Afghanistans president on Thursday urged Pakistan to do more to stop Taliban and other militants sheltering and training on its territory rather than separating families with an impractical border fence and landmines.
Hamid Karzai said the plan announced by Islamabad this week would do nothing to stop cross-border incursions by militants and would merely divide families already split by the British-drawn frontier. Its going to be, in effect, a separation of tribes and families from each other, not a prevention of terrorism, he told reporters at his palace in Kabul. If we want to prevent terrorism as a whole, forever eradicate them, defeat them, then you must remove their sanctuaries, then you must remove the places where they get training, their sources of finances and equipment and training. "
Posted by: Fred ||
12/29/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
To finish his sentence:
...you must remove their sanctuaries, then you must remove the places where they get training, their sources of finances and equipment and training, you must remove Pakistan and Arabia.
Last June an al-Qaida aligned jihadist movement called the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) took control of Mogadishu and so consolidated its control over most of Somalia. The ICU moved swiftly to institute Sharia law, and so transformed Somalia into a Taliban-like state.
The legitimate Somali government, the Transitional Federal Government - a secular regime run by various warlords and tribal chiefs - was isolated in the provincial capital of Baidoa. The ICU is strongly supported by Eritrea. And although it fights neither Americans nor Jews, it is also sponsored by Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti, Yemen and Libya.
In November, the ICU declared jihad against Ethiopia and announced its intention to conquer large chunks of Ethiopian and Kenyan territory. According to the US, the ICU was also planning to assassinate Ethiopian and Kenyan political leaders, and carry out terror attacks in Ethiopia. Surrounded by Sudan and Eritrea to its west and north and the ICU to its east, the government in Addis Ababa decided to help the TFG overthrow the ICU and reinstate its authority. In just four days, it succeeded, as Thursday morning TFG and Ethiopian forces took control of Mogadishu, while ICU forces were on the run.
Unfortunately, in today's world, apparently nothing breeds condemnation and hatred more than military victories against jihadists.
The Organization of the Islamic Conference has called daily for an Ethiopian pullout from Somalia. So too, the Arab League demands that Ethiopia retreat. With their people on the ground retreating with the ICU, as has been their consistent policy towards Israel, so in Somalia the Arabs and Muslims wish to win at the negotiating table what they cannot achieve on the battlefield.
In this pursuit, they enjoy support from a familiar quarter. Five days before Ethiopia invaded Somalia, the EU attempted to mediate the conflict in a manner that would prolong and legitimize the ICU's control of Somalia.
On December 20, EU mediator Louis Michel shuttled between Baidoa and Mogadishu. Later that day he triumphantly announced, "There is a strong, good will by both parties to resolve this conflict with political dialogue."
When word of the Ethiopian invasion got out, Michel - like his associates in the EU Secretariat - moved immediately to condemn Ethiopia. Sunday he said, "I condemn in the strongest terms the escalation of the conflict in Somalia into an all-out war and appeal for all Somali sides to cease immediately all hostilities. I express my deepest concern on the reported involvement of foreign forces in Somalia and urge all external players to refrain immediately from intervening militarily in Somali affairs and provoke further violence."
Last week, as he engaged in his shuttle diplomacy, Michel pointedly did not take a public stand regarding the ICU's declaration of jihad against Ethiopia or its announcement that it would target any UN-peacekeepers that entered the country.
Israelis routinely assume that Europe's pro-jihadist policy towards the Palestinians is a result of anti-Semitism or anger over Israel's military victory in 1967. But the EU's treatment of Ethiopia and the TFG indicates that Brussels' hostility towards the Jewish state is part of a much further-reaching policy. Europe's pro-jihad position toward the war in Somalia indicates that its support for jihad is over-arching rather than limited to specific battlegrounds.
So what we learn from the Qatar conference and the war in Somalia is that a tripartite alliance of Iran, the Arab world and Europe upholds the cause of jihad not merely against Israel and the US, but globally. It is clear that the Iranians are the most dangerous part of the three-headed jihadist Hydra. Like the Arab despots, the Europeans are provoked by cynicism. While the Arab dictatorships embrace jihad to safeguard their regimes, the Europeans support the jihadists in the hope that their support will deflect jihadist violence away from them.
(KUNA) -- An Egyptian official said Thursday he is currently holding talks with Israel for the release of 26 Egyptian prisoners who have been detained by the Israelis for minor charges like smuggling or illegal border crossing. The assistant foreign minister for consular affairs, ambassador Mohammad Mensi, said in a press release that the prisoners will return immediately after security procedures have been completed.
The official said that according to Israeli reports, those who illegally crossed the borders this year reached 300, 65 of them were Egyptians, and the rest were from other nationalities. Mensi also denied reports that Egyptian prisoners in Israeli jails were on a hunger strike, but confirmed that four prisoners, last October, observed such a strike in Negev prison.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/29/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Out of a plane at 30000 ft, without a parachute would be the optimal way.
#2
Grom - no need to waste either the fuel or the oxygen. Load them aboard a C-130, gear it up to 25,000 feet, go into a shallow power-dive, and begin pulling out at 2500 feet in a shallow banking turn over the Sinai desert. Open the back tailgate and run them out. A/C will be doing about 380 at the time. Make sure the aircrew are safely roped in, 'cause there's going to be a big vacuum! It'll take Egypt YEARS to find all the pieces.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/29/2006 15:22 Comments ||
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#3
OK, how about Out of a plane at 30000 ft, without a parachute, over the Aswan dam.
North Korea has been isolated further from the global financial system with the decision of a Vietnamese bank to order the immediate closure of all accounts linked to Pyongyang. East Asia Commercial Bank made the move even as diplomats tried to make progress during six-party nuclear talks last week.
Since the US started targeting the regimes financial activities a year ago, banks, including those in friendly communist countries such as China and Vietnam, have closed North Korean accounts, making it near-impossible for Pyongyang to transfer money, illicitly earned or otherwise.
East Asia Commercial Bank in Vietnam, which acts as a correspondent bank for customers wanting to remit money into and out of North Korea, last week told Pyongyang-based customers, including a foreign joint venture bank, to close their accounts by Wednesday. Recently, we have worked with American partners in strategic co-operation, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Van, deputy general director of East Asia Commercial Bank, wrote in a letter obtained by the Financial Times. Therefore, we apology [sic] that we must close all your nostro [correspondent] accounts with our bank.
"We value our relationship with our American clients more than we value you. Now scram."
Some of the accounts were denominated in euros, Hong Kong dollars and Japanese yen rather than US dollars.
It was not clear if the partners were US Treasury-related officials enforcing financial sanctions against North Korean entities accused of counterfeiting dollars and laundering illicit income.
As Vietnam prepares to join the World Trade Organisation and forge closer economic ties with the US, Hanoi has been co-operating with the US crackdown on North Korean financing. Hank Paulson, the US Treasury secretary, in September thanked Vietnam for co-operating with the crackdown by investigating North Korean bank accounts.
Pyongyang-based Tanchon Commercial Bank, which the US labelled the primary financial facilitator of North Koreas ballistic missile programme, hastily shut its accounts after Vietnams Military Bank said it would go through the transactions.
East Asia Commercial Bank has ties to Citibank. In September it signed a strategic partnership agreement with the US bank, linking their credit and bank card networks and pledging to work together on training.
That's one big American partner.
The US action began in September last year when the Treasury department labelled Banco Delta Asia in Macao a primary money laundering concern because of its links to North Korea, leading to $24m being frozen.
