...The Bush administration quietly announced at the Pentagon that it would equip Pakistan with thousands of missiles, airborne early warning systems and associated equipment worth a phenomenal $1.04 billion.
The latest US arms sale to Pakistan involves 2,769 Radio Frequency TOW 2A missiles, 415 RF bunker buster missiles, fly-to-buy missiles in both these categories, 121 TOW launchers for wire-guided and wireless missiles, E-2C HAWKEYE 2000 Airborne Early Warning Systems, simulators and support equipment....
Posted by: john ||
12/09/2006
21:30 ||
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NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 2: In A controversial move, the UPA government has defended the Darul Qaza or Shariat courts in the Supreme Court, saying their existence posed no challenge to the countrys judicial system. In an affidavit filed in the court, the Centre even defended the jaziya tax imposed by Aurangazeb as a mere special tax which non-Muslims had to pay for failing to render military service.
The emperor Aurangazeb probably killed a couple hundred thousand hindus during his reign
The history of Darul-Qaza and legislative history of the enactments in the form of Regulations and Acts in respect of appointing Muslim Law officers to Court would show that the institution of Darul Qaza has never been and is not in derogation of or in conflict with the official/ recognised judicial system in India, the Union of India said in the affidavit filed in response to a public interest litigation.
The PIL filed by Vishwa Lochan Madan had alleged that existence of Shariat courts and the fatwas issued by them were a threat to Indias judicial system. The Centre said that the courts were an alternative dispute redressal forum, which performed a conciliatory role without powers of enforcement.
The government linked the setting up of Shariat courts to the freedom guaranteed to minorities under Article 26 of the Constitution and denied they were a parallel judicial system. Freedom guaranteed by Article 26 to every religious denomination or every section thereof to establish and maintain institutions for religious and charitable purposes and to manage its own affairs in the matter of religion would include the freedom to establish Darul-Qaza/ Nizam-ul-Qaza to settle disputes between two persons professing Islam, according to Shariat, the affidavit said. Besides, their existence did not prevent Muslims from reporting to the courts of law, the Government said.
On fatwas, the affidavit said these judgments could best be considered the opinion of the Mufti who undergoes special training before his anointment. The Mufti proceeds on facts submitted to him for his opinion. The Mufti has no power and therefore does not investigate the veracity of the facts submitted to him, it said, adding the Mufti had no power either to impose his opinion either by way of fine or sending the person to jail.
The Government also sidestepped the controversy over the fatwas issued in the Imrana case, saying, the case of Imrana has been found not to having been referred to any of the Dar-ul-Waza/ Nizam-e-Qaza. The affidavit also dodged questions on the fatwas issued in the case of Jyotsna Ara of Assam and Asobi in Haryana, both of whom were raped by their fathers-in-law, saying the petitioner had not made the Muftis who had given the fatwa party to the petition. In any event, few bad examples may lead to the abolition of a system which otherwise is found useful and effective, the Centre submitted, requesting the court to reject the PIL.
Posted by: john ||
12/09/2006
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#1
the courts were an alternative dispute redressal forum, which performed a conciliatory role without powers of enforcement.
simply amazing.
The Nobel laureate in literature Sir Vidya Naipaul has written that Indian textbooks simply lie about muslim rule.
Only in Pakistan are the original sources quoted, where the emperors boasted of the numbers of temples burnt, and how many thousand hindu kaffirs they killed every day.
Posted by: john ||
12/09/2006 21:23
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I wouldn't normally post a circulating e-mail but this one really hits the bullseye:
Scenario: Jack pulls into school parking lot with rifle in gun rack.
1956 - Vice Principal comes over, takes a look at Jack's rifle, goes to
his car and gets his to show Jack.
2006 - School goes into lockdown, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail
and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for
traumatized students and teachers.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.
1956 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up
best friends Nobody goes to jail, nobody arrested, nobody expelled.
2006 - Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark.
Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Scenario: Little Jeffrey won't be still in class, disrupts other
students.
1956 - Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by Principal.
Sits still in class.
2006 - Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. School
gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his father's car and his Dad gives
him a whipping.
1956 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to
college, and becomes a successful businessman.
2006 - Billy's Dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster
care and joins a gang. Billy's sister is told by state psychologist
that she remembers being abused herself and their Dad goes to prison.
Billy's mom has affair with psychologist.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Scenario: Mark gets a headache and takes some headache medicine to
school.
1956 - Mark shares headache medicine with Principal out on the smoking
dock.
2006 - Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations.
Car is searched for drugs and weapons.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Scenario: Mary turns up pregnant.
1956 - 5 High School Boys leave town. Mary does her senior year at a
special school for expectant mothers.
2006 - Middle School Counselor calls Planned Parenthood, who notifies
the ACLU. Mary is driven to the next state over and gets an abortion
without her parent's consent or knowledge. Mary given condoms and told
to be more careful next time.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Scenario: Pedro fails high school English.
1956: Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college.
2006: Pedro's cause is taken up by ultra-liberals. Newspaper articles
appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for
graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against state
school system and Pedro's English teacher. English banned from core
curriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a
living because he can't speak English.
+++++++++++++++++++++
Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the 4th of
July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant
bed.
1956 - Ants die.
2006 - ATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic
terrorism, FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home,
computers confiscated, Johnny's Dad goes on a terror watch list and is
never allowed to fly again.
+++++++++++++++++++++
Scenario: Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his
knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary, who hugs Johnny to
comfort him.
1956 - In a short time Johnny feels better and goes on playing.
2006 - Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job.
She faces 3 years in State Prison.
+++++++++++++++++++++
#2
In 1954, when I was in first grade, a fellow student brought a U.S. Army Korean War era (defused) handgrenade to school for "show and tell". I remember handling it as it was passed around...seriously cool stuff. No one, including the teacher thought anything of it. Afterwards, the class went back to reading "Dick and Jane".
Within hours of hearing her love had been killed in Iraq, a soldier's fiancée got an engagement ring, his family said.
Sgt. Yevgeniy Ryndych, 24, died Wednesday in Ramadi, the Defense Department said.
His family and fiancée were told on the same day she got a package with the engagement ring, said the soldier's brother, Ivan Ryndych.
"He had proposed over the phone from Iraq within the past month," said Ivan Ryndych, 20. "He bought an engagement ring over the Internet."
Ryndych, who was born in Ukraine and immigrated to New York City as a teenager, was on his second tour of duty in Iraq, his brother said. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, based at Fort Carson, Colo.
Ivan Ryndych said his brother had gone on to a special-forces unit after his first tour in Iraq ended last year. But then he volunteered to rejoin his old unit when it headed back to Iraq, his brother said.
"His exact words to me were, 'I don't want to leave them behind,' " Ivan Ryndych said.
Ivan Ryndych responded angrily when he realized he lost his brother on the same day a report criticizing President Bush's failing Iraq strategy came out.
"It won't change anything," Ivan Ryndych told the New York Daily News.
In an interview with Newsday, Ivan Ryndych said that until his brother's death, he had also contemplated a career in the Army. "I changed my mind," he said. "I just don't want to put my parents through the same thing."
The family immigrated to Brooklyn from Ukraine in 1998 and has since moved to Staten Island. A flag flew at half-staff outside their home Thursday; inside, the living room displayed photographs of Ryndych in uniform.
Ryndych graduated from Lafayette High School in Brooklyn, according to published reports.
A voracious reader who enjoyed military-strategy games, he had wanted to join the Army for years, his brother said.
"He just liked the whole Army concept," Ivan Ryndych said.
#2
I'm proud to be a citizen of the country that such a man chose to serve. I'm glad his fiancee' has the ring he chose, to remember him by -- it will give her strength for the difficult time ahead, poor thing.
All Holiday trees at Sea-Tac Airport were removed this morning after several community member complaints. You will defer to my beliefs in public, or else. They say the trees don't represent all cultures and religions... Hmmm....
Just call them Christmas trees, Hanukkah bushes, Solstice shrubs, 5-6 foot natural air fresheners...
That has Christians, Jews, atheists, and yuppies covered. Who could possibly feel excluded?
The trees will not go up again...the airport policy on decorations will be reviewed after the holidays.
High-level stuff. It usually takes the threat of a fatwa to get the muckymucks to roll over that fast, but we'll see.
#1
My religious beliefs insists that holiday decorations be present and that they are referred to as they should be. I'm offended that my religion is being violated. :-)
The Port of Seattle says it had little choice. It says a Seattle rabbi with the Central Organization for Jewish Learning hired an attorney and threatened to sue if the airport did not erect an eight foot menorah to balance the message of the Christmas trees.
According to airport spokeswoman the two sides could not reach an agreement before the lawsuit was to be filed, so the trees were removed instead.
Problem is, a google search failed to turn up a single hit on "Central Organization for Jewish Learning" and the likely permutations. Seattle has no shortage of Jew-haters. Could this be a false-flag operation to discredit local Jews?
It could also be a lone self-declared "rabbi" telling the PC port officials what they desperately want to hear anyway.
#3
Could not happen without reporters willing to file stories using unnamed sources. I do not doubt that people have called to complain as part of a campaign but I cannot imagine any Jewish religious group wanting to kill Christian symbols.
Minister of hate to "hunt down" Swedish king
Published: 25th August 2005 15:32 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/1961/
The fanatical American Baptist minister, Fred Phelps, is on his way to Sweden. Phelps calls himself a Baptist but he is not associated with any recognized denominational group and is routinely denounced by every Baptist organization of any significance.
His "church" is in fact a sado-mascochistic lawyer cult limited to his immediate family and a handful of similarly inbred nutcases.
"We'll hunt down your king," he said ominously to Expressen. "It doesn't make any difference where he tries to hide."
Phelps' hatred of the royal family and all things Swedish is linked directly to his equally virulent hatred of homosexuals. He praises homophobic crimes, including murder. When controversial Swedish minister, Åke Green, was convicted of inciting hatred of homosexuals following an anti-gay sermon, Phelps saw red and turned his attention to Sweden.
"You're doomed to spend eternity in hell," he continued. "All you Swedes and your Swedish king and his family."
The minister and twenty members of his congregation from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas, are planning to come to Sweden at the beginning of September. They are bringing plenty of placards in order to spread their message that Sweden is the cradle of all evil and that the king rules a nation of sodomites. He said the same thing about Lubbock and its mayor.
King Carl Gustaf is their primary target.
"Your king represents your doomed country and we'll find him wherever he may be."
Phelps claims that Sweden deserved to suffer in the Boxing Day tsunami catastrophe in southern Asia and has designed a monument to 'celebrate' the deaths of over 500 Swedes in Thailand.
The left-leaning Swedish media will naturally fail to mention Phelps' most prominent outrage, his attempts to desecrate the funerals of fallen soldiers. They can't confuse public sympathy by highlighting his anti-war views and hatred of the American military. That might take away from their focus, to discredit American Christians.
The royal household regards the proposed visit as a serious risk and has increased security around the king and the royal family. Stop whimpering, royal girly-men. This bitch-pack's bark is much worse than its bite.
"We'll be informing Säpo of this," said royal spokeswoman, Ann-Christine Jernberg. A royal girly-girl.
So, should Sweden laugh, cry or take Fred Phelps seriously? Expressen columnist, Lars Lindström, is in no doubt that this is no joke. You can throw him in a dungeon if you like. We'll get around to filing a diplomatic protest in, say, 2090.
"If he were a cartoon character, I'd laugh. But now I just feel ill. Minister Fred Phelps has such extreme views that even the Christian far right in the USA feel a bit queasy." This invites a false inference by drastically (and willfully) understating the case. Phelps has no support whatsoever outside his own weird little cult.
Lindström argues that it isn't just singled out Sweden that's exercised about Phelps, but that he attracts a lot of attention in his home country. Sure enough, Lindstrom uses ambiguity to imply widespread support for the Phelpers in the US (why else would Lindstrom find this "attention" a cause for concern?)
"Phelps has eleven lawyers fighting for his constitutional right to cast the objects of his hatred to the fires of hell. To dismiss him as a village idiot is to take the easy way out." No, he is still the village idiot. Lindstrom conveniently neglects to mention that all 11 of these lawyers are members of Phelps immediate family and the two or three deranged clans associated with them. This omission again invites the inference that Phelps has substantial support among Americans.
"With friends like Fred Phelps, Åke Green doesn't need a single enemy," concludes Lindström. Ain't that the sad and sorry truth?
Once again, where does Phelps get the money for these expeditions? Phelps himself admits to spending $250K per year on this depravity. His mob has won a couple of lawsuits, but the proceeds come to less than $250K over the last 15 years. Somebody needs to find the money trail and follow it.
#2
Why would they let him and his fellow nutjobs into their country?
Not that I'm against it, you understand. Somebody besides us should have to suffer this idiot for a while.
Can we pay Sweden to keep him and his in-breeds?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/09/2006 22:30
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#3
OK, I've got it:
1) Someone tell them there are homosexuals in Iraq.
2) Wait a couple of days and put 30 airplane tickets to Iraq in his mailbox along with a "Note from God" telling him to go there and picket the Sunni Triangle.
3) Put 30 picket signs written in arabic in his car that poke fun at Mighty Mo, his slippers, Islam, Bin Laden, the Heroic Resistance(TM), and anything else they'll react to. These should be labeled as coming from God, too. Don't worry, they'll believe this, too.
4) Watch for the festivities that evening on Al-Jizz!
Robert D. Novak writes: Zalmay Khalilzad, who was announced this week as leaving as U.S. ambassador to Iraq, is the leading prospect to replace John Bolton as envoy to the United Nations.
President Bush was reported by aides as looking for someone who approximates Bolton's combination of toughness and diplomatic skill and has tentatively decided on Khalilzad. A native of Afghanistan, he has served in government posts dating back to 1985 and is the highest-ranking Muslim in the Bush administration.
SPAN CLASS=HILITE>Now this is an amusing prospect... except for the BDS sufferers of the world, of course.
Outgoing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was in Iraq today on his 13th unannounced visit since the war started in 2003, ABC News has learned. It was an unusually secretive farewell tour of the nation that will almost certainly define his legacy. The trip, laden with symbolism, is among the last stops in Rumsfeld's farewell tour, with just nine days left before former CIA Director Robert Gates assumes Rumsfeld's third-floor office in the Pentagon.
Reporters usually agree to keep Rumsfeld's trips to Iraq secret until he arrives on the ground, under standard Pentagon rules designed to avoid alerting insurgents. But this visit has remained undisclosed even after his arrival.
Rumsfeld addressed Pentagon employees with a catch in his throat this week. He said Americans would be mistaken to withdraw from Iraq immediately and that his worst day on the job was when he learned of the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal that tarnished the war effort. "I wish I could say that everything we've done here has gone perfectly, but that's not how life works, regrettably," Rumsfeld told Defense Department employees.
At that meeting, a sometimes emotional Rumsfeld quoted a wounded service member he had met in a military hospital. "He looked up and he said, 'If only the American people will give us the time, we can do this,'" Rumsfeld said. "We're getting it done. And it is a fact, it will take patience and it will take understanding."
Former speechwriter Peggy Noonan writes about George H.W.Bush breaking down in tears while speaking at a tribute to son Jeb Bush. Ms. Noonan, who used to like his other son, the sitting president, has some (to me, unnecessarily) pointed things to say about Bush 43's competence. Read the whole thing if you're so inclined -- the Wall Street Journal's OpinionJournal.com is free, but you have to register. The bit that actually interested me came near the end:
And the younger President Bush, what of his inner world? He has been shorn of much--his place in the winner's circle, old advisers. A man who worked for Richard Nixon reminded me the other night that when Nixon fired Haldeman and Ehrlichman, "he lost his asbestos suit." He lost his primary protectors and loyalists. President Bush is now without a similar layer. Old staffers gone, Rumsfeld gone, Cheney marginalized He is? I hadn't noticed., Condi and Karen off representing. And the ISG. And the loss of Congress.That last remains to be seen -- Lieberman controls the outcome in the Senate; it seems they're to have a re-vote down in New Orleans for the money-in-the-freezer gentleman. And Representative Pelosi just announced they won't be trying to impeach Bush, et al.
And yet the president presents himself each day in his chesty way, with what seems a jarring peppiness. A person who saw him in the White House a few days ago described him as "perky, seemed happy." At the modest dinner for outgoing U.N. head Kofi Annan--one participant called it "stinting"--the president joshingly approached a guest. "I don't see many friendly faces here!" he said, leaving the guest deadpanning later, "He mistook me for a friendly face."
Unlike anguished wartime presidents of old, he seems resolutely un-anguished. Think of the shattered Lincoln of the last Mathew Brady photographs, taken just weeks before he was assassinated. He'd gone from a bounding man of young middle age who awed his secretaries by his ability to hold a heavy ax from his fully outstretched arm, to, four years later, "the old tycoon." Or anguished Lyndon B. Johnson sitting in the cabinet room by himself, literally with his head in his hands. History takes a toll.
But George W. Bush seems, in the day to day, the same as he was. It is part of the Bush conundrum--a supernal serenity or a confidence born of cluelessness? You decide. Where you stand on the war will likely determine your answer. But I'll tell you, I wonder about it and do not understand it, either what it is or what it means. I'd ask someone in the White House, but they're still stuck in Rote Talking Point Land: The president of course has moments of weariness but is sustained by his knowledge of the ultimate rightness of his course . . .
