Saddam Hussein feared catching AIDS or other diseases during his U.S.-supervised captivity, a leading Arab newspaper said Monday in publishing excerpts of his prison writings.
The London-based Al-Hayat said the comments came in portions of Saddam's prison diaries that it obtained from U.S. authorities. The U.S. military confirmed some of the late Iraqi leader's writings had been released.
When Saddam found out his U.S. military guards were also using his laundry line to dry clothes, he wrote that he demanded they stop, according to the excerpts. "I explained to them that they are young and they could have young people's diseases," Saddam wrote. "My main concern was to not catch a venereal disease, an HIV disease, in this place." He said some soldiers ignored his request. I swear, sweetheart, I caught it from a clothesline!
A U.S. military spokesman in Iraq, Maj. Matthew Morgan, declined to describe the writings as a formal diary, but said the former Iraqi president produced thousands of pages of writing while in custody. "The select material that has been previously released was viewed here by Arabic speakers and reported on accordingly," he said in an e-mail to The Associated Press.
Posted by: Bobby ||
05/06/2008 06:14 ||
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#1
just..so..funny. You might think he might look at the laundry line and feel concern about what might happen were it wrap around his neck causing him to slip and fall. Now that, I could understand. But HIV? Did he really have delusions of living long enough to care?
#5
The guy's whole career was one long series of misunderstandings and miscalculations. He'll go down in history as a big bully who wasn't very smart.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
05/06/2008 11:58 Comments ||
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#6
"Saddam Worried About HIV in Jail"
Worried that he would give it to someone? How uncharacteristically considerate of him.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
05/06/2008 14:17 Comments ||
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#7
Nah, he'd seen South Park and knew what he would be getting into. What he didn't know is what Satan has, especially after Bill Hicks told him how the milli-vanilli deal payoff was about.
#8
Saddam, not unlike many other major Leaders in World History, had a personal phobia/fetish(es) > SANITATION = CLEANLINESS WAS IT, AND NOT JUST AS PER STD-HIV.
Marty O'Malley, a Forest Hills council member and Vietnam veteran, paces outside the Downtown office of U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle on Thursday. He was waiting for an anti-war petition that he planned to present to the congressman's office, but the person with it did not show.
Three protesters, a half-dozen signs and a missing petition.
"People walk past and say, 'I'm glad you're doing something,'" said Marty O'Malley, a Forest Hills council member who has attended more than 100 anti-Iraq war events, as he stood in front of Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle's Downtown office last week with the small gathering of activists.
"I want to shake them and say, 'Why aren't you doing something!?'" What hurts most is when kids throw road apples at them.
#5
Last tie they had a "Big" protest in Sacramento less that 20 people were in attendance. On the flip side there were twice as many reporters so everyone got to rant at someone.
The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has asked the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) to quit the government and join the anti-Musharraf All Parties Democratic Alliance (APDM) if it is serious in the restoration of the Muttahidda Majlis-e-Amal (MMA).
A source privy to the fresh contacts between the erstwhile partners on restoration of the religious alliance, said on Monday that the revival of the MMA coalition had been made conditional to JUI-Fs joining of the All Parties Democratic Alliance (APDM) in case the judges are not restored on May 12. The source said that differences between the JI and JUI-F - the main component parties of the MMA - widened following JIs election boycott and JUI-Fs participation in the elections.
The cracks further augmented as JUI-Fs chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman adopted a soft stance on the judges issue while JI chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad made it the prime reason for his partys election boycott.
Sources said the JI was adamant despite efforts by JUI-F to restore the alliance earlier. The emissaries sent to Qazi Hussain Ahmad were informed that the JI would not come forward for MMAs revival unless the JUI-F resigns from the assemblies. However, the JUI-F ruled out the condition and argued that they would strive to achieve the goal of judges restoration, which the JI failed to achieve by boycotting the elections, while staying in the government.
During their recent contacts, however, the JI presented the condition that the JUI-F would have to quit the government and join the APDM if the sacked judges were not reinstated on May 12.