US officials freely admit to being pleasantly surprised by the knock-on effects. Other banks, seeing the run on BDA and fearing they, too, might suffer, apparently voluntarily shut down all contacts with North Korea.
North Korean banks cannot transfer funds electronically so have to carry large amounts of cash to correspondent banks for remittance. North Korean customers used BDA in particular because it is one of the few banks to accept large deposits over the counter.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/29/2006 00:00 ||
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If the Ethiopians continue to occupy Somalia, we won't sit here. We will go back to Somalia and fight as one!" says Zakharia Ahmed, banging his fist on the table.
An impressive display of seething!
The scene is the Café Bolsho in Oslo's downtown immigrant district Grønland. Dozens of compatriots are gathered round in the noisy café, and Ahmed clearly has full support. "Yes, we will go back and fight," the others shout.
Håstá lä vîstä, bøys!
Aftenposten has chosen this Somali café at random. The conversation is animated, takes place in Somali, English and Norwegian, and here there is total agreement.
"What this is about is that the regime in Ethiopia has not forgotten the war in 1977 when Somalia went into the Ogaden province in Ethiopia. Now the rulers in Addis Abeba are out for revenge. The so-called UN-recognized government in Somalia is nothing but marionettes for the Ethiopians. I have been in contact with my relatives in Mogadishu. Ethiopian soldiers are already raping women and cutting the throats of civilians in the city. It is all in return for their humiliating defeat in 1977," says Abdi Muhamed, who lived in Mogadishu before coming to Norway four years ago.
"Wé müst rëtürn hømé ånd tåkê Dîré Révëngê!"
The café crowd, entirely made up of young støøpid men, emphasize strongly that the Islamist regime in Somalia brought law and order to a country marked by 16 years of fear and chaos.
Not that they'd go back themselves, since you generally find less fear and chaos in a Norweigan cafe ...
Muhamed is convinced, though he hasn't seen it first hand. "I have not been in Somalia for a long time but my sister has been back to Mogadishu after the Islamists came to power. She said that everything was better. This is also the impression I get when I talk to relatives in Somalia. There is virtually no one in Somalia, or Somalians here in Norway, who do not support the Islamist regime," Muhamed says.
"Ånd wé wîll süppørt thém ålwåys!" Frøm héré."
Some Somalian leaders in Norway do take an opposing stance. Shirdon M. Abdikarim, head of the Somalian Council in Norway, which includes 11 member organizations, said his group wholeheartedly backs the UN-approved government in Somalia. "Somalia has never been a sharia (Islamic) state and will not be one in the future," Abdikarim told Aftenposten.
Abdikarim has heard that some Somalians with Norwegian citizenship support the sharia tribunals, as Prime Minister Mohamed Ali Gedi was quoted as saying in an interview with Norwegian web site Nettavisen on Thursday. Gedi also was cited as saying significant sums of money were being transferred to the Islamists via Norway.
"There are 8,000 Somalians with Norwegian citizenship. Quite a number of Somalian refugees have gone back to their homeland from Norway, but no one knows how many. Somalia's borders have been open in recent years, and there has been no checks of who has traveled in and out of the country," Abdikarim said. Well, that might be a problem.
Might be, but the Norweigans are Euros, and Euros believe its inhumane to tighten one's borders. Someone might become offended.
#2
How do you say "blow smoke up a reporters ass" in Somalian?
I'd be willing to bet that if you walked into the Cafe Bolsho in six months, Zakharia and his homeboys will still be sitting on their welfare collecting asses at their favorite table.
#4
If the Ethiopians continue to occupy Somalia, we won't sit here. We will go back to Somalia and fight as one!" says Zakharia Ahmed, banging his fist on the table.
#5
Abdi Muhamed says it all: " (I sent )my sister and (if she didn't get shot it couldn't be too bad) she says all is peachy rosy keen"
chickensh!t, hiding behind Sis's skirt, er, burqua.
This is an attempt to "rehabilitate" Reyes' "image" after he proved he's as dumb as a brick and has no business running a schwarma stand, much less the most important House Committee. I expect the first of many - they will be needed to recover from each encounter with a non-swooning Press representative.
SMALL>WASHINGTON (AP) - Incoming House Intelligence Chairman Silvestre Reyes says he'd rather figure out how to stabilize Iraq and bring the troops home than get bogged down investigating what went wrong.
Despite that pledge, he does plan to revisit one bit of history: What he sees as the government's improper classification of a letter he wrote during the congressional debate on the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.
In the letter, he questioned the intelligence used to take the country to war and specifically the "epiphany in the intelligence community" that al-Qaida and the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein were linked, Reyes says. Based on the answers to questions he'd asked since Sept. 11, 2001, he said that assessment was "a complete turnaround" for U.S. analysts. "We now know that the intelligence was cherry-picked and manipulated," Reyes said in a recent interview. "I thought it was real petty to get (the letter) classified."
Continued on Page 49
#1
Currie's advice: "Be eternally skeptical of everything you are told. In many instances, these people are trained to lie for a living."
GFY!
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
12/29/2006 9:50 Comments ||
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So back to the old mantra? I can honestly tell you that two people can look at the same intelligence and arrive at two direct opposite conclusions. Now this guy will most likely NEVER reach a conclusion and will simply download the Moveon talking points.
#4
Listening to Hannity last night, they had on college kids from the midwest (North Dakota State, one of the branch schools of Minnesota, etc.), who CORRECTLY answered all the questions Reyes flunked.
And, while I applaud his service in 'nam and on the border in El Paso, he hasn't served there since 1996. A LOT has happened on our TX/Mexico border in the last 10 years. Oh well, at least he's not a life-long attorney.
Posted by: BA ||
12/29/2006 10:51 Comments ||
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Remember when Clinton ordered the attack on a factory in Africa? Part of the rational was that it was part of a joint Iraqi-Al'Qaeda chemical weapon operation.
How soon they expect us to forget.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
12/29/2006 11:06 Comments ||
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Currie's advice: "Be eternally skeptical of everything you are told. In many instances, these people are trained to lie for a living."
And this differs from democrats how ?
Democrats lie for a living, and so thoroughly, that they cannot accept truth or tellers of truth. All democrats suck and should drop dead.
#8
a bit harsh, wxjames, a bit harsh. Not all Dems suck: Joe Lieberman comes to mind. However, they do have a disproportional amount of thumb suckers and idiots. At the bottom of the barrel are Michael Moore, Jimmah Carter, etc. A list that's far too long. These ijits are just snot of the nose of America...Damnit I try to be positive but the bad karma of the Dhimmicrats keeps pulling me back in...
Anything, absolutely anything, for face-time... for a face only his Momma could love.
Senator Arlen Specter, a Republican from Pennsylvania who broke ranks with the Bush Administration and met Syrian President Bashar Assad earlier this week, said Thursday in Jerusalem that he would now like to sit down and talk with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Asked by The Jerusalem Post if he would like to meet the Iranian President, Specter - in Jerusalem for a series of meetings as part of a regional tour -- replied, "You bet I would like to, and give him a piece of my mind."
The present US policy is not to engage in high-level dialogue with either Syria or Iran, even though the recently published Baker-Hamilton report advocated actively engaging those two countries. Bush has said he would not change his policy regarding those two countries; Specter thinks he should.
Continued on Page 49
#2
PS this waste of skin is a lawyer, only only lawyers and those that get down on their knees for them think you can talk to the Mullahs and nut cases like Ahmadinejad.
