voters need to demand that their public officials take US security seriously, and repeal these idiotic sanctuary policies. Does your city have a sanctuary policy? View the list below to see if your city is on this reader submitted list.
List of US Sanctuary Cities*
*Note: Not independently confirmed by OJJPAC. If you believe a city should not be listed, please send an email, and OJJPAC will attempt to verify.
Last updated: 8/17/06
Alabama
Alabaster, AL
Arizona
Phoenix, AZ
California
Bell Gardens, CA
City of Industry, CA
City of Commerce, CA
Cypress, CA
Davis CA
Diamond Bar, CA
Downey, CA
Lakewood, CA
Los Angeles, CA
Long Beach, CA
Maywood, CA
Paramount, CA
Pico Rivera, CA
Sonoma County, CA
So. Gate, CA
San Diego, CA
San Francisco, CA
Vernon, CA
Wilmington, CA
Colorado
Aurora, CO
Commerce City, CO
Denver, CO
Federal Heights, CO
Fort Collins CO
Thornton, CO
Westminster, CO
Connecticut
Springfield CT (Disputed)
Florida
DeLeon Springs, FL
Deltona, Fl
Miami, FL
Sanford, Fl
Illinois
Chicago, IL
Massachusetts
Cambridge, Mass.
Maryland
Baltmore, MD
Gaithersburg, MD
Takoma Park, MD
Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN
St. Paul, MN
New Jersey
Camden, NJ
Fort Lee, NJ
Jersey City, NJ
North Bergen, NJ
Trenton, NJ
Union City, NJ
West New York, NJ
New York
Bay Shore, NY
Brentwood, NY
Central Islip, NY
Farmingville, NY
New York City, NY
Peekskill, NY
Riverhead, NY
Shirly/Mastic, NY
Uniondale, NY
Westbury, NY
North Carolina
Charlotte, NC
Raleigh
Winston-Salem
Oregon
Portland, OR
Texas
Austin, TX
Brownsville, TX
Denton, Tx
Dallas, TX
Ft.Worth, TX
Houston, TX
Laredo, TX
Mcallen, TX
San Antonio, TX [Note: The Sanctuary status of San Antonio is under dispute so OJJPAC is researching the issue to determine if the city's belongs on this list or not.]
Utah
Provo, UT
Salt Lake City, UT
Virginia
Fairfax County, VA (?)
Wisconsin
Madison, WI
Wyoming
Jackson Hole, WY
Most of these will fall into one of four categories: Lefty-infested college towns (Berkeley, Madison, Austin), cities with industries and services that depend on cheap labor (Chicago, Winston-Salem, City of Industry), wealthy communities where large numbers of illegals provide the domestic help (Jackson Hole), or cities with large Hispanic populations (Laredo).
There is no genuine ideological consensus on this issue, though almost all hard leftists are pro-illegal. Note, for example, that college-town Cambridge is the only sanctuary in liberal run Massachusetts. The driving forces appear to be racism, do-gooder elitism, and cheap-labor profiteering.
#1
The answer here is quite simple. Declare these cities in rebellion against the US. Arrest their city officials, try them for treason and execute them while putting the city under federal management for a month or two while you hold new elections.
#3
Seems you'd be a fool to come to the US illegally and not find a place to live in one of these sanctuary cities. So in effect these cities have chosen to take on the financial burden of illegals from the state and feds.
Wonder how long that lasts when these cities start to go deeper and deeper into debt.
#4
That graphic's purdy interesting. "No Bosses. No Borders." Taken to its logical end, it would be the end of precisely those who march around carrying the signs.
I spent enough of my youth on a "farm" that I could prolly grow / raise more than I need, assuming I had the ammo hoard I'd need to protect it from the type of people who carry signs like that.
Their cities wouldn't be a sanctuary if they won - they'd be Hell on Earth. Fitting.
#5
Another few reasons are out here in Phoenix. First of all, the illegals here integrate quickly and create few problems. Second, the feds want local communities to pay, directly and indirectly, for doing federal work. Third, the local and State police are far more interested in getting the cooperation of the illegals in solving serious felony crimes--which is why they are not too keen in alienating their informants.
Finally, the feds have in past been astoundingly ham-handed out here when dealing with illegals. They have done crap like search (white) people's homes without a warrant, because they saw a brown person walk through their yard. They had a city sweep in Chandler where anyone with dark skin was stopped on the street and had ID demanded of them. Some several times.
I even had a red-haired Irish friend with a tan sent to Nogales at the point of an M-16 because he was picking oranges without having his drivers license with him. Boy, was he pissed.
We also have an s-load of kids whose parents are illegal, but the kids are American, don't speak Spanish, and have never been to Mexico.
The biggest problem is that even if you have a small business and net $100k/year, if you are illegal, it is a major pain in the ass, and about a decade of hassle, to become legal. You even have to leave the US to do it. No middle class person wants to do that, it is insane.
If you could just buy yourself legal, even for $50,000, Phoenix would have thousands of new legal residents overnight. And most of them would vote republican.
#6
All the Colorado Cities are either suburbs of Denver, or in the case of Fort Collins, a university town. The solution is quite easy - just declare that all federal funding will be withheld from those cities refusing to cooperate, and stick to it. These cities NEED federal funds to continue their moonbat ways. Without them, they will dry up and blow away - or at least, come to their senses. I'm sure there are laws already on the books that would allow this. The same goes for college towns - just declare that the colleges in those towns are not eligible for federal funding OFANY KIND, and watch the attitude change. Also watch the ACLU and a host of other moonbats start flinging around legal challenges that can easily be defeated - except when pled before a Carter or Clinton appointee.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/30/2006 18:23
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#7
Here's another good one for you. Illegals can get mortgages. Who'd a thunk it.
#8
I'd like to chime in and agree with Anonymoose, especially with point #3. The cops here in San Diego don't like to 'waste' their time dealing with immigration crimes when there are so many other priorities. Things like robbery, assault, rape, and gang violence are deemed far more important.
If illegals in the community know they can be deported for reporting these sorts of crimes, they will not talk to the police. Since around here that can be a lot of people, you're going to have pretty large areas where the law runs thin. That leaves the nasty criminals running around and making things worse for everyone, since they don't usually confine their crimes to illegals.
At least where the cops and courts are concerned, they figure when they run out of violent criminals, they'll go after the those who are here illegally.
As for the people who advocate and implement the policies ignoring legal status for benefits in community services and university education, they have no such excuse. Most of them I talk to will always have some sort of world view that has the current U.S. as the problem of just about anything. And they're here to fix it. Always makes me scratch my head in wonder.
How seriously do you think Muslims take those teachings?
Do you have any reason to think that the way Muslims are suffused with the teachings of Islam, a system of Total Regulation and Complete Explanation of the Universe, is different from the way that either Judaism or Christianity impinges on, or organizes the life of, Jews and Christians?
What do you know of Muslim teachings regarding non-Muslims?
Have you ever read the Qur'an and at least a few hundred of the hadith, possibly directed by a scholar of Islam?
Are you acquainted with the life of Muhammad, as written and read by Muslims, and do you realize the role that Muhammad plays as the Perfect Man, uswa hasana, al-insan al-kamil?
Do you know about the decapitation of the prisoners of the Banu Qurayza? The attack on the Khaybar Oasis? The murders of Asma bint Marwan and Abu Afak for mocking Muhammad? The marriage to little Aisha?
Are you familiar with the agreement that Muhammad made with the Meccans in 628 A.D. when, feeling not yet strong enough to attack them directly, he made an agreement for a truce, a period of ten years, and then eighteen months later broke that truce on a pretext and, now with stronger forces, attacked the Meccans?
Are you aware that in the entire history of Islam, this behavior by Muhammad is hailed as being exceptionally clever, and has been taken as a model for all agreements and treaties made between Muslims and non-Muslims?
Are you aware, for example, that all of the Muslim commentators on the law of war and peace in Islam are in universal agreement that no permanent peace treaty can ever be made between Muslims and Infidels, only temporary agreements made necessary when the Muslim side is too weak?
Have you read, for example, or has anyone brought to your busy attention, Majid Khadduri's War and Peace in Islam, with its discussion of the Treaty of Al-Hudaibiyya?
These questions, and your answers to them, will be published in the five leading newspapers of Israel.
Please, Mr. Prime Minister, think carefully before answering.
And come to think of it, why shouldn't this little quiz, which so clearly will elicit for us information about the comprehension of Infidel leaders everywhere, be given, in one form or another, all over the world, beginning with those in Washington, London, Paris, Berlin, and Madrid?
Why shouldn't we all demand that those who presume to protect and instruct us (they go together: protection must be accompanied by instruction on what one is being protected against, and how, and why) take this test?
This is not a multiple-choice examination. It will not be graded by some computer, measuring the little lines who shaded in with a No. 2 pencil.
No, this test requires the ability to put a few sentences together. It does not supply the pre-fabricated answers.
And it will not be graded by a whirring machine in Princeton, New Jersey.
It will be graded, instead, by all of us. And we are in no mood, the publics of the Western world, to indulge or overlook in any way. Too much depends on the understanding of these matters.
Olmert, I'm afraid, has already failed with the surpassing idiocy of his every statement and move. Bush, in his messianic missing-the-point fervor -- he had an idea and now the idea has him -- to create a Light Unto the Musiim Nations instead of exploiting the situation to weaken the Camp of Islam -- has not done much better. Almost all of the known leaders of the Western world have similarly failed.
But there are others, waiting in the wings. They should all be asked to take the test above -- all those hoping to be the next Republican or Democratic candidate. We want to know, more than anything else, what they understand about Islam. We want to know if they are fooled, or foolable, or unwilling to state things, even if not with the full freedom that one has at this website, but slightly more obliquely (that may at first be necessary, and if undertaken only for tactical reasons, may in some cases be understood and forgiven).
The Council on American-Islamic Relations is demanding Congress investigate US Airway's removal last week of six imams from one of its flights. The Muslim-rights group claims the imams, who were behaving suspiciously, posed no threat. It's "very, very inappropriate to treat religious leaders that way," a spokesman fumed.
According to CAIR, imams are as harmless as Buddhist monks and deserve no less respect. Tell that to flight attendant Kimberly Banducci.
According to police reports I've obtained, the Delta Air Lines veteran was assaulted by a Muslim cleric in a bizarre attack aboard a flight from Miami International Airport three years ago. The wild scene, which involved federal air marshals and local police, was never reported in the media.
#1
A local Muslim leader bailed the violent groper sheikh out of jail. Authorities say a man named Sofian Abdelaziz (aka Sofian Zakout, aka Sofian Abdelaziz-Zakout, aka Sofian Zakkout) representing the American Muslim Association of North America, or AMANA, posted bond for the 35-year-old Hamman, who was visiting Florida during Ramadan. Abdelaziz-Zakkout, a Kuwaiti native, was his trip sponsor.
He's also a radical Islamic activist who is a close personal friend of the notorious Shukrijumahs of South Florida, a Saudi family whose son, Adnan, is an al-Qaida operative thought to be in line to head an encore attack on America. The FBI calls him "the next Mohamed Atta." His late father was a local Wahhabi imam on the Saudi payroll.
In light of recent developments, the groping incident comes across as just another probing of airline security. Had Air Marshalls not come to the stewdress' assistance, Sheikh Ahmed Hamman Mahmoud Hamman might have rightly concluded that there were no security personnel present on that flight and signaled accompanying coconspirators to launch an attack.
There are simply far too numerous interconnecting links between the Minneapolis Six and so many other high profile terrorist fugures for all of this to be a coincidence. What we have here is a network of terrorist point men looking for holes in transportation security.
A co-founder, Salah As-Sawi, is a professor at Al-Azhar in Egypt, a bastion of the dangerous Muslim Brotherhood. In fact, American Open University is a fully accredited satellite campus of Al-Azhar. As-Sawi worked with Idris at the Institute of Arabic and Islamic Sciences in Washington, a propaganda center set up by the Saudi Embassy to spread Wahhabism in America.
Why is this place still open? Whether it provides leads on terrorism or not, it represents such a significant threat that little can justify its continued operation.
#2
I'm demanding Congress investigate CAIR. What kind of charade is this ? Are Saoodis funding this pack of fools too, just like all the moskks being built in US ? I'd like to promote an annual night of fire once per year to dispose of projects which outrage the community in general.
#4
The stewardess was surely wearing heeled shoes. The sheikh's behaviour goes well beyond being in need of assistance, and she should have stomped on his instep until the bones were crushed. Or yanked out two good handsful of hair. Or broken a few of the grasping digits. He would've let go of her breasts sometime during the process.
/yes, I'm a white belt in several different disciplines, and will never get beyond that because of my innate squeamishness. But I've been given just enough instruction in the key skills to give me very constructive nightmares.
Hollywood has its share of dubious fashion trends: the purse-sized chihuahua, the oversized sunglasses, the return of leg-warmers. But the apparent desire by some of Hollywood's hottest young female stars to be photographed getting in and out of limousines in short skirts while wearing absolutely no undergarments is arguably one of Tinseltown's most disturbing new crazes. Not that I mind, mind you...
Britney Spears is the latest celeb to be repeatedly caught on film with her bare genitalia on full display, following in the footsteps of Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton. In Spears's case, her C-section scar is also visible, making for an image most civilized members of society really don't want to see. Ummm... True...
Yet the triple-X pictures can be found this week on myriad websites and blogs, as have recent pictures of Lohan - sans skivvies - stepping out of limousines into a sea of paparazzi. Hilton too has frequently been photographed with her private parts clearly visible in an apparent new fad that makes Sharon Stone's groundbreaking scene in "Basic Instinct" seem as tame as Martha Stewart demurely preparing a dish of oysters Rockefeller. Paris Hilton has private parts? I thought they were all public?
Are they doing it on purpose?
#4
"It's unhygienic not so much for the woman who's not wearing underwear, but to the people around her," says Thomas, who practises in Toronto. "Let's face it - like every other woman, they've got a certain amount of discharge and they are hanging around with other people."
Yikes! Think about that at the wrong time and all human reproduction will cease.
A woman says she saw a soldier's flag-draped coffin put into a cart with passengers' baggage last month at the Greater Rochester International Airport, shocking her and other onlookers. I doubt it greatly.
"It looked awful, just awful," Cynthia Hoag, 56, of Dansville, Livingston County, said Wednesday. "Maybe we made too much out of it, ... and probably did...
"but it was very disturbing to us. If that had been my son, I would have been very upset." There are only so many ways to take a coffin off an airplane...
Officials dispute Hoag's story, saying it is implausible. They did not disclose the name of the fallen soldier, but he appears to be Army Sgt. 1st Class Tony Knier of Sabinsville, Pa., who was killed in Iraq on Oct. 21. A Pennsylvania funeral director confirmed on Wednesday night that he transported Knier's body from the Rochester airport on Oct. 27, the day Hoag was there. Monroe County officials said the coffin was being taken to Pennsylvania. Normally the hearse picks up the coffin planeside. The funeral director could probably confirm if that didn't happen and why...
Knier's mother was appalled when she was told Wednesday night that the incident might have involved the body of her 31-year-old son, a husband and father of three young children. Knier's funeral was Oct. 31 near his home in Wellsboro, Pa. "If that's what that lady saw, I'm outraged. I'm really upset, because my son died for this country. " said Betty Tidwell, who lives in Tennessee. "He gave all he had to this country. And for them to do that to him, that just upsets the hell out of me." But I'm not seeing a lot of plausibility to the story...
Hoag wrote an op-ed essay that was published Tuesday in the Democrat and Chronicle, describing what she says she saw. Based on Hoag's account, Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks called on the federal government Wednesday to change procedures to prevent a similar incident, saying what happened is an "outrage." Sounds like Our Ms. Brooks is making the assumption the military's hosed it. I suppose it's a possibility, but it's not the result of military policy.
Hoag explained that as she waited at the airport with friends, she saw a soldier in uniform standing at attention near a commercial airplane as the luggage came off. She then saw a coffin draped with an American flag come down a luggage conveyor on the runway. The "luggage conveyor on the runway" is not the same thing as the luggage carousel. So the coffin, complete with flag, didn't pop out between Grandmaw's suitcase and Uncle Bob's golf clubs.
The coffin was put into a baggage cart with other luggage and driven off with the uniformed soldier in the cart. "I saw the casket of a fallen soldier, saluted by a lone soldier, and then placed in a baggage cart," she wrote. "Baggage." The "baggage cart" would be the baggage train, on the runway. If the hearse wasn't planeside, it would be necessary to transport the coffin to where the hearse was. The Casualty Assistance Officer rendered military honors and accompanied the body, as he was supposed to do. Presumably there were baggage handlers to place the coffin on the baggage train.
Defense Department spokeswoman Cynthia Smith was unaware of the incident late Wednesday but said the witness' description doesn't correlate with military procedure. It doesn't.
Remains from a soldier killed in Iraq are taken to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, then usually flown to a soldier's home, she said. If there's not an airport at the soldier's home, it'll be flown to the nearest airport and then picked up by a funeral director.
Military escorts accompany each flight, whether domestic or military. When the coffin reaches the home area, it is met by an honor guard of two people and then transported to a funeral home, she said. In this case, I'm guessing they were with the hearse, to great the coffin, and the person who was seen was the escort.
"We do everything to ensure that proper respect is given to the fallen service members and their families," Smith said. It's all laid out in the regulation.
Airport officials said it's a problem that notification of the airport is not required when a soldier's coffin is en route. Airport Director David Damelio said he wasn't aware that the soldier's body had been transported through Rochester until Hoag's letter was published. "We're not notified unless the military or the family chooses to notify us," he said, adding that the airport often makes special arrangements at the request of soldiers' families. Apparently there wasn't notification, which'd be why the hearse wasn't planeside.
Yet Damelio said Hoag's story doesn't make sense and said the Defense Department has always shown great care with soldiers' coffins. Procedurally, a coffin wouldn't come down a luggage belt with other baggage, he said. Also, a baggage cart isn't large enough to fit a coffin and other luggage, he said. "It couldn't happen. It's physically impossible," Damelio said. There's room on the luggage train, however.
He said the airport was unable to find video of the incident. Further reinforcing my opinion that the report's an exaggeration.
Nonetheless, the witness' description prompted Brooks to urge the Defense Department to change policies on the transportation of the coffins of dead soldiers. Whether it happened or not?
"It is unfathomable to me that our federal government would allow a fallen military hero to be returned home in this manner, and then transport him along with someone's checked luggage," Brooks, a Republican, wrote in a terse letter to the Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England. If it didn't happen then there'd be no need to fathom it, would there?
Brooks said the Defense Department should be required to notify an airport when the coffin of a fallen soldier is being transported so that proper arrangements are ensured. "I am asking you to do whatever is necessary to end this abhorrent practice," Brooks wrote. "Our military personnel and our veterans deserve better." And our local elected officials really like getting their names in the paper.
Posted by: Fred & Gorb ||
11/30/2006
13:41 ||
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#1
This is bullschit. The man should have been carried off the plane. It's that fricking simple.
#2
Several years ago, I escorted the coffin of my baby from Florida to Michigan for burial. I was able to ride with the funeral director in the hearse, and he dropped me at the terminal and then went to the air freight section. While waiting for the flight to board, my son's casket was indeed sitting on a baggage cart, but it was the sole occupant of that cart and did indeed have to travel up the conveyor (head first) into the hold. It was positioned with the rest of the belly freight on the ramp. The weather was clear, so I cannot speak to the inclement weather procedures, but my guess is that they would cover or otherwise protect it. I saw nothing wrong with that, since there really is no other way to handle such an object. At the destination, the process was repeated, again with respect and care.
I would expect nothing less for a coffin carrying one of our soldiers. This, if true is not the norm, but I think it is simply an over-reaction.
#3
Here's her original letter. It explains a little better what she saw.
Where was outpouring of respect for fallen soldier?
By Cynthia Hoag
Guest essayist
(November 28, 2006) On Oct. 27, I was waiting for a flight with three friends at the Greater Rochester International Airport. As we talked and laughed, we watched airport personnel unloading luggage from a plane. And we were surprised to see a soldier in uniform standing by the airplane looking things over, and watching the luggage belt that was loaded with baggage.
Since I have served in the Army Reserves for 21 years, my friends asked me why I thought he was standing there. I did not need to answer because as I looked down, a box with the American flag draped over it came down the belt. The lone waiting soldier stood at attention saluting the fallen soldier.
My friends and I sat silently watching the casket roll down the belt, and then, to our surprise, disappear into the cart with the rest of the luggage. The waiting soldier stayed with the casket and rode in the cart as they pulled away.
My friends and I were speechless. I, as many Americans, support our troops and know they believe they are truly making a difference in Iraq. As I read the paper every day, I see the number of soldiers who are killed every day. I served with soldiers who were deployed in support of the war. I have not, however, known anyone who has been killed in it. After I read the paper I usually go about my business not thinking again about the young men and women who died trying to complete their mission. Since I have not been affected by the death of a loved one, or a friend, I haven't been as aware of the devastation that their families must endure. I'm afraid most people feel that way.
This incident, however, changed that for me. I saw the casket of a fallen soldier, saluted by a lone soldier, and then placed in the baggage cart. Baggage. There was a young man standing at the window watching intently with us. He made no comment, but I can only hope that he was not a relative.
At the very least, couldn't there have been a hearse to transport the fallen soldier? At the very least, couldn't there have been a group of soldiers to receive one of their own? If it had been a dignitary/celebrity arriving, the reception certainly would have been different.
It was a very sobering, sad experience for all of us. Please, don't let this happen again to any soldier. Let's not treat our fallen troops like baggage.
#4
I think I'll go breathe into a bag for a while. But they better make sure a hearse is waiting from now on. I don't want anything that even looks like a luggage train to pick up coffins.
Unless it's a bunch of terrorists that need to be disposed of, of course. They can just throw those guys in garbage trucks until they're full and squeeze them out into the dump. Don't forget to hose them out when you're done so it doesn't contaminate the garbage.
CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AP) - The missing pilot of an F-16 from Cannon Air Force Base that crashed in Iraq earlier this week has been identified as Maj. Troy Gilbert, a 1993 Texas Tech graduate who was assigned to the 309th Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix. The military classified Gilbert, 34, as "whereabouts unknown" Wednesday.
Lt. Gen. Gary North, commander of the U.S. Central Command Air Forces, said Wednesday that a priority would be identifying the human remains found at the crash site.
Gilbert graduated from Tech with a bachelor's degree in economics, according to Luke AFB officials.
U.S. forces investigating the crash have said insurgents reached the site before American forces. Videotape pictures obtained by Associated Press Television News appear to show the wreckage of the F-16CG jet in the farm field where it crashed Monday and the remains of a U.S. serviceman with a tangled parachute nearby.
The jet crashed about 20 miles northwest of Baghdad while supporting ground combat by coalition forces in Anbar province, where many of Iraq's insurgent groups operate, the Air Combat Command said. DNA samples were taken from the scene and would be tested at a military medical facility in the United States, the central command said.
Cannon had said earlier that the pilot was not from the eastern New Mexico base.