Contacted for comments, JI Provincial Information Secretary Muhammad Iqbal told Daily Times that efforts were underway and both sides were considering suggestions and options to revive the alliance. However, he added that the revival of the MMA was possible only if the JUI-F quit the government.
On the other hand, the JI partners in the APDM have reservations about JUI-Fs acceptance into its fold. Commenting on the possible inclusion of JUI-F into APDM, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Provincial President Mukhtiar Yousafzai said the alliances central leadership would take the decision in this regard.
May 12: At the same time, he pointed finger at Maulana Fazlur Rehmans role in the restoration of the sacked judges and said The APDM will not accept JUI-F after May 12.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/06/2008 00:00 ||
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BARA: Taxi driver Muhammad Zarin is making it a habit to go to bed early so that he can wake up early in the morning. He is not developing the habit so that he can go for early morning walks; he is compelled to wake up early so that he can register his presence at Fajr prayers. Being absent will render him liable for punishment from the Amal Bil Maroof Wa Nahi Anil Munker (Promotion of Virtue and Suppression of Vice) organisation in Khyber Agencys Bar Kambarkhel area.
The organisation led by Haji Namdar has put attendance registers in all mosques in the area. Anyone who is absent during Fajr (early morning) and Isha (late evening) prayers is fined or imprisoned. If you are marked absent at these two prayers you will pay a Rs 100 fine for each prayer missed. I cannot afford to be fined as I make a few hundred rupees a day, to feed my seven-member family, Zarin told Daily Times during the drive to Haji Namdars headquarters last week.
The prayer leaders of all the mosques must report absentees to the organisations council of elders, which then decides on whether to fine or imprison them. Asked about the stringent measures the organisation was practicing to Islamise the area, Munsif Ali Khan, the organisations spokesman, told Daily Times: The punishment is hardly awarded. Yes, what we try to do is to influence the young men to grow a beard. To a follow-up question on what methods they use to influence young men to grow beards, he responded: To make him spend a night in [a private] prison or with a Rs 100 fine.
This is another decision taken by the organisation for local residents which is hitting the youth particularly hard, since many of them would prefer to remain clean-shaved. Nevertheless, every local male must grow a beard as there is no place for beardless men in Bar Kambarkhel. I have to grow a beard if I want to live here, said a young student, whose beard has just appeared across his face. It makes no difference whether you like or dislike growing a beard. You have to go by the organisations decision, the student told Daily Times, requesting that his name not be divulged.
Even trimmed beards will no longer do. The organisation has set new standards for what constitutes an acceptable beard. I heard trimmed beards are no longer allowed as your beard must meet Islamic standards, said the 16-year-old student.
The federal minister for environment, Hameedullah Jan Afridi, hails from the Bar Kambarkhel area, where Amal Bil Maroof Wa Nahi Anil Munker holds sway. According to the organisation, the clean-shaven minister is not allowed to visit his home village without appropriate facial hair.
It would be better if you used a wig to visit our area instead of being clean-shaven.
From the organisations viewpoint, he [the minister] is not allowed to come to Bar Kambarkhel without a beard, Khan told Daily Times.
How seriously the organisation takes the beard, a clean-shaven Daily Times Peshawar bureau chief soon found out. A council of elders pointed at him and one of them shouted out: [It would be] better if you used a wig to visit our area instead of being clean-shaven.
The organisations influence appears to be spreading across the Bar Kambarkhel area. Residents from across the area approach the Amal Bil Maroof Wa Nahi Anil Munker council of elders to redress their grievances. The council gives applicants the option to have their cases decided through rawaj (tribal traditions) or Shariah law.
Asked why he was using force to enforce Shariah law in Bar Kambarkhel, Haji Namdar responded, but only when after switching off the Daily Times tape-recorder. His answer, therefore, remains unrecorded.
This article starring:
HAJI NAMDAR
Amal Bil Maroof Wa Nahi Anil Munker
Hameedullah Jan Afridi
MUNSIF ALI KHAN
Amal Bil Maroof Wa Nahi Anil Munker
Posted by: Fred ||
05/06/2008 00:00 ||
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A 45-member member tribal jirga led by Sahibzada Malik Fareed Khan demanded during its meeting with top government officials a new province consisting of the seven tribal agencies under the States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) division.