#4
I think we should send him over....but only if Ahm-a-nut-job promises to keep him. He does have quite a bit of experience "hosting" American government personnel....
#14
I don't know which is the most useless RINO, this SOB or Flimsy Graham. They both make you want to puke. If this asswipe goes to Iran, revoke his citizenship. He's nothing but a traitor like Ramsey Clark. Maybe each one of these fart blossoms could swing on each side of Saddass. A three-fer.
#15
lol, SpecOp! I haven't heard the term "Fart blossom" since the 3rd grade (albeit, very appropriate use of the term here).
Posted by: BA ||
12/29/2006 13:49 Comments ||
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"I've got a little list, of those who won't be missed"...
And Arlen Spectre, you're one of the top repuglycons on my list, just below a half-dozen dummycritters. You need to ride in a convertable with Ted Kennedy - once too often.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/29/2006 15:48 Comments ||
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Homeland Security Apologizes To Woman Detained At Tampa Airport
TAMPA, Fla., Dec. 28, 2006 - (AP) The Department of Homeland Security has sent a letter apologizing to a Muslim woman who was detained at the Tampa airport and strip-searched at a county jail.
Safana Jawad, 45, a Spanish citizen who was born in Iraq, was detained on April 11 because of a suspected tie to a suspicious person, authorities said. She was held for two days before being deported to England.
Jawad filed a complaint, and the agency apologized in a letter dated Dec. 8. "On behalf of the Department of Homeland Security, I offer you my sincere apology for having to undergo a strip search," wrote Timothy J. Keefer, acting chief counsel for the department's Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
Yeah, yeah, we're really sorry you choose to dress like a terr.
The agency declined to release the name of the suspicious person in the case.
Department spokeswoman Joanna Gonzalez said it is standard practice to send a response letter to someone who complains. She said the agency does not track the number of apologies it issues.
Jawad was traveling to Clearwater to visit her 16-year-old son, who lived with her ex-husband, Ahmad Maki Kubba. Kubba, an Iraqi exile and American citizen for 27 years, was praised last year by Gov. Jeb. Bush for organizing a group to vote in Iraq's election.
Kubba said his ex-wife's detention prompted his son to move to Spain. "I lost my son because of what happened," Kubba said. "My son wanted to be in the U.S. Navy, and he speaks both English and Arabic. He would have been just what they are looking for. What they did to Jawad was unfair and is hurting America."
A Pinellas County jail internal investigation cleared deputies of wrongdoing in the case. "We followed the same protocol with her as with any inmate," Sgt. Jim Bordner said.
You wanna play Ninja, you get the treatment. These people are correctly doing their jobs and protecting us from assholes who come from your ideology. Stop bitching about it, stop wearing the uniform, or get the fuck out.
#3
Although I don't have detailed knowledge of the Pinellas County Jail (like certain members of my family....oh well....), if they are like 99% of law enforcement agencies in this country, she was searched by female officers away from male eyes. It's SOP, and I'm sure they went over and above due to the "sensitivities" of her religion and the local chapter of CAIR.
#4
If that's all it takes for them to leave then 2,000,000 more strip searches please.
Posted by: ed ||
12/29/2006 9:10 Comments ||
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My, oh my. How thin-skinned her son is. Methinks we should tail him. While I applaud the father (if that's all he's done; is to help encourage voting in Iraq), the son appears to be too thin-skinned for military life.
I mean, leave the country because your mom was detained for 2 days? At least he backs up his "threat" to leave (unlike the Hollyweirdos). What was Jr. gonna do when he sees REAL violence in the military? Cut and run to al-Andalus?
Posted by: BA ||
12/29/2006 10:39 Comments ||
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This 'apology' sounds more like a form letter: Sorry you're bummed. Sucks to be you. Don't go away mad. Just go away. -- Sincerely, Homeland Security.
#7
Main letter:
We apologize for any inconvenience and insult you may have suffered. We will investigate to see how this happened and to prevent it from happening again.
Attached, hand-written:
Send this bitch form letter DHS-03-387
WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Democrats plan to use their newfound power to revisit one of the most contentious national security matters of 2006: Deciding what legal rights must be protected for detainees held in the war on terrorism.
Um, none?
In September, Congress passed a bill that gave President Bush wide latitude in interrogating and detaining captured enemy combatants. The legislation, backed by the White House, prompted more than three months of debate - exposing Republican fissures and prompting angry rebukes by Democrats of the administration's interrogation policies.
With the Nov. 7 elections handing control to the Democrats, the issue is far from settled. A group of Senate Democrats and one Republican, Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, want to resurrect the bill to fix at least one provision they say threatens the nation's credibility on human rights issues.
The proposed revisions to the terrorism detainee bill could surface in the new Congress early in the year, staffers say - with new sympathetic ears in leadership and a slim Democratic majority in Congress. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who will take control of the Senate as majority leader next year, ``would support attempts to revisit some of the most extreme elements of the bill'' including language stripping detainees of habeas corpus rights, although no immediate action is planned, said Reid spokesman Jim Manley.
Why is it 'extreme' to deny foreign terrorists the protection of habeas corpus?
Under the law, the president can convene military commissions to prosecute terror suspects so long as he follows certain guidelines, such as granting defendants legal counsel and access to evidence used against them. The bill also for the first time provides specific definitions of abusive treatment of prisoners, prohibiting some of the worst abuses like mutilation and rape but granting the president leeway to decide which specific interrogation techniques are permissible.
Which was, as we all recall, the product of considerable debate, wailing and gnashing of teeth. It didn't go the way Leahy wanted to go so now we're back at it again.
While the White House initially backed a harder line that would have left the president's interrogation policies virtually unchecked, Sens. John Warner, R-Va., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. and John McCain, R-Ariz., insisted on language they said would protect U.S. international commitments on prisoner abuse.
But Specter, R-Pa., and Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., incoming chairman of the Judiciary Committee, say a disturbing provision left in the bill specifically prohibits a detainee from protesting his detention in court. This provision barring habeas corpus petitions means that only detainees selected for trial by the military are able to confront charges against them, leaving a vast majority of the estimated 14,000 military detainees in custody without a chance to plead their case.
Real shame for them: perhaps they shouldn't have picked up a rifle and come at us.
``I hope think the courts are going to declare that part of the legislation unconstitutional,'' Specter said in an interview this month.
Leahy and other Democrats, led by Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., have another proposal that would go much further by eliminating other provisions of the White House bill. Among other things, Dodd's legislation would specifically bar coerced statements as testimony and limit the president's authority in interpreting international standards for prisoner treatment. In contrast, the bill signed by Bush in October allows coerced evidence under narrow circumstances and leaves it up to the president to implement Geneva Convention standards.
Dodd and other Democrats say such protections should be afforded to terror suspects because the U.S. would want other nations to apply similar rights to troops captured in war. ``I strongly believe that terrorists who seek to destroy America must be punished for any wrongs they commit against this country,'' Dodd told Bush in a November letter, urging the president to delay implementation of the bill. ``But in my view, in order to sustain America's moral authority and win a lasting victory against our enemies, such punishment must be meted out only in accordance with the rule of law,'' Dodd added.
Which we have. We have a law and it writes the rules. Passed by the Congress and signed by the President. What part of 'rule of law' are we missing here?
Both proposals were similar to ones shot down earlier this year by the Republican-led Congress. But while Dodd's proposal might not attract enough Republicans, who are reluctant to revisit the issue, Specter and Leahy's plan to restore habeas corpus rights to detainees could get through narrowly in the new Senate.