The 524th Fighter Squadron, part of the 27th Fighter Wing from Cannon, has been operating from Balad Air Base in Iraq since being deployed in September. Gilbert was deployed to the 332nd Expeditionary Wing at Balad Air Base. Cannon officials confirmed markings from the base were apparent on news photos and television images that showed sections of the single-pilot aircraft.
An Iraqi witness reported seeing the jet flying erratically before it crashed. A U.S. military spokesman in Iraq said he doubted the plane was shot down because F-16s fly very fast and have not encountered weapons in Iraq capable of taking them down. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
Air Force spokeswoman Susan Stout said the Air Force has been in contact with family members in the Phoenix area. A man who answered the phone Wednesday at a number listed under Gilbert's name said the family has no comment and referred members of the media to the Air Force's public affairs office.
Gilbert's family later released a statement through the Air Force, although details about his immediate family were unavailable. "Troy was first and foremost a wonderful husband and father. His Christian faith, personal values and work ethic guided his personal life and his career as a military officer," the statement said. "He was highly respected by and deeply loved by so many. At the time of the tragedy during combat operations, he was unselfishly protecting the lives of other American military members. We, his family, cherish the worldwide prayers and support during this extremely difficult time." Sleep well, Troy, may God cradle you in his loving arms.
The opinions that pundits and politicians alike are voicing about Iraq these days concern me.
Iraq has little history with democracy. For the most of the last two generations it was governed by a criminal gang that deliberately played upon the fears and loyalties of the Iraqi people to stay in power.
Fourteen million or so Iraqis voted to form the present government. They have voted on provincial and local governments as well. They appear to be convinced that a popularly elected government will work in their country.
The country is largely peaceful, with the violence centered around Baghdad and its surrounding provinces. The terrorists engaged in the violence have demonstrated the ability to create large numbers of dead and horrific images for the media to capture.
To deal with this violence, and to generally maintain law and order, over 300,000 Iraqis have volunteered to join the military or the police. Thousands of them have given their lives for their country, having become a focal point for terrorist murderers.
Oh good. They're scheduling them now. Makes things much easier.
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations appealed to the world's prosperous nations on Thursday for $3.9 billion in donations next year to address humanitarian emergencies touching 27 million people in 29 countries, with most of the money targeted at Africa. The annual "Reward Failure" Appeal...
"These 27 million individuals seek not a handout but a hand-up, and I hope that once again we will respond -- not with pity but with practical assistance," outgoing Secretary-General Kofi Annan said, addressing his 10th and final annual appeal. Thanks, Kofi. Get get enough of those mean absolutely nothing cliche's. Here's one for you. What's in it for us?
The single largest sum -- $1.2 billion -- would again go to Sudan, a vast northeast African nation where multiple civil wars have left millions homeless and hungry, the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. ...and we've seen all the progress that's been made there.
The next biggest components of the 2007 appeal were the Democratic Republic of Congo, earmarked for $687 million, and the Palestinian territories, where $454 million has been requested, the office said. ...and we've seen all the progress that's been made there.
For each success story, where the yearly appeals have made a difference, "there is a contrasting story where help could not be offered for lack of funds," said Annan, whose second five-year term as U.N. leader ends December 31. "For each success story". Where was that in this story? I must've missed that. Are they talking about Kojo's bank account?
The $3.9 billion amounted to the cost of two cups of coffee for each citizen of the world's wealthy nations, he said. Too bad. I really like my coffee.
"What shall we say when our children and grandchildren ask us, 'Why? Why did we let so many women and children die unnecessarily when we had the money, we had the knowledge and we had the tools to save them?"' Annan said. I'll tell them, "Well, kids, we had a useless, malignant, corrupt little troll named Kofi Annan in charge of the effort who accomplished very little, if anything, except for maybe making some of his corrupt cronies a lot of money."
Last year's appeal sought $4.7 billion in donations but succeeded in raising just two-thirds of the goal as of the end of October, through donations from 65 governments, the U.N. office said. We gave at the office...INFIDEL!
The money is channeled to recipients through U.N. agencies, private aid groups, and international and local organizations. So everybody gets a piece of the action.
As in previous years, most of the 2007 aid targets Africa. As well as Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, it is aimed at Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, Congo Republic, Ivory Coast, Somalia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, the south-central Great Lakes region and the West Africa region. The south central Great Lakes region? Ohio? Indiana?
The biggest donors for 2006 were the United States, the European Commission, Britain, the Netherlands and Japan. 31 days.
Al Qaeda in Iraq yesterday denounced the Pope's visit to Turkey, calling it part of a "crusader campaign" against Islam. The Vatican said the comments showed the need to fight violence in the name of religion.
The trip is Benedict XVI's first to an Islamic country as pontiff, seeking dialogue with Muslims who were angered by a speech in September in which he cited a medieval text that linked Islam and violence.
Al Qaeda in Iraq, that nation's most feared Islamic militant group, posted its statement on a militant website.
"The Pope's visit, in fact, is to consolidate the crusader campaign against the lands of Islam after the failure of the crusader leaders [in Iraq and Afghanistan] . . . and an attempt to extinguish the burning ember of Islam inside our Turkish brothers," it said.
It said the Pope wanted to ensure Turkey remained secular and was "driven into the arms of the European Union to stop the spread of Islam".
The statement did not include any threat to the Pope, saying only that the group was "confident in the defeat of Rome in all parts of the Islamic world".
The Vatican said the denunciation showed the need for faiths to unite against violence.
"This type of message shows once again the urgency and importance of a common commitment of all forces against violence," said the Rev Federico Lombardi, a Vatican spokesman. "It also shows the need of various faiths to say 'no' to violence in the name of God."
The Pope's four-day pilgrimage to Turkey was seen as a sign of its increasing engagement with the West at a time when it is involved in EU accession talks.
The European Commission, however, dealt a sharp blow yesterday to Turkey's hopes of joining the European Union, recommending a partial suspension of talks after Ankara refused to open its ports to Cyprus.
The EU executive said negotiations could not be concluded until the Cyprus trade dispute was resolved.
Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan called the recommendation "unacceptable".
Britain, Turkey's strongest EU ally, called it "disappointingly tough". Prime Minister Tony Blair had earlier said the EU should not send a negative signal to Turkey as this could be "a serious mistake for Europe long-term".
"We confirm these negotiations must continue, although at slower pace," EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said yesterday. EU foreign ministers will decide whether to back the recommendation on December 11.
#1
Popes Turkish visit a crusade, claims Al Qaeda
You bet it is, assholes. As if Islam hasn't declared war on all of Western civilization. Now you have the temerity to wail about how we feel obliged to come onto your turf and start spelling out exactly what will happen if you go on stirring up this shit. Just keep rallying your religion and suppressing all internal opposition by any moderates. The net result is that al Qaeda will get ALL Muslims killed. Welcome to your twisted vision of paradise, fuckwits. We are rallying our religion(s) in order to make sure it ISN'T us that all end up dead. Have a problem with that? I'm sure you do, seeing as how you want every damned thing both ways so long as they are all in your favor.
How it must rankle Islam's ass to see a man of courage like Pope Benedict walk straight into the lion's den and call them on their crap. Go ahead, try and off this brave soul. Watch the shitstorm that breaks loose if you do. Killing the Pope would do more to strip away Islam's protective mantle as The Religion of Peace [spit], than just about anything currently possible. I believe Benedict knows it just as it is equally possible that Islam really has no clue regarding this beyond its usual threats and seething.
#3
"The Pope's visit, in fact, is to consolidate the crusader campaign against the lands of Islam after the failure of the crusader leaders [in Iraq and Afghanistan] . . . and an attempt to extinguish the burning ember of Islam inside our Turkish brothers . . . "
The real significance here is that th Islamofacists see Iraq and Afghnistan as a failure. Failure = weakness.
"The statement did not include any threat to the Pope, saying only that the group was "confident in the defeat of Rome in all parts of the Islamic world"."
Here are the three, top, uniting goals: destroy the White House (the actual White House), destroy the Vatican, destroy the Jews (especially in Israel).
The usual Moslem paranoia: "It said the Pope wanted to ensure Turkey remained secular and was "driven into the arms of the European Union to stop the spread of Islam".
#5
Yeah, sorta like Pre-Boarding. This is Pre-Crusade to the full blown event. You won't mistake the real thing as soon as all the people stand up and proceed to the [starting] gate.
WASHINGTON - A senior American intelligence official said on Monday that the Iranian-backed group Hizbollah had been training members of the Mahdi Army, the Shiite militia in Iraq that is headed by Muqtada al-Sadr.
The official said that between 1,000 and 2,000 fighters from the Mahdi Army and other Shiite militia groups from Iraq had been trained by Hizbollah in Lebanon, mostly in small groups. A small number of Hizbollah operatives have also visited Iraq to help with training there, the official said.
Iran has facilitated the link between Hizbollah and the Shiite militias in Iraq, the official said. Syrian officials have also cooperated, though there is debate among intelligence officials about whether it has the blessing of the senior leadership in Syria, the official said.
The intelligence official spoke on condition of anonymity under rules set by his agency, and discussed Irans role in response to questions from a reporter.
The interview occurred at a time of intense debate over whether the United States should enlist Irans help in stabilizing Iraq. A commission headed by James A. Baker III, a former secretary of state, and Lee Hamilton, a former Democratic Party lawmaker, is expected to call for direct talks with Tehran. The claim about Hizbollahs role in training Shiite militias could strengthen the hand of those within the Bush administration who oppose talks with Iran.
The new American account is consistent with a claim made in Iraq this summer by a mid-level commander of the Mahdi Army, who said his organization had sent 300 fighters to Lebanon, ostensibly to fight with Hizbollah forces there. They are the best-trained fighters in the Mahdi Army, the militia commander said in an interview in Iraq. He spoke on condition of anonymity.
The specific assertions about Irans role went beyond those made publicly by senior American officials, though Gen. Michael V. Hayden, the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, did tell Congress earlier this month that the Iranian hand is stoking violence in Iraq.
The American intelligence on Hizbollahs role is based on human sources, technical means, and interviews with detainees captured in Iraq, American officials said.
American officials say that the Iranians have also provided direct support to Shiite militias in Iraq, including explosives and trigger devices for roadside bombs, and training for several thousand fighters, mostly in Iran. The training is carried out by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Ministry of Intelligence and Security, they say. American officials also suspect that in some cases the Iranians may have provided guidance to the Shiite militias to attack specific targets in Iraq.
By Glenn Harlan Reynolds Is America in danger of civil war? Not immediately, perhaps, but famed science fiction writer Orson Scott Card thinks that we're in enough danger that he's authored a cautionary tale entitled Empire that's set in more-or-less present times.
In Card's novel, which is straight thriller fiction a la Jack Bauer rather than the science fiction for which Card is generally known, shadowy forces use terror and assassination to trigger a civil war in an America sharply divided along Red/Blue lines. In the Afterword, Card writes:
"Rarely do people set out to start a civil war. Invariably, when such wars break out both sides consider themselves to be the aggrieved ones."
Such is the case now, he notes, when both Left and Right feel threatened by the other side, and unfairly so:
"Can it lead to war? Very simply, yes. The moment one group feels itself so aggrieved that it uses either its own weapons or the weapons of the state to 'prevent' the other side from bringing about its supposed 'evil' designs, then that other side will have no choice but to take up arms against them. Both sides will believe the other to be the instigator . . . . In America today, we are complacent in our belief that it can't happen here."
Well, I certainly don't believe that it can't happen here. Civil war can happen anywhere and, given enough time, usually does. And it happened here once, after all.
I've noted before that one of the great American accomplishments was to get over the Civil War without the kind of lingering bitterness that often marks -- and reignites -- such conflicts elsewhere. And we can, perhaps, thank the ongoing Civil War reminiscence industry for helping to keep the horrors of that war alive in people's memories. Throughout the remainder of the 19th Century, many people feared a reignition of the Civil War, but it didn't happen.
Nonetheless, Card's cautionary tale is worth bearing in mind. Civil wars are, traditionally, among the most bloody, and the hardest to prevent once the ball gets rolling. So what do we do?
One question is "who's 'we' here?" I don't see much of a sign that the American public -- which, after all, overwhelmingly favored centrists in this month's elections -- is as divided as Card suggests. But -- as Card also notes -- the elites are much more divided, and the media tend to play up those divisions, because division and conflict are good story-drivers. ("We live in a time when moderates are treated worse than extremists, being punished as if they were more fanatical than the actual fanatics.") To the "activist" crowd on the left and right, people who don't share their views 100% are evil, and on the other side. This tends to backfire politically, which I think is why the elections favored centrists this time, but that doesn't stop the polarization. In a way, it tends to make it worse.
I think that we're a long way from a civil war. But I also think that Card's right to warn people against too much division, and too little emphasis on our common interests as Americans. While I don't think that we're in danger of a civil war, I do think that our current political system is unhealthy, with polarization serving mostly as a tool for the folks in power to keep their bases in line, while they pursue agendas that are mostly self-serving. I hope that both the people and the press will make some conscious efforts to moderate the tone, and make that approach less effective.
#1
I think an American civil war will boil down to these basic issues:
1) A visage of how America is: free enterprise, respect for religious practces, reduced and small government and a strong defense, and personal freedom and responsibility
2) Versus a visage of how America should be: hyper-regulation of all human activities, financial, personal and religious concomitant with the taxes it would require.
A civil war will be sparked when visage A decides that those who press for visage B have gone too far. Visage A will win because all of the ideas promulgated by the left are based in whole or in part on lies and contradictions, and deception is not a stable basis for a free and open society.
#3
I've noted before that one of the great American accomplishments was to get over the Civil War without the kind of lingering bitterness that often marks -- and reignites -- such conflicts elsewhere.
I can easily see a low level Civil War ala Northern Ireland here. Start with an impotent Governmental response to Jihadi terror which fosters a backlash by vigilante groups.
I give Bush a lot of credit for taking the war to Afghanistan after 9/11. A non-response like we got after the USS Cole would've certainly created a UDA/UFF/Red Hand-style movement like the Belfast Prods and there would be plenty of burnt out mosques, taxis, and ACLU offices.
I'm not endorsing it but I can see how grievances like those of Loyalists and Nationalists in NI can lead to spiraling violence if the Government isn't seen to be addressing the problem(s).
#5
Any attempt by Demo-led Feds to effectively repeal the Second Amendment will be a guaranteed opener. I'd be very interested in knowing just how many patriotic Americans are thinking that the first government official who comes to their house to confiscate their guns will be the first person they've ever killed.
Posted by: mac ||
11/30/2006 17:14
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#6
The lawyers and the celebrities who don't leave for France as promised will be targeted first!
#7
You said it mac ...I have a couple sacrificial guns that could be turned in if the 2nd falls and some self defense guns that will have to be taken after my death and possibly that of others. Protection of family comes above any laws of any government!
Posted by: Jim ||
11/30/2006 19:45
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#8
They try take away guns, they will find out a LOT about just how cleverly explosives, IEDs and boobytraps can be employed.
Al Qaeda is a bunch of pikers compared to the havoc that could be wreaked by angry Americans.
#9
I remember reading about a Marine officer who asked his men whether they would obey an order to confiscate the weapons of American citizens. To a man, they said they'd refuse, based on the Second Amendment.
#10
Al Qaeda is a bunch of pikers compared to the havoc that could be wreaked by angry Americans.
And something like 650 thousand dead Americans in 4 years of brutal, bloody war proved that notion quite effectively. The south's economy was shattered and the north's economy was teetering by the end of things during our first go-'round.
A second go-'round would, I believe, be even bloodier and more brutal. Our population of idiots is a lot higher, for one thing.
#11
It may well be more bloody and brutal, but only because there's a TON of LLL out there in the urban areas. I'd venture to guess that instead of wanton destruction across entire states, we'd see mere craters of a few select cities to get rid of any gun-grabbers.
Posted by: BA ||
11/30/2006 23:49
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BAGHDAD, Iraq The Central Criminal Court of Iraq, between November 10th to the 23rd convicted 41 individuals for variety of crimes including possession of illegal weapons, possessing false civil affair identifications, failure to renew resident identification and illegal border crossing.
The trial court found an Iraqi man guilty of participating in terrorist activities and attacking Iraqi Forces and Multi-National Forces in violation of Article 4/1 of the anti-terrorist laws. MNF apprehended the defendant during a targeted raid. The defendant confessed to participating in the video production of the Merez dining facility bombing that killed 18 MNF servicemembers and wounded another 30. On November 13, 2006 the trial panel found the defendant guilty and sentenced him to death.
The trial court found a Sudanese man guilty of violating Article 24/ Residency / Entering Iraqi Border Illegally. MNF apprehended the defendant in a targeted raid to disrupt anti-Iraqi Forces and anti-MNF elements. The defendant admitted to entering Iraq for terrorist purposes. On November 14, 2006 the trial panel sentenced him to life imprisonment.
The trial court found an Iraqi man guilty of possession of illegal special weapons, the trial panel sentenced him to 15 years imprisonment.
The trial court found a Saudi Arabian man guilty of violation of the Iraq Passport Law, sentenced him to 15 years imprisonment. The trial court found an Algerian man guilty of illegal border crossing, sentenced the man to 15 years imprisonment.
Those convicted of passport violations, forging official documents, possession of illegal weapons, taking advantage of someone elses legal documents and entering the country illegally, were sentenced from between 6 months to 10 years imprisonment. Those convicted included 18 Iraqis, three each from Egypt and Syria as well as one each from Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Jordan and Sudan.
Since its establishment in April 2004, the Central Criminal Court has held 1,740 trials for Coalition-apprehended insurgents. The proceedings have resulted in 1,501 convictions with sentences ranging up to death.
Three suicide car bombers, among them a veiled woman, killed themselves and three companions at a police checkpoint outside Somalia's government base of Baidoa, a senior official and a police officer said Thursday.
"Three cars have arrived at government checkpoint and as the police tried to check them, they exploded," Deputy Defense Minister Salad Ali Jelle told The Associated Press. "The three drivers were killed on the spot and three others who were with them," the minister said by telephone. "We have captured three who were with them who have tried to flee. The dead include non-Somalis, they are al-Qaida supporters."
A female suicide bomber wearing a veil detonated herself in one of the vehicles, said a police officer on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. He said four civilians were taken to a Baidoa hospital.
Another policeman at the scene, Mohammed Ahmed Mohamud, told The AP the three captured men appeared African but not Somali. There have been numerous reports of foreign Islamic radicals coming to Somalia to join a holy war. No one claimed responsibility.
On Sept. 18. a suicide car bomber tried to kill President Abdullahi Yusuf. The president escaped unharmed; 11 people were killed in the explosion and a subsequent gunbattle, including Yusuf's younger brother. The transitional government blamed the Sept. 18 car bombing on extremists within the Islamic movement. The group denied it was behind the bombing and no one has claimed responsibility. Associated Press Writer Mohamed Olad Hassan in Mogadishu contributed to this report. I hope he's not a made-up person.
Ditto. P.S. to a5089: when posting, please edit out all the non-germane drivel that the Roooters reporters insist on sticking into every story. Thx, AoS.
FBI agents have arrested a St. Louis businessman who they say posed as a highly decorated Marine Major even though he never served in the Corps. Forty-eight-year-old Michael Weilbacher was arrested while attending a local Marine Corps League meeting.
Federal authorities say he was spotted earlier this month at another event, the Marine Corps Annual Birthday Ball, wearing several distinguished medals. "He was wearing the Navy Cross, two Silver Stars, four Bronze Stars and just about every medal in the book," said Major William G. Dragan, who attended the event and told ABC News that he immediately became suspicious of Weilbacher. Plenty of Marines could name recent Navy Cross recipients from memory. There aren't very many of them. And two Silver Stars?
"He boasted of getting his Navy Cross by leading a secret mission against drug cartels in Colombia, which seemed very strange to me," Dragan said. The old secret mission/no records gambit, a favorite of flakes everywhere.
Weilbacher's girth also raised suspicion, Dragan said. "He is massively overweight, something like 400 pounds, and yet he claimed he had just left the Marines, which did not add up because he could never meet USMC physical standards," Dragan said. "Captain, why is that LHD listing to port?"
Federal authorities say there is no record of Weilbacher ever serving in the Marines.
Weilbacher was charged under a federal law that makes it illegal to wear Armed Forces medals without being authorized. The charge carries a penalty of six months in prison and/or a fine of $50,000. A bill currently before Congress, "The Stolen Valor Act of 2005," would also make it against the law to make verbal or written fraudulent claims of having been awarded medals or decorations.
FBI agent Tom Cottone Jr., who has investigated more than 200 cases of imposters wearing military medals, says, "They do it to feed their own egos and gain instant respect and admiration."
"The imposters also attempt to enhance their careers and achieve financial gain," Cottone says. "There are probably thousands of individuals currently wearing unearned medals and decorations and thousands more making false claims of receiving military awards."
Weilbacher was released on bond today after an initial appearance before a federal magistrate. He is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court Dec. 7. He could not be reached for comment. What amazes me is the amount of money this fool spent on this fantasy. He apparently has the full set of uniforms. He had to have them made by someone who was not authorized to provide military uniforms (an authorized provider would, or should, have busted him). Dress uniforms are always tailored, btw, but the specs would definitely have raised eyebrows. The assorted medals are not cheap either.
#1
I was pointlessly looking through an Army/Navy Surplus store for a pair of pants once when it occured to me that there's a hell of a lot of difference between my 40-something physique and that of a 20 year old.
Time for me to head over to The Gap for some Dockers.
#2
There are probably thousands of individuals currently wearing unearned medals and decorations and thousands more making false claims of receiving military awards.
One of them used his unearned medals to run for President.
#3
The recent elections had (R) candidate running on his platform of being a Carrier CO, a helicopter pilot and all around great good ol guy. his attire in public was a pair of docker slacks and his well worn "I've been there" flight jacket. I took him to task for this uniform violation and he was incensed that a mere enlisted guy would challenge an Acadamy grad with such a fine record. He got stomped in the election.
#4
Veterans have really lost their sense of humor about this crap. One of the first I remember who got busted was "Duke" Tulley, Publisher of the Phoenix Gazette (long since defunct). After he was exposed, he was banished to some little midwest paper and died in obscurity.
The Pentagon awarded a special honorarium of appreciation to one vet who has made it a lifelong campaign to expose fake Vietnam vets. He and his little band of the annoyed were responsible for taking down hundreds of frauds.
Usually they just send a letter of warning, and the braggart shuts up. But if they are in high places in business or government, or especially using their fraud for criminal purposes, they will get nuked. And the Pentagon is showing more signs of increasing willingness to prosecute.
#5
I once lead a secret mission across the border. Our mission was to acquire, track, and consume large quantities tequila. This assignment required strict secrecy and all members of my infiltration team were sworn to keep the mission secret. Well we reached objective TJ just as twilight descended. My wingman spotted several youthful female beckoning my team into what was sure to be a trap. But before I had a chance to act the entire team was drawn into the action and after four hours we limped back across the border. We didnt get any medals for our work but we will always remember that night when we accomplished our goal and the next morning brought a new appreciation for sleep and fluids.
#6
400+ pound SpetzlPretzl 1st class reporting for duty.
