AFP is a foreign news org, right?
A horrifically mutilated Afghan woman who appeared on a controversial Time magazine cover is to undergo surgery in the United States to rebuild her face, officials said Friday.
The 18-year-old youngster -- identified in media reports only by her first name Aisha -- will meet with surgeons to discuss how to replace her nose, which was sliced off by the Taliban after she fled her abusive in-laws.
The Afghan teenager has become a symbol of a debate amongst commentators over the nature of the US mission in Afghanistan, with Time arguing Aisha's case demonstrates why the Taliban should never be allowed to return to power.
"Aisha posed for the picture and says she wants the world to see the effect a Taliban resurgence would have on the women of Afghanistan, many of whom have flourished in the past few years," Time's Managing Editor Richard Stengel wrote in an editorial accompanying the August 9 edition of the magazine.
Aisha, whose ears were also hacked off in the attack last year in the southern Afghan province of Uruzgan, was taken in by the American Provincial Reconstruction Team for Uruzgan and the Women for Afghan Women (WAW) non-governmental organization after being left for dead.
The Grossman Burn Foundation, a non-profit humanitarian hospital in California which provides surgical procedures to victims of serious injuries worldwide, said Aisha would be treated for free.
"The surgery is being donated by Plastic and Reconstructive surgeon Dr Peter Grossman and the team at The Grossman Burn Center," foundation chairwoman Rebecca Grossman told AFP. "The Grossman Burn Foundation is covering additional cost related to Bibi Aisha." Isn't that just like us infidel Americans ...
The foundation cited a United Nations report which estimated nearly 90 percent of Afghan women suffered from domestic violence.
"Bibi Aisha is only one example of thousands of girls and women in Afghanistan and throughout the world who are treated this way," the foundation said.
The foundation did not confirm the date of Aisha's surgery.
I wonder how long it will be before the Taliban cut off her ears and nose again. I don't think she will be able to return to Afghanistan.
Posted by: Frank G on the road ||
08/07/2010 9:29 Comments ||
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#2
Please get off the road Frank. It's dangerous.
One would think that people would run a fast as they could away from this pseudo religion of stealth, domination, and terror after taking a look at this woman. Or the stonings. Or the religious intolerance. Or the murders. Religion of peace. BS.
#1
the girls began 20 weeks of training in the military basics uniforms, drill, formation, weapons (although they will not be carrying firearms on a daily basis),
WTF? their uniforms will just make them better targets unless they carry weapons at all times. Who came up with that bright idea? Zahra Bayat: 'When I decided to join the army, my immediate family were pleased for me but my uncle, who is a mullah, thinks I have shamed the family. He told me that if he sees me in the street he will kill me.' There is something rather important missing in this story.
#2
I hope the feckless, liberal, womens rights and equality crowd along with the US female trainers realize they are training the walking dead. As SOON as the US leaves, these poor souls will be butchered like goats.
#3
Most likely they'd be butchered anyway somewhere down the line simply because they show 'initiative' and self empowerment. At least with the training they have a good chance to take out some of the troglodytes in one last act of defiance rather than going down like sheep. More power to them.
This is not necessarily for publishing at Rantburg but is more of a headsup. These is a notification of things to come if the border situation does not improve.
We'll publish this. Our ranchers and their families must know this. If you're a Burg regular and live near the border, stay safe -- and preferably well armed.
Mexican kidnappers are gathering considerable information on the families of ranchers along the American side of the Mexican border. They are already calling relatives demanding ransom for relatives they claim they are holding. The family member then calls the person supposed to have been kidnapped to find that they have not been kidnapped.
This is a very common practice in Mexico where wealthy land owners are kidnapped and held for heavy ransoms. The alarming thing about this is that Mexican kidnappers now know a lot about the family trees of ranchers along near the Mexican border.
#1
The Mexicans had better be careful, or the ranchers might start recruiting Apaches, who think of themselves as just above Mexicans on the food chain.
N.B.: It would be better to be captured by Afghans.
#2
Maybe I need to start a speaking tour, telling US ranchers about my "coffee-can land mines". Coffee can, nuts and bolts (preferably rusty), some chopped-up barbed wire, two inches of black powder, a spark plug, a long wire (preferably buried)and some ready-mix. Blast radius about 30 yards, still lethal at 20.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/07/2010 21:50 Comments ||
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Heavily edited. Click link for unedited article. Of course, references to any presidents removed to avoid any possible appearance of impropriety.
James Clapper, tapped by President Obama for the Director of National Intelligence job, will be the fourth person to oversee the nation's 16 spy agencies since it was created five years ago. He succeeds Dennis Blair, who was pressured to resign because of differences with the White House over the scope of his role and turf battles with the CIA director.
