AN ARMS embargo was imposed on the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2003, but has been systematically ignored during a war that has claimed the lives of nearly four million people.
A survey by the Control Arms Campaign found ammunition from Russia, China, the United States and Greece in one district alone. "Around half the assault rifles we find in the Congo are Chinese," said Brian Wood, Amnesty International's spokesman on arms control. "But there's Balkan stuff coming from Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria. This weaponry has a long shelf-life."
The typical pattern for arms smuggling involves exporting weapons legitimately to a third country and illegally sending them to the country subject to an arms embargo. Using sub-contractors and small air charter firms, embargo violators can create a complicated paper trail to disguise their tracks. Arms embargoes are seen as being of limited use. "They are a blunt instrument. By the time the Security Council decides on an embargo the catastrophe has already happened," said Mr Wood.
In recent years, the UN has toughened its stance against those suspected of breaking arms embargoes, freezing assets and placing travel restrictions on named individuals. Among the most high- profile of those is Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, who is accused of violating the arms embargo that prohibits the supply of arms to non-state forces such as the Janjaweed militia in Darfur.
#1
The Chinese are mimicking the old Soviet strategy in that they are quite willing to arm African groups they want to curry influence with. The difference is that they sell the stuff (and for an eventually dear price) rather than donate it.
Niger has suspended its plans to deport thousands of ethnic Arab nomads to Chad. The central African country's cabinet decided against carrying out the deportations after neighbouring countries spoke out against the plan, the country's communications minister said on Friday. The government had announced on Tuesday that it would next week begin expelling the nomadic Mahamid Arabs, who sought refuge in Niger from drought and warfare in Chad during the 1980s.
"The government has decided to suspend the operation," Oumarou Hadari, the communications minister, said after a cabinet meeting on Friday. "There was intervention by certain neighbouring friendly countries."
"The government has decided to suspend the operation," Oumarou Hadari, the communications minister, said after a cabinet meeting on Friday. "There was intervention by certain neighbouring friendly countries."
Nigerien President Mamadou Tandja's government has said the operation was purely to tackle illegal immigration and it denied that Arabs were being targeted. The government estimate only around 3,000 Mahamid Arabs live without residence papers in Niger. But community leaders say the nomads number tens of thousands and some local government officials put the figure are high as 150,000.
Niger accuses the Mahamid Arabs of possessing illegal firearms and of posing a threat to the security of local communities. It says their camels have been draining water supplies - a serious cause of tension as the arid Sahel region suffers its worst drought on record, leading to increasing conflict between pastoralists and farmers for scarce resources.
Hadari said the government in Niamey had sent a delegation to the southeast region of Diffa to meet leaders of the Mahamid community on Friday. Nigerien Arab leaders have welcomed the government's decision to halt the deportations. Nigeriens have to compete with Arab refugees for land and water "We are grateful to the government for cancelling this decision, in order to avoid problems between communities," said Sileyim Ben Hameda, an Arab member of parliament for the Diffa region.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/28/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Right, they'll line them up and shoot them in the back of the head instead.
Cuban leader Fidel Castro is up and about again, taking trips at night into the countryside as he recovers from surgery.
Friday that Cuban leader Fidel Castro is up and about again, taking trips at night into the countryside to feast on flesh as he recovers from surgery. "He is walking around already and goes out at night to tour the countryside, towns and cities. I'm soon going to go see you, Fidel," Chavez said during a speech to cacao producers in Venezuela Friday.
After nearly a half-century in office, Castro temporarily ceded power to his brother Raul in July after undergoing intestinal surgery.
Jose's Axiom to Murphy's Law: Nothing is more permanent than that which is called temporary.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/28/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
That is not dead which can eternal lie
yet with strange aeons even death may die.
#2
Article: KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou said he could understand Young's position. But "softer-worded" remarks would be more helpful for the arms budget to be adopted, Ma said.
Ma maintained that Taiwan is an independent sovereign country, and its Legislature's control over the parliamentary bills has to be respected by anyone, "be they locals or foreigners."
Ma's philosophy is pretty close to Korea's President Roh Moo-hyun's - he thinks that Taiwan ought to be a "balancer" between China and the US. If Ma ever gets elected president, it's only a matter of time before Chinese launches a successful invasion of Taiwan. I don't think any American president will risk the lives of American troops to bail this guy out, considering he seems to think that Taiwan is really the fall guy in the Sino-US relationship - i.e. Uncle Sam should be grateful to Taiwan for letting him defend them.
#3
I'm not an expert on the Asian Theatre of Future Opns, though I do have a special love for Thailand and a fascination with all things Japanese, but isn't that a rather casual dismissal of Taiwan, ZF? I get a similar push-pull sense of CogDis regards Korea, though to a lesser extent as they are far more brazen, across the spectrum of their society, in the triangulation game. Isn't Taiwan worthy?
We have dumbass blather-brained politicians who are within a few poll points of becoming The Big Cheese, too. Does that mean the populace, which I was led to believe are not so different from you and I in the Things That Matter - at least until this moment, are to be so quickly dropped like a bad habit because of said fuckwit politician?
That's a helluva price to pay, both for us and them.
Believe it or not, I'm in learning mode here - not sniping. I was just thunderstruck a bit by your post.
#4
This is also a warning to Taiwanese voters, who have recently been cuddling up to Ma and the KMT, that if they continue to support a party that seems to be taking the position that Taiwan is neutral between the US and China, unification may come a little faster than they expected, under terms that are far more onerous that Hong Kong's, given that the US may simply decide it is neutral between Taiwan and China.
#5
Does that mean the populace, which I was led to believe are not so different from you and I in the Things That Matter - at least until this moment, are to be so quickly dropped like a bad habit because of said fuckwit politician?
In a word, Yes. These ingrates in Taiwan, SoKor, France, Germany, Britain et. al. need to be taught a real world lesson. They're democracies now. They get to choose. They get to live with the consequences of their choices. Uncle Sam is not an all purpose saftey net for the world population any more than for the US population. Grow up. Act like adults and you're likely to live nicer lives. Look at Japan and Australia if you don't believe us. And the same thing goes for the US if we elect President Pelosi. Nobody's going to bail us out from the consequences of that one, either.
#6
Hmmm. I guess we need more stories on Taiwan - I was largely unaware they had, um, "drifted" so far, lol.
I must repeat something I learned from TGA here - we should be very slow to dismiss democratic populations who are badly led. Yes, they elected them, but we have come perilously close to doing precisely the same - and are still in peril.
Thanks, gents for the intel. Gotta go cogitate, lol.
#8
Z: I'm not an expert on the Asian Theatre of Future Opns, though I do have a special love for Thailand and a fascination with all things Japanese, but isn't that a rather casual dismissal of Taiwan, ZF? I get a similar push-pull sense of CogDis regards Korea, though to a lesser extent as they are far more brazen, across the spectrum of their society, in the triangulation game. Isn't Taiwan worthy?
East Asian countries are accomplished free-riders - security, intellectual property - you name it, they free-ride. The risks and potential costs involved in getting into a clash with the PRC over Taiwan are non-trivial. If the Taiwanese are feckless enough to choose a Chinese collaborator* like Ma for their president, it's not entirely clear why we would want to get in the way of Taiwan's speedy reunification with the motherland. Here's the relevant passage about Ma's world view:
...Like any good political fight, this one was first waged by proxy as senior party officials from President Chens DPP and the KMT traded rhetorical blows on the right strategic approach toward Japan. First, in a policy piece titled U.S.-Japanese Strategic ClarityIs Ma Still Fuzzy?, Director of the DPPs Office of China Affairs Office Lai I-Chung argued that both U.S. President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi have taken major steps toward strategic clarity in support of embattled democratic countries like Taiwan [5].