#1
"the Bush conundrum--a supernal serenity or a confidence born of cluelessness?"
'God grant me the courage to change what I cannot accept, the serenity to accept what I cannot change, and the wisdom to know the difference.' Words to live by.
Business as usual. HT African Crisis.
A visiting European swimming official has been gang-raped near the Durban beachfront paddling pools while her male companion, also a tourist, was held down. The latest gang-rape came just a day after Durban unveiled its beefed up holiday safety programme.
The shocking attack on Wednesday was at the Lower Marine Parade childrens paddling pools, the scene of the gang rape of three teenagers on December 16, the Day of Reconciliation, last year. The victim, whose age is unknown, was in town with her team which was competing in this weeks International Paralympic Committees (IPC) Swimming World Championships at the Kings Park Aquatic Centre. She is not believed to be disabled.
Reliable sources said that the woman, who was staying in a beachfront hotel, decided to go for a walk on the beach with a male swimming official from another country. It was just before 1am when the unsuspecting couple were attacked by four young men. The man was held down while she was gang-raped, a source said.
The victim was taken to a local hospital for treatment and is understood to have returned to the championships on Thursday. Four suspects have been arrested, SAPS provincial spokeswoman, Senior Superintendant Phindile Hadebe confirmed last night.
A source in the hospitality industry described the incident as outrageous, but wondered why the couple had ignored clear safety tips in their hotel. Said another: This is horrifying, but what were they thinking going for a walk at that time of night?
She was worried that if the suspects were young men they would be released from custody and be back on the streets to attack again. If the authorities got rid of the street children and vagrants along the beachfront, then surely those still hanging around have to be criminals and the police could act. Often the police drive past criminals, believing them to be street children and vagrants.
The attack comes at a time when South Africa is observing 16 days of activism against the abuse of women and children and follows the recent mugging of 11 cruise liner passengers at Durbans North Beach.
Crime came under the spotlight during the recent provincial tourism conference in Durban, when delegates were told that the city had the most significant tourism development potential in the country but also the biggest safety and security problem.
#3
the scene of the gang rape of three teenagers on December 16, the Day of Reconciliation
I'd hate to see what happens on their "Day of Revenge".
This is horrifying, but what were they thinking going for a walk at that time of night?
The voice of reason.
If the authorities got rid of the street children and vagrants along the beachfront, then surely those still hanging around have to be criminals and the police could act. Often the police drive past criminals, believing them to be street children and vagrants.
The voice of eliteism. (i.e., "Keep that riff-raff away from the water's edge.)
Anyone idiotic enough to walk about at one o'clock in the morning in a crime-ridden nation is begging for disaster. I can only suppose that eliteists refuse to consider such an indecent notion as self-responsibility.
#8
With the new batch of ANC cadre winning the elections, SA will be Zimbabwe South in about in 3 years. The ANC is already talking about gangstering the white-held farms, just like Mugabe did. The whole of southern and central Africa is just a write-off, anymore. And you are safer vacationing in Beruit, than in Joburg : Hizb'allah protects tourists because of the jobs and money they bring in.
#9
A source in the hospitality industry described the incident as outrageous, but wondered why the couple had ignored clear safety tips in their hotel.
Clausal oxymoron, I guess.
It's getting to be about time to vacate the country if you have more than three functional neurons. Now I'm just trying to figure out which place would be least bad to flee to.
#11
The attack comes at a time when South Africa is observing 16 days of activism against the abuse of women and children and follows the recent mugging of 11 cruise liner passengers at Durbans North Beach.
So, I guess they remain inactive the other 349 days of the year? Jeebus, SA sounds more and more like ZimBOBwe every day.
Posted by: BA ||
12/09/2006 22:02
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#12
Not just South Africa, tu3031. When Mr. Wife went down to Caracas on a business trip a few years ago, the hotel doorman called a cab to take him to the pub across the street, as it was deemed unsafe for gringos to walk across the street without an armed guard... a considerable change from a decade earlier, when a friend of ours happily wandered the streets doing errands while his wife worked at the office (he was a trailing husband, and thoroughly enjoyed it the opportunities that entailed) with only a loaded pistol in his pocket.
Consider $17 TRILLON is more than 1 years GNP and it is all in control of BoNY.
More consolidation in the financial services market as the Bank of New York (BoNY) announces it will acquire Mellon Financial for around $17 billion. This combination of two top US money management companies is just another step in the consolidation of the custody bank field - the companies that do the often tedious work of managing and transferring money for other banks and hedge funds. It also gives the two institutions a strong position in the more glamorous world of asset management - the investment of money for rich individuals and institutions.
This is a coming together of iconic firms. BONY was established in 1784, Mellon in 1860. BoNY tried to make a hostile takeover of Mellon in 1998, but was fended off. The deal follows a similar one whereby Bank of America bought asset manager US Trust from the Charles Schwab group. Other trust companies, including State Street Trust and Northern Trust are now seen as potential takeover targets.
Over the past year, BoNY had already sold off its retail banking operations to JPMorgan Chase; in exchange BoNY received the corporate trust assets of JPMorgan. Chase/ (A $3.1 billion deal.)
The new entity will be a global leader in financial custody with $17 trillion in assets under trusteeship or management. The deal will result in the usual back-office savings, it is claimed, with about a tenth of the jobs form the combined companies on the block. In fact, since the trust bank operations are more of a technical, organizational task rather than an interpersonal job.
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A nephew of Saddam Hussein serving a life sentence for making bombs for Iraq's insurgency escaped from prison Saturday in northern Iraq, authorities said.
Ayman Sabawi, the son of Saddam's half brother Sabawi Ibrahim Hassan al-Tikriti, fled the prison some 45 miles west of Mosul in the afternoon with the help of a police officer, according to local police Brig. Abdul Karim al-Jubouri.
Interior Ministry spokesman Brig. Abdul-Karim Khalaf confirmed the escape but declined to elaborate.
Sabawi was convicted of illegally crossing the border from Syria and sentenced to 15 years in prison late last year by an Iraqi court. He was sentenced to life in prison in an earlier case for possession of illegal weapons and manufacture of explosive devices.
He was captured in May 2005 by security forces during a raid on Tikrit, the former leader's hometown. His father, who served as a presidential adviser before the U.S.-led invasion, was captured there two months earlier.
Abu Kais is guest-hosting Michael Totten's blog. Read the whole thing.
The Assad regime is in a hurry. Nasrallah hasnt been able to deliver quickly enough. The Grand Serail is a fortress, and the Lebanese street is slowly turning against the protestors, who dont even have safe passage back to their homes now. The orders from the Dark Lords council are to pack more people in downtown Beirut, and as soon as possible. The plan to occupy or lay siege to the Rafik Hariri International airport seems to be in full swing, although the Lebanese army will reportedly not allow it.
Whats the hurry for?
This Sunday, the 15-day time limit for Lahoud to sign the Hariri tribunal plan expires. As of Monday, the cabinet can constitutionally send it to parliament for endorsement.
Nabih Berri is in a pickle. He was forced to declare the cabinet session that approved the tribunal unconstitutional after telling journalists days before, that it wasnt. On Wednesday, when it appeared that there was a dim hope of reaching a settlement, the speaker of parliament received a death threat from Maher Assad, Bashars brother. According to al-Seyassah, Assad threatened to kill Berri if he calls parliament into session to approve the plan (Again, al-Seyassah is to be read with a grain of salt, although they've gotten it right in the past with regards to Lebanon. In any case, this isn't the first time we've heard this.) This Sunday, of course, Hez will hold an outdoor rally of "historic" proportions outside the Grand Serail's government offices.
US President George W. Bush is focusing on three options to redefine the country's engagement in Iraq following a report by the Iraq Study Group, The Washington Post reported.
Citing unnamed officials familiar with the debate, the paper said the major alternatives include a short-term surge of 15,000 to 30,000 additional US troops to secure Baghdad and accelerate the training of Iraqi forces.
Another strategy would redirect the US military away from the internal strife to focus mainly on hunting terrorists affiliated with al-Qaeda, according to the report.
And the third would concentrate political attention on supporting the majority Shiites and abandon US efforts to reach out to Sunni insurgents.
As Mr Bush and his advisers rush to complete their crash review and craft a new formula in the next two weeks, some close to the process said the major goal seems to be to stake out alternatives to the plan presented by the Iraq Study Group, The Post said.
But the growing undercurrent of discussions within the administration is shifting responsibility for Iraq's problems to Iraqis, the paper reported.
Sources familiar with the deliberations describe fatigue, frustration and a growing desire to disengage from Iraq, The Post said.
The crash White House review which involves the State Department, the National Security Council, the CIA and the Pentagon is tentatively expected to lead to a speech to the nation the week of December 18, the paper said.
While one of the options involves a surge of US troops, there is no agreement on what the mission of those forces would be, according to the report.
Discussions centre on accelerating the training of Iraqi forces and helping secure Baghdad before turning it over to the Iraqis, The Post said.
The goal could be to improve Iraq's defence capabilities so US combat troops could begin to withdraw faster.
#1
I lean towards option 3, "concentrate political attention on supporting the majority Shiites and abandon US efforts to reach out to Sunni insurgents."
The Sunni are doomed no matter what -- they've dug their own grave and it's just a matter how long it will take the Shia and Kurds to put them in it. So reaching out to them is a waste of time and resources.
Also, we have to make sure that the Iraqi Shia don't become a puppet of the Iranian Shia. Given that the Iraqi Shia are predominately Arabs while Iran is dominated by Shia Persians -- and the minority populations of Iran are less than happy with their Persian masters, that may not be as difficult as many people seem to think.
#2
Suggestion: allow the Sunnis to move gracefully, lock stock and barrel, to Syria. They get out of a bad situation, they get to live again under a Ba'athist thug-dictatorship which seems to be their preference, and we get to concentrate our enemies into one place.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/09/2006 12:45
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#3
Bush to outline three options for Iraq
I wonder if the DemoCraps and our State dept. are factoring in an influx of a of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees becoming citizens here in the USA.
#4
The Sunnis have been pouring out of the Iraq without any assistance thus far, Dr. Steve. From what I've noticed here at Rantburg, for the most part they're joining their compatriots in Jordan, Syria and Iran. The Iraqis pay close attention to our news, so no doubt this and similar reports will spur the on-going exodus without much effort on our part.
Palestinians rally in favor of Hamas
Advisor to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas Ahmad Abed Arachman said Friday that Hamas must recognize Israel and honor all existing agreements between Israel and the Palestinians.
...Haniyeh vowed that the Hamas government would never recognize Israel and would continue to fight for the liberation of Jerusalem.
...Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Palestinians demonstrated on Friday afternoon in favor of the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority government, and demanded that Haniyeh remain in power even if a unity government were established.
On Thursday, Haniyeh arrived in the Iranian capital for a four-day visit for talks with Iranian leaders including President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who has called for Israel to be "wiped off the map. As he does once a week.
On the other hand
Palestinians protest in Gaza, W. Bank
Hundreds of Palestinian police firing in the air pushed into Gaza City's parliament building and dozens of parents carrying infants broke into a West Bank clinic Saturday in protests against the cash-strapped Hamas government. There's always money for ammo.
...On Saturday, more than 2,500 members of the security forces, many loyal to Abbas' Fatah movement, marched toward the parliament building in Gaza City. Parliament guards, most of them from Hamas, tried to block the crowd, but were pushed aside as protesters fired in the air. Marchers alleged that Hamas was paying its own militia, the so-called Executive Force, while neglecting the members of the regular security forces. Addressing Hamas legislators inside the building over a loudspeaker, one of the protesters said: "Why are you hiding? Why are you ignoring our demands while you are feeding and increasing your militia and distributing the money that you smuggled from the outside." No fair, not sharing. We also kill Jews.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday said he would call early elections to end a political impasse with Hamas, but left the door open to a compromise with the Islamic militant group, PLO officials said.
Abbas announced his decision at a meeting of the PLO's powerful executive committee, and plans a formal announcement in a nationwide speech later this week. "At the end of the speech, he is going to announce that he will resort to early presidential and legislative elections but will keep the door open" for forming a unity government with Hamas, said committee member Khalida Jarar.
Unity talks between Hamas and Abbas' Fatah movement recently broke down.
Rooters, through Newsmax.Dubai Ports World, the Arab-owned firm whose purchase of American port facilities caused a U.S. political uproar, will join a program aimed at stopping nuclear weapons being smuggled into the United States, sources familiar with the agreement said Thursday.
The program would involve screening U.S.-bound cargo for radiation at more than half a dozen ports including in Britain, Honduras, Oman and South Korea, sources said.
Dubai Ports World is among several international shipping and port operators chosen for the screening program mandated by the Safe Accountability for Every Port Act of 2006, legislation that resulted from the Dubai Ports controversy.
Port operators, which are expected to participate in the program by providing customs officials with space and access to their facilities, include A.P. Moeller-Maersk, PSA International and Hutchison Whampoa. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Nike Inc. were expected to be among participating shippers, sources said.
David Sanborn, Dubai Ports World's managing director for the Americas, has sharply criticized the U.S. port-security law as fundamentally inadequate. Sanborn, whom President Bush once nominated to head the U.S. Maritime Administration, told a security conference in October that the law did not go far enough to require radiation screening.
Sanborn withdrew his name from consideration for the Maritime Administration post amid the uproar over Dubai Ports.
New Delhi, December 9: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said plans for minorities, particularly Muslims, must have the first claim on resources so that benefits of development reach them equitably.
"We will have to devise innovative plans to ensure that minorities, particularly the Muslim minority, are empowered to share equitably the fruits of development. These must have the first claim on resources," he said in his address at the 52nd meeting of the National Development Council (NDC) in New Delhi.
The Centre's resources, he added, will be stretched with greater responsibility given to states in this regard.
"The Centre has a myriad other responsibilities whose demands will have to be fitted within its overall resource availability," he said.
The Planning Commission will undertake a thorough review of ongoing programmes to eliminate those which have outlived their original rationale, Singh added.
"But we cannot escape from the fact that the Centre's resources will be stretched in the immediate future and an increasing share of the responsibility will have to be shouldered by the states," he remarked.
Singh also emphasised that special component plans for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes needed to be revitalised in the country.
Last month, the Prime Minister favoured fair share for minorities in government and private jobs as he spoke at the meeting of the National Commission for Minorities.
Posted by: john ||
12/09/2006
10:20 ||
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#1
Chasing that elusive muslim vote...
Posted by: john ||
12/09/2006 10:32
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#3
What you ought to do is set up a Commission to study how to export all these pikers to their natural shithole of residence...Pakland. Then you could nuke these assholes and actually solve your problem once and for all.
#6
The former FM Jaswant Singh, when asked about independence for majority muslim J+K, pointed out that there were 5 or 6 regions within India with a majority muslim population.
He then asked the interviewer where they would get the trains necessary to ship all these muslims - 140 million of them, to other countries...
Posted by: john ||
12/09/2006 17:15
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#7
we'll take them.
Posted by: US State Dept ||
12/09/2006 17:17
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By The Associated Press Report by police captain Hussein himself.
Israel's nuclear arsenal is the largest strategic threat to the Middle East and appears set to trigger a regional arms race, said Saudi Intelligence Chief Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Friday. "The existing Israeli nuclear capability is the most dangerous strategic threat to Gulf security in the short and medium term," Prince Muqrin told the International Institute of Strategic Studies' conference. Because it's been used so often?
Muqrin said the threat posed by the Israeli nuclear arsenal was driving "some countries in the region to join an arms race." The arms race could push moderate Middle Eastern states to enter into alliances with existing nuclear powers or start "covert or overt" nuclear arms developments of their own, "aiming at creating a military balance in the region."
He did not name countries, but appeared to be referring to Iran, which has been accused by Western powers of seeking to develop a nuclear bomb. Iran, which had a delegation at the conference, denies the charge, insisting its nuclear program is strictly for the generation of electricity. "The spread of weapons of mass destruction will complicate security in this region," Muqrin said. Depends on who holds 'em, eh?
"My position is against any nuclear or weapons of mass destruction in the whole region, including Israel," he added. Didn't bother you much when you guys slipped Khan some money ...
Israel neither denies nor confirms that it has the nuclear bomb, but is widely believed to have a stockpile of nuclear weapons.
The designated U.S. defense secretary, Robert Gates, told his Congressional nomination hearing this week that Iran was seeking nuclear weapons partly because of the nuclear powers around it, and he pointed to Israel. "I think that they would see it in the first instance as a deterrent," Gates said of the Iranians. "They are surrounded by powers with nuclear weapons Pakistan to their east, the Russians to the north, the Israelis to the west and us in the Persian Gulf." I'm hoping he said that just to get confirmed.
#4
Just one of the things that bothers me about these people is all the steer manure that comes out of their mouths. Anybody who thinks about it for half a second would wonder why Iran needs to defend itself against Israel unless the Iranians themselves were threatening to wipe Israel off the map. My only question is why would a Soddy utter such nonsense unless he's so scared of the Iranians that he's about to soil his royal robes so instead of blaming them he blames the Jooos? It must really suck to be him. It's almost enough to make me feel sorry for him.