"This is good news because to have left this key position vacant could well have damaged our national security," said Sen. Dianne "Genius" Feinstein, Dimwit - CA, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Clapper is a retired Air Force lieutenant general who has spent most of his career in the intelligence community. He served as the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. He is currently the DoD's chief intelligence officer.
"General Clapper has excellent credentials, and the support of the White House and key intelligence leaders," Feinstein said in a statement released after the vote. "He is mindful of the importance of independence from the Pentagon, he understands the DNI's responsibility to provide strategic intelligence to policymakers, and he knows that the job entails more than simple coordination."
During his recent confirmation hearing, Clapper said he wouldn't agree to take the job if he thought he "was going to be a titular figurehead or hood ornament."
A number of senators had questioned whether the DNI had enough authority to get the job done. Clapper said he did not need any new authority to oversee the 16 intelligence agencies and offices. Already at war with the bureaucrats. I think I already like this guy.
#1
Clapper said he did not need any new authority to oversee the 16 intelligence agencies and offices.
If he now controls funding and personnel, he might be correct. If he does not control funding and personnel..... see quote which reads; "was going to be a titular figurehead or hood ornament."
#2
I don't believe this for a minute. These 16 agencies fight worse than Texas cheerleader mothers. They also go to great lengths to avoid congressional control or even awareness.
The NRO, for example, built a major satellite tracking facility with black budget funds, which the Senate Intelligence Committee didn't even find out about until it was operational. They were enraged, but there was nothing they could do about it.
W. Bush should be applauded for at least trying to get a handle on things, but even he was thwarted when trying to reform CIA. The mandarins there just laughed, and sent his appointee back to the WH in a paper bag.
Force Protection confirms it's also in the running for a projected 600-vehicle buy by Canada, submitting two variants of its popular Cougar MRAP for consideration in Canada's Tactical Armored Patrol Vehicle program.
#3
Impressive MRAP, but similiar models are being absolutely ripped apart by IED/VBIED's in Afghanistan every week. When 5-600 lbs of homemade explosives goes off, not much survives.
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colorado -- The U.S. and Russia, which have more bluster than cooperation in their often-contentious history, will have their jet fighters take turns pursuing a civilian plane across the Pacific next week in a first-of-its-kind exercise to test their response to a potential international hijacking.
Aircraft and officers from Russia and the North American Aerospace Defense Command will track the civilian plane, an executive-style jet that will play the role of a hijacked civilian airliner. The goal is to test how well the two forces can hand off responsibility for the "hijacked" plane.
Also participating in operation Vigilant Eagle are both countries' civil air traffic control agencies.
Officials on both sides of the trust-building military exercise chose a mutual, modern-day interest -- the fight against terror -- to create an incident that could entangle the two countries.
"We try to anticipate any potential areas in which it might be necessary for us to launch fighter jets," said Maj. Michael S. Humphreys, a NORAD spokesman. A terrorist hijacking, he said, "is every bit as probable as any other" scenario.
It's unlikely that Vigilant Eagle was devised to deal with a specific threat, said John Pike, director of Globalsecurity.org, which tracks military and homeland security news. The purpose is more likely a combination of confidence-building and rooting out any communication and jurisdictional problems before they crop up in a real emergency, he said.
Pike cited the Korean Air Lines flight that the Soviet Union shot down in 1983, killing 269 people. There was an "interface" problem between the U.S. and Soviets because they were looking at different information, Pike said.
"I could easily imagine (NORAD) looked at this and said, 'We don't know if we have the phone number of Russian air defense.' This is not something you'd want to improvise on the fly."
This is the first U.S.-Russia exercise involving NORAD, a U.S.-Canadian command that patrols the skies over North America, Humphreys said. NORAD's headquarters are at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado.
Vigilant Eagle calls for NORAD F-22s flown by U.S. pilots to follow the "hijacked" plane west across the Pacific until it gets closer to Russian airspace, where Russian MiG-31s take over. On the return trip east, the process will be reversed. Airborne warning and surveillance aircraft from each country will also take part.
Officers from Russia, Canada and the U.S. will be aboard the target plane to observe, along with an interpreter. For a short time during the handoff, fighter jets from both sides will be alongside the target plane.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/07/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
NATO once included authoritarian states such as Franco's Spain, Salazar's Portugal, the generals' Greece. Time for us to start figuring out how to bring Russia into the fold, and when to kick Turkey out. An alliance with Russia would be difficult but hugely beneficial to both sides.
The army, the real powerbroker in Pakistan, has deployed some 30,000 troops to help in rescue and relief operations, but outside Peshawar yesterday the only military convoy in sight was a regiment of artillery making its way north.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/07/2010 10:29 ||
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#1
where is my nano violin? bad thing is I see a big AID check heading their way soon.