We want a separate province of tribal agencies under a council just as Azad Jammu and Kashmir is working under the Kashmir Council, Fareed Khan said while talking to Daily Times. We want the minister for States and Frontier Regions to be a powerful person who controls this area.
The jirga held meetings with Federal Minister for States and Frontier Regions Najamuddin Khan and Interior Affairs Adviser Rehman Malik.
Shariah law: Sources present in the meeting said that the jirga praised the new governments policies, particularly the decision to abolish the Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR), and demanded that Shariah laws be preferred in their area over other laws.
It demanded that the Tribal Areas be declared tax-free zone and the government implement the Political Parties Act in FATA to include the people of the area into national politics. They also demanded the separation of the executive and the judiciary.
Three members of the jirga Haji Gul Orakzai, Haji Sherbat Khan and Haji Amin Afzal from the Orakzai Agency boycotted the meeting with Rehman Malik because they disagreed with the demand for a separate province.
Talking to Daily Times, they said that they had been dodged and did not accept the demand.
Earlier, SAFRON Minister Najamuddin told reporters that the government had started consultations with the stakeholders on improving the situation in FATA and the recommendations would be forwarded to the cabinet for approval.
The FATA Grand Alliance and the FATA Lawyers Forum on Monday protested against not including FATA parliamentarians in the jirga.
In a speech after getting a unanimous vote of confidence from the National Assembly, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had announced that his new government would abolish the FCR. He had said that a two-member committee would work out the steps to implement the measure. A comprehensive social and economic reforms package will be given to FATA, where backwardness and poverty have given rise to terrorism, Prime Minister Gillani had said.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/06/2008 00:00 ||
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Residents of the Mardan district of NWFP expressed concern on Monday about attacks from the Taliban if the Awami National Party (ANP)-led coalition government of the province failed to reach a peace agreement with the Taliban in Swat and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).
Residents said that the Taliban had resumed attacks on government installations, especially police stations, in Mardan, the home district of NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti.
Roz Muhammad Khan, a social worker in Mardan city, said the ANP could talk to the Taliban as ethnic Pashtun brothers. He added that because the late ANP founder Abdul Ghaffar Khan espoused a philosophy of non-violence, the party was uniquely qualified to attempt peacemaking. Palo Dheri village resident Faisal Khan said that, previously, only local Taliban used to roam the area, but Uzbek and Afghan Taliban had appeared in various areas like Jamra, Jhengra and Spinkai Ghar during the last six or seven months, adding that militants were hiding in the Smast Hills bordering Swat Valley where police were unable to deal with them.
Shamuzai Union Council Nazim Muhammad Saeed Khan told Daily Times that the April 26 car bomb blast near Mardan City Police Station was a warning to the provincial government, and a retaliatory measure against the discriminate behaviour of the police during talks with the Taliban and against the murder of their commander, Hafiz Saeed. He said local Taliban were mounting pressure on the coalition government to accept their demands by launching rocket attacks on police stations and elsewhere in the city. Bakhshali resident Muhammad Qadeem said Taliban and other banned organisations had started forcing local people not to listen to music, in addition to carrying out bombings on music shops and girls schools.
The army closed roads used by both army and private vehicles passing through the interior part of the PRC following the Dargai suicide blast that killed 42 army recruits and injured many on November 9, 2006.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/06/2008 00:00 ||
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GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Palestinian officials said Monday two Gaza men were killed when a cross-border smuggling tunnel collapsed on them. This brings the story to its climax when, during a bull and bear fight, the streets collapse into the tunnels dug by Ben and the others and the town is destroyed.
The Gaza Health Ministry says five other people were wounded in Monday's collapse. One body was found soon after the collapse and the other several hours later. Security officials said the tunnel was under construction at the time.
Such collapses are common along the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt. Smuggling tunnels in the area have become an important route for goods and a lucrative business. Palestinian smugglers use the tunnels to move weapons and contraband into Gaza.