According to Dr. Lai, Washingtons shift from strategic ambiguity toward a clearer commitment to defend Taiwan has been matched by Tokyos shift from ambiguous support to clear support of the U.S. position. The consequence of this double clarification, Lai concludes, is that Taipei must now cooperate with the U.S.-Japanese alliance to help build a regional alliance more conducive to guiding China towards democracy and building peace in the Taiwan Strait. Ma Ying-jeous statements supporting friendly but strategically ambiguous (lianghao guanxi-de zhanlue mohu) relations with Washington, Beijing and Tokyo will needlessly spurn Taiwans closest friends and court disaster.
KMT spokesperson and high-profile Ma advisor Cheng Li-wen responded to Lais article with a piece in which she dismissed Lais argument as Cold War strategic thinking (lengzhan-de zhanlue siwei). The greater risk, she argues, lies in building closer ties to the U.S.-Japanese alliance: doing so would only send the Peoples Republic of China the dangerous message that Taiwan is the mainlands enemy, thus creating a self-fulfilling prophecy [6].
Chengs larger argument was that while the United States and Japan can afford to hedge by simultaneously engaging with and balancing against China, a small country such as Taiwan does not possess the ability to pursue both strategies simultaneously. She concludes that if Taiwan is to avoid becoming the frontline sacrifice in a struggle between China on one side and the United States and Japan on the other, it is necessary for Taipei to focus its energies on developing political relations with Beijing.
* The problem is that a major chunk of Taiwanese voters don't really know what they want to be - Chinese or Taiwanese. As long as this remains an issue, I have serious reservations about selling up-to-date weaponry to Taiwanese. What if they buy this stuff and then turn around and hand it to the Chinese? The Australians don't want to fight the Chinese over Taiwan. I don't think this is so much about fear of the Chinese as it is about the fecklessness of the Taiwanese. My feeling is that the Taiwanese may have been exploiting American naivete. In a way, it's good that we're finally seeing this stuff - it's eye-opening, and may well lead to better decisions that restore the balance in our relationships with our military dependents (ROK, ROC, et al) in East Asia.
#10
we should be very slow to dismiss democratic populations who are badly led
We should also not overstay our welcome where the democratic population has made it clear we are no longer welcome. It's a fine line and I fear we have retarded the development of the Europeans, especially, into mature nations that are prepared to assume their responsibility as world leaders by providing them free defence so that they may remain international adolescents. Now they're going to go dhimmi before our very eyes and I fear there is absolutely nothing we can do about it.
I really question whether there will be sufficient interest in pulling Europe's bacon out of the fire this time. I say no and I say we make that crystal clear now by pulling out of NATO and re-establishing bi-lateral relations with nations that are worth allying with.
The psychology of being Taiwanese, sitting on some tiny little island in the shadow of the giant tiger that thinks you're the Blue Plate Special, surely must come into play.
I look back upon the US decision (abdication?) to adopt the One China policy. In that moment, we triangulated against Taiwan in the most aggressive manner possible, did we not? One could even think of it as an act of treason, if one were so disposed...
Perhaps adding the psychology mentioned above to this act of Real Politik fostered some of the current Taiwanese attitude - which seems to be more fatalistic than I once thought.
Oh well, I'm probably way too far behind the intel curve to fully appreciate it all at this moment, but I thought it relevant to point those two little tidbits out. I shall go forth and edumahcate myself a bit more...
#13
The Euros are a different matter, entirely. Indeed, we stood by them in the face of the Soviet threat.
Olde Europe is on its own to wake up and smell the coffee. My actionable point regards the TGA reference is that we should hold our noses and accept them back into the fold if they do so.
Regards, folks. This is, indeed, a Day of Learning for me. Thanks!
#14
Be gracious and pose cogent arguments to make your point, SP9082. I recognize, as I said in another thread, that we all develop mantras - and the same goes for you, whoever you are. Make yours the preferred position through logic and we will sing your praises.
#15
SP: But then again, ZF's never been a fan of defending other countries or allies.
I was previously a fan of the alliance concept, until I realized that we might be their allies, but it's not clear that they are our allies. I think we have to defend Japan. I think we have to defend Western Europe (not including the new states). I think we have to defend the Gulf states. All of these are necessary to deny our enemies the critical resources of these countries/regions. We also need to keep foreign powers out of the Western Hemisphere. This relates to keeping potential adversaries out of our backyard. But that's it. The other hangers-on we defend for reasons of sentiment, nostalgia and simple inertia.
#17
I think we have to defend Western Europe (not including the new states).
Hmmmm. That's odd. It seems the new states showed a little more eagerness to be on your side than did the old states.
That's a bit of a change on your part than what I remember, ZF. Last time I checked you were a strict isolationist. Now you're willing to defend some states. That's an improvement, I guess.
#19
Multiple 'nyms via multiple servers, all hosted in Toronto. I make no judgements on whether they represent more than one physical person, just noting the fact.
#20
you left out Australia, ZF. I'd fight to the death for them. They've stood alongside us through every battle
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/28/2006 16:31 Comments ||
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#21
We have neither permanent enemies nor permanent allies, though Oz has yet to give pause.
We owe Western Europe nothing. Spain, France, Germany and Italy can go full bore muzzie if they wish and I would not raise a finger to rescue them from their perfidy. They would prefer to play international power broker games with China, Russia, and Persia. Let them.
#23
NS: We owe Western Europe nothing. Spain, France, Germany and Italy can go full bore muzzie if they wish and I would not raise a finger to rescue them from their perfidy. They would prefer to play international power broker games with China, Russia, and Persia. Let them.
This has nothing to do with owing anyone anything. Western Europe is a gold mine of advanced technologies and first class intellects. If anyone else gets their hands on it, that someone will automatically become a first rate power. This is why we had to take it back from the Germans during WWII and prevent the Germans from getting their hands on it during WWI.
We need to defend Western Europe for the same reason we had to defend Kuwait. We don't want to annex them, but we can't have anybody else annexing them and having a monopoly on their resources. This was also why we had to prevent Japan from getting China after they kicked off the Sino-Japanese War. A continental scale Japan would have been a formidable strategic competitor to American interests. Again, the point is to deny potential adversaries the control of nations with important technologies or commodities.
#24
NS, you are WAY to quick to write off Italy! They stood by us against all odds in the WOT before a socialist government - elected by a whisker, I might add - yanked them out. We should be willing to go to the wall for Italy, and that's that.
The sky is almost falling! The sky is almost falling! Seven countries set to break emission limits, says environment commissioner
The European Union, self-styled global champion in the battle against climate change, is falling woefully short of its targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions and will need to take radical measures to achieve them, new projections have shown.
The European commission said that, based on current measures and policies, the emissions of the EU's original 15 members will be just 0.6% below 1990 levels by 2010. The EU-15 countries are committed under the Kyoto protocol to an 8% cut on 1990 levels by 2012. The new figures predict that emissions in 2010 will actually be 0.3% higher than they were in 2004.
The commission's projections come ahead of Monday's report by Sir Nicholas Stern, former chief economist at the World Bank, which will warn that climate change could push the global economy into the worst recession in recent history. Sir David King, the government's chief scientific adviser, said this week that the Stern report showed that "if no action is taken we will be faced with the kind of downturn that has not been seen since the great depression and two world wars".
And you're welcome to it. I dare you.
The findings published yesterday, based on national projections compiled by the staff of Stavros Dimas, the EU environment commissioner, are designed to spur European leaders into pressing for tougher targets in the second, post-2012 round of Kyoto at a UN conference on climate change in Nairobi early next month. The 25 governments have set targets of up to 30% cuts by 2020 and 80% by 2050, but not made them binding.