SECRETE SOGGY MISSIONS GALORE
this medal nn I got when Colby gave me the word to block the Ho Chi Minh trail.
And blocked it I did all by my lonesum.
I squat & blocked it because Ima 400+ pound SpetzlPretzl.
Posted by: Michael Weilbacher ||
11/30/2006 17:23
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#7
Too fat. Remings me of the story (NYT i think) about how we were gonna get smacked by Saddam 'cause all our soldiers were too fat - at least Saddam's army fit into their uniforms. Funny, as I could always turn on Fox and see a video of a bunch of fat, 50 yr old Sunnis stompin around some dirty Baghdad street like they were real $h!tkickers.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
11/30/2006 20:00
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TOPEKA, KSIn response to a Nov. 7 referendum, Kansas lawmakers passed emergency legislation outlawing evolution, the highly controversial process responsible for the development and diversity of species and the continued survival of all life.
"From now on, the streets, forests, plains, and rivers of Kansas will be safe from the godless practice of evolution, and species will be able to procreate without deviating from God's intended design," said Bob Bethell, a member of the state House of Representatives. "This is about protecting the integrity of all creation."
The sweeping new law prohibits all living beings within state borders from being born with random genetic mutations that could make them better suited to evade predators, secure a mate, or, adapt to a changing environment. In addition, it bars any sexual reproduction, battles for survival, or instances of pure happenstance that might lead, after several generations, to a more well-adapted species or subspecies.
Violators of the new law may face punishments that include jail time, stiff fines, and rehabilitative education and training to rid organisms suspected of evolutionary tendencies. Repeat offenders could face chemical sterilization.
#8
Mark E: actually individuals can evolve. It's the theory of "punctuated equilibrium". And I can give you an example:
A man is watching a sporting event on TV. Right when the critical game play is being held in the final seconds, his wife enters the room, bends over in her size 15 pink stretch pants and says,
"Honey, do these pants make my ass look big?"
He is now forced, by punctuated equilibrium, to either evolve or die. Most likely he will die.
#12
Right, pi has decoupled from Euclidian geometry and is now calculated from power series.
Historically, it was the ratio of the circumference to the diameter of a circle. If you make those measurements, calculate, and don't come up with pi, your circle is not living in a flat space; e.g. on the surface of the earth, the ratio depends on the diameter of the circle.
The spinning circle is an interesting thought experiment, known as Ehrenfest's paradox. The circumference is Lorentz contracted but the diameter is not. It troubled Einstein quite a bit and was likely one of the considerations that led him to the concept of warped spacetime in the presence of energy.
Traces of radiation have been detected at 12 locations during a probe into the death of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko. Home Secretary John Reid revealed 24 unnamed locations have been or are currently being monitored by experts. Low levels of radiation had already been found on two British Airways planes connected to the case and a third is being held in Moscow until it is safe to return. Mr Reid said a fourth plane which flew into Heathrow from Moscow this morning had been looked at. The Russian Boeing 737, which is leased by Transaero, was monitored by scientists and later given the all clear. However, Mr Reid said a fifth plane - another Russian aircraft - is also of interest to the inquiry.
BA had warned an estimated 33,000 passengers and 3,000 staff when "low levels of radioactive traces" were found on two of its aircraft at Heathrow which had flown between London and Moscow. A spokesman said they were being examined because "individuals involved in the Litvinenko case" had travelled on them.
The BA phone number for passengers is 0845 604 0171 and an international helpline can be reached on 0191 211 3690. The BA website is www.ba.com.
More:
BA is focusing its inquiries on four flights made by its jets between Heathrow-Moscow and Moscow-Heathrow between October 25 and November 3. The initial results of forensic tests confirmed very low traces of a radioactive substance yesterday afternoon. Sources said it could not have been naturally-occurring.
More than 200 flights between Heathrow and Barcelona, Dusseldorf, Athens, Larnaca, Stockholm, Vienna, Frankfurt, Istanbul and Madrid from October 25 to November 28 could also have been affected.
The first flight was grounded when it landed at Heathrow from Vienna on Tuesday night. It had flown to the Austrian capital after failing to land in Warsaw due to poor weather. Yesterday morning, a flight from Athens was grounded when it arrived at Heathrow at 11am. Several seats at different locations on the plane are understood to have been taped off. Then a flight from Heathrow to Moscow was intended to return to the UK with passengers. But BA was ordered to ground the plane by the British authorities.
The decision to ground three commercial passenger planes is another extension of the net which has already seen searches for signs of contamination at a string of London locations. It throws the spotlight back on to a meeting that Mr Litvinenko had with another former KGB agent, Andrei Lugovoy, in London's Millennium Hotel on the day he was apparently poisoned with polonium 210. Two Russians who met Mr Litvinenko in the hotel that day are thought to have travelled on the grounded aircraft. Security sources described yesterday's developments as 'potentially very significant'.
The Health Protection Agency confirmed last night that traces of polonium 210 had been found at Down Street and Grosvenor Street in London. The Grosvenor Street address houses the headquarters of international security company Erinys, visited by Mr Litvinenko. The address in Down Street was the office of exiled billionaire Boris Berezovsky, a friend of Mr Litvinenko.
BA says it is especially keen to contact passengers from these four flights: BA875 Moscow-Heathrow on October 25. Aircraft number GBNWX BA872 Heathrow-Moscow on October 28. Aircraft number GBNWX
BA873 Moscow-Heathrow on October 31. Aircraft number GBNWB
BA874 Heathrow-Moscow on November 3. Aircraft number GBZHA
And a possible connection to the currently ill, former Russian PM:
Doctors treating former Russian Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar, who is gravely ill, believe he was poisoned, an aide said today. Another former KGB spy who met with Litvinenko on the day he was allegedly poisoned, Andrei Lugovoy, served as Gaidar's bodyguard at one point.
Qom, 30 Nov. (AKI) - One of Iran's leading conservative clerics, Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Fazel Lankarani, has issued a fatwa - religious edict - in which he sentences to death two Azeri journalists, Rafegh Taghi and Samir Sedaghatoglu. "It is the duty of every good Muslim to help the execution of this fatwa," wrote on his website the cleric, who is based in the holy Shiite city of Qom.
Rafegh Taghi, an editorialist for the newspaper Senet, published in Baku in the republic of Azerbaijan, is considered guilty of having offended Islam and its Prophet Mohammed in an article called 'Us and Europe' which Lankarani slammed as "clearly offensive to Islam" because it talks about "the superiority of Europe compared to the Middle East .. it considers Islam inferior to Christianity .. offends the Prophet Mohammed."
Samir Sedaghatoglu, the paper's publisher, has instead been charged with "not forbidding the apostate to offend Islam." And the NYT will be all over this!
"Those who commit such acts are guilty of apostasy if they were born Muslim and are guilty of offending Islam if they are infidels," the ayatollah also said. Go get 'em, Reuters! You, too, AP!
The edict echoes the Iranian fatwa against Indian writer Salman Rushdie issued in 1989 by Ayatollah Rouhollah Mussawi Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic.
An Azerbaijani court has sentenced the writer Rafiq and his publisher to two months in jail for an article which was illustrated by the same cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad originally published in Denmark that caused outcry in the Muslim world.
#4
The dust of Iran needs to see the footprint of American miliary superiority, and the destruction of anything even remotely associated with islam. Destroy Qom, destroy every mosque, every religious school, and every vestage of the military, especially the "Revolutionary Guards". Pound their ports, destroy their infrastructure, and wipe out "their ruling class". Then stand by to ensure no one goes in to help them rebuild - especially not the UN or any NGOs. Let them eat sand and drink oil. See how well they learn from that. If they don't learn, nuke the entire place until it glows. Point to it as an example when "discussing" the behavior of other islamic states. It's time for the US to sh$$ or get off the pot.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/30/2006 17:27
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#5
Old Patriot, since you are no longer advocating initial use of nuclear weapons, your suggestions for Iran become increasingly attractive. I'd prefer that the Iranian people have a chance to establish a democratic state of their own without all the preceding bloodshed.
But, hey, guess what? If the only road to a peaceful Middle East leads through an Iranian wasteland, I'm down with that. Iran has bred up so much of the Middle East's and this entire world's misery that it's time they had a big heaping dose of their own medicine. Whatever it takes to demolish their nuclear weapons program and dislodge the mullahs represents the least amount of force that should be applied.
Rome, 30 Nov. (AKI) - The leader of Italy's largest Muslim group and a conservative lawmaker clashed on Thursday at the presentation of a new television programme on Italian Muslims. Hamza Piccardo, the spokesman of the Union of Islamic Communities in Italy (UCOII), and Daniela Santanche, a deputy of the right-wing National Alliance Party, exchanged harsh words over alleged human rights violations and abuse of women in Italian Muslim communities at the presentation of 'Muslims of Italy' a new show launched by Italian private channel Canale Italia, which is also broadcast by satellite tv Sky Italia.
"I am against this project" said Santanche, accusing the programme of "creating a ghetto for Muslims" and giving no room to moderate Islam. Hmmm... a TV documentary that "creates" a ghetto for Muslims, yet gives no room for "moderate" Islam. So just what kind of Muslims will dwell in Santanche's virtual ghetto? Moron.
The deputy has clashed with UCOII in the past and accused it of being a fundamentalist group.
The association has been at the centre of a controversy after one of its leading members, Patrizia Khadija Del Monte, who is in charge of the equal opportunities department of the group, said poligamy - which is illegal in Italy - could be taken into consideration. "We aren't like Santanche describes us," said Piccardo. "There are great differences within our group like there are within the National Alliance."
#2
Taken with a grain of salt. Anyone that follows a pedophile for their prophet can't be all there. Maybe it's a brain damage thing. Ether way I think this film might be interesting.
The livestock industry contributes more to the greenhouse effect than cars, the UN food and farming agency said in a report Wednesday which also slammed this sector as a major source of soil and water degradation. "The livestock sector generates more greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2 equivalent than transport," said the report by the Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). Wait till they find out about the trees. Reagan tipped them off on that twenty years ago.
By this yardstick, livestock now accounts for 18 percent of man-made carbon emissions, driven by the surge in demand for meat and dairy products, FAO said. Let them eat cake.
Global meat production is set to more than double from 229 million tonnes in 2001 to 465 million tonnes in 2050, according to a UN projection. Milk output is projected to soar from 580 million to 1,043 million tonnes over the same period.
"When emissions from land use and land use change are included, the livestock sector accounts for nine percent of CO2 deriving from human-related activities, but produces a much larger share of even more harmful greenhouse gases."
It generates 65 percent of human-caused nitrous oxide, a gas that is 296 times more effective at trapping solar heat than carbon dioxide (CO2), the biggest greenhouse-gas by volume. Most of this pollution comes from manure. Does this mean the UN will stop issuing press releases?
Livestock also accounts for 37 percent of all human-induced methane, which is 23 times as warming as CO2 and is largely produced by the digestive system of ruminants, and for 64 percent of ammonia, a big contributor to acid rain. Global warming, acid rain, we're all going to die!
Not only that, but livestock's demand for feed crops contributes to biodiversity loss. The report proposes to increase the efficiency of livestock production and feed crop agriculture, and to improve animals' diets to reduce fermentation and consequent methane emissions. Feed 'em Beano
#4
I think they ment some other gas. Nitrous Oxide is not easy to make. It takes high pressure and high heat. Usually. Teddy Kennedy might be able to make some. I really think the writer ment methane. That's easy and what large farm animals fart the most of. Not CO2. The animal poop can be gathered and enough methane extracted to be monetarily worthwhile. The largest creator of VOC's (volitile organic chemicals)in the office is Human bioefluent emissions. In other words, burps and farts. Why do farts burn? Methane. Same is true of animals. They do create CO2 through the process of respiration but they create much more methane whic is a much more efficient greenhouse gas than CO2. Bugwits.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
11/30/2006 19:31
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#5
What this report doesn't make clear is that livestock generates these greenhouse gas equivalents as a digestive bi-product. ie, by farting. This means that a proportion of the air we breathe comes out of some cow, sheep, pig or dogs arse.
It makes you wonder how adherants to some religions, who revile pigs and dogs as unclean, can retain their self respect when confronted by this scientific insight.
#6
Scientist LoveLock is back on DRUDGE, saying that ITS TOO LATE, to save mankind becuz its too late for Gaia. All together now, wid feelings > WE "RE DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMEEEEEEDDDDDD.
Hizbullah and the opposition forces have called for mass protests to begin Friday in downtown Beirut with the aim of bringing down the Western-backed government.
The call for peaceful street action came in a statement broadcast Thursday on the television stations of Hezbollah and other opposition groups. It said the street action would begin on Friday at 3 p.m. Beirut Time in downtown Beirut, where the embattled government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has its offices. Looks like Aoun was out of the loop on that decision.
The leader of the Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, said Thursday that Lebanon's Western-backed government had failed and he called for peaceful protests to force it to resign. Prime Minister Fouad Siniora's government "has proven it is incompetent and has failed to fulfill its promises and achieve anything significant," Nasrallah said in a televised address broadcast on Hizbullah's television station, Al-Manar.
The prime minister and members of his Cabinet have been bracing for mass demonstrations for days. The security forces have been deploying troops and armored vehicles outside government offices, where the prime minister is being held.
The call for protests came after weeks of political tension between groups in the opposition, led by Hizbullah, and factions supporting the government, which has wide Western backing.
The opposition "calls on all the Lebanese of all sects and parties ... to gather peacefully and stage an open-ended sit-in to protest the absence of real political participation and to demand a national unity government, whose priority is to decide a new election law," the statement said. "We're counting noses, too!"
Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah urged Lebanese to "turn out massively" for the opposition demonstration to press demands for a government of national unity. It called on supporters to carry only the Lebanese flag and to avoid carrying party banners or posters.
Although the statement said the protest would be peaceful, any attempt by demonstrators to take over government buildings could lead to violence. Previously groups that support Siniora's government have vowed to call counter demonstrations.
It was not clear from the opposition statement whether the groups would attempt to take over government buildings. Place your bets, gentlemen.
Communications Minister Marwan Hamadeh said that Lebanon's cabinet will not give in to mass demonstrations called by the opposition for Friday in support of demands for a national unity government. Pro-Syria Lebanese president Lahoud has repeatedly referred to the Siniora government as "illegitimate", so the possibility that mass demonstrations will lead to chaos is ... prety good.
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Ketchup maker H.J. Heinz Co. (HNZ.N: Quote, Profile, Research) on Thursday posted lower quarterly profit, hurt by a higher tax rate. The maker of Heinz condiments, Ore-Ida frozen potatoes and a host of other packaged foods said profit was $191.6 million, or 57 cents a share, in the fiscal second quarter ended November 1, compared with $203.8 million, or 60 cents a share, a year earlier.
Earnings from continuing operations were 59 cents a share. Analysts on average forecast 60 cents a share, according to Reuters Estimates.
The results follow a contentious battle in which activist investor Nelson Peltz and his Trian Group won two seats on Heinz's board of directors. Investors were looking to see whether better-than-expected results posted for the first quarter would continue. Higher tax rate? But the Bush Administration is all about giving Big Business and Rich People big tax breaks, not tax hikes.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
11/30/2006
09:09 ||
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#1
If they're falling behind, they'll need to ketchup.
Posted by: Mike ||
11/30/2006 10:29
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#2
Teresa, time to kick ol' Johnny boy in the nutsack. His lib ideas are now costing you real money.
(Washington, DC, November 29, 2006) The American Humanist Association (AHA) today launched the first nontheistic legal center in the nation's capital, the Appignani Humanist Legal Center (AHLC), by filing what is expected to become a controversial church-state separation case.
The litigation emerged as a result of practices during the recent midterm elections as monitored by thousands of AHA members nationwide. Churches are the most common polling locations in America. Some churches cover their religious symbols at this time out of respect for the principle of government neutrality on religion. But not all do so. Humanists decided it was time to learn to what extent religious proselytizing took place at the polls. "We put out a call to our members whose polling places were churches, asking them to report what they saw," said AHA President Mel Lipman. "The response was shocking."
"An Illinois member voted in a church that displayed a four-foot wooden crucifix right above the election judges," said AHLC attorney James Hurley. "Another member in California was confronted with a large marble plaque dedicated to the 'unborn children' who are 'killed' by abortion and containing a quote from the Bible justifying the notion that the soul is alive in the womb. And a New York member voted in a room featuring large religious slogans on the wall behind the voting machines."
Hurley, along with attorney Barry Silver of Boca Raton, Florida, is taking one of the most egregious and well-documented cases, that of plaintiff Jerry Rabinowitz who was assigned to vote at Emmanuel Catholic Church in Delray Beach, Florida. The case, Rabinowitz v. Anderson, alleges that, to enter the polling place, Rabinowitz was forced to walk past a church-sponsored "pro-life" banner framed by multiple giant crosses before even entering the church to cast his vote. Then, in the voting area itself, he observed many religious symbols in plain view, both surrounding the election judges and in direct line above the voting machines. He took photographs that will be entered in evidence. Warning! The following image may not be suitable for all nontheistic viewers. Some of the content may shock you. Atheist viewers are encouraged to continue only at their own discretion.
See: PHOTOS
I admit. I looked. I'm scarred for life.
The Appignani Humanist Legal Center consists of over two dozen humanist lawyers from around the country, backed by thousands of humanists from coast to coast, who seek to have humanist values represented in the legal arena. This launch is in direct response to recent influence exerted by the religious right under the Bush administration to damage Jefferson's wall of church-state separation. And just whos to blame for this centuries old travesty?
Wait for it...
"George W. Bush
The Devil incarnate! Shaytan himself, borne up from the Bowels of Hell to torment the...humanists
has been busy appointing conservative Christian judges who don't support the separation of church and state," said AHA Executive Director Roy Speckhardt. "And year after year we're seeing government intruding further and further into the religious sphere."
"The Appignani Humanist Legal Center will work to make sure that the First Amendment to our Constitution is honored," Lipman added. "More than that, though, the Center will pick cases that highlight our cause to the broader public. By working on these and drawing attention to injustices, the Appignani Humanist Legal Center will educate Americans on the importance of religious liberty and the plight of humanists in the United States."
#1
The Appignani Humanist Legal Center will work to make sure that the First Amendment to our Constitution is honored..
NOT.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
Do you see anything in there that supports the 20th century notion of intolerance of religion?
I see that the federal government will not establish a state religion as was the Church of England or the Catholic Church. I do not see the power to segregate the religious culture of the people from daily interaction of the people on their government. The entire 20th/21st century judicial position on religion is a construct of that branch of government unfounded upon any Constitutional writ other than their own fiat. Of course being not subject to the direct consent of the governed and having spent the last fifty years building more and more power, it is unlikely they comprehend the very foundation of the concept of a democracy or republic. That is a form of government that is to represent the majority of the people and their interests rather than the long history of government by and for a minority. There is a great difference between tolerating and respecting a minority and empowering a minority to have a veto over the majority. The latter is irreconcilable with the classical definition of a democracy or a republic.
#7
Where do they dig these people up? Hey idiot, vote absentee next time. That way you can vote while running nekkid down the street while barking at the moon.
#8
We vote in schools and firehouses and I don't see any increases in reading, putting out or lighting fires. What does it matter where people vote as long as they vote.
Posted by: Jim ||
11/30/2006 19:35
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#9
It's time to begin shooting these idiots. They're producing way too much carbon dioxide and methane, and have no redeeming qualitied (they're lawyers, fergodsake!). Have to limit it to ten each hunter, so we can all have some of the fun. Licenses are not required, but you must have voted in two of the last three elections.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/30/2006 22:00
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HATE cleric Abu Hamza has hooked up with a new pal behind bars London Tube bomb plotter Dhiren Barot. The fanatics sleep four cells apart on the maximum security wing of South Londons Belmarsh jail and pray together every Friday. Good planning. Do they use mirrors or do they tap out Morse code on the pipes?
Barot, 34, got 40 years this month for his plot to cause carnage both sides of the Atlantic. A prison source said: He and Hamza are very close. Theyre allowed together for Friday prayers and get the chance to speak with all of the other terror suspects. Theres nothing the prison can do to stop them.
Hamza seems in awe of him he sees Barot as the senior man. That's 'coz barot is a Lion Of Islam, while captain hook is a big mouth whose only "war experience" was being a bouncer, and blowing himself by screwing up in a bomb class.
Hook-handed Hamza, 48, yesterday lost his appeal against a seven-year jail sentence for incitement to murder and race hate charges. He was refused permission to appeal to the House of Lords. But he can apply directly to the Law Lords.
And a prison source revealed that Hamza faces more misery after losing all his privileges for trying to organise a revolt against jail rules.
#3
Hamza faces more misery after losing all his privileges for trying to organise a revolt against jail rules.
Yet these morons see no problem in allowing those two to conspire further while in custody. If Hamza was attempting to organize a prison revolt, doesn't it stand to reason that permitting him to consort with another known terrorist will merely help precipitate some sort of uprising or other more fearsome treachery?
Don't these idjit officials have the least idea of what these two maggots spend time together praying for? For fuck's sake, Hamza's spawn son was caught attempting to gain routine access to Tube infrastructure! And now Papa Hamza is hooked up (so to speak) with someone who wanted to blast the subway to smithereens. Have they not watched the videos where Hamza talks about "Taking the kufir to 'market' for sale or slaughter"?
How religious pretense can blind corrections officials to such a blatant opportunity for plotting further havoc is outright incompetence. Failure to connect dots the size of Jersey should be a punishable offense.
#1
I think the whole picture of taking an oath on any sacred instrument is purely for show. The few times I've had to take an oath, to give testimony in court or to become a commissioned office of the US, no Bible was seen anywhere. The formula is what counts: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm)..." etc.
#2
Seems like a pretty clear application of the First Amendment to me (freedom of religion.) Unlike all the nonsense about crosses in county seals and Nativity scenes on public property.
#3
Unfortunately, I 'spect he'll turn his oath into a dog goat and pony show. Surely a dirty infidel won't be allowed to handle the sacred words of Allan, and it'll be one of the holiest of holies who will need to be brought in to administer the oath...
#5
I think he should be forced to swear on a copy of "Dianetics".
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
11/30/2006 9:21
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#6
This is hooey. It is well-established in the courts that there are all sorts of documents one can swear on, not just the King James version of the bible. There is even an oath for atheists.
#7
I'll be the contrarian: This is the beginning of the march to Shari'a in the USA. Freedom is a fine thing, but it must apply to all.
Multiculturalism and political correctness are destroying this nation from within. Compromise you say? Show me any similar compromise in the Muslim world. Until they demonstrate their ability to compromise and co-exist with others, I say no compromise.
#8
The formula is what counts: "I do solemnly swear (or affirm)..."
Let me play devil's advocate here and ask, given the muslim precept that lying to infidels is no big deal, whether the whole concept of a sacred oath to "...support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic..." has any validity; especially since the Constitution and Sharia law seem to fundamentally conflict.