And then be vetoed by the President, leaving the current law as it is. Leahy and Specter know this, and so this is so much dinner theater.
In September, a similar proposal offered by Specter as an amendment to the detainee bill was narrowly defeated in a 51-48 vote. Sen. Olympia Snowe - a moderate Republican who this year expressed skepticism about the White House policy toward detainees - did not vote. With 49 Democrats in power next year, Snowe, R-Maine, and the four Republicans who supported the measure could tip the scales in another vote.
While the charge to revise the bill is expected to be led by the Senate, incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also may want to take another look at it. Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said House Democrats ``have a number of concerns about whether the bill is constitutional, and the impact that it will have on the treatment accorded our troops if they are captured in combat.''
Nonsense. How have our troops been treated so far? We've seen a couple that have been captured. Anyone think they wouldn't have been tortured and executed if only we had allowed the Gitmo thugs habeas corpus rights?
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/29/2006 00:00 ||
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Dodd and other Democrats say such protections should be afforded to terror suspects because the U.S. would want other nations to apply similar rights to troops captured in war.
No Dumbass you have it wrong (again!). That is why you do not want to give the illegal combatants GC protections. Does AQ or the 'insurgency' (or Iran) give our people GC protections? That would tend to prove that your full of shit.
#2
Why don't they ask Privates First Class Kristian Menchaca and Thomas Tucker their opinions on this subject?
Oh, that's right. They can't, because the PFC's were butchered like animals by people just like those whose rights these assholes wanna protect.
I hope there's a special place in hell waiting for ignorant pricks like Leahy, Specter and Dodd...
#3
"Dodd and other Democrats say such protections should be afforded to terror suspects because the U.S. would want other nations to apply similar rights to troops captured in war."
I think I finally get it: these people actually believe that if only we were more "nice" to the crazy little savages rest of the world, they would be nicer to us in return.
WTF is it with these people? Did they grow up watching too much Sesame Street or something??? If so, they need to listen up: BIG BIRD LIED.
I've come to two conclusions: 1) there is absolutely nothing that will shake these idiots' belief in this fantasy, fairy-tale, "peaceable kingdom" world they so long for, and 2) we have precisely ZERO chance of prevailing against the Islamic menace until these dimwits are shoved out of the way.
I'll leave the logical consequences unsaid...
Posted by: Dave D. ||
12/29/2006 10:28 Comments ||
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#4
These lefties just can't resist. We're going to see nothing but two years of investigations of every tidbit these fools have jotted on the back of their hands for the last six years. Nothing will get done. And, nothing will come of their grandstanding and hot air except one very good thing. They will demonstrate that they are incapable of governing. Republicans, get your candidates in order. Give us some good people to vote for, who really support the USA.
#5
OK, so we have a law on the books. If the Donks think it is unconstitutional, then get one of their puppets to sue and get it run up to the SCOTUS. Of course you can expect them to use the 9th district.
Any revisions will need to be attached as riders to a bill that the Prez is absolutley in love with and that is a stretch, thinking the Donks would draft something that yummy for him to veto because then they would have to go on record as supporting something that they very likely campaigned hard against. Like an earlier post: just theater.
Security forces shot dead a senior Maoist rebel leader in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday in what police said was a big blow to the leftist insurgents. W. Chandramouli, directing rebel activities on Andhra Pradesh's border with Orissa state, was killed during a shootout with police in the forests of Visakhapatnam district, 590 km (370 miles) east of Hyderabad, the state capital.
"The dense fog and poor visibility in the forests brought the Maoists face-to-face with security personnel in the early hours of Thursday, leading to a shootout," said Swaranjit Sen, the state's police chief.
Fog, why does it hate senior Maoist rebel leaders?
Chandramouli's wife was also killed, he said. Police had long sought Chandramouli, who had a price of 1.2 million rupees ($27,000) on his head. He stood accused of kidnapping four senior government officials in the early 1980s. Andhra Pradesh is one of the worst hit of at least 13 Indian states facing Maoist violence. But Sen said the Maoists were being wiped out in large parts of the state and many had fled to neighbouring Chhattisgarh. "Chandramouli's elimination will be a fatal blow to Maoist strength in Andhra Pradesh," he said. The Maoists say they are fighting for the rights of millions of India's poor labourers and landless peasants in an insurgency that has killed thousands.
#1
Maoists still proclaim to be believers in Communism + most tenets of Marxism-Stalinism, ERGO FIGHT FOR [CLINTONIAN?} FASCISM??? Can a Secular Commie-for-Fascism also be a Secular Fascist-for-Communism, and while tacitly supporting local anti-Secular HINDHUISM andor BUDDHISM as well as GLOBALISM/UTOPIANISM = NATIONALISM/LOCALISM. and vice versa??? D ***ng it, its a [SSSSHHHH, SOCIALIST] VIETNAM all over again.
The government has told the provinces to make sure that 17 banned religious and militant organisations are not able to collect the hides of sacrificial animals on Eidul Azha. The gummint issues the same order every year. The Bad Guyz still collect the hides every year.
The Interior Ministry has issued this directive to the four provinces and the Islamabad district administration while asking them to step up security around places where Eidul Azha prayers will be offered, sources said.
The provinces have also been asked to issue directives to district authorities to keep an eye on 570 prayer leaders who, under Section 11EE of the Anti-Terrorism Act, are not allowed to leave their areas during Eidul Azha, the sources said. The Interior Ministry has also directed the authorities concerned of the four provinces and the district administration of Islamabad to mobilise officials of the Special Branch of the police to keep an eye on members of banned militant organisations, the sources said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/29/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Fred, the graphic is an instant classic.
Posted by: Jonathan ||
12/29/2006 10:22 Comments ||
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The militants would ask the khateebs (prayer leaders) of their sects to appeal to people in their areas to collect hides for the welfare of poor students getting religious education there, the sources said. However, the fear is that money from the hides would be used to finance terrorist activities.
The family of Afghan writer Abdul Rahim Muslim Dost, co-author of a recently published book chronicling the three years he spent incarcerated at Guantánamo Bay, believe that he has been detained by Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency. On Sept 29, just weeks after the Sept 3 publication of The Broken Shackles of Guantánamo, co-written with his brother and fellow Guantánamo detainee Badruz Zaman Badar, Dost was picked up as he left a mosque in Peshawar, where the family has lived for nearly 30 years.
Badar believes that Dost was detained by the ISI due to the books fierce criticism of its role in the United States-led war on terrorist groups and accusations that the agency sold them into American custody and looted their gemstone business.
Dost had previously said that ISI agents twice visited their home to try and persuade them against publishing their book. Badar believes that Dost was detained by the ISI due to the books fierce criticism of its role in the United States-led war on terrorist groups and accusations that the agency sold them into American custody and looted their gemstone business. Pakistani military and ISI officials have declined to comment either on Dosts case or on the brothers comments on ISI conduct.
The brothers, who are both journalists, were arrested in Peshawar in November 2001, on charges of having ties to Al Qaeda, and transferred to the US military in Afghanistan before being taken to Guantánamo. Both brothers were freed, several months apart, in 2005. During their incarceration, they were repeatedly questioned about Osama Bin Laden and Taliban chief Mullah Omar but insisted that they had never met the two leaders.