Mr Dimas said that, on unchanged policies, seven countries - Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain - would exceed their individual emission limits, which are binding under EU law. Even with extra measures, Spain is projected to exceed its 1990 emissions by 51.3% in 2010, compared with an allowed increase under Kyoto of 15%. Spain's annual economic growth is nearly 4%, one of the highest rates in western Europe, but it has suffered from extreme weather prompting greater use of fossil fuels. Ireland is projected to reach 30% above 1990 levels by 2010, against an allowance of 13%, and Portugal 42.7% higher, with an allowance of 27%.
Esther Bollendorff, climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe, said: "This is pretty dramatic as the projected 0.6% is not even a tenth of the target. This sends a very weak signal about the EU ahead of the Nairobi conference."
Weak signals are what the EU is all about.
Mr Dimas is to propose that civil aviation be brought within the EU's CO2 emissions trading scheme and is considering legislation for car manufacturers. Transport accounts for 22% of EU emissions, jeopardising gains made in heavy industry. He is threatening to slash the planned industry emission caps submitted by 18 countries and has begun infringement proceedings against seven that failed to submit plans on time. Only Britain, which is projected to cut emissions by 23.2% against a Kyoto limit of 12.5%, and Sweden, likely to achieve a 1% cut against an allowed increase of 4%, are on track on current policies.
Last week the commission published an energy efficiency plan designed to achieve 20% savings by 2020, including a 100bn (£67bn) cut in fuel bills. It said yesterday that additional measures already agreed at EU and national levels would take the EU15's reduction to 4.6% - if fully implemented on time. But only by buying rights to emit greenhouse gases from countries in the ex-communist bloc will the EU get even close to hitting the 8% cut. I'll trade you 5,000 carbon footprints tomorrow for a hamburger today. I'll fast-track the deportations.
Buying carbon rights is just another income-transfer scheme, the kind of thing the EU is good at ...
#4
Shut down the Power Plants!!!!
We're going to exceed our limit!!!!
This is all George Bush's fault!!!
If we integrated our muslim immigrants better this never would have happened!!!
#5
The findings published yesterday, based on national projections compiled by the staff of Stavros Dimas, the EU environment commissioner, are designed to spur European leaders into pressing for tougher targets in the second, post-2012 round of Kyoto at a UN conference on climate change in Nairobi early next month.
Designing findings and facts. Isn't that what Kyoto and climate change is all about?
The commission's projections come ahead of Monday's report by Sir Nicholas Stern, former chief economist at the World Bank, which will warn that climate change could push the global economy into the worst recession in recent history.
Sir David King, the government's chief scientific adviser, said this week that the Stern report showed that "if no action is taken we will be faced with the kind of downturn that has not been seen since the great depression and two world wars".
The findings published yesterday, based on national projections compiled by the staff of Stavros Dimas, the EU environment commissioner, are designed to spur European leaders into pressing for tougher targets in the second, post-2012 round of Kyoto at a UN conference on climate change in Nairobi early next month. The 25 governments have set targets of up to 30% cuts by 2020 and 80% by 2050, but not made them binding.
Two things.
Firstly, it IS all about power: the commission released the projections and has tailored the findings to FORCE someone else to do something they want.
Secondly, it is interesting that, in the face of abject failure, they decide the best option is to pretend to go on the attack and propose more agressive targets. Perhaps they strive to hide their failure by adopting a level of enthusiam that would fool others into overlooking the obvious?
#7
Ptah, and Mr Dimas... is threatening to slash the planned industry emission caps submitted by 18 countries...
Seems that the kind of downturn that has not been seen since the great depression and two world wars would br entirely self made.
Brilliant fellas, simply brilliant!
Fer godsakes, I am just an average joe with average schooling in matters of economic and I am seeking new supply of boggles as I already ran out of my allotment.
#8
When you get your new one, insist on the heavy duty upgraded industrial strength one. And buy a spare ... mine seems to have to go to the shop for repair a lot lately.
HAROLD Ford, a handsome 36-year-old from Tennessee, has become one of the sensations of the mid-term elections in the US and a reason why Democrats are a good chance of winning back control of the US Congress for the first time in 12 years.
But if Mr Ford, already a US congressman, wins his bid to become a more powerful senator, Australia had better watch out. Because according to Mr Ford, Australia has an interest in nuclear weapons and is part of the broader nuclear threat to the US.
In a speech to county government officials yesterday in Knoxville, Mr Ford - listed in People magazine in 2001 as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world "Crikey! 'E's a beauty, ain't 'e?"- electrified the audience, as he does everywhere he speaks. . . .
. . . "Here we are in a world today where more countries have access to nuclear weapons than ever before," Mr Ford said, adding that when he left college in 1992 he thought the nuclear age had come to an end "and America would find ways to eliminate the number of chances that a rogue group or a rogue nation would get their hands on nuclear material".
"Today nine countries have it - more than ever before - and 40 are seeking it, including Argentina, Australia and South Africa," he said. "Australia with nukes! Bot, 'at'll make ol' Matilda waltz!"
Mr Ford was referring to the nine known nuclear weapon states: the US, the UK, Russia, China, France, India, Pakistan, Israel and now North Korea.
He said this made the US less safe because "more countries have nuclear weapons today which means the possibility of nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands has increased dramatically".
On North Korea, he claimed Pyongyang had conducted two nuclear tests, the first of which he said occurred on July 4. This confuses the ballistic tests Pyongyang carried out on that date with the single nuclear test earlier this month.
The gaffes were lost on the audience and he was given a rousing standing ovation from Democrats and Republicans alike. Any chance of clarifying Mr Ford's remarks with the man himself was impossible as minders shielded any international media from asking questions, ushering Mr Ford away. "We have to protect him . . . from himself."
"You don't win us any votes," said his spokeswoman. And she might have added that it also means he is insulated from pesky questions probing his limitations on enunciating a foreign policy involving a trusted ally. . . .
Posted by: Mike ||
10/28/2006 13:22 ||
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#1
One of the big problems with the Democratic party in general is that they must have gone to special trouble to find someone with an IQ low enough to say this sort of thing to run for US senate.
Democrats' thin platform reflects consensus on policy goals - but not how to accomplish them
When Republicans took over the House of Representatives in 1994, ending four decades of Democratic dominance there, they followed marching orders they'd laid out in their Contract with America.
But if Democrats pull off the biggest shakeup of Congress since then by regaining control of the House and Senate in the Nov. 7 election, they will have no comparable document to guide them and thus may have a smaller claim to a mandate from the voters.
The 1994 Contract with America included draft legislation for budget, tax, military and social policies. It was a roadmap for what the new majority would do starting Day One through their first 100 days.
The Democrats' version this year - "A New Direction for America/Six for `06" - is one page long. It lists six fairly general goals - and raises as many questions as answers.
"It is hardly the specific, comprehensive agenda the GOP had," said Frank Luntz, who helped shape the '94 Contract with America as a Republican strategist and pollster. "They have made a conscious decision to focus on Republican weakness, and it may turn out to be the right decision. But it means nobody knows what they're going to do."
Released in July and cited sparingly since, Six for '06 covers areas of bipartisan concern from national security to Social Security. It calls for the first federal minimum-wage increase in a decade, from $5.15 an hour to $7.25, while steering clear of divisive issues such as abortion, gay rights or the possibility of raising taxes.
In addition, House Democrats commit themselves, within the first 100 hours of legislative business, to raising the minimum wage, reducing lobbyists' influence, repealing oil industry subsidies, cutting interest rates for college loans and authorizing funding to acquire unsecured Soviet-era nuclear weapons that could fall into dangerous hands.
It's on the broader, longer-term goals that the platform House and Senate Democrats share is sketchier.
They propose doubling the size of U.S. military Special Forces and beginning a phased redeployment of troops from Iraq. But the platform sets no numbers or timeline. It also doesn't say where troops would be redirected, or how many would come home.