#15
It's ok, Nimble Spemble. Clever publishers have taken what Christians call the Old Testament, put a new cover on it, stamped Bible on it in gold letters with a Jewish Star underneath instead of a cross, and voila! Something Jews can swear with in comfort. The extra clever ones even re-arrange the order of the books to that used historically by the Jews, and even make use of scholarly translations from the original Hebrew, eschewing the labour of King James' savants and those of the Catholic Church altogether. The footnotes in my copy make for fascinating reading, referencing as they do recent archeological discoveries that expand our understanding of a language, culture and religion that modified considerably over the millenium or so during which the various books of the Old Testament were originally written.
#16
I like that. A bible with a fake Koran cover. Let's do that. Then after he's taken the oath, we can show it to him and watch his reaction and put it on America's Funniest Home Videos.
#17
Unfortunately, I 'spect he'll turn his oath into a dog goat and pony show. Surely a dirty infidel won't be allowed to handle the sacred words of Allan, and it'll be one of the holiest of holies who will need to be brought in to administer the oath...
Bingo, Sefarious. I find it impossible to imagine that Ellison will not take this opportunity to demand that some grand poobah mufti or hiya-mucky-muck be the one to hold his hand Koran during the ceremony. It will simply be another inroad of Islam's rites upon America's conducting of national business.
Yes, this does fall under First Amendment law, but only so long as we still (idiotically) permit Islam to remain categorized as a religion.
This is the beginning of the march to Shari'a in the USA. Freedom is a fine thing, but it must apply to all.
Multiculturalism and political correctness are destroying this nation from within. Compromise you say? Show me any similar compromise in the Muslim world. Until they demonstrate their ability to compromise and co-exist with others, I say no compromise.
No more tolerance for intolerance.
Which I feel is far more to the point. Even closer to which is the following:
Let me play devil's advocate here and ask, given the muslim precept that lying to infidels is no big deal, whether the whole concept of a sacred oath to "...support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic..." has any validity; especially since the Constitution and Sharia law seem to fundamentally conflict.
Whose culmination is reached when SR-71 loops around with:
SteveS's point is probably the important one. Hudna, taqiyya, kitman...
How do you trust someone who has given themselves an out that extends to violating every single oath they ever could take, including the apparent rejection of their own religion if such pretense is deemed necessary? THERE IS NO WAY.
Ellison must be kept off of any committe whose clearance requirements demand any more allegiance than one could expect from somebody already convicted of espionage.
#18
"It is well-established in the courts that there are all sorts of documents one can swear on, not just the King James version of the bible. There is even an oath for atheists."
Indeed. This is an old issue that is dealt with in courthouses across the country every day.
Posted by: Mark E. ||
11/30/2006 12:10
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#19
It is not what you swear on but the belief that the object is solomn. Having a Muslim swear over a Bible would be as useful as having a Christian swear over a Koran or Dianetics. If it means nothing to them the oath is worthless.
Posted by: Deep Vegan ||
11/30/2006 12:50
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#22
I really don't care what he places his hand on when taking the oath of office (with the exception of a pages rearend). What I do care about is just what kind of committee asignment Polosi is going to give him.
#23
It boils down to the accepted difference between ethics and morality in the US. Though the dictionary equates the two, the man on the street sees the difference.
Ethics is willingness to obey the law. It is objective, and people want ethical politicians and bureaucrats.
Morality is adherence to religious principles. It is not written by, nor can be re-written by man, and judgement is made in heaven. That is why the man on the street is dubious about a politicians who proclaims themselves "moral". By whose definition? A priest, rabbi, Imam, or other shaman?
Violations are also questionable. Often "moral" people refuse the judgement of other men, claiming that heaven alone justifies whatever it is they want to do.
The rejection of "subjective" morality is also problematic, and there are politicians who proudly claim to be "immoral", as rejection of morality. The problem is that they are often "unethical" at the same time, not distinguishing between the two.
Most people are indifferent if their politicians are immoral, within limits, but they do not want them to be unethical. Of course, if they have flair and elan while being unethical, they just might get re-elected anyway.
#24
My $.02. I do believe that politician's of other belief systems HAVE taken the oath on the Bible. It's a tradition people. I truly have a problem with the grandstanding and "moral superiority" Ellison has over all this. If Joe Lieberman (or any Atheist, Mormon, Buddhist, Hindu, etc.) can swear on the Bible (to protect our Constitution), so can Ellison.
Honestly, it is covered under the First Amendment. Problem is, NO ONE has ever made this big a show and/or deal about it. One of those "slippery slope" issues, that if you take it out to it's farthest extremes will have Hef elected to office, swearing on his latest copy of Playboy (or .com's stash), or some crackpot Scientologist swearing on Dianetics.
It comes down to this with me, like others have more eloquently explained. I don't have a problem on swearing on anything (because you're swearing on our Constitution, basically). But, could you imagine some camera-hogging politico swearing on Mein Kampf during the heat of WWII? Hell no! It just shouldn't be done, especially with a book and belief system that is SOOOOO completely opposite of the Republic's ideals our Founding Fathers gave us. Just one more line that'll encourage the jihadis, even though to the average American it's no big deal.
Posted by: BA ||
11/30/2006 13:17
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#25
Hef elected to office, swearing on his latest copy of Playboy (or .com's stash)
Bwahahaha! Only at Rantburg.
could you imagine some camera-hogging politico swearing on Mein Kampf during the heat of WWII? Hell no! It just shouldn't be done, especially with a book and belief system that is SOOOOO completely opposite of the Republic's ideals our Founding Fathers gave us. Just one more line that'll encourage the jihadis
#26
Thanks, Zen! I really have fun at .com's expense, now that he's become a mod.
Posted by: BA ||
11/30/2006 14:09
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#27
Ooooh . . . Seafarious might be right. The Muzzies I knew always told me that they would work their way into public office in the US as part of their political goals.
About the oath--the Bible is important in the oath because it REPRESENTS the foundations of thought, philosophy, belief, and law the country originated from. America was NOT founded on Islam. Ellison is seeking to deconstruct and supplant those foundations with the "acendancy" of Islam. Or maybe he doesn't want to have his house bombed for touching the book of the Christians/Joooooos. We'll see more of this kind of thing, ala the six imams . . .
#28
First of all this Detroit native Jew bashing Muslime terrorist huger is right in my freaking backyard. The local news stations and papers knew just what this meteor kissing turban head was all about and the refused to make public,,, any of his ties with fellow Muslim terrorist. His public defence of cop murderers should have at least hit the front page on a Monday.
I'm sorry but if you are affiliated with CAIR then you ARE a Muslim terrorist.
Lastly let's be blunt about this. The poKoran is nothing more than a Muslim terrorist handbook calling for our conversion or death. Ellison swearing on the Arab book bound toilet paper is the last straw. I could care less about what he takes the oath on. The bottom line is that Ellison should not be in office period! I'd be interested in hearing what other Minnesotans think of our Congressional Muhamhead.
Let's say Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts administers the oath of office. Would he be allowed to hold the Koran, or would the Grand Mufti of Falls Church be necessary to act as a intermediary?
Discuss.
*note: I don't actually know if a third party typiccally holds the Bible/racing form/popular mechanix etc. Does the First Lady ever assist at a Prez Inauguration?
#35
This is all part of the mad mooslum road show.
Ellison is involved in the flying imam(onster)s routine.
Rest assured, swearing on a holy piece of toilet paper (albeit flushable) is only the opening salvo.
Ellison is up to his ass in louie faracon and the nation of islam, and he has many more tricks up his sharia sleeves.
Posted by: Captain America ||
11/30/2006 17:30
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#36
Now, considering he is a "representative" of heavy swed and norwegs here in tropic minnesota, wonder how fran and ollie feel 'bout mooslums gone wild?
Posted by: Captain America ||
11/30/2006 17:33
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#37
considering he is a "representative" of heavy swed and norwegs here in tropic minnesota, wonder how fran and ollie feel 'bout mooslums gone wild?
Looking at how long it to the Norskies to finally oust mullah Krekar from their own home turf, I think the "away game" is going to need some extra innings.
#39
I don't care what he swears on, but I do question his fitness for public office. He is required to swear that he will faithfully conduct the affairs of his office. He is required to swear that he will support and defend the Constitution, and bear true faith and allegience to it. How can we trust a muslim to do this, when they are given the freedom to lie to anyone who is not a muslim? How can he be trusted with ANYTHING? Big can-o-worms here that needs to be looked at very carefully, and closely tracked as time passes.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/30/2006 18:29
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#40
Just wait till he pops out his prayer rug in session or in committee and starts banging his head on the floor...
#42
Trust me us Scandinavians outside the Twin Cities are about ready to sell Minneapolis back to the communists. But only if they promise to take Ellison with them.
When I go to DC in the spring I'll have to pack him a ham sandwich.
To be blunt I blame his election on Ellison's opponent, Republican Alan Fine. Fine didn't have much success with the press coverage in fighting this CAIR lap dog. Come to think of it I don't recall a single TV ad by Alan Fine.
Lets not forget Keith Ellison saying Sara Jane Olson was fighting for freedom when she planted a bomb under a police car, during his speech in February 2000. Fighting for Freedom by killing Police Officers! Sara Jane Olson/Soliah pleaded guilty to planting the bomb, as well as pleading guilty to First Degree Murder charges for the murder of Myrna Opsahl. Ellison's 40 or so unpaid parking tickets, and his nine moving violations since 2000 show this punk azz's complete lack of standards. Which I guess helps him be a good Muzzy. You'd have to be to follow the Pedophile for Profit.
Ellison's defenders brushed off their candidate's $25,000 in unpaid back taxes -- incurred some years ago and later paid -- in a similar spirit. Let's face it: When you're on a crusade to right big wrongs, you've got little time for the petty details of personal life -- license suspensions or tax liens. Anyway, this stuff has nothing to do with running the people's business, right?
And if you don't care about him using the koran, then you haven't read it. Be afraid folks. The general ignorance of Islam will be our downfall and their fifth column is on the march with the aid of the Dhimmicrats of course.
#1
"And it's creating a political ruckus, with opposition parties accusing City Hall of kowtowing to a growing Muslim population by showing Europe's Santa the kindergarten door."
Municipal officials insist their decision is prompted more by psychology than political correctness.
Instead of joy, the sight of a strange bearded figure at the door evokes fear in most kids, they argue. "
NORWOOD - Authorities don't know how a bomb ended up in heavy underbrush alongside Interstate 71. Concerns over the device shut down the busy highway Wednesday morning. The road remained closed from about 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thousands of drivers were stuck in a heavy-metal stew of cars, pickups and tractor-trailers.
A maintenance crew cutting brush near the Williams Avenue overpass off I-71 stumbled across the homemade bomb at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. The television news people spoke of a shampoo bottle with wires sticking out, but it wasn't clear to me how good their information was.
The search for clues moved beyond the immediate area of Norwood, Oakley and Hyde Park. "The FBI is trying to match it up with other devices that may have been found to see if there is a link," said Sgt. Ronald Murphy of the Norwood Police Department.
Time line
9:30 a.m.: Ohio Department of Transportation workers stumble upon a suspicious device near a cluster of trees off Interstate 71 under the Williams Avenue overpass. Norwood police are called. Firefighters arrive.
10 a.m.: Authorities close the interstate between Dana and Ridge avenues.
10:30 a.m.: Traffic begins to back up for miles in each direction on the interstate. More crews arrive on scene, including a bomb-sniffing dog. Authorities begin evacuating homes nearby.
Noon: The device is blown up. Those who did not have to evacuate report hearing a small explosion.
2:30 p.m.: Workers finish canvassing other areas around I-71 overpasses and say there is no longer a threat to motorists or nearby residents. The interstate reopens.
#1
One of the reports I heard (on 700 WLW) had the highway workers saying the device was dry despite the early-morning rain, indicating they found it shortly after it was placed.
The device itself wasn't blown up, but "rendered safe".
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
11/30/2006 9:23
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#5
Just another disgruntled muslim employee of Proctor & Gamble from the Masjid Assunnah. Nothing to see here. Move along...
/sarcasm
Posted by: Mark Z ||
11/30/2006 16:59
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#6
One of the P&G VPs used to have a business card, upon which was printed, "It's -er, dammit!" Proctor goes with Silex, the small kitchen machines manufacturers. ;-)
#7
I guess I can stop worrying. Update as of 4:30 pm:
The incendiary device discovered Wednesday along I-71 was not a sophisticated device and likely wouldnt have caused much damage if it had detonated. "It was made basically to start a fire," Police Lt. Gary Fye said. Fye said the device, which consisted of battery, clock, wires, a liquid, a powder, a timer and a detonating device, was not designed to explode.
The Great Islamic Jihad is certain that Western Civilization is about to come to an end.
Islamic Fascism looks forward to the rule of the new Caliphate, in which the whole world will swear submission to Allah and bow five times a day towards Mecca. It aims to kill or enslave every person who will not accept its twisted vision of Islam. With the help of its allies among the worlds dictators and within our own media, it is confident that it will achieve its goal.
But even as this beast tears at our throats, a new defensive force is being born, a determination to preserve all that is good and right and true within the Western world. Even as we are abandoned by our leaders, by the sophists in our academies, and by the propagandists of our major media, ordinary people are connecting with one another, and are ready to stand up and defeat those who would destroy us.
#1
Kindered spirits at RB take note: the good guys are starting to organize.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
11/30/2006 8:29
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#2
It aims to kill or enslave every person who will not accept its entirely accurate twisted vision of Islam firmly based in the koran and the hadiths.
Two terrorist suspects have lost their High Court battle to avoid extradition to the US. Lawyers for Haroon Rashid 'Purtymouth' Aswat and Babar Ahmad had argued there was "a real risk" the pair would be mistreated if sent to America. Dismissing their appeal, Lord Justice Laws said the allegation the US might violate undertakings given to the UK "would require proof of a quality entirely lacking here". Proof? Good Islamist terrorists don't need proof! Sez so in their holy book, you could look it up.
Ahmad, a computer expert from Tooting, south London, is accused of running websites inciting murder and urging Muslims to fight a holy war and also to raise money for the Taliban. Aswat, a British man arrested in Africa, faces trial on charges of plotting to set up a camp in Bly, Oregon, to train fighters for war in Afghanistan. He has been fighting extradition to the US since being arrested in Zambia and held in the UK.
At a recent hearing, Edward Fitzgerald QC, appearing for both men, asked two senior judges to halt extradition, arguing there was a danger that their human rights would be abused. These guys would have stuck up for Hitler... ... see the Saddam trial for a more recent example ...
This was despite diplomatic assurances from the US Government. Glad to hear Purtymouth's world tour is back on schedule.. the States... then Cuba to conclude.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
11/30/2006
06:10 ||
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#1
"would require proof of a quality entirely lacking here". Gosh Howard haven't all the LLL Mo0b@+5 in Europe and U.S. ranted enough about the draconian laws and treatment in the U.S.? It's likely the they will chicken three nights a week and only one movie night. It pains me even to think about the soccer games and educational opportunities that most prisoners get. Shame on the judge for injecting common sense and REALISM into their silly argument.
Former U.S. secretary of state Colin Powell told a business conference in the United Arab Emirates yesterday that the war in Iraq "could be considered a civil war."
Powell made the comment during a question-and-answer session after a keynote speech, according to David Hellaby, who organized the forum.
Powell could not be immediately reached for comment.
The retired general's comments are in sharp contrast to those of U.S. President George W. Bush.
Yesterday, a total of 105 people were killed or found dead across Iraq.
According to Hellaby, Powell said the war had three phases. The invasion phase went as planned. But the second phase, the military occupation, was "badly handled." Mistakes during the second phase led to the third, "which could be considered a civil war."
#1
The invasion phase went as planned. But the second phase, the military occupation, was "badly handled."
Which agency was responsible for the "second phase"?
State.
Who fucked it up?
Powell.
Nice to hear he'll admit it, even if he does weasel his words.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
11/30/2006 6:19
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#2
Ask yourself why warriors like Tommy Franks, Storm'n Norman, and others have steered clear of this mess. Two reasons, US State Dept and our brilliant SECDEF.
#4
It's only a civil war if you use Bin Laden's view of an Islamic Caliphate in which case I support the withdrawal of Iraq from such a beast and the war that followed.
#5
I'm going to have to call DC and find out what Powell's number two guy Chris has got to say about this.
It seems to me that only the New York Slimes, AP and Routerless think this is a civil war. None of these muzzy terrorist mouthpieces can explain how outsiders can make a civil war.
A WOMAN has been charged with bestiality after she was allegedly caught naked in a paddock having sex with a horse. Officers allegedly found the 35-year-old woman commiting an indecent act with the horse when they were called to a field in Lismore, north of Sydney. Yup! the field is in the town
"The woman was arrested and charged with bestiality and behaving in an offensive manner,'' a New South Wales police spokesman said. The Casino woman was bailed to appear in Lismore Local Court on December 18.
#1
Twas bound to happen one day after the NE Gay-Lesbian Marriage brouhaha + anti-Santa/XMas in Chicago. DARE THE NEW MATH > TOO MANY RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS ON PRIVATE PROOOPURTY = NOT ENUFF HORSES/HORSE -?????????????
#5
Per Willie Nelson, ..."if you are going to try some bestiality, do it with a horse. That way if things don't work out you can still get a ride home."
First it's the-victims-of-non-polygamy, now the perpetators of beastiality are the victims, no doubt. Legal in Denmark, don't you know. Are we titillated yet?
When we last visited this issue the producer of the Hollywood "documentary" An Inconvenient Truth denouced a science teacher's group as being in the pay of Exxon-Mobil when it refused to distribute 50,000 copies of the film.
It turns out that Laurie David lied, or at least omitted some important facts.
On November 26, the Washington Post printed an opinion piece from environmental activist Laurie David, a producer of the film "An Inconvenient Truth." In her op-ed Ms. David reports that NSTA rejected the opportunity to distribute 50,000 copies of the DVD to NSTA members.
During conversations with Ms. David's representative we suggested making the DVD available via alternative means of distribution (e.g. by providing a mailing list of our members to producers, announcing its availability in our publications, etc.). It appears that these alternative distribution mechanisms were unsatisfactory.
It was not the intent of the NSTA to restrict "An Inconvenient Truth" from its members and we are currently pursuing options to make the DVD available to teachers.
#1
Laurie David, wife of Larry David - ultra-liberals both - does not seem to be convinced that teachers are able to make up their own minds w/ regard to the types of information they need to indoctrinate America's kids. Why would Ms. David be unsatisfied with the NSTA's offer to provide the NTSA mailing list, so as to allow Ms. David to distribute herself? I suppose it's not enough for the NSTA to assist in distribution. No, the NSTA must be forced to fully endorse Al Gore's tripe by directly distributing.
#2
I would not be happy if my union leader (something, admittedly, we housewives don't much go in for, but to continue) gave my name and address to someone with an agenda. But publicizing the availability is perfectly acceptable. Other organizations make do with paid ads in the house organ, so why should Ms. David's offer get special treatment?
#3
Obviously a primary ramification of implementing strict controls on greenhouse gas emissions would be a steep increase in transportation costs (autos, air travel, etc). If transportation costs increase, the result will be a decrease in travel, which means people spend more time in the home and less time socializing with other human beings.
It occurs to me that the entertainment industry - particularly the television and PPV/DVD/Downloadable movie industry - would stand to benefit immensely from such a circumstance. How much would the entertainment industry benefit from a 30 - 40% increase in the amount of time spent in the recliner as opposed to a traveling to see a play, sporting event, dance party, etc?
I can see the entertainment industry loving every minute of such a scenario. Keep the money base glued to the tube...
#4
Yep, and when the fat-cat, Hollyweird types are the only ones benefitting, then they'll be the only elite ones to drive around in big SUVs to boot!
Posted by: BA ||
11/30/2006 13:03
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#5
You didn't expect her to pay for postage, now, did you? I mean, she might have to take one less flight on her Gulfstream jet....and how could she defend the environment if she had to keep her jet grounded? Silly peasants!
Posted by: Paris Hilton ||
11/30/2006 8:38
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#6
GORT,
LOL! That's Mamie van Doren, who's still happy, healthy and out there:
http://www.mamievandoren.com/
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
11/30/2006 10:24
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#7
BTW, that link is NSFW....
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
11/30/2006 10:25
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#8
LOL I would pay good money for a calender of UAV chicks. If the ground crews want to start a fund raiser with the squints (image explotation crew) that might be a winner. BTW a lot of the squints were female and most were mighty good looking. Heck they could even be fully clothed and in uniform.
#10
My only question: while they demonstrated the ability to fly a UAV simulator into the probe, what will the actual UAV do? There are an awful lot of funny air currents around the aft end of the KC-135 (or any tanker for that matter). And this doens't address the NAVY IFR protocol, which has the receiving aircraft fly a probe into a badmiton-shaped basket (just the opposite of the USAF). Carrier based tankers are not big enough to afford the luxury of a flying boom style system, and then there are all attendant logistical and maintenance issues of trying to maintain 2 completely different systems on the boat.
#11
All good questions, USN. And just the sort of problems that give engineers little mental woodies. The key word here is "demonstates". This is just one step in a proof-of-concept.
Your point about maintaining multiple systems is a good one. Over time, I would expect a feature like this would become part of the standard avionics package for naval aircraft.
#12
Steve: I was referring more to the nuts and bolts systems: those other than avionics, since one computer can be electronically reconfigured for several type/model/series of aircraft. At PAX River we had about eleventeen versions of lawn darts (f-18) each with its own software version. if a computer went TU, we simply pulled one from the hangar queen and had it rebooted to match the broken one and stuck it in to make the flight schedule. it was a full time job tracking that however, as the wrong version would make the a/c do some interesting things, most of which were not at all fun for the guy in the seat.
the maintaining of multiple mechanical systems and all the associated bit piece parts, especially if they all 'kinda look the same' can be a real ball breaker. example for the non airdales: chevy engine parts from as far back as 1935 can be bolted on very late models; you cannot say that about fords (and i have blue ovals in the driveway) replacement parts configuration control is very particular.
OT: several of my engineer friends take offense at the little woodie snark. HAHAHAH
Note this is UPI and SpaceWar.com making the claim.
Whatever the truth behind the bizarre murder by radiation poisoning of former Russian intelligence Col. Alexander Litvinenko, he has managed in death to tarnish the image of his country and its leaders. Russia now looks like a gangster state, led by a vindictive and ruthless thug.
Yet most of the governments of the West shrug this aside and continue to do business as usual. Earlier this month, the United States signed a protocol with Russia that will ease its way into the World Trade Organization. Last Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin was in Helsinki trying to negotiate a new Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with the European Union. Had it not been for the objections of Poland over a Russian ban on Polish meat exports, a new free trade deal between Russia and the EU would very likely have been under way.
"We have looked at the problems of the world with, probably, I would not make a mistake if I said, the same eyes," commented the EU's top foreign policy official, Javier Solana.
#2
HHHHHHMMMMM, so the US-Allies destroy 7000 bad guys yet we are not only allegedly losing but we are the ones being portrayed as the "true" Baddies; Its the Russians themselves who let slip that their oil resources, etal. will run low in circa 20-25 years, similar to the Iran-yuns; and thirdly, by this definition of "Statecraft" the US Dems are by definition NOT engaged in Statecraft = National Interest becuz "personal feelings" agendas is how they won 2006.