Posted by: chris ||
08/07/2010 12:13 Comments ||
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#2
With masterly understatement, army Major-General Athar Abbas summarised the situation. We do not have the kind of resources to cope with a situation like this, and I think the international community should come to our help.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/07/2010 12:53 Comments ||
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#3
"But they better not impose any conditions and there better not be any wimmin aid workers!"
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2010 13:02 Comments ||
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#4
Karma!
Posted by: Paul D ||
08/07/2010 13:07 Comments ||
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#5
good news is more rain is in the forecast.
Posted by: chris ||
08/07/2010 14:02 Comments ||
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#6
The seeming insensitivity of the Pakistani ruling class is nowhere better illustrated than by the decision of President Asif Ali Zardari to carry on with a visit to Britain, despite the progressive immersion of his country.
Wonder if 60-70 rooms at the Hotel Villa Padierna in Marbella would've been okay, though?
The US said on Thursday that despite major setbacks, Al Qaeda's core in Pakistan is the "most formidable" terrorist group threatening the US, along with affiliates in Yemen and Africa.
In an annual report, the State Department said it also learned that Americans were not immune to the spell of militancy, with some of them hooking up last year with radicals in Pakistan and Somalia. "Al Qaeda's core in Pakistan remained during 2009 the most formidable terrorist organisation targeting the United States," the State Department's counter-terrorism coordinator Daniel Benjamin told reporters.
"It has proven to be an adaptable and resilient terrorist group whose desire to attack the US and its interests abroad remains strong," Benjamin said, reading from the Country Reports on Terrorism 2009. "We assess that Al Qaeda was actively engaged in operational planning against the US and continued recruiting, training and deploying operatives, including individuals from Western Europe and North America."
Al Qaeda, from its safe haven in Pakistan, is helping train and fund the Taliban-led insurgency in Afghanistan, where it "remained resilient in the south and east and expanded its presence into the north and west," the report said. In Afghanistan, despite some heavy losses among militants and their leaders, the Taliban's "ability to recruit foot soldiers from its core base of rural Pashtuns remained undiminished," the report said.
In Pakistan, there was still "rising militancy and extremism," it said. Al Qaeda militants, Afghan insurgents and others, it said, are using "safe havens" in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), Baluchistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, southern Punjab, and other parts of Pakistan. But Benjamin repeated the US contention that Pakistan is now tackling seriously the threat from militants.
The report said that Al Qaeda reeled under a Pakistani military onslaught, has lost many of its leaders, and has found it "tougher to raise money, train recruits and plan attacks" outside Pakistan and Afghanistan. It also said Al Qaeda has suffered from a Muslim public backlash as its militants and allies have staged indiscriminate attacks hitting Muslims in Algeria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Indonesia, and elsewhere.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2010 00:00 ||
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Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Fazlur Rehman befooled the entire Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) leadership in the name of revival of the six-party religio-political alliance, as he just wanted to use meetings of the defunct MMA to press the government to secure chairmanship of the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), said Sahibzada Abul Khair Muhammad Zubair, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP) Sindh president.
"He (Fazl) does not want to quit the government in the Centre and still continues pressing the MMA leadership to convene meetings of the defunct party, despite a clear stance of the rest of the religious parties that revival of the alliance is impossible until and unless the JUI-F quits the government in the Centre," Zubair said while talking to Daily Times. He said Fazl, by participating in the meetings, just wanted to make the government believe that he is more interested in reviving the religio-political platform and was going to quit the government to pressurise it on a number of political issues.
Zubair, who was to host the fourth meeting of the religious parties to discuss the issue of the alliance's revival, said Fazl had been clearly told in the last meeting that no more meetings will be taking place unless he quit the government and announce it in the meeting.
"We have now linked the convening of the next meeting with his (Fazl's) announcement to quit the government, otherwise I won't convene and host the meeting," he added.
Announcement: Providing details of previous meetings, the JUP Sindh president said Fazl demanded the leadership of the defunct MMA first announce the alliance's revival after which he would announce his exit from the government, but he said the other parties did not trust him. In fact, the rest of the leadership asked him to first announce his exit openly and then pursue the revival. But Fazl did not respond positively to the demand, he added.
Zubair observed that the entire leadership of the defunct MMA was convinced that Fazl had used the previous meetings as a tool to pressurise the government to secure the chairmanship of the CII and other political benefits. He said convening of the next meeting would mean that Fazl had decided to quit the government, otherwise any such meetings would be a waste of time.
So far, the three meetings of the religious parties have been unable to reach a consensus on the revival of the MMA with Fazl wanting to continue in the Centre as well. Hence, hopes for the revival of the six-party religious alliance fade for the time being.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
"Befooled"? Bewildered, bewitched or bumfuzzled maybe.
The Pakistan People's Party-led government faces a tough situation in the near future, as two of its coalition partners, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl and the Awami National Party, in Thursday's Senate session, demanded that Karachi be handed over to the army in order to resolve the law and order situation in the city.