#5
"And one day, pretty soon, Israeli nukes will produce an energy crisis."
Not to mention global warming . . .
Posted by: The Doctor ||
12/09/2006 11:29
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#6
Just one of the things that bothers me about these people is all the steer manure that comes out of their mouths. Anybody who thinks about it for half a second would wonder why Iran needs to defend itself against Israel unless the Iranians themselves were threatening to wipe Israel off the map. My only question is why would a Soddy utter such nonsense unless he's so scared of the Iranians that he's about to soil his royal robes so instead of blaming them he blames the Jooos? It must really suck to be him. It's almost enough to make me feel sorry for him.
#10
Anybody think that anything other than the Israeli nuclear arsenal (and the absolute belief that if push came to shove the IAF would use them on Damascus, Cairo, Amman, and Riyadh) has prevented another major arab-Israeli war since 1973?
#11
Or that the US could end the arms race in the ME by nuking Iran and stating that any country about to achieve nuclear arms will be handled similarly.
The club is closed and taking no new members.
#12
Well, Sleaper, I used to almost feel sorry for (him) them as well. Now I just feel uncomfortable horror.
Collectively, muzzies are an incredibly stupid people. With tender feelings. And as their exposure to media and payback increases, their own sense of failing and ignorance is ratcheting up the Humiliation (TM). And Humiliation breeds islamic rage (also TM).
That muzzies still can't see that we see their idiocy and barbarity leads to continued insane statements like this article. Then we laugh and they get madder.
But we can't DO anything. It would be like slapping a guy in a wheelchair. The one drooling. We can't. It's not PC. We'd rather tell him he's got time-outs coming - scream that at him as he rolls by with a grenade in a palsied hand.
#3
Let me expand it for you Glenmore.
(1) UNIFIL is going to be attacked.
(2) Somebody must bear the blame.
(3) Israel says, in advance, that AQ must bear the blame.
#4
Actually, al-Q could very well attack any group or organization that promulgates or defends *order*.
This is because al-Q is a barbarian collective that, more than anything else, philosophically seeks chaos. This is because only it chaos can it establish itself, for example in Afghanistan and Somalia.
In the case of Lebanon, al-Q is concerned that UNIFIL is supporting Shiites, even Hezbollah; and if they are successful, some degree of order will return to Lebanon.
It is noteworthy also that al-Q has no allies in the Paleo territories, as they oppose both Fatah and Hamas, and want to establish themselves as the leaders of the Paleos.
...Many Sunnis feel that a new Shiia crescent is emerging that will span Iran, Iraq and Lebanon, a development which the Saudis wish to counter. Earlier this summer, the Gulf monarchies were noticeably silent during the early weeks of the conflict in the Lebanon because they wanted to give Israel time to knock out Irans proxy, the Shiite terror group Hezbollah. It was only when it became apparent that Israel was incapable of doing so that they joined in the criticism. I have become convinced that Shiite power must be destroyed, and that we have no alternative but to play the Sunni-Card. I am aware of Sunni support for al-Qaeda in Iraq, but I believe that a majority of Sunnis will turn on the terrorists once they have no use for them.
A further sign of changing times came with a meeting between Israeli and Saudi Arabia to discuss the Iranian threat in September. Bizarrely, this went almost unnoticed in the West, despite its huge significance. Some Israeli strategists now speculate that Israel, which is also desperate to prevent the Iranian regime from getting the bomb, and Saudi Arabia, which shares the same goal, could even form an anti-Tehran alliance. That is probably far-fetched but the fact that it is even being discussed is a stark illustration of the extent of Saudi fear at the thought of an Iranian nuclear hegemony.
Any Middle East intra-Islamic war of religion, if it comes, would be a horrific, bloody and protracted affair. In Iraq, the Shiite- Sunni divide is already on display at its most brutal. Sunni terrorists bomb Shiite Islams holiest places; Shiite death squads torture and murder as many Sunnis as they can get their hands on. Shia hardliners believe that the only way to break the historic Sunni stranglehold on Iraq is with genocidal violence. Even in majority Sunni countries, such as Pakistan, communal violence is worsening despite government crackdowns. As Sunni-Shia ethnic cleansing grimly gathers pace in Iraq, Saudis worry about the concentration of its Shiite minority in the oil-rich east of the country (concerns heightened when Shiite turnout in the recent municipal elections was double that of the Sunni)...
#3
If the Saudis would pull their heads out of their asses, then they would realize that they can make a deal with us that suits their needs. Of course, they will have to stop funding al Qaeda and Hamas and pump enough oil to reduce prices, but we can deliver Lebanon to the shia free zone, and weaken the shia grip in Iraq, and make war with Iran. In the process, we can remove some of the anti-Israel forces sleeping in the rubble of Gaza.
#4
I think it is less about the religion than the race. Hack up Iraq/Syria/Iran to create an independent Kurdistan (Kurds in Turkey should be convinced to immigrate if possible). Split the Azerbaijanii out of Iran and let them go solo or join their brothers in Azerbaijan. And divide the Shia Arabs out of Iran, Saudi Arabia and Iraq to create a Shia Arab state as a buffer between the Shia Persians and the Sunni Arabs.
The Sunni rump of Syria and Iraq can go to whatever Sunni nation can keep them in line.
The slain terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi purportedly believed that Iraq's Shiite Muslims were more dangerous than U.S. forces and more evil than dictator Saddam Hussein, according to a posthumous interview published Friday on the Internet.
CAIRO, Egypt Osama bin Laden defended attacks by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi against civilians in Iraq, purportedly saying in a taped Web message Friday that the slain militant was acting under al-Qaeda orders to kill anyone who backs U.S. troops.
#7
Any Middle East intra-Islamic war of religion, if it comes, would be a horrific, bloody and protracted affair.
Like that's a bad thing. No news here, this has been going on for centuries.
Am I feeling just a little cynical some five years after 9-11? Yew betcha'. If we can put the Sunnis and Shiites at each other's throats, then let's do it. I'm tired of these shitheads killing our fine young soldiers.
I'd love to see a more eloquent solution to the MME (Muslim Middle East) problem. Short of a nuclear holocaust, few present themselves. Those most prone to violence will be the first to die in sectarian strife. This fulfills our requirements for national security in so many ways that we would be fools not to encourage it.
Islam itself is so treacherous that any ploy such as this upon our own part comes across as honest dealing. As I have mentioned countless times before, the bottom line we must take away from our involvement in Iraq is that Muslims simply love to kill other Muslims. The time has come for us to step aside and allow them wish fulfillment.
#9
Thing is, Zen, helping them kill as many of each other as possible is exactly what we did during the Iran-Iraq war.
From that standpoint, letting the US military get so invested and form lasting relationships with Iraqi forces was a really dumb thing to do. Now we know their names and faces and families, and don't want to see the place ripped apart again.
Ideally, the best solution would have been to lay waste to Iraq, leaving nothing but a warning that we won't be so nice next time. But we're stuck with what we have now, and we don't want to re-create the Iran-Iraq war, this time with us right in the middle of it.
I'm not saying I know what the solution is, but I guess I am saying that stopping short of annihilating every last scrap of enemy capability back in 2003 made today's situation more or less inevitable.
It will be very sad, in some respects, if we simply bail and let Allah sort em out. At the same time, US security comes first. If they're killing each other, they won't be killing us, and frankly, I care more about us than them -- particularly when they still do not see how Islam breeds crapulence and bloodshed. If 1400 years of experience has not taught them, we sure as hell can't.
#10
It will be very sad, in some respects, if we simply bail and let Allah sort em out. At the same time, US security comes first. If they're killing each other, they won't be killing us, and frankly, I care more about us than them -- particularly when they still do not see how Islam breeds crapulence and bloodshed. If 1400 years of experience has not taught them, we sure as hell can't.
That's the bottom line, exJAG. I, too, would like to see some sort of peaceful democracy installed in Iraq. It appears to be the last thing they (i.e., their leaders) want. Right now, the top priority is no longer Iraq. Neutralizing Iran, heads our Christmas list and we need to get about it.
I'm willing to go a bit more of the distance in Iraq, but I'd just as soon rinse and repeat through their leadership inventory a few times to come up with a crop of individuals who really want a peaceful democracy.
More shrill tantrums from the queen of global warming, Laurie David. The focus this time is on corporate support of the NSTA, particularly oil companies.
To bolster her claims, she links to an NSTA site that she says proves her point; that NSTA is in the pockets of Big Oil.
From the website:
The perception created by the op-ed that NSTA has a conflict of interest in dealing with corporate America is misleading. This is a very serious issue to NSTA and science education. Like many organizations, NSTA does receive support from corporate America and other organizations (in FY06 total corporate support received by NSTA was 16.4% and total support from energy companies was 3.77%). Before we accept any funds from outside groups (corporate or otherwise), and as a condition of any support, we make it clear that NSTA is solely responsible for developing, directing, and implementing the programs we offer to teachers.
Oopsie, again...
Watching a famous "producer" lose all control of her boldily functions because she is trying to save a few bucks is hilarious, if it weren't so pathetic.
Give it up, Mrs. David. The only person in moneyed interest's pockets is you.
#1
Every day when I awake, I curse the Evil Corporations that have so afflicted my Modern Life. Consumer goods, food, vaccines and cheap wine from Australia and Chile. The bastards. And now they are funding science education? When will it all stop?
I would rant more, but there are 6 inches (15 cm for you metric weenies) of new-fallen global warming on the driveway that needs to be dealt with.
#3
Richard Speck, the man who refined man boobs to an art form, while performing his videotaped coke-fueled homosexual orgies in jail. Gotta admire than, I guess, that was the only redeemable quality this sad excuse of an human being had.
(AP*) Officials hailed a U.S.-India civilian nuclear cooperation deal approved by the U.S. House of Representatives Friday as the symbol of a broad shift in relations between the two countries.
But the deal also highlights some of the limits of the emerging strategic partnership between India and the United States, who have sought to overcome decades of mutual mistrust.
The bill, which allows the shipment of nuclear fuel and know-how to India, now goes to the U.S. Senate and then must be signed by President Bush. U.S. and Indian officials also need to work out a separate technical nuclear cooperation agreement, expected to be finalized next year.
Continued on Page 49
French Guiana (AP) - A rocket lifted off Friday from this French department in South America carrying satellites to provide broadband Internet services to rural parts of the U.S. and television programming to people across the hemisphere.
WildBlue Communications' WildBlue-1 and SES Americom's Americom-18 were shuttled into space by an Ariane 5 rocket, said Jean-Yves Le Gall, chief executive officer of Arianespace, the commercial arm of the 13-country European Space Agency.
WildBlue-1 will provide high-speed broadband to homes and businesses in parts of the United States that have no such access or limited access. WildBlue has been borrowing space on Canadian satellite Anik F2 to deliver the service to its clients.
The WildBlue-1 launch will triple the number of clients the Denver-based company can serve in the continental U.S. to up to 1 million customers, WildBlue CEO David Leonard said in a telephone interview from Denver.
WildBlue will conduct in-orbit testing and plans to offer service using the new satellite beginning April 12.
The Americom-18, or AMC-18, satellite is aimed at offering full North American coverage for TV programming, including in the Caribbean and Mexico, SES Global said in a statement.
The AMC-18, which will be operated by New Jersey-based SES Americom, will join two of the company's other satellites, expanding its bandwidth resources.
It was the fifth and final Ariane 5 rocket takeoff from the Kourou launch pad in French Guiana, a French department on the northeastern coast of South America. It was Arianespace's 174th launch since the European space consortium was created in 1980.
The second typhoon to hit the Philippines in two weeks made landfall Saturday, forcing the evacuation of thousands in an eastern province where hundreds died in the last storm.
Typhoon Utor, packing sustained winds of 75 mph, made landfall in Guiuan, a town in the Eastern Samar province - about 400 miles southeast of Manila - at noon Saturday. It was expected to cross the central Visayas region and be over the South China Sea by Monday, chief weather forecaster Nathaniel Cruz said.
The new typhoon's path is just south of the region where Typhoon Durian left more than 1,000 people dead or missing last week.
Fernando Gonzales, governor of hard-hit Albay province, said Saturday about 15,000 people from about a dozen villages, including those wiped out by mudslides caused by Durian, were ordered evacuated to temporary shelters in government buildings, schools and churches.
Those numbers are in addition to the more than 100,000 people already in evacuation centers following Durian, the National Disaster Coordinating Council in Manila said.
That typhoon unleashed tons of rocks and other volcanic debris from the slopes of the Mayon volcano, sending walls of mud and boulders onto villages below.
The latest typhoon prompted the postponement of next week's Southeast Asian and East Asian summits in central Cebu city and nearby Mactan island.
How many Americans do they need to kill before we get the point?
The Iraq Study Groups call for negotiations with Iran and Syria as a way forward has been widely derided. It is, abjectly, a return to September 10th thinking to the days when terror masters like Yasser Arafat were feted as statesmen at White House galas, when terror organizations like al Qaeda operated with impunity from well-known safe havens, and when our governments idea of countering atrocities was the filing of indictments against a handful of savages.
It is wrong, though, to lay that rap on the sages of this bipartisan, blue-ribbon panel. When it comes to dialogue with Iran, the ISG merely recommended a more transparent version of what the Bush administration has already been doing, just as its predecessors had long and naively done.
To be sure, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, President Bush conveyed the right message: Terrorists and their state facilitators, animated by a murderous, totalitarian ideology, cannot be negotiated with. They must be defeated. If not, they are emboldened. That translates, always, into dead Americans.
The administration followed through on its rhetoric with respect to al Qaeda the public would have accepted nothing less. But as for Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah, the approach has been strictly old school as in, recklessly passive. That is a growing catastrophe. In their relentless anti-American jihad, Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and al Qaeda are one. There is no rational justification for negotiating with Tehrans mullahs or Syrias Bashar al-Assad that would not equally validate a sit-down with Hezbollahs Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, or with bin Laden himself.
Still, negotiating, appeasing, and looking the other way is exactly what we have been doing. And long before the ISG ever got involved.
Bandits, again?
BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - A police informant who survived two attacks by suspected Muslim insurgents was killed Saturday in a drive-by shooting in Thailand's restive south, police said.
Two gunmen on motorcycles shot the man three times as he was walking near his home in the Joh Airong district of Narathiwat province, said Lt. Chart Nopchamnan. The victim, identified as 37-year-old Bahareng Uma, died at the scene.
Bahareng had survived two previous attacks in October, when gunmen opened fire on his house and then attempted a drive-by shooting that injured him slightly in his right leg, Chart said.
Drive-by shootings and bombings occur almost daily in Thailand's three southernmost Muslim-majority provinces - Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat - where an Islamic insurgency that flared in January 2004 has killed more than 1,900 people.
Suspected insurgents target people seen as collaborators with the government, including soldiers, police and informants. More than 50 teachers, viewed as symbols of government authority, have also been killed. If you don't protect your assets, you can't protect your ass. Thailand slips another notch toward the abyss.
#2
Strategypage says the Thais are sending another 1500 paratroopers down South, joining 1000 already there. They make the point that Thailand has been independent throughout its history by being prepared to "play rough"when necessary, and they would rather"burn down the South" than let the Islamists take over. Maybe their patience is coming to an end.
I wondered what that recurring sucking sound was...
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - In a fresh bid to win Russian and Chinese support, key European nations circulated a revised U.N. resolution Friday narrowing sanctions on Iran for refusing to suspend uranium enrichment and urging negotiations to resolve the standoff over its nuclear ambitions.
The new draft still would ban the supply of materials and technology that could contribute to Iran's nuclear and missile programs, but it spells out in much greater detail exactly what items are prohibited. Russia and China - both veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council - had complained that the proposed sanctions in the original draft were too broad.
Why don't they just circulate copies of "The Joy of Sex" instead? It'd be a lot less expensive, save everyone tons of time and have almost as much masturbatory content.
#3
Ya mean , like lil' Kimmie already has done for the ChiComs? That has to be the largest strategic F**kup they have made in their history. They let their little rat just keep kicking the sleeping dog. Now the dog woke up and is snarling. And, this dog has sharp teeth and bites like hell.
Looks like the socialista party might be ending. The game was wearing a bit thin...
MEXICO CITY (AP) - More than 250 federal police agents surrounded the offices of the Oaxaca state police force and seized its weapons Friday to determine whether any were used in shootings during six months of demonstrations in Oaxaca City, federal authorities said.
At least nine people have been killed in a conflict that dates back to May. Most were protesters who were shot by gangs of armed men, and activists blame local police for many of those shootings.
Around 200 people have been arrested in recent weeks in connection with sometimes violent demonstrations in which protesters took control of Oaxaca City, battled police, and torched vehicles and buildings.
On Friday, human rights groups and families of those detainees asked U.N officials to intervene, claiming some prisoners had been beaten, tortured and sexually abused.
They also argue there is no evidence that most of the prisoners committed any crimes and asked for U.N. officials to visit the prisons and pressure the Mexican government to guarantee the detainees their rights.