Israel and Egypt are blockading the territory in an attempt to weaken the Hamas government and end ongoing rocket fire at Israeli towns.
#1
I think an explosive device might be designed that would be simple to use and lightweight. A tripod mounted vertical screw that would rapidly drill four of five feet straight down. Then an explosive rod would be put into the screw, designed to create a rock fracturing explosion in a cone pattern straight down.
The purpose would be to both collapse the roof and maybe walls of any tunnel in the vicinity, or at least to so thoroughly shatter the rock that any efforts to tunnel through the area will be much more difficult.
#4
Just as with Inshallah Aircraft Maintenance, I have faith in the competence of the Gaza Tunnel Authority.
We will hear from them again. Probably soon...
#7
Before you can fill a tunnel with gas, you have to find it, the rock shattering idea is better.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/06/2008 19:55 Comments ||
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#8
Second thought, dif a small trench about 15 feet deep, doesn't need to be wide, fill it with sand and plant sensors in the sand, any settling sets off an alarm.
Let them tunnel (Anyone else remember the final scenes of Cecil B. De Mille's classic as the priest smashes the glasses, the sand runs out, and the pyramid settles around the priests and evil ruler, sealing them away for eternity?)
(Evil Pharoh)"How do we get out?",(Priest)We Don't,I brouht poison, didn't you?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/06/2008 20:13 Comments ||
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President Shimon Peres on Monday hailed Israel's new weapon against the threat of "terrorism" from its Middle East neighbors - the electric car.
Outlining Israel's development priorities in an address to foreign journalists to mark this week's 60th anniversary of statehood, Peres said reducing global dependence on oil would curb oil-producing states' ability to fund Israel's enemies. "Oil ... is not only polluting the air, it is also promoting terror," said the 84-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner, who has long promoted Israel's now powerful high-tech industries.
Peres argued that manifold increases in oil prices in recent years had contributed to a rise in financing for terrorism in the Middle East, and said an Israeli project to design a green car run on batteries, as well as plans to develop solar power, would in turn hit oil producing countries' budgets. "We are not going to fight the producers of oil," he said. "But we are going to introduce alternatives."
Peres also said Monday said that while he was not in favor of attacking Iran over its nuclear program, a strong alliance needed to be put in place to sanction the Islamic country to deter it from its atomic path.
In sweeping comments before Israel's 60th anniversary, Peres compared the Iranian nuclear threat to Hitler's Germany and said engaging Gaza's Hamas rulers would be like talking to a wall. "I am not in favor of a military attack on Iran, but we must quickly and decisively establish a strong, aggressive coalition of nations that will impose painful economic sanctions on Iran," he said regarding Tehran's nuclear program.
Addressing a press conference of foreign journalists, Peres said that "Iran's efforts to achieve nuclear weapons should keep the entire world from sleeping soundly."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/06/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Mass produced, consumer-oriented NANO-ENGINES FOR FLYING CARS, SPACE, ETC. CAN BE INTRODUCED 2020 thru 2030, BUT FIRST THIS "WAR FOR OWG-NWO" THINGY MUST BE SETTLED.
#2
If Israel can survive long enough, it is not such an absurd concept. If for some reason, the world the world woke up this morning and no longer needed to purchase oil from the middle east - the Islamist jihad would be over.
But then... if my roof isn't about to cave in, it is useful consider if slate tiles are longer lasting than cedar.
#5
So where is Peres going to get the electricity to make his miracle electric car go? Nuclear reactor, coal, gas, oil? Inquiring minds want to know these trivial details.
Posted by: Alaska Paul in Thorne Bay, AK ||
05/06/2008 17:04 Comments ||
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The United Nations relief operation in Gaza on Monday said it had received enough fuel from Israel to continue working for the next 20 days.
UN spokesman Chris Gunness stated it was a disgrace that his organization would be deprived of fuel. On Sunday he said tanks were empty.
Maybe the French could sell you some. Or the Russians. How 'bout the Chinese?
Gaza residents rely on Israel for all their fuel. The Israel Defense Forces said it had to stop transferring fuel on Sunday after Palestinian militants attacked supply trucks.