Members of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement staged a walkout from the proceedings, alleging that the federal and the Sindh government were not taking any measures to stop the bloodshed in the country's financial hub.
In a charged atmosphere where members were demanding to be allowed to speak, acting chairman Jan Jamali rescued the government by abruptly reading the prorogation order to avoid a potential clash between component parties in the ruling coalition.
The session is scheduled to continue until today (Friday). The leader of the House made an aborted attempt to cool down the situation by saying that it was the provincial government, which could request the army to take control of any troubled area and in case of Karachi, it was the Sindh government that can call the army if it felt like it.
Participating in the debate, Senator Haji Adeel said that police, rangers and other law enforcement agencies, as well as the provincial government, had failed to stop target killing of Pakhtuns in Karachi. He urged the government to call the army in Karachi to restore peace in the city.
Federal Minister for Science and Technology Azam Swati said the situation in Karachi was worsening by the day. "If you want to save Karachi, the face and index of Pakistan, then de-weaponies it. Police and rangers have failed to maintain peace in the city so the deployment of the armed forces is inevitable," he said.
Leader of the House, Senator Nayyar Hussain Bukhari said that warfare in the city was the provincial government's subject, which could request the army to take control of any troubled area in the city.
He said the country was faced with a critical situation and if it did not tackle the issue on time, future generations would never pardon the country's current leadership. "There should be ban on display of arms and only that can guarantee the restoration of peace in Karachi," he added.
MQM member Tahir Mashhadi said the interior minister had sought 24 hours to restore peace in Karachi, but the situation was worsening day by day. He said the minister had informed the House about the involvement of Sipah-e-Sahaba in killing a party MPA, but so far no action has been taken against the perpetrators. Also, senators belonging to the MQM walked out of the proceeding in protest against target killings in Karachi.
Muhammad Ali Durrani requested all political parties in Karachi to hold a peace march in the city to exhibit political unity, describing it as the only possible solution.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2010 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed concerns over human rights violations in Swat in a report released on Thursday.
The report of a fact-finding mission to Swat acknowledged improvement in the law and order situation in the militancy-hit region, but raised concerns over condition of detainees and performance of courts, expulsion of families of suspected militants from towns and reports of excesses by the security forces. Preliminary findings of the fact-finding mission had been released to the media earlier.
The report, entitled "Swat: Paradise Regained?", highlights the specific concerns for women and children in the region, especially their psychological needs, and the need for compensating citizens whose properties have been taken over by the security forces and those who have been ordered not to cultivate their lands as they desire.
The report notes concerns of the local population that the Taliban leadership continued to be at large and could stage a comeback once the army was withdrawn from Swat. The HRCP team learned that 1,000 to 2,600 individuals were in the security forces' custody in Swat and had not been produced in any court.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2010 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari said on Friday he is willing to consider negotiations with the Taliban in his country a statement that came amid accusations he has failed to do enough to tackle terrorism.
Zardari told The Associated Press that his country had never closed the door to talks with the Taliban.
"We never closed the dialogue," Zardari told the AP, skirting the question of when talks could resume. "We had an agreement, which they broke. Talks will resume whenever they feel we're strong enough and they can't win, because they won't win."
Last year, the government struck a deal with the Taliban in the Swat Valley that gave them effective control over the region. The militants did not abide by the agreement and moved into another region, prompting an all-out offensive by the Pakistani army.
Still, some politicians and their supporters support the idea of talking with the Taliban. They typically share the aims of the movement in wanting an Islamist state free from US influence.
The United States and Pakistan's other Western allies have been urging the country to continue fighting the Pakistani Taliban, not talk to them. The movement has been behind dozens of bloody attacks inside Pakistan that have killed thousands over the last three years. What the West wants is for Pakistan to expand and go after other groups.
The group, which is loosely based in the tribal regions close to the Afghan border, was involved in the failed Times Square car bombing and the suicide attack on a CIA base in December in Afghanistan that killed seven CIA employees. It has links with al-Qaida and the Afghan Taliban fighting across the border in Afghanistan.
Over the last four years, Pakistan has tried negotiating with militant groups operating in the northwest. But the truces have quickly broken down and typically allowed them to regroup and emerge stronger.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
-First problem, they made an agreement with a terrorist group.
-Second problem, after having made this agreement, they expected these jihadists to keep it?
-Third, they are trying to be nice to terrorists again?
#2
Still, some politicians and their supporters support the idea of talking with the Taliban. They typically share the dope and arms smuggling aims of the movement in wanting an Islamist utopian state free from the evil infidel US influence.
[Dawn] India's interior minister hinted on Friday that Pakistan could be behind weeks of violent anti-India protests in the disputed Kashmir region, a move that could hurt the countries attempts to improve ties.