The platform promises to "end tax giveaways that reward companies for moving American jobs overseas" but offers no details.
Democrats pledge to "stop any plan to privatize Social Security" but don't say what they'd do to stave off the program's projected insolvency.
Some of the detailed proposals are more complicated than they appear.
If they try to dismantle the Medicare drug program, for example, they'd face strong opposition from Republicans, the drug and insurance industries, and probably many seniors now enjoying the subsidy of their drug costs.
On energy, the Democrats' fault the Bush administration for America's growing dependence on foreign oil. But America is likely to remain dependent on foreign oil for decades under any realistic scenario. As a blue-ribbon bipartisan task force for the Council of Foreign Relations recently put it:
"Voices that espouse `energy independence' are doing the nation a disservice by focusing on a goal that is unachievable over the foreseeable future and that encourages the adoption of inefficient and counterproductive policies. ... Leaders of both parties, especially when seeking public office, seem unable to resist announcing unrealistic goals that are transparent efforts to gain popularity rather than inform the public of the challenges the United States must overcome," said the report, National Security Consequences of U.S. Oil Dependency.
As for raising the minimum wage, about 6.6 million workers now earn between $5.15 and $7.25 per hour. An additional 8.3 million earn slightly more and likely would find their wages pushed up as well to maintain some increase above the minimum, according to the Economic Policy Center, a labor-oriented think tank.
Partly because the election is widely seen as a referendum on the Iraq war and Republican rule, and partly because Democrats are too disparate to agree on many specifics, the platform is thus more theme than agenda.
"It makes sense electorally," said professor Lawrence Jacobs, director for the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota. "But I think it's going to lead to a real dog's breakfast when it comes to governing."
Brendan Daly, communications director for House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., who will become speaker if Democrats take the House, defends the platform. He said some aspects, such as raising the minimum wage, are straightforward. On more complex matters, "there will be legislation for each of those things. We're working on it. That's not until January," when the 110th Congress convenes, Daly said.
John Cullinane, a corporate messaging expert who has advised Pelosi for two years, insists that "the overall message is twice as important as the six things under it. You've just got to keep saying it: `New Direction, New Direction.'"
"Politicians never know when to stop talking," he added. "When you have six concerns, you go down 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and then you stop. Guys like John Kerry, they just don't know when to stop!" Word.
#1
No matter what the donks do IF and when they get the house or senate, there is still one thing that the President can do. What's it called when he rejects the, oh yeah, a VETO. Yeah, that's it. They are getting just a little bit ahead of themselves at this point. They shouldn't have the trophy engraved yet.
#4
"They have made a conscious decision to focus on Republican weakness, and it may turn out to be the right decision. But it means nobody knows what they're going to do."
In other news, John Kerry sues for copyright infringement...
#6
And the funny part about that whole Special Forces thing is that Rummy has done more to both enlarge SOCOM and to deploy special forces than any other SECDEF. And he plans to add more, as fast as they can be added without diluting quality. (Which is not necessarily easy to do -- there's a reason special forces are considered elite.)
#7
The donks see special forces as a JFK approved and created military organization that is allied with and a precursor to the Peace Corps. Using the same methods of relating to and understanding the indigenous population in an anthropological sense, they intuit the correct eating habits to bend the ignorant native population to the will of its new master.
It is a source for CIA agents like Dusko Popov who are given three digit license numbers and can explain the chemical distintion between a shaken and stirred martini. They've been to college, causing the employment and salaries of donk professors to rise. They are good.
Posted by: Napoleon Buonaparte ||
10/28/2006 13:05 Comments ||
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#8
They do NOT know the same guys I do, it would seem. ;-)
In the smoke-and-gilded-mirrors world of Bill and Hillary Clinton, nothing not even birthday celebrations are quite what they seem.
The former President embarked last night on a three-day party to mark his 60th, which culminates in a live concert by the Rolling Stones in New York on Sunday.
About 2,000 guests have been invited, including some of Americas wealthiest, with each expected to cough up between $60,000 (£32,000) and $500,000 to join in the fun. The money will go to the Clinton Foundation, which does global good works on issues such as HIV/Aids, climate change and childhood obesity.
But the birthday in the family this week was not his he turned 60 more than two months ago. Instead it was that of Mrs Clinton, who was 59 on Thursday. She marked this with a more modest event, a $1,000-a-plate fundraising dinner for her senatorial re-election campaign with about 1,000 supporters at the Tavern on the Green in New York.
The reason for the delayed celebrations of Mr Clintons 60th birthday is, apparently, that he did not want to interfere with other fundraising events and drain rich donors of money needed by the Democrats in the midterm elections.
The starring role he has played in galvanising the Democratic Party has demonstrated just what American politics has been missing in the past six years when ill-health and his tarnished brand prevented him from doing what he does best.
Taking the party by the scruff of the neck, Mr Clinton has taken it to the brink of a victory that could yet have huge significance for his wifes presidential ambitions in 2008.
His office was noticeably reluctant yesterday to say anything about the weekend gala beyond reissuing a two-week-old press release containing little more than platitudes.
But the A-list of event hosts is dominated by the big-time Democratic donors such as S. Daniel Abraham, the former owner of Slim Fast Foods, and Ronald W. Burkle. Others include Steve Bing, the Hollywood producer, who sired Elizabeth Hurleys son; Frank Giustra, the gold tycoon; Ted Waitt, the founder of the computer company Gateway; and Casey Wasserman, the West Coast entertainment executive.
It is not clear if the likes of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards are doing this for free. The foundation claims that they had made a portion of the tickets available to support President Clinton.
But Bernard Doherty, a spokesman for the Stones, said yesterday: The prime seats the Gold Circle have been bought by Clintons charity so that they can be offered to his guests and all those wonderful benefactors. Asked if the band were friends with Mr Clinton, he said: Theyve met but thats all Ill say.
Around midnight tomorrow there will be an after-concert party back at the Gramercy Park Hotel. Not bad for a man who had major heart surgery two years ago. But Mr Clinton has shown in recent months that he is back in a big way, not just as a world-class schmoozer but also providing national leadership for the Democratic Party, which has desperately missed his brilliance in the six years since he left the White House.
A letter sent to party donors this month makes clear that he is putting some backbone into Democrats. Weve got to stop fighting each other over issues designed to divide us and instead come together to accomplish the great things we can all agree on.
This week Mr Clinton has been keen to keep public attention firmly focused on the coming elections, rather than his own glitzy party, telling guests at his wifes birthday that he had spent the day schlepping around New York to campaign for Democratic candidates.
A couple of days ago I asked Hillary, What would you like me to do on your birthday? I was thinking of all sorts of, even at my age, semi-romantic things. She said, I want you to go to upstate New York and Long Island to campaign.
Next week, despite any weekend hangover, Mr Clinton is scheduled to campaign in Wisconsin, New Jersey, Michigan, Tennessee, Arkansas, Ohio, California and Colorado. He has already made no less than 80 electioneering visits since the spring.
Karin Johanson, the executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told The Times yesterday: He brings us energy wherever he goes. He inspires the base. While there are still a group of Republicans who dont like him, this is less of a factor than it once was.
There are some, of course, who suspect a different agenda behind this frenetic activity. If Mr Clinton can demonstrate that he is no longer a sleazy, untrustworthy figure for voters with bad memories of his Administration, it will undoubtedly bolster Mrs Clintons presidential prospects.
The foundation will continue to give him a purpose and something to do should that return to the White House occur. The campaigning may just help them to get there.
In the meantime rich donors will be grateful that the Clintons did not do more to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary on October 11 when they decided, for once, to have a quiet night in at their home in Chappaqua.