As for "Colossal political defeat" of the USA > see NEWSMAX > JOHN L. PERRY article HISTORY'S GRACE PERIOD = People expect and want "great things" from America, that a key premise of the BUSH DOCTRINE is to HELP STRUGGLING NATIONS ACHIEVE AND SUCCEED TO AMERICAN = PSEUDO-AMER STANDARDS VIA LOCAL DEMOCRACY, NOT US-ONLY/SPECIFIC CONQUEST-CONTROL, and that NO ONE, NOT EVEN AMER'S ENEMIES OR MOST OF THEM, CAN AFFORD, DESIRE, OR RISK AMERICAN DEFEAT IN THE WOT.
#8
There are two leadership doctrines that are popular today, centralized or decentralized. That is, if the "big boss" is the center of things, that the purpose of the organization is to back the big boss, then it is centralized. If the "big boss" represents the organization, and executes based on his judgement the group consensus, then it is decentralized.
In a nutshell, Mafia bosses, Bill Clinton, and Putin are in the former category. They see the purpose of the entire system is to support them, and what they want, goes. Loyalty is to the big boss, not the system.
The other form of leadership is much harder, but often gives far more satisfactory results. The leader is just the greatest among peers, and though his is the final decision, he avoids going against the consensus of his near-peers. All of them serve the system instead of the man. And they make far fewer rash, if emotionally satisfying, decisions because of it.
#9
Ever since the fall of the Soviet Union it has always amused me to hear people whinge about how "The Russian mafia this" or "The Russian gangsters that".
I just smile and say how all that really happened is they merely took off their uniforms. Other than that, there has been little if any change, save for the worse, if that is even possible.
RasPutin's blatant triangulating with Iran has been disappointing but I'd sure hope that no one thinks it was entirely unexpected. When it comes to hard currency, Russia works both sides of the street like a jonesing crack whore.
Fighting has broken out between the Sudanese army and the former southern rebels, the Sudan People's Liberation Army, the United Nations has said.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said he was "deeply concerned" over clashes that flared in the southern town of Malakal on Monday and Tuesday. Non-essential UN and aid agency staff have been leaving Malakal.
The violence breaks a deal between Sudan's Arab north and black African south signed nearly two years ago. The BBC's Jonah Fisher, safely in Khartoum, says it is one of the most serious violations of that deal.
There were reports of heavy gunfire in Malakal, but no reliable word on casualties.
The violence started as clashes between southern troops and pro-Khartoum militia but quickly escalated. Forces from the national army and the former southern rebels, the SPLA, fought in the streets of Malakal. The situation had calmed by Wednesday, but the UN chief remained concerned over outbreak of violence.
In a statement, Mr Annan appealed to Sudan's national unity and the government of southern Sudan "to make all possible efforts to contain the situation".
Located on the banks of the Nile near Sudan's oilfields, Malakal is one of the tensest towns in the south. During 20 years of civil war, Khartoum armed numerous tribal militias in the area to enable it to begin extracting oil.
A final peace deal between the Arab north and black African south was signed in January 2005, but it has not been easy to get the militia to hand in their weapons. You don't say.
Unlike the continuing conflict in Darfur, Sudan's north-south ceasefire has largely held. There are 10,000 UN peacekeepers deployed in southern Sudan at a cost of $1bn a year. THIS IS THE KICKER WHERE THE UN COPs OUT AS USUAL - worthless scum that they are.
A spokeswoman said they had no mandate to intervene and that the UN was encouraging both sides to peacefully resolve the situation.
#1
Sudan is a typical islamic failed state. This the the real face of islam. No one is going to do a thing about it least of all the UN or other muslims. Since this is the colonial powers problem they shouldn't get off the hook, not one bit at all. How about it Europe and the UK?
I dunno. They seem quite successful at being Islamic. They've certainly killed a lot of people who qualify as less holy than Arabs.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
11/30/2006 7:27
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#3
Look at it this way...there can be no famine if there are no mouths to feed. Therefore, this group is simply supporting Koffee's calls for assistance to alleviate starvation across the continent.
NEW YORK (Nov. 29) - Though he's lost many dollars fans after being captured on video hurling racist epithets at a comedy club audience, Michael Richards has an ally: Mel "Falling Knife" Gibson . "I felt like commiting public suicide sending Michael Richards a note," Gibson says in an interview in Entertainment Weekly's Dec. 8 issue.
"I feel really badly for the guy. He was obviously in a state of stress. You don't need to be inebriated to be bent out of shape. Just warped morals or twisted world view will do the job.
But my heart went out to the guy." And then got snapped back by my publicist like a bungee cord diver.
The 50-year-old actor-director added: "They'll probably torture him for a while and then let him go. I like him." "He's got politically correct victim written all over him, just like me."
After his Nov. 17 tirade became known, Richards apologized on David Letterman's "Late Show" on CBS, saying his remarks were sparked by anger at being heckled, not bigotry. He also apologized to the Rev. Al Sharpton and on the Rev. Jesse Jackson's syndicated radio program. Kissing @ss of that sort can only be done under the most extreme and excusable duress. Not even Mel went that far ... yet.
Gibson, star of the "Lethal Weapon" movies and director of "The Passion of the Christ," was mired in a scandal of his own this summer for anti-Semitic comments he made to police in Malibu, Calif., during his arrest on suspicion of drunken driving. He publicly apologized. "It was my father talking."
Are people refusing to work with him? "No, people aren't like that," Gibson tells the magazine. "Those are just the headlines: Mel ostracized by Hollywood! Hollywood is what you make it. Never have Hollyweird's morals been so ariculately encapsulated.
There is no great pooh-bah up there saying, `Go! You are condemned!"' Perhaps not, but there's still your conscience, if you have one.
Gibson says he's not anti-Semitic. He just blames them for all of the world's wars, that's all.
"I never have been and never would be," he says. "But (the incident) hit this fear thing in me. My god, I made people afraid. ... And it was a horrible feeling. That's when I said, `My god, I don't want to be that monster."' Then STFU and work against such vile disinformation instead of spewing it in your movie.
His new movie, "Apocalypto," from The Walt Disney Co.'s Touchstone Pictures, opens Dec. 8. It is a Mayan-language epic filmed in Mexico chronicling the decline of the native civilization. He's confident his past remarks will not hurt the movie at the box office. I'm not. We'll see.
"It's primarily entertainment," he says of his production. "An 18-year-old college guy, out with his buddies, he's going to get into the chase. The movie will stand on its own, regardless of any unfortunate experience I may have stumbled upon."
#4
Excal I think the Scotts have another opinion of his film. What the English did there was nothing short of rape for land. For that matter the movie Patriot was brilliant.
What anti-troop comments did Gibson make? I'd sure like to know, that one sent a chill up my spine. What a pity if it's true. For Shame.
Richard lacks balls. If I were in his shoes I'd have gone off ten ways from Sunday. Getting racist puke from black punks in the audience... He had every right to throw schit back in their faces. I saw the video and he sure shut them up. Oh wait my mistake, blacks can't be racist...
A three-year-old boy has been eaten alive by a herd of pigs on the outskirts of the Indian capital, Delhi, BBC reported. The boy, Ajay, strayed from the family home as his parents and other family members were having lunch. The boy is said to have been carrying a bread, which might have drawn the attention of the neighbour's pigs.
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#1
Ughh, poor kid, reminds me of Hindu-Muslim babes killed by their own families, bodies dumped in the streets by same, and then eaten [or mostly eaten] by dogs or hogs.
#5
So there's the basis for the old saw, "He went to sh*t and the hogs ate him". I never figgered it for real!
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/30/2006 6:05
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#6
Ya know, mebbe it was, "He went to take a sh*t, and the hogs ate him."
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/30/2006 6:08
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#7
In fact my father and grandfather, who had spent years in North Africa told me that teh reason eating pork is not allowed by Muslims is because pigs ate a friend of Muhammad so eating pork is indirectly eating human flesh.
I don't know if this is a myth circulating between colonizers or if it is a real North African legend (Afgans have another explantion for the pork ban).
#9
I believe human meat is referred to as "long pig." I'm guessing there's a similarity in taste, which'd account for banning it back in Leviticus days.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/30/2006 10:01
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#10
My theory is that the banning between Jews comes from the similarity with human flesh and thus when living near or between populations who practiced human sacrifices (Phenicians, Canaaneans, and I think Philistines) the very real possibility of being tricked in eating human in guise of pork
#11
I believe human meat is referred to as "long pig." I'm guessing there's a similarity in taste, which'd account for banning it back in Leviticus days.
Yep! Also, if you've ever smelled a human that has died in a fire, it smells disturbingly like roast pork. Hence the term, "Long Pig". Pigs are greasy and so are humans.
So there's the basis for the old saw, "He went to sh*t and the hogs ate him". I never figgered it for real!
Why would you not figure it was real? Swine are omnivores, and will eat anything. Plant matter, insects, garbage, carrion and us. The first time I went bow hunting for pigs, it was quite a sight to see the buddys of the pig I whacked rush over and start lapping up the blood. I had to literally chase them off. Swine can be down right dangerous.
#12
Question is, what will the Hindus do when those "mad cows" start eating humans?
Maybe we need to recruit, train and unleash these pigs on Baghdad/Sadr-City. Could be a lot more entertaining than the Bulls of Pamploma, watching the muzzies "run away" from the piggy-piggies.
I've been on numerous hog farms for work, and I can say, they're skittish at the very first, but it only takes a couple seconds before they're all "inquisitive," if you get my drift. Messing with a 250+ lb hog (dress out weight for corporate hog farms) is unbelievable, but I can't imagine messing with a 400+ lb. momma surrounded by her infants.
Posted by: BA ||
11/30/2006 10:57
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And, I've gotta ask the mods...Where'd the "Meet your Meat" blogad come from? You boys/girls aren't switchin' to the Dark PETA side, are ya? Just the placement of that blogad underneath this rant is soooo ironic, it makes me love the 'burg even more, lol!
Posted by: BA ||
11/30/2006 10:58
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#14
Where'd the "Meet your Meat" blogad come from?
I just assume that Fred (very wisely), cheerfully takes ad revenue from anyone foolish enough to think that they'll actually make some sort of counter-impact at this site. Sort of like the ads for that "Best War Ever" book.
#15
The Muslims undoubtedly borrowed the restriction against pork from the Jewish tribes then prevalent in Arabia.
As to the Jews, Leviticus bans eating pork, which is thought by medical historians to be a reaction to the parasite trichinosis, which is often fatal. Like many ancient cultures, without benefit of microscopes or knowledge of microorganisms, a lot of taboos were empirically based: folks eat pig, they get sick; pork is forbidden. I believe in Mongolia there was a taboo about killing these prairie dog-like critters. The cultural explanation was that you were killing your ancestors' spirits. Medically, the rodents were carrying plague.
#16
I think a lot of the early food fatwas helped to keep the tribes healthy and growing. "God said so" worked fairly well for preliterate societies, and the shamans were careful to keep too much actual learnin' away from the proles. And the priestly class waxed fat and powerful. But information wants to be free, and as more tribesmen grew in the understanding of the world, the priests (shamans, rabbis, mullahs, etc.) needed to keep the rules ever more difficult to understand and thus maintain their position as keepers of the unknown.
I sometimes think lawyers fulfill the same role now in our 'modern' society.
#17
The majority of lawyers make an average salary of $50K.
Unlike the shamans, anyone can become a lawyer who goes to law school and passes the bar.
But I wouldn't recommend becoming a plaintiff's attorney unless you want a career full of long, long, and lonter hours, unreal stress, and working weekends. Of course, you could always become a Defense lawyer instead, and work as a hired gun for "the Man"--IF you're willing to sell your soul.
#18
I think I can trump the lot of you, because I have actually *tasted* roast person. Legitimately.
Guy had been hit by lightning, part of his face had been burned, and he needed CPR.
They are right about the four quick breaths--he started right up. Then he trombone vomited all over us. Then we were totally paralyzed, since he was now breathing on his own, and WTF do we do now? Finally, we broke the spell and started shaking people and yelling at them to get help.
I only noticed the pork-ish flavor 15 minutes later when the adrenaline started to wear off. And you would not believe that gawdawful smell, that didn't want to shower off.
Took me a month before I could eat pork again. Bacon sooner.
#20
'moose, you just climbed an extra notch in my personal regard. Assisting someone with lifesaving in that critical first three minutes is something that cannot be overlooked. Job well done (so to speak).
#21
Being eaten alive by hogs would be a good sentence for terrorists.
I don't think that Allen would allow anyone into paradise that had first passed through the intestinal tract of a porcine garbage disposal.
Nicolas Sarkozy, the French interior minister, has announced he will seek the presidential nomination of his ruling UMP party, a contest he is expected to win comfortably. Sarkozy made the announcement in an interview with regional newspapers leaked on the website of the Paris daily Liberation on Wednesday.
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The United Nations says Desmond Tutu of South Africa is to head a U.N. fact-finding mission to the Gaza Strip. The president of the U.N. Human Rights Council, Luis Alfonso De Alba said the Nobel Laureate will travel to the Gaza town of Beit Hanoun to probe the deaths of 19 Palestinians by Israeli shelling earlier this month.
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#1
What? No fact finding mission to the Israeli villages which have been continually rocketed for years.
#6
The international "wolf in sheep's clothing". If you want a butcher job done on anyone and need it to have a hint of respectability, Dez and Jimmy Carter are amongst the best you can buy.
Redacted by moderator. Comments may be redacted for trolling, violation of standards of good manners, or plain stupidity. Please correct the condition that applies and try again. Contents may be viewed in the sinktrap. Further violations may result in banning.
Mumtaz Ahmad spent more than three years at a madrassa in Pakistan learning the Quran, then pursued his desire to become a Qari at a similar Islamic religious school in Kabul. Now, Ahmad languishes in an Afghan intelligence service jail after police caught him three weeks ago planting a roadside bomb on the Shomali Plain near Bagram in an act he says was driven by a belief that killing foreign troops was his Islamic duty. It was his third attempted bomb attack this year
HELP WANTED: Suicide Boomer
Experience a must.
Call PAK-555-1212. Ask for Mullah Dadullah.
and all three had failed,
Must be reliable.
Ahmad, 22, said in an interview at a lock-up in central Kabul. They beat me when I got here because they wanted me to give them information, Ahmad said as two senior intelligence service investigators listened to his words, adding, Its just as well they did because I gave them the name of an accomplice. If I hadnt informed on him, there might have been some sort of attack, he said.
Join our industry-leading suicide booming team!
The investigators declined a request from Reuters to leave the room during the interview, saying they needed to make sure Ahmad was telling the truth. Ahmad said he had been lured into becoming a bomber by a man called Abdul Rahman who would visit his madrasa in Kabul to incite students to attack foreign troops in the name of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). "Abdul Rahman" seems to be the Pashtun equivalent of "John Smith." Maybe the Islamic equivalent.
The young mans account could not be independently confirmed but it was broadly similar in its religious aspects to the published stories of other suspected bombers interviewed in detention in Afghanistan. Though Ahmad was caught, one of the investigators said, police believe Abdul Rahman had been lurking in the area ready to detonate the bomb by remote control but got away. Not only a suicide boom, but a surprise suicide boom...
We havent had as much success as we need. Weve had cases where weve made an arrest but the rest of the cell broke up and its members disappeared, the investigator said. Ahmad said he had left Afghanistan while the Taliban were in power to study for three-and-a-half years at a madrassa in Peshawar, across the border in Pakistan. He returned home soon after Taliban rule collapsed in November 2001 and began attending the Kabul madrasa, where he was one of up to 200 students. He said Abdul Rahman had used religion to talk him into working as a courier and had given him the 3.5 kg of explosives that he had buried in a vineyard until the man telephoned him and told where to drop it. I really regret what has happened, what I did. "What do you regret most?"
"Getting caught."
"I realise now that these foreign forces came here to help us, not disgrace us, he said. Its too late now. I know I was deceived. He has not been charged and says he does not know how long he may spend in prison. How about as long as anybody he would have killed would be dead? Izzis the Islamic version of a jailhouse conversion?
Ahmads family insist they had no idea what he was up to. "He's really pretty dumb, y'know."
All we knew is that he was a Qari, said his uncle Sayed Agha, adding, He spent all his time praying in the madrasa. "That's how he came to be unhinged, ain't it, Aunt Sookie?"
"That's right, Uncle Sayed. All that head bonking just isn't good for an impressionable boy."
The police still had not told the family he had been arrested or why and the family had not asked, the old man added. "We don't wanna know."
We were watching television and all of a sudden we saw him and heard he had been arrested, Sayed Agha said, adding, His father was shocked when he saw him.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
A foreigner? Caught planting a roadside bomb? In Afghanistan? Still alive? WTF?
#2
Three tries, three failures? That shadowy and sinister Abdul Rahman isn't a very good teacher, it seems. It sounds, too, like dear little Mumtaz Ahmad was sent from the extra special school -- if the family doesn't know or care what he's been doing, he's a throw-away kid. People keep track of successful offspring.
Well, not always. Mr. exJAG and I each have one batshit looney tunes parent who hasn't bothered to contact us in years. His mom became a nun and started her own order (Bleeding Eyes of Jesus or something); and my dad lives underground in a decommissioned missile silo, with cameras ringing the perimeter hooked up to a TV that functions as his "window." They don't even know what country we live in, or care.
No doubt there's a huge cultural rift between neurotic American boomers and Pashtun villagers (or maybe not, heh) -- just sayin, could be his family is all jacked up too.
Or, they're lying, so as not to implicate themselves.
#4
"I realise now that these foreign forces came here to help us, not disgrace us, he said. Its too late now. I know I was deceived.
I wonder how many Gitmo detainees have said much the same thing as Ahmad, were later released, and then returned to the battlefield. Far too many I suspect.
Call me a cynic, but I don't put much stock in sudden moral conversions by captured suicide bombers. Unlike say, the Saudis, the Pakis, the Yemenis, and the Indonesians etc.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
11/30/2006 10:49
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#5
Looks like one fine job of "repentin".
Yeah, if he was in Saudi Arabia, he'd have been out years ago.
#6
I'm sorry, exJAG. Probably best they aren't in too close contact, although I don't offer that as comfort. I should have said Normal parents..., but they'd keep track of unsuccessful offspring, too. Darn it! What kind of people throw away kids, anyway?!? Never mind, they must be lying to protect themselves.
#8
Atlas F. It would be cool, if he was something other than a leftie lunatic hiding from the Patriot Act, defense satellites, and black CIA helicopters.
Five civilians were hurt when Muslim separatist rebels attacked a southern Philippine village, torching at least 15 houses, the military said yesterday. About 50 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels stormed the village of Dapiawan in Datu Piang town, Maguindanao province, 930km south of Manila, on Sunday.
Lieutenant Colonel Julieto Ando, a regional army spokesman, said the rebels first set on fire to a building housing government militiamen in Dapiawan. Four hours later, the guerrillas harassed government troops, triggering a firefight. The rebels also burned down at least 15 houses of civilians, Ando said. Five civilians were hurt as they were caught in the crossfire, he said. The rebels also carted away peoples important belongings.
Ando said the harassment only stopped after intervention by an international team monitoring a ceasefire between the MILF and the Philippine government. This is a serious violation and we will file a protest, he said.
MILF spokesman Eid Kabalu said the incident was the result of a personal grudge. He said an MILF commander retaliated against village officials after his 9-year-old daughter was hurt in a recent ambush by local security men.
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Sorry, I have a hard time taking anyone that calls themselves a MILF seriously....
After meeting with Arab League chief, Amr Moussa in Cairo on Wednesday, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh repeated what Hamas' Damascus-based top leader Khaled Mashaal said on Saturday, demanding the "establishment of Palestinian state, with June 4, 1967 borders, with east Jerusalem as its capital, and right of return of Palestinian refugees." "The right of return of Palestinian refugees is holy, no Palestinian can make concessions about it," he added.
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#1
In line wid HISTORY CHANNEL's [= JIMMMY CARTER'S]upcoming special on the BALFOUR Plans, espec the option which shows Israel as a geographically separate nation. BUT-T-T, if HISTORY CHANNEL is any measure, then Muslims need to watch becuz its shows BALFOUR > THEY MUSLIMS =PALEOS DON'T GET JERUSALEM ANYWAY. Jerusalem is an INTERNATIONAL CITY [e.g VATICAN CITY] under the ISRAELIS, iff anybody.
#3
Considering that before '67, the land was 'owned and operated' by Jordan and Egypt, there may some common ground here. It's yours Amman and Cairo. Treat them like you did before '67.
Sami Yousafzai and Urs Gehriger of Die Weltwoche recently met with a member of that hard core. In the border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan, they sat down to cups of green tea with Mullah Sabir. During the years of Taliban rule (1994-2001) Sabir, 40, was responsible for security along the border with Iran. Today he is governor of Ghazni Province (south of Kabul) and commander of 900 fighters.
What is your attitude towards NGOs which are building roads and digging wells to improve people's lives?
The organisations which have come here under the new administration only pretend to help the people. In reality they are part of the government. Whatever they may propose to build bridges, clinics, schools we will not tolerate their activities. So they murder the Rachel Corries. There have been nearly one hundred suicide bombings in Afghanistan since the beginning of this year. Have the Taliban lost their pride and their courage to fight the enemy in open combat?
With their combat planes and precision bombs, the enemy is far superior to us technologically. The suicide bombings are a tactic with which we drive the enemy to panic. Without this miracle weapon we would never accomplish our goal of re-conquering all of Afghanistan.
[The recently issued manual of rules does not deal with the phenomenon of suicide bombings, which is new to Afghanistan. The subject is treated in a separate 40-page document, in which suicide bombings are declared legitimate with the aid of citations from the Koran. Suicide bombers are described as "Omar's missiles," referring to Taliban leader Mullah Omar.]
Who wrote the new rule book?
I don't know exactly. Mullah Abdul Ali, our mufti responsible for religious questions, was certainly consulted. The new Layeha was approved by our supreme leader, Mullah Omar.
#1
"Drive the enemy to panic" - HHHHHMMMM, how is that when suicide bombers gener kill-injure more civilians = fellow Muslims, etal. than "enemy" soldiers!?
#6
That is good because if the CIA could pose as journalists, before long the enemy would start killing journalists then nobody would get to find out anything.
Israel released from custody Palestinian Authority Housing Minister Abdel Rahman Zeidan of Hamas, Palestinian sources reported on Wednesday night. Zeidan was arrested by the IDF a month ago, joining dozens of Hamas ministers and parliamentarians rounded up by the IDF after Cpl. Gilad Shalit's capture in June.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Hopefullly in a brand new suit, with a wad of shekels and a kiss on both cheeks...
The genocide trial of Saddam Hussein was once again thrown into chaos Wednesday when the chief judge ejected a key defence lawyer only to recall him later in the day. Soon after proceedings began, Judge Mohammed al-Oreibi al-Khalifah ordered the arrest of Badie Aref, always a vocal presence in the trial, for violating professional conduct. Aref is defending Farhan al-Juburi, the former head of military intelligence in northern Iraq and one of seven accused of killing thousands of Kurds in 1988 during the military campaign.