Federal and state officials deny the prisoners have been mistreated and say they are just upholding the law.
Protesters have demanded the resignation of Oaxaca Gov. Ulises Ruiz, whom they accuse of thuggery and corruption. Ruiz denies those accusations. In October, more that 4,000 federal police swept into Oaxaca and pushed the protesters out of the city.
The wave of arrests has taken the sting out of the protests, which scared tourists away from the city and shattered the local economy.
During Friday's operation, federal agents also detained five employees of the Oaxaca state justice department who were using stolen automobiles, federal authorities said in a statement. In Mexico, members of police forces sometimes use recovered stolen cars until the owners are located.
The weapons seized Friday apparently will be returned if the state police are found to have the proper registration and permit documentation for them.
#1
More than 250 federal police agents surrounded the offices of the Oaxaca state police force and seized its weapons Friday to determine whether any were used in shootings during six months of demonstrations in Oaxaca City, federal authorities said.
I'm sure the local patron of the Drug Cartel(tm) provides his local police with more and better weapons than the cheap stuff the federales provide. You think you'll ever see 250 federales surround and occupy the Drug Bosses' offices along the border? What century?
National Priorities: When a secretary of defense gets confirmed 95-2 apparently because he says we are not winning a war, you know Uncle Sam must have a sign on his back that says "kick me."
We've come a long way from that day in April 1986 when President Ronald Reagan ordered Operation El Dorado Canyon, an air strike on Libya by two dozen F-111F fighter bombers in retaliation for a terrorist blast at a West Berlin disco that injured 200 people, including 63 U.S. soldiers, killing two.
#3
Gromgoro, that was my thought as well but someone on another board said that the Congress was behind the pullout of Lebanon. I don't know the facts but the retreat didn't help and Iran/Contra certainly didn't send a very good message either.
Advised by Jim Baker, Saudi Princes Seek Immunity Against 9/11 Lawsuits
18-Oct-03
September 11 Lawsuits
CNN reports, "Lawyers representing two Saudi princes argued Friday that their clients have immunity from lawsuits relating to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, because they are diplomatic officials... Bill Jeffress [of Jim Baker's firm Baker Botts], representing Prince Sultan, said that the contributions made to Islamic charities that may have funneled money to bin Laden amount to 'an exercise by a foreign official of discretion to decide which international Islamic charity and what relief operations by Islamic organizations the country's going to support.' Ron Motley, lead attorney in the case against the Saudis, said the Saudi government and the two princes were told at least three times by U.S. and French officials that their contributions were funding terrorism. 'They were told that the very charities they were giving millions of dollars to every year were converting that money to terrorist activities including al Qaeda.'" 9/11 victims seek $1 TRILLION in damages.
CHICAGO (AP) - A gunman carried a cache of weapons past security in a giant envelope Friday afternoon, chained a law office's doors closed and fatally shot three people before a police sniper killed him as he held a hostage at gunpoint, authorities said.
Officers entered through another door in the U-shaped office, and a SWAT officer shot the gunman from about 45 yards away, Superintendent Phil Cline said.
There was no negotiation and the hostage was unharmed, he said. Continued on Page 49
#2
Well, patent attorneys deal with inventors who tend to be a little more on the squirrely side of the human spectrum. My last office job was fa consulting firm who dealt with intellectual property, and some of our inventor-clients...lets just say I was amazed that some of them were allowed out unsupervised.
My abiding nightmare was that one of them someday would come bombing through the front door with a gun.
#3
Hmm. I guess that makes sense. I am a patent attorney, and we're about as threatening as librarians. It's just that in biotech, I tend to think of clients only as institutions and their relatively normal employees.
But now that you mention it, I had a couple of individual "inventors" consult me when I was doing military legal assistance. They were pretty squirrely -- adamant that their little widgets are tantamount to cold fusion. One guy expected to leave my office with a patent and a million-dollar contract with the Army, and just about f***ing erupted when I explained that the process was considerably more involved.
#4
So there is a animated fly on the GIF....
hmmm ... is that patentable?
With reference now to FIG. 1, there is showm a simple animated GIF photo exemplary pest elimination device. The elimination device 24, 34, 44 can be attached to a helmet a gun or a hand for example.
The gunman who fatally shot three people in a law firm's high-rise office before he was killed by police felt cheated over an invention, authorities said Saturday.
. . . Jackson, 59, told police before he was shot that he had been cheated over a toilet he had invented for use in trucks, Police Superintendent Phil Cline said Saturday.
The Chicago PD did some nice shooting, too:
He was holding a hostage at gunpoint Friday when a SWAT officer shot him from about 45 yards away, Cline said earlier. There were no negotiations and the hostage was unharmed, police said.
#6
Sigh. Color me un-surprised. The combination of being very creative, but somewhat unstable, in combination with very real odds against getting a new invention into the profitable market-sector... it had some really nasty potential.
And my office was closest to the front door, at that firm, too. I often thought about asking for getting a panic button installed.
Security forces on Friday morning killed two terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Taiba in an encounter in Banihal. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Udhampur, Doda range, Lalitindu Mohanty, said that a joint team of police and 12 RR had launched a search operation in the higher reaches of Banihal in Ramban district after getting specific information about the movement of armed militants.
Mohanty said that during the search operation, the police team established a contact with the hiding militants and challenged them to surrender. However, the militants opened indiscriminate fire, which was retaliated and led to a fierce encounter.
"After a two-hour long gun-battle, the search operation was carried out during which bodies of two militants were recovered. One of the militants was identified as Alaf Din, a resident of Banihal. The identity of the other militant has not yet been ascertained," said the senior police officer adding that "a recovery of two AK rifles and two AK magazines was made from the possession of the slain militants".
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22-year-old Ambika alias Bindu has made an infamous mark after becoming the first girl allegedly joining the crime world of Jammu and Kashmir by playing a key role in the sensational murder of underworld don Sanjay Gupta alias Bakra.
On November 25th morning, hardcore gangster Rajesh Dogra alias Mohan and one Vishal Thakur alias Vicky Thakur gunned down Bakra, when the latter entered the premises of the house of a senior government doctor in posh Trikuta Nagar locality here.
"Within 24 hours after the incident of crime, Police investigations indicated involvement of a girl that sent shocked waves in the society here with a guess how a girl can be a part of such a heinous crime," revealed official sources in police further adding that "however, the mystery was solved within four days with prime accused Rajesh Dogra alias Mohan and Vishal Thakur alias Vicky Thakur that were caught in New Delhi disclosing the name of the girl i.e. Ambika alias Bindu who played a key role in calling Sanjay Gupta alias Bakra at the place where he was killed."
"Girl friend of another co-accused Kapil, Ambika was motivated by Kapil to come in contact with Bakra so that the deceased could come out alone to meet her. After calling Bakra, she left the area on a mini-bus and later reached to Dalhousie in Himachal Pradesh to re-join the accused and co-accused there," sources in the investigating police team disclosed and added that "from the questioning of the father of Ambika, Subash Chander son of late Hans Raj and presently living in a Colony in Talab Tillo locality here, it looks that this gang of hardcore criminals used to threaten the family members of Ambika whenever they did not allow her to move out of the house."
"Coming up from a lower middle class family, Ambika, despite objections from the family members, remained in touch with criminals. She used to give slip to the family members while moving outside the house on the pretext that she is visiting to her classmate's house.
However, she continued to meet Kapil and other co accused that had hatched a conspiracy to murder Bakra," sources in investigating police team observed. Ambika is now the part of dark streets of crime world and investigating police team are conducting raids at all suspected hideouts to apprehend her and her boyfriend Kapil along with other two co-accused Palla and Deepu.
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ACTOR Eddie Murphy is not sure if he is the father of former Spice Girl Melanie Brown's unborn child. The singer, however, is quite certain he is.
"Black guy, right? With a moustache? He was wearing a hat. Yep. I'm sure it wuz him."
"I am obviously upset and distressed at some of the comments made by Eddie Murphy to the media," Brown, 31, said in a statement. "I have no idea why anyone would want to conduct themselves in this kind of manner about such a personal matter in such a public way. Maybe he didn't mean what he said when the two of you were horizontal?
"My main concern is for the wellbeing of my daughter, Phoenix, and, of course, the baby. I was astonished (at) what Eddie said. There is absolutely no question that Eddie is the father."
Brown's publicist said the woman known as Scary Spice when she was somebody in the British megahit group of the 1990s was not giving interviews "at this stage".
Murphy, 45, whose latest film, Dreamgirls, premiered in New York earlier this week, was recently asked by a TV interviewer if he was excited that Brown was pregnant. "Now you're being presumptuous, because we're not together any more," Murphy replied. "And I don't know whose child that is until it comes out and has a blood test. You shouldn't jump to conclusions, sir."
A spokesman for the star of the Shrek, Doctor Dolittle and Beverly Hills Cop films said he would not comment on the actor's personal life. Murphy escorted film producer Tracey Edmonds to the Dreamgirls premiere in New York. When asked if Edmonds was his "new lady" he smiled and replied: "Yeah." The People magazine website has quoted Edmonds, the ex-wife of singer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, as saying she has been dating Murphy "for about a month and a half". Murphy's wife, Nicole, filed for divorce last year, citing irreconcilable differences. He likes to cat around, she doesn't like him doing it. Sounds irreconcilable to me.
The couple were married in 1993 and have five children together.
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Maybe it was Charlie Murphy?
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
12/09/2006 11:56
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#1
Remind me again why it is so damn important to have 'utes' working in Congress? Another case of Congress exempting itself, this time from child labor laws. Why not change it to an exchange program - with Mexico. They'll do jobs other 'adult' Americans won't.
GERMANY is gripped by the case of the opera singer, her star lawyer husband and her sex-mad mother who nearly killed him in a bizarre sadomasochism game.
I think this was on Lifetime for Women a couple weeks ago. Or was it The Leather Channel?
A court in Stuttgart is hearing evidence against 69-year-old Margot Walter who beat and strangled her son-in-law Franz-Peter to the brink of death in his office earlier this year.
"Ach, I löve yöur leather cörset, Mistress!"
"Ja, ja. It's my favörite. I göt it in '53."
Edith Walter, 47, a famous opera singer who sports Pamela Anderson hair and short skirts, told the court her mother was shameless, often went out wearing no knickers and accompanied her husband to swinger clubs.
"Fritz! Över there! Löök, getting öut öf der Limösine!"
"Ach mein Gött! It's a 69-year old Willie!"
"Schie schöuld really cöver that thing up mit unterpantsen!"
Margot denies charges of attempted manslaughter, saying 66-year-old Franz-Peter was wounded in sex games that went wrong.
"Ja, ja! We wass just having ein bischen öf Fun!"
She went to his office in the family home near Stuttgart earlier this year as her daughter was giving an opera lesson to young students upstairs. When Edith returned, her husband was trussed up, lying in a pool of blood and was being throttled with the telephone cord by his mother-in-law.
"Gasp! Hoo, boy! Dieses ist really Fun!"
Wolfgang Pross, the judge in the case, asked Margot what the nature of the relationship was between her husband and her mother. She replied: "When I saw Peter lying in his own blood, my mother merely said, 'I am sorry but I love him.' AoS at 1135 CST: pic added. Sorry folks, don't know how we missed that one. :-)
Posted by: Fred ||
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#2
Somehow I can't picture the elder lady just saying "Es tut mir leid, aber ich liebe ihn" -- that's some tough, germane love. At a minimum she should have tied up her daughter, too.
#4
When Edith returned, her husband was trussed up, lying in a pool of blood and was being throttled with the telephone cord by his mother-in-law.
YJCMTSU.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora accused the pro-Syrian Hezbollah party of plotting a coup against him on Friday, escalating the war of words between the Western-backed government and opposition forces. Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah told thousands of supporters that he would not yield in his battle to oust Siniora and said some government officials had tried to sabotage the guerrilla group in this year's war with Israel.
Siniora hit back in a televised speech, rejecting the accusations and accusing the Shi'ite Hezbollah of trying to intimidate its opponents into submission. "You are not our God and the party (Hezbollah) is not our God ... Who appointed you to say 'I am right and everything else is wrong?'" said Siniora, who is a Sunni Muslim.
Opposition parties, which include a populist Christian group, have occupied two squares in central Beirut for more than a week and have vowed not to budge until Siniora yields to their demands for a government of national unity. Some political analysts say the stand-off could spark sectarian strife in a country that has fought two civil wars in the past 50 years and is struggling to recover from the 34-day war against Israel in July and August.
A truculent fiery Nasrallah said on Thursday Siniora had tried to get the Lebanese army to cut supply routes to his guerrillas during its battle with Israeli forces - an inflammatory accusation which both the government and army have denied. Nasrallah has called for a mass rally on Sunday and said on Thursday if Siniora's allies did not yield soon he would ratchet up the pressure further and push for early elections.
The prime minister told a room full of supporters that Nasrallah was "trying to launch a coup d'etat, or at least threatening us with a coup d'etat and defining its outcome in advance. This does not lead to results."
In a show of Muslim unity, a Lebanese Sunni preacher led thousands of Shi'ite protesters in prayers on Friday, saying the on-going crisis was purely political. "This mass protest is not for Shi'ites or for Sunnis or any other sect. It is for all of Lebanon," said Preacher Fathi Yakan, who leads a small Sunni group which backs the opposition.
But underscoring the sectarian undercurrents at play in Lebanon, the country's top Sunni cleric said his community would not allow the government to give in to the crippling protests. "We consider ... toppling Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and his government in the street is a red line. It is a red line that we will not allow to be crossed," Grand Mufti Mohammed Rashid Qabbani said after Friday prayers.
Siniora and most of his ministers are holed up in government headquarters, fearing for their lives after the assassination last month of Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel. If two more ministers resign or die, the government will automatically fall.
Shi'ite parties withdrew their ministers from the cabinet in November and have demanded that the opposition be given the right of veto in any new administration. Siniora's allies say their opponents are looking to derail plans to set up an international tribunal to try suspects in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri, which many Lebanese blame on Syria, a charge Damascus denies.
Sunni leaders in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan have thrown their weight behind Siniora, alarmed by the growing influence of Shi'ite Iran, which funds Hezbollah. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak told French television on Friday that the opposition was not being "reasonable".
"There is also the risk of outside interference in these demonstrations. That can lead to very serious confrontations and even lead to the destruction of Lebanon," he said.
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Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora accused the pro-Syrian Hezbollah party of plotting a coup against him
And here you thought that they only want to kill Jews.
Troops in Jammu and Kashmir on early Thursday killed a terrorist while foiling an infiltration bid near the Line of Control (LoC) that divides the state between India and Pakistan, an army spokesperson said in Jammu.
Security personnel noticed some movement near the LoC in Kang area of the border district of Rajouri at 4.30 am and "challenged them", said Col Dinesh Kumar Badola, 16 Corps spokesperson. While one man was shot dead, troops were searching the area to find the others, he added. The trend indicates that militants are trying to step up infiltration from Pakistan before winter sets in and snow closes the mountain passes.
Posted by: Fred ||
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JAN Egeland has a piece of advice for his successor as he finishes his job as the United Nations Emergency Relief Co-ordinator. Never ask the question: "Can it go wrong?"
"Of course it can go wrong. When diplomats ask that question, they do not do anything. They do nothing. You have to ask the question: 'Can it go well?' "
Mr Egeland has been called the "world's conscience". He has certainly raised the profile of the job, using his experience as a television reporter to harness the media to prod and poke reluctant governments to move. His description of Western governments as stingy after the 2004 tsunami set off an international debate and may have contributed to the eventual outpouring of generosity from governments and individuals.
He is unapologetic about his forthrightness. "The whole point is not to please member states, or people in positions of power. The whole point is to help the voiceless or the dispossessed."
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
"The whole point is not to please member states, or people in positions of power. The whole point is to help the voiceless or the dispossessed."
Like the people of Darfur, or Christians of Dar el Islam? How about Jews dispossed from MME? Russians driven from the Mulsim republics of the former Soviat Union? Tibetans?
#7
By the writer, who's apparently made of cotton and stuffing & resides on the end of Mr. Egeland's right arm.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
12/09/2006 11:50
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Is there a way to request my tsunami money back. I truly feel for the people of Indonesia, but when you've got smart-@ss former reporters running the show, I don't agree to give them money on merit alone.
Posted by: BA ||
12/09/2006 22:45
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Three foreigners, including an Australian, have been released after almost two months in Yemeni detention for allegedly trying to smuggle weapons to Somalia, a Yemeni security official says. A Dane, an Australian and a Briton walked into a bar were freed over the past few days after an investigation revealed that there was not enough evidence to charge them, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity, because he wasn't permitted to speak to the press.
Yemeni authorities made the arrests in October. Two other Australians and a German were released last month, but two others, one from Austria and one from Somalia, remain in custody.
All detainees are Muslims and some of them were said to be students at the Islamist Iman University, which is run by Sheik Abdul-Majid al-Zindani. The United States lists al-Zindani as an al-Qaeda supporter. University officials told Yemeni local papers after the arrests that none of the detainees were students in the Imam university.
The arrests were part of a state security campaign launched against members of an al-Qaeda cell.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Didja hear the one about the Dane, the Australian and the Briton who tried to smuggle weapons through Yemen?