WEALTH OF AMBITION
PRESENT
This weekends party kicked off last night at the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City with cocktails and a reception.
This morning, the Clintons will join friends six-figure donors only for brunch at Pastis, a French restaurant.
Then it is off to a reception and dinner at the Museum of Natural History. Once again, the bigger donors will get more tickets and better seats.
Tomorrow morning, there will be a round of golf at the Bayonne Club, a Scottish-style links course with a helicopter landing pad and a nice view of lower Manhattan. Those who contribute $500,000 will be allowed to bring along a friend.
Then cocktails and dinner is scheduled at the Boathouse restaurant, before the party heads off to see the Rolling Stones at the 2,800-seat Beacon Theatre, where Martin Scorcese may film them for his documentary on the band. The entourage and guests will then repair back to the Gramercy Park Hotel for an after-gig party.
PAST
Bill Clintons 1993 inaugural celebration involved four days of balls, parties and parades costing some $35 million.
Aretha Franklin, Michael Bolton, Tony Bennett, Bob Dylan, Diana Ross and LL Cool J performed in front of hundreds of thousands of people. Jack Nicholson and Oprah Winfrey marked the start of the inauguration with readings.
Fleetwood Mac reunited after 13 years apart to sing Dont Stop Thinking About Tomorrow to the new President, the theme song of Clintons election campaign.
During his first few months in office Mr Clinton had dinner with Paul Newman. Other White House guests included Richard Gere, Cindy Crawford, Sharon Stone and Richard Dreyfuss.
BANGALORE: In a major breakthrough in its space programme, India on Saturday successfully conducted the first test of its indigenously developed cryogenic rocket engine at a facility at Mahindragiri in Tamil Nadu.
"We had a very successful first cryogenic stage test at Mahindragiri at 6.20 pm. It is a major milestone in the development of rocket systems in the country," Indian Space Research Organisation Chairman G Madhavan Nair said.
The test at ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Centre at Mahindragiri lasted 50 seconds, he said.
"Only developed countries have this stage. We have also qualified now," Nair said.
"We will go for one more long duration test in the next three or four days which will make it ready for flight."
The cryogenic rocket engine that ISRO successfully tested on Saturday was equivalent to the "Russian stage" supplied earlier, Nair said.
Posted by: john ||
10/28/2006 15:00 ||
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#1
Why do I have a feeling that the Indian dog will eventually turn around and bite us? Is it an irrational fear?
#2
India is being drawn into the American orbit, with economic and military links that will eventually develop into an alliance.
NEW DELHI - A new world record has been set in India. On October 19, an auspicious day to purchase new products in the country, mobile-phone maker Nokia reportedly sold more than 400,000 handsets, a number not achieved in a single day anywhere else in the world,
Posted by: john ||
10/28/2006 15:25 Comments ||
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Posted by: Mike ||
10/28/2006 15:35 Comments ||
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#4
I like what I'm hearing, john - and that makes me suspicious of it, lol.
Hard to forget the (apparent) rapidity with which they fell into the Soviet orbit... and I had some really bad experiences with Indians in Saudi. I was amazed by the vitriol displayed for the US when the nicities were out of the way.
#5
Proximity matters. While the US was always concerned about the Soviet Union and China getting together, their historical animocities always overcame that ambition. Today, the same rule applies with Russia, China and India.
With a stroke of genius, W. Bush opened India to America far more than Nixon opened China, and all of a sudden both nations realized that a potent India is to our mutual advantage.
It counterbalances China in many ways, and will soon take its proper place as an active, not passive, world power.
Ironically, while the US, Russia, China and now India are showing a willingness to engage the world, Europe is rapidly fading in its abilities to do the same, and as such, may soon take a back row to India on the world stage.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/28/2006 17:09 Comments ||
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#8
Liquid Hydrogen and Liquid Oxygen.
While they've tested the motor before, this is the first complete stage test.
Posted by: john ||
10/28/2006 18:20 Comments ||
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#9
That astronautix.com link is interesting.
The sheer number of launches is quite surprising
Posted by: john ||
10/28/2006 18:22 Comments ||
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#10
Proximity matters.
The Arthasastra, written by Chanakya, advisor to the Indian Emperor Chandragupta around 4 BC mentions near and far empires: the nearby ones are by definition your enemy, while the distant ones are potential friends.
The US is a Far Emperor for India, with the ability to tip the scales against the Near Emperor - China, if an alliance can be reached
Posted by: john ||
10/28/2006 18:29 Comments ||
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#11
The King "... should divide the day as well as the night into eight parts . . . During the fifth, he should hold consultations with the council of ministers through correspondence and also keep himself informed of the secret reports brought by spies.... During the first one-eighth part of the night, he should meet the officers of the secret service.... During the seventh, he should hold consultations and send out the officers of the secret service for their operations." The Duties of a King -- The Arthasastra
Posted by: john ||
10/28/2006 18:34 Comments ||
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#12
Delhi (PTI) Oct 27, 2006
A "registration of intent" to send an Indian astronaut into space on a home-made space capsule using an Indian launch vehicle from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh was made before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on October 17. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman G. Madhavan Nair made a brief slide presentation on the possibility of sending an Indian astronaut into space.
"The Prime Minister did not say anything adverse. But no decision was taken at that meeting whether to go or not to go," said informed ISRO scientists. "We are yet to go through a presentation to members of the Space Commission or the scientific community. Things will be firmed up in another three to six months."
A press release from the Prime Minister's Office on October 18 said: "The Prime Minister reviewed India's space and atomic energy programmes on October 17. Detailed presentations were made by the Chairmen of the Space Commission and the Atomic Energy Commission... The possibility of the Department [of Space] developing a manned space programme was also discussed."
A small step towards sending an Indian astronaut into space on an indigenous space capsule will be taken in December 2006/January 2007 when a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from Sriharikota puts in orbit a recoverable satellite weighing around 550 kg. ISRO has named it Space Capsule Recovery Experiment. After the SRE stays in orbit for some days, ISRO scientists will bring it back in a planned manner so that it enters the atmosphere without burning up and touches down in the sea with parachutes and flotation systems. In orbit, the SRE will perform experiments in micro-gravity.
The SRE will be an important step towards ISRO mastering the complex re-entry technology. "The re-entry technologyis a must for our manned spacecraft. When the SRE descends from space and re-enters the earth's atmosphere, how we are going to maintain the orientation of the spacecraft is important because we have to exchange speed for heat," said the ISRO scientists.
For, when a spacecraft bearing an astronaut re-enters the atmosphere, it will lose speed due to friction from the atmosphere but gain enormous heat. So the capsule should be plastered with composite-tiles to prevent it from burning up when it slices into the atmosphere.
The reliability rating has to be very high for a manned space mission. "We are sending a man into space and we have to bring him back safely. So you cannot afford to have any failure. If you lose a satellite, you can build another one. If you lose an astronaut in space, the country's prestige and confidence will be eroded," the scientists said
Key ingredients
Essential to a manned mission are the re-entry technology; life-support systems; an ejection system in case of an emergency; setting up facilities for training astronauts; creating a corps of astronauts; and building the recovery systems for the space capsule.
The proposed manned mission may cost about Rs.20,000 crore. According to ISRO rocket engineers, the Geo-synchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) now available or GSLV-mark III under development will do for the mission. "If the Government gives the go-ahead and all the money needed, we can send an Indian astronaut into space in five to ten years," they said.
Source: Press Trust of India
Posted by: john ||
10/28/2006 18:46 Comments ||
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NEW DELHI (AP) - Indian and U.S. destroyers, frigates and submarines conducted joint naval exercises off India's western coast Friday, officials said. The training exercises include anti-submarine operations, boarding hostile vessels and a "simulated war at sea," the Indian navy said in a statement. A Canadian frigate also joined the exercises.
