Looks like the first rain band just came ashore in S.C. - No visible light sat images (nighttime), but on radar sheâs a bigâun, so watch it on the coast...
Edited for brevity. New and Improved MREsNow with fresh lemon scent!
There are some new MREs, and less popular ones are being dropped. The American MRE (Meals, Ready to Eat) field rations have actually gotten better over the last twenty years. This has been because the army has regularly surveyed the troops about how much they liked each of the 24 different MREs available. Every few years, the three least popular are dropped, and three new ones are added. The new MREs are selected from troops suggestions, and testing (with the troops) of proposed new items. The three MREs being dropped are Jamaican pork chops, pasta with Alfredo sauce and beef with mushrooms. The new ones are; pot roast with vegetables, barbecue pork ribs and vegetable manicotti.
Canadian "Coyote" stalks Taliban
The Canadian Coyote electronic reconnaissance vehicle has gone to Afghanistan and proved enormously useful by doing long range surveillance of Taliban and al Qaeda suspects. The Coyote is an 8x8 LAV (wheeled armored vehicle) mounting a 25mm Bushmaster cannon and a nine meter (30 foot) telescoping mast that contains a Doppler radar, laser rangefinder, thermal imaging sensor and video camera. The mast mounted sensors can see clearly out to 15 kilometers and identify targets (day or night) for artillery or air attack. The radar can spot targets out to 24 kilometers, but can only distinguish vehicle types (wheeled, tracked) beginning at about 12 kilometers.
Tear Gas Back in the Arsenal
Last February, the Department of Defense announced that it was asking the president to authorize the use of tear gas in combat situations. Since 1975, American troops have only been allowed to use tear gas for controlling civilian mobs. If the civilians have guns, you canât use tear gas on them as that could be considered a "military use of an incapacitating gas." To be on the safe side, in 1975 American troops were forbidden to use tear gas in combat. The army and marines protested this, as experience in Vietnam had shown tear gas to be an effective way to save American (and enemy) lives in combat. But on April 2nd, it was announced that president Bush had authorized troops to use tear gas.
Posted by: Dar ||
09/17/2003 5:11:23 PM ||
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PRINCESS Stephanie has stunned Monacoâs royal family by marrying her boyfriend, a Portuguese circus acrobat.
Guess we know what she likes to do in her spare time...
Stephanie and her new husband, Adans Lopez Peres, were married on Friday in a private ceremony, palace spokesman Armand Deus said yesterday.
You don't even want to see the honeymoon pictures...
Mr Peres would be the second circus man in the princessâs life. She separated from Swiss circus director and elephant trainer Franco Knie last year.
Wasn't... ummm... strict enough for her?
The 38-year-old princess — the horniest one of three children of Prince Rainier and the late American actress, Grace Kelly — is closely followed in the tabloids for her tumultuous love life.
Which occasionally seems to consist of anyone who walks by...
The princess had two children, Louis and Pauline Grace, with her one-time bodyguard Daniel Ducruet, whom she married in 1995, only to divorce a year later. In 1998, Princess Stephanie gave birth to a daughter, Camille. She refused to name the father, though he was said to be another bodyguard, Jean-Raymond Gottlieb.
"I think it was the one with the hat..."
The prince, who once banished his wayward daughter to the Alpine resort of Auron, 80 miles from Monaco, where it seemed she might lead a quieter life, has accepted Stephanieâs three children. However, he could not bring himself to sanction the Knie affair. His views on her latest marriage are unclear. Mr Peres, a 28-year-old circus acrobat and juggler is said to be "besotted" with Stephanie — despite the difference in their backgrounds.
I dunno. It sounds like he's marrying beneath himself. But then, I'm kinda old-fashioned...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/17/2003 12:56 ||
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The bodyguard phase, the circus folk phase. Can hardly wait to see what she gets into next. And I have a feeling there will be a next...
#3
Dwarf former actor? Looks like Gary Coleman's next. Rebounds from his ill-fated Governor campaign
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/17/2003 15:05 Comments ||
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#4
My bet is the Monkey Nut Nudger or Angle Grinder Man. Women go for guys in baby blue sandex with gold briefs displayed on the outside of the spandex. Cucumber optional.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/17/2003 15:07 Comments ||
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#5
She appears to be staying in the circus realm lately, so the next step in ludicrous is probably a midget carnie barker. But Pappy could be right... Wonder how old Noor Tantray looks in a derby and a checkered suit?
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2003 15:30 Comments ||
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#6
"Pssst...Why is the groom putting chalk dust on his hands?..."
Travel warning!
Colombian officials are questioning why a party of backpackers travelled in a notoriously dangerous area occupied by guerrillas, who seized eight of them last Friday, including two Britons, in the countryâs biggest foreign kidnapping in two decades. Mark Henderson, a 31-year-old television producer from Harrogate, and Matthew Scott, a 19-year-old from London, were among the tourists abducted by suspected Marxist guerrillas while trekking through the ruins of Cuidad Perdida, in northern Colombia.
"Commissar hats?"
"Check..."
"Pictures of Lenin?"
"Check..."
"Slogans?"
"Check!"
"Legume, I suspect these were Marxists guerrillas!"
The Britons, four Israelis, a German and a Spaniard were led at gunpoint into the jungle surrounding the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta by insurgents believed to be from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc). For some reason the FARC advertisement was left off the travel brochure. Actually the Israelis are probably safer in FARC territory than in Israel right now.
The area is regarded as dangerous because of the widespread presence of Farc rebels and their paramilitary enemies, who operate freely throughout the region. As thousands of troops searched the jungle, Francisco Santos, the Colombian Vice-President, asked why the tourists were in an area known to be frequented by guerrillas. "These young people in such a complicated area. What the devil were they doing?" Mr Santos, who was a hostage of the Medellin drug cartel in the early 1990s, said yesterday. "[The government will] respond with energy until these people are freed." The travel guide said watch out for âgorillasâ and not âguerrillasâ. This is a common spelling error.
Since at least one of them is a terriblevision producer, I suspect — Legume! My violin! — they may have been making a documentary...
While the eight tourists have not been seen since the dawn kidnapping, a further five were left behind by the rebels and trekked for two days to raise the alarm.
"Do we want all of them, Jefe?"
"No, Pedro. Leave those. They're... ucky."
Yesterday Mark Tuite, 33, from Australia, described how he escaped. He said the rebels left him behind because he was with his wife, Michelle. He said that the kidnappers claimed to be paramilitaries, there to escort the tourists to safety because there had been a shooting in the area. Only when the tourists saw that the two guides had been tied up did they realise their lives were in danger, Mr Tuite said. "They separated five of us off from the rest of the group and tied us up."
Kinky.
Christopher Henderson, of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, said yesterday that his son, Mark, was "pretty tough". He added: "Iâm confident that he will be able to cope. I fully expect him to write a bestseller as soon as he gets back, and then follow it up with the movie. Itâs obviously quite a shock but Markâs tough. Heâs physically very fit. He has been trekking and scuba-diving for the last four months and was in good spirits when I spoke to him 10 days ago. We have got lots of friends and relatives who are holding us in their thoughts and we are drawing upon their strength at the moment."
"Of course, if they cut his head off or fill him full of holes, that could change..."
Now I can see the 19-year-old being naïve enough to go into an area where a civil war is going on, but the 31-year-old should know better. The Israelis and the Spaniard are probably arms dealers (My opinion). Note that NO Norte Americano were in this group, maybe we are getting smarter? Also what is the going price for a month-long abduction vacation in Columbia?
Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) ||
09/17/2003 10:47:10 AM ||
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Also what is the going price for a month-long abduction vacation in Columbia?
Depends -- are meals included?
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/17/2003 11:14 Comments ||
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Finally found the area in my atlas. Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta is a large national park about 10 miles south of the coast, and about 35 miles east of Baranquilla, a large port city on the northern coast of Colombia. There's a mountain in the center of the park, Pico Cristobol Colon (Mount Christopher Columbus) that reaches almost 19,000 feet, and would give a superb view of most ot the territorial waters of that part of Colombia. The area isn't too far from Maracaibo, Venezuela, either. From that information, I'd guess the tour group was either deliberately led there, or somehow stumbled across a guerilla resupply and surveillance route. They won't be released until (and if) the guerillas can re-route their resupply effort away from where these folks were captured.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/17/2003 14:00 Comments ||
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Just waiting for the frustrated cries that we haven't done enough to get them free.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/17/2003 15:11 Comments ||
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I've been to Baranquilla on business, and I kissed the ground when I landed back in Miami. I don't buy the tourist story. Baranquilla is not a tourist destination. I'm going with the "arms dealer" theory.
Posted by: Tom ||
09/17/2003 16:14 Comments ||
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Never underestimate the stupidity of tourists. Remember the Sahara hostages?
#11
The kids dad must be a champion idiot. What if Dad's bestseller quote gets garbled and ends up in the Colombian press as "Bestselling author kidnapped ..."
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/17/2003 17:34 Comments ||
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There was a Discovery chanel show a week or so ago(didn't watch).In wich a group of moutain climbers whent to Krygistan.My point:one of the climbers was bitching that the travel agent did not warn them of gurrila activity in the region.
What a maroon.
Over 100 Afghan soldiers raided a rebel hide out in a remote mountainous region in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, sparking a shootout that left three suspected Taliban dead, an Afghan commander said. Gen. Atta Mohammed, a commander of Afghan special forces, said his soldiers captured a Taliban fighter, though scores of others managed to escape after three hours of fighting in the district of Shah Wali Kot, about 30 miles northeast of Kandahar. He said troops were tracking the fleeing militants by following their footprints. "We hope they will be captured soon," Mohammed told The Associated Press by satellite phone. Keep after them, boys.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/17/2003 11:29:55 AM ||
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#1
Exactly. Keep on their heels, keep them running until they can't run any more. Then kill them all.
Or, as an older army's commanders were wont to yell:
#4
Lucky, there are large parts of Afghanistan where leafy trees are as scarce as virgins in Panama. Most of the land is either piled on top of itself, deeply-eroded terrain with unbelievable gullies, and rocks of all sizes - mostly rocks. Anything green is suspected of being a soldier until proven otherwise.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/17/2003 14:04 Comments ||
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Couldn't help but notice, but that the General does have an unfortunate name.
From Jihad Unspun:
Reliable Gulf-based sources have informed Albawaba that a significant number of those who died in Mondayâs Al-Hair prison fire, if not the majority of them, are followers of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden that have been arrested in the Kingdom in recent months. Saudi line is they were all in for criminal and drug charges, no militants in this prison.
Saudi Interior Ministry officials are not saying whether the fire was a result of an accident or if it had been deliberately set. However, sources told Albawaba that according to initial findings, there is reason to suspect the fire was intentionally ignited. In the meantime, however, a senior Saudi security source quoted by Al Hayat ruled out "any act of sabotage". "This sort of accident happens anywhere and a short circuit cannot be ruled out, particularly since the fire started in the afternoon at a time when the electricity supply is overloaded," the source said. Too many tvâs running in those cells? Or was it the air conditioners?
In London, meanwhile, a Saudi opposition group said that as many as 144 inmates and 40 security men died in Mondayâs blaze, more than double the official toll initially given by Saudi authorities. There are more reports coming out the detainees were al-Qaida, on UPI and other sources. I donât think they are going to believe the Saudis didnât have something to do with snuffing their boys.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/17/2003 3:08:51 PM ||
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There was huge overcrowding inside the Saudi prison which caught fire killing and injuring more than 200 inmates and staff, Aljazeera.net can reveal. Several sources have emerged from the shadows to throw new light on prison life in al-Hair and what could have led to Monday's tragedy. The father of one dead inmate and a Saudi academic living in the kingdom, have broken their silence to give an insight into the "shocking conditions" inside the ill-fated prison. Risking persecution and incarceration by the Saudi authorities, both men decided to speak out to Aljazeera.net in the hope of improving conditions for surviving prisoners.
Quit congratulating yourself and get on with the story. You sound like Dan Rather...
They said at the time of the fire, extreme overcrowding led to each wing containing between 300 and 350. "My son had nobody to turn to. If only the world knew what goes on here." Many prisoners had been sleeping in passage ways due to lack of space. To add to the problem, thousands of prisoners were transferred to al-Hair following the temporary closure of Riyadhâs Malaz prison for repairs.
"What's wrong with Malaz prison?"
"I dunno. It's busted."
"Well, send everybody over to al-Hair."
Abd Allah, a father of one of the many al-Hair victims, told Aljazeera.net on Wednesday that he had seen his son only twice before his death, despite his arrest taking place six months ago. âHe was talking to a shopkeeper when police grabbed him by the shoulder and dragged him into a car. It was three days before I knew he was in al-Hair. I'm still not sure what he was locked up for and I will probably never get to the truth now."
Ummm... Okay. The cops grabbed him at random, off the street...
Abd Allah added that his son had never been charged or tried, had been shackled in a cell he shared with dozens of others and had been brutalised on many separate occasions.
Guess that doesn't just happen to westerners. He wasn't an alk runner, was he?
In a rare public criticism of the government by a national inside Saudi Arabia, Dr Said Al Zuair said he had no confidence in the Ministry of the Interior at all. âWe just donât trust it [the ministry]â, he told Aljazeera TV on Tuesday, adding many of the prisoners that died were from among the poor and oppressed." Zuair criticised the injustice of imprisoning many who had had no trial, legal representation or any semblance of justice. âSome inmates have not seen the light of day or relatives for months at a time.â One prisoner who has been detained at al-Hair did not see the sky or sunlight for one whole year, according to the former lecturer of media studies at al-Imam University.
That could have something to do with why the call those guys "despots." Can't figure why anybody's want to replace them with another set of despots, but hey, to each his own, I guess...
Saudi dissident, Dr Saad al-Faqih, first broke the news of the prison blaze despite being based in London. He dismissed the official government toll of 67 as completely inaccurate, putting the number of dead at 184. By Tuesday evening Saudi authorities upped the official toll to 93 and it is expected to rise again by Thursday. Head of the Movement for Islamic Reform, al-Faqih said basic safety features like ventilation and fire extinguishers were non-existent.
Movement for Islamic Reform is the guys that want to be the next set of despots...
Countless human rights organisations accuse Saudi Arabia of arbitrary arrests, the torture of detainees and the barring of prisoner access to family members or lawyers. A high-level security source quoted by al-Hayat newspaper on Tuesday ruled out "any act of sabotage".
"Y'mean, like disposing of witnesses and such? Oh, certainly not!"
The source said: "This sort of accident happens anywhere and a short circuit cannot be ruled out, particularly since the fire started in the afternoon at a time when the electricity supply is overloaded."
"Happens two or three times a week at my house. We lose more servants that way..."
He said every wing of the jail was originally constructed to accommodate a maximum of 180 students but held in excess of 350 men.
"Students"? Slip of the tongue?
But Dr al-Massari, who has himself firsthand experience of prison life in Saudi, says at least one of his contacts in the kingdom claims the fire was arson. "Our source confirms that the fire in al-Hair was deliberately organised. Among those who died were seven Saudis who had been condemened to death," said Dr al-Massari.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/17/2003 14:44 ||
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short circuit in a prison huh? flammable walls and such? next it'll be an alk runner with a case of spontaneous combustion
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/17/2003 15:01 Comments ||
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#2
Too bad there never will be a REAL investigation by REAL arson investigators.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/17/2003 15:05 Comments ||
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Maybe Allah just decided to burn the joint down. Will this qualify it for a spot as one of "the holy places"?
#9
Sorta doubt Saudi gov't. would torch own prison.But a diversion for jail break that got out of hand,that I'd believe.Anyone know if any prisoners were "lost" when prison evacuated?