Khalifah clashed with Aref over the manner in which he was addressing the court. The stormy session began with Aref making a statement before the court, but when he referred to the prosecutor as brother the prickly judge took offence. I warned your colleagues yesterday twice to respect the court and its officials, said Khalifah, who objected to the informality of the term.
Aref insisted that the information he wanted to give was more important than the form of address and then used the word brothers again to refer to the prosecutors. The judge then ordered him to be ejected. Aref protested to the judges order after which Oreibi said You are arrested for 24 hours for violating professional conduct. But later in the day Juburi asked the judge to recall Aref. We want that the sessions continue normally till the end and demand you to cancel the decision against Badie Aref, Juburi said to the judge. Let him attend the sessions. The judge then accepted his demand. But Aref later left the court.
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Strong earthquakes struck North MalukuWednesday, damaging scores of houses, one school and worshiphouse, Antara news agency reported. The 6.6-magnitude quake, however, did not trigger a tsunami. "Report from local police said that ten houses, one mosque,and one school building in Morotai island, North Halmahera regency, North Maluku province were destroyed," North Maluku police spokesman Comr. Ramli said Wednesday.The U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site that the quakewas centered 70 kilometers (45 miles) beneath the sea and 216 kilometers (134 miles) northeast of Ternate, the capital of North Maluku province.
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#1
Still feelin' the quakin', and seein' the Astro-Fireballs, here in Guam. When I look up to the sky + stars, or watch the earth "breathe", I feel like I'm DARTH VADER in his TIE fighter hunting X-Wings, breathing as only Vader can do > "STAY ON THE LEADER ...... I HAVE YOU NOW, YOUNG SKYWALKER".
#6
The answer is simple and lies in the reason why one of my Geology profs always says, "I wouldn't live there."
If you live someplace geologically active with faults, volcanoes, subduction zones and other potential hazards, then expect volcanoes to go boom, earthquakes, Hurricanes, Tsunamis, etc.
These things and polar bears is why he lives in Middle Tenn. Not sure what the deal is with polar bears though, other than taking one with a rock hammer would be pretty hard:p
The army forces killed yesterday 10 terrorists and arrested another on the mountainous area near Mziraa, Biskra, and Thniat Elabed, Batna, in an armed fighting. The clash took place when the army forces were carrying out a combing operation, started a few days ago just after a terrorist attack in Mshunesh area. The raking operation was supervised by the ground forces General Commander, General Tafer, and the Commander of military zone IV, Bourefla Sherif Abderrazak, in addition to a number of military commanders from military zones IV and V. All human and logistic means were provided for the operation carried out to put terrorist groups out of harm.
The target is tens of groups, including foreign terrorist group members from Sahel African countries belonging to the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC), sources told El Khabar. According to the same sources, the terrorists were besieged during the operation that ended by the killing of seven terrorists, on the mountains located near Mziraa commune where another was arrested. The army forces, which started the operation from Batna, killed three terrorists in Thniat Elabed at an armed fighting with the terrorist groups that tried to leave the area. Army forces are carrying on their manhunt against terrorists there.
The combing operation comes less than a week after three soldiers and two communal guards were killed in an ambush tended in the fifth military zone, in Mshunesh, located between Batna and Biskra. A number of terrorists have been killed and others arrested lately, and some hiding places have been destroyed in the raking operations in Bouira, Tizi-Ouzou, Jijel and Boumerdés, earlier this month. Several terrorist-supporting nets have been dismantled and firearms and war material discovered, then. Army forces have been besieging terrorist groups for more than a week, in El Aures mountains situated between Biskra and Batna, and others in the mountains located between Khenchela and Tebessa.
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(KUNA) -- General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed during a Pentagon briefing on Wednesday that two U.S. battalions are moving into the Baghdad area, which Pace described as "extremely important".
U.S. Army General George Casey, commander of multinational forces in Iraq, is working very closely with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to ensure that the actions of coalition forces and Iraqi security forces are coordinated, and that they support the political process Maliki is striving to attain, Pace said. Pace declined to predict how big the troops increase in the Baghdad area would grow, or for how long. "Baghdad is extremely important to the Iraqi government, and their armed forces and their security forces are the proper long-term solution to that problem," Pace said. If there are Iraqi forces available to Maliki to move into the Baghdad area that are not currently engaged elsewhere in Iraq, and if Maliki is able "to move them comfortably without creating a vacuum" some place else in Iraq, "that is worth looking at as well," Pace said.
There has been an increase in the number of both Iraqi and coalition forces in Baghdad, he said, "but the impact of those increases has not been what we wanted it to be," so Casey and Maliki "are reassessing," Pace said.
Pace denied reports suggesting that the Pentagon is considering shifting U.S. Marines to Baghdad and turning the volatile Al Anbar Province over to the Iraqis. "Why would we want to forfeit any part of Iraq to the enemy?" Pace said. "We do not. We want to provide security for the Iraqi people. You want to be able to assist the Iraqi government in providing good governance and providing economic opportunity, and those three things fit together -- security, governance and economy. You are not going to have success or progress in one without success and progress in all three".
There are no "immediate thoughts" to moving all coalition forces out of Al Anbar Province and turning over "right now today" all security in Al Anbar to Iraqi security forces, Pace said, adding, "It is not on the table".
"It is not practical to expect that we can snuff out terrorism completely, but it is reasonable to strive to have an environment inside of which terrorist acts are below the level at which the Iraqi government can function, where the economy can prosper and where the Iraqi people can live their lives the way they want to," Pace said.
Asked about many who have concluded that Iraq is already in a civil war, Pace said the level of violence being inflicted by al Qaeda and the like in Iraq is specifically designed to create a civil war and "an ungovernable condition so the terrorists can then set up shop and rule those people the way they want to".
"So it is much more important that we focus on how to defeat the enemy that is trying to create the civil war than it is we spend a lot of time dancing on the head of a pin as far as what particular words we should use to describe the environment which is currently unacceptable," he said.
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...we spend a lot of time dancing on the head of a pin as far as what particular words we should use to describe the environment which is currently unacceptable," he said.
Ahhh...a Marine. Gotta love 'em. Not that he changed anyone's mind, of course.
How many reporters can dance on the head of a pin?
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/30/2006 5:53
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How many reporters can dance on the head of a pin?
An infinite number, for of late days reporters are mythical beasts. All that are left are "journalists" who find it sufficient to phone in the reports of enemy agents.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
11/30/2006 7:24
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#3
Pace is in a tricky position. Since almost all the US forces are in Baghdad or Anbar, if he makes a troop movement in either direction, he is accused of "abandoning" the other.
This denies him the blunt tool of a major force movement, so he has to rely on finesse--moving just the right number of soldiers to the most critical area.
#4
Economy of Force Employ all combat power available in the most effective way possible; allocate minimum essential combat power to secondary efforts.
Economy of force is the judicious employment and distribution of forces. No part of the force should ever be left without purpose. When the time comes for action, all parts must act. The allocation of available combat power to such tasks as limited attacks, defense, delays, deception, or even retrograde operations is measured in order to achieve mass elsewhere at the decisive point and time on the battlefield.
- FM 100-5, Operations
Not that any 'journalist' would ever be caught reading up on the subject matter they claim to report on. Not to be confused with actual writers who cover such mundane subjects like 'Sports' do on a daily basis. How long would a sports columnist be in his job if he kept getting the subject matter and facts wrong or made up stories from whole cloth?
#5
Procopius2K: Economy of force is neglectful of an additional factor, time. That is, economy of force is a constant--what is applicable is using that force in a strategic, rather than tactical sense.
In this case, for example, if we used our forces to secure Baghdad, Anbar would be neglected. So this means the security of Baghdad must be done with gradualism, using far less personnel than would be used, optimally.
In a manner of speaking, playing offense and defense at the same time.
Gradualism is peculiarly unsatisfying for those who expect large, discreet battles with a given beginning and end, however. But as we take over a neighborhood and purge it of its troublemakers, we can then turn it over to local authority. They will need to do much less to keep it clean then to clean it up in the first place.
This frees us up to move to the next neighborhood.
But all of this opens Pace up to double criticism: that he isn't doing enough in either place. Though all our forces everywhere are busy, even a small shift is used to natter at him that he isn't fighting the large, discreet battles with the enemy.
Eventually, what I expect will be that the US will turn over most of Baghdad to Iraqi security, when a comfort level is obtained in the city. Then most forces will move to Anbar, to both keep the Sunnis cooled and to protect them from the Shiites.
A Moroccan court jailed a German tourist for six months for attempting to convert Muslims in the southern resort of Agadir, officials said on Wednesday. The court in Agadir, Morocco's main tourist destination, found the 64-year-old man guilty of trying to "shake the faith of a Muslim," they added. Islam needs no self-confidence when it has control of the long arm of the law...
The court also fined him 500 dirhams ($60) in its verdict issued late on Tuesday. "Six months and sixty dollars! Next case!"
Court officials named the German of Egyptian origin as Sadek Noshi Yassa, who was arrested last week as he was distributing books and CDs about the Christian faith to young Muslim Moroccans in the street, the officials said. Under Moroccan law "anyone who employs incitements to shake the faith of a Muslim or to convert him to another religion" can be jailed for up to six months and fined.
The verdict came after local media reports that some Christians had launched a clandestine campaign to convert thousands of Muslim Moroccans to Christianity. There are about 20,000 expatriate Christians in Morocco, most of them living in Rabat and Casablanca, according to estimates by European diplomats.
Posted by: Fred ||
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At least he wasn't sentenced to death. He can be lynched later.
#5
Conversion is the only way out of the death sentence of misery that is islam. "Shaking the faith" means showing a muzzie the way out of the slavery they worship and the death cult it is.
Can"t have muzzies thinking they can leave islam or they'd start losing their slaves in large numbers. Gotta kill any infidel who speaks of freedom. Or the truth about the cult of islam.
The offending male and the adultress...are buried in a hole and covered with sand, the man's arms being loose while the woman is buried up to her head, and then they are stoned (to death).
Stoning is done in public. The Penal Code of the Islamic Republic, Articles 102 and 104, defines conditions for Stoning (executions): "the stones used to inflict death should not be so large so that the condemned dies after being struck by only one or two stones. Average stone size is selected to assist expiation of the guilt, by (increasing the) suffering of the offender." Quick death is too good for the Ayatollahs
Mutilators must both remain remote at about 15 meters from their target, and chose their stone weapons carefully: Cutting stones are selected for (best) frayed surfaces which cause the most spectacular blood-letting. Preferably, a sharp stone is aimed at the face of the condemned. Round stones require less precision and they are effective anywhere on the target (offender). They are ideal for breaking bones and for causing fatal internal bleeding.
#1
Hey President Bush - what do you say NOW about the Religion of Peace?
Idiot.
Yes I do criticize my Commander in Chief because he is flat WRONG on this issue and persists in using that term when it simply gives cover to the evil that Islam creates, nurtures, harbors and spreads like a plague.
The above is all the proof any rational person needs to see. So the President has no excuses.
I don't know if Bush believed or still believes the ROP BS. But Bush (like Lincoln before him) cannot tell openly what he thinks. If he did he would cause greater losses of American lives. Let's remind that Afganistan and Irak were invaded from bases in Muslim countries. the Taliban and Saddam would be still in power if he had presnted the things as a war agsint Islam. I think it is, and that Islam like slavery before it, must be eradicated. But at the beginning of civil war Lincoln didn't presnt it as a war agsint slavery: if he had did, the four states of the high south who remained loyal woiuld have joined the rebels, a number of military men who were crucial into South's defat and who reamined loyal to the Union despite being southerners would have joined the rebels, a number of Northerners who joined ythe army fought for teh Union and for the principle of Democracy (who imples that if you lose elections you shut up intead of seceding) but even when they against slavery were NOT ready to give their lives for abolishing it. In other words, had Lincoln, openly told early 1861 that he was going to abolish slavery it would have ended with the CSA winning the war and slavery still soiling american soil.
Same thing for Bush. He may not just tell that Islam is evil and must disappear.
#4
True enough, JFM, Bush cannot openly state that this is a "war against Islam"; if he did that, all Hell would break loose.
But I think we'd be in a LOT better shape today, with regard to both the American peoples' support for the war and the Islamic world's response to our efforts, if he had made it clear from the beginning that we regard "Islam is a religion of peace" and "democracy and freedom from tyranny will cure what ails the Islamic world" only as testable hypotheses-- and that we will be looking with eyes wide open at all evidence which might prove or disprove them.
Instead, it looks to me very much like Bush actually believes these things, takes them on blind faith. And as a result, faced with massive evidence that Islam is NOT a religion of peace and that democracy and freedom are NOT going to cure what ails the Islamic/Arab world, he has sunk into paralysis.
That's the way it looks to me, anyway...
Posted by: Dave D. ||
11/30/2006 7:25
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Bush has redefined the 'war on terror' to be a war on Islamic fascism, he knows the score.
#7
President Bush need not state the whole trught about this beign a war on Islamic fundamentalism and its fascist backers - he only needs to STOP using the term "Religion of Peace" - it is a lie that gives the extremists cover. Islam only gives the peace of the enslaved, and subsequently of the dead, like those in Darfur.
I don't know if Bush believed or still believes the ROP BS. But Bush (like Lincoln before him) cannot tell openly what he thinks. If he did he would cause greater losses of American lives.
I have to challenge this notion. While I agree that Bush would be well advised not to take on the entire Muslim world all at once, he effectively blew the midterm elections by not educating our public more about how pervasive Islam's threat really is.
Failing to do so lost many pro-war voters who saw little or no difference between Bush's mealy-mouthed equivocating about his own War on Terrorism and the downright appeasement of Democratic candidates. JFM, you say how, "If he did he would cause greater losses of American lives." I maintain that the ascendancy of appeasing Democrats may well get even more American killed with repeats of 9-11 style atrocities.
Too much of Bush's political calculus was skewed by what can only be interpreted as PC mentality. Be it Rice's condemnation of Israel's righteous pounding of Lebanese based Hezbollah or Bush's unwillingness to go beyond Islamofascism in his addressing of Muslim hostility for the West.
But I think we'd be in a LOT better shape today, with regard to both the American peoples' support for the war and the Islamic world's response to our efforts, if he had made it clear from the beginning that we regard "Islam is a religion of peace" and "democracy and freedom from tyranny will cure what ails the Islamic world" only as testable hypotheses-- and that we will be looking with eyes wide open at all evidence which might prove or disprove them.
Instead, it looks to me very much like Bush actually believes these things, takes them on blind faith. And as a result, faced with massive evidence that Islam is NOT a religion of peace and that democracy and freedom are NOT going to cure what ails the Islamic/Arab world, he has sunk into paralysis.
I could not agree with you more, David D.
President Bush need not state the whole trught about this beign a war on Islamic fundamentalism and its fascist backers - he only needs to STOP using the term "Religion of Peace" - it is a lie that gives the extremists cover. Islam only gives the peace of the enslaved, and subsequently of the dead, like those in Darfur.
I agree, OldSpook. There are a lot of dead bodies undeniable indications that Islam has as much to do with peace as trout did with inventing the bicycle.
I still maintain that the single most important step we can take is stripping Islam of its status as an officially recognized religion. We need to require significant reforms for it to regain such recognition. Foreswearing jihad, ending gender apartheid, eliminating the death penalty for apostasy and establishment of true religious freedom in Muslim majority countries are criteria that must all be met before any reinstatement.
By doing so, we could then eliminate Islam's tax-free status, curtail pro-jihad language as no longer being protected speech and enact a host of other Islam unfriendly measures that would make America increasingly unattractive to Muslim immigration.
Furthermore, this one action would also begin the loang and arduous migration of public opinion towards understanding that unreformed Islam is a political ideology and NOT a religion. This is the bedrock of what will be needed to prepare America for the coming clash of civilizations. Too obviously, none of our politicians have the spine for such measures. This alters not one whit the validity of what I have posted.
#10
If Bush was smart, he could expose Islam while defending them, making himself look like an idiot. Since the left already believes he is an idiot, they would follow the logic and understand the savagery of Islam, the religion of violence, dhimmitude, slavery, ritual stonings, and beheadings.
#13
Welcome to the religion of pieces. I realize that open boards for terrorist Bush can't speak his mind. But to be honest sometimes I wonder if he has one.
We have Muslim terrorist flooding over our borders, Muslims still being given visas, Muslimes in England that were planning on dropping a half dozen planes on our citys, need I go on? There are times guys when you have to call a spade a spade. We are at war with Islam and it's time to go public. Now how we do it is another matter.
The rock apes of Allen are going to hit us again. Keeping silent about this isn't going to stop it nor make it less worse. Anyways I'm not thinking our current President has the brain pan nor balls to deal with it.
That being said, God Bless the President, this one and the next.
Thank you, SpecOp35. Of late, I've been hard at work stitching together the whole Religion versus Ideology debate and how it needs to apply towards making America more Muslim unfriendly. Eliminating Islam's protected status as a religion simultaneously serves so many important purposes that I cannot imagine a more direct and functional approach.
An important aspect of this is our politicians taking to task Islam, not Islamists or Islamofascists or Islamic terrorists or Jihadists, repeat; Islam plain and simple must be taken to task for its obvious shortcomings. Skeered of going head-to-head regarding terrorism? Fine take a stance on the gender apartheid issue. Running for office in a Mormon district? Fine, knock Islam over its death penalty for apostasy or conversion.
Islam is a HUGE target and somehow no-fucking-body is managing to hit the broad side of this mosqueweapons depotindoctrination center barn. America's politicians had better improve their aim, or they can expect the public to begin aiming their anger at both the ballot box and Muslims alike.
If politicians hold the rule of law so fucking dear, they had best make sure it continues to protect the average American. Here's a BIG FUCKING CLUE; The average American isn't a Muslim. Anyone introducing special legislation to provied unequal protection for Muslims had better be ready for a very short stint in office.
OFF TOPIC: By the way, SpecOp35, you were right about the beliefs of that Fremont man who got beat down by his sons after murdering their mother. I tried to post the followup article during the Commenting Form Upgrade fiasco and for some reason it never got onto the Local Page. Maybe I'll try and post it again today.
#15
More than five years ago I wrote this about President Bush and his unwillingness to call the enemy by his proper name:
"October 18, 2001 Why is it that the Bush Administration has not acknowledged the fact that we are at war with an idea? This idea runs parallel to the shadowy world of terrorist hideaways, safe houses, and training bases.
Were told its difficult to hold accountable and punish a shadowy network of extremist guerrilla leaders and their foot soldiers. Our leaders tell us the terrorist networks thrive as amorphous enemies of freedom. Well, is this true? Others suggest terrorism reflects pure hatred of freedom; that terrorism occurs in a vacuum bereft of an idea or ideology. Does it?
The terrorists, were told, hijacked Islam itself to wage jihad against the progressive and modernizing West and the peaceful Muslim majority. Oh, really?
The West cannot conduct a war against terrorism without first confronting the Weltanschauung (worldview) that fuels the terrorists raison detre. Ultimately, we are at war with an idea. And that menacing idea, whose presence was made known loud and clear on September 11, 2001, is nihilistic Islamic absolutism (NIA). ...
Until President Bush and our American leaders acknowledge that the real enemy is nihilistic Islamic absolutism swathed in the fabric of the Wahhabi sect and armed with an array of weaponry and evil intentions, we will be shooting at shadows." -- At War With An Idea
Sad to admit, but as long as President Bush speaks this RoP BS, we'll be shooting at shadows.
Israel warned on Wednesday that the Jewish state was losing patience over Palestinian rocket attacks that have continued to violate a tentative four-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The warnings come amid a flurry of diplomatic efforts to shore up the truce, with Egypts intelligence chief Omar Suleiman in Israel and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas Thursday. The test period accorded by the prime minister to the Palestinians is nearing the end, said Tzahi Hanegbi, a key ally of premier Ehud Olmert and chairman of parliaments influential defence and foreign affairs committee. The prime minister said the policy of restraint will only last a few days, the MP added, speaking on public radio.
Militants in Gaza fired isolated rockets towards southern Israel on each of the first three days of the truce, violating an accord brokered after 400 Palestinians and three Israelis were killed in Gaza in five months.
A source in Olmerts office similarly emphasized that Israels patience has limits, in comments to AFP on Wednesday. The prime minister ordered the army not to respond although since the start of the ceasefire 12 rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli territory, added the official on condition of anonymity.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Can someone change the frigging channel! I've seen this rerun about 100 times now and, oddly enough, the same thing happens each time.
Israel honors the truce for awhile while the palieos continue to violate it. Then the Israeli's will defend themselves and then everyone will condemn Israel for breaking the fragile peace and violating the Cease Fire the palieos never honored anyway.
No newspapers were sold across North Waziristan on Wednesday because of a two-day ban on the sale of newspapers by militants after an erroneous news report on Monday claimed that four militants were killed in a clash with security forces near Mir Ali town. No newspaper was distributed or sold anywhere in (North) Waziristan today, Haji Pazir, the sole distributor of most Urdu and English newspapers in Miranshah, told Daily Times by phone. I am abiding by the ban. I have received some bundles of newspapers but did not open them. I dont want to annoy these people (militants), Pazir said.
Literally, we are ruled by people who only understand the language of force. There is nothing like government in Miranshah.
The local tribal militants, popularly known as Taliban, imposed the two-day ban on the sale of newspapers against what they called irresponsible journalism after the BBC Urdu Service posted a stale story on its website on Monday. A local news agency lifted the story and distributed it to all Pakistani newspapers, which they ran on their front pages. The story was about a clash between security forces and militants months ago in which four militants were killed, but the BBC ran it as a fresh story.
An administration official in Miranshah said he received no newspaper on Wednesday. Asked what the administration was doing to enforce the state writ, he laughed and said: President Pervez Musharraf says in Islamabad Pakistan first, but we in Miranshah say our skin first.
The incident exposed the government claims that the September 5 accord did not help the militants grow in size and influence. Literally, we are ruled by people who only understand the language of force. There is nothing like government in Miranshah, said a lecturer of a college who did not wish to be named.
Posted by: Fred ||
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But what the hell will they eat their fish and chips in?
Posted by: Howard UK ||
11/30/2006 4:11
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Showing no sign of warming to Syria, the Bush administration on Wednesday sharply rejected a charge of US colonialism by President Bashar Assad and demanded Syria cease its support for terror groups.
Even as the Iraq Study Group, a bipartisan panel led by former Secretary of State James A. Baker III and former Rep. Lee H. Hamilton, weighs recommending a more conciliatory US foreign policy, the State Department struck back hard at Damascus. Among possible changes the panel is believed to be considering is a renewal of diplomatic dialogue with Syria, as well as Iran.
Posted by: Fred ||
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This is a problem of your own making George. If you had allowed the Army in Iraq to pursue the terrorists, who infiltrated from Syria, up to the gates of Damascus, none of this would be eating away at the work in Iraq today. Kinder gentler doesn't get it with these people. A gun directly in their face, they understand. Termination has shown remarkable success in deterring second offenses.
North Korea wants sanctions dropped and the United States to free its overseas bank accounts as preconditions for dismantling its nuclear programme, a news agency said on Wednesday, terms likely to become a sticking point in negotiations.