The U.S. Embassy said more than 6,500 U.S. Navy personnel were taking part in the exercises, which began Wednesday and run through Nov. 5. "The purpose of the multinational exercise, which focuses on a number of naval mission areas, is to strengthen ties between American, Canadian and Indian forces as well as enhance the cooperative security relationship between the nations involved," the Embassy said in a statement.
The exercises involve several American and Indian destroyers, guided-missile frigates and other warships carrying out combat, search-and-rescue and patrolling maneuvers in the Arabian Sea.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/28/2006 00:00 ||
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Malabar-06 hints at growing Indo-US military cooperation
Pioneer News Service | New Delhi
The Indian Navy and the US Navy are conducting a joint exercise named "Malabar-06" off Goa and frontline platforms are taking part in the bilateral exercise, which started on Tuesday and would end on November 5.
This exercise, ninth in the past few years, indicates the growing military co-operation between the two countries. This ongoing exercise will see the two navies engaging in advanced exercises, including anti-submarine operations, maritime interdictions, weapon firings, visit board search and seizure(VBSS) operations, dissimilar air combat, cross-deck flying and a simulated war at sea, Indian Navy spokesman Captain Vinay Garg said here on Thursday.
The Indian Navy has fielded destroyer INS Mysore, guided missile frigates INS Beas and INS Ganga, replenishment tanker INS Shakti, a large landing ship INS Gharial, sub surface killer submarine INS Shankul, reconnaissance aircraft, Sea Harrier fighter jets operating from ashore and Coast Guard ship Samar, he said.
The US Navy's Expeditionary Strike Group comprises USS Boxer (landing platform with helicopter and dock), cruiser USS Bunker Hill, destroyers Benfold and Howard, US Coast Guard cutter Midgett, Canadian frigate Ottawa, nuclear powered submarine Providence and a P3C maritime reconnaissance aircraft, Captain Garg said.
The two navies for the first time would be carrying expeditionary operations of the Konkan coast and for this operation involving sea borne landings, some of our army troops have already been trained on board Gharial. These troops would be exercising with US Marines as part of the Malabar series of exercise.
Highlighting the importance of these joint exercises, he said these interactions help the Indian Navy to hone its skills and audit standards by first hand comparison with the navies of advanced countries. It improves mutual understanding and co-operation and helps evolve inter-operability through common drills and procedures, he said.
Posted by: john ||
10/28/2006 8:32 Comments ||
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#3
nice to see the Canucks in there, too
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/28/2006 9:38 Comments ||
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#4
It *is* good to see the Canadians involved. Although in keeping with the tradition of teasing our brothers to the north, I have to ask do they mean a Canadian frigate also joined the exercises or *the* Canadian frigate?
The rumpus raised in the NWFP Assembly on Friday on the existence of an alleged liquor bar in New York said to be shaped like the Khana Kaaba is without any basis.
Ohfergawdsake.
The protest in Peshawar derives from a report by The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), a Washington-based organisation, which quoted an erroneous assertion and one that a number of Islamic websites went to town on that Apple computers flagship store in New York fashionable Fifth Avenue contains a cube-shaped structure that seemed like the Kaaba. What was more, the Islamic website claimed that the place served alcohol and was thus an insult to Islam.
The Apple cultists also form periodic conga lines that snake around it. When the moon is full, they boot up Mac OS X and copulate.
A NWFP Assembly session on Friday had condemned the bars design, which the MMAs Maulana Muhammad Mujahid al-Hussaini said replicated the Khana Kaaba. Maulana Mujahid criticised the NWFP government for not taking notice of Apple Meccas design and called for strong condemnation from the provincial government.
"Yeah! Make 'em stop! The cube's a patented Islamic design!"
The MEMRI report said, On October 10, an Islamist website posted a message alerting Muslims to what it claims is a new insult to Islam. According to the message, the cube-shaped building, which is being constructed in New York City, on Fifth Avenue between 58th and 59th streets in midtown Manhattan, is clearly meant to provoke Muslims.
That's the first thing I think of, too, when I design something: How can I make whatever it is provoke Muslims?
The fact that the building resembles the Kaaba and is called Apple Mecca, is intended to be open 24 hours a day like the Kaaba, and moreover, contains bars selling alcoholic beverages, constitutes a blatant insult to Islam. The message urges Muslims to spread this alert, in hope that Muslims will be able to stop the project.
First the architect has to be beheaded, of course...
Jason D. OGrady, writing in the blog The Apple Core said, I was just at the Fifth Avenue Apple store in NYC and dont remember them serving alcohol. The report appears to have misunderstood the intent of the Genius Bar and the iPod bar. The group which explores the Middle East through the regions media only appears to have two valid facts in their complaint that the Apple store is in the shape of a cube and that its open 24 hours a day.
Well. There you have it. The riots should be starting any moment now...
A Muslim wrote, This is ridiculous. I am Muslim and not offended in the slightest. Who says that we Muslims have trademarked the shape of a cube? Its simply a modernly-designed building, and I think it looks cool.
One New Yorker wrote on the Apple Core website, I needed to buy my mom a birthday present with less than 12 hours before seeing her, and was able to go buy her an iPod at 3am rather than having to rush over in the morning! Ill almost certainly buy my next machine there, in the middle of the night. While they may not be serving alcohol at the Genius Bar, they may be a direct beneficiary of alcohol sales in other places.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/28/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
There's a religious whatchamacallit in the Middle East shaped like an Apple store? Whoa, how weird is that?
#7
looking at the Kaaba photo... if any of those columns or lights are used for control or monitoring of the security network we may need a meeting of lawyers..
#8
Wonder if the NWFP chaps will riot over Klein Bottles? Ima thnkr that they would not be able to wrap their little turbanned minds around that one. may even blow a collective head gasket.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/28/2006 16:25 Comments ||
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#9
That al Klein, infidel! This is old hat - Mo likened these to the plumbing of wymyn! It's in the q'u''u'ra'n!
An Amish couple filed a lawsuit something that runs counter to their principles of nonresistance to safeguard another cherished belief, that having their photo taken is against the Bible. The couple are suing the federal government because immigration officials require photos. In the case of the Amish couple, the photos are required so the husband a Canadian citizen can become a permanent resident and eventually apply for U.S. citizenship.
The Old Order Amish shun modern conveniences like automobiles and electricity and believe having one's picture taken violates the Biblical injunction against making "graven images."
The couple's attorney, Michael Sampson, who is taking the case without charge, said they could be excommunicated if the Amish community learned of the lawsuit, so he asked a federal judge to let them proceed anonymously. The judge has not ruled on the request.
The U.S. government sometimes allowed immigrants to waive the photo requirements for religious reasons. Because of more recent anti-terrorism efforts, there are no longer any exceptions based on religion. But Sampson said immigration authorities still allow some elderly or infirm people to avoid being photographed, and believes an exemption should be made in this case, too.
The husband, 31, and wife, 24, were married in June 2001 in Pennsylvania while the man was in the country as a visitor. They have since had two children. They have provided fingerprints, birth certificates and other documents needed for immigration, but still must submit two photographs.
For now, the husband is entitled to stay here while the government attempts to resolve the matter, Sampson said. But they live in fear of a deportation order. "The reality is, we've exhausted every possible step we can take to protect them," Sampson said. "If my clients don't file this lawsuit, they're at risk of having this young family torn apart, separated by the Canadian-U.S. border."
U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan, who will represent the government, declined to comment on the case Friday.
In another case filed two years ago, Buchanan defended the photo requirement by saying Homeland Security officials cannot do a thorough background check on an immigrant without a photo. "They can't go out and show people a fingerprint and say, `Do you recognize this fingerprint? What can you tell me about this person?'" Buchanan said.