Security forces are still on the lookout for the armed suspects responsible for the killing of two police guards at the maximum-security Al-Ruwais Prison on Thursday, according to Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman for the Interior Ministry.
A senior security source also said that the four suspects arrested in a blue Nissan sedan in another incident on Palestine Street shortly after the shooting are not considered suspects in the crime at this time. No one was arrested in Thursdays armed confrontation that resulted in the death of two security men, Al-Turki said. Security forces are currently investigating the incident to identify and arrest the perpetrators.
The two dead officers were identified as Owaidh Al-Hudaili and Mutlak Al-Olayani. Three policemen were injured during the confrontation. They were identified as Mishaal Al-Otaibi, Atiyyah Al-Zahrani and Hussein Al-Zahrani. The first two are recovering at Bakhsh Hospital while Hussein has been transferred to King Abdul Aziz Hospital in Mahjar for intensive treatment, said a security source on condition of anonymity.
Sayyed Muhammad, an Egyptian working at Al-Ikhwa gas station located at the front of the entrance to the building where the gunmen took up their positions, said that the incident took place at about 3:25 p.m. and lasted about 15 minutes. He said he believed the men discharged their weapons from the second or third floor of the building.
According to the Arabic daily Al-Watan, the attackers targeted the prison in an attempt to free some inmates. The report said that five suspected extremists (two Yemenis, two Pakistanis and a Syrian) were arrested Wednesday and that the incident may be linked to them. Life is back to normal in Jeddahs Sharafiah district where the prison is located. The Al-Ikhwa gas station, which was shut down soon after the shooting, has since reopened.
The prison shooting took place a few hours before a major football match between Al-Ahli and Al-Hilal teams at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium south of Jeddah. Many Saudi soccer fans stopped to watch the gunbattle instead of going to the game. Abdul Razak Al-Harithy said he saw security officers had blocked the roads leading to the area. I was driving my car to drop a friend in the area but was surprised to see the road blocked and did not know the reason. At the same time I was hearing sounds of gunfire, he said. Muhammad Bilal, a resident of the area, said he was able to return to his house only after things cooled down. While I was returning from office, my family informed me about police action and movement of helicopters and sounds of gunfire, he said. I came back to my house cautiously.
This is the second such incident in Jeddah in less than five months. Four suspects surrendered to police after a shootout between security forces and terrorists in the Jamiah District on Aug. 21.
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"This is the second such incident in Jeddah in less than five months."
CHICAGO - A 22-year-old man who authorities said talked about a desire to wage "jihad" against civilians was arrested by federal terrorism investigators on charges of plotting to set off hand grenades in a shopping mall. Derrick Shareef of Rockford was taken into custody Wednesday as he met in a parking lot with an undercover agent and attempted to trade a pair of stereo speakers for four hand grenades and a handgun, officials said today.
Officials said he had been under investigation since September, when he told an acquaintance that "he wanted to commit acts of violent jihad against targets in the United States as well as commit other crimes."
The acquaintance immediately informed the FBI, officials said. "Once the threat Shareef posed was detected by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, his activities and movements were under constant surveillance and there was no imminent risk to the public," said Robert D. Grant, special agent in charge of the Chicago office of the FBI.
Officials said Shareef was acting alone and not in concert with any terrorist group. In an affidavit filed with the complaint, Shareef said he planned to set off the grenades in garbage cans at the CherryVale Mall in Rockford. It said that in November Shareef and the acquaintance who was working with the FBI went through the mall discussing possible spots to attack.
According to the affidavit, a number of conversations between the two men were recorded by the acquaintance. Shareef was charged with one count of attempting to damage or destroy a building by fire or explosion and one count of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. According to the affidavit, Shareef met in the parking lot with the undercover agent who described the hand grenades as "pineapples" and showed the agent stereo speakers that he would trade for them.
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CHICAGO (AP) -- A Muslim convert who authorities say talked about waging violent jihad is in custody after federal agents say he tried to make an unusual trade: two stereo speakers for a 9 mm pistol and the grenades he would need to pull off his alleged plot.
LGF called this "a very uncharacteristic level of detail in its lead paragraph". Indeed.
#4
Get enough of these Jihad Joes doing their jihad thing, and we might even wake this country up. Maybe Jihad Joe might visit a news organization near you. Never know. Might even wake them up, but don't lay money on that.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/09/2006 14:06
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#5
Considering some of the occupancy rates in malls - the mall owners might have kissed him for the chance to collect on insurance.
#9
I don't think CAIR gives a damn about NOI. They're posers, and they're black, which I think is almost as low as Persian in the Arab racial hierarchy.
The criticism of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf for his "U-turn' on Kashmir continued to pour out from the separatist circles in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday as well.
Syedah Asiya Andrabi, chief of Dakhtaran-e-Millat today questioned General Parvezs Musharafs position and said that the Pak President had no authority to speak on behalf of the people of Kashmir. Musharaf is a dictator. He does not represent even the people of Pakistan. How come he would speak on our behalf, the Dakhtaran chief told media persons on Wednesday.
Pakistan President had come under severe flak from separatist for his assertion, in an interview with a TV channel that his country was willing to give up claim on Kashmir if government of India agreed to demilitarization and self-rule as solution to the issue of Kashmir. "Musharaf is an aggressor, a dictator. He has no right or authority to change the position of his countrys basic policy on Kashmir", Asiya said.
The Dakhtaran chief chose the occasion to whip at Mirwaiz Ummer Farooq, whose Hurriyat faction has, supported Pak Presidents self-rule proposal. "Mirwaiz should also, like Musharraf, say that he too was opposed to the freedom of Kashmiri people so that the people can differentiate between a leader and a traitor, she said. Asiya appealed to Syed Ali Geelani, chairman of hard-line faction of Hurriyat Conference, who too has come strongly against Pal president proposal, to take the reins of leaders into his hands. Geelani is holding a press conference on Thursday to come out with a proper response to Musharafs latest proposal.
Former militant leader and chairman of Muslim league, Mushtaqul Islam described Pak president as "American agent" and alleged that Musharaf was issuing statements to please his "American and Israeli masters. "Musharraf is an American stooge. He has no right to give solutions on Kashmir", Mushtaq said. The Muslim League supremo said that the people of Kashmir were the masters of their own fate, and no solution would be acceptable in which "our aspirations are not reflected".
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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (AP) After 12 months of naked partisanship on Capitol Hill, on cable TV and in the blogosphere, the word of the year for 2006 is truthiness. Shit. I mean, gosh darn it.
The word if one can call it that best summed up 2006, according to an online survey by dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster. Not enough "taqiyya" votes. Too bad. Truthiness was credited to Comedy Central satirist Stephen Colbert, who defined it as truth that comes from the gut, not books. It just hit me that there's a subtle implication lurking in there: books are bad. Wottan asstard. Lol. Truthiness means something very different to me and, I believe, others as well...
We're at a point where what constitutes truth is a question on a lot of people's minds, and truth has become up for grabs, said Merriam-Webster president John Morse. Truthiness' is a playful way for us to think about a very important issue. It means that the truth, the actual truth, has been nuked in favor of what feels good. And I'm right, lol. Fuck Colbert.
Other Top 10 finishers included war, insurgent, sectarian and corruption. But truthiness won by a 5-to-1 margin, Morse said. Gosh, reality words lost out to a fantasy word. Go figure.
Colbert, who once derided the folks at Springfield-based Merriam-Webster as the word police and a bunch of wordinistas, was pleased. Time to suck up, bitch.
Though I'm no fan of reference books and their fact-based agendas, I am a fan of anyone who chooses to honour me, he said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. I am known to suck among the very best.
And what an honour, he said. Truthiness now joins the lexicographical pantheon with words like squash,' merry,' crumpet,' the,' xylophone,' circuitous,' others' and others. Coming from you that means, well, nothing.
Colbert first uttered truthiness during an October 2005 broadcast of The Colbert Report, his parody of combative, conservative talk shows. Never seen it - except as excerpted by others. It's "hitman" theater - a.k.a. modern journalism.
#3
xylophone, the only word in the German language containing a Y. But then I am horribly addicted to fact-based agendas and using German computer keyboards drove me nuts.
#5
Colbert is a satirist. He's not advocating for "truthiness" (yes, I refuse to treat it as a real word), he's observing that more and more Americans are more interested in asserting their own "truthy" version of an issue than learning the objective reality. Karl Rove's "secret numbers" that showed the 2006 election would go well or the 2004 election polls that supposedly looked so good for Kerry (although that may have been an honest reading of inaccurate data) are examples.
Of course, his examples are conservatives who won't accept the "truth" of global warming, evolution, failure in Iraq, etc., etc. That's a different issue, but the larger point is worth discussing.
sending up..take offs..parodies are Colbert's shtick.
in the main his target are Repub pols, Hollywood, and religious fundamentalists... [seems to me anyway]
He'd be alot funnier if he'd also spoof Democraps and all the little rat bastard traitors infesting media and academia; but then he'd be sending himself up.
Posted by: James ||
12/09/2006 11:03
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#9
Truthiness was credited to Comedy Central satirist Stephen Colbert, who defined it as truth that comes from the gut, not books.
He may define it that way, but that isn't how he uses it, either the day he introduced the term or since. He uses it exactly as we do, for something that feels like it ought to be true from a particular worldview, but isn't. This is the man who was shocked to discover, after joining The Daily Show, that he's a stereotypical liberal; before that he hadn't been aware he had any political opinions at all.
SAN FRANCISCO Dec 8, 2006 (AP) An effort to clean up some of the city's seedier neighborhoods and rid the streets of junkies, hookers and runaways has run headlong into San Francisco's free-to-be-who-you-are ethos.
Nearly four decades after the Summer of Love, residents and merchants frustrated with what they regard as blight are turning to the city for help or taking revitalization into their own hands. I can't imagine why.
But other residents of the Tenderloin district and Haight-Ashbury contend a crackdown would rob their neighborhoods of their identity and violate everything San Francisco stands for.
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#2
Joey Cain ... complained that those who would drive the vagrants from the neighborhood are turning their backs on the Haight's "historic obligation" to shelter the downtrodden.
Perhaps Joey and his kind could take them under their wing and offer them a room in their house to live in. For free.
Build them a shelter. If that isn't enough, change the laws to get them help for whatever mental condition they have that makes them think living out in the elements and the constant fear of getting shanked is better than working 8-5 to pay for shelter, getting healthcare benefits, and having a computer with a high-speed internet connection.
#6
Only an Ultra Right Wing Conservative would object to street people defecating outside their ice cream shop don't ya know.
and the state health inspector.
On a side note, recalling that SF is a sanctuary city, why does anyone have a door on their house or apartment? I mean, if you really support he notion of open borders and an open society, you should demonstrate that by open portals [formerly known as doors] on all buildings. That should end the sight of people living on and urinating in the street. Issue solved.
#7
In hollyweed at a dinner party just before the first election of the Governator I met a leftist lady who supported him. I asks why... "Because he might get the bums who piss on my front wall off the street!"
So hollyweed get's that much. What the hell is wrong with SanFran?
#10
I'm from San Jose, but spent years working in San Francisco. By far the most beautiful large city in the U.S., and the most quirky. I've given my contributions to that as well, and have slept in Golden Gate park after getting stoned off my rocker a few times. Enough is enough though. Most San Franciscans aren't like the extremists you see on the news all the time. The extremists are the loudest though. I guess, kind of like how it is with Muslims. Don't know. If they clean it up, kudos to them!
#11
I knew if I left this story in the hopper .com would jump all over it ...
Like so much uncovered meat.
By far the most beautiful large city in the U.S.
An easy case to argue, especially since it routinely places among the top ten tourist destinations in the entire world. It is also restaurant heaven. Northern California has three of the top thirteen finest restaurants in the entire world, all within driving distance of SF. While the antics of its politicians leave much to be desired, the scenic beauty and quality of life in the Bay Area is unbeatable. It is one of the world's largest and safest natural harbors. The view from Mount Diablo is rivaled only by Mount Kilamanjaro (and better than Everest). The Central Valley supplies 50% of the produce consumed in the USA. Silicon Valley remains the technological engine of the entire world and California's economy usually places among the world's top ten nations.
We must be doing something right. Why else would so many people want to live here?
#12
Howdy, Thoth! Sen de a note when you get a chance. I lived and worked in San Francisco in 1982 for a short time. I liked it OK. I lived and worked in Portland, Oregon in 1990. I LOVED it. Have to disagree with ya Thoth, Portland is the most beautiful large city in the US>
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
12/09/2006 19:40
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#13
Worked and lived in downtown SF for 15 years. I hate the place with a passion. While there are many nice parts, mostly it's an open gutter of a city. A couple of districts like Bernal Heights and the Marina hardly makeup for all of the districts like Hunters Point, The Mission, the Tenderloin, the Lower Haight; I could go on. The sheer volume of drunks, drug addicts, and vagrants in SF is nothing short of staggering. They're, what, 20% of the population.
BAGHDAD, Dec. 8 Iraqi officials are near agreement on a national oil law that would give the central government the power to distribute current and future oil revenues to the provinces or regions, based on their population, Iraqi and American officials say.
If enacted, the measure, drafted by a committee of politicians and ministers, could help resolve a highly divisive issue that has consistently blocked efforts to reconcile the countrys feuding ethnic and sectarian factions. Sunni Arabs, who lead the insurgency, have opposed the idea of regional autonomy for fear that they would be deprived of a fair share of the countrys oil wealth, which is concentrated in the Shiite south and Kurdish north.
The Iraq Study Group report stressed that an oil law guaranteeing an equitable distribution of revenues was crucial to the process of national reconciliation, and thus to ending the war.
Continued on Page 49
Colombia's far-right paramilitaries pulled out of a peace process with President Alvaro Uribe's government late Wednesday following the decision to transfer jailed militia leaders to a maximum security prison. The announcement came after a three-hour meeting with the government's chief peace negotiator. The peace agreement was thrown into crisis on Friday when the government transferred 59 imprisoned paramilitary warlords from their special prison to a high-security installation on rumors of a possible prison break.
More than 30,000 paramilitary fighters have demobilized since 2003 as part of the peace process, which saw militia leaders turn themselves in. But critics say the punishments dished out to the leaders were too light and paramilitary groups continued to operate. The leaders of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, or AUC, a paramilitary umbrella group, are accused of some of the worst atrocities in the country's civil war, now in its fifth decade. The AUC was created two decades ago by landowners and cocaine cartels to battle leftist rebels who held sway over much of Colombia's countryside, though it quickly morphed into one of the country's biggest drug-trafficking organizations.
The latest setback in the peace process with the paramilitaries comes as a scandal continues to grow linking Colombia's political class with the paramilitaries. A dozen legislators are accused of working with the outlawed group to kill political opponents in exchange for votes.
The paramilitary warlords handed themselves over to the government as part of an agreement limiting their prison terms to no more than eight years and suspending extradition requests.
A four-year-old hugged his teachers aide and was put into in-school suspension, according to the father. But La Vega school administrators have a cover different story. I'll bet they do. Or if they don't, they're working on it frantically.
Damarcus Blackwell's four-year-old son was lining-up to get on the bus after school last month, when he was accused of rubbing his face in the chest of a female employee. I can relate to this.
The prinicipal of La Vega Primary School sent a letter to the Blackwells that said the pre-kindergartener demonstrated "inappropriate physical behavior interpreted as sexual contact and/or sexual harassment." Makes sense to the principal. Only the principal. And maybe other highly trained educational professionals who are beholden to him for their jobs. The Thin Blue Academic Line, I guess.
Blackwell says it's ridiculous that the aide would misread a hug from a four-year-old. Blackwell wrote to administrators demanding that the whole incident be expunged from his son's academic file because his son is too young to know what it means to act sexually. Makes sense to everyone else on the planet. Except highly trained educational professionals at La Vega.
David Davis, the executive director of the Advocacy Center in Waco tends Read: I agree. But I have to cover my a$$ here for some stupid reason to agree with Blackwell. He says assuming the boy has not had sexual encounters, or been inappropriately exposed to pornography, most four-year-olds are sexually innocent. Another highly professional statement. Wouldn't have guessed that myself. Thanks for the info. Got any links to the double-blind studies needed to divine that clever conclusion?
Blackwell got a response from the La Vega administration. The sexual references on the discipline referral were removed. But the thing that makes Blackwell most upset is they told him "your request for an apology by the aide and removal of all paperwork regarding this incident is denied." Now the young student's file will refer to the incident as "inappropriate physical contact." And Blackwell says he will continue to fight the district. Looks like La Vega officials know they're wrong, but are immature and it shows in needing to hold onto some manufactured thread of validation with the inappropriate physical contact line. Well, it's a start.
La Vega I.S.D. administrators told News Channel 25 they couldn't comment on this case because of student privacy issues. How convenient. Otherwise I'm sure they'd love to discuss it.
#5
If the kid tried to put a dollar in her thong, slipped some tongue into her ear, and requested a table dance, well, ok.