Posted by: Stephen ||
09/17/2003 22:06 Comments ||
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Saudis have come under fresh scrutiny lately by US and European investigators in Riyadh and in Israel for their political and financial support of the Hamas movement, according to the New York Times. Weâve noticed, itâs almost like somebody is turning up the heat on them. Now who would do a thing like that?
A few months ago, Khalid Mishaal, a top Hamas leader took part in a charitable fund-raising conference in Riyadh where he spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah. Went right to the top of the money tree.
In its Wednesday edition, the newspaper said that according to a summary of the meeting written by a Hamas official, Mishaal and other Hamas representatives thanked their Saudi hosts for continuing "to send aid to the people through the civilian and popular channels, despite all the American pressures exerted on them." "This is indeed a brave posture deserving appreciation," the Hamas officials said, according to the document. I like documents.
Today, Mishaal, who was recently added to the US Treasury Department list of what it terms "terrorist financiers," controls a wing of Hamas that supports attacks against Israel, including suicide bombings. They have a wing that doesnât?
Meshaal's a member of the politburo, which controls all of Hamas.
According to the Times, citing estimates by US law enforcement officials, US diplomats and Israeli figures, at least 50 percent of Hamasâ current operating budget of about $10 million a year comes from people in the Saudi Kingdom. Following the September 11 attacks, the newspaper, citing US officials, said that the Saudi part of Hamas financing increased as donations from the US, Europe and other Gulf countries dried up. How big of them.
"Itâs a ridiculous accusation; no Saudi government money goes to Hamas, directly or indirectly," the paper quoted Adel al-Jubeir, the foreign affairs adviser to Saudi Prince Abdullah, as saying. "Why on earth would we not stop this kind of funding? Why on earth would our crown prince say we do not want to support Hamas and then allow people to do this under the table?" Humm, because youâre a bunch of liars?
"Why on earth would we hold a telethon that was widely reported in the West... Uhhh... Never mind."
Furthermore, Saudi Arabiaâs Foreign Minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, has denied that his government has financially supported Hamas or charities that serve as front organizations for Hamas. Better tell Hamas to quit writing thank you notes then.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/17/2003 9:38:07 AM ||
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I personnally think that Saudi Arabia is in full fledged civil war by the end of 2004. They cannot play this game with the terrorists and the Wahabis successfully forever. As time goes on, the duplicity of the Saudis becomes more evident.
The only reason we play ball with them is because the liberals and the tree huggers in the US won't let us drill in ANWR. The American Petroleum Institute has stated on the record that the CLinton Administration deliberately understated the estimated oil reserves in ANWR by a factor of 100. The API has exploration records from Chevron, et. al., that indicate there may be HUNDRED OF BILLIONS of barrels of oil under ANWR.
Also, a viable oil industry in Iraq would reduce our dependence on the Saudis. I believe that Iran, Saudi Arabia and Syria are behind most of the sabotage of the oil pipelines in Iraq.
The Saudis in particular know we will tell them to go pound sand if we had an alternate source of oil. I also know that the Saudis are scared s***l*ss over the effects that a working democracy in Iraq would have on their population and their ability to continue to rule like a bunch of over indulged children.
#2
"Itâs a ridiculous accusation; no Saudi government money goes to Hamas, directly or indirectly," the paper quoted Adel al-Jubeir, the foreign affairs adviser to Saudi Prince Abdullah, as saying.
No government money -- just the "royal" family's! Of course, in a despotic kingdom, it's sometimes hard to tell the difference...
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
09/17/2003 10:06 Comments ||
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When dealing with the Saudis or any other muslim, you have only to ask ONE question. 'Are you a true believer'? If the queried answers 'yes', you know exactly where you stand as kufir [unbeliever]. They will after that always lie to you.
So I would say whatever they denounced is indeed a lie/lies.
#4
No government money -- just the "royal" family's! Of course, in a despotic kingdom, it's sometimes hard to tell the difference...
It's easy to tell the difference. The government money is in the left pocket, the royal money is in the right.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/17/2003 11:17 Comments ||
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SOG475---I do not know about your figures, but we sure should have dumped Saudi Arabia in 1973-4 during the embargo. You can sure count the tree huggers as the bad guys in preventing us from obtaining new local sources of oil. The left talks about alternative sources of energy, getting rid of SUVs, etc etc [remember NIMBY, though]. But they have NOTHING to offer but pie in the sky. Alot of the "posterboy" pictures of ANWR are in the Brooks Range mountains and not on the coastal plain. Propaganda. The oil companies are proposing building ice roads and pads in winter for exploration drilling. In the summer the tundra has minimal damage after the ice pad or road melts. Directional drilling technology eliminates many extra drill pads. There are some wells on the Kenai peninsula now that they are going out 3.5 miles diagonally. The left is trying to create an energy crisis, it seems to me. The sooner we dump Saudi, the cleaner our hands will be.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/17/2003 11:28 Comments ||
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#7
Just 50%? Who says the War on Terror hasn't been effective?
I figured they'd already picked up Sammy's slack since he got knocked out of the picture, which would kick it up to, what, 99.9%? Gotta support those martyrs widows, orphans, brothers, sisters, parents, kittens, puppies, hookers, etc.
The BBC journalist at the centre of a row between the British government and the BBC over the Iraq war has admitted he made mistakes in reporting claims the government had "sexed up" its dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
Whoops.
Andrew Gilligan is giving more evidence at the official inquiry into the death of weapons expert Dr David Kelly, identified as the source of his story. Mr Gilligan has acknowledged in an initial report to have accused the government of dishonesty, rather than simply of exaggeration. A government dossier used by Prime Minister Tony Blair in Parliament to justify going to war, said Iraqi president Saddam Hussein could launch weapons of mass destruction in 45 minutes. But Mr Gilligan says the reports were in the contest of a lively political debate in an arena in which such allegations were stock in trade.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/17/2003 09:02 ||
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Okay, Gilligan's career is toast. I propose a toast to this. Next one to go down should be Kampfner. There are a lot more that need to get tossed out. The whole profession needs a shake up. I hope Amanpour gets a drubbing for her recent remarks too but I'm less hopeful. Eason Jordan got off lightly it seems. Whatever became of good ole Peter Arnett?
Posted by: Tokyo Taro ||
09/17/2003 9:32 Comments ||
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TT, funny you should ask that: Two major keynote speakers have been announced for the Third Arab Media Summit on October 7-8 - Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE Minister of Information and Chairman of Emirates Media Incorporation, and Chris Cramer, President of CNN International. The event will be hosted by Dubai Press Club at the new Madinat Al Jumeirah hotel and conference centre, and will focus on the role of war reporters in Iraq and the effect of government influence in the media. Mona Al Marri, executive manager of Dubai Press Club, said: "Sheikh Abdullah and Cramer will set the tone of the summit which is themed around the subject of War and the Media. They will provide the introduction to the event featuring 500 top journalists and international media personalities, who will gather in Dubai to debate and analyse the role of the modern war correspondents." The list of renowned speakers includes Pulitzer Prize winner Peter Arnett, who has spent a lifetime covering war and international crises for major American newspapers and most recently the Iraq War, and Tim Sebastian, Presenter of HardTalk for BBC World. They will be joined by Dr Hanan Ashrawi, known to the world as the Voice of Palestine, as well as Azmi Bishara, Palestinian member of the Israeli Knesset; James Laurie, head of news at Star Group; Guardian columnist Martin Woollacott; senior foreign correspondent of The Times Janine Didiovanni; Khaled Al Maena, Editor-in-Chief of Saudi Arabia's Arab News Group, Hamdi Qandeel of Al Alam Al Youm in Egypt; Jamil Mroue of Daily Star in Lebanon and Gavin Esler of the BBC.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/17/2003 9:44 Comments ||
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Hmm I didn't see Fox on that list, but al-guardian makes it......
tap, tap...nope
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/17/2003 11:12 Comments ||
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Gilligan did this? Can't see it. The Professor, maybe even the Skipper, but not Gilligan.
#6
I hope Al-Queada strikes the summit. Some people might loose their lives, but the survivors will wake up and see the truth. The dead would only be several people, like Chris Cramer and Peter Arnett.
Posted by: Charles ||
09/17/2003 13:11 Comments ||
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#7
You just have to wonder why this kind of information never seems to make it to front pages.
#8
I hope Al-Queada strikes the summit.
I hope somebody does, and hard! Can you imagine the number of people it will take to replace this load of trash? It'll also take at least a year for them to come up to the same level of "proficiency" - in lying, decieving, warping, twisting, folding, spindling, and mutilating a story to fit their bosses' agenda. Who knows, maybe a grain of truth or two might even turn up...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/17/2003 16:14 Comments ||
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Strike the summit? Are you kidding? The guest list reads like the al-Queada media wing. The only thing al-Queada will be doing there is giving interviews.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/17/2003 16:23 Comments ||
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#10
Strike the summit? Naahhh. Why should we destroy our own useful idiots? Guys like Arnett are the perfect foil.
Posted by: Tokyo Taro ||
09/17/2003 18:06 Comments ||
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France on Wednesday deplored the veto cast by the United States on a United Nations resolution demanding Israel to drop its threat to assassinate or expel Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. "We deplore the negative result of the (UN) Security Council vote on the draft Arab resolution concerning the Middle East," said Cecile Pozzo di Borgo, spokeswoman of the French Foreign Ministry. On Tuesday, 11 Security Council members including France voted in favor of the resolution sponsored by Syria and Sudan. The United States voted [sic] VETOED it, saying that it did not contain a condemnation of what the United States describes as terrorist groups such as the Hamas. Britain, Germany and Bulgaria abstained after hours of consultations. Germanyâs on the Security Council now?
The resolution "addressed a balanced message to both sides that was likely to result in a consensus," said the French spokeswoman. The text also called for an immediate and unconditional halt to"acts of violence and terrorism" between Israelis and Palestiniansand a return to the roadmap peace plan put forward by the Quartet (the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia), she added. France "along with the overwhelming majority of countries that have issued a call for Israel to rethink its decision, reiterates this appeal," she said. Enditem Itâs not unilateral if Britain, Germany, and Bulgaria also have misgivings. Besides, if you wanna talk about unilateralism, look at Franceâs block of the Libyan settlement a few weeks ago.
Posted by: Dar ||
09/17/2003 3:27:53 PM ||
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Deplore? Big deal -- I deplore French politicians and diplomats, especially the Yasser and Saddam kissers.
Posted by: Tom ||
09/17/2003 16:06 Comments ||
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#5
Let the Phrence continue to "deplore" as citizens of the United States continue a voluntary boycott of all French goods and services. Let them continue to "deplore" our actions as we set up a stable, democratic, and representative government in Iraq that has the same low opinion of phrance as the citizens of the US hold. Let them continue to "deplore" as they are marginalized, downsized, demoted, and ignored, as is their lot in life.
There IS a God, and there IS JUSTICE!
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/17/2003 16:28 Comments ||
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#6
Here's something else they deplore: air conditioning.
Posted by: Tibor ||
09/17/2003 16:38 Comments ||
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#8
I don't think it was very clever of Israel to make Arafat the "hero" of the UN again. Dealing with Arafat the proposed way is not something that you announce in the Knesset.
A stray missile and an "oops": That's how you deal with Arafat. Before moving on.
#9
Now that Frawnce has shot its mouth off concerning Israel and the Paleos, how about some home grown compassion for their seniors, who dropped like flies in the heat of summer, non?
[silence]
[sounds of flies buzzing]
[tumblewheed going by]
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/17/2003 16:42 Comments ||
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#10
ehh... France deplores our actions, we f*ing loathe their very existence. It's all good.
#11
I have to agree with True German Ally, a stray round or missle or sledgehammer to the back of that walking rats head and lets move on to the next item. As for the french deploring our decision to veto, so what, they should be busy digging graves and leave this situation to the adults.
#12
Why is France on the Security Council? What do they know about security? I deplore French wine, food, Mimes, and movies. I deplore when they allow 15k to die minor heat wave. Hell we have DAYS of 100+ temps and RARELY does anyone die.
A Spanish judge has formally charged 35 men, including al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden and Al-jazeera TV journalist Taysir Alouni, with involvement in the September 11 attacks.
Sucks, being you, don't it, Taysir?
As part of his investigation into an al-Qaida cell operating in Spain, High Court Judge Baltazar Garzon in a 700-page indictment on Wednesday called for Interpol to arrest bin Laden and extradite him to Spain. He said there was evidence of the 9/11 plot being hatched in Spain.
Interpol will get right on it...
Spain has already arrested a number of suspects it says were involved in the attacks. Garzon said they should remain in jail. Syrian-born Alouni was arrested on 5 September and was ordered to remain in prison without bail, pending trial. Insisting that Alouni is innocent, Al-jazeera has accused the United States and Israel of inciting Spain to incriminate him.
"Dat's right. It's dem Merkins and the Jews!"
Our correspondent in Madrid said Garzon reserved 26 pages out of the 700 to Alouni in which he accused him of having contacts, transporting money and assisting individuals suspected of being members of al-Qaida. The judge emphasised that Alouni did not participate in âterroristâ actions. But he accused him of using his journalistic work to move money and assist an individual to obtain a residency permit, the correspondent said. An Algerian lawyer in London Saad Jabbar told Aljazeera that the charges against Alouni had no solid basis.
And who owuld know better than an Algerian lawyer in London?
Also charged was Imad Eddim Barakat Yarkas, alias Abu Dahdah, suspected by authorities of heading an al-Qaida cell in Spain. He has already been detained by authorities.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/17/2003 14:29 ||
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Danish police say a bomb explosion has destroyed a car, killing one person outside a hospital in Glostrup. Officials did not say whether the vehicle had been booby-trapped, or whether the explosion was caused by the occupant, nor did they give any details about the victim. The vehicle was parked outside the hospital chapel.
"I can say no more!"
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/17/2003 09:04 ||
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#2
Police and hospital officials declined to comment on a report by television channel DR-1 that the victim was a former patient who had threatened a doctor. DR-1 reporter Jan Waldau was at the hospital for personal reasons at the time of the explosion. DR-1 reported that after the blast Mr Waldau overheard a doctor speaking to police about the threat.
Other reports say the police are looking at possible suicide or a "work accident", the bomb went off as the guy was getting ready to bring it into the hospital.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/17/2003 9:52 Comments ||
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#3
Timing is everything. I guess that the doctor and staff feel pretty lucky today.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/17/2003 11:19 Comments ||
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#4
Danish cops have a new theory: Members of a Danish biker gang were being hunted today after a former member was blown up in his car as he drove to a hospital appointment in a Copenhagen suburb. Police said a bomb was slipped under Mickey Borgfjord Larsenâs car as he parked outside the County Hospital in Glostrup. Chief Constable Joern Bro said the explosion destroyed the car and hurled pieces of wreckage, and body parts, dozens of yards around the blast area. He said Larsen was being hunted by other members of the Bandidos gang because he left the group. âIt was a very violent explosion,â he said. âSeveral kilograms of explosive were used.â
Larsen, a convicted kidnapper, had driven to the hospital for weekly physical therapy from a nearby halfway house where he was finishing an eight-year sentence for kidnapping, violence, threats and the theft of six million cigarettes.
Police quickly ruled out terrorism because a doctor who knew the 32-year-old man identified Larsenâs remains.
"Yup, that's his ear."
âWe quickly knew it was related to the biker world so we decided not to evacuate the whole hospital,â Bro said. âWe knew that the bomb was targeting him.â Larsen had been in âbad standingâ with the Bandidos for leaving the group in 2001.