#1
I thought the Old Order Amish were against things like lawsuits, also. If they can violate their principles over such a matter, they can certainly stoop to having their picture taken.
I grew up near the old Amish. While there are admirable things about their community, they are not necessarily paragons of virtue.
Some of the biggest puppy mills in the country are run by the Amish. I've had to rescue the "products" of their commerce, who came with faked pedigrees and buyers who were unable to fathom that their "purebred" xxx .... wasn't a purebred xxx at all. And that it peed submissively or chewed its fur neurotically or ... etc etc
Not in the category of blowing up buses, but I keep it in mind when the topic of the Amish comes up.
#5
You guys don't know the half of it. When it comes to $$ the Amish will screw the hell out of the English (us guys) and do anything to bring in the bucks. Not stealing mind you, but taking advantage of the uniformed consumer or those enamored by the "amish" advertising slapped on a product. "Amish" cheese; "Amish made furniture" (made in the most high-tech workshops you ever saw), etc.
In my area, they even had a word for it - "Yutzy" - a verb as in; "I yutzied him good" - meaning; I screwed him with a d!ck so big, an elephant would have felt it.
Even "Amish" stores are built and marketed strictly for the English. Lehmans in Kidron OH is all prettied up (Oh, how quiant!!) complete with prices that are stratopheric. The parking lot is full of busses of tourists who are inside being shook down. They have to walk past the horse and buggy that good ole' Jonas brings every morning and ties to the rail. Jonas picks up the buggy after the store is closed. Don't kid yourself, the Amish don't shop there, they go three miles down the road to New Hope where the prices are what they should be but no English would ever find it. Check out their website - ironic, no?
Back on topic - the photograph is not a big problem if they don't want it to be. The Bishop can give permission to have your photograph taken and all is well. It's done every day - how do you think the Amish that go on missions overseas get a valid passport?
#8
I think the whole point here is not with the Amish, It's with the fakers claiming to be Amish so they can move around anonymously.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
10/28/2006 11:01 Comments ||
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#9
lol SteveS
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/28/2006 11:26 Comments ||
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#10
I've got a saddle made by an Amish community in Ohio. It's the best quality saddle I've ever owned.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
10/28/2006 12:58 Comments ||
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#11
Heh, Deacon... There's an interesting element snobbery in commerce. I can't help but recall the 1000 times someone tried to sell me a "genuine" Rolex on the streets of Bangkok, lol.
Would it break your heart to find out the saddle was made in Western Taiwan?
It would still be "the best quality saddle I've ever owned"...
#14
I remember when I was in PA, I would go to WalMart and see the buggies tied up to the lightposts in the parking lot. They were inside buying all kinds of junk food, etc. Heh, I should have checked to see if they were stocking up on that 99 cent jam to spoon into their pretty little containers.
#16
Last I heard, "graven" means carved, as in a statue. Photos don't usually come under that heading, unless of course yoy're talking Neolithic Kodak film cameras.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/28/2006 20:09 Comments ||
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#18
"they could be excommunicated if the Amish community learned of the lawsuit"
Seems a photo is a problem but they'll bend principle on a lawsuit. Wouldn't it be easier if a lawsuit is a problem but they'll bend principle on a photo?
#19
UG6250, that's your interpretation of graven. Theirs, I will happily defer to our more knwoledgable Amish posters, if I am in error, extends to photographs because the injunction against images is to prevent them becoming items of veneration, idols, to be worshipped, instead of God. I think they have a point, even if an extreme one.
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. The trial of an Atlanta-area father accused of circumcising his 2-year-old daughter with scissors is focusing attention on an ancient African practice that experts say is slowly becoming more common in the U.S. as immigrant communities grow.
Khalid Adem, a 30-year-old immigrant from Ethiopia, is charged with aggravated battery and cruelty to children. Human rights observers said they believe this is the first criminal case in the U.S. involving the 5,000-year-old practice.
Prosecutors say Adem used scissors to remove his daughter's clitoris in their apartment in 2001. The child's mother said she did not discover it until more than a year later.
Continued on Page 49
#2
Insane. Just insane. For this reason alone, Islam should be wiped from the face of this earth.
The report estimated that 73 percent of women in Ethiopia had undergone the procedure, based on a 1997 survey.
Taina Bien-Aime, executive director of Equality Now, an international human rights group, said female circumcision is most widely practiced in a 28-country swath of Africa. She said more than 90 percent of women in Ethiopia are believed to have been subjected to the practice, and more in places like Egypt and Somalia.
"It is a preparation for marriage," Bien-Aime said. "If the girl is not circumcised, her chances of being married are very slim."
Kill everyone involved with this barbarically cruel practice. Then kill anyone who even suggests it, just to be on the safe side. Also make sure to kill all males who remotely support this sort of brutal savagery. This is nothing less than a massive crime against humanity.
How many Muslim males would allow the tip of their penis to be lopped off? End of story. Islam is utterly worthless.
#3
Zenster you are such a tool, all you ever talk about is killing all muslims. If that is the way you fell get started. I sure don't look forward to the genocie 1/4 of the world population.
You must have missed the past in this article that says is crosses culturial and religious lines. You likelty should read it again.
#6
"Federal law specifically bans the practice, but many states do not have a law addressing it".
BS.
I don't know what they call it in other states, but in Ohio they call it Felonius Assault w/ a deadly weapon.
For the record, I don't believe daddy muzzie when he says he didn't do. Nor do I believe mommy muzzie when she says she didn't know about it for more than a year.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
10/28/2006 8:35 Comments ||
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#7
Genital mutilation is an African TRIBAL custom. It was practiced by many tribes before Islam ever came to the continent.
It's a barbaric custom and must not be allowed to occur here. Period.
But it is not called for by Islam. The most you can say is that Islam did not put a stop to an old, old and horrific tribal custom, any more than Islam has put an end to the tribal custom of revenge rapes in Pakistan and Afghanistan -- also a practice that predates Islam in the area.
The genocide thing is getting old, folks. Rantburg is not a hate site. Ditch the meme.
#8
I think a person has every right to hate their sworn enemy. They have sworn to annihilate us, citing their own holy scripture as proof of the virtue of their despicable deeds. Maybe you are ready to forgive for the approx. 3000 people who died on 9/11, I'm not. I think we should have dealt out a much more punishing series of wars and kept what we captured for ourselves. Just sayin.
#9
child's mother said she did not discover it until more than a year later.
Right.. the screaming and the bloody diapers didn't clue you in. Means the baby didn't receive any medical attention "until more than a year later". Sick, twisted, fetish-driven, inhuman scum.
#10
Just because we continue to allow 3rd world low lifes to creep into our country does not mean we tolerate their pre-historic rituals because it's part of thier "culture." F**k their "culture". We want none of it. Jail this low-life (and the mother too) shit for 20 years then deport the fool to the dump he sneaked out of. This is not tolerable.
#11
I'm there, SpecOp35. I've marveled at the sacrosanct notion that customs and traditions, sometimes useful survival mechanisms for a moment in time - but often long-surpassed, merely artifacts of insane drivel or barbarism, have been elevated to the heights and given the unassailable label of "culture".
Fuck culture. Read the history book, if you're so weak and frightened by reality you need a self-esteem boost, but don't live in the past, don't drag that obsolete bullshit along with you - this is America, the place which has proven beyond any doubt that the baggage of history is to be studied, not repeated.
America is the land of the future, looking forward 95% of the time, reflecting upon the past 5% of the time. Everywhere else in the world, the figures are reversed - and it stunts them, stifles them, and leaves them choking on our dust.
Fuck the farce of culture and the PC-addled morons who fear the future so much, probably correctly since they possess no skills with which to earn a place within it, they prostrate themselves in front of this altar of ancient barbarity.