But other than that, it just shows how warped that aide and her supervisors are if they think a little four year old boy was coming on to her. Anyone who interprets an innocent preschool child's affection as sexual behavior has no business being around kids in the first place. That's the kind of mindset that pedophiles have. They justify their sick behavior by saying the kid wanted it or was coming on to them....just like this gang of idiots are doing.
#9
A four year old child is not tall enough to "Rub his face against a teacher's chest"
So what's the truth here, she was leaning way way over?
She squatted down?
Either way it's hardly a four year old's fault, he's well acustomed to rubbing his face against a female chest at that age.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
12/09/2006 12:18
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#10
Damarcus Blackwell's four-year-old son was lining-up to get on the bus after school last month, when he was accused of rubbing his face in the chest of a female employee.
Either that is one very tall 4-year old, or the aide bent down to hug him, presenting boobs first, envelopping the kid's face. Bet the aide is amply endowed. Bet the kid was just trying to breathe. I'm with RedNeck on this one.
#11
The poor kids was probably taking an opportunity to wipe a runny nose!
Posted by: Jim ||
12/09/2006 12:52
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The poor kids was probably taking an opportunity to wipe a runny nose!
As seen in Garfield.
This story is the exact equivalent of the UK fellow being harassed by police for carrying a potentially harmful cricket ball. PCness gone amok, Nanny-State in its glory.
#13
Btw, when I was 5 (?), I hid under the table where my then teen aunt had an UK penpal, come to visit her, sit down for a little chat... and I bit her on the inside of the thigh, don't know what motivated me. That english girl slapped me and called me a "little pig", en français dans le texte. Those were the days.
#14
So what's the truth here, she was leaning way way over?
She was holding the child in a suggestive manner, and he took advantage. Shocked by her own feelings of lust she had to file charges to deflect attention from herself and onto the 4 year old. Where it rightly belonged!
#15
The question for me is why the employee felt complelled to bring charges? The American public education system has been in decline for the last 40 years and incidents like this are an example of how far it has fallen. Teachers who can't seem to teach students to read, write, or reason are caught up in inculculating social dogma. I didn't even mention math and science, if it weren't for foreign students, they wouldn't even bother with holding math and science classes.
A step in the right direction would be outlaw the NEA and the ACLU. Another would be for the parents of this kid to sue the "female employee" and various school officials involved in this idiocy into bankruptcy and the school district into receivership.
#16
Teachers who can't seem to teach students to read, write, or reason are caught up in inculculating social dogma.
Hey, what do you know : same thing in France, in England, and I'd guess in most of Western Europe.
Gramsci's long march through the institutions has been very successful.
#19
Instead of piling on the teacher (which is rightly deserved by the way), I feel this is actually the fault of the P.C. NEA/ACLU driven lawsuits that have FORCED this on school boards. Both my parents, my sis and my wife are teachers and it absolutely befuddles me at HOW MUCH paperwork they have to "file" just because of an "incident" like this. Kids are brutally honest, and (this is an extremely big what if) what would've happened if lil' Blackwell went home and told his dad that teach not only gave him a hug, but stuck her boobs in his face. Granted, NO 4 year old is doing that for sexual reasons (unless a LOT wrong is goin' on at home), but the teach was probably told by the principal or someone to file this complaint to cover their (the school's) arse in case the parents and/or the ACLU wanted to file a lawsuit. I truly believe that education is probably only second nowadays to fast foods in being "scared" of being sued (and rightly so, with all the PC police freaks out there).
My mom sums it up this way (she taught for years before staying home when I and sis were born, then went back to teaching when we reached middle school age, so she was out for a total of 8-9 years or so)...."It used to be when a kid got in trouble, the parents would ask, 'What did lil' Johnny do?' Now, it's 'What did YOU do to lil' Johnny?'" No one in this day and age can believe their "lil' Johnny" would do ANYTHING wrong, so the blame the teachers. Easy scapegoat for some who refuse to parent correctly. Just playing devil's advocate here. I'm not saying the teach was right (not at all), but it's just the culture wrought upon them by an over-obsessive litigative society gone amok!
Posted by: BA ||
12/09/2006 21:41
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#20
P.S. I say I'm amazed at how much paperwork they had to complete, and I'm a Fed. Govt' employee, lol!
Posted by: BA ||
12/09/2006 21:42
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Johannesburg is embarking on a clean-up this festive season which will cover everyone from speedsters, drunk drivers, people transporting fake goods, to those who have not paid their taxes or committed serious crimes. The crackdown will involve large roadblocks, arrests without notification, confiscation of cars, hawker removals and more CCTV cameras being put up to catch criminals.
The Johannesburg Metro Police Department will be working with SAPS, EMS, Department of Community Safety, Environmental Health, Liquor Board, Town Planning, City Power and Eskom until 20 January to intensify the fight against crime, traffic and by-law violations. Home Affairs and Receiver of Revenue officials are also involved.
New alcohol breathalysers have been introduced which, for the first time, are being accepted by the courts as evidence without the back-up of a blood sample. The JMPD will be using a 22-point roadblock system which means that 22 roadblocks will be set up simultaneously across the city. Home Affairs and SARS officials will also be assisting at roadblocks to catch illegals and those owing money to the Receiver of Revenue. In the near future, this will also include maintenance dodgers. On top of that, there will be a crackdown on bylaw offenders.
City of Johannesburg member of the mayoral committee for Public Safety, Thomas Phakathi said these joint operations would be extended beyond the festive season and turned into a permanent feature for the city.
The Central Johannesburg Partnership will also be deploying additional precinct guards in the inner city and the public is urged to seek assistance from these distinctively uniformed guards.
BAGHDAD, Dec. 8 One of the most coveted jobs in Iraq does not yet exist: the executioner for Saddam Hussein. The death sentence against Mr. Hussein is still under review by an appeals court, but hundreds of people have already started lobbying the prime ministers office for the position.
They have sent messages through cabinet officials and their assistants, and by way of government guards and clerical workers. One candidate, an Iraqi Shiite living in London whose brother was killed by Mr. Hussein, telephoned an aide to the prime minister to say he was prepared to drop everything and fly to Baghdad to execute the former ruler.
One of the hardest tasks will be to determine who gets to be the hangman because so many people want revenge for the loss of their loved ones, said Basam Ridha, an adviser to Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki.
Continued on Page 49
#2
Until the new gallows were built, the Iraqi government used an apparatus and an old rope left over from Mr. Husseins government, said the high-ranking government official. The rope had become so elastic that it would sometimes take as much as eight minutes to kill the convicted person.
#3
There's a ready solution. Hook him to a pickup. Each driver gets to pull his carcass 1/2 mile. Should accomodate about 50-60 if they take it easy and don't hit too many obstacles.
#10
My object all sublime
I shall achieve in time
to let the punishment fit the crime
the punishment fit the crime
and make each prisoner pent
unwillingly represent
a source of innocent merriment
of innocent merriment
-Gilbert and Sullivan's the Mikado
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/09/2006 14:18
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#11
With a elastic rope... keelhauling (otherwise known as trolling the hard way for sharks) would be effective. Make sure it's at least 500lb line so the bites tear.
#12
I like the idea of selling raffle tickets. I'm sure they can raise enough money to repave every highway in Iraq, plus have some left over for port renovations and the extension of the rail network. It's about time Iraq got something worthwhile out of Hussein, and his death may pave the way - pun intended.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/09/2006 14:40
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the Iraqi government used an apparatus and an old rope left over from Mr. Husseins government, said the high-ranking government official. The rope had become so elastic that it would sometimes take as much as eight minutes to kill the convicted person.
Israel's foreign minister has arrived in the United States amid worries that the Jewish state's main ally could shift course after a report urged Washington to redouble Mideast peacemeaking efforts.
Tzipi Livni will meet with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other officials during her visit, which will focus on the repercussions of a report released Wednesday by the Iraq Study Group, her office said. That report said progress towards Arab-Israeli peace was key to saving Iraq. It also called for direct US talks with two of Israel's most fearsome foes, Syria and Iran, the latter of which is believed to be steaming ahead in its bid for nuclear weapons.
A day after receiving the top-level commission's report, the United States and Britain signalled the start of a renewed diplomatic push in the region. The renewed focus on Mideast peacemaking and growing domestic pressure on US leaders to end the imbroglio in Iraq has Israelis worrying about a possible policy shift by Bush, who for six years has largely ignored the intricacies of Mideast peacemaking.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has also expressed disatisfaction with the report's recommendations. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, he said US problems in Iraq "are entirely independent of the controversy between us and the Palestinians." He also said that restarting peace talks with Syria, as recommended by the report, was unlikely in the near future.
In statements sure to allay Israeli concerns, Bush has rebuffed some of the report's recommendations and maintained his insistence that Damascus and Tehran renounce support for extremists and pledge support for Baghdad's fledgling government and that Iran freeze sensitive nuclear work before any direct talks.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, meanwhile, have both welcomed the Iraq Study Group's recommendation that Bush revitalise Arab-Israeli peacemaking efforts.
An earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale hit outskirts of Zarand, a city in this southeastern Iranian province, on Friday. The seismological base of the Geophysics Institute of Tehran University registered the quake at 11:28 hours local time (GMT 0858). There are no reports of any casualty or damage to property.
The Commonwealth suspended Fiji's membership yesterday in protest at this week's military coup - the third time in 20 years that the Pacific nation has been suspended because of military takeovers.
The decision was made by an action group of foreign ministers from several countries, including Britain, meeting in London. As a result, Fiji will be banned from all Commonwealth meetings until democracy is restored. Technical assistance programmes will also be suspended.
The Commonwealth secretary general, Don McKinnon, said all member countries have been asked to put pressure on Fiji to restore democracy. "The Commonwealth ministerial action group unanimously and unequivocally condemned the military takeover of Fiji's democratically elected government, in total disregard of the authority of the prime minister and parliament," he said yesterday. Mr McKinnon added that he hoped the crisis would be resolved peacefully. "Just because this was a bloodless coup, it doesn't always remain that way," he said.
Margaret Beckett, the foreign secretary, has condemned the coup as "wholly unconstitutional" and "a major setback" to the island's process of democracy.
Fiji was suspended from the Commonwealth in 1987 after a coup, and was readmitted in 1997. The state was also suspended in 2000 after Commodore Bainimarama declared martial law, and readmitted a year later.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/09/2006
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Betcha could get a hell of a deal on a Fiji vacation package right now.
Hundreds of people have rallied in several capital cities, in support of Australian Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks. The rallies were organised to put pressure on the Commonwealth Government to bring Hicks back to Australia to be tried or released.
The terrorism suspect has spent five years in detention without being tried.
One supporter, Kay Danes, gave an emotional speech at the at Victoria Square rally in Adelaide. Ms Danes is an Australian who was held in a Laos prison for ten months, before being pardoned. "I hope that every single one of you here today has a reaction," she said. "I hope that you stop and look at these people shackled with hoods over their faces and understand that that truly is a reality." "And I hope you realize that it is a bad idea to support terrorism against the decent people ... hey, who put John Bolton's speech in front of me?"
In Sydney, hundreds of Hicks supporters have marched to protest outside the US consulate. Earlier at a rally at the city's Town Hall, former Guantanamo prisoner Mahmdou Habib told the crowd that time is running out for David Hicks. "Any country, they take care of their own citizens, except the John Howard government," he said. "[I'm telling] anybody, when they leave from this place not just to demonstrate but to go to the Parliament and tell them release him now."
About 200 people including politicians, church leaders and prominent lawyers have gathered in Perth to call for the release of Hicks.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/09/2006
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"Any country, they take care of their own citizens, .."
I assume he means Hicks should be executed at home?
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/09/2006 5:51
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A number of aid agencies evacuated their staff from a town in Sudan's Darfur region on Friday after unidentified gunmen attacked a house used by the International Committee of the Red Cross Thingy, aid workers said. The ICRCThingy said it evacuated 10 of its international staff and a Spanish Red Cross Thingy worker out of Kutum in northern Darfur after the attack on a residence housing two of its delegates who escaped unharmed. "We don't know who it was. Gunmen tried to get it. They stayed on the roof and fired, and hung around for a quite a while," Jessica Barry, ICRCThingy spokeswoman in Sudan, told Reuters. She said the attack took place in the early hours of Friday and prompted the organisation to fly its workers to El Fasher, the main town in Darfur and a scene of violent clashes early this week between militias, locally known as the Janjaweed, and the former rebels of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM/A).
Goal, an Irish NGO, also evacuated its seven-member team from Kutum after the attack, said Mark Blackett, the agency's Country Director. They would arrived in Khartoum on Saturday or Sunday, he said. He said motive behind the attack on the ICRCThingy house was unclear "but it was not to steal anything,"
he said, speaking from his evacuated position where he would no longer be able to offer aid, comfort, food or medical care to the unfortunate civilian population, nor would he be available to provide eyewitness testimony to the activities of ... Others.
Barry said the ICRCThingy has asked authorities in Kutum to investigate the attack. "We hope that this would be a temporary withdrawal. Our national staff are keeping the office open," she said. Rights groups and the SLM accuse the Khartoum government of arming the Janjaweed to use them as a proxy militia in Darfur, where experts say around 200,000 people were killed and 2.5 million displaced since the conflict flared in 2003 when rebels took up arms against the government, charging it with neglect.
Khartoum denies supporting the Janjaweed.
Noureddine Mezni, the African Union spokesman in Sudan, said on Friday the situation in El Fasher has stabilised. "Business activities have returned to normal and the security situation according to our field reports was calm," he told Reuters. The violence has forced the United Nations to fly 134 of its own and other aid agencies' staff out of the town.
#1
A number of aid agencies evacuated their staff from a town in Sudan's Darfur region on Friday after unidentified gunmen attacked a house used by the International Committee of the Red Cross
Ministers were today urged to consider abandoning the multi-billion pound Joint Strike Fighter project unless the United States agrees within weeks to share sensitive technology.
The Government should develop a "plan B" for jets to operate from two new aircraft carriers if a deal is not struck by the end of the year, according to the influential Commons Defence Select Committee.
Progress on the £140 billion project - the most expensive single armaments programme in UK military history - has been dogged by wrangles over whether Britain would be given access to the technology powering the high-tech aircraft. Ministers have previously threatened that the UK could pull out of plans to buy up to 150 of the military planes for the RAF and Navy unless America agreed to transfer secrets about its software that Britain argues are needed in order to operate and maintain them independently.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/09/2006
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...The question is, fall back to what? The new CV is supposedly capable of operating F-18s and/or Rafale - but all that does is give the RN a early-to-mid-90s CV capability.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
12/09/2006 6:48
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We should wait to share the technology until we find out if the UK wants to be a real country or part of EUrabia.
Saudi Arabia on Friday denied as "inaccurate" media reports suggesting the arrest of any person linked to the gun-firing incident in the vicinity of Al-Ruwais prison in the western city of Jeddah on Thursday.
A spokesman of the Saudi Ministry of Interior, Major General Mansour bin Sultan Al-Turki said in a statement, carried by the official news agency (SPA), that it was "incorrect" what was reported by some media about the arrest of persons in connection with the gun-firing incident in the vicinity of Al-Ruwais prison in Jeddah, which resulted in the killing of two security men on Thursday.
Turki refuted the arrest of any person linked to the incident up to this moment and said that there were no shootings near Turkish nor American consulates. "This incident is being followed up by the security authorities, who have launched an investigation necessary to identify the perpetrators of the incident and arrest them in accordance with the procedures of professional practice in this context", he said. The spokesman called for accuracy and referral to official security sources to verify authenticity and accuracy of such security issues.
"We're not the Associated Press here in the Kingdom. May the Prophet curse your mustache for even *thinking* such a thing!"
In what was likely her final legislative act in Congress, outgoing Georgia Rep. Cynthia McKinney announced a bill Friday to impeach President Bush. The legislation has no chance of passing and serves as a symbolic parting shot not only at Bush but also at Democratic leaders. Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has made clear that she will not entertain proposals to sanction Bush and has warned the liberal wing of her party against making political hay of impeachment.
McKinney, a Democrat who drew national headlines in March when she struck a Capitol police officer, has long insisted that Bush was never legitimately elected. In introducing her legislation in the final hours of the current Congress, she said Bush had violated his oath of office to defend the Constitution and the nation's laws.
McKinney has made no secret of her frustration with Democratic leaders since voters ousted her from office in the Democratic primary this summer. In a speech Monday at George Washington University, she accused party leaders of cowing to Republicans on the war in Iraq and on military mistreatment of prisoners.
Cowing? LOL. Bye Cindy. Don't go away mad, just go away.
#5
look for her at the local drive-thru - the bitch at the window with the attitude and room temp IQ. IIRC she has no real job quals...semi-inherited Billy's wacko-constituent seat
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/09/2006 5:55
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#6
look for her at the local drive-thru
Don't put it in gear before you double-check your order and change.