Chris didn't have anything to say about that, did he ...
On Sunday, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said the lack of fuel would force its food distribution programs to be halted on Monday, affecting some 650,000 people.
The Gaza fuel association said it went on strike to protest over Israel's supply limits which were cut back sharply after Palestinian militants attacked the Nahal Oz depot last month killing two Israeli civilians.
The economic situation has worsened since Hamas overran Gaza in June. In response to rocket attacks on Israeli border communities, Israel closed crossings, cutting off most supplies except for humanitarian necessities. Israel stopped all supplies briefly last month after militants attacked the only fuel depot that supplies Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israel closed the Karni Gaza-Israel border crossing on Monday evening, after Gaza militants fired mortar shells on trucks bringing supplies into the coastal strip, according to Israel Radio. The Israel Defense Forces will impose a full closure on the West Bank and Gaza beginning at midnight on Monday, scheduled to last through Memorial Day and Independence Day.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/06/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Tell the UN to ask Hamas to give them some fuel. Hamas seems to have lots - they are offering free rides to Palestinians.
Posted by: Rambler in California ||
05/06/2008 12:00 Comments ||
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#2
Hell, just drop a hint to one of their staff and let them make all the arrangements...
(Xinhua) -- The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on Monday rejected a call by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for holding early elections. "No way to hold early parliamentary and presidential elections without a national agreement," spokesman Ayman Taha told reporters in Gaza.
Abbas' call was made Sunday in Ramallah after he met with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.Taha said his movement wants Abbas to resume inter-Palestinian talks without preconditions. "If an agreement was made on any early elections, certainly Hamas will not oppose," Taha added.
Abbas bans any contact with Hamas since June when it violently took over Gaza Strip after routing his forces.Hamas won parliamentary elections in January 2006. After Gaza'a takeover, Abbas fired Hamas government and formed a caretaker government based in West Bank and supported by the west. Hamas kept ruling Gaza under tight Israeli siege and increasing attacks.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/06/2008 00:00 ||
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PA official tells 'Post' maps presented by gov't show Israel planning to retain control of nearly half of W. Bank, large parts of e. J'lem.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/06/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
INTERESTING > "CANTONS"- 'Tis precisely how I'm viewing = mentally imaging IRAN'S + OSAMA BIN LADEN'S + RADICAL ISLAM's FOCII on RUSSIA-CHINA + CENTRAL ASIA 2008-2012, as per SAVING AND NUCLEARIZING THE JIHAD.
*CAPT KIRK to KHAN > WWWHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTT
TTNNNEEEYYY... {Whitney Huston]!
#6
Barak offered 90% of the West Bank. Arafat, used to Mid east rug dealer approach, thought it HAD to be a trick. And tossed out perhaps the best offer the Pals will ever get.
Olmert/Livni have decided that was a mistaken approach, and so are making a first offer that is FAR less than what everyone expects a final offer would look like.
It should be noted however that A. If they are offering the Pals HALF the West Bank, thats more than any non-Labor Party Israeli leader has ever formally offered to the Pals. and B. If they are intent on keeping "large parts of E Jer" that implies they will concede SOME parst of E Jer, again going farther than any non-Labour Israeli leader has ever done. Also, its most unlikely a final deal WONT involve Israel keeping significant parts of East Jerusalem.
#7
There is only one fact here. That is the Muslims believe they own in perpetuity any place they have set foot. Any negotiations over land control are considered temporary and unrealistic.
This is what we (civilization) have learned from Islam. Why do we ignore this lesson ?
SHANNON, Ireland - US monitors will observe the lifting of Israeli roadblocks that have paralysed the Palestinian West Bank, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday.
Will they stick around to watch the next Paleo kaboom?
Personnel from the US embassy in Israel would carry out the observer work, Rice told reporters on a plane taking her back to Washington from a tour of the Middle East and London. "That means our monitors get out around the communities, talk to the people who are trying to get through check-points and really get a sense of how the movement and access is working," she said.
Until some group of crazies we've never heard named before kidnap and murder them. It'll be our fault, and the Israelis.