âThat means that he is hunted game for people in biker circles,â Bro said. âHe was very unpopular and had many enemies.â
You really, really don't want the Bandidos pissed off at you.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/17/2003 11:38 Comments ||
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#5
Danish Bandidos would be an excellent name for a band
#6
Banditos is a good restraunt in Fort Wayne. Why would there be Banditos in Denmark. After leaning in one of yesterday's rants that John Glenn is a Mexican immigrant, I am beginning to get paranoid. Do the Mexicans have their eyes on Europe after thay have recaptured California?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/17/2003 12:35 Comments ||
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#7
Juan Glenn; D-OH, Veracruz:
"the reconquista continues until we have regained all our ancestral lands from the saxons and huns!"
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/17/2003 15:19 Comments ||
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Adds detail to last night's entry...
Swedish police today arrested the man they had been seeking in connection with the killing of foreign minister Anna Lindh, amid media reports that he was linked to the countryâs neo-Nazi organisations. Police did not reveal the name of the suspect, who was tonight arrested in a pub-restaurant in Stockholmâs Solna suburb. A number of media outlets said the suspect was the man police had been hunting since his picture was captured by a video camera at the department store where Lindh was stabbed on September 10. They described him as a 35-year-old who moved in Swedish right-wing extremist circles. "He is close to some of the most notorious neo-Nazis in Sweden," one report said. The suspect was also said to have a criminal record dating back to 1987 and to have served short spells in prison for theft, vandalism and illegal possession of arms, they said.
Now he can serve a short stint for knifing to death a politician. No telling what he'll do after he gets out this time. Well, actually, there is...
The man had no fixed address and travelled regularly between Sweden and Switzerland, where he had been receiving treatment for cocaine abuse, they alleged. He was described as unemployed and psychologically unstable. But a psychiatric profile, established in 2002, attested that he had "no serious mental problems", reports said. Police declined to confirm any of the media reports.
"Slaughters politicians like goats in malls? Of course it's a problem, but I wouldn't call that a serious mental problem..."
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
09/17/2003 2:04:36 AM ||
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Posted by: Steve ||
09/17/2003 11:19 Comments ||
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#3
Nothing about that yet.The Swedish newspapers claimed today that the suspect's friend tipped the police.
PS.It look as if I was half-right.The killer had neo-Nazi connections,though he probably worked alone.
PPS. Just yesterday the fish wrappers here in Scandinavia were making a fuss about how the investigation was mired in a quagmire.Comparisons were drawn with the still-unsolved Palme case 17 years ago.The police were accused of incompetence,etc.Sound familiar?
Posted by: El Id ||
09/17/2003 11:27 Comments ||
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#4
I hope he does get a short sentence - say twelve inches.
Either that, or we import him into the United States and turn him loose on the 9th Circus Chortle.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/17/2003 14:15 Comments ||
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#5
In Sweden?He'll be on parole in ten years' time.
Posted by: El Id ||
09/17/2003 18:45 Comments ||
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#6
The man had no fixed address and travelled regularly between Sweden and Switzerland, where he had been receiving treatment for cocaine abuse, they alleged. He was described as unemployed and psychologically unstable.
If he was unemployed, how did he get the money to travel regularly to Switzerland?
A new liberal group with major backing from leftist moonbat with a few dollars to spend billionaire George Sauron Soros has declared its intention to raise $75 million to defeat President Bush and other conservatives next year in an effort separate from the Democratic Party and the new campaign-finance restrictions imposed on it. "We want to have a chance in the next election"
The McCain-Feingold law, taking effect for the first time this election cycle, has cut off the Democratic Partyâs much-needed flow of soft money. So liberal activists are forming new groups not subject to the restrictions.
Through June, the Republican National Committee raised $55 million in hard money, the DNC $18 million. Individuals and political action committees can each give only small amounts in hard money, but soft money donations are unlimited.
America Coming Together (ACT), the just-founded political action committee (PAC) that can raise both hard and soft money, may be the most ambitious new group so far. In announcing its formation last month, organizers said it planned to raise $75 million to defeat Bush and other conservatives. Soros, who chairs Soros Fund Management LLC and is reportedly worth $5 billion, has already given $10 million to the group.
In a written statement issued August 8, he said, "The fate of the world depends on the United States and President Bush is leading us in the wrong direction. The Bush doctrine is both false and dangerous. The rest of the world is having an allergic reaction to it, as we have seen in Iraq. We need to change direction." Self-decieved, this moonbat.
ACT head Ellen Malcolm, who also serves as president of the radical feminist political group EMILYâs List, was more explicit. ACT will conduct "a massive get-out-the-vote operation that we think will defeat George W. Bush in 2004," she told the Washington Post August 8.
Since then, more details of ACTâs plan and supporters have been released. According to the group, it will engage only in voter registration and get-out-the-vote (GOTV) campaigns. It will not run ads or give money to candidates, and as long as it does not co-ordinate its efforts with candidates or political parties, its registration and GOTV activities will be in compliance with election laws.
In the June 2003 American Prospect, Soros implied that the approach taken to the war on terrorism by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft and President Bush makes them "extremists." "The ultimate truth is beyond human reach...," said Soros. "Bush makes absolutely no allowance for the possibility that we may be wrong, and he has no tolerance for dissenting opinion. If you are not with us you are against us, he proclaims. Donald Rumsfeld berates our European allies who disagree with him on Iraq in no uncertain terms, and he has a visceral aversion to international cooperation, be it with NATO or UN peacekeepers in Afghanistan. And [Atty. Gen.] John Ashcroft accuses those who opposed the USA Patriot Act of giving aid and comfort to the enemy. These are the views of extremists, not adherents to an open society." "AIIEEE! Fy lifs! And fy nose is so long!
ACT will focus on 17 states: Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
In addition to Malcolm, other prominent liberal activists involved with ACT, include Andrew Stern, president of the Service Employees International Union; Steve Rosenthal, former AFL-CIO political director and now head of Big Laborâs Partnership for Americaâs Families; Cecile Richards, president of America Votes, a new group similar to ACT and Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club.
The group reports that it has $30 million so far in contributions or commitments, the biggest chunk from Soros. It reported receiving $8 million from labor groups and more from wealthy individuals including Peter Lewis, founder of Progressive Insurance; Anne Bartley, former president of the Rockefeller Family Fund; Patricia Bauman of the Bauman Family Foundation; and Rob McKay, head of the McKay Family Foundation. Go do the whole planet a favor amd make Sore-Ass say "Curses! Foiled again!"
#1
When the Nazis occupied Hungary,young George Soros survived by being sheltered by a Hungarian family while the Gestapo sent most of the country's Jews into concentration camps.After the Allied victory,that other Jew-hating dictator,Stalin,imposed his own Utopia on Hungary.Soros promptly fled to the West.
That Soros is still alive is thanks to people who thought tyranny should be defeated,not appeased.Not 'dialogued' with.Taliban,Bin Laden and Saddam would all have gladly stopped murdering Kurds,Khazaras and office workers in Manhattan had they had some Jews to kick around.It certainly wasn't for lack of will that they didn't.
If Bush and Ashcroft are 'extremists',what does that make of Saddam and Bin Laden?Or Hitler and Stalin?Should we ask Soros?
Posted by: El Id ||
09/17/2003 18:41 Comments ||
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#2
George really needs to watch the soap in the shower. Old age and all
#3
The group reports that it has $30 million so far in contributions or commitments, the biggest chunk from Soros. It reported receiving $8 million from labor groups and more from wealthy individuals including Peter Lewis, founder of Progressive Insurance; Anne Bartley, former president of the Rockefeller Family Fund; Patricia Bauman of the Bauman Family Foundation; and Rob McKay, head of the McKay Family Foundation.
#5
All the money in the world won't help them. There's one thing the Dummycheats lack that stops them cold - they have no IDEAS. They are the party of divisiveness and hatred. Until they can actually say "we stand for xxxxx", and MEAN it, they will continue to be flushed down the drain of history. Listen to the debate, listen to the shrill sound of the gaggle of candidates for George Bush's office - all they can do is say how bad a job George is doing. None of them have a CLUE what to do that might be better. Until the Democratic party can attract someone other than clueless, no-brain screechers, they will never again be a majority party.
That said, the Republicans need to stop playing Democratic games, get behind their president, and do whatever it takes to get the man's agenda moving. That includes judicial appointments, legislature, and beating the gong for public attention. The last thing we need right now is a cowardly, self-centered, narcissistic Congress, unwilling to do what it takes to win the war we're in up to our eye teeth.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/17/2003 21:57 Comments ||
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#6
--In a written statement issued August 8, he said, "The fate of the world depends on the United States and President Bush is leading us in the wrong direction. The Bush doctrine is both false and dangerous. The rest of the world is having an allergic reaction to it, as we have seen in Iraq. We need to change direction." --
Boy he must have lost a lot of money. And access???
Article is posted in todayâs Human Events. It is included as an example of why Enviromentalists have not been more sucessful in gaining support for Koyoto within the Democratic Party
Is the Lieberman-McCain climate change bill a good idea? Union members certainly donât think so. On September 9, a coalition called âUnions for Jobs and the Environmentâ (UJAE) circulated a letter in opposition to S. 139, the Climate Stewardship Act of 2003. The Teamsters, Boilermakers, Electrical Workers, the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, the Utility Workers Union, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, the United Transportation Union, the Transportation and Communications International Union, the United Mine Workers, and Marine Engineers all urged senators to vote against the bill, denouncing it as "a bad idea."
Along with pointing out that there are no "off-the-shelf technologies to reduce CO2 emissions," the UJAE said passing S. 139 would be "tantamount to adoption of the Kyoto Protocol"--a treaty, the unions note, that was officially rejected by the AFL-CIO in 1997--because it would cost "American jobs and economic opportunity."
"It is vital to the health of the U.S. economy," the unions wrote, "that the diversity of fuel use be maintained. Currently, most electricity is generated with coal, followed by nuclear, natural gas, and hydro.
"We are concerned that the burden created by S. 139 would fall disproportionately on coal, thereby making the economy more dependent on other fuels, particularly natural gas--a commodity experiencing substantial price escalations. Viewed in this context, S. 139 is simply a bad idea."
It should also be noted that, in addition to its devastating economic impact, Lieberman-McCain would do nothing for the environment. Just look at Kyoto, which is more far-reaching than Lieberman-McCain. Altero Matteoli, Italyâs minister for the environment and territory, said on July 7 that, "Within the framework of [Kyoto], we will manage to reach a 2 percent reduction in emissions at best, but we all know that we need to halve greenhouse emissions world-wide by 2050 in order to prevent further damage to climate."
Now, even if one concedes that man-made greenhouse gas emissions are the overwhelming causes of global warming, according to Matteoli, the world would have to reduce emissions by 50 percent to have any effect. Put another way, the world would need 25 Kyotos (or a lot more Lieberman-McCains) to reduce temperatures to an acceptable level (whatever that may be). The Energy Information Administration said one Kyoto would cost the U.S. economy $400 billion annually. Even using (at a minimum) a linear calculation--which is dubious--thatâs a lot of money for nothing.
Mr. Catanzaro is Communications Director for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
Disclaimer: since leaving the US Navy I have worked in supervision in a conventional power plant, a forging facility and now in an automotive assembly plant (that is unionized.) I am not a supporter of Koyoto for a multitude of reasons that you may consider valid or invalid depending on your own leanings.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/17/2003 12:11:48 PM ||
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#1
There is increasing evidence that the world is in the midst of a known variable cycle of solar output. There's an indicator that we have already peaked, and are on the downward side of that cycle. There's also evidence that the known solar cycle is only a small part of a series of other cycles that sometimes reach maximum and minimum at the same time, causing extremes of both heat and cold. The latest satellite data indicates we're beginning to cool off after one such maximum. I'd wait a bit to see if they're right, and if additional data supports the theory. Unlike "Global Warming" scientists, most reputable scientific groups and individuals understand that when the data doesn't match the theory, you change the theory. Global warming, despite all the hype, is still just a theory.
I've always wondered, too, how CO2, which makes up less than three percent of all greenhouse gasses, had so much control over the environment. In my thinking, water vapor, which accounts for 95% of all greenhouse gasses, would be a more likely candidate. I guess, though, that it would be harder to convince the 'man in the street' to give up water than to give up "some" CO2 generation - I.E., internal combustion engines. Neither makes a whole helluva lot of sense. It seems the global warming whiners want to tame the problem using techniques they know won't work, so they can impose more drastic restrictions. Kinda like taming a lion by trimming his mane.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/17/2003 14:31 Comments ||
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#2
Belgium is also figuring out Kyoto's a ringer.
But at this point in time they're stuck w/it.
So is Canuckistan, full implementation by 2012(?). Am not looking forward to being sandwiched between 2 3rd world countries.
#3
Here is my standard global warming rant:
I have a multi phase plan to fight carbon dioxide emissions. Phase one is to identify morons who insist on spouting global warming doomsday rhetoric. Phase two is to point out to them that the process of animated preaching leads to excess carbon dioxide emissions from their pie hole. Phase three is to do my part to combat their negligent generation of hot greenhouse gases by taking direct action. I plan to let my grass grow a half in higher until they shut-up.
While carbon dioxide is generated during combustion, the gas is heavier than nitrogen. The high percentage of carbon dioxide produced will tend to fall in the atmosphere. This effect should trap heat very near the surface of the earth, probably near my ankles. If residents of the United States are prevented from growing their grass higher by the prescribed half inch by the draconian edicts of their local homeowners association, I suggest they compensate for the added ankle warmth by wearing thinner socks. Note - every bit as much science went into my arbitrary creation of a half inch grass mandate as went into the Koyoto Treaty.
If we really want to decimate our economy, we should enact really austere carbon dioxide limits on all industry that we want to export to the third world where production the same industrial processes can be run without any restrictions on greenhouse gases.
Lets raise minimum wage by a buck also so that every kid in America can practice on a Play station all summer instead of getting an entry level job.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/17/2003 17:42 Comments ||
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At least 12 people including two suspected local rebel commanders were killed in separatist violence in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Separatists and troops exchanged fire in the village of Narwani, 55 kilometres south of Srinagar, leaving two rebels and a security force soldier dead, said Border Security Force (BSF) spokesman Tirtha Acharya. The spokesman said one of the rebels had been identified as Abu Umair, a divisional commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba. âHe was involved in the massacre of 24 Hindus in Nadimarg village of south Kashmir in March this year and was also close to one of the slain militants involved in last yearâs attack on Akshradham temple in Gujarat,â Mr Acharya said.
In another incident, the BSF shot dead two militants in Tral, 40 kilometres south of Srinagar. One had been wanted by authorities and belonged to the Hizbul Mujahideen.
Overnight, police said Manzoor Ahmed, a 20-year-old Muslim who ran an electrical repair shop in the village of Muran south of Srinagar, was shot dead by rebels.
Suspected rebels abducted another civilian Nazir Rather in the southern village of Pariwan and slit his throat, police said. No rebel group has claimed responsibility for the two deaths.
A police spokesman in Jammu reported the killing of a Hizbul Mujahideen leader. Hizbul district commander Abdul Latif Bhind was killed in a gunbattle in the southern district of Doda late Sunday in which two more militants were injured, the official said.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
09/17/2003 1:34:58 AM ||
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DUBAI (Reuters) - Iraqâs former Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf said on Wednesday Iraq had destroyed all banned chemical weapons, missiles and its nuclear program immediately after the 1991 Gulf War. Finally! a credible source!
Sahaf -- nicknamed asshat "Comical Ali" during the U.S.-led war -- was speaking to Abu Dhabi television in the first of a seven-series program about his account of the war that toppled President Saddam Hussein. Iraqâs alleged weapons of mass destruction were a key justification for launching the war. "All these horrible people kept asking me questions!!! I just panicked!
"Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction, this is the truth," he said. "The chemical weapons and missiles were destroyed since the 1991 war, also the nuclear program." And we bought all of those skeletons & bodies from India -- Saddam wanted to open up a new medical supplies business.
Sahaf said Baghdad had also destroyed a program to develop biological weapons because "it was useless." U.N. arms inspectors never found proof of chemical or biological arms in Iraq, although they did uncover al-Samoud missiles that exceeded the 90-mile range permitted by the United Nations . Actually, the biological weapons people were killed by the chemical weapons people -- they were very jealous of the k00l names they got to use, like Anthrax.
Sahaf, who turned himself in to U.S. forces and was later released, went to the United Arab Emirates in July, saying he might not return to his homeland. The beggars in Baghdad have reportedly changed their plea to "Alms for keeping Sahaf in Dubai!"
The former minister is famous for his repeated denials that U.S. troops were in Baghdad in spite of the evidence. Is he still denying it? I havenât heard...
#1
"Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction, this is the truth," he said " Also there are NO Americans in Baghdad. They are killing themselves on the walls of the city! We are roasting their belly buttons!" How can you tell he lies? Answer: His lips are moving!
#5
If I were in the US administration, I would continue to have this this clown parrot every assertion that Hans Blix makes. He is a priceless asset. Put him under 24 hour protection immediately. Fly him in a Slurpie machine if he so desires. Keep him talking to the media and make sure his picture is continually broadcast on the Arab street.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/17/2003 20:13 Comments ||
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#6
Rex Mundi, "proof positive" indeed. I just posted this one on my own blog with that exact title. Before I checked the comments here. (Great minds think alike, and so do ours.)
Posted by: Kathy K ||
09/17/2003 21:02 Comments ||
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AN AMERICAN general has promised to treat Saddam Husseinâs fugitive defence minister with "utmost dignity and respect" if he surrenders to United States forces. The commanding general of the 101st Airborne, Maj-Gen David Petraeus, made the offer in a letter written in response to a request by Sultan Hashim Ahmedâs family and tribal chiefs that the army remove Mr Ahmedâs name from Americaâs list of 55 most wanted Iraqi officials in return for his surrender.
"In a word, 'no'."
"I offer you a simple, yet honourable alternative to a life on the run from coalition forces in order to avoid capture, imprisonment and loss of honour and dignity befitting a general officer," Maj-Gen Petraeus said in the letter, written at the end of last month. "I officially request your surrender to me. In return, I will accept this from you in person. You have my word that you will be treated with the utmost dignity and respect, and that you will not be physically or mentally mistreated while under my custody. As a sign of good faith, I will personally ensure that my staff will attend to any medical conditions you have," the letter over Maj-Gen Petraeusâs name and signature said.
Yup. That's a "no."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/17/2003 13:00 ||
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#1
Here, take this oral antibiotic giggle juice, er fruit juice, General and that will clear up your inflection, er infection.
#2
Oddly, in the link list at the top of the page, this story appears right above the one about the Princess marrying the acrobat. Evidently the same offer to preserve her dignity was not made.
#3
How Clintonian "will not be physically or mentally mistreated while under mycustody".
How long does that last? Two hours? Two days? Ahmed...I'd like you to meet Dr's Payne and Hurten. I'll be transferring you to their custody now. You take care...see ya round.
#4
Ahmed is this guy: During the 1991 Gulf War, Ahmed, then a lieutenant general, was deputy chief of staff of the Defense Ministry, and was picked by Saddam to head the Iraqi delegation at cease-fire talks at Safwan, an airstrip just north of the Kuwait-Iraq border. Ahmed was responsible for persuading Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf to allow Iraq to use military helicopters on official business. The allies came to regret that decision a month or so later when the Iraqis used helicopter gunships to help quell rebellious Shiites in Basra and Kurds in the north.
Just tell he's got 24 hours to turn himself in or we turn the subject over to the Kurds.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/17/2003 15:28 Comments ||
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#5
Maj-Gen Petraeus just offered Sultan Hashim Ahmed a nice honorable surrender and no mistreatment. Nothing else. Nice words, though. Ahmed better take it because that is the best that he will get. We are holding all the cards. On the lam he will be toast.
"Damn, we're in a tight spot!"
-Ulysses Everett McGill in the movie Oh, Brother, where art thou?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/17/2003 15:47 Comments ||
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#6
"Fugitive is offered his dignity for surrender"
How can you offer a guy "HIS" dignity? I mean, something which he never had in the first place?
#7
"Dignity" what regime do we think we're talking to. He was a member of the demento squad. Offer him a blow-up doll, a roll of paper towels, seven jars of Vasaline, six Hustler magazines, unlimited Viagra and soem Neil Diamond records. His entire staff may surrender at once.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/17/2003 20:17 Comments ||
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Arabic television channel Al Arabiya aired Wednesday an audio tape it said was from ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in which he demanded the United States unconditionally withdraw its forces from Iraq. "How DARE you free them!"
The speaker on the tape also urged Iraqis to intensify attacks against U.S. forces and to "wage holy war by all means against the foolish invaders." "Get lost. We need to put their chains back on them."
Addressing the United States, the voice on the poor quality recording said: "We call on you to withdraw your forces as soon as possible, and without any conditions, as you can not bear any more losses as these losses will be catastrophic for you." Then his lips fell off.
"Your withdrawal from our country is inevitable, whether it happens today or tomorrow, and tomorrow will come soon." The voice also told Iraqis not to become complacent with the occupation, adding: "O Iraqis! O fighters, men and women, you must tighten the noose around the Americans and increase your attacks against them. You must conduct jihad by all means possible, financial and otherwise." "Drive the Good Guys⢠bankrupt!"
The speaker gave the date of the recording as September. Arab channels have in the past aired several recordings purportedly made by Saddam who was ousted in the U.S. invasion of Iraq in April. The Iraqi leadersâ whereabouts remain unknown. An audio tape purportedly from Saddam, aired on September 1, denied he had any part in postwar Iraqâs bloodiest bombing which killed a top Shiite Muslim cleric and more than 80 others. But he also urged more attacks on the occupiers. "Kill them all and report for chain reforging!"
#2
Now this is entertainment. Listening to Sammy rage about how he's powerless is just amusing me to no end. If it's really Sammy, that is....
Posted by: Charles ||
09/17/2003 12:39 Comments ||
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#3
"Pay no attention to that fellow behind the curtain..."
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/17/2003 13:51 Comments ||
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#4
Damn! The title said New Zombie album", so I expected to see a report that Rod Argent and the boys had pulled a reunion. Just Sadaam-Sack stuff, what a let-down!
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Former U.N. chief weapons inspector Hans Blix believes that Iraq destroyed most of its weapons of mass destruction 10 years ago, but kept up the appearance that it had them to deter a military attack. The strategy worked, all except for that last part.
In an interview with an Australian radio station broadcast Wednesday, Blix said it was unlikely that the U.S and British teams now searching for weapons in Iraq would find more than some "documents of interest." "Iâm certainly more and more to the conclusion that Iraq has, as they maintained, destroyed all, almost, of what they had in the summer of 1991," Blix told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. Not that you ever figured that out while you were inspecting the place. Wotta sooper-genius.
"The more time that has passed, the more I think itâs unlikely that anything will be found."
Blix indicated he thought the U.S.-led coalition had backtracked on the issue of Iraqâs weapons. "In the beginning they talked about weapons concretely, and later on they talked about weapons programs. Maybe theyâll find some documents of interest," he said. Among those documents will be the ones that detail how the Iraqis penetrated the inspections program. That will make interesting reading.
Blix, who spent three years searching for Iraqi chemical, biological and ballistic missiles as head of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, said Iraq might have tried to fool the United States into believing it had weapons of mass destruction over the years in order to deter attack. "I mean, you can put up a sign on your door, âBeware of the Dog,â without having a dog," he said from his home in Sweden. That Saddam, he sure fooled us. Too bad he didnât think a little more about this, or he would have realized that the US doesnât cotton to blackmail too well.
The United States and its allies Britain and Australia invaded Iraq in May after saying Saddam Husseinâs regime was developing nuclear arms as well as chemical and biological weapons. However, a search by the U.S.-led Iraq Survey Group - which is made up of some 1,400 scientists, military and intelligence experts - has failed to uncover any weapons of mass destruction since the conflict ended. Oh well!
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/17/2003 11:31:59 AM ||
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"Too bad he didnât think a little more about this, or he would have realized that the US doesnât cotton to blackmail too well"
Well, at least this President doesn't.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/17/2003 12:24 Comments ||
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#2
And the beauzeaux won't ever believe Blix because they like to think Bush tricked us. Assholes.
#5
Can you destroy WMD without leaving a trace of the destruction?
Beware of the Dog, without having a dog might be a good strategy to keep a burglar away. How effective is it when hundred men with machine guns are knocking at the door?
Shouldn't Saddam get the Nobel Prize. I mean, he's so noble to destroy his weapons without even telling us. I think this modesty should get some reward, no?
I recommend Blix handing over the Nobel Prize to Saddam in Arafat's residence in Ramallah. Just ignore the little GPS device attached to it. It really doesn't mean anything...
#6
Isn't the US is destroying chemical weapons in an Alabama incinerator as we speak? Wouldn't have been very hard to burn chemicals and biologicals in the big fire pit Sadaam had going outside Baghdad.
Don't no why they dumped some of the drums into the Eufrates. That's not very safe.
I would have thought that Sadaam's minions would have been to paranooid to destroy anything without a signature. Most wouldn't have wanted to be trerated like an Olympic soccer player.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/17/2003 17:53 Comments ||
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EFL:
Up to 2,000 foreign fighters bent on harming Americans and other coalition soldiers in Iraq may have flocked to the Middle East country following its invasion by the United States and Britain, a top White House official acknowledged late Tuesday.
But national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said the administration of President George W. Bush would rather face them in Iraq than in other parts of the world.
"Iâve seen ... estimates of anything from several hundred - high hundreds - to a couple of thousand," said Rice in an interview with ABCâs "Nightline" program, adding that the precise numbers of foreigners fighting in Iraq remained unknown. Rice said these non-Iraqis were hard-core militants trying to get into the country because Iraq has become the central front in the war on terrorism.
"They would have been fighting and committing terrorist acts someplace in the world," said the national security adviser. "Theyâre now drawn to Iraq, where, frankly, we are in a position to confront them and to disable them."
Faced with the guerrilla infiltration problem, the United States has been stepping up pressure on Syria, seen as a key transit point for foreign fighters, accusing it of not doing enough to prevent these elements from crossing its borders.
Rice drove home this point in her interview, saying that "Syria is a country with which we continue to have a number of problems."
"We got some cooperation on closing the border to Iraqi figures who were trying to get out shortly as the war was ending," the national security adviser explained. "But we are constantly reminding the Syrians that they have obligations to make certain that their border is not used for terrorists to cross, that they have obligations to disclose anything that they might be doing with weapons of mass destruction." I love Condi.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/17/2003 10:06:46 AM ||
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#1
Wow. A whole 2,000? The mighty Arab street speaketh again!
You what this actually means? There are a modest number of poorly trained, poorly equipped true believers who mostly took it upon themselves to cross the border, with some help from the Syrians.
They have little to no leadership, because Al Queda has been ripped to shreds. They'll be about as effective as they've been so far: minimal.
Posted by: R. McLeod ||
09/17/2003 16:14 Comments ||
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#2
It would be cool if she gave a number like 1238 foreign fighters and then later in the interview dropped the number to 1235 after looking at her watch and smiling fetchingly.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/17/2003 17:55 Comments ||
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Follow-up to yesterday, severely EFL
ABU GHRAIB, Iraq (AP) - Six people claiming to be Americans and two who say they are British are in U.S. custody on suspicion of involvement in attacks on coalition forces, an American general said Tuesday. They would be the first Westerners reported held in the insurrection against the U.S.-led occupation.
Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, who is in charge of coalition detention centers in Iraq, said they were considered security detainees, meaning they were suspected of involvement in guerrilla attacks. She did not identify them but said they were being interrogated by military intelligence in Baghdad, where they were being held. ``We actually do have six who are claiming to be Americans, two who are claiming to be from the U.K. Weâre continuing the interviewing process. The details become sketchy and their story changes,ââ Karpinski said. Iâll bet it does!
When pressed for details about those being held, she declined to give any other information. ``Weâre not trying to withhold information from you. Some information remains classified for security reasons.ââ "These detainees are speaking gibberish. Rice pudding. You really want that for your paper?"
Asked about the detainees at a Pentagon news conference, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said: ``The truth is that the folks that weâve scooped up have, on a number of occasions, multiple identifications from different countries. " Oh, now I get it, they must be Pakistanis!
"Theyâre quite skilled at confusing people as to what their real nationality is or where they came from or what theyâre doing.ââ Essential skills for the young Islamist! Though these jokers obviously were asleep when this class was given at the madrassa.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/17/2003 1:34:32 AM ||
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#1
how many americans know that d. rumsfeld is a german and g,bush ancesters are from essex,england?i guess there are no more homogenius americans living in america,Am i wrong?
#2
Unless you are a member of a native american indian tribe (and even they came to america over the land bridge from asia during the last ice age) why yes, most american families have their roots some place else. And your point is?
Posted by: Steve ||
09/17/2003 8:47 Comments ||
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#3
UPDATE: ABU GHRAIB, Iraq â Despite a report that six people claiming to be Americans and two who said they were Britons were being held in Iraq on suspicion of plotting attacks on coalition forces, Fox News has learned that there are currently "no U.S. or British citizens being held at Abu Ghraib Prison," according to a spokesman for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad.He said reports Tuesday about possible Americans held at the infamous prison near Baghdad were erroneous. "Several individuals tried to claim they were citizens to avoid arrest," the press officer said. Meanwhile a spokesman for the coalition military command in Baghdad said: "We have no evidence that we are holding American or British civilians" picked up for insurgency or sabotage. But he said many people taken into custody do not have passports with them. "We are always continuing to investigate identities," he added. Tuesday's report stated that the eight persons in U.S. custody claimed to be either American or British, which would have made them the first Westerners reported held in the insurrection against the U.S.-led occupation.
Nothing to see, move along.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/17/2003 9:20 Comments ||
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#5
I was in Tangier on vacation, I took the ferry from Algeceras, Spain over on a lark with my girl friend.
While I was there, I was offered $5,000 for my diplomatic pass port and $1,000 for my tourist passport. I was also offered $5,000 for my girlfriend.
WHen I was living in Frankfurt, the consulate there always had long lines of American students claiming to have lost or had their passports stolen. Word on the street was that many of these dolts were selling them for more spending money and then getting a temp at the Consulate to get home. We always had this feeling that there were a large number of US Passports in circulation in the wrong hands on the black market all over europe.
SO it is not far fetched that they would find some non English speaking Abdullah in Iraq with a US Passport or some other official documentation.
#8
I wonder why we do not apply morals and methods appropriate for the current status of war. If they are Americans they should be summarily executed for being traitors. This is not at all draconian but pragmatic, let alone the moral approach. Think of how many of the enemy are all set to enjoy the romance of the good fight, to be good wahhabists and even kill Americans yet are alos all set to take immigration to America for themselves or their families, to take education in America, as their due, their right. This double dealing has to stop. With us or against us, American or foe. And the worse criminal is the traitor.
Sorry, Hodenon, guess I was still thinking about e.e. cummings' "homogenius" - whether he was trying for 'homogenous' or 'indigenous'. But I'm glad L.H. cleared it up for me...