All the whiners complain about the government, but what do you expect when you entice good people with crap in pay. Come on, you want them to manage a multi-trillion dollar international economy that is the engine of the world economy and pay pittance. No wonder you get the likes of this gal and her bribe stuffed refrigerator partners. Just like teachers, Im sure in that the one you have is good, its just all the other ones are idiots. I dont care what the current crop of dodos is worth, what Im interested in doing is attracting a better crop of potential candidates. Notice that the military pays bonuses to attract and retain quality people. What a concept. 435 Reps, 100 Senators, 1 President, and just throw in 9 Justices of SCOTUS, that is a total of 545 people. A million a piece would only be 545 million, small by comparison to the amount of pork these current fellows turn out every year for contributions to their reelection funds. You think you might, just might actually get competent knowledgeable people above the usual selection of party hacks to try for the job?
#8
Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has made clear that she will not entertain proposals to sanction Bush
That's the key piece of information in the article, as far as I'm concerned. The Kos Kiddies do not get yet another of their non-negotiables, and the White House won't have to waste time playing that stupid game. At the rate they're getting mugged by reality, the Democrat Congresscritters are going to end up Conservative!
#10
If I was Cynthia, I'd be more concerned with setting up some well paying hack no show job now that I've been voted out of my well paying hack no show job.
#11
Cynthia will be just fine. Surley she already has a job with one those 9/11 fact finding thingys. They will continue to refer to her as "Congresswoman McKinney" and prolly even present her with her very own brass name plate.
#12
All the whiners complain about the government, but what do you expect when you entice good people with crap in pay.
What the job lacks in pay the grifters more than make up for it in graft! Besides, serving ones country as a Statesmanperson was never meant to be professional pursuit.
#13
I was hoping some Congressional security person would give her a parting shot - in the chops! She certainly deserves it.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/09/2006 14:14
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#14
Right Mike. And the founding fathers never intended that the United States of America would maintain a large standing army. Reality makes shoulda, woulda, coulda a dead issue. If your mechanism for change is simply 'throw the bums out' all you get is just more bums to take their place.
#16
Oh yeah, I forgot. Implement the above at the State and Local levels as well. It is WAY past time to put the service back into public service. What we have now are a bunch of ticks. Time for some sheep dip.
When you have someone (rich naturally) spending 10's of millions of their own money to run for an office that doesn't pay squat --according to you-- something is wrong. Being elected to a national office shouldn't be akin to winning the lottery.
I'd also limit the whole career bureaucrat thing as well. Think DoS and all the other idjits that screw this country over.
This one single change could assist the cause of good government more than nearly all the other alterations you suggest combined. The undue influence of special interests is literally poisoning this country.
Should you doubt this, simply examine the impact on domestic policy regarding communist China and Taiwan caused by campaign contributions from those who profit from low-cost Chinese imports and manufacturing.
#19
This one single change could assist the cause of good government more than nearly all the other alterations you suggest combined.
I know. And it is exactly because of Bubba Clinton and the whole China-gate debacle with commies sleeping in Lincoln's bedroom etc. etc. that I'd insist on item #2 alone if I couldn't get the rest of it.
I'd hang the lot of them, tomorrow, just to send a message to their replacements. Who knows, the jihadis get lucky and pop a nuke on our soil, we might just get the chance.
#22
Mike, first off, the legislature is where the money changes hands. You want every presidential candidate to have served in the money changing closet at least 2 terms ? I say no terms. We need leaders, not legislation for sale, as we have today.
We have practically forced them to pass a bill to build a fence, and still they want to legislate more technical immigrants, via green card, and amnesty. They don't give a shit about what we want, they are being bought by business, and they are in no position to fail to deliver.
If this government really respected the will of the people, they would put plain language questions on the ballot asking about immigration, military action, social security, medicare, property rights, and a host of other issues.
They send around surveys, which are really intended to solicit funds, but they never put a serious question on the ballot. Why ?
You tell me.
#23
Mike, first off, the legislature is where the money changes hands.
First off, the nyms Mick! Although I really don't care, I've been called worse than Mike. Second, go read the list again, pay attention to item #10 and #2. Hell, look at all of them again. I didn't say it would be perfect, just better than what we have now.
Also, before my plan would be put in place the existing lot would have already done the high jump, their replacements would understand what was expected of them. Or they'd get replaced as well. I want to see an end to the notion that "Career Politician" is a job title worthy of pursuit.
#24
Good start at the list, and I agree with the banning of lobbying thingy being a HUGE good start.
The one I'd change would be #11 and #12. Mandatory voting is NOT freedom, and believe me, I've seen some folks who may be eligible, but should NOT vote in my mind. On this one, I likey Neal Boortz' idea...not only be of certain age (18), but you must pass a test on how our Federal Gov't(should) work, as outlined in the Constitution. That would get rid of all the scumbags who vote Donk just to enrich themselves through welfare, food stamps, etc.
On item #12, I agree with wxjames' take on it (in #22). Of course, IF you got rid of lobbying, that may well solve that issue. I'd actually prefer to go the route of requiring the Presidential nominees to have been Governor of some state. Think Reagan, Bush-II, et. al. and you'll see how having served as Governor, you bring the more Local/State take on things to the table. Of course, Billy Jeff Clinton was Governor too, so not all's well with that choice.
Posted by: BA ||
12/09/2006 22:36
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#25
Meant to add, don't count McKinney out yet. She may be gone, but remember, she was gone for 2 years when Majette kicked her tail, only to return 2 years later. If she gets on the ticket again, I'm betting she'll win, just because it's "her" district.
Posted by: BA ||
12/09/2006 22:37
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The Transportation Security Administration is testing whether it can ease a post-9/11 policy that bars people from meeting relatives and friends at airports as they come off flights. Guess the WoT is over: who won?
A test program at Dallas/Fort Worth and Detroit airports could pave the way for other airports to allow non-travelers through checkpoints to meet passengers or shop at stores and restaurants. "There are a lot of airports that would like people without boarding passes to have access to concessions," said Michael Conway, a spokesman for Detroit Metro Airport, which starts its test next week. Dallas' test started last week.
The TSA began requiring boarding passes at checkpoints after it took over airport security in 2002 largely to reduce the number of people getting screened and ease lines, said Steve Martin of the Airports Council International. Letting non-travelers back in security lines "adds to the congestion and the difficulty of screening," said aviation security consultant Billie Vincent.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
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Do you get to keep your shoes on if you spend a certain amount at participating merchants?
I mean, we always knew TSA was a joke. This just makes it official.
#2
Why would these f**kups do this now ??? It's hard enuff getting thru these lines as is. This would only quadruple the mess. Don't do this...pulleese.
#3
This is not an unreasonable plan *IF* they start profiling their screening. Then the majority of Americans can go unhindered about their normal business or family lives.
As someone who has spent a lot of time at airports both as a business traveler and meeting or seeing off relatives, not to mention actually being an airport screener back in my college days, I have always chaffed at the draconian measures instituted after flight 900 that were increased further after 9/11.
If you take a realistic profile of who is likely to be a hijacker/bomber and screen for that you reduce the workload to reasonable levels. That would not compromise security.
Posted by: DanNY ||
12/09/2006 7:54
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#4
Screw security when there's money to be made.
That was the view of the airlines who were in charge of security before 9/11. Then after, no one flew and they had to be bailed out. Some of the airlines should have been allowed to die quickly as an example to others to see the penalty for the bean counting trading off costs mentality. So we ended up with TSA to 'instill' a sense of security, not necessarily install real security. The airlines want to go back to business as usual? No bail outs next time.
#6
Just move the security gates beyond the major concessions, and don't allow non-passengers beyond that point. What's the big deal?
Remember that 80 meter square footprint (second row, right-hand illustration) required by passenger jets? From what I remember of airport design, this forces significant branching to stagger the pull-ups at individual jetway gates, which creates a lot of unused real estate within those passageways. Airports rent that space to duty-free retailers. Additionally, freeing up access to those stores by installing security checkpoints at the terminus of each branch would be prohibitively expensive.
I'm sure the in-airport vendors are feeling the pinch and making it known.
#7
Darn it, Zenster, another area of knowledge as yet untouched, to be mastered in a limited lifetime! It sounded awfully good until cold reality intruded. Rantburg U rules!
BERLIN, Dec 8, 2006 (AFP) - The German government on Friday summoned the Iranian charge d'affairs in Berlin to express its opposition to a planned conference on the Holocaust in Tehran next week. A foreign ministry spokesman, Jens Ploetner, told reporters that Germany had made clear that as the country responsible for the Nazis' crimes it found any statements questioning Israel's right to exist or the fact of the Holocaust to be "shocking" and "unacceptable".
"We condemn any attempt, in the past or in the future, to give a forum to those who relativise or question the Holocaust," he told a regular government news conference. Germany "bears a unique responsibility toward the victims of the Nazis, in particular the victims of the Holocaust," he added. Think the Iranians will even notice?
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mohammadi said this week the staging of the conference on December 11-12 was a response to the lack of answers to questions posed over the Holocaust by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. He declined to give the names of the 67 international "scholars" he said would be attending over fears their home countries would ban them from travelling to Tehran.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said this week that he would deplore any conference that sought to cast doubt on the reality of the Holocaust. Attaboy, Kofi, that'll show 'em.
Posted by: Steve White ||
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#1
You're just attracting unnecessary attention to the Project.
#2
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said this week that he would roll over in bed and deplore any conference that sought to cast doubt on the reality of the Holocaust
#4
A foreign ministry spokesman, Jens Ploetner, told reporters that Germany had made clear that as the country responsible for the Nazis' crimes it found any statements questioning Israel's right to exist or the fact of the Holocaust to be "shocking" and "unacceptable".
Which certainly gives Germany the edge over Japan in coming to terms with its past and not indulging in any revisionism.
"We condemn any attempt, in the past or in the future, to give a forum to those who relativise or question the Holocaust," he told a regular government news conference. Germany "bears a unique responsibility toward the victims of the Nazis, in particular the victims of the Holocaust," he added.
Then what the fuck are you doing participating with the UNFIL forces in Lebanon. One might easily consider that an unacceptable degree of collaboration with those who seek to perpetuate the Holocaust.
Kofi Annan said this week that he would deplore
Man, you know that's gotta sting! Isn't "deplore" just one tiny step removed from the searing harshness of a sternly worded reprimand?
Beginning early next year, cargo containers bound for the United States from six foreign seaports will be screened for dangerous nuclear materials, the first phase in a program intended to expand the scrutiny of shipments before they reach American ports. Cargo containers destined for American ports will be driven on flatbed trucks past sensitive radiation monitors to detect possible nuclear hazards. And powerful X-ray machines will search for potential shielding intended to conceal radiological hazards.
When the detectors find potential nuclear materials, video images of the scans will be transmitted instantly to Homeland Security's National Targeting Center just outside Washington, D.C., for further analysis. If a physical search of the suspect container does not resolve the concern, it will be barred from U.S.-bound ships. "When in doubt, we pull it out. Then we'll open it up and look," Chertoff said.
The devices will screen all U.S.-bound cargo at three of the six ports Southampton, England; Puerto Cortes, Honduras; and Port Qasim in Pakistan. At the other three the port of Singapore; Port Salalah, Oman; and Port Busan in South Korea only some U.S.-bound cargo will be screened for radiological material, "due to limitations imposed by the size and complexity of those ports," Homeland Security officials said. Taken together, the deployments at the six ports will subject about 7 percent of U.S.-bound cargo to nuclear screening, they said.
"We are eager to expand this program as rapidly as possible," said Homeland Security's deputy secretary, Michael Jackson. "This is just one piece and one layer of a much larger system."
Cargo is also scanned for radioactive material when it arrives. Figures from the department's Customs and Border Protection agency, which administers the program, said the screening rate is 81 percent at U.S. seaports and 94 percent at land borders, with a goal of raising both figures to 100 percent by the end of 2007.
Thursday's announcement was attended by representatives of foreign ports and shipping companies who support the enhanced security inspections. Asked why foreign shippers would agree to adding another step in the shipping process, a U.S. official said, "They know what the consequences would be if something dangerous slips through and creates a tragedy here. Worldwide commerce would come to a halt and would be very hard to restart."
Posted by: Steve White ||
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No doubt they'll find lots of smuggled people as well... and other things not listed on the manifest. I wonder whether the X-ray levels will be high enough to kill hidden insects and such as well?
This is yet another Jihadi Terrorism surcharge, bigjim-ky. I heard on the news this morning that wages have gone up again, which means tax revenues will increase; and anyway, this is one of those things we have to afford, like it or not.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front has hailed the replacement of an Army company as the possible reason why there had been no skirmishes for more than a week already, and believed that this may signal soon the return to normalcy in the affected Maguindanao town. "Not a single untoward incident had happened in the strife-ridden capital town of Maguindanao, Shariff Aguak, for the past eight days," said Von Al Haq, chairman of the MILF Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities. Al Haq, quoted in a report Friday in its Internet website, said the "silence in Shariff Aguak can be attributed largely to the replacement of the 64th Infantry Battalion (IB) Bravo Company with the 6th IB Bravo Company on November 22".
On Nov. 22, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon replaced Bravo Company of the 64th IB with about 100 soldiers who have done peacekeeping duties, to Barangay Kuloy, Shariff Aguak, where the Army company was stationed. The International Monitoring Team and Bantay Ceasefire volunteers have complained against the company for being "too confrontational" with the MILF in Kuloy.
Dontcha hate it when armies get confrontational?
Esperon's move was welcomed by the MILF and Bantay Ceasefire. The MILF has viewed the replacement as having a "clear mandate of purely peace keeping mission and not for combat purposes". If the situation of the absence of gunbattles, Al Haq said this may lead to the return of normalcy in the entire municipality of Shariff Aguak, not only in the flashpoint barangays of Kuloy and Tapikan.
"And we shall have Peace in Our Time."
Sporadic skirmishes have been reported the past two months before the Army unit was replaced and involved militias loyal to the governor, backed by the Army company, and by the MILF Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Force's 105th Base Command. Some areas had been abandoned by their villagers to escape being caught in the crossfire.
Whew! All this talk about MILFs and Swapping... I gotta go shoot my gun...
#3
Humor is witticism, funny is surrealism. That is, only the former is based on a play on words like a pun, the consideration of the unpleasant, or what Hitchens talks about.
The latter, what is funny, is a non sequitur. Something that does not compute to the mind. For example a man uses a nail to nail one end of a board to the top of a tall building. Then he carries another board to the end of the first board and nails it, too. And so on, building himself a flimsy bridge. The mind, and experience, tells us that such a bridge is impossible.
Humor elicits a smirk if done properly, and is based on an underlying truth, a realization. Something that is funny, however, causes an almost involuntary response, from the mind being puzzled.
#10
Thanks, Ms. Tw! Rest assured with just that simple compliment, you have soothed my bruised Ego and battered self-esteem... and delayed my ultimate demise, under the hail of fire from the regional Swat called in to put an end to my killing spree, by at least a couple of months.
Errr.... That's not a very good thanks, I guess. My bad.
#12
As the article points out, women bear children, and that makes their view of the world a tad more serious than ours, However, because we don't bear children, and as individuals, are not really necessary for the continuation of the species, we are singularly perfect for warfare.
Honor on the battlefield has always been the greatest achievement for any man. Patton knew this and he said that modern weapons were removing the honor of the warrior from the struggle. He knew that civilization and civil treatment of the vanquished was born of the fight. Without the the effort the fight through pain, injury, chaos, the sights and sounds of battle, the dead and dying, the loss of limbs among those on both sides, the victors would enjoy war. We honor them because they have spared us their hell. When wars are fought half assed, then they spare us nothing, but guarantee us another battlefield on another day.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - The Palestinian prime minister vowed his Hamas-led government will never recognize Israel and will fight for Jerusalem, telling a crowd at an Iranian mosque on Friday that he will resist U.S. pressure to moderate.
Ismail Haniyeh's sermon came on the first day of his visit to an increasingly influential ally of the Hamas movement. Iran has given $120 million to the Hamas-led government, which is starved for funds because of a financial blockade by the West. Hamas officials in Gaza said they expected Iran to pledge more money to Haniyeh, around $30 million a month. However much Haniyeh can stuff into his pants. Maybe get some pointers from Sandy Burglar?
The United States and other Western countries are pressing Hamas, which took over the Palestinian government after winning January elections, to recognize Israel and renounce violence. Haniyeh said he would do no such thing, adopting his hosts' label of "the world arrogance" to refer to the U.S. during his sermon to thousands of Friday prayer worshippers at Tehran University.
"The world arrogance and Zionists ... want us to recognize the usurpation of the Palestinian lands and stop jihad and resistance and accept the agreements reached with the Zionist enemies in the past," Haniyeh said, speaking in Arabic with a simultaneous translation into Farsi.
"We will never recognize the usurper Zionist government and will continue our jihad-like movement until the liberation of Jerusalem," he said.
An official in Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office, David Baker, said Haniyeh's comments were "precisely this type of extremist rhetoric that fuels terror and has prevented any chance of progress between Israel and the Palestinians." And yet Olmert sits on his hands.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/09/2006
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Someone from the other side of the fence needs to pump a few slugs into Haniyeh. Cycle through enough of Hamas' senior leadership inventory and maybe some more flexible individuals will appear.
Indonesia says a military force from predominantly Muslim countries should be deployed in Iraq before the United States withdraws. The recommendation is part of a larger proposal to resolve the conflict in the war-torn country. Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said like-minded moderate Islamic countries acceptable to the Iraqis should contribute to the "intervening force", whose deployment should not be seen as an extension of the U.S.-led coalition troops or Iraqi security forces. "This force would not be perceived as enemies by the Iraqis because we're going in there as brothers who are there to help," he said in an interview here Wednesday.