This is the first time New Delhi has linked Pakistan to the violence in Kashmir that has killed nearly 50 people since June. Earlier India had said Pakistan-based militants were inciting trouble in Kashmir.
"Pakistan appears to have altered its strategy in influencing events in Jammu and Kashmir," Palaniappan Chidambaram told the Indian parliament during a debate on the protests, among the biggest since a separatist revolt against Indian rule broke out in 1989.
"It is possible that they believe that relying upon civilian unrest will pay them better dividends. But I am confident if we are able to win the hearts and minds of the people ... those designs can be foiled."
The comments could be seen by Islamabad as a provocation, damaging prospects for improving ties that plummetted after the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people and derailed a sluggish four-year-old peace process with Pakistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2010 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
The comments could be seen by Islamabad as a provocation, damaging prospects for improving ties that plummetted after the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people and derailed a sluggish four-year-old peace process with Pakistan.
"How dare you acknowledge the truth in front of your face!"
Posted by: Frank G on the road ||
08/07/2010 9:41 Comments ||
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#2
What happened to the Master of the Obvious?
Posted by: Alan Cramer ||
08/07/2010 10:49 Comments ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] President Barack Obama has sent a letter to Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, urging him to persuade the country's squabbling political leaders to form a new government, Foreign Policy magazine reported Friday.
The magazine's online edition, which cited an unnamed individual briefed by members of the cleric's family as its source, said that the letter was delivered to Sistani by a Shiite member of the Iraqi parliament.
Obama sent the letter shortly after a failed attempt by Vice President Joe Biden to settle the dispute over the new government during a visit to Baghdad July 4, the report said.
A White House spokesman had no comment on the report, and a spokesman for Sistani's office in Najaf also declined to comment.
The political impasse in Iraq comes as US forces are drawing down their numbers to 50,000 troops by the end of the month despite simmering political violence.
Former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's party edged out a coalition led by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in March parliamentary elections, but neither won a majority and negotiations on a new government have stalled.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2010 00:00 ||
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Putting a face to a name, just in case you run into Ayatollah Ali at your local Safestway.
[Iran Press TV Latest] An Iraqi cleric has accused US-led troops of attempting to extend their presence in Iraq by staging the recent terrorist attacks in the country.
Sadr City's Friday Prayers Leader Seyyed Muhammad al-Musawi accused the US of trying to portray the Iraqi government and security forces as weak and incapable of providing security for the Iraqis in order to justify the country's occupation.
Iraq security forces are weak. That's a real stretch of an accusation, Seyyed ...
He also accused Washington of interfering in Iraq's internal affairs and of blocking attempts to form a new government in the country.
"The US and Israel are putting pressure on Iraqi officials, they are playing an important role in delaying the formation of a new Iraqi government", al-Musawi told worshipers.
Provincial counselors attending the prayers also complained about US meddling in Iraq's internal affairs, saying repeated visits by American officials when Iraqi politicians are holding talks on forming the new government proves that they are interfering in the affairs of a sovereign state.
They also called on Iraqi politicians to put aside their differences and form a national unity government as soon as possible.
Analysts have warned that violence in Iraq may see a surge if negotiations on forming a new governing coalition continue to drag on.
This article starring:
Seyyed Muhammad al-Musawi
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Not sure why Sadr wasn't killed and his death blamed on Saddam during the initial invasion stage. Iranian stooge.
ARBIL / Aswat al-Iraq: A delegation of the Kurdistan blocs will arrive in Baghdad on Saturday to start officials negotiations with the Iraqi blocs to from the government, a well-informed source said on Friday.
The delegation will return to Baghdad on Saturday (Aug. 7) to start official negotiations with al-Iraqiya Alliance, Dawlat al-Qanoon and the Iraqi National Alliance to form the new government, the source told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
The political chessboard in Iraq has been experiencing non-stop differences among the key blocs that won seats in the March 2010 legislative elections over the premiership and the government formation, namely between Malikis Dawlat al-Qanoon (State of Law) and former Premier Iyad Allawis al-Iraqiya bloc.
Several parliament sessions were postponed while the set constitutional deadline to election a new speaker and a president of a republic was breached.
The elections saw al-Iraqiya winning 91 seats, followed by Malikis State of Law with 89 seats, the Iraqi National Alliance (INA), which comprises Ammar al-Hakims Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC), Muqtada al-Sadrs Movement and Fadila (Virtue) Party, with 70 seats and the Kurdistan Alliance (KA) with 57 seats.
The results prompt coalitions of several parties to guarantee a required majority at the 325-seat parliament in order to form a government.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/07/2010 00:00 ||
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Prof. Donna Shalala, Clinton's secretary of health, arrives in Israel in order to fight academic boycott against Israel, claims she was held at Ben-Gurion Airport just because she has Arab last name, Ynet reported Friday. Boo hoo hoo. A second lost here, an hour saved there. I'll take it.