Oh, the excitement!
BERLIN (AP) - The leaders of Germany, France and Britain will meet in Berlin this weekend to try to coordinate their stands on Iraq and put their differences behind them, government officials said Tuesday. Saturdayâs session will bring together German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac - ardent opponents of the U.S.-led Iraq war - and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who fell out with the other two in the buildup to war.
A likely topic will be the U.S. push at the United Nations for more peacekeeping troops and money for Iraq, where Washington is at odds with France, Russia and China - veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council, as is Britain. ``The aim of the meeting is to force those damned Brits to back down agree on common foreign policy positions, after the French hopped into bed with Saddam views diverged in the run-up to the Iraq liberation war,ââ a German government statement said.
Blairâs government was particularly scathing about Chiracâs opposition to military intervention. Asked whether Saturdayâs meeting was meant to mend fences, Blairâs spokesman said: ``I wonât deny that part of the rationale of having this summit is to look forward to rubbing the Frenchsâ noses on Iraq.ââ About as much as Blair would look forward to spending an evening with George Galloway.
President Bush spoke with Blair on Monday, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. ``They did discuss the ongoing diplomatic efforts, including at the ineffectual United Nations,ââ and touched on Blairâs upcoming meeting with Schroeder and Chirac, he said.
Schroeder and Chirac will meet Thursday for a regular German-French summit in Berlin. Including Blair a few days later is an effort by Berlin and Paris to bludgeon the Brits reach out to the pro-war camp and seek European unity, though how much common ground the three can find on Iraq is unclear. I can guess how much, can you?
Schroeder and Chirac last met two weeks ago and rebuffed a U.S. draft resolution on Iraq, saying it failed to offer a clear perspective for turning over power to a new Iraqi thug government and didnât give the United Nations a strong enough role in postwar Iraq.
State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said Tuesday that the weekend meeting between the European leaders ``would also be an opportunity to build on the points of convergence discussed in Geneva and work toward a consensus resolution on the issue, which is still our goal.ââ
In Paris, the French Foreign Ministry reiterated the need for a quick transition to Iraqi rule and suggested there should be nothing ``symbolicââ about the transfer of power as Franceâs ambassador in Washington had suggested in a television interview. "Certainly not! We will accept no delay in getting new oil contracts signed with the new thug in charge government!"
Blairâs spokesman, who briefed reporters in London on condition of anonymity, acknowledged past differences but said the three leaders now want to focus on ``how we achieve objectives that we have but the French donât all share - a democratic and economically prosperous future for the country.ââ He said the agenda called for a ``fairly wide-ranging discussion on economic matters, and international affairs.ââ
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/17/2003 1:25:55 AM ||
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European Leaders to meet over Iraq
God, we could only hope! Two Airbus 300's colliding with a Vickers Viscount at 34,000 feet. Solve a LOT of problems all at once.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/17/2003 19:23 Comments ||
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Claiming significant successes in Aceh, Indonesian army on Wednesday claimed they had killed 20 rebels including a top-ranking leader. Army officials said that Teungku Jaelani, the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) governor of Central Aceh, was the most senior rebel to have been killed since Jakarta launched its fresh military offensive against the rebels in May. Jaelani was killed together with his wife in an encounter on the slopes of a mountain in Bireuen district, they said. The officials also claimed to have killed 18 other rebels in the latest round of fighting in the troubled province that lies in the northern tip of Sumatra islands. The killings bring to nearly 900 the number of suspected GAM fighters who have died since May. But a rebel spokesman has said he is unaware of the killings.
"What? Dead, you say?... Yo! Taengku! Are you dead?... How about the little woman?"
The army has been accused of exaggerating its battlefield successes and committing extensive rights abuses in Aceh, where more than 35,000 troops are fighting about 5,000 rebels. Rights activists allege that many of the suspected rebels killed are civilians who got caught in the crossfire.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/17/2003 15:46 ||
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The United States has paid Thailand $10m for its part in the arrest of Indonesian terror-suspect Hambali. Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra said the money had arrived and he would decide which police officers and other causes would share the reward. Worth every penny.
Hambali, who was arrested in August north of the Thai capital Bangkok, is now being interrogated by the US. He is thought to be a key figure in the Asian group Jemaah Islamiah, and its link with al-Qaeda. The Thai prime minister said some of the money would be paid to Special Branch Police and local police who helped in the arrest, which is thought to have been orchestrated by the CIA. "The US Government has already given us US$10m for help in the arrest of Hambali, and we will allocate this fairly to the agencies concerned," he said. "Beers on me!"
Posted by: Steve ||
09/17/2003 9:07:12 AM ||
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#1
I think that is a small price to pay for getting that THING out of circulation.
When you compute the costs in lives and property, medical bills and loss of wages to the injured, law suits, investigations, and court costs, this is small change for what the cost of the clean up and repairs both property and human costs of a terrorist act are.
Can we do this again and maybe get a few of the Al Qaeda thugs off the streets. And how about them Baathists, I think we should give all of our soldiers a visa card and let them pay like crazy for information.........a priming of the Iraqi economy and a wealth of information.
#2
Duane Dog Chapman would have done the job for $5M as long as Rita Cosby interviewed him.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/17/2003 12:48 Comments ||
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#3
Money well spent and an excellent PR move having them acknowledge receiving it - now other potential bounty hunters know it's a real offer.
BTW Super Hose - you're on the mark - she had "Dog" wrapped around her little finger, didn't she?
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/17/2003 16:35 Comments ||
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#4
It was a mutual use. Dog can probably write a more credible best-seller than that stupid kid searching for trouble in the mountains of Columbia.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/17/2003 20:30 Comments ||
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Indonesian police have uncovered a plot to blow up the national and Jakarta police headquarters following the arrest of 15 people suspected of involvement in terrorism.
Ahah! Dire Revenge™! C'mon! 'Fess up! Who's surprised?
The suspects were arrested in August and September but the announcement was not made until earlier this week. Police said then the 15 were planning further terror attacks but did not know the target. Today they said the suspects had planned to stage attacks on the police headquarters. They have also been accused of giving refuge to suspects in October's Bali bombings and the JW Marriott hotel blast. One of the 15 is a Malaysian national identified as Syamsul Bahri alias Farhan, said to be in charge of bomb-making.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/17/2003 08:45 ||
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Why doesnât he die already?
FORMER US president sure - rub it in Jimmy Carter said overnight that President George W. Bush was too busy handling a broad range of international affairs to focus on settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "Heâs obviously distracted - thatâs why he doesnât give the PA everything they want, like I or Bill C would"
"It would be impossible today for president Bush to go in immersion at Camp David with Israelis and Palestinians for 13 days to work out an agreement" Carter said, recalling his own experience exactly 25 years ago ahead of the signing of the Camp David peace accords with Israel and Egypt. Spending 13 days in close proximity to Arafat is too much to ask of anybodyAt the time, Carter went to work at the Maryland mountain retrait joined by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. After 12 days of private talks they emerged and signed the first agreement ever between Israel and an Arab neighbour.
"The president has so many foreign policy problems on his desk," Carter said, from Iraq to North Korea to terrorism and nuclear arms proliferation. "half of which I caused or compounded" he said, grinning widely
Carter, who spoke at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, said the roadmap for Mideast peace including the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005 was "identical with the basic premises of Camp David, Oslo and the Declaration of Principles," the first peace pact between Israel and the Palestinians signed in Washington September 13,1993. "except the Jews wouldnât die, dammit"
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/17/2003 9:22:11 PM ||
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#1
Wasn't sure where to post this - Carter's caused trouble in 2/3rds of your regional designations, Fred
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/17/2003 21:23 Comments ||
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#2
Could it be that the world (including the dangerous parts) is a bit bigger than the PA territories?
#3
I have a humble proposal -- the 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:
Section 1. No person who has served as President pursuant to Article II of the United States Constitution shall be permitted to discuss politics, domestic or foreign, for a period of 50 years after his or her [very PC of me, huh?] term of office or eligibility to hold such office has expired.
Section 2. Notwithstanding the First Amendment to the United States Constitution, the Congress shall have the power to make laws preventing such former Presidents from appearing on television, speaking at political rallies, writing op-ed pieces and otherwise being insufferable gas bags.
Section 3. The right of the People to tell such former Presidents to shut the f*ck up shall not be infringed.
Posted by: Tibor ||
09/17/2003 21:49 Comments ||
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Jimmih Kahtah is the biggest doofus to ever serve as president of the United States, and that takes some doing! Warren G. Harding fades to second place behind the man that thought because he said something, it was real. The so-called "Camp David Accords" were dead before they hit the floor. Instead of fighting Israel directly, Egypt began doing it through proxies, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad. I don't think it's an accident of history that Arafart is Egyptian - I think he was recruited, trained, and encouraged to be the burr under the saddle he's been for the last twenty-five years. Kill him, and have all the evidence point to Jimmih baybee.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/17/2003 22:02 Comments ||
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#6
He was a helluva peanut farmer. A fitting epitath for him when he goes.
#7
"It would be impossible today for president Bush to go in immersion at Camp David with Israelis and Palestinians for 13 days to work out an agreement" Carter said, recalling his own experience exactly 25 years ago ahead of the signing of the Camp David peace accords with Israel and Egypt.
Well Jimmy, you stupid f**k, didn't it occur to you that back then the non-Israeli side wanted peace? Anwar Sadat proved it, and he also paid for it with his life. The same can't be said of Arafat, or any of his lackeys that he appoints to the post of PM. The only peace that the Palestinians seek is the peace that comes after all the Jews have been killed.
From Geostrategy Direct...requires subscription....
North Korea has accelerated its Taepo Dong-2 program and now appears ready to export the advanced intermediate-range missiles to Middle East clients.
U.S. officials said Pyongyang obtained Russian expertise and technology to complete the Taepo Dong-2, a missile with a range of nearly 6,000 kilometers. The officials said the Russian expertise has improved the missileâs guidance system.
North Korea has already begun producing the Taepo Dong-2. The most likely customer for the newly-designed missile is Iran, the officials said. Libya has also expressed interest.
"Iran wants the missile fast and is prepared to pay for it," a U.S. official said. "North Korea embarked on a crash program of the Taepo Dong-2 and with Russian aid has vastly improved this missile."
The first model of the Taepo Dong was based on the Scud missile. The Scud B, which North Korea acquired from Egypt in the early 1980s, has served as the basis for the extended Scud C, Scud D, No-Dong and Taepo Dong-1 missiles.
Much of the Taepo Dong has been redesigned with Russian help. The redesign was based on Russiaâs SS-N-6 or Serb, which is a submarine-launched liquid-fuel ballistic missile with a range of 3,200 kilometers. It was first deployed in 1969. The missile can carry a 1 metric ton warhead.
Russia refers to the missile as the R-27 and it has undergone several improvements. The R-27U, deployed in 1975, can carry single and multiple warheads. Moscow has asserted the missileâs accuracy has increased by 15 percent over previous models.
Iranian interest in the Taepo Dong-2 has grown over the past few months following the U.S.-led war in Iraq and threats to destroy Teheranâs nuclear program, believed to be developing nuclear weapons. Iranâs Shihab-3 and Shihab-4, based on North Korean technology, have failed to reach full production stage because of a lack of engines.
Iran also wants North Korea to use its newly acquired guidance system technology to improve the accuracy of the Shihab-3 intermediate-range missile. In a June test, the Shihab-3 exceeded its projected range and flew 1,380 kilometers.
Pyongyang has also received Chinaâs help to improve its missiles. Officials said Chinese companies often use North Korean fronts to export missiles and nuclear components.
"Although China recently issued updated regulations on the export of chemical and biological agents, as well as missile-related export controls, full implementation and effective enforcement are still lacking," Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday. "We continue to see disturbing cases of proliferation activities by certain Chinese firms."
On Sept. 13, the United States led the first of 10 exercises in an effort to coordinate missions to seize suspected shipments of missiles and weapons of mass destruction from North Korea to Middle East clients. The two-day exercise, called Pacific Protector, tested the capabilities of 11 nations, led by Australia, to intercept and search vessels, aircraft and land vehicles suspected of transporting WMD-related cargoes.
"We think [it] will have a dramatic negative impact in international commerce that will, in turn, slow down the ability of potential proliferators to get the technology that they need," a senior U.S. official said.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/17/2003 4:35:48 PM ||
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#1
The Prince of Darkness grim
We tremble not for him
His rage we can endure
For lo! his doom is sure.
One little word shall fell him ~Martin Luther
#5
Taepo-Dong 2 was a big no-show at the recent B-day parade for Kimmie, however. This sucker (the missile, that is) has been getting beaucoup attention from the neighbors, and was supposed to be the highlight of the big parade.
Either they sensed (in their uncanny feral way) that every satellite we own was poised to photograph their shiny new toy, or they were still buffing it out.
More poxes on them.
Posted by: Mark IV ||
09/17/2003 18:46 Comments ||
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#6
So what, for $50M the Russians will provide us with the Lat and Long of the production facility.
You would think that a torpedo would leave a telltale hole through the hull, but that's a misconception. The underwater explosion breaks the keel and the ship sinks like it it was structurally unstable.
Bet Kim's little diesel subs don't stray far from home. A sub wouldn't even have a chance to radio.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/17/2003 20:26 Comments ||
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#7
Lemme get this straight...
In addition to a lot of balls, the Norks now have a really big dong?...
EFL
Palestinian leader The Arafish Yasser Arafat pretended to offer offered a new
truce to Israel on Wednesday in an interview on an
Israeli TV station, after Palestinian officials
said the militant group Hamas has signaled it
might agree to stop attacks on Israelis. Yeah right.
But Israeli leaders say they
want to first see Palestinian
action to take Hamas and other
militant groups out of
commission before considering a
cease-fire. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twiceâŠ
Interviewed on Israel TVâs
Channel 2, Arafat, was asked if
there was a possibility for a
new truce. "Of course," he said. "Youâre
invited. The announcement was made yesterday,"
referring to remarks by his security adviser,
Jibril Rajoub, on Tuesday.
Interviewed by Israel TVâs Channel 10, Arafat
said contacts are underway with all Palestinian
factions over a cease-fire. "Even the Islamic
Jihad said they are willing to respect a cease
fire, and we are continuing our contacts with
Hamas," he said. Immediately, his nose grew to an incredible size, his lips fell off, a zither string broke, and his legs shrank.
Israel has said it will press on with the
campaign if the Palestinians donât act to
disarm the militants, as required by the "road
map" plan. The Palestinians have said that must
be done in consultation, rather than
confrontation, with the militant groups.
"Israel does not accept the idea of a cease-fire
as a means or as an alternative to fighting
terror," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman
Jonathan Peled said. But he added Israeli sees
a cease-fire "as an eventual possibility after
we have found a Palestinian partner who begins
to fight terror." In other words, not during this generation.
#1
"Lucy: Why donât you let me hold he football for you Charlie Brown?
Charlie: DO YOU THINK IâM CRAZY? Do you think you can fool me with the same trick every year?
Lucy: Oh, I wonât pull the ball away, Charlie Brown. I promise you. I give my Bonded word!
Charlie: All right. Iâll trust you. I have an undying faith in human nature!
(Charlie begins his run towards the ball) I believe that people who want to change can do so, and I believe that they should be given a chance to prove themselves. (Lucy pulls the ball away just as Charlie begins his kick) "AAUGH!" "WUMP!"
Lucy: Charlie Brown, your faith in human nature is an inspiration to all young people."