In a recent report, Amnesty International charged the Pakistani authorities of having violated custodial safeguards by not producing Dost in court and refusing him access to a lawyer and his family, including his nine children. Badar, who has three children, now keeps a low profile running the family business. But he is keen that the book be translated from its original Pashto into Urdu, Arabic, Persian as well as French and English.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/29/2006 00:00 ||
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By allah's whiskers, guilty as hell. Back to Gitmo.
Posted by: ed ||
12/29/2006 8:28 Comments ||
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#2
two afghan "Journalists" with a side-gemstone-business? That certainly wouldn't play into th AQ diamonds for terror funds meme, now would it?
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/29/2006 12:21 Comments ||
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A 45-member tribal jirga has warned pro-Taliban militant commanders against attacks on government officials and killings in North Waziristan. The warning was sounded at a meeting between the jirga members and militant commanders two days ago at an undisclosed location in North Waziristan, a jirga member told Daily Times on Thursday.
The government has taken serious notice of an attack on an officials vehicle near Miranshahand various killings. We have told the militant commanders that such things can lead to misunderstandings..."
He said the government had taken serious notice of an attack on an officials vehicle near Miranshah on December 22 and various killings. We have told the militant commanders that such things can lead to misunderstandings and they should understand the gravity of the situation, said the jirga member. I don't usually "misunderstand" when people get killed.
The militant commanders denied involvement in the attack on the Mir Ali assistant political agents vehicle and other killings in the area, he added. "Wudn't us."
We are ready to help if the government steps forward with a request or an appeal, said the militant commanders. We cannot be blamed for others crimes. The militant commanders were asked to issue press statements condemning incidents of violence. It was not known whether the meeting also took up alleged cross-border movements.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/29/2006 00:00 ||
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Yeah. Take that shit over to Afghanistan where it belongs...
The UN human rights chief today called for restraint by Iraqi authorities over Saddam Hussein's death sentence, saying there were concerns about the fairness of the original trial.
Coming from youse guys, well, that's simply precious.
"The appeal judgment is a lengthy and complex decision that requires careful study," said Louise Arbour, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
"We believe the prosecution was hasty, and we recommend a review by the esteemed Carla del Ponte. As everyone certainly knows, no trial of hers has ever been hasty!"
"There were a number of concerns as to the fairness of the original trial, and there needs to be assurance that these issues have been comprehensively addressed.
"Our concerns about fairness are much more important than any concerns the Iraqi people about justice. We're Europeans, you see, and we know more about fairness than the uneducated brown people of the world."
"I call, therefore, on the Iraqi authorities not to act precipitately in seeking to execute the sentence in these cases."
They're not picking up, Louise.
She said Iraq and the international community had an interest in making sure the death sentence was imposed only after a trial and appeal seen as credible and impartial.
"That is especially so in a case as exceptional as this one," she added.
"After all, just how many genocidal dictators has the UN ever brought to trial?"
Ms Arbour also said that, under the terms of international agreements signed by Iraq, Saddam had the right to appeal to "appropriate authorities" for possible commutation or a pardon.
He did. He lost. He's guilty. Stop trying to wank your imaginary dick, Louise.
#2
Saddam right now is indir symbolic of any and all STATE GOVTS = STATE PLANNING anywhere, ergo "the State" can either never make a mistake, or in the altern can never be punished for the wrongs/crimes committed under public authority. Thats why the Chicoms can plan to politely but necessarily exterminate 200Milyuuuhn-plus Americas; or Radical Intellectualists/Scientists >the Earth must lose 2/3-3/4's of its total population, BUT NO ONE CAN BE PUNISHED FOR IT. IT WAS "NECESSARY/VITAl, ITS GOOD FOR EVERYONE, PLANET SUN + UNIVERSE, EVEN FOR WARMONGERING IMPERIAL FASCIST AMERICANS. OUR GENOCIDE IS GOOD FOR US, FOR EVERYONE + EVERYTHING.
#3
For the predictably lame crtique of the Dujayl trial, see Human Rights Watch. For the more impressive critique by the organization that actually had a rep present for most of the trial, see the International Committee on Transitional Justice (ICTJ). For the rebuttal of most of the ICTJ's critique, see .... well, I've got a pretty good response done by the court advisor's office at the embassy, but suffice it to say that the several legitimate complaints made by ICTJ wouldn't appear to the normal reasonable person to bring the basic fairness of the trial into question.
The court was green (as is the whole power structure), the pressures were tremendous, the personalities were what they were, so the thing had some warts. But to my eyes the only thing that materially touched on fairness was the incompetence and bad faith of most of the defense counsel. And this is a bit of a dilemma, I believe in any system (napoleonic code or common law) - only so much can be done by the court to compensate for poor performance by defendants' counsel of choice. In this system, at least, the panel of judges (who are deemed expert and serve as both judge and jury in our concept of a court) can make any allowance they deem proper for incompetent defense counsel (e.g., disregard evidence that the defense failed to adequately challenge if they think it's suspect).
ExJAG, or other legal types, you around to help correct or amplify on this point?
If even unwittingly, and of course with no moral authority and even a reasonable presumption of bad faith hostility on her part, the insufferable Arbour does get one thing right: it was in everyone's interest that the process be seen as reasonably fair and credible. That it may not be, however, may be largely due to characteristically poor media coverage that misportrayed the proceedings and gave superficial treatment of evidence and legal issues involved. The irresponsible and arrogant - not to mention small-minded - refusal of the UN to have anything to do with the court didn't help in that regard either.
My sources tell me things inside the court went a bit off-the-rails back before verdict day, and today's confused coverage of just what's gonna happen with No. 1, and when, and with whose say-so, seems to confirm that. The court was always able to issue contradictory and confusing info (boy can I testify to that), but today's muddle marks a new high(low) point, given the issue involved.
#5
The appropriate comparison is not the OJ trial but the trial the Kurds received before they were gassed. These are not judicial proceedings, they are political show trials to prepare the public for the ultimate political truth; lose a war, hang till dead.
#7
I mean, what are you worried about, Louise? That after he takes the big drop some evidence comes out that it was all a big frameup?
You're the "High" commissioner all right...
#8
SPoD is right. The UN was on Sammy's gravy train for a long time. He was their boy - they miss all that oil for palaces $. The Iraqis should hang the lot of 'em.
#9
This whole farce is so stupid. Is there anyone out there possessing multiple neurons who think Saddam didn't order thousands of murders? The purpose of a trial is to find out what happened. We know what happened; it was documented all over the place (though mostly confined to the memory hole since 2003). This is just more grandstanding by transi groups that always support evil. Ban them from any civilized (or becoming thus) place, with immediate executions for those who disobey.
Let me note one thing: the issue of 'fairness' is determined, in large part, by the preconceptions of the people making the judgment. Louise was convinced before the trial started that it wouldn't be 'fair' (as I recall she said so), as were many others at the UN and in the human rights/legal community. Well sure enough, we've had a trial and they're still convinced it wasn't 'fair'.
The real issue is whether the Iraqi people believe that it was fair enough, and whether they believe justice is being done. There's time in the future to edumacate the Iraqis on the finer points of western jurisprudence; what's needed now is a quick trial that allows most Iraqis to say, 'yup, he had his chance and yup, he's getting what he's got coming'.
And then, of course, hang him.
The Old West saying of 'try him fair and hang him fair' really applies here.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/29/2006 10:42 Comments ||
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This kind of idiotic spam again demands everyone ask...just why in hell do we participate in this circus of losers. No more US taxpayer funding to be thrown into this sewer. Give them a 30 day eviction notice to pack up and quit polluting our air.