This is not how she imagined her visit to Israel. Prof. Donna Shalala, who served as the US Secretary of Health and Human Services for eight years under Clinton and is currently the president of the University of Miami, was held for two-and-a-half hours at Ben Gurion Airport during which she underwent a humiliating security debriefing because of her Arab last name -- all this despite the fact that her hosts notified the airport ahead of time that she is a VIP. I'm sure the PA does a much better job.
The fact that Shalala arrived in Israel as part of an official delegation of the heads of universities fighting against the academic boycott against the Jewish State also seemed not to help her. Neither does the fact that all terrorists are muslim.
Shalala, 69, was born in the US to Lebanese immigrant parents. She is considered a true friend of Israel and has visited the country many times in the past.
She recently arrived in Israel as a guest of the American Jewish Congress with the objective of increasing collaboration among universities in Israel, the US, and the Palestinian Authority. During their visit, members of the delegation met with President Shimon Peres, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.
The official visit ended on July 12, but Shalala stayed on for another two days for a private visit.
The AJC claims that it notified the Israel Airports Authority of Shalala's VIP status as is customary prior to her departure. However, the IAA claims that it has no record on file for Shalala prior to her arrival.
When Shalala arrived at the airport, she was not recognized as a VIP and was even afforded what she claims to be 'special' treatment because of her Arab last name. She claims she was held for two-and-a-half hours during which she was asked invasive and humiliating personal questions. Despite the delay, she managed to board the flight to the US. Officials who spoke with her said she was deeply offended by the treatment she received. Sucks to be a peon, doesn't it? Sure sucked for me a time or two, too. Sitting there at the airport with a couple of hours to kill. some Israeli security babe officer comes up and started one of their famous conversations with me. So I chatted with her for about a half hour while she's asking all her pointed questions like who I am, where I'm going, do I have any bombs, let me check what's in your pockets, is that a roll of shekels, etc.. I think she liked me because her friends started giggling then.
An IAA spokesperson reported in response: 'This incident is unknown to us. We performed a thorough check. There was no contact made with us or any other body. No unusual events were registered at Ben Gurion Airport, and we have no idea about this incident, which, from our perspective, never happened.'
IAA officials said that root of the problem is that the host organizations don't bother accompanying their guests to the airport. Too busy being efficient, I guess.
The incident was raised Wednesday during a discussion convened by Deputy Foreign Ministry Ayalon to discuss treatment of VIPs at Ben Gurion Airport. During the discussion, it was agreed that a new protocol will be drafted that will keep incidents to a minimum. Let's start with how American customs agents treated Rita, shall we?
First of all, Shalala has a background very similar to Helen Thomas in origin. She worked in Iran for two years in the early 1960s, and she is an honorary board member of the Iranian American Council, "an organization that seeks to promote closer U.S. relations with Iran."
So, given this background, and the Clinton administration's reputation for forthrightness, it is hard to imagine why Israel would be somewhat suspicious of her motives.
#3
Heck, this is what you wanted, enjoy it. Your boss wants America to be just one of the 'boys'. When you have no power or influence, when you repeatedly piss off your hosts, and when you diminish yourself before other powers, you get what everyone else gets. File under self inflicted wound.
#4
Here's a bit from Wikipedia that demonstrates that she has 1984-thought crime tendencies:
She next served as Chancellor of the University of WisconsinMadison. Under her chancellorship and with her support, the University adopted a broad speech code subjecting students to disciplinary action for communications that were perceived as hate speech. That speech code was later found unconstitutional by a federal judge.
"In a statement released today, Shalala took it in stride. While I was inconvenienced, Israels security and the security of travelers is far more important. I have been going in and out of Israel for many years and expect to visit again, she told the Chronicle."
[Arab News] Imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti has harshly criticized the Palestinian Authority for negotiating with Israel, saying both direct and indirect negotiations are pointless.
Barghouti, a member of Fatah's Central Committee, was sentenced by an Israeli court to five life sentences in 2004 following his implication in terrorist attacks against Israelis during the Second Intifada.
"Israel uses negotiations as a cover for continuing its policies of Jewish domination, settlement, incursion and siege," Barghouti told the Arabic daily Asharq Al-Awsat in a message from his prison cell. "There are no de Gaulles or de Klerks in Israel, but only extremist leaders who cling to the mentality of occupation, settlement and racism."
Barghouti was quoted as telling his lawyer Elias Sabbagh that negotiations should only begin after Israel explicitly states its commitment to withdraw to 1967 borders. He added that Israel must acknowledge the Palestinian right to establish a fully sovereign state with Jerusalem as its capital, to release all Palestinian prisoners, and to set a timetable of several months for negotiations.