#12
Female genital mutilation is a barbaric practice, at least in this country. People that practice this act violate the law and are not welcome here. If the people from Ethopia want to practice this cullllllllltural tradition, they can practice in their own little piece of heaven-on-earth in the sh*thole that Africa has become.
The bigger question of why the federal government is in this people importing resettlement business is what we should be asking. We need people that will contribute to our society and not be a drain on it. We need to make a sensible immigration policy. Get that hammered out right away. Then, armed with a sensible policy, dismiss all the present administrators and start afresh.
Lastly, I am not an advocate of blowing all the muslims away with nukes or whatever. But I am an advocate of taking out Islamist leaders that preach death to this country, incite others to commit terrorist acts against this country and its citizens, and those that aid and abett and finance same. They have declared war on us, so, psychopaths that they are, they need a bit of pain to get the message across to leave us alone.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/28/2006 14:35 Comments ||
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#13
The genocide thing is getting old, folks. Rantburg is not a hate site. Ditch the meme.
Ah, yes. Some got there sooner then you did, lotp. And some arrived too late.
May I suggest a viable alternative? It would be far more beneficial to discuss Islam as a despicable way of life, bringing to the foreground all its absurdities and backwardness, than to talk of killing everyone associated with it. That way, assertions such as "Islam should be wiped from the face of this earth" become somewhat more palatable. Or at least, one could make a darn good argument for it.
#14
Maybe you are ready to forgive for the approx. 3000 people who died on 9/11, I'm not
Red herring, bigjim. The issue in this thread is genital mutilation and whether it is an Islamic thing or a tribal thing.
We all know about 9/11. And at the risk of boring regulars, my daughter was just up the street from the Twin Towers that day. Friends of ours from before my husband retired from military service were in the wing of the Pentagon that was hit. Etc Etc.
Hate muslims all you like. Argue your case for what we should do.
But if that case is based on untruths, then I or others are likely to call attention to that fact.
#15
We need people that will contribute to our society and not be a drain on it. We need to make a sensible immigration policy.
How about introducing a compatability test for all would-be immigrants? Have them prove first that they are compatible with Western society, but don't provide any pointers or help. It would be easy for some, but harder for others, but then that would be a feature and not a bug.
This would put the onus on the immigrant to learn about our society and see if they would actually want to live here. I have met a lot of normal (i.e. non-frothing at the mouth) immigrants who regret having come here, for this reason or other. This breeds resentment, and in turn this resentment is passed down to the kids. This is one source of the "homegrown" variety of terrorist. I've seen this personally, though I don't know anyone who turned to terrorism as a result.
#16
Zenster you are such a tool, all you ever talk about is killing all muslims.
Yawn, where in post # 2 do I talk about "killing all muslims"? Yes, I mention wiping Islam from the face of the earth. That, in no way, implies or requires slaughtering all of its adherents. I just want to see this incredibly barbaric dogma entirely reformed or banned world-wide.
While female genital mutilation "crosses culturial and religious lines", it is Islam alone that has elevated Abject Gender Apartheid and violence against women into an institutionalized feature of its dogma. I just happen to be sick to fucking death of women being treated this way and having to put up with a bunch of smug, self-satisfied cowardly bastards who fancy themselve to be Lions of Islam because they can beat the shit out of their wives and get patted on the back for it by the local imam.
SPoD, you can also take you accusations of racism and stick them where the sun don't shine. I refuse to even defend myself against such disgusting slander.
If you even bothered to pay attention to my post, I recommend that we should; "Kill everyone involved with this barbarically cruel practice. Then kill anyone who even suggests it, just to be on the safe side. Also make sure to kill all males who remotely support this sort of brutal savagery."
Did you bother to notice how my suggestion "crosses culturial and religious lines"? I don't give a hot damn who is practicing this or whatever fucking faith they are, Christian, Islamic, Animist or whatever, ALL OF THEM need to be dispatched promptly. As I said, this is a massive crime against humanity with MILLIONS OF YOUNG WOMEN EACH YEAR undergoing this hideous practice.
For the record, I don't believe daddy muzzie when he says he didn't do. Nor do I believe mommy muzzie when she says she didn't know about it for more than a year. Bingo, Mark Z.
Right.. the screaming and the bloody diapers didn't clue you in. Means the baby didn't receive any medical attention "until more than a year later". Sick, twisted, fetish-driven, inhuman scum. I couldn't agree with you more, Thinemp Whimble2412.
Genital mutilation is an African TRIBAL custom. It was practiced by many tribes before Islam ever came to the continent.
Female Genital Mutilation is not restricted to the African continent.
Female genital cutting is today mainly practiced in African countries. It is common in a band that stretches from Senegal in West Africa to Somalia on the East coast, as well as from Egypt in the north to Tanzania in the south. In these regions, itisestimatedthatmorethan95%ofallwomenhaveundergonethis procedure. It is also practiced by some groups in the Arabian peninsula, especially among a minority (20%) in Yemen. The majority of Muslim countries (except in parts of sub-Saharan Africa) do not practice it [15].
Although it is practiced by African Muslims, it is also known to exist throughout the Middle East, though it is veiled in secrecy, unlike in parts of Africa, where it is practiced relatively openly. The practice occurs particularly in northern Saudi Arabia, southern Jordan, and Iraq, and there is also circumstantial evidence to suggest it is present in Syria, western Iran and southern Turkey [16]. In Oman a few communities still practice FGC; however, experts believed that the number of such cases was small and declining annually. In the United Arab Emirates and also Saudi Arabia, it's practiced among some foreign workers from East Africa and the Nile Valley.
The practice can also be found among a few ethnic groups in South America and India. In Indonesia [17] and Malaysia the practice is fairly common among the country's Muslim women; however, in contrast to Africa, almost all are Type I or Type IV (involving a symbolic prick to release blood) procedures.
[Emphasis Added]
I'll make note of how, despite disclaimers as to its popularity, nearly all of the non-African nations practicing this revolting form of partial femicide, are almost entirely Muslim majority countries.
I think a person has every right to hate their sworn enemy. They have sworn to annihilate us, citing their own holy scripture as proof of the virtue of their despicable deeds. Maybe you are ready to forgive for the approx. 3000 people who died on 9/11, I'm not. Hard to argue with you, bigjim ky
this is America, the place which has proven beyond any doubt that the baggage of history is to be studied, not repeated.
America is the land of the future, looking forward 95% of the time, reflecting upon the past 5% of the time. Everywhere else in the world, the figures are reversed - and it stunts them, stifles them, and leaves them choking on our dust.
Fuck the farce of culture and the PC-addled morons who fear the future so much, probably correctly since they possess no skills with which to earn a place within it, they prostrate themselves in front of this altar of ancient barbarity. Spot on, .com
We are under zer-fucking-oh obligation to respect, preserve or even tolerate this sort of barbaric bullshit. Contrary to what others may claim, there is strong evidence to indicate that Islam both condones and perpetuates this filthy and depraved oppression of women. It certainly fits right in with everything else this savage dogma decrees for women. With moron feminists like Germaine Greer reaching full circle in their moral relativism and actually defending the cultural right to practice this horrendous trash, it is up to civilized nations like America to actively fight against this sort of barbarity.
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.
Venezuela President Hugo Chavez said 
What was more, the Islamic website claimed that the place served alcohol and was thus an insult to Islam.
Jason D. OGrady, writing in the blog The Apple Core said, I was just at the Fifth Avenue Apple store in NYC and dont remember them serving alcohol. The report appears to have misunderstood the intent of the Genius Bar and the iPod bar. The group which explores the Middle East through the regions media only appears to have two valid facts in their complaint that the Apple store is in the shape of a cube and that its open 24 hours a day. 