Details of Russiaâs surprise occupation of Pristina airport at the end of the Kosovo war are revealed in a new BBC documentary on the conflict. For the first time, the key players in the tense confrontation between Nato and Russian troops talk about the stand-off which jeopardised the entire peacekeeping mission. The Russians, who played a crucial role in persuading Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to end the war, had expected to police their own sector of Kosovo, independent of Nato. When they did not get it, they felt double-crossed.
As Natoâs K-For peacekeepers prepared to enter the province on 12 June, they discovered the Russians had got there first. A contingent of 200 troops, stationed in Bosnia, was already rolling towards Pristina airport. General Wesley Clark, Natoâs supreme commander, immediately ordered 500 British and French paratroopers to be put on standby to occupy the airport. ââI called the [Nato] Secretary General [Javier Solana] and told him what the circumstances were,ââ General Clark tells the BBC programme Moral Combat: Nato at War. ââHe talked about what the risks were and what might happen if the Russianâs got there first, and he said: âOf course you have to get to the airportâ. I said: âDo you consider I have the authority to do so?â He said: âOf course you do, you have transfer of authorityâ.ââ
But General Clarkâs plan was blocked by General Sir Mike Jackson, K-Forâs British commander. "Iâm not going to start the Third World War for you," he reportedly told General Clark during one heated exchange. General Jackson tells the BBC: ââWe were [looking at] a possibility....of confrontation with the Russian contingent which seemed to me probably not the right way to start off a relationship with Russians who were going to become part of my command.ââ
The Russian advance party took the airport unopposed. The world watched nervously. A senior Russian officer, General Leonid Ivashev, tells the BBC how the Russians had plans to fly in thousands of troops. ââLetâs just say that we had several airbases ready. We had battalions of paratroopers ready to leave within two hours,ââ he said. Amid fears that Russian aircraft were heading for Pristina, General Clark planned to order British tanks and armoured cars to block the runways to prevent any transport planes from landing. General Clark said he believed it was ââan appropriate course of actionââ. But the plan was again vetoed by Britain.
Instead, he asked neighbouring countries, including Hungary and Romania not to allow Russian aircraft to overfly their territory. During the stand-off, Moscow insisted its troops would be answerable only to its own commanders. Nato refused to accept this, predicting it would lead to the partition of Kosovo into an ethnic Albanian south and a Serbian north. A deal on the deployment of Russian peacekeepers was reached in early July. The Russians now operate as part of K-For in sectors controlled by Nato states, but are not directly under Natoâs command.
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
09/17/2003 3:02:49 PM ||
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Since I was a fly on the wall during this conflict I can offer the following: We did NOT expect the Russians to take Pristina Airport (or anything else) and the big worry was 'what the hell are they doing here?'. General Clark, Supreme Allied Commander NATO, do not know what the Russians were doing in Pristina. I suspect that the Philander-in-Chief was too busy with Monica to brief his Commander about a side deal with Russia. I think the troll (Albright) made the deal to get the Serbs out of Kosovo so that we could go unopposed. This was SOP for Clinton, he didnât (nor did the shrew) like or trust the military. Yes we almost went to war with the Russian over Kosovo, but all the blame cannot be laid on Clark. I donât think Clark would make a good President (He doesnât understand politics), but I canât fault him when he didnât have all the information. Trust me I was puckered up about this at the time and I had vision of missiles and nuclear holocaust OVER KOSOVO! General Clark was responding to what he thought was a Russian threat and Sir Mike did not want to be part of that fight. Good call on his part!
From Geostrategy Direct...requires subscription....
U.S. troops stationed in Japan are participating in an 11-nation ship inspection exercise this week near Australia.
The U.S. Marines Third Expeditionary Brigade stationed in Okinawa joined the exercises along with 10 other allied nations.
The goal of the exercises is to develop procedures to halt shipments of weapons of mass destruction and missiles by challenging ships at sea, the Japanese-language Okinawa Times reported last week.
Although not publicly stated, the intended target of the exercises is North Korea. Earlier this year, Australia detected and caught a North Korean cargo ship carrying high-quality heroin off its coast. Last December the Spanish navy challenged a suspicious North Korean ship off Yemen and discovered Scud missiles.
The exercises are part of the Proliferation Security Initiative that President Bush announced in May. In addition to the U.S., Japan and Spain, other participating countries include Great Britain, Australia, France (for the entertainment value), Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Poland.
Bush administration officials emphasized the initiative was not intended to impose a blockade against any nation but is merely aimed at interdicting illegal exports.
North Korea has warned that it would consider a blockade as an act of war. The screws are being slowly tightened on the Norks.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/17/2003 2:25:33 PM ||
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Weren't the Russians also taking part in these?
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/17/2003 15:59 Comments ||
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Frank---all that I read mentioned 11 nations. No Russia there, but France is there, by gawd.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/17/2003 16:45 Comments ||
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The U.S. Army on Tuesday revealed that all records and documents about the weapons that jammed during the March 23 ambush that led to the death of nine Fort Bliss soldiers were destroyed in the Iraqi attack and that there is no way to trace the weaponsâ histories.
The Army, responding to an El Paso Times request under the Freedom of Information Act, said any official information about the weapons used by Fort Blissâ 507th Maintenance Company was lost on a supply truck taken into combat.
An official report on the ambush near Nasiriyah said that several weapons, including M-16s, M249 Squad Automatic Weapons and a .50-caliber machine gun, jammed or failed to operate properly during the firefight.
The disclosure that the records were lost shocked, bewildered and further angered relatives of soldiers who were killed in the early morning ambush, which is among the worst losses for the U.S. military during Operation Iraqi Freedom. In addition to the nine Fort Bliss soldiers killed, two from the 3rd Forward Support Battalion were killed, five soldiers were wounded, and seven soldiers were taken prisoner.
I am not shocked by this, but then I was not in the Army. Even when I was on the rapid deployment force we only fired (and cleaned) our weapons once a year. Does the Army REMFs (Support personnel) do it differently? Do any of you other Vets out there remember ever keeping duplicate copies of your armor records? Someone has an agenda here but I am not sure who.
"Capt. Troy King (507th commander) stated that he does not have any historical data on weapons involved in the enemy contact," June Bates, Fort Bliss freedom of information officer, said in a written response. "He lost his motorpool truck and all documentation."
Bates said Kingâs records, which were kept in the motor pool, were stored in his supply truck, which was also "involved in the enemy contact."
The official 507th report, which was released by the Army on July 17, suggests that the "malfunctions may have resulted from inadequate individual maintenance in a desert environment."
This is plausible since they thought they were not combat troops. They probably hadnât clean (or in some cases saw) their weapons before they began the convoy. Please Army types check me on this.
Nancili Mata, the widow of Chief Warrant Officer 2 Johnny Villareal Mata, who was killed in the ambush, said she was shocked to learn that no duplicate records were kept on the weapons.
"They should have copies here. It doesnât sound right," she said. "They are blaming the soldiers for not keeping their weapons clean, but my husband knew better than that. He did everything right."
Arlene Walters, mother of Sgt. Donald R. Walters, who died in the attack and would have celebrated his 34th birthday Tuesday, said her son was dedicated to his job and to details. She said she finds it hard to believe that her sonâs weapon wasnât kept clean.
"He kept his guns as clean as can be," she said. "He even talked to his dad about it."
Because the circumstances surrounding the death of Walters are unclear, his parents continue to ask questions about anything involving their son, including the history of his weapon.
"Nothing surprises me anymore, but what I donât understand is why would you carry that kind of information into a battlefield," Arlene Walters asked. "It seems to me that if those weapons were issued out at Fort Bliss, then the records should have stayed at Fort Bliss."
Ruben Estrella, father of 18-year-old Pvt. Ruben Estrella-Soto, from El Paso, said he no longer believes anything the Army tells him.
"They told me that my son was shot in the head, and now they are saying that he was struck by a tank," he said. "I think the Army or the government is hiding something, but sooner or later the truth will be told."
Losing a loved one is NEVER easy, but I hope that someone helps them dispel the conspiracy theories. The Army needs to talk to these people who are definitely in pain and help them cope as best they can.
Fort Bliss responds
The El Paso Times had requested the history of 31 weapons the soldiers carried during the ambush. The request sought information about weapon repairs, the weaponsâ ages, and the manufacturer and condition of each weapon assigned to the 507th soldiers involved in the attack.
Officials at the Department of Defense referred all questions to Fort Bliss officials.
Jean Offutt, Fort Bliss spokeswoman, said that taking all data regarding a companyâs weapons into battle is standard practice.
"When we deployed, all our active-duty soldiers had to take their documents with them because we mobilized a lot of reservists who lived in the emptied barracks," Offutt said. "So all of their personnel files as well as files on weapons were taken with them."
Because personnel files were lost in the ambush and no duplicates exist, the 507th is now trying to re-create the information. Also, Offutt said, some of the weapons the 507th used havenât been recovered.
"But shortly before the soldiers deployed, all of the weapons were certified and serviceable," Offutt said. "The weapons were fired on the firing range before they deployed."
Official answers
Retired Lt. Gen. Don Lionetti, the commander who led Fort Bliss during the 1991 Persian Gulf war, said he could not speculate on what Fort Bliss soldiers do or donât take into combat, but he said if the records are "in-country, I imagine that they would have to take the records with them."
"Once they leave Kuwait to go into Iraq they may not come back through Kuwait, so they have to take the information with them," Lionetti said.
U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso, who called for a congressional hearing in March to determine what happened during the attack, said he believes Fort Blissâ response is logical.
"The Army wouldnât lie, especially when a Freedom of Information Act request is made," he said.
Ok I have a Rant here: Even if the records were available, what would they prove? If I fired/sighted/cleaned my weapon a month before I deployed, what would that prove? What were the storage conditions? Were the weapons sighted/fired/cleaned before the convoy? Were there complaints about malfunctioning weapons BEFORE the deployment? I think this is a witch hunt on the behest of somebody that does not support the Army or the admistration (my theory).
#1
I should point out, however, that "lost due to combat" is an old Army way of disposing of material that vanished in a variety of other manners. You might be surprised, for example, at the amount of petty cash that has been "lost due to combat".
An old vet will try to keep a personal copy of his records for this, and other such emergencies. Like fires in Army warehouses.
Given all that... the records, as pointed out, would prove nothing relevent to the incident. They were either up-to-date or not. If not, nothing proved. If so, guess what, they were all in working order (on paper).
#2
I agree with CyberSarge. This is being pushed by someone else who is using people in pain to push an agenda. I don't know much about the administrative/supply side of things, but in 1968, in the Marines, in Viet Nam, I wouldn't have had the slightest idea where the paperwork regarding my weapon was. No conspiracy.
#3
Hmmmmm. Hard to think back that far, when such things were of very little importance. I was only rarely issued a weapon, and seems to me I got a card with it that I was supposed to keep up to date - when the weapon was last fired, when it was last cleaned, and any problems. Usually kept it in my ammo pouch. I wouldn't be surprised that killed/captured soldiers would either have lost those records, or had such records captured along with their weapons - and themselves.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/17/2003 14:44 Comments ||
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This was a supply unit and they weren't expecting
to run into a significant body of bad guys (otherwise they would have been escorted by regular units). They were probably short of sleep, as it is usual in a sustained advance. In those conditions having the drivers sleep a bit so they don't have an accident seems more important than cleaning weapons.
#5
Equipment history records go along with the equipment. On high end items, nowadays, you'd have a computerized database. In the field, I'd wager it would be on a laptop with the maintenance unit. Since this was the unit that got ambushed, I'm not suprised that records were lost.
I'm betting that the firearms records are still paper. The only entries would be for last maintenance performed, not including cleaning.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/17/2003 15:19 Comments ||
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Sounds like a lot of the records are hard copy. Adding some flunkies to manage a website of personnel/maintenance records in Quatar would be doable in my book.I would audit teh records of another maintenance company leaviung the op area to see whether there is a systematic problem.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/17/2003 17:47 Comments ||
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Can anyone comment on how these GI's could have kept their weapons clean driving day and night through dust storms?
Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark entered a crowded and wide-open race for the Democratic presidential nomination on Wednesday. Shit.
"Weâre going to run a campaign that will move this country forward not back," Clark said, promising to "talk straight to the American people." Then his lips fell off.
Clark, 58, became the 10th Democrat in the race, joining a contest that has been under way for months. "My name is Wes Clark. I am from Little Rock, Arkansas. And I am here to announce that I intend to seek the presidency of the United States of America," he began. He entered with no experience in elective office and no history on domestic policy, but offered one thing Democrats crave: New hope of undercutting President Bushâs wartime popularity. "We need more graft, infanticide, bureaucracy, higher taxes, subjection to the UN, and tolerance of perversion!" Weâll get those if a donkey gets into the Oval office. Not to mention a procession of 9/11s because whichever beauzeau it is will probably be too craven to deal with the Bad Guysâ¢.
Of course, I'm kind of curious as to why all of the ultra=lefties like Michael Moore are rallying around him given:
http://www.hrw.org/press/2000/02/nato207.htm
http://www.amnestyusa.org/nato_report/
This looks rather suspiciously like hypocrisy, but what does that have to do with the price of Kalishnakovs in Peshawar?
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
09/17/2003 14:04 Comments ||
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Gen Clark needs a baggage train to carry around all the bad press that's going to come out now that he's in the race. Example after a few seconds of Googling: "The poster child for everything that is wrong with the GO (general officer) corps," exclaims one colonel, who has had occasion to observe Clark in action, citing, among other examples, his command of the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood from 1992 to 1994.
Did you know that our good general loaned Janet Reno that armor she used at Waco?
A major in the 3rd Brigade of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colorado when Clark was in command there in the early 1980s described him as a man who "regards each and every one of his subordinates as a potential threat to his career".
While he regards his junior officers with watchful suspicion, he customarily accords the lower ranks little more than arrogant contempt. A veteran of Clark's tenure at Fort Hood recalls the general's "massive tantrum because the privates and sergeants and wives in the crowded (canteen) checkout lines didn't jump out of the way fast enough to let him through".
The "little people" remember.
In the article "The guy who almost started World War III," (Aug. 3, 1999), The Guardian (U.K.) wrote, "No sooner are we told by Britain's top generals that the Russians played a crucial role in ending the West's war against Yugoslavia than we learn that if NATO's supreme commander, the American General Wesley Clark, had had his way, British paratroopers would have stormed Pristina airport, threatening to unleash the most frightening crisis with Moscow since the end of the Cold War." "I'm not going to start the third world war for you," General Sir Mike Jackson, commander of the international KFOR peacekeeping force, is reported to have told Gen. Clark when he refused to accept an order to send assault troops to prevent Russian troops from taking over the airfield of Kosovo's provincial capital.
It's gonna get ugly, let's make popcorn.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/17/2003 14:31 Comments ||
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Soldiers who have worked under Clark refer to him as "Courtney Massengale" of Once an Eagle fame. Just what we need - someone who believes whatever is necessary to glorify themselves is acceptable.
#6
Drudge: Wesley Clark fundraised for Republicans in 2001, for Pulaski County Republican Party (Little Rock)... December 2001: Clark registers to vote in Little Rock as independent... But in 2003, now he is a Democrat?...
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/17/2003 15:06 Comments ||
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I remember his expert analysis on CNN(?) during the war. According to him we should be in Baghdad any day now.
No thanks.
#8
Let's remember that except in case of invasion or of US forces being attacked the decision to open fire on the troops of another country belongs to the President (except when at war of course). Not to general whatever the number of his stars. Another President than Clinton would have sent Clark to a a court martial after his order to attack the Russians.
Another point: anyone thinks that a guy like Clark can be trusted with the power to launch nukes?
#9
Democratic candidates for President - the top ten reasons to vote for anybody but a Democrat!