But in a conversation with The Media Line, attorney Sabbagh denied speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the matter.
Ambassador Majdi Al-Khaldi, an adviser to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, said it was not up to Barghouti to make policy.
"The decision to enter into negotiations with Israel is an Arab and Palestinian decision," he told the Media Line. "It's not a personal matter. There are Palestinian institutions that make these decisions, and it's not up to private people."
"Usually such personal statements are intended to show that there is a problem, namely that the Israeli side has presented no position," Al-Khaldi said. "Many people on the Palestinian street are pressuring the leadership not to enter into direct negotiations without a clear premise, including a settlement freeze."
Israeli parliamentarian Haim Oron, head of the left-wing Meretz party who meets regularly with Barghouti in prison, declined to comment on the article but said he agreed that without an explicit Israeli statement endorsing the 1967 borders and Jerusalem as a joint capital "nothing would come of direct negotiations, even if they resumed following American pressure."
"Negotiations in various forms have been under way for the past 15-20 years," Oron said. "They should resume from the point they had stopped."
Many consider Barghouti a moderate alternative to Abbas. His latest statement, however, seems more like an overture to Hamas and the Palestinian resistance. How screwed up is a place when the guy doing life in prison is considered the "moderate alternative"?
"We must achieve national reconciliation, end the state of division (between Fatah and Hamas) and allow the popular resistance to act freely nationwide," he said.
A frustrated Barghouti harshly criticized the Palestinian leadership for forsaking prisoners in Israeli jails.
"The leadership does not exert the slightest effort for our release, and there is a clear neglect of the prisoner issue," he said. "It is not on the agenda of the Palestinian leadership."
Osama Al-Ghoul, head of the information department in the Palestinian Ministry of Detainees, argued the government was doing its best to achieve the release of Palestinian prisoners.
"We exert our best efforts within the framework of what is possible," he said. "We in the ministry cannot release the prisoners by force, and our primary concern is improving prisoners' conditions in jail pending their release."
Ahmad Assaf, a spokesman for Fatah, said that Barghouti was a senior member of the party and as such his opinions carried weight.
"Like all Fatah members, (Barghouti) would prefer to see change taking place faster on two fronts: the occupation and the internal rift with Hamas," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2010 00:00 ||
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[2 views]
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#1
An entire populace that defines their entire lives around killing Jews and taking Israel. Thats the bottom line.
#2
Barghouti was quoted as telling his lawyer Elias Sabbagh that negotiations should only begin after Israel explicitly states its commitment to withdraw to 1967 borders. He added that Israel must acknowledge the Palestinian right to establish a fully sovereign state with Jerusalem as its capital, to release all Palestinian prisoners, and to set a timetable of several months for negotiations.
He means when hell freezes over. I am sure that he is used to disappointment by now.
Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
08/07/2010 7:33 Comments ||
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#3
well, he certainly sounds rehabilitated
Posted by: Frank G on the road ||
08/07/2010 9:47 Comments ||
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VIENNA - Iran has begun using extra equipment installed earlier this year to enrich uranium more efficiently, stepping up its nuclear work despite U.N. sanctions, a Western think-tank said on Friday. The Institute for Science and International Security said on its website that Iran was now using a second set, or cascade, of centrifuge machines at its Natanz pilot plant. It did not disclose the source of its information.
Iran has been producing low-enriched uranium for some time and announced in February that it had started enriching uranium to a higher, 20 percent, level to make fuel for a medical research reactor.
Analysts said the single cascade of machines Iran was using for the higher-level enrichment was inefficient because it left over a large quantity of low-enriched uranium alongside the highly enriched material.
The International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, said Iran had subsequently installed a second cascade of centrifuge machines but had not begun using it.
A Vienna-based diplomat with knowledge of the IAEA investigation of Irans nuclear programme said the Iranians had been preparing the second cascade of machines for use in recent weeks. Use of the second cascade allows leftover material to be re-fed into the machines more easily, obtaining its full potential and making the work more efficient.
ISIS has learned that Iran is now using the second cascade at the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP) at Natanz to recycle the tails from the first cascade, ISIS said in its note.
ISIS said the use of the second cascade meant the plant now needed less low-enriched uranium (LEU) than before to produce the same amount of 20-percent enriched uranium. It did not mean the output or enrichment level would increase, ISIS said.
Western diplomats have said in the past that the second cascade could be reconfigured to enrich uranium to the higher level needed for use in nuclear weapons, a concern echoed by ISIS.
If Iran enriches to weapon-grade uranium, however, it is expected to use the same type of procedure, ISIS said. Thus, Irans current actions, while superficially justified on civil grounds, mainly make sense in the context of learning how to make significant quantities of highly enriched uranium efficiently.