#13
Well, at least they're loyal to the bitter end to their old sugar daddy. It's almost touching, really, to see that they still have feelings for him even though he hasn't sent these old whores a check for a very long time.
Saddam Hussein's half brothers visited him in his jail cell and he gave them his will and personal belongings, Iraqi officials said Friday, indicating his execution may be approaching. But they said he had yet to be transferred to Iraqi custody.
The former dictator president is at an American military prison where he is expected to remain until the day of his execution, when he is to be transferred to Iraqi authorities. On Thursday, two half brothers visited Saddam in his cell, a member of the former dictator's defense team, Badee Izzat Aref, told The Associated Press by telephone from the United Arab Emirates. He said the former dictator handed them his personal belongings.
A senior commander at the Iraqi defense ministry also confirmed the meeting and said Saddam gave his will to one of his half brothers. Saddam's lawyers later issued a statement saying the Americans gave permission to one of them to pick up his belongings. The statement did not name the recipient or specify when. However, Raed Juhi, spokesman for the High Tribunal court that convicted Saddam, denied that the former leader's relatives visited him.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/29/2006 10:31 ||
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#1
I leave everything to UdayQusay Ramsay Clark.
Posted by: Jonathan ||
12/29/2006 11:37 Comments ||
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For his last meal he requested a coupla porkchops with a side of bacon, cause he has always been deprived. He also requested a viewing of Hangem' High to bolster his spirits. Thinkin' if Clint can do it, maybe he could too.
Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, sentenced to death for his role in 148 killings in 1982, will have his sentence carried out by Sunday, NBC News reported Thursday.
Saddam will be hanged before the start of the Eid religious holiday, which begins this Sunday.
According to a U.S. military officer who spoke on condition of anonymity, Saddam will be hanged before the start of the Eid religious holiday, which begins this Sunday.
"Just think of him as a really ugly pinata."
Ordered new parts for the ululator, now just need to oil the sucker up ...
The hanging could take place as early as Friday, NBCs Richard Engel reported. The U.S. military received a formal request from the Iraqi government to transfer Saddam to Iraqi authorities, NBC reported on Thursday, which is one of the final steps required before his execution. His sentence, handed down last month, ordered that he be hanged within 30 days.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/29/2006 00:00 ||
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...request from the Iraqi government to transfer Saddam to Iraqi authorities.
This is the only part which makes me nervous. I hope we have a couple of Marine companies "supporting" the transfer (and keeping an eye on him 'til he takes the drop.)
#2
Interesting point, PBMcL. I'm sure that TF-134 (Detainee Ops) has game-planned the transfer of the prisoners, as they have been very thorough about everything. I'd never thought about any concern we'd have about the period between the time he's transferred and the time he swings.
As noted in a long rambling comment to another post above, this situation has become muddled, even by current Baghdad standards.
Engel of NBC may have heard from a US officer that there was a transfer request, but that doesn't mean it was an authoritative request that would be granted, or that it's gonna happen right away. Engel's pretty careful, in my experience, so I would think he'd get this right.
Guess we'll see. Sure would lend a whole new meaning to "Happy New Year" if it happens - luckily I've got non-French bubbly and a good cigar collection ready in any case ....
#3
The Rockin' New Years Saddam Drop hosted by Dick Clark.
Posted by: ed ||
12/29/2006 8:36 Comments ||
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I predict that whichever Iraqi's we turn him over to, manage to stage an escape and Saddam gets back into the wild.
I certainly hope we're going to maintain custody of him right up to the point he's standing on the trap door.
Posted by: Chuck Darwin ||
12/29/2006 8:52 Comments ||
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Saddam's at the end of his rope, he's strung up out, he'll be in the swing of things before too long. What's playing on his iPod, you may ask?
They Might Be Giants, "Twisting in the Wind."
Led Zeppelin, "Gallows Pole"
Eddie Money, "Gimmie Some Water"
Styx, "Hangman"
Nothingface, "Big Fun at the Gallows"
(In bad tase, I know, but I can't resist.)
Posted by: Mike ||
12/29/2006 11:23 Comments ||
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The estimated 8,000 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails enjoy iconic status in Palestinian society, and Israel usually frees a small number at Muslim holiday time in a goodwill gesture.
Yeah. And it looks like the Palis really appreciate it...
By YOUSSEF IBRAHIM - December 29, 2006
This year has been momentous for the Middle East, but 2007 is going to be dramatic.
In the Gaza Strip and West Bank, a full-scale factional war will erupt among the Palestinian Arabs, with unpredictable consequences.
This time around, the "brotherhood" is over.
Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other assorted mafias will participate, while outside sponsors such as Iran, Syria, and Jordan will supply the bullets, rockets, money, and ill-will.
International and American sanctions against Iran and Syria will increase, as will defiance by the two nations. Damascus and Tehran will team up to destabilize Lebanon by activating their proxy, Hezbollah and the 400,000 Palestinian Arab refugees who work closely with the Shiite militia to push the country into a renewed civil war, one far more vicious than the 15-year conflict that ended in 1990.
Like the Palestinian Arab battle, Lebanon's civil war will attract support and weapons, drawing in Western and Middle Eastern sponsors to supply the country's Christians, Shiites, Sunnis, Druze, and Armenians. Jihadists, always on the lookout for training spots, also will flock into Lebanon to establish bases of operations.
Continued on Page 49
#2
In Israel which in the summer of 2006 painfully discovered the limits of its military prowess against Hezbollah's guerrilla-style warfare in Lebanon politicians and the military will find that their enemies have been further emboldened.
#3
Granted the headline is what the NY Sun used but this rambling list of predictions would more properly be "Columnist predicts Bad Stuff to get Worse in the Middle East".
Regarding fractional war, there has already been a full decade of this already, although the violence has been intermittent.
I don't know what Ibrahim means by a full scale factional war. It won't likely be an Algeria type situation because neither side is that strong and because many Paleo extended families have both Hamas and Fatah supporters.
#9
In Israel which in the summer of 2006 painfully discovered the limits of its military prowess against Hezbollah's guerrilla-style warfare in Lebanon...
More like "discovered the cost of acting like leftist anti-war pussies while fighting against people who want to exterminate you". And yeah, the cost will be high.
As for the forthcoming Paleo Cage Match, my only concern is there may not be enough popcorn on the entire planet. May the last man standing shoot himself out of shame and embarrassment for decades of hatred and idiocy.
Amr Moussa, whose "The Bellboy" is regarded by the Froggies some as a cinema classic.
Arab League chief Amr Moussa said in remarks published Wednesday that he will not return to Beirut to continue his mediation to end Lebanon's crippling political crisis unless he receives "encouraging and tangible signals" from the rival sides. Moussa, who announced last week that he will continue his mediation effort after the New Year and Adha holidays, told the daily As Safir that his Beirut revisit "was no more guaranteed."
He said there was no point in coming back unless "modifications are introduced" by the majority government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and opponents from Hezbollah and its allies after having managed to shut in the issues in dispute.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/29/2006 00:00 ||
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Here's something all sides in Lebanon can agree on.
You're about 100 kinds of useless...
PSP leader MP Walid Jumblatt has warned that government supporters will encounter the alleged Hezbollah-led "coup" in due time. "We have many steps (to undertake), and everything will be (carried out) in due time," Jumblatt told reporters after a meeting with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora Tuesday. "Then, we will see who will achieve victory? The evil forces or the forces of love and good," Jumblatt added.