North Korean envoy Kim Kye-gwan made the demands in meetings in Beijing on Tuesday with representatives of other countries in six-party talks on ending the Norths nuclear weapons programme, South Koreas Yonhap news agency said, citing a source in Beijing.
North Korea agreed to return to the talks - which involve South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States - after its first nuclear test last month triggered UN-backed sanctions. US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill was still in preparatory talks on Wednesday afternoon, a US Embassy spokeswoman said. Hill is still in meetings, the spokeswoman said. Hill will not leave Beijing tonight.
US General BB Bell, the head of US forces in South Korea, said on Wednesday that the North was building nuclear weapons for political blackmail. Im not worried about their nukes militarily, Bell said. I see this as a political instrument much more so than I see it as a military instrument.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Peshawar Police arrested 1,138 Afghan refugees wanted for various crimes in November, police sources said on Wednesday. The crackdown was launched following a series of bomb and suicide attacks that killed at least eight people and left several others injured in the provincial capital. According to police sources, the Afghan refugees were arrested as part of efforts to bring an end to blasts, rising number of kidnappings, car lifting and robberies.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Back in 1989 the locals in Peshawar were pissed off with the Afghan refugees. I'm sure it hasn't changed since. I saw them living in tents in muddy fields. Just my 2 cents.
Moroccan police have arrested a Muslim prayer leader who is suspected of recruiting young men to be suicide bombers in the insurgency in Iraq, a newspaper reported Wednesday.
The imam, identified by police simply as Abdelilah according to Aujourd'hui Le Maroc newspaper, was arrested Monday in Tetouan, a city in northern Morocco near the Strait of Gibraltar. Abdelilah preached at a mosque in Mezouak, a vast slum on the city's outskirts, exhorting Moroccans to "fight the American-Zionist occupation in Iraq," the newspaper quoted police as saying.
Posted by: Fred ||
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what other religion has their holy men asking/drooling for violence????!!!!
A rebel bid for an independent Tamil state in Sri Lanka has run into outright international rejection with the United States leading calls for new peace talks and an end to bloodshed. Neither peace broker Norway nor regional power India offered any support to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who appealed for international recognition for a renewed separatist struggle.
LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, accusing Sri Lanka of waging war under cover of peace talks, said Monday the 2.5-million Tamil minority were left with no other option but an independent state. He went back on a 2002 pledge to accept a federal solution to the ethnic conflict which led to a ceasefire and years of Norwegian-sponsored peace talks.
The US, which outlawed the rebels as terrorists in 1997, took a hard line against Prabhakarans vow to build Tamils their own state in the north and east of the island. US ambassador Robert Blake said Washington strongly disagrees with the rebels, and ruled out a military solution. There is a very clear alternative, which is for the LTTE to renounce terrorism, to give up violence and to join in negotiating a peaceful solution to Sri Lankas conflict that will satisfy the aspirations of all of the countrys people, Blake said Tuesday night.
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An Indonesian court on Wednesday sentenced an Islamic militant to 12 years in prison for providing a gun to the aide of a leading member of a Southeast Asian terrorist network. Joko Wibowo, alias Abu Sayaf, was convicted by a regional court in Central Java of violating anti-terror laws for giving a semiautomatic pistol to a member of Jemaah Islamiyah that was used for military training.
The three-member panel of judges said Joko gave the revolver and 20 bullets to Subur Sugiarto, a main aide to Noordin M. Top, a Malaysian fugitive accused of being a key leader of the group. "The defendant has been proven guilty of violating the anti-terror law," presiding Judge Boedi Hartono said at the ruling. Hewas also convicted of illegal possession of a firearm.
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Three Lashker-e-Taiba militants and a `darwaish' (hermit) were killed while a Hizb-ul Mujahideen insurgent surrendered in Jammu and Kashmir since Thursday evening, police said on Friday. Militants shot dead one Farooq Ahmed Dar (38) after dragging him out of his house at Panzoo-Tral, 45 km from here, on Thursday night, a police spokesman said. Police have launched a hunt to nab the militants responsible for the murder of Dar.
Three LeT militants, all locals, were killed in an encounter with police in the upper reaches of Hanzer area under Marwah police station in Doda district on Thursday. The dead militants have been identified as Mudasser alias Abu Hamza, Mohammad Irfan alias Abu Sohail, both residents of Patimahal-Kishtwar, and Mohammad Ismail alias Abu Qamair, a resident of Gujjar Kothen Dachan.
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Philippine troops, on the offensive for nearly four months against Islamic militants on a remote southern island, are hunting five female members of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militant group, the head of the army said. Lieutenant-General Romeo Tolentino said yesterday half of the 10 foreign rebels hiding out on Jolo Island were women, including the wife of Umar Patek, one of two prime suspects in the 2002 Bali suicide bombings that killed 202 people. The other alleged mastermind of the Bali attacks, Indonesian extremist Dulmatin, is also believed to be sheltering on Jolo. Last month, his wife and two children were caught during a raid on a suspected Abu Sayyaf hideout.
Tolentino said despite arresting Istidia Oemar Sovie, his soldiers were finding it difficult to ensnare her husband, who has a $10mn bounty on his head, because of Jolos heavily canopied, mountainous terrain and a lack of support from locals. Its really hard to go against the culture of the people in the area, he told reporters in Manila. Were not saying the residents there were not cooperating with us. They were perhaps more afraid of possible retaliation from the rebels if the residents started giving us information.
Tolentino said intelligence indicated the top leaders of the Abu Sayyaf, the Philippines most violent Muslim rebel group, and JI militants sheltering with them were still in the interior of Jolo, about 950km south of Manila. Dulmatins wife, who will be deported to Indonesia in 10 days, told security officials a Singaporean, a Malaysian and four Indonesians were on Jolo to train members of Abu Sayyaf in bomb-making. Sovie was not charged with any terrorist offence or membership of JI, a group which wants to create an Islamic state across Southeast Asia.
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Posted by: Fred ||
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Let's hope that they're not motivated by the reward of a gang rape.
#2
Imagine that, five Islamist hussies all awaiting their allotment of 72 vir ... err... umm, wait-a-minute, what exactly do Islamist female suicide boomers get in Paradise?
Two men suspected of being involved in a series of attacks on Christians in the Central Sulawesi cities of Poso and Palu have surrendered to local police. The men identified as Ateng and Nasir were flown to Palu from Poso for further questioning. Police would not say when the men gave themselves up. Another suspected militant, Andi Bocor, surrendered to the police two weeks ago but was later released after being interrogated for three days.
Central Sulawesi Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Muhammad Kilat would not comment about the men's surrender. "In line with the requests by the interrogators, I cannot give any official statement yet," he said. Kilat said a full statement would be made after the two men were questioned.
National Police deputy chief Insp. Gen. Anton Bahrul Alam said police had approached the families of the six men to find information about their whereabouts. The families promised to give police the information on three conditions, he said. These were that the police were not allowed to beat the suspects, the suspects had to be accompanied by lawyers, and their families were to be allowed to visit the detained suspects at any time, Anton said. "We agreed with the requirement ... that's why we asked the families to help us find the wanted suspects," he said.
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The Christian ally of the Lebanese militant Shiite group Hezbollah, hardliner General Michel Aoun, said that to pave the way for peaceful solutions to the country's political crisis there will be no street protests in the coming two days. "We are ready to go to the streets with our allies, but we will allow some time for some new negotiations," General Michel Aoun.
Aoun, called on his supporters to be ready at anytime. "We are going to take to the streets peacefully. The other camp is obliging us to do this," Aoun added. "I call on all Lebanese to take part in this movement against the (anti-Syrian) government" of Prime Minister Fouad Seniora, he said. But Aoun set no date for the protests.
Aoun reiterated his demands for a government of national unity that will represent all the Lebanese sects. Aoun and his close ally Hezbollah threatened to take to the streets to topple the anti-Syrian majority government of Prime Minister Fouad Seniora. The political tension in the country has caused panic among Lebanese who were glued to radios on Wednesday after rumours spread that pro-Syrian groups would demonstrate in the coming 48 hours and that Hezbollah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah had been delegated to announce the zero hour for the protests.
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...in Bulgarian surroundings with no unnecessary clothes...
The Italian star Edelweiss who is of Russian origin and is married to a Bulgarian will decorate the cover and pages of the December issue of Playboy Bulgaria in celebration of the country's EU accession. Hurrah!
The dazzling blond took her clothes off for the photo session at the ethnographic museum in Bulgaria's second city of Plovdiv. "She is not only one of the most beautiful women we've ever seen but also an ideal symbol of the union between the East and the West", the magazine says. "We're talkin' major bosom here! Maybe epic!" Bummer, I did a Google image search and got a buncha spindly-looking little white flowers... Except for one link, lol.
"We wanted to render in the best visual way the cute paradox - an Italian star of Russian origin with a German name and a Bulgarian husband, placed in Bulgarian surroundings with no unnecessary clothes on which to hide the important aspects of the accession", the magazine adds.
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Is the last paragraph a nice way of saying she's on the A-list for promotion to Kolonel status???
Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Wednesday the United Nations new human rights body risked becoming deadlocked by the same political manoeuvring that sunk its discredited predecessor. Silly me. I thought it was already there.
In a statement to the third session of the Human Rights Council, Annan urged member countries that are truly determined to uphold human rights to stand out against violations wherever they occur even if they risked angering regional allies. Only by showing such courage and rigour can you avoid disappointing the many people around the world who look to the UN for support in their struggle for human rights, Annan said. I'm trying to think when was the last time the UN showed courage... It'll come to me, I'm sure.
He mentioned no countries, but he noted that in its first five months the Council had focused heavily on the Arab-Israeli conflict, holding three special sessions to approve resolutions condemning alleged violations by the Jewish state. One-sided resolutions do even less than even-handed resolutions, I think.
But there were other situations in the world, particularly the crisis in the Sudan region of Darfur, which were equally or even more needing of attention, Annan said. "Not that it's genocide or anything like that..."
There are surely other situations, besides the one in the Middle East, which would merit scrutiny at a special session... I would suggest that Darfur is a glaring case in point, he said. On Tuesday, for the first time, the 47-state Council passed a mildly worded resolution sponsored by African states expressing concern at human rights violations in Sudan, but it avoided placing any blame on the Khartoum government. Remarkable. You'd almost get the impression he's counting the days, too.
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Has Kofi read STRATEGYPAGE > UN PEACEKEEPERS FACE FAILURE IN LEBANON. The Hizbos are out to turn Lebanon into another [anti-Israeli/Western] Radical State, and are succeeding in part becuz UN Pk's are refusing to stop = "push back" agz Hizbo activities. * They wanna fire at IDF recce air instead, which for me means FRANCE > engaging in anti-Israeli "WAR FOR OIL".
The former chief of staff to incoming U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, speaking in Atlanta on Wednesday, warned companies not to expect smooth sailing in the new Democrat-controlled Congress.
George Crawford, currently an advisor in the Washington, D.C. office of Atlanta-based law firm King & Spalding LLP, joined former U.S. Sens. Daniel Coats (R-Ill.) and Connie Mack (R-Fla.) and partner Thomas Spulak for a Nov. 29 forum on what businesses should expect from the new majority.
Crawford and the other panel members told King & Spalding clients that Democrats will move quickly to investigate large corporations, particularly those in the energy and pharmaceutical sectors. "Business is going to have to earn what they get out of this Democratic Congress," Crawford said. I think that's a reference to campaign contributions, don't you?
Spulak, who served as House general counsel under Tom Foley, the last Democratic speaker, said the party will use committee debates to highlight what it sees as breeches of the public trust by the administration and the private sector, especially when it comes to drug prices, oil company profits and post-Hurricane Katrina insurance rates.
With the party's agenda driven in no small part by its liberal base, count on Democrats to make a lot of noise about how companies "have taken advantage of the American public," Spulak said.
Corporations also will have less access to lawmakers than in previous years, as Pelosi is expected to slap strict new rules on lobbyists to eliminate the "culture of corruption" Democrats claim Republicans allowed to grow under their leadership. To counter the coming storm, Crawford and Spulak suggest businesses ramp up their public relations efforts in order to get equal time for their arguments in the media.
When not directly attacking big business, Democrats will push for an increase in the minimum wage, altering the alternative minimum tax to benefit the middle class, more government-run health care, stem cell research and environmental issues, according to the panel.
"The impression that we're working together won't last too long," said Mack, a senior policy advisor at the firm and former chairman of President George Bush's federal tax reform advisory committee. Killing the Golden Goose is always on the DhimmiDonk agenda.
#1
O'REILLY on FOX > AMERICAN CONSERVATIVES DONATE MORE TO NEEDY PROGS despite not having the massive entitlements available to others in foreign, mostly Socialist nations. FURTHER, So-called SOCIAL PROGRESSIVES = LIBERALS [Liberal Socialists?] like to rant about problems as long as they don't spend any of their own $$$.
#3
How about showing your distain for the influence and bribing of big corporations by repealing the Sonny Bono Copyright Extension Act and returning the length of copyright back to 30 years? Dare you. The founding fathers loath the royal patents which gave families perpetual income off of levies laid upon products, so they specifically limited the time to thirty years. Hollyweird and the big entertainment industry put enough gold in everyones reelection funds in the 90s to get copyright renewable to 100 years. Basically, not different than selling great expanses of public land [in this case public domain] to big corps. Unthinkable in the dialectic of the party propaganda isnt it? So lets start there.
Six Muslim militants face execution within weeks for killing two judges in Bangladesh after the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal against their sentences in a deadly bombing campaign case, an official said Wednesday. Execution dates for the six men were now likely to be fixed, barring last-minute appeals to the president for clemency. The Supreme Court rejected the petitions seeking permission to appeal against a High Court judgement upholding the sentences, Inspector General of Prisons Brigadier General Zakir Hossen told AFP. The do not have any judicial process open to them now. The only option is to make a mercy petition to the president, he added.
The convicts have seven days to petition the president. After that, they could be hanged within 28 days. Police say Shaikh Abdur Rahman, leader of the militant group Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), and his deputy Siddiqul Islam were the masterminds behind a string of blasts carried out as part of a campaign to impose Islamic law in the Muslim but secular country. The attacks began in August 2005 and targeted court, police and government buildings. At least 28 people including four suicide bombers died.
At the time of their sentencing, the men said they would not appeal. Four of them later lost their nerve changed their minds and the authorities treated letters by Rahman and Islam seeking to justify their actions as requests to appeal. The six men were sentenced to death by a lower court in May after being found guilty of conspiring to murder the two judges last November. A seventh accused is on the run and was convicted in his absence. Ministers said earlier they wanted to execute the men to show that Bangladesh would not tolerate crimes committed in the name of Islam. Especially against Judges and Ministers.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/30/2006
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Håkon Robertsen has refused to tear down a condemned barn for fear of reprisals from 'little people' and is ready to sue local authorities to protect the building. Robertsen continues to resist a local order to tear down the derelict structure, and is currently being fined NOK 300 (USD 47.50) a day until he flattens the barn. Local authorities first ordered the barn demolished in February 2005 after complaints from Robertsen's neighbors and a new order was passed this autumn.
Robertsen fears the consequences of tearing the building down. "I don't believe in ghosts, but underworld creatures have taken up residence in the building," Robertsen told newspaper Nordlys, referring to a term used for the fairies and goblins of Norwegian folklore.
Robertsen would not go into detail about his experiences, but said he was convinced that to comply with the order would have serious consequences for his life and health. "A while back I removed the top of the building and that is an experience I will not repeat," he said, and points out that the barn is built on an old Viking site.
He has offered to build a solid fence around the ramshackle building so that it no longer poses a danger to anyone.
The head of the local building policy department, Mette Mohåg, told Nordlys that there was as yet no deadlock in the matter.
#3
I remember the tale of a mining engineer who disregarded the warnings of his immigrant "Cousins" (Cornishmen miners), that a particular part of an old mineshaft being considered for reactivation was off-limits, because some variety of trolls had taken up residence there.
After he went inside and poked around for a while, they assured him that the little buggers would get their revenge on him in some unpleasant way.
Well, a few days later was Halloween, and he heard some kids making mischief in his front yard. He went out to investigate, slipped on his porch and broke his nose. "Just an accident".
The next Halloween, his wife opened a door unexpectedly and broke his nose again.
And for three more years, on Halloween, he managed to get his nose broken again.
That was enough. He bought a few bottles of whiskey which he deposited in the old mine shaft to make amends.
Sheikh Abdul-Majid al-Zindani, the founder of Yemen's religious Al-Eman University, has announced that the facility had cured one of the HIV-infected children from Libya, using just herbs. Libyan authorities have pegged the HIV outspread among 426 children in a Benghazi hospital to five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor, who have been imprisoned for over 7 years. Was henna one of the magik herbs?
Al-Zindani, however, claims that he has managed to cure one of those children, to the point that there are no traces of the virus. He said that the child was then sent to Germany for tests and that doctors there agreed the virus was gone. The sheikh said that his university had used "natural herbs" to heal the child.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/30/2006
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#2
...Waiting for the International Medical Community to denounce this in three...two...one point ninety nine...ninety eight....any time now....point ninety seven....good thing these guys weren't Christians who claimed to have healed HIV with readings from the Bible and prayer, they'd really be in it deep...point ninety six...
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
11/30/2006 8:05
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#3
Islam is so superior, the holy men can cure AIDS with herbs... wow, I feel like converting.... sooooon....
Greenberg Puts Squeeze On Pinch's Paper Billionaire insurance titan Maurice "Hank" Greenberg has begun buying huge blocks of New York Times stock to break the Sulzberger family's stranglehold on the media empire, The Post has learned.
Sources confirmed that the famously combative Greenberg has been buying hundreds of thousands of Times shares, but did not disclose the exact number or the size of the stake he wants to own.
Greenberg has both the assets - Forbes estimated his net worth at $3.2 billion - and the temperament to jump into a fight over the future of the stumbling newspaper giant. A major stock position would put Greenberg in league with already angry Times' shareholders, such as Morgan Stanley Investment Management, to battle the board over whether the founding Ochs-Sulzberger family should hold a powerful class of stock that accounts for a majority of the voting power at the company.
A Times spokeswoman said the Ochs-Sulzberger family has given no indication that it wishes to change the so-called dual-class structure.
Sources said Greenberg views the Times, which has a market cap of $3.3 billion, as a top-flight brand but one with an "artificially depressed" stock price. Well, not exactly...
Times shares have plunged almost 15 percent in the last year, a drop that has put enormous pressure on Chairman Arthur "Pinch" Sulzberger Jr., the family scion who has been at the helm of the company since 1997. The stock is well off its 52-week high of $28.98 that it hit in February. In November 2004, Times shares traded above $40 before they began their free-fall.
On Nov. 13, the New York Times reported that Greenberg was considering a bid for the Tribune Company or Dow Jones, and consulting with bankers and lawyers about a possible offer. Shareholder watchdogs have slammed Times management as overpaid - criticism that forced Sulzberger and his cousin, Vice Chairman Michael Golden, to say in September they would forgo about $2 million in stock awards and pump it into a bonus pool for the company's employees.
Greenberg, a legendary figure in the New York financial community, ran AIG for nearly 40 years before being deposed in a bitter boardroom coup after New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer alleged the company engaged in accounting improprieties.
Spitzer eventually filed charges against Greenberg and ex-AIG CFO Howard Smith. Fighting back bitterly in the courts and the media, Greenberg eventually got Spitzer to drop all criminal charges against him. Spitzer is still pursuing civil charges against Greenberg, although he has dropped two of his six original allegations.
A Greenberg spokesman declined to discuss the specifics of his investment in the Times, but told The Post, "Mr. Greenberg is interested in exploring several options with respect to media companies." I'll leave it to those who know Greenberg to tell us what this might mean regards NYT Editorial Policy. I can only say it means he has a lot of money burning a hole in his pocket.
#1
.com,
IIRC Mr. Greenberg has been a consistent (if not overly open) supporter of President Bush, he's donated well over six figures to his Presidential campaigns.
I have gotta believe that if enough money gets put on the table, the Family will blink - they have lost way too much money and prestige under Sulzberger, they want it back, and screw the principle. The funny part will be watching the reaction of the MSM when the Times becomes a borderline conservative paper.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
11/30/2006 7:59
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#2
Here's a prediction: were the NYT to go "conservative", you'll no longer see CBS, ABC, and NBC drawing their daily top stories from the frontpage headlines of the NYT.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
11/30/2006 10:27
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#3
When the NY Times goes conservative you'll see the reporters ignoring orders or leaving in droves and the papers remaining subscribers cancelling fast.
It might be possible to return them to neutrality (with a liberal bent editorial page) and profitability (which would be good for all) but to go conservative is unlikely.
#4
Greenberg is denying this report that he's buying big into NYT. Stock went up on the initial report. Most likely somebody's playing the usual games to make a few bucks.
NYT. More of the usual. Bush bad. Anyone opposed good. Yadda. BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 29 Irans president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, told the American people on Wednesday that he was certain they detested President Bushs policies his support for Israel, war in Iraq and curtailed civil liberties and he offered to work with them to reverse those policies.
The call came in the form of a six-page letter in English addressed to noble Americans that discussed the many wars and calamities caused by the U.S. administration. It suggested that Americans had been fooled into accepting their governments policies, especially toward Israel.
#3
After referring to Abu Ghraib in Iraq and the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, Mr. Ahmadinejad wrote: I have no doubt that the American people do not approve of this behavior and indeed deplore it.
I sure do! We should have shot every goddamned one of them.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
11/30/2006 8:06
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Mutually assured paralysis has replaced mutually assured destruction as the greatest nuclear threat as world leaders fail to act decisively to promote disarmament and stem proliferation, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned on Tuesday.
While governments are coming together to address many global threats, the one area where there is a total lack of any common strategy is the one that may well present the greatest danger of all - the area of nuclear weapons, Annan said in a lecture at Princeton University. We are asleep at the controls of a fast-moving aircraft. Unless we wake up and take control, the outcome is all too predictable, he said. Nukes have been around longer than the UN, Kofi. The problem is who has 'em - and who wants 'em.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/30/2006
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#1
Mutually assured paralysis described the UN perfectly for me ..
#3
Kofi warns of inaction on the nuke threat.
Kofi criticises the laughable UN Human Rights Council.
Our weaselous Kofi? WTF? I'm betting there is a pod in the basement with his face on it.
Russia's former Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar, architect of the country's market reforms, has suffered a sudden, unexplained and violent illness on a visit to Ireland, The Financial Times reported. He fell ill last week, a day after Alexander Litvinenko, a former KGB spy, died in London from an apparent radiation poisoning. Gaidar is now in a stable condition at an undisclosed Moscow hospital, undergoing tests. He's dead. That's the last we'll hear of him.
In a telephone interview with the FT, Gaidar said the doctors had so far been unable to identify the cause of the violent vomiting and bleeding that he suffered during a conference in Ireland.
Vomiting? Bleeding (either in the vomitus or elsewhere)? Given his proximity to Litvinenko I'd put acute, overwhelming radiation poisoning first on my differential diagnosis. Where's my Geiger counter?