Rice said she met Israel's Defence Minister Ehud Barak four times to try to convince him to take down more of the estimated 500 military roadblocks across the West Bank. Rice added that Israel has not yet done enough to try to improve the daily life of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
The Paleos aren't too big on improving the daily life of the residents of Sderot ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/06/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Until some group of crazies we've never heard named before kidnap and murder them.
If only, but no---it'll be Israeli lives that will pay for Miz Condi's sense of self-importance.
#3
Lifing of Israeli Barriers? Ooh! World's Strongest Man competition! Are the monitors really ESPN?
Posted by: Grenter Protector of the Geats4975 ||
05/06/2008 9:14 Comments ||
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#4
points - will they stick around? Yeah, AFAIK US embassy employees go to malls and restaurants in Tel Aviv. Since those are suicide bomber targets they are as vulnerable as anyone else. I wouldnt diss the courage of State employees, not on this one.
Will Dr Rice attend a funeral of a victim? I dont know. I was at a memorial service in DC for terror victims at the Israeli embassy in the 90s. Wasnt expecting it, but who showed up, but President Clinton. He spoke quite movingly, as was his wont.
Is this a good idea? Well, I dont think I know enough to say. The roadblocks ARE a huge pain in the ass for the arabs who live on the West Bank - not merely an inconvenenience but an impediment to the economy, etc. One that has equal effect on Pals of all political persuasions. IF something doesnt improve on the West Bank, its going to get hard for Abbas to remain in power and we will face Hamas in the West Bank. If that happens, the prospects for a peace agreement are dashed. And then Israel is left having to deal with the West bank some other way.
Now I know there are folks whod rather the peace process dissolves, cause they are Israelis who live on the West Bank in places that wont be kept after a peace deal, and theyd like to stay. there are others, including some here, who dont think any peace deal is possible with any arab muslim, for a host of reasons weve discussed. There are others who think that maybe a deal is possible, but dont trust Abbas (though most such people arent any fonder of any other prominent Pal pols like Bargouti or Ashrawi)
And then there are folks who are genuinely concerned both about the loss of human life from terr acts, and the prospect that such acts themselves will destroy peace prospects. It is these last considerations, I believe, that motivated Ehud Barak in his resistance to substantial concessions on road blocks.
I can only say I hope that A. The decisions of what to take down where were done in close enough consultation with Barak, that the least useful roadblocks are taken down. B. that everyone in the US and around the world is conscious of the risks Israel is taking for peace, and both provides Israel with renewed support now, presses Abbas to do more on security, and promise to make it good to Israel if this strategy fails. C. That the IDF is prepared with alternative strategies, such as "flying" roadblocks in place of permanent barriers.
Folks here can help with B, by spreading the word of the risk Israel is taking. Merely saying the Israelis are foolish for bowing their one important ally and taking such a risk wont help much. OTOH there are folks who will dismiss it for the usual reasons "let them end the whole imperialist apartheid occupation" yada yada. What needs to be emphasized is that while this IS a dangerous and risky move, Israel will do it BECAUSE Israel so much wants peace, and BECAUSE Israel wants to work to support the for policy goals of the United States.
RADICAL Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Bashir has called for the ban of an "infidel" Islamic sect as debate raged in the world's most populous Muslim country over religious freedom and tolerance.
Mr Bashir said the government must swiftly disband the minority Ahmadiyah branch of Islam to protect mainstream Indonesian Muslims and prevent violent sectarian unrest.
"Ahmadiyah is an infidel organisation using the name of Islam, which aims to disrupt Islam,'' he told a press conference called to urge the government to act on the recommendation of an inter-departmental team to outlaw the sect.
"We urge the Indonesian government to immediately and officially ban and dissolve Ahmadiyah. We warn the government that any delay to do so will potentially create horizontal conflicts,'' he said.
He explained that by "horizontal conflicts'' he meant sectarian violence between mainstream Indonesian Muslims and Ahmadis, who number only about 200,000 in Indonesia.