He said that his talks with Siniora focused on the confrontation of the "political, economical and cultural coup that has been imposed on us by the Syrian regime through its tools." In reference to Hezbollah and their allies including Senator Palpatine General Michel Aoun. "We must not forget the security coup and the Syrian regime never had or never will have mercy on us," Jumblatt complained.
He said the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has succeeded in its steadfastness and world-wide support has "helped us confront the world of darkness, the Syrian-Iranian axis."
Jumblatt on Monday called Syrian President Bashar Assad the "Damascus tyrant."
"We tell them that this boy (Assad), who is controlling people's necks in Damascus and killing free people in Lebanon, there will inevitably be a Nawwaf from Beirut, Dahiyeh, the Chouf or the Bekaa, he might also be from Damascus or Aleppo," he said during the funeral of Salman Siour, Jumblat's personal security officer.
He was referring to Nawaf Ghazali, a Syrian who assassinated ex-Syrian President Adib Shishakli in Brazil in 1964. "If the tribunal is hindered, we will all be a Nawwaf," he said, in reference to the Special International Tribunal for Lebanon to try suspects in the murder of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri and related crimes. "No matter how long it takes, one of us will take revenge for the martyrs and the liberals, starting from (his slain father) Kamal Jumblatt to (Industry Minister) Pierre Gemayel," he added.
Revenge is a dish that is best served cold. Their bodies are real cold now.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/29/2006 00:00 ||
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All I see in Lebanon is a target rich environment.
Lebanon's Communications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, a key member in the anti-Syrian majority coalition, has vowed to sue Hezbollah and its television mouthpiece, Al-Manar, on charges of "inciting" his assassination.
Hamadeh, a key member in the anti-Syrian majority coalition, has vowed to sue Hezbollah and its television mouthpiece, Al-Manar, on charges of "inciting" his assassination. Hamadeh was seriously wounded in a booby-trapped car explosion on Oct. 1, 2004.
Hamadeh, who was seriously wounded in a booby-trapped car explosion on Oct. 1, 2004, said Wednesday evening that Hezbollah also "covered up" the attempt on his life. He said Al-Manar's news broadcast on Wednesday evening targeted him with "allegations and false charges that had been repeatedly spread by Syrian intelligence for months." Based on that, Hamadeh announced, "I will sue Hezbollah on charges of inciting my assassination and attempting to terrorize me politically and psychologically."
He also said Hezbollah had "covered up those who tried to assassinate me in October 2004. The car which targeted me was booby trapped in an area controlled by Hezbollah and its license plate was forged at a workshop in the same area."
Al-Manar's report claimed Hamadeh had "revealed" to U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman the hideout of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah during the 34-day war between the Shiite group and Israel last summer. Hamadeh said he would respond to Al-Manar's allegations through "the judiciary I will deliver a recorded video copy of Al-Manar's report to the international investigation committee" which is probing the 2005 assassination of ex-Premier Rafik Hariri and related crimes.
Hamadeh's statement was seen as a challenge to Hezbollah's reported rejection of the Special International Tribunal for Lebanon to try suspects in the Hariri murder. Hamadeh, Defense Minister Elias Murr and TV anchorwoman May Chidiac suffered serious wounds in separate attempts on their lives by booby-trapped car blasts that are believed to be related to the Hariri assassination. Industry Minister Pierre Gemayel, MP-Journalist Gebran Tueni, former Lebanese Communist Party Leader George Hawi and journalist Samir Kassir have all been killed in separate attacks that are believed to be linked to the wave of assassinations targeting anti-Syrian figures.
Hezbollah, which has been leading an open-ended protest to topple Premier Fouad Siniora's majority government since Dec.1, reportedly wants the international tribunal's bylaws amended to limit its powers to the Hariri assassination, without having the authority to look into the other crimes.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/29/2006 00:00 ||
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More than two dozen Lebanese MPs have accused the president of violating the constitution by failing to sign a decree for a new election to replace assassinated industry minister Pierre Gemayel. "A 12-page petition accusing Mr (Emile) Lahoud of violating the constitution was sent Wednesday by MPs from the (anti-Syrian) majority to the parliament's secretary general Adnan Daher," the ANI news agency said Thursday.
The petition, signed by 28 MPs, is based on the president's refusal to sign a convocation decree for a new election to choose a successor to Gemayel, an anti-Syrian MP and cabinet member who was gunned down on November 21.
Two thirds of parliament must approve the petition in order for pro-Syrian President Lahoud to appear before Lebanon's high court on charges of treason and violating the constitution. However, the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority holds just 70 of 128 seats.
Two thirds of parliament must approve the petition in order for pro-Syrian President Lahoud to appear before Lebanon's high court on charges of treason and violating the constitution. However, the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority holds just 70 of 128 seats.
The Western-backed government of Prime Minister Fuad Siniora has issued a decree naming January 14 as the date for partial legislative elections in Gemayel's former constituency, the Christian sector of Metn. But in order for elections to be held, the decree must be signed by Lahoud, who has refused on the grounds that any decision set forth by the rump cabinet left after six pro-Syrian ministers resigned last month is illegitimate.
Meanwhile, opposition MPs have begun to circulate a petition accusing Siniora and the remaining cabinet ministers of violating the constitution, Lebanese media reported. "The opposition accuses the government of having negotiated and signed international treaties which are the duty of the head of state," press reports said. The opposition, led by the Syria- and Iran-backed Shiite militant movement Hezbollah and its Christian allies, has been staging a four-week long sit-in outside the government's offices in central Beirut in a bid to force a change in the government.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/29/2006 00:00 ||
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However, the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority holds just 70 of 128 seats.
Well, if 23 of the pro-Syrians were to have fatal mishaps, then 70 would be two-thirds. Problem solved!
Former Iranian officials spoke out against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejads hardline nuclear policies and urged a return to transparency and moderation, in interviews published on Thursday. A new government has been at work for one year and sanctions and (UN) resolutions have been adopted against Iran, said Mohammad Hashemi, the brother of ex-president Akhbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, according to the moderate daily Kargozaran.
For one year, leaders have been convinced that the United States could not send the nuclear matter to the UN Security Council and that there would not be a Security Council resolution (against Iran), based on the promises of certain countries. But unfortunately, we have seen that the United States has attained all its objectives."
For one year, leaders have been convinced that the United States could not send the nuclear matter to the UN Security Council and that there would not be a Security Council resolution (against Iran), based on the promises of certain countries. But unfortunately, we have seen that the United States has attained all its objectives. As a result, in order to save the country from crisis it was necessary to resort to competent and moderate people.
The Security Council adopted a resolution on December 23, which imposes restrictions on Irans nuclear industry and ballistic missile program. Iran has refused to heed the councils demand to suspend uranium enrichment, a process that Western countries fear could be used to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran insists its atomic drive is entirely peaceful.
Hossein Moussavian, a former member of Irans nuclear negotiating team led by the moderate Hassan Rohani, predicted, the next step will be the adoption of business and economic sanctions. He advocated a policy of flexibility, caution and patience in order to create trust, remove ambiguities, respond to questions from the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and negotiate.
Similarly, Ali Khoram, a former high-ranking diplomat, said the situation had become dangerous because the UN Security Council resolution had placed Iran on the same level as North Korea, which possesses nuclear weapons. He said that Security Council members do not need a new resolution to increase pressure on Iran, and can reach their aim with this very resolution. Washington has said it intends to ramp up the economic pressure on Iran by aiming to convince world powers to reduce their trade with the Islamic republic.