Tehran has said it was forced to enrich uranium to 20 percent purity after the breakdown of a deal with Western powers and the IAEA, under which it would have sent 1,200 kg of its low-enriched uranium abroad in return for fuel rods for its medical reactor.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/07/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
TOPIX/WORLDNEWS > REPORT: IRAN. NORTH KOREA MAY SHARE NUCLEAR TEHCNOLOGY [Nukes].
SOUTH KOREAN OFFICIAL wants ROK to declare IRAN a NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT TO SOUTH KOREA oer possible NucTechs-sharing wid the DPRK.
* SAME > {CSM.com] CHINA IS A BAROMETER ON WHETHER ISRAEL WILL ATTACK NUCLEAR PLANTS IN IRAN.
* SAME > [NewsVine, CFR + Mike Hayden] IFF IRAN CAME CLOSE TO GETTING A NUCLEAR WEAPON, WOULD OBAMA USE [Military]FORCE?; + THE CLOCK TICKS ON OBAMA ACTION AGZ IRAN.
* SAME > IRAN'S ATTEMPTS TO PROJECT POWER + IRAN WANTS STRONG ALLIANCE WID AFGHANISTAN AND TAJIKISTAN.
* TOPIX > TURKEY, RUSSIA TO SET UP NEW "SECURITY ZONE" IN REGION.
* TOPIX/WORLD NEWS > IRAN WARNS OF "UNFORESEEN CONSEQUENCES" IN CASE OF US ATTACK,
[Iran Press TV Latest] The Iranian government has upped its boycott of Israeli goods, saying it will closely monitor the enforcement of a ban on Israeli products.
"No state- or non-state-owned company is allowed to sell Israeli products in the Islamic republic and the government closely monitors the matter," said Iran's Vice President for Parliamentary Affairs Hojjatoleslam Mohammad-Reza Mir-Tajeddini.
Speaking at a conference titled "Popular Intifada and Boycotting Israeli Goods" late Thursday, Mir-Tajeddini condemned the "occupying nature" of the Israeli regime, IRNA reported.
He said that the only thing standing in the way of the regime attacking Middle East nations to realize its dream of an Israeli homeland stretching from the Nile to the Euphrates is the Islamic resistance.
The Iranian official added that Israel's policies are facing growing international condemnation an example of which was the global outcry against the deadly attack on a Turkish-flagged aid convoy on May 31 and the recent reaction of the Lebanese army to the border violation of Israeli soldiers.
Quoting the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Mir-Tajeddini said purchasing any Israeli commodities and contributing to Israeli interests is forbidden.
"Existing laws on boycotting Israeli products are not comprehensive," said Mir-Tajeddini, adding that the 'ministries of commerce, foreign affairs and intelligence as well as a judiciary institution would need to give their opinion on new companies so that necessary action can be taken against them by the government.'
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2010 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
What was left to boycott? Only ideas. Good luck with that.
Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
08/07/2010 7:41 Comments ||
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Commander of Iran's Army, Major General Ataollah Salehi, has warned Iran's enemies of a 'crushing defeat' should they risk encroaching on the country's sovereignty.
"The army is ready to deal a heavy blow to any aggressors against Iran territories," Fars news agency quoted General Salehi as saying on the sidelines of an aerial maneuver in Iran's western Hamedan Province on Friday.
He also said that the Islamic Republic army will continue to carry out war games in order to stay abreast of the latest defense tactics and to maintain its readiness against possible trespasses.
General Salehi also pointed out that Iran's military drills pose no threats to friendly states and only the hostiles should be warned.
The army chief further explained that Iran's military has strengthened its capacities to repair and upgrade defense systems and the major portion of work is conducted domestically.
The weeklong aerial maneuvers of the Islamic Republic Air Force (IRAF) will last until August 7.
The IRAF fighters, including the F-4, F-5, F-7 and the Sukhoi SU-24 fighter jets, also practiced aerial gunnery, hitting air-to-ground targets, and overnight operations for the first time in the drills that also showcased a number of Iran Pehpad drones.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/07/2010 00:00 ||
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[8 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
When you have to say things like, "The army is ready to deal a heavy blow to any aggressors against Iran territories" then it simply isn't true. The USA doesn't constantly have to state that "The US is ready to glass Iran using less than one trident submarine". It just doesn't need to.
Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
08/07/2010 6:53 Comments ||
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#2
The current unpleasantness with Iran is simply an ongoing legacy of our unfinished business in Tehran, which hit a low point on November 4, 1979. A more definitive case study on radical Islam might be difficult to locate.
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[Dawn] India's interior minister hinted on Friday that Pakistan could be behind weeks of violent anti-India protests in the disputed Kashmir region, a move that could hurt the countries attempts to improve ties.
[Arab News] Imprisoned Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti has harshly criticized the Palestinian Authority for negotiating with Israel, saying both direct and indirect negotiations are pointless.