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/17/2003 16:17 Comments ||
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Remember watching SkyNews the day of the Pristina Airport/Russian almost confrontation. I don't think Clark ordered an attack, rather wanted Jackson to block the runway. Correct? In any case, Skynews sure was pissed. Was it really that close to a shoot out? Plus the way Jackson told him to jump in a lake was precious. Will be interesting how Brit press runs with his candidacy.
Posted by: Michael ||
09/17/2003 17:13 Comments ||
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The fun is just beginning:
While commanding NATO troops in defense of Muslim Kosovo and against Serbian Christians, for example, the hot-headed Clark commanded a subordinate British General to attack Russian troops that had landed without NATO permission at the airport in Kosovoâs capital. (Clark speaks fluent Russian but chose not even to talk with the Russian troops before attacking them.)
The British General Sir Mike Jackson reportedly refused Clarkâs risky orders, saying: âIâm not going to start the Third World War for you!â
Clark also cozied up to at least one man accused of war crimes and ethnic cleansing, Bosnian commander Ratko Mladic.
But that's not even the worst of it:
Wesley Clarkâs command at Fort Hood âlentâ 17 pieces of armor and 15 active service personnel under his command to the Waco Branch Davidian operation. Whether Clark himself helped direct the assault on the Davidian church using this military force at Waco has not been documented, but it certainly came from his command with his approval.
Eighty-two men, women, children and babies â including two babies âfire abortedâ as their mothersâ bodies writhed in the flames of that Clinton holocaust â died from the attack using military equipment from Clarkâs command.
#12
I'm getting tired of hearing the Democratic Presidential Candidates referred to as Nazgul or Ringwraiths. This belittles them (the Nazgul that is). I believe we should just use Harvard Lampoon's Bored of the Rings term - Nozdrul. It is a perfectly suitable (and far more truthful) description.
Even if he lives, the idea of him must die. EFL; go read it all.
Reflecting the views of Israelâs Cabinet, Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said publicly over the weekend that "killing" Yasser Arafat was "one of the options." Secretary of State Colin Powell of course had to say that exiling or executing Arafat would incite Arab rage, that it would be most unhelpful to the peace process, etc., etc.
'Twouldn't be diplomatic to holler "off with his head!" even though Colin is probably feeling the urge...
The truth is that Yasser Arafatâs moment in history has ended. . . . "Arafat" should enter history not merely as the name of one autocratic man, but as the name we assign to an entire Western phenomenon of false thinking. "Arafat," we now see, has come to represent the act of self-delusion on a massive, international scale. "Arafat" is about refusing to believe that an adversary is simply irredeemable. Most importantly at this particular moment, "Arafat" is about allowing barbarism, or its techniques, to challenge the political tenets of civilized life.
That pretty well sums up Yasser. Us westerners have degenerated into thinking that other people think just like we do, they just wear funny hats or shoes occasionally. On the moral level, we've reached the point after years of "moral equivalence" of assuming that Iago was merely misunderstood and that a hug would have brought him around. There's little room in our thinking for the idea of pure amorality. We simply have difficulty accepting the fact that psychopaths don't have consciences to appeal to.
For years the Western nations that emerged from World War II and the Cold War have been playing with fire by pretending that their world and the alternative world of "Arafat" could somehow coexist. More than anything, this impossible notion reflected political and moral fatigue. Thus in the 1990s, the world came very close to letting "Arafat," this time in the person of Slobodan Milosevic, achieve its logical end on European soil, again. But the United States intervened and Milosevic is on trial for crimes against civilized humanity. George W. Bushâs decision to go to war against the regime of Saddam Hussein was the opposite of "Arafat" thinking; it was a decision to refute "Arafat."
Luckily Bush is not an isolated phenomenon, no matter how much the professionally Sensitive™ would like to make him so. See also Saddam Hussein, multiple incidents. See also Noriega a few years back.
If you look at the Nobel Prizesâ own biography of Yasser Arafat, you find this remarkable sentence toward the end: "Like other Arab regimes in the area, however, Arafatâs governing style tended to be more dictatorial than democratic." That is to say, Arafat by his own choice of governance—dictatorship over democracy—bears individual responsibility for the legacy he leaves. That legacy includes: the contemporary crime of hijacking and blowing up civilian-filled airliners; the attempted destabilization of Jordan and Israel and the successful destruction of Lebanon as a formerly sovereign nation; and decades of violated international agreements, culminating in the collapse of Oslo. Last year, in a perfect storm of bad faith, Arafat was caught paying for the shipment of arms from Iran to the Palestinian territories aboard the Karine A. Also add to the bill of partculars: providing a "cause" which other Arab despots and terrorists could use to promote their own causes and distract their subjects from their own misery; e.g. Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, the House of Saud, etc.
Across these years, the West, mainly the European nations, accomplished the post-World War II feat of pretending that crime is not crime, so long as the motives and politics for the crimes are moralized. The U.S. and Israel participated as well in the pretense, bringing Arafat out of exile in Tunis. The world has learned since that this apologetics* (and much direct funding) has made possible any crime, culminating in the anti-moral act known as suicide bombers. Arafat most recently threw over Mahmoud Abbas, and the fatigued West barely sighed in complaint. *Disagree with the word choice here. "Apologetics" is the systematic defense of the doctrines of a religious faith; for example, St. Thomas Aquinasâ Summa Theologia or St. Augustineâs Confessions. I think the author meant "appeasement" or perhaps "co-dependent enabling."
This past September 3, in an article published in the Palestinian daily newspaper Al-Ayyam, the Palestinian writer Tawfiq Abu Bakr wrote: "It is difficult to find a greater and more deeply rooted culture of self-deception than that in our Arab and Palestinian arena." But we in the West fomented that culture of self-deception, by perpetuating the conceit that Yasser Arafat—"Arafat"—was the singular vessel of peace for the Palestinians. He manifestly is not. The Israelis are in the best position to know what to do at this point, though no option—seclusion, exile, trial or killing him—is particularly attractive. Gotta disagree here, Mr. Journal. Killing him is manifestly attractive. Despots maintain power, in part, by killing or otherwise disposing of anyone else who is competent to replace them. Erase Arafat, and the Palestinian enterprise has no single effective leader. (With any luck, all of those with the potential to become the next Arafat will kill each other off in the ensuing Palestinian civil war.)
But Israel has to live (or die) with Arafat. The U.S. for its part, rather than sustain the Arafat conceit as it is doing now, should say it is no longer going to be associated with Arafat and what he stands for.
We said that last year. The Karine A was what sealed it, in fact...
As for the Palestinians and Arabs, the President of the United States has said many times that he supports a Palestinian state. Now they too have to decide whether the moment has arrived to get past "Arafat."
There are occasional voices that say he's got to go. They're usually drowned out by the rent-a-mob. We — and they — should keep in mind the percentage of the electorate that voted in favor of Saddam Hussein last time around, and the percentage that fought for him.
For those who will scream that this is more "unilateralism," we would say that for some 30 years there were crucial breakpoints, most recently the Oslo concessions and the Abbas opening, where credible pressure on Arafat from important players in the West and Middle East might have avoided arriving at where we are now. It never came. Not once. Where Yasser Arafat spends his eternal rest the rest of his life is not important. What matters is for the world to recognize that it is time to get rid of "Arafat."
Posted by: Mike ||
09/17/2003 12:34:33 PM ||
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I don't have the info to research but maybe someone can correct me if I am wrong : It was Europe, James Baker and the UN who forced Arafat and his PLO on Israel at Madrid at the beginning of the 90's?
Posted by: Barry ||
09/17/2003 13:15 Comments ||
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Secretary of State Colin Powell of course had to say that exiling or executing Arafat would incite Arab rage, that it would be most unhelpful to the peace process, etc., etc.
"Unhelpful"???? Haaahahahahahaaaa!!!!!!!!
Arafart's permanent disappearance from the stage would be the biggest boost that the peace process could ever receive.
#3
Probability of Yasser getting zapped seems to be trending up in the past few days. I see a bus boom in the relatively near future followed by a an Apache raid on Ramallah...
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2003 15:35 Comments ||
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JPost Reg Reqâd
This is the difference between the Paleos and the Jews. In Israel, they get arrested and convicted, in Paleoland, theyâre celebrated with candy
Three residents of the West Bank settlement of Bat Ayin were convicted Wednesday for their involvement in the attempted bombing of a Palestinian girls school in east Jerusalem about a year and a half ago. Shlomo Dvir, Yarden Morag and Ofer Gamliel were all found guilty of attempted murder and illegal possession of arms by the Jerusalem District Court. Police arrested Dvir, 26, and Morag, 25, both from Bat Ayin southwest of Bethlehem, early on March 29, 2002, as they were allegedly about to plant a powerful bomb in the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of A-Tur, between Mokassed Hospital and an Arab girlsâ elementary school across the street. Following an interrogation of Dvir and Morag, police arrested Gamliel, 43, of Bat Ayin, who helped the two plan the attack and prepare the bomb.
A late-night police patrol noticed two suspicious men driving through the empty streets of the neighborhood, and called for backup. The suspects parked their car next to the hospital and school, and detached a trailer being towed by their car. Police approached the suspects, who refused to explain their actions. The officers then took the men into custody. During a search of the vehicle, police uncovered two unlicensed guns and a large bomb connected to a gas canister and barrels of flammable materials. The explosives were set to detonate in the morning. Police bomb disposal experts neutralized the device. "Had the bomb gone off as planned, it would have caused casualties and damage," Jerusalem police chief Cmdr. Mickey Levy said.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/17/2003 11:40:17 AM ||
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Of course, why use a paramilitary group when your regular military does the dirty work
Posted by: Bruce ||
09/17/2003 14:19 Comments ||
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Ummm... Yeah. IDF spends a lot of time blowing up girls' schools...
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2003 15:39 Comments ||
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Fred, Fred, you should know that creatures such as Bruce, having no morality or sense of reality, can not distinguish between targeting known militants, as the IDF does, and targeting women and children, as the Palestenians do.
More moral relativism. Sickening really. I fear having my children growing up in a world where so many people like Bruce live, unable to tell the difference between right and wrong, good and evil. Scarey.
#4
Bruce, unless I misunderstand your point, I would like you to link to an incident where the IDF deliberately targeted children, in an elementary school or anywhere else.
"News items" from Islamonut sources or their supporters don't count...
Thanks in advance.
Posted by: Carl in NH ||
09/17/2003 16:43 Comments ||
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Of course, why use a paramilitary group when your regular military does the dirty work
Just like "why do we need a study to see if morons are capable of using computers", when we have you?
JPost Reg Reqâd
IDF soldiers shot dead a wanted Palestinian militant in an eschange of fire overnight in the West Bank city of Nablus. Bagged One
Palestinian security sources said the dead man was an activist in the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, linked to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafatâs Fatah organization. Hmmm all of Hamas is hiding under their beds (or in Riyadh, getting this monthâs payroll), so they hunt for IJ and A-A snuffies
An army spokeswoman said the Palestinian shot at the patrol as it moved through the winding alleyways of the cityâs old market district. Troops returned fire, killing the man she said. "Take that! Zionist Pigs! Ow...hey!"
One of the troops was lightly injured during the gun battle and was treated at the scene.
"Oooh! Shlomo! That's gotta hurt!"
"Shuddup and gimme a bandaid. I ain't as dead as he is!"
In a seperate incident Wenesday, an IDF soldier, searching for illegal smuggling tunnels, was lightly injured from shrapnel after a bomb exploded near a military force operating in the Rafah refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. boobytrap?
Late Tuesday, four wanted Palestinian militants were arrested in West Bank military sweeps.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/17/2003 11:37:05 AM ||
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IDF soldiers shot dead a wanted Palestinian militant in an eschange of fire overnight in the West Bank city of Nablus, military sources said Wednesday.
JPost: registration required When the facts change, I change my mind what do you do, sir?
— John Maynard Keynes Terje Roed-Larsen: When the facts change, what do you do, sir? Listening to your testimony at the UN Security Council this week, it was hard to escape the impression that nothing that happened in our region since the violent breakdown of the Oslo process seems to have registered with you. Instead, you insist that what is needed is "a bold acceleration of the road-map process." In other words, more of the same. It perfectly encapsulates the tragic farce of the UNâs approach. "Get stuffed, beauzeau!"
They say it's a mark of insanity when you keep doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results...
Whether or not one approves of the "map," your intellectual integrity requires at least an honest accounting for its current tattered state. As usual, you opted for the easy way out by ostensibly apportioning equal blame. This is in itself a distortion of the truth. It lets the real aggressor off the hook, while magnifying out of all proportion the transgressions, real or alleged, of the victim. Thatâs something the UN excels regarding the ME.
In your briefing you did briefly and impassively allude to the suicide bombings in Israel, urging the Palestinian Authority to "bring to justice those who planned and carried out such attacks." You failed to mention that some of terrorismâs masterminds are sheltered in Arafatâs own Ramallah compound. Adding insult to injury, you defended Arafat as "democratically elected and, as such, the legitimate leader of the Palestinians. He embodies Palestinian identity and aspirations."
When does his term expire, again?
Your harshest condemnation is reserved for Israel. "Both during and after the unilateral cease-fire," you told your UN colleagues, Israel "continued to carry out extrajudicial killings, aimed at the leaders of Palestinian militant groups."
"You people are supposed to be reasonable and rational, like us Euros are. The Paleos, being a different species, can't be expected to adhere to civilized norms, so your norms have to be even more stringent — you have to refrain from doing the things the rest of us would do in a flash if we had any testicles..."
Your opposition to Israelâs pinpoint strikes against terrorists "was compounded by the frequency with which such operations were carried out with disproportionate force in densely populated civilian areas, killing and injuring civilian bystanders in contravention of international humanitarian law." "And I seem to recall your lips fell off when you said that, Mr. Roed-Larsen."
One wonders how you define "disproportionate." Is the use of a targeted human bomb, packed with explosives and metal additives to augment injury to noncombatant bus passengers, proportionate? You should be reminded that the "militant" Hamas leadership, including its mentor Ahmed Yassin, escaped unscathed after the Jerusalem bus atrocity merely because Israel used a small charge so as not to destroy the building he was in, let alone harm residents of neighboring structures. As to the frequency, you perhaps overlooked the fact that Israel chose not to respond to four suicide bombings which preceded the Jerusalem bus atrocity: in a private home at Kfar Yaavetz murdering a grandmother; at a roadside grocery in Sde Trumot, murdering the proprietor; at a Rosh Haayin supermarket, murdering a shopper; and at a bus stop in Ariel, murdering two would-be passengers. This is not counting the dozens of attempted attacks that were thwarted, and the fact that Israel suspended its targeted killings throughout a period in which the terrorist onslaught lessened, but by no means stopped. None of this stops you. What went wrong, you say, is that "parallelism had not been emphasized... The principle of parallelism must be reasserted... without significant Israeli concessions related particularly to settlements and the separation wall, neither the peace process nor any peace-minded Palestinian leader would be credible in the eyes of the Palestinian people."
Kind of, "You've got to give up before the other side will consider accepting your surrender."
To our ears, your message to Israel amounts to this: If you are being attacked, it is because you are not conceding enough to your attackers. If only we made a properly large down payment for the expected reward for slaughtering its citizens, the terrorism would stop. The Palis just want to kill the Jews.
Mr. Roed-Larsen: Weâve been down this road before. Time and again, Israel has been told: You go first and demonstrate "goodwill" and you will be rewarded for it. And so Israel withdrew unilaterally from Lebanon, and is now living with Hizbullahâs rockets pointed at its cities. So Israel armed the Palestinian Authority, withdrew from Palestinian towns, and offered the Palestinians a state over essentially all the disputed territory and was rewarded with three years of terrorism. The world has no memory of all this and neither, apparently, do you.