Without a ban, people might take matters into their own hands, he said, a warning made all the more resonant after a mob attacked and razed an Ahmadiyah mosque last week.
"We never recommend any attacks or destruction but Muslims will fight each other if the government doesn't want to ban Ahmadiyah,'' said the cleric, who served almost 26 months in prison for conspiracy over the 2002 Bali bombings before being cleared and released.
Habib Rizieq Shihab, head of the militant Islamic Defenders Front, said his followers would not resort to violence but stood ready to help the government enforce a ban through dialogue.
"If the government issues the ban, we agreed to help the government to convince the Ahmadiyah followers to return to the real Islam through dialogue. We won't use any violent approach,'' he said.
The government has not indicated how it will respond to last month's recommendation from the Coordinating Body for Monitoring Religions and Beliefs - a panel set up during the Suharto dictatorship - to outlaw Ahmadiyah.
The sect, established in the country since the 1920s, believes Mohammed was not the final prophet, contradicting a central tenet of Islam.
Its plight has raised concerns among moderate Indonesians and human rights activists about religious tolerance in the country of some 230 million people, nearly 90 per cent of whom are Muslim.
Earlier today, hundreds of people rallied in central Jakarta in a show of support for religious freedom.
Representatives of the Ahmadiyah sect as well as Muslims and Christians gathered to urge the government to resist pressure from Islamic hardliners to ban the sect.
"We are here to show to Indonesia, to the world, that Indonesians love peace. To show that there are more Indonesians who love peace than those who don't,'' an organiser told the crowd.
The demonstrators carried banners reading Stop Religious Fascism and Stop Violence in the Name of Religion.
#1
Without a ban, people might take matters into their own hands, he said, a warning made all the more resonant after a mob attacked and razed an Ahmadiyah mosque last week.
What we - and by we I mean civilization - need to do is adopt a policy of immediately killing anyone who levels this sort of threat. No warning. No second chances. You threaten jihadi violence, you endorse jihadi violence, and you are dead.
#2
Excalibur: I have been advocating this from the start. It seems to be self-defeating for us to allow the instigators, enablers and financiers to walk around scot-free, while we kill endless numbers of their foolish followers.
This doesn't mean that we make them martyrs, either. Just that they stop breathing. Heart attacks, nasty and incurable diseases, slip and fall accidents. Half of one or six dozen of the other.
to implement your policy would require much better intel and weapons than we now have unless you mean to advocate destroying Bashir's HQ and killing both him and whoever was in the building at the time
#6
I'm perfectly willing to accept unexplained shooting deaths of the single shot through the forehead or heart type. Plenty of people in that part of the world die from gunshot wounds, after all. Or, the sudden appearance of cement blocks falling from the sky hither and yon, since clearly "things falling from the sky" is the province of Allah. There really is no need to get fancy when simple will do. ;-)
Iran accused US-led forces on Monday of a massacre of the Iraqi people and said further talks with Washington about improving security in its neighbour would be meaningless now.
The Foreign Ministry statement effectively puts on hold any new meetings between the two old foes, which last year held three rounds of discussions in Baghdad, easing a diplomatic freeze lasting almost three decades. It also voiced support for Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in cracking down on illegal militias, after an Iraqi delegation urged Tehran to stop backing such groups. Washington accuses Iran of funding, arming and training Iraqi militias to attack US and Iraqi government forces, despite its public commitment to stabilising Iraq.
Tehran blames the violence on the US presence in Iraq. Despite the mutual accusations, US and Iranian officials launched talks in May last year aimed at easing the bloodshed. A fourth meeting has been postponed repeatedly. Right now, what we observe in Iraq is a massacre of the Iraqi nation by the occupying forces, Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told a news conference.
On Sunday, in response to earlier remarks by an unnamed Iranian official who said Tehran saw no need for more talks because of US military action, the Iraqi governments spokesman said this should not concern Tehran.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/06/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
sounds like some of their troublemakers got chopped up in that airstrike. Faster please.
Posted by: N guard ||
05/06/2008 0:28 Comments ||
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#2
BIGNEWSNETWORK > KHAMEINI > IRAN HAS WON. WIll chart its own course in National, etc. development regardless of type or magnitude on interna sanctions.