Khoram also warned against parliaments bill approved Wednesday obliging the government to revise its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog in retaliation for Security Council sanctions imposed on Tehran. The text of the bill, which also tells the government to accelerate Irans controversial nuclear programme, was approved by an overwhelming majority in the conservative-controlled parliament, with 161 in favor and 15 against. Preventing UN inspections would be ill-received by Security Council members and Iran should prepare for their reaction, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/29/2006 00:00 ||
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I didn't post this yesterday because it was just too depressing for Christmas. But today? Let's put it out there.
Yesterday--Christmas Day--this was the top "Featured Video" on YouTube. It's young Heather Martin singing "When Are You Coming Home?" a sweet little song about Heather's older brother Shaun, who is fighting in Iraq this Christmas. Heather's mother wrote the song, and Heather performed it at what looks like a church service. . . .
[Go watch it. She's a cute little bug, she is.]
It's a non-political song. I thought it was a pretty sweet look at one family's pain and faith and bravery in the face of war, and it left the heavy-handed political overtones for another day. . . . But a non-political, sentimental song about the Iraq War isn't enough for the moonbat commenters at YouTube. Heather Martin and her parents have a moral duty to go all Cindy Sheehan on Bushitler's War for Profit or they and their loved ones are accessories to BushCo's murderous ways. Think the commenters would go easy on her just because she's 6 and it's Christmas? Think again.
[There are screenshots in the original blog posting -- there's a link to the YouTube comments here if you want to look for yourself. They're nasty, all right.]
"FUCK THE US TROOPS" and "I hope her brother dies." These sentiments for a 6-year-old who misses her brother at Christmastime. And, they took the time to communicate these sentiments on Christmas Day. Meet the compassionate anti-war Left on the Internet. Lovely.
I only wish I was mischaracterizing the response, but go flip through if you dare. There are positive comments, too, but the virulence and volume of the anti-Heather-and-Shaun-Martin comments is appalling. These people-- peace activists, I believe they like to be called-- are disgusting.
If you disagree with the war, and you think this little girl is being used for pro-war propaganda, there are plenty of ways to say it without wishing her brother dead or telling her her brother only joined the Army because he couldn't cut it in college (that's in the mix of comments today).
I think the argument that she's being exploited is a serious stretch, . . . . The song is almost entirely non-political, and all of the sentiments therein, though written by her mom, are easily ones a 6-year-old little sister could express.
Of course, Heather Martin's just part of the machine, man. The blonde bangs and floral print dress are just standard-issue camo for another one of Halliburton's minions. Jerks.
Posted by: Mike ||
12/29/2006 13:14 ||
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or telling her her brother only joined the Army because he couldn't cut it in college (that's in the mix of comments today).
#4
"If you disagree with the war, and you think this little girl is being used for pro-war propaganda, there are plenty of ways to say it without wishing her brother dead or telling her her brother only joined the Army because he couldn't cut it in college..."
But they don't disagree with the war; they simply hate, and Leftism and the anti-war movement merely serve to give that hatred structure.
There's something deeply wrong with these people; they're profoundly defective. I used to believe their Leftist views turned them into monsters, but anymore I think the vile poison is already within them and the Leftism just "fits".
Either way, they are a sickness that must be expunged.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
12/29/2006 14:05 Comments ||
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#6
These people never express these sentiments in the open, they always hide behind the Internet. If they were to ever express these beliefs in the open, someone would hurt them. And I am all for that.
The time is coming.
Posted by: Chuck Darwin ||
12/29/2006 14:17 Comments ||
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#7
The left has long since given up their humanity. The sooner the rest of the human race realizes this and treats them like the vermin they are, the better.
Much as I might enjoy it, torturing these kinds of freaks would cost too much of my own humanity, and they're definately not worth that. In a weird sort of way, Frank Herbert was onto something when he implied that being born doesn't automatically make one a member of the human race. While we might wish otherwise, sadly the news daily proves this to be true.
As far as the moonbats go, let them think they can appease the lions of islam while they're getting their throats slit. At least, it will give the rest of us enough warning to defend ourselves.
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.
Afghanistans president on Thursday urged Pakistan to do more to stop Taliban and other militants sheltering and training on its territory rather than separating families with an impractical border fence and landmines. 
(KUNA) -- An Egyptian official said Thursday he is currently holding talks with Israel for the release of 26 Egyptian prisoners who have been detained by the Israelis for minor charges like smuggling or illegal border crossing. The assistant foreign minister for consular affairs, ambassador Mohammad Mensi, said in a press release that the prisoners will return immediately after security procedures have been completed.
North Korea has been isolated further from the global financial system with the decision of a Vietnamese bank to order the immediate closure of all accounts linked to Pyongyang. East Asia Commercial Bank made the move even as diplomats tried to make progress during six-party nuclear talks last week.
Security forces shot dead a senior Maoist rebel leader in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday in what police said was a big blow to the leftist insurgents. W. Chandramouli, directing rebel activities on Andhra Pradesh's border with Orissa state, was killed during a shootout with police in the forests of Visakhapatnam district, 590 km (370 miles) east of Hyderabad, the state capital.
The government has told the provinces to make sure that 17 banned religious and militant organisations are not able to collect the hides of sacrificial animals on Eidul Azha.
The family of Afghan writer 
A 45-member tribal jirga has warned pro-Taliban militant commanders against attacks on government officials and killings in North Waziristan. The warning was sounded at a meeting between the jirga members and militant commanders two days ago at an undisclosed location in North Waziristan, a jirga member told Daily Times on Thursday. 
The UN human rights chief today called for restraint by Iraqi authorities over Saddam Hussein's death sentence, saying there were concerns about the fairness of the original trial.
Saddam Hussein's half brothers visited him in his jail cell and he gave them his will and personal belongings, Iraqi officials said Friday, indicating his execution may be approaching. But they said he had yet to be transferred to Iraqi custody.
PSP leader MP Walid Jumblatt has warned that government supporters will encounter the alleged Hezbollah-led "coup" in due time. "We have many steps (to undertake), and everything will be (carried out) in due time," Jumblatt told reporters after a meeting with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora Tuesday. "Then, we will see who will achieve victory? The evil forces or the forces of love and good," Jumblatt added.
He said that his talks with Siniora focused on the confrontation of the "political, economical and cultural coup that has been imposed on us by the Syrian regime through its tools." In reference to Hezbollah and their allies including 
"We tell them that this boy (Assad), who is controlling people's necks in Damascus and killing free people in Lebanon, there will inevitably be a Nawwaf from Beirut, Dahiyeh, the Chouf or the Bekaa, he might also be from Damascus or Aleppo," he said during the funeral of Salman Siour, Jumblat's personal security officer.
Lebanon's Communications Minister Marwan Hamadeh, a key member in the anti-Syrian majority coalition, has vowed to sue Hezbollah and its television mouthpiece, Al-Manar, on charges of "inciting" his assassination.
More than two dozen Lebanese MPs have accused the president of violating the constitution by failing to sign a decree for a new election to replace assassinated industry minister Pierre Gemayel. "A 12-page petition accusing Mr (Emile) Lahoud of violating the constitution was sent Wednesday by MPs from the (anti-Syrian) majority to the parliament's secretary general Adnan Daher," the ANI news agency said Thursday.