It's that short attention span we keep talking about. Within hours, the latest bus bombing will be forgotten and we'll be back to "confidence building" so we can all hop into the peace processor to be pureed. Again...
Your supposedly expert testimony to the Security Council perpetuates this amnesia, leading to renewed attempts at previously failed diplomatic formulas. No wonder that, as far as Israel is concerned, you are an irrelevance.
Posted by: Katz ||
09/17/2003 10:46:52 AM ||
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Hat tip LGF Yasser Arafat dismissed the United Statesâ veto of a U.N. resolution against Israelâs threats to expel him, saying Wednesday that the step will not "shake us." Arabs expressed anger, saying Israel may see the veto as a green light to move against the Palestinian leader. And your point is?
Washington says it opposes expelling Arafat from the West Bank. But it said the U.N. resolution calling for Israel to halt its threats was "lopsided" and didnât condemn terrorist groups attacking Israel. Of course not! Israelsâs as close to a free country as you can find in the ME. The UN hates that!
Arabs were dismayed by the veto, with some saying the vote showed the United States had lost its credibility as an honest broker in the Middle East. So has the UN.
Arafat, speaking to supporters at his West Back headquarters in Ramallah, dismissed the American move. "No decision here or there will shake us," he said. "We are bigger than all decisions."
"We have delusions of grandeur!"
"Except for the decision that we must continue Abu Aliâs work." Nabil Shaath, the Palestinian foreign minister, said U.S. officials "informed us officially" that the veto "is not in any way a green light for Israel." "Hamas will show them."
But that did not reassure many in the Arab world. "The pretext saying that the draft resolution was unbalanced is baseless," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said Wednesday. Maher echoed concern Israel might see the vote as a license to go after Arafat. He said that if nations donât pressure Israel to desist from its "provocative and aggressive" policies, it would show the international communityâs "powerlessness." Syriaâs U.N. Ambassador Fayssal Mekdad expressed regret at the veto, calling it "extremely regrettable" and warning that it "will antagonize the feeling of Arabs in the region. We antagonized them by prospering while free!
Syria, the only Arab nation on the Security Council, had been pressing for a vote since last weekâs decision by Israelâs security Cabinet to "remove" Arafat in a manner and time to be decided. Israel blames Arafat for sabotaging the peace process and doing nothing to prevent terrorist attacks. And for aiding and abetting the terrorists, to boot.
The Palestinians had generated wide global support for the resolution. Of the 15 Security Council members, 11 voted Tuesday in favor of the resolution. Britain, Germany and Bulgaria abstained. U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte said the resolution did not contain a condemnation of terrorist groups such as Hamas and the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, blamed for several suicide attacks against Israel. He said, "It was lopsided and ... it didnât take into account the elements we thought it ought to take into account, including a robust criticism of Palestinian terrorism." But Arabs warned the U.S. blocking of the resolution undermined its positions in the Middle East, where many see Washington as favoring Israel. "Clearly this is not a neutral position," Ziad Abu Amr, a member of the outgoing Palestinian Cabinet, said. "Neutral means supporting a second Holocaust," he added.
Senior Arafat adviser Nabil Abu Rdneh told reporters the veto could jeopardize the U.S-backed "road map" for Mideast peace. The vote "is a real encouragement for the Israelis to continue their escalation," he said.
"Jeopardize" the road map? His lips are moving, words are coming out of his mouth, but they don't make any sense...
Nasser Al-Kidwa, the Palestinian U.N. observer, said the United States lost its credibility to play an honest broker in the Middle East peace process. He warned that "serious consequences may follow."
As opposed to... ummm... the serious situation we now have.
In Jordan, the opposition Muslim Brotherhood said it was not surprised at the U.S. veto because "the Zionist lobby ... controls the American policy in the Middle East." "YEEAAAGGH! Ar lifs fell off!"
The Israeli threats against Arafat brought criticism from around the world â and warnings not to carry out the move. Criticism against Israel mounted after Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday that killing Arafat was an option, although the foreign minister later backtracked on the remark. Shit.
Last Friday, the 15 council members â including the United States â agreed on a press statement expressing "the view that the removal of chairman Arafat would be unhelpful and should not be implemented." The rejected draft resolution would have demanded "that Israel, the occupying power, desist from any act of deportation and to cease any threat to the safety of the elected president of the Palestinian Authority So the UN has decieved itself into thinking Arafish was elected.
It would have condemned Israelâs targeted assassinations of militant leaders and Palestinian suicide bombings, "all of which caused enormous suffering and many innocent victims." It would also have called for a cessation of "all acts of terrorism, provocation, incitement and destruction." What it would boil down to: "Heil Haman"
Israelâs U.N. Ambassador Dan Gillerman said after Tuesdayâs vote that the resolution "did not focus on terrorism killing innocent men, women and children and killing in the process the hopes for peace" and "did not focus on the clear legal responsibility of the Palestinian leadership to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure." Heâs right. As I said, Arafish has helped the terrorists.
The last veto of a Mideast resolution was also by the United States on Dec. 20, 2002 â an Arab-backed resolution condemning Israel for the killings of three U.N. workers that U.S. officials termed one-sided. Britainâs Emry Jones Parry called on Israel not to construe the vote as an endorsement of its action and said the international community had rejected Israelâs threat against Arafat.
Posted by: Katz ||
09/17/2003 10:37:01 AM ||
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Posted by: Frank G ||
09/17/2003 11:14 Comments ||
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#2
Yasser Arafat dismissed the United Statesâ veto of a U.N. resolution against Israelâs threats to expel him, saying Wednesday that the step will not "shake us."
Nobody gives a rat's ass if he's shaken. Now if Arafat is DEAD, well, that'll be quite an improvement.
#3
Arafat is a sideshow distraction. Let's get back to the smackdown against Hamas.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/17/2003 12:38 Comments ||
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#4
Off Arafish and a top Hamas official when they meet eachother. Then you can say " We didn't know a peaceful man like Arafat was meeting with a terrorist group. How could we have known he was friends with them?"
Posted by: Charles ||
09/17/2003 12:56 Comments ||
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#5
If anything should happen to Arafat there'll be a lot of very excited Arabs running around. You'll see them running around ambulances, rabidly pushing gurnies to and fro in the emergency room, shouting death pledges. So what's new? It will be interesting to see who steps into his void. It'll be a real gangland turf war.
#6
Time to accept that there is a war between the Paleos and Israel, and to allow Israel to wage that war to a successful conclusion. That, and that alone, will allow "peace" to exist in the Middle East. That means totally anhialating the "Palestinian Authority" and the thugs that make up its membership. The war should be short, absolutely brutal, and totally effective. Once the war is over, escort the rest of the Arab population that are NOT long-term residents of Israel to the border at gunpoint, and make them march across. Those that refuse get a bullet in the forehead. That is the only solution that will truly bring 'peace' to that tortured and twisted area.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/17/2003 15:42 Comments ||
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#7
That is the only solution that will truly bring 'peace' to that tortured and twisted area.
The Nigerian government has warned Liberiaâs former president Charles Taylor not to interfere in the affairs of his home country. Mr Taylor has been exiled in Nigeria since last month. In a strongly worded statement, the Nigerian government warned Mr Taylor not to violate the conditions of his asylum. "Itâs one of the rules of the Homeowners Association, no overthrowing a government from your residence."
The statement, issued by the presidentâs office, said that Nigeria had made it clear that the terms of his asylum did not allow any interference in Liberiaâs ongoing political process. The statement comes just days after the UN Secretary Generalâs special envoy to Liberia, Jacques Klein, alleged that Mr Taylor had been meddling in Liberiaâs political affairs. Mr Klein said that Mr Taylor made frequent phone calls to Liberian government officials from his new home in the south-eastern Nigerian town of Calabar. "Moses, Chuck here. Howâs it going? Any idea when I can come back?"
Mr Taylor lives in Calabar with his wife, daughters and a large entourage. Got to have an army, er, entourage, heâs a important man.
Mr Klein also alleged that the former president had been receiving Liberian thugs fighters government officials and businessmen. Under the terms of his asylum, Mr Taylor was warned not to communicate with anyone involved in political, illegal or government activities in Liberia. And youâre surprised he is?
Mr Taylor has been indicted for war crimes by a UN-backed court in Sierra Leone - which is still seeking his extradition. Just pick him up and ship him off, nobody is going to complain too much.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/17/2003 9:03:31 AM ||
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#1
Good to see that Chuck's still got his "posse". What's a gang leader without a posse.
1. Taylor incites violence
2. Nigerian soldier(s) is killed
3. Taylor finds himself in a vehicle headed in an unknown direction.
4. Taylor watches from the vehicle while two groups of armed men greet each other, consult amoungst themselves and then sign paperwork
5. Taylor is welcomed at his new residence in Sierra Leone.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/17/2003 15:17 Comments ||
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The Treasurer Peter Costello has completed his visit to the West Bank to meet with key officials, but not Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
"Who? Arafat? Ummm... Can't make it. Have to wash my hair that night..."
Travelling in a bullet-proof vehicle emblazoned with a kangaroo, Mr Costello met Palestinian Prime Minister-designate Ahmed Qurei, Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath and Finance Minister Salem Fayed. The Palestinian Authority said Mr Costello's decision not meet with Mr Arafat was regrettable.
"Yeah. Youse guys don't know whatcher missin'..."
He says his discussions were dominated by the security situation. "It's been a useful visit for me to talk about some of the issues that are important here, to see the situation, to visit some of the Australian aid projects." While ministers raised with him problems faced by Palestinians as a result of Israel's security measures, the Treasurer said terrorism had to be tackled. "We have a situation where suicide bombers can indiscriminately target civilians, where people are under threat. Obviously this strikes at the heart of a country and its security," he said.
"What's the point of building stuff if people are coming right behind you to blow it up?"
"The reality is that until the violence can stop, and until confidence can be built, it's hard to think how the peace process will move forward." Ahmed Qurei said he would welcome Australia's participation in a peace-keeping force in the Middle East.
"Yesss! Send us peacekeepers! We need more targets!"
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/17/2003 08:50 ||
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#2
The Treasurer Peter Costello has completed his visit to the West Bank to meet with key officials, but not Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Travelling in a bullet-proof vehicle emblazoned with a kangaroo, Mr Costello met Palestinian Prime Minister-designate Ahmed Qurei,..
Korei is just another Arafat appointee (read: lackey) so for Costello to see one individual and ignore the other doesn't send any sort of message other than that he (or the Australian government) doesn't understand how things work in Arafat's "government".
Followup to yesterdayâs NYT article, this is by Gertz at the Wash Times. EFL.
The U.S. government is investigating intelligence reports that Iraq sent weapons to Syria to hide them from U.N. inspectors and coalition troops in Iraq. John Bolton, the undersecretary of state for arms control, also told a House International Relations subcommittee that Syria is developing medium-range missiles with help from North Korea and Iran that could be fired in nerve gas attacks hundreds of miles from Syriaâs borders. He testified in open and closed sessions that Syria continues to take hostile actions against U.S. and coalition troops in Iraq by permitting sympathizers of Saddam Hussein to enter Iraq to kill Americans. "Syria permitted volunteers to pass into Iraq to attack and kill our service members during the war, and is still doing so," Mr. Bolton said.
The Boy President has ideologued himself into a corner. He can't not support the gunnies and snuffies or they'll turn on him. The best he can do is emulate Musharraf and deny that it's happening. Musharraf has the advantage in that we need him — for now. We're still in the first stages of an incremental build-up of pressure that Assad can stop at any time by going out of the terror business. My guess is that he's too scared of the consequences to do it.
Mr. Bolton said that "we cannot allow the worldâs most dangerous weapons to fall into the hands of the worldâs most dangerous regimes, and will work tirelessly to ensure this is not the case for Syria." Syria has purchased nuclear goods that indicate it may use a Chinese-made reactor to build nuclear arms, he said. Also, the Syrians are working on offensive biological weapons, he said. Mr. Bolton stated that Syria has several hundred Scud and SS-21 short-range missiles and has built a longer-range Scud D with help from North Korea. The Scud D has a range of some 310 miles and Syria test-fired one in 2000. Wonder if some came via Yemen?
During a closed-door session, Mr. Bolton showed the committee a map highlighting the ranges of Syrian missiles and future missiles, including a version of the North Korean Nodong that has a range of 620 miles, enough to hit targets throughout the Middle East. Syria has one of the most advanced chemical weapons programs in the Arab world that includes the nerve agent sarin and the more deadly nerve gas known as VX, Mr. Bolton said. "Damascus is pursuing both solid- and liquid-propellant missile programs and relies extensively on foreign assistance in these endeavors," he said. Any âmade in Iraqâ stickers on the stuff?
Asked whether he favored changing the regime of Syrian leader Bashar Assad, Mr. Bolton said "our preference is to solve these problems by peaceful and diplomatic means." "Then again, we could just smack the s__t out of them. Does that answer your question, Congresswoman?"
Regarding reports that Iraq hid weapons in Syria, Mr. Bolton said: "We have seen these reports, reviewed them carefully, and see them as cause for concern... Thus far, we have been unable to confirm that such transfers occurred." Other U.S. officials said numerous intelligence reports from a variety of sources indicate that the transfers of Iraqi weapons took place. Some of the reports have been in recent weeks. However, many intelligence analysts are reluctant to make judgments on the intelligence because of the recent controversy over Iraqâs purported attempts to buy uranium ore from Niger, the officials said. Syriaâs government continues to deny that any weapons were transferred. "Nope, not us, wudnât be us, nope, nope."
Syria's also being careful not to wave any weapons it has, not even toward Israel. No doubt they're saving them as s surprise — but a low profile in that area indicates Assad's brighter than Sammy was...
Rep. Gary L. Ackerman, New York Democrat, said the testimony appeared to be a warning to Syria. "I think the administration is sending a trial balloon to the Syrians to take a look over the border and see what happens to the people who donât listen to us," Mr. Ackerman said in an interview. Hey, a Democrat who gets it! This guy should run for President!
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/17/2003 1:53:42 AM ||
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#1
Push... push... push...
Anyone doubt that the Occulist of the Orient (aka, Baby Doc Assad) is leaving little s**t streaks in his u-trows nowadays?
#2
Knocking down Syria would go a long way towards relieving pressure on Israel. It might also send a message to Tehran, although with these people, the only message they seem to understand is the shadow of 500 pound bomb just prior to their esit from the land of the living.
Posted by: Douglas De Bono ||
09/17/2003 7:32 Comments ||
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#3
If Assad knew much about the U.S., he'd know that he's pretty safe, at least for the time being, or until after the election next year. As long as he keeps relatively quiet, that is.
Posted by: Tokyo Taro ||
09/17/2003 9:35 Comments ||
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#4
We're still in the early stages. Syria might even be on the list following Iran, rather than being just ahead of it...
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2003 11:03 Comments ||
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#5
We're also recruiting more troops and are in a military build-up. I think we might take out Iran and Syria at the same time, depending on international support.
Posted by: Charles ||
09/17/2003 12:49 Comments ||
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#6
Charles, by depending on international support, you mean, like if there is none, then we pick some day when the rest of the world is distracted, and take them both out at the same time before anyone notices ?
Okay, I'm on board with that...perhaps we can settle on May Day, when the Workers of the World are busy fellating Castro and other communist pets.
Soccer World Cup is a good time also...
Posted by: Carl in NH ||
09/17/2003 16:59 Comments ||
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#7
Hey, a Democrat who gets it! This guy should run for President!
He'd never make it past the first primary, unfortunately...
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.