The force's capacity should not be measured by its firepower, he added. One certainly never measures a UN-sponsored force that way.
Hassan was elaborating on the Indonesian proposal for a political framework to solve the Iraq problem, a concept which first became public during the visit of U.S. President George W. Bush to Bogor last month. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono referred to it at the joint press conference with Bush afterwards as the "triple track" proposal. The other two "tracks" are a national reconciliation forum that must ultimately lead to an international conference, and a massive economic rehabilitation and reconstruction program.
The proposal took many people here by surprise, since there had been no prior public discussion about Indonesia getting involved in the conflict. Some politicians and foreign policy experts question whether Indonesia is capable of tackling this very complicated war, and others fear the move would shift the burden of Iraq from Washington to Indonesia. Hassan defended the proposal as Indonesia's contribution to the search for a solution that would restore Iraq's sovereignty, peace and stability. "We're friends to the Iraqis, and we're a friend of the United States too, and of all the parties directly involved in the conflict," he said. "There has to be something that we can contribute."
When asked who had come up with the idea and developed it, he replied: "The president and the foreign minister together".
The concept was first broached when Hassan met with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum meeting in Hanoi in November. The two were then preparing the agenda for the Bush-Yudhoyono talks in Bogor. "We ended up spending the entire 45 minutes going over the concept," he said. "Rice then suggested that this matter be brought to the attention of the leaders when they met in Bogor." The Indonesian proposal was discussed during a Bogor meeting involving the presidents and foreign ministers.
The Indonesian public would be brought up to speed in due course, he said, adding that currently Indonesia is pursuing the matter through quiet diplomacy, approaching relevant countries one at a time. "Diplomacy has its limitations. You can't disclose everything to the public until after you talk to everyone concerned."
The minister said the international response to the Indonesian proposal so far has been encouraging. "It's better than expected," Hassan said.
Traditional Discipline Draws Angry Outcry
BEIJING, Dec. 8 -- To local officials combating Shenzhen's reputation as a den of vice, it seemed like a good idea, the perfect way to dissuade provincial girls from turning to prostitution in the big city and frighten away the men who patronize their brothels.
So after raiding the karaoke bars, saunas and barbershops where prostitutes often ply their trade, police officers in the southern Chinese boomtown paraded about 100 women and their alleged johns in the street, using loudspeakers to read out their names and the misdeeds they were accused of committing. News photographers snapped away while thousands of residents lined up to take in the show.
#1
Instead of being praised for cracking down on vice, the Futian police came under a hail of criticism for violating the right to privacy of those who were paraded about in public
#3
Zenster, that comment was totally uncalled for.
There is no more persistent critic of the communist Chinese regime than me, but the Chinese people value good government very highly (to an extent it's hard for Westerners to understand).
#5
phil, I've probably studied Chinese culture more than any other during my entire life. I'm equally aware of their historical achievements as much as their current shortcomings. China's present role in destabilizing the entire East Asian economic sphere, and much of the global economy including its security as well, leaves me more than a little short-tempered with the communist politburo. Beyond that, China's collaboration in that ongoing and massive crime against humanity known as North Korea has me in a particularly sour mood of late.
Additionally, I might be pro-choice but China's government enforced abortions go well beyond the pale, as does much of their near-constant violation of domestic human rights. In case you were unable to participate, I'd like you to please review my comments in yesterday's thread, "Most lakes in China are now wrecked". Should you be at varience with any of my observations, please consider posting them in this thread (moderators willing), as they tend to deal with Chinese society and it's impact upon both China and this world.
I'll close by mentioning that the few months I spent in Taiwan were among the most enjoyable traveling I've ever done in my life. None of that changes my deep distrust and concern over how China's economic piracy and meddling in world affairs is rejuvenating another protracted Cold War.
#7
And you wonder why I think you are trolling in order to paint us all as racist bigots.
No, I just feel that, after years of clearly and consistently stating my own opinions, you may well be rather opaque for thinking so. If you check the record, I'm confident you'll find that I'm the one who is classed with "racist bigots" much more often than I ever do any such accusing myself. Furthermore, in the vast majority of our interactions it is you who hurl the insults and not I.
Back on topic: Did you read the linked thread? Do you have any disagreement with what I have posted in it? As a final question; Are people not supposed to be held liable for the actions of their government?
#8
Hey, I've always wanted to do this. Looks like the cops only erred by parading accused, not convicted.
Your choice: Six months in the slammer, or join the weekly parade down main street with a sign saying "WIFE BEATER", "CAR THIEF", or whatever. You can only do it twice, because after the first time, you need the threat of it happening again. If you do it two times, there's no more fear of humiliation punishment.
#9
Hey, Zenster recall I was the one who uncovered that you came here after being banned from the previous forum you were active in. As I recall you were the only person ever to be banned from that forum.
And BTW, I suggest you look up the meaning of opaque and I suggest at the same time you look up the meaning of obfuscate.
#11
police officers in the southern Chinese boomtown paraded about 100 women...
State sponsored free advertising. So you spent the afternoon showing the young and old gentlemen of the community who to contact. Was this 'leveling' the playing field for those without internet access?
1. a. Impenetrable by light; neither transparent nor translucent.
b. Not reflecting light; having no luster: an opaque finish.
c. So obscure as to be unintelligible: "opaque, elusive, minimal meanings" (John Simon).
d. Obtuse of mind; dense. See Synonyms at dark.
2. Impenetrable by a form of radiant energy other than visible light: a chemical solution opaque to x-rays.
3. a. So obscure as to be unintelligible: "opaque, elusive, minimal meanings" (John Simon).
b. Obtuse of mind; dense. See Synonyms at dark.
n. Something that is opaque, especially an opaque pigment used to darken parts of a photographic print or negative.
[Middle English opake, shady, and French opaque, opaque (from Old French, shady), both from Latin opâcus.]
American Heritage Dictionary
As I recall you were the only person ever to be banned from that forum.
The quality of your recollection matches your vocabulary. Either you're kidding or you are just incredibly dim. Either way, you still have yet to respond to any questions of substance in this thread. Lingering about to cast up extremely stale aspersions hardly qualifies as either civil or well-reasoned discourse.
#15
There is no more persistent critic of the communist Chinese regime than me, but the Chinese people value good government very highly (to an extent it's hard for Westerners to understand).
If the Chinese people "value good government very highly", why have they got one of the most evil there is? China remains one of the most backward "superpowers" this world has ever seen. It is responsible for much of the real grief currently happening including a portion of Islamic terrorism. People ARE responsible for their government's actions and yet you would paint China's people an innocent porcelain white.
phil_b, you come into this thread and criticize my posts without substantiating your own claims. Then you proceed to throw up accustions that are both inaccurate and some FIVE YEARS OLD. Beyond which you dispute a description of you that is subsequently confirmed by your very own behavior.
You refuse to answer some very basic questions or even address why I would post what I did and instead play (in the most superficial sense of "play") at character assassination. One can only wonder if you fully comprehend what sort of light this casts you in.
I have always tried to honestly respond to your persistent tirades and below-the-belt jabs. In the future, I may well choose differently. While it would be nice to think otherwise, I'll put it kindly by saying that you doing yourself a disservice. There are many more colorful and much more derogatory ways to frame your conduct. I just happen to feel that they are out of place at Rantburg in general, no matter how merited they might be in this particular thread.
Don't really know *who* to believe in Russkiland right now. We report... you tell me what the heck it all means...
Separatist emissary Akhmed Zakayevs claims that federal forces were allegedly using radioactive isotope polonium-210 during the anti-terrorist campaign in Chechnya are wrong and unfounded, Chechen Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov said in Grozny on Thursday, according to the Interfax agency.
Zakayev is an actor. He can make up any tale. If they have poisoned their associate [Alexander] Litvinenko, they now want to ascribe similar actions to law enforcers in Chechnya, he said. Federal forces have never used poison during the anti-terrorist campaign in the Chechen republic, Kadyrov said.
Kadyrovs remarks came in response to Zakayevs statement made in a recent interview. The separatist also accused the West of standing by passively as Russia passed laws allowing its agents to hunt down opponents overseas, saying these had led directly to the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko, Reuters reports.
Continued on Page 49
Why kill off an unsound program when you've only spent $16 Million modifying eight boats? There's another 5/6ths of the fleet remaining. Don't let that other $84 Million go unspent!
Ambassador suffers months of harassment and BBC service in Moscow mysteriously goes off the air after the Litvinenko murder
The Russian authorities yesterday stood accused of orchestrating a campaign of intimidation against British interests in Moscow, where the ambassador has been harassed and the BBC Russian Service mysteriously taken off air.
With ties between the Kremlin and London already strained by the police inquiry into the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, The Times has learnt that relations with Russia risk being further damaged by other serious diplomatic disputes.
Prime Minister Mohamad Naji Ottri conferred on Thursday with Aleida Guevara daughter of the late revolutionary leader Ernesto Che Guevara on relations of cooperation between the two countries and friendly peoples in Cuba and Syria as well as mean of boosting them in culture and media domains. Syrian Premier voiced appreciation over of Aleid's father stances, saying he is a symbol of sacrifice and resistance to defend values of right, freedom and human dignity. For her part, Dr. Aleida hailed Syria's position, unity and coherence of her people, expressing admiration of what she has watched of progress and steps taken in fields of developments and culture in Syria. Che's dughter has a message for the Syrian people:
For her part, daughter of late freedom fighter Ernesto Che Guevara, Aleida , who was attending the meeting, takes great pride in her meeting with the occupied Golan students giving support and advocate to Syria's struggle to restore Golan. Aleida, earlier underlined in a debate with Damascus university students, the importance of boosting cooperation and coordination among freedom fighting peoples to get ride of hegemony policy followed by some colonial forces to control resources and capabilities. The Cuban guest demonstrated solidarity with the Arab people confronting some imperialist forces bids and hired mass media to deform the Arab civilized image.
Apparently reading directly from Noam Chomsky's manifesto.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa "talked a lot about Iraq" during their meeting at the State Department on Thursday, department spokesman Sean McCormack said on Friday. "They talked a lot about Iraqi internal efforts at national reconciliation among the various groups and sects," McCormack said during a department briefing. The two also discussed "how to move forward the negotiating political process between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and also the same on Lebanon -- how to defuse the current political crisis that is ongoing in Lebanon," McCormack said.
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.
By The Associated Press 
.JPG)
(AP*) Officials hailed a U.S.-India civilian nuclear cooperation deal approved by the U.S. House of Representatives Friday as the symbol of a broad shift in relations between the two countries.
French Guiana (AP) - A rocket lifted off Friday from this French department in South America carrying satellites to provide broadband Internet services to rural parts of the U.S. and television programming to people across the hemisphere.
The second typhoon to hit the Philippines in two weeks made landfall Saturday, forcing the evacuation of thousands in an eastern province where hundreds died in the last storm.
At least nine people have been killed in a conflict that dates back to May. Most were protesters who were shot by gangs of armed men, and activists blame local police for many of those shootings.
National Priorities: When a secretary of defense gets confirmed 95-2 apparently because he says we are not winning a war, you know Uncle Sam must have a sign on his back that says "kick me." 
CHICAGO (AP) - A gunman carried a cache of weapons past security in a giant envelope Friday afternoon, chained a law office's doors closed and fatally shot three people before a police sniper killed him as he held a hostage at gunpoint, authorities said. 
Security forces on Friday morning killed two terrorists of the Lashkar-e-Taiba in an encounter in Banihal. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Udhampur, Doda range, Lalitindu Mohanty, said that a joint team of police and 12 RR had launched a search operation in the higher reaches of Banihal in Ramban district after getting specific information about the movement of armed militants.
22-year-old Ambika alias Bindu has made an infamous mark after becoming the first girl allegedly joining the crime world of Jammu and Kashmir by playing a key role in the sensational murder of underworld don Sanjay Gupta alias Bakra.
ACTOR Eddie Murphy is not sure if he is the father of former Spice Girl Melanie Brown's unborn child. The singer, however, is quite certain he is.
GERMANY is gripped by the case of the opera singer, her star lawyer husband and her sex-mad mother who nearly killed him in a bizarre sadomasochism game.
Security forces are still on the lookout for the armed suspects responsible for the killing of two police guards at the maximum-security Al-Ruwais Prison on Thursday, according to Maj. Gen. Mansour Al-Turki, spokesman for the Interior Ministry.
Truthiness was credited to Comedy Central satirist Stephen Colbert, who defined it as truth that comes from the gut, not books.
SAN FRANCISCO Dec 8, 2006 (AP) An effort to clean up some of the city's seedier neighborhoods and rid the streets of junkies, hookers and runaways has run headlong into San Francisco's free-to-be-who-you-are ethos. 
BAGHDAD, Dec. 8 Iraqi officials are near agreement on a national oil law that would give the central government the power to distribute current and future oil revenues to the provinces or regions, based on their population, Iraqi and American officials say. 
Colombia's far-right paramilitaries pulled out of a peace process with President Alvaro Uribe's government late Wednesday following the decision to transfer jailed militia leaders to a maximum security prison. The announcement came after a three-hour meeting with the government's chief peace negotiator. The peace agreement was thrown into crisis on Friday when the government transferred 59 imprisoned paramilitary warlords from their special prison to a high-security installation on rumors of a possible prison break.
Johannesburg is embarking on a clean-up this festive season which will cover everyone from speedsters, drunk drivers, people transporting fake goods, to those who have not paid their taxes or committed serious crimes. The crackdown will involve large roadblocks, arrests without notification, confiscation of cars, hawker removals and more CCTV cameras being put up to catch criminals.
BAGHDAD, Dec. 8 One of the most coveted jobs in Iraq does not yet exist: the executioner for Saddam Hussein. The death sentence against Mr. Hussein is still under review by an appeals court, but hundreds of people have already started lobbying the prime ministers office for the position.
An earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale hit outskirts of Zarand, a city in this southeastern Iranian province, on Friday. The seismological base of the Geophysics Institute of Tehran University registered the quake at 11:28 hours local time (GMT 0858). There are no reports of any casualty or damage to property.
Hundreds of people have rallied in several capital cities, in support of Australian Guantanamo Bay detainee David Hicks. The rallies were organised to put pressure on the Commonwealth Government to bring Hicks back to Australia to be tried or released.
In what was likely her final legislative act in Congress, outgoing Georgia Rep. Cynthia McKinney announced a bill Friday to impeach President Bush. The legislation has no chance of passing and serves as a symbolic parting shot not only at Bush but also at Democratic leaders. Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has made clear that she will not entertain proposals to sanction Bush and has warned the liberal wing of her party against making political hay of impeachment. 
The Transportation Security Administration is testing whether it can ease a post-9/11 policy that bars people from meeting relatives and friends at airports as they come off flights.
BERLIN, Dec 8, 2006 (AFP) - The German government on Friday summoned the Iranian charge d'affairs in Berlin to express its opposition to a planned conference on the Holocaust in Tehran next week. A foreign ministry spokesman, Jens Ploetner, told reporters that Germany had made clear that as the country responsible for the Nazis' crimes it found any statements questioning Israel's right to exist or the fact of the Holocaust to be "shocking" and "unacceptable". 
Beginning early next year, cargo containers bound for the United States from six foreign seaports will be screened for dangerous nuclear materials, the first phase in a program intended to expand the scrutiny of shipments before they reach American ports. Cargo containers destined for American ports will be driven on flatbed trucks past sensitive radiation monitors to detect possible nuclear hazards. And powerful X-ray machines will search for potential shielding intended to conceal radiological hazards.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front has hailed the replacement of an Army company as the possible reason why there had been no skirmishes for more than a week already, and believed that this may signal soon the return to normalcy in the affected Maguindanao town. "Not a single untoward incident had happened in the strife-ridden capital town of Maguindanao, Shariff Aguak, for the past eight days," said Von Al Haq, chairman of the MILF Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities. Al Haq, quoted in a report Friday in its Internet website, said the "silence in Shariff Aguak can be attributed largely to the replacement of the 64th Infantry Battalion (IB) Bravo Company with the 6th IB Bravo Company on November 22". 
Indonesia says a military force from predominantly Muslim countries should be deployed in Iraq before the United States withdraws. The recommendation is part of a larger proposal to resolve the conflict in the war-torn country. Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said like-minded moderate Islamic countries acceptable to the Iraqis should contribute to the "intervening force", whose deployment should not be seen as an extension of the U.S.-led coalition troops or Iraqi security forces. "This force would not be perceived as enemies by the Iraqis because we're going in there as brothers who are there to help," he said in an interview here Wednesday. 
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Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa "talked a lot about Iraq" during their meeting at the State Department on Thursday, department spokesman Sean McCormack said on Friday. "They talked a lot about Iraqi internal efforts at national reconciliation among the various groups and sects," McCormack said during a department briefing. The two also discussed "how to move forward the negotiating political process between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and also the same on Lebanon -- how to defuse the current political crisis that is ongoing in Lebanon," McCormack said.