OTOH, SAME [long] > WHY ISLAMIC STATES ARE BAD FOR MUSLIMS.
#3
Iran accused US-led forces on Monday of a massacre of the Iraqi people
How would they know? Are there lots of Iranians in Iraq on official business? Are they located in places that are currently experiencing heavy fighting? Why would they be located in such an area? A good host wouldn't have them hang out anywhere near where fighting and terrorist bombing would be a high risk. Do they receive reports from spies or family?
Does Iran have any documentation to prove this? I'd like to see it so that the Coalition could use it to improve targeting methods.
Lebanon's top prosecutor on Monday began investigating allegations that the militant Hezbollah group set up surveillance cameras near the Beirut airport to monitor the comings and goings of anti-Syrian Lebanese politicians and foreign dignitaries.
The allegations have stoked political tensions in the country, giving a new twist to the war of words between Lebanese factions backing the Western-backed parliament majority and the Hezbollah-led pro-Syrian opposition.
Judicial officials said Prosecutor General Saeed Mirza ordered the investigation after receiving documents from the country's defense and interior ministers about Hezbollah's alleged placement of the cameras just outside the airport in the Lebanese capital.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to talk to the media. They also said military prosecutor Sami Sader was questioning witnesses in the case.
Also Monday, a senior Shiite Muslim cleric who backs the militant group warned the government to back off the case, or risk jeopardizing security at the nation's only international airport.
The latest crisis erupted when anti-Syrian pro-government leader Walid Jumblatt on Saturday accused Hezbollah of placing the cameras around the airport, which is located in the predominantly Shiite southern Beirut suburbs and where the militant group has wide support. Many buildings in the area overlook the runways.
The comments by Jumblatt, who went so far as to say Hezbollah was planning assassinations of senior leaders, were the latest in over three years of verbal exchanges between the majority leaders and opposition.
Hezbollah quickly dismissed the allegations and fired its own accusations against Jumblatt.
Political divisions have paralyzed Lebanon and infected its administration. Since the weekend, Shiite-Sunni tensions led to sporadic street violence, in which two people were injured.
Jumblatt also called for the expulsion of Iran's ambassador to Beirut and the ending of weekly Iranian commercial flight to Lebanon because they might carry weapons and money to Hezbollah, Tehran's main ally in Lebanon.
In his accusations, Jumblatt also said the airport's security chief, Brig. Gen. Wafiq Shoukair, who he described as a Hezbollah loyalist, should be fired.
But Sheik Abdul-Amir Kabalan, top official of the influential Supreme Shiite Muslim Council, the main religious body for Lebanon's 1.2 million Shiites, dismissed allegations of Shoukair's links to the Shiite group and warned against any government decision to punish the airport security chief or sever ties with Iran.
"If there are any changes made, the airport will be out of control," Kabalan said.
Hezbollah lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah said the whole situation was "neither a legal nor a security matter" but a political issue, and warned the group will not cooperate with prosecutors if they adopt Jumblatt's stance.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/06/2008 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
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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.
Saddam Hussein feared catching AIDS or other diseases during his U.S.-supervised captivity, a leading Arab newspaper said Monday in publishing excerpts of his prison writings.
BARA: Taxi driver Muhammad Zarin is making it a habit to go to bed early so that he can wake up early in the morning. He is not developing the habit so that he can go for early morning walks; he is compelled to wake up early so that he can register his presence at Fajr prayers. Being absent will render him liable for punishment from the 
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip Palestinian officials said Monday two Gaza men were killed when a cross-border smuggling tunnel collapsed on them. 
The United Nations relief operation in Gaza on Monday said it had received enough fuel from Israel to continue working for the next 20 days. 
SHANNON, Ireland - US monitors will observe the lifting of Israeli roadblocks that have paralysed the Palestinian West Bank, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday.
Mr Bashir said the government must swiftly disband the minority Ahmadiyah branch of Islam to protect mainstream Indonesian Muslims and prevent violent sectarian unrest.