Anatoly Chubais, his former associate and the head of Russia's electricity monopoly, said he suspected Gaidar may have been poisoned. Brilliant Anatoly, how do you do it?
Gaidar is one of Russian President Vladimir Putin's softer critics and his daughter is a leader of an opposition movement. Gaidar, who heads an economic think-tank in Moscow, has close connections with the government and occasionally advises them on economic matters.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
See also NEWSMAX > BARRY BARBER article > EXPOSING RUSSIA. In sum, Russia hates that she lost the Cold War - more importantly for the USA-World, Russia feels no disconnect from her dark, bloody, oppressive Commie past, but yearnings.
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Posted by: BA ||
11/30/2006 11:07
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#9
I admit I love a good conspiracy, but I really don't think Putin is responsible. Like Cheney said, if Pooty wanted them dead, they would be and no one would know it was murder. Besides the Russian Polonium poisonings, which any state sponsor of terrorism would have access to, there are other billionaires whose wealth probably is not honest who have met their deaths, like Hariri. I lean more to others have nefarious motives, such as the Islamofascist AQ and Iran, and even NK. Moscow was on the counterfeit superdollar distribution route, from NK and Hong Kong to the UK. Elected officials are easy to blame, but how do you silence those with power and flashy wealth but are unaccountable to anyone? Causing public panic and all fingerpointing at each other is typical terrorism.
They gave their life for the sake of Allah. They came from all over the world for jihad. They were with their brothers in their hard times. They lost their lives in jihad and became shaheeds (martyrs) in this way. Actually they didn't die! They are still alive and in the heaven they are living their lives. They aren't only the heroes of Chechnya, they are also heroes of this muslim ummah. They all smile when they lose their lives because they know that paradise is waiting for them. Just before they die, they see the heavens and they give their lives while smiling. In this war alot of mujahideen became shaheeds and went to heaven.
1)Abu Bakr From Arabia (1997)
He was one of Khattab's assistants. He joined jihad in chechnya in 1995. He fought in many battles untill death. In 1997, in Dagestan he became shaheed in an operation against Russian positions.
2)Hakeem Al Madani (1999-August)
In 1999 August, mujahideen invaded Dagestan. In Dagestan, they won most of the battles. After a battle won by the mujahideen Hakeem Al Madani was walking on the battle field around Russian corpses and collecting their guns as booties. When he approached a Russian, he thought the Russian was dead but he was alive, then the Russian shot him in the head. He was one of assistants of commander Khattab and he went to Chechnya with Khattab in 1995.
3)Salman Raduyev (Arrested in 2000- was killed in 2002)
He was a real hero. In 1994 when the war first started he joined the war with his group, Lonely Wolves. His group was about 500 men and they had very succesful operations against Russians. In 1996 he went to Dagestan with his men for an operation. In an hostage taking operation he was planning to make his sound heard. After that operation Russians were unable to catch him. In 1999, he retired from Chechnya army because he was injured in a battle and became old. In 2000, Russians found and cought him when he was having rest in his house in Chechnya. In 2002 he found dead in the prison inside of Russia. Everybody knows that he was killed by Russians with tortures.
4)Arbi Barayev (2001-September)
He had a group of 60 mujahideen. With that small group he had very succesful operations. We could hear his group make daily attacks on Russians. In daily attacks they would kill at least 3-5 Russian soldiers each day. In september of 2001, he was in a village with his mujahideen and planning for more operations in the future. Then Russian army learnt that he is in that village and they surrounded the village with 3000 soldiers. He had only 50 soldiers at that time. The battles last about 2 days and Arbi Barayev lost his life with 15 of his men. Other chechen mujahideen successed to escape without getting killed. In the whole battles Russians lost about 200 of their man. In only the first 9 months of 2001, only his group was able to kill at least 1000 Russian soldiers in Chechnya.
5)Ebu Abbas Al Kuwaiti (February 2000)
He was born in Kuwait and when he was 23 years old he went to Chechnya for Jihad. In a short time he became very friendly with other mujahideen and he had very close friendships. In Sherzen Yurt, about 100 mujahideen had been resisting against Russians for a long time. Russians were unable to take Sherzen Yurt for about 40 days of resistance. Chechen commander laters put 15 of mujahideen to front lines. Those 15 mujahideen were standing in the entrance of the town and they had the hardest job. After the heavy resistance some of the mujahideen decided to leave this town. They cut through the huge Russian siege, killing scores of Russian soldiers and they were able to reach Khatni town. Then Russians followed the mujahideen and attacked to Khatni town this time. Another succesful resistance started against Russians then. Mujahideen were in their shelter while giving resistance. They were laying down and shooting Russians. Suddenly Abu Abbas, stood up and started to shoot Russians one by one. When Russians realized him they shot him but it was really hard to kill him. It was 14th February when he became shaheed. In only 3 days his best friend Khallad Al Madani was killed too. They both became shaheeds and met in the heaven. Khallad was killed while he was having rest in his house. A rocket crushed to his house and killed his whole family.
6)Masood Al Benin (February 2000)
He was born in France. After high school he went to England for college education. He was not a muslim because his family was a christian family. In england he learnt islam from muslim students in england. Then he started to like this religion. Then he wanted to fight in Jihad. First he went to Afghanistan to take military education and then he went to Chechnya. He was in chechnya when he was a new muslim. It was 1996 when he went to Chechnya and the first war was about to end. When the war ended he became a teacher in chechnya and started to teach people what he knew. He had his education on computers and he was very well on computers. During the second war he used computers in jihad. He always edited and prepared the footages in the jihad in 1999. He was also a well known fighter amongs mujahideen. He was injured in the Sherzen Yurt battles. His injury was heavy and he had to be treated outside Sherzen Yurt. In Sherzen Yurt 2 more of the mujahideen were injured like him. They picked a military truck and headed to Grozny. They passed the first Russian check point by giving bribe. In the second check point Russians didn't accept the bribe and killed all of mujahideen with truck driver but for a short time mujahideen were able to shoot back and kill about a dozen of Russian soldiers.
And many others like these heroes.... As long as they're all dead like these heroes I'm a happy boy.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Kasuri is basically asking NATO to surrender and to negotiate with the Taliban.
Senior Pakistani officials are urging NATO countries to accept the Taliban and work towards a new coalition government in Kabul, the Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday.
According to the report, Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri has said in private briefings to foreign ministers of some NATO member states that the Taliban are winning the war in Afghanistan and NATO is bound to fail. Kasuri has advised against sending more troops. Kasuri is basically asking NATO to surrender and to negotiate with the Taliban, a Western official who met the foreign minister recently told the Daily Telegraph. The remarks were made on the eve of NATOs critical summit in Latvia. Surrender? Did Mr ISI say "pretty please"?
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
With the Democrats in charges, it's certainly worth asking.
#2
NATO isn't losing, but allowing Afghan mosques to broadcast jihad incitement, under the cover of "freedom of religion," is hardly a winning strategy. I would blow up those mosques at Friday Prayers, when the most pious idiots can be fed 500 pounders.
Imagine allowing Nazi propaganda to be broadcast in occupied Germany?
#4
They've been repeating this line over and over for a while now. Being Paks, they don't realize how transparent they're being.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/30/2006 7:38
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#5
Maybe the NATO foreign ministers ought to hint to this mook that maybe they're thinking of spreading the war violently into Pakistan's border provinces and see what he thinks then.
#7
Considering the next article posted below Ban on sale of newspapers in North Waziristan says more about who is 'winning' than crap reportedly spewed from the Pak FM. Why do you need to shut down the information flow if your cross border boys are 'winning'?
Shit happens. The NYT is reading all sorts of sinister / dire shit into it, cuz they wanna. The usual asinine sneering spin is so normal for the NYT you may miss it, lol, but they just about outdo themselves in this one. I enjoy the attaboy they give themselves for leaking a classified memo. Positively beaming, they are. Waders and oxygen tanks are in the lockers. Good luck. AMMAN, Jordan, Nov. 29 Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq and King Abdullah II of Jordan abruptly backed out of a meeting with President Bush on Wednesday, leaving the White House scrambling to explain why a carefully planned summit had suddenly been cut from two days to one. The decision occurred on a day that a classified White House memo expressing doubts about Mr. Maliki was disclosed and after Iraqi officials loyal to a powerful Shiite cleric said they were suspending participation in the Maliki government because he had ignored their request to cancel the Bush meeting.
The president and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice were already aboard Air Force One, on the way to Amman from Riga, Latvia, where they had been attending a NATO summit, when they received the news by telephone from the United States ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad. The White House insisted Mr. Bush was not upset and had not been snubbed. Absolutely not, said Dan Bartlett, counselor to the president.
AP. They left out "recommendations". Neither they nor AP make the call on US Foreign Policy. Asstards. A bipartisan commission, under pressure to offer a U.S. exit strategy for the increasingly unpopular war in Iraq, has reached a consensus and will announce its recommendations next week, the group's co-chairman said Wednesday.
Former Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Ind., declined to disclose any specifics about the Iraq Study Group's decisions. The report, much anticipated by the Bush administration and members of Congress, is coming out next Wednesday amid the spiraling violence in Iraq that has raised questions about the viability of the Iraqi government. "This afternoon, we reached a consensus ... and we will announce that on December 6," Hamilton told a forum on national security at the Center for American Progress, a liberal group. "We're making recommendations," said Hamilton, who led the group with former Secretary of State James A. Baker III. Hamilton gets it. Sorta. Continued on Page 49
#1
NYT has a few more details. Nothing we haven't already heard about - the kind of mush you'd expect from a committee - "we should withdraw at some unspecified rate and some unspecified time". They did admit that Bush's recent speeches threw a monkey wrench into their deliberations. They obviously didn't want their recommendations to be DOA.
But I think it will be DOA anyway. The world just doesn't work the way these geniuses seem to think it does. The jihad will continue and intensify no matter how much "talking" we do with Syria and Iran.
#2
Iran and Syria won't engage seriously until they've been at the receiving end of a sufficiently large barrage of incoming something-or-others. They think we can be bullied into surrender, despite all our toys... and this kind of thing makes them more intransigent, not less.
#3
The only panel legitimate to 'work it out' is one elected by the American people. This other crap is just dressing for people who believe they don't need the consent of the govern to rule. Get fancy titles and you think you run the place. They have as much to say on the issue as any Rantburger and nothing more.
#4
I suspect this panel opinion is the beginning of a dangerous downward spiral. This panel has been built up as the committee of savants who will produce a magic solution to allow us to solve this Iraq dilemma. Now we see that the solution is to kiss up to Syria and Iran while US troops are withdrawn as quickly as possible. Iran will agree to assist withdrawal because that's exactly what they want anyway. In addition, knowing Baker's proclivities, he undoubtedly promised them that they could proceed unhindered on their "peaceful" nuclear program. This committee opinion will also be used in Congress to force draw down of troop levels. It will be the support pillar used to justify funding cuts for operations activities. This sort of talk will begin early in the next Congress, assisted by the rumor of the most massive supplemental appropriations request since operations began. This will lead to cuts or funding stalemates. Significant withdrawl of US troops will cause the Saoodis to take some sort of action to protect their Sunni brothers. This causes major concern for Israel also. Later, they will be forced to take major military action to protect themselves from being over run. Then the chips will really be down and the game is at stake.
#5
These guys need to watch more football. A 'prevent' defense leads to more 'near losses' (and not a few losses.) As they say, the best defense is a good offense. So let's be offensive.
#6
I've got a brilliant idea. Why don't we pull our troops out, and since it's a "law enforcement" issue to the Donks anyways, let the NYPD and/or the Atlanta PD in on the action. Seem to be good at killing (and overkilling) things lately. Redeploy troops to Tehran, Pyongyang and Syria. Could also use them to cordon off Mecca/Medina in the "Sea of Glass" threats for the next coming attack.
Posted by: BA ||
11/30/2006 11:36
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Iraq's president said Wednesday he had reached a security agreement with Iran, which the United States accuses of fueling the chaos in the war-torn country. Iran's president called on countries to stop backing "terrorists" in Iraq and for the Americans to withdraw.
Tehran is believed to back some of the Shiite militias blamed in the vicious sectarian killings that have thrown the country into chaos. The United States has said the Iraqi government should press Iran to stop interfering in its affairs in a bid to calm the violence. Presidents Jalal Talabani of Iraq and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran held talks Wednesday hours before U.S. President George W. Bush was due to meet with the Iraqi prime minister in Jordan in talks aimed at finding a solution to Iraq's spiraling bloodshed. Well I'm reassured.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Iran's president called on countries to stop backing "terrorists" in Iraq
Yeah, me too. I wish that nasty ol' Luxembourg and Republic of San Marino would cool it with the meddling in Iraq. They've been no end of trouble.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Mel Gibson has returned to the spotlight to promote his upcoming movie Apocalypto, and to criticize the war in Iraq, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Hollywood has its share of dubious fashion trends: the purse-sized chihuahua, the oversized sunglasses, the return of leg-warmers. But the apparent desire by some of Hollywood's hottest young female stars to be photographed getting in and out of limousines in short skirts while wearing absolutely no undergarments is arguably one of Tinseltown's most disturbing new crazes.
A woman says she saw a soldier's flag-draped coffin put into a cart with passengers' baggage last month at the Greater Rochester International Airport, shocking her and other onlookers. 
CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AP) - The missing pilot of an F-16 from Cannon Air Force Base that crashed in Iraq earlier this week has been identified as Maj. Troy Gilbert, a 1993 Texas Tech graduate who was assigned to the 309th Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix. The military classified Gilbert, 34, as "whereabouts unknown" Wednesday.
Is America in danger of civil war? Not immediately, perhaps, but famed science fiction writer Orson Scott Card thinks that we're in enough danger that he's authored a cautionary tale entitled 
BAGHDAD, Iraq The Central Criminal Court of Iraq, between November 10th to the 23rd convicted 41 individuals for variety of crimes including possession of illegal weapons, possessing false civil affair identifications, failure to renew resident identification and illegal border crossing.
Three suicide car bombers, among them a veiled woman, killed themselves and three companions at a police checkpoint outside Somalia's government base of Baidoa, a senior official and a police officer said Thursday.
FBI agents have arrested a St. Louis businessman who they say posed as a highly decorated Marine Major even though he never served in the Corps. Forty-eight-year-old Michael Weilbacher was arrested while attending a local Marine Corps League meeting.
Hizbullah and the opposition forces have called for mass protests to begin Friday in downtown Beirut with the aim of bringing down the Western-backed government.
(Washington, DC, November 29, 2006) The American Humanist Association (AHA) today launched the first nontheistic legal center in the nation's capital, the Appignani Humanist Legal Center (AHLC), by filing what is expected to become a controversial church-state separation case.
HATE cleric Abu Hamza has hooked up with a new pal behind bars London Tube bomb plotter Dhiren Barot. The fanatics sleep four cells apart on the maximum security wing of South Londons Belmarsh jail and pray together every Friday. 
Fighting has broken out between the Sudanese army and the former southern rebels, the Sudan People's Liberation Army, the United Nations has said.
Five civilians were hurt when Muslim separatist rebels attacked a southern Philippine village, torching at least 15 houses, the military said yesterday. About 50 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels stormed the village of Dapiawan in Datu Piang town, Maguindanao province, 930km south of Manila, on Sunday.
After meeting with 
Sami Yousafzai and Urs Gehriger of Die Weltwoche recently met with a member of that hard core. In the border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan, they sat down to cups of green tea with 
The genocide trial of Saddam Hussein was once again thrown into chaos Wednesday when the chief judge ejected a key defence lawyer only to recall him later in the day. Soon after proceedings began, Judge Mohammed al-Oreibi al-Khalifah ordered the arrest of Badie Aref, always a vocal presence in the trial, for violating professional conduct. Aref is defending 
Strong earthquakes struck North MalukuWednesday, damaging scores of houses, one school and worshiphouse, Antara news agency reported. The 6.6-magnitude quake, however, did not trigger a tsunami. "Report from local police said that ten houses, one mosque,and one school building in Morotai island, North Halmahera regency, North Maluku province were destroyed," North Maluku police spokesman Comr. Ramli said Wednesday.The U.S. Geological Survey said on its Web site that the quakewas centered 70 kilometers (45 miles) beneath the sea and 216 kilometers (134 miles) northeast of Ternate, the capital of North Maluku province.
The army forces killed yesterday 10 terrorists and arrested another on the mountainous area near Mziraa, Biskra, and Thniat Elabed, Batna, in an armed fighting. The clash took place when the army forces were carrying out a combing operation, started a few days ago just after a terrorist attack in Mshunesh area. The raking operation was supervised by the ground forces General Commander, General Tafer, and the Commander of military zone IV, Bourefla Sherif Abderrazak, in addition to a number of military commanders from military zones IV and V. All human and logistic means were provided for the operation carried out to put terrorist groups out of harm. 
(KUNA) -- General Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed during a Pentagon briefing on Wednesday that two U.S. battalions are moving into the Baghdad area, which Pace described as "extremely important".
Israel warned on Wednesday that the Jewish state was losing patience over Palestinian rocket attacks that have continued to violate a tentative four-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
No newspapers were sold across North Waziristan on Wednesday because of a two-day ban on the sale of newspapers by militants after an erroneous news report on Monday claimed that four militants were killed in a clash with security forces near Mir Ali town. No newspaper was distributed or sold anywhere in (North) Waziristan today, Haji Pazir, the sole distributor of most Urdu and English newspapers in Miranshah, told Daily Times by phone. I am abiding by the ban. I have received some bundles of newspapers but did not open them. I dont want to annoy these people (militants), Pazir said. 
Showing no sign of warming to Syria, the Bush administration on Wednesday sharply rejected a charge of US colonialism by President Bashar Assad and demanded Syria cease its support for terror groups. 
North Korea wants sanctions dropped and the United States to free its overseas bank accounts as preconditions for dismantling its nuclear programme, a news agency said on Wednesday, terms likely to become a sticking point in negotiations. 
Peshawar Police arrested 1,138 Afghan refugees wanted for various crimes in November, police sources said on Wednesday. The crackdown was launched following a series of bomb and suicide attacks that killed at least eight people and left several others injured in the provincial capital. According to police sources, the Afghan refugees were arrested as part of efforts to bring an end to blasts, rising number of kidnappings, car lifting and robberies.
Moroccan police have arrested a Muslim prayer leader who is suspected of recruiting young men to be suicide bombers in the insurgency in Iraq, a newspaper reported Wednesday. 
orway nor regional power India offered any support to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who appealed for international recognition for a renewed separatist struggle.
An Indonesian court on Wednesday sentenced an Islamic militant to 12 years in prison for providing a gun to the aide of a leading member of a Southeast Asian terrorist network. 
Three 
Philippine troops, on the offensive for nearly four months against Islamic militants on a remote southern island, are hunting five female members of the 
Two men suspected of being involved in a series of attacks on Christians in the Central Sulawesi cities of Poso and Palu have surrendered to local police. The men identified as Ateng and Nasir were flown to Palu from Poso for further questioning. Police would not say when the men gave themselves up. Another suspected militant, Andi Bocor, surrendered to the police two weeks ago but was later released after being interrogated for three days. 
The Christian ally of the Lebanese militant Shiite group Hezbollah, hardliner General Michel Aoun, said that to pave the way for peaceful solutions to the country's political crisis there will be no street protests in the coming two days. "We are ready to go to the streets with our allies, but we will allow some time for some new negotiations," General Michel Aoun. 
Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Wednesday the United Nations new human rights body risked becoming deadlocked by the same political manoeuvring that sunk its discredited predecessor. 
The former chief of staff to incoming U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, speaking in Atlanta on Wednesday, warned companies not to expect smooth sailing in the new Democrat-controlled Congress. 
Six Muslim militants face execution within weeks for killing two judges in Bangladesh after the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal against their sentences in a deadly bombing campaign case, an official said Wednesday. Execution dates for the six men were now likely to be fixed, barring last-minute appeals to the president for clemency. The Supreme Court rejected the petitions seeking permission to appeal against a High Court judgement upholding the sentences, Inspector General of Prisons Brigadier General Zakir Hossen told AFP. The do not have any judicial process open to them now. The only option is to make a mercy petition to the president, he added.
The convicts have seven days to petition the president. After that, they could be hanged within 28 days. Police say 
Håkon Robertsen has refused to tear down a condemned barn for fear of reprisals from 'little people' and is ready to sue local authorities to protect the building. Robertsen continues to resist a local order to tear down the derelict structure, and is currently being fined NOK 300 (USD 47.50) a day until he flattens the barn. Local authorities first ordered the barn demolished in February 2005 after complaints from Robertsen's neighbors and a new order was passed this autumn.
Sheikh Abdul-Majid al-Zindani, the founder of Yemen's religious Al-Eman University, has announced that the facility had cured one of the HIV-infected children from Libya, using just herbs. Libyan authorities have pegged the HIV outspread among 426 children in a Benghazi hospital to five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor, who have been imprisoned for over 7 years.
Billionaire insurance titan Maurice "Hank" Greenberg has begun buying huge blocks of New York Times stock to break the Sulzberger family's stranglehold on the media empire, The Post has learned. 
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 29 Irans president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, told the American people on Wednesday that he was certain they detested President Bushs policies his support for Israel, war in Iraq and curtailed civil liberties and he offered to work with them to reverse those policies.
Mutually assured paralysis has replaced mutually assured destruction as the greatest nuclear threat as world leaders fail to act decisively to promote disarmament and stem proliferation, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan warned on Tuesday. 
Russia's former Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar, architect of the country's market reforms, has suffered a sudden, unexplained and violent illness on a visit to Ireland, The Financial Times reported. He fell ill last week, a day after Alexander Litvinenko, a former KGB spy, died in London from an apparent radiation poisoning. Gaidar is now in a stable condition at an undisclosed Moscow hospital, undergoing tests. 
They gave their life for the sake of Allah. They came from all over the world for jihad. They were with their brothers in their hard times. They lost their lives in jihad and became shaheeds (martyrs) in this way. Actually they didn't die! They are still alive and in the heaven they are living their lives. They aren't only the heroes of Chechnya, they are also heroes of this muslim ummah. They all smile when they lose their lives because they know that paradise is waiting for them. Just before they die, they see the heavens and they give their lives while smiling. In this war alot of mujahideen became shaheeds and went to heaven. 
AMMAN, Jordan, Nov. 29 Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki of Iraq and King Abdullah II of Jordan abruptly backed out of a meeting with President Bush on Wednesday, leaving the White House scrambling to explain why a carefully planned summit had suddenly been cut from two days to one. The decision occurred on a day that a classified White House memo expressing doubts about Mr. Maliki was disclosed and after Iraqi officials loyal to a powerful Shiite cleric said they were suspending participation in the Maliki government because he had ignored their request to cancel the Bush meeting. 
A bipartisan commission, under pressure to offer a U.S. exit strategy for the increasingly unpopular war in Iraq, has reached a consensus and will announce its recommendations next week, the group's co-chairman said Wednesday. 
Iraq's president said Wednesday he had reached a security agreement with Iran, which the United States accuses of fueling the chaos in the war-torn country. Iran's president called on countries to stop backing "terrorists" in Iraq and for the Americans to withdraw. 
