Wait a minute...wasnât it last year that a safari with mostly Westerners was robbed, the women raped and several men killed with machetes???
Aug. 4 â The Great Rift Valley is the site where our distant ancestors first branched off from other apes (this is where the Leakeys and other anthropologists dig up all those bones of pre-homo sapiens hominoids). In its midst sits Lake Nakuru, famed for its flocks of flamingos, but also for spotting leopards, hippos, bats, colobus moneys, rock hyrax, hyenas, giraffes, otters, and waterbucks. And thatâs just one brief stop on a Kenyan safari. And, not to mention the brief stops to give local tribesmen "gifts" to grant safe passage...
MOST KENYA tours spend just the first night in the bustling big city capital of Nairobi before heading out on safari. Though the itineraries differ, all hit the countryâs major national parks, including Lake Nakuru described above and the Samburu Game Reserve set up along the shady, watered patch of land in the hot, arid lowlands north of Mt. Kenyaâa singularly beautiful setting in which to peep at elephants, cheetahs, giraffes, oryx, vervet moneys, zebras, crocodiles, and leopards. Ahh, Nairobi...where the rule of law only goes so far as the bribe money you have to do anything. Not to mention the panhandlers, who upon spotting any Westerner converge on them like flies.
And no trip to Kenya ever misses out on the justly famous Masai Mara Game Reserve, 646 square miles of grassland forming the Kenyan side of Tanzaniaâs Serengeti and the classic safari experience. This is where the wildebeest roam, in great migrations across the Serengeti Plains. But that impressive 1.5 million-strong herd of herbivores arenât the only critters to see in the park. Oh no, youâll see more when you see the local tribesmen critters approach your Safari, and they start talking friendly to your guides, you say, "My, they must know each other...how quaint!" Hopefully, youâll have more bribe money and the females wonât be attractive as to catch the local critterâs eye...
This is real Wild Kingdom, circle-of-life stuff here. You might see a pride of lions take down a group of gazelles or zebras, giraffes moseying along mowing the tops of trees, hyenas cackling over a buffalo carcass, elephants lumbering, jackals slinking, ostriches holding their heads proudly above the sand, and a whole passel of other exotic African creatures: dik-dik, eland, steinbok, hartebeest, wart hog, rhino, hippo, kongoni, klipspringer...well, there are 2.5 million of them, so letâs just stop there. OK, who wants to sign up???
Posted by: TJ ||
08/05/2003 9:49:14 AM ||
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I understood that Saudi Arabia's Embassy was subsidizing safaris to Kenya and Nigeria to hunt....not sure if it was just westerners or if game was also on the hunt agenda
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/05/2003 10:19 Comments ||
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Wait a minute...wasnât it last year that a safari with mostly Westerners was robbed, the women raped and several men killed with machetes???
That's what they call "Adventure Travel", TJ!
Posted by: Dar ||
08/05/2003 10:36 Comments ||
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Lucy is probably turning over in her grave.....
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/05/2003 17:30 Comments ||
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Details on yesterdayâs accident. Safety NCOâs take note:
A soldier mishandled a mortar and the shell exploded, killing 13 troops and injuring nine others in northern Afghanistan, a warlord in the region said Monday. The mortar was among five truckloads of weapons collected during a disarmament drive in Jozjan province, said Abdul Rashid Dostum, a warlord in the region whose soldiers were killed in the blast. "One soldier was not experienced and he threw the mortar shell, and this caused the explosion," said Dostum, who is also a security adviser to President Hamid Karzai. "Here, catch!"
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" KABOOM
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2003 9:24:21 AM ||
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I guess you could say this is one way to "disarm"...
Kuwaiti Islamists have launched an unprecedented scathing attack against the United States for the continued detention of 12 Kuwaitis at Camp "X-Ray" in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. They threatened to take "another action" against the US if their detention was prolonged.
Going to explode, are they? They're Islamists. We're the U.S. What's unprecedented about that? Tell them to go to hell.
"The US inhumane practices against the Guantanamo detainees are worse than the practices of tyrant Saddam Hussein, himself," Chairman of the parliamentary Human Rights Panel MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei said in a press conference with Islamist MPs Abdullah Akash and Awwad Barad at the National Assembly Monday.
A little hyperbole, Waleed? Where were you when home was Sammy's 19th province?
Tabtabaei strongly criticised the US for not responding to continued demands and calls to release the detainees or take them to trial and permit their families or independent third parties to visit them and take a closer look at their conditions. He affirmed the Parliament will take "another action" if the detainees issue was prolonged, "but we hope the US will end this issue at the shortest time possible."
"We expect the U.S. to cave in to our caterwauling and spittle spewing so we can get murderous but like-minded thugs out of stir as soon as possible."
"Kuwait has supported the US in the most difficult circumstances despite the embarrassment this support caused Kuwait, which entails it (the US) to take the initiative to end this issue," said Tabtabaei.
The U.S. has supported Kuwait in even more difficult circumstances. But Sammy's gone and won't be back, so there's no need for gratitude anymore, is there?
He added Guantanamo detainees are being subjected to serious violations of human rights. "Guantanamo detainees should be given the permission to meet with members of their families and to have the freedom to choose legal counsel and the privilege to get speedy public trials," said Tabtabaei. He revealed the panel was looking into the cases of 12 Kuwaiti detainees whom, he said, were held without being officially charged.
They just popped up in Guantanamo and we kept them because we don't like Kuwaitis, of course...
He said information on the fate of the detainees comes from one source only — US authorities. "For this reason, not much was known about the detainees since the US does not provide ample information about them," he added. Meanwhile, MP Akash noted with satisfaction "the Kuwaiti government was belatedly paying serious attention to the issue of the detainees."
War's over, huh? No more danger, huh?
He thanked the efforts of House Speaker Jassem Al-Khorafi aimed at solving the issue of the detainees, "which culminated in Al-Khorafi's invitation to Parliaments of countries with detainees in Guantanamo to work in unison toward a just resolution of the detainees' problem."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/05/2003 20:37 ||
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Yeah, the AC's too cold, the foods so bad they might have heart attacks from all the weight they gain, it's too lonely in solitary and too crowded in the general population.
Aw, hell. Next time, do the poor bastards a favor and just gun them all down. Why should they have to live like this?
#2
I'd return them - from 10,000 ft
Allah will save them if their heart is pure....if not? well...it would be like jumping from the WTC wouldn't it?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/05/2003 21:39 Comments ||
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To: Kuwait Islamists
From: The USA
Subject: Kuwaiti Detainees at Gitmo
Gentlemen:
The aforementioned detainees were at the wrong place at the wrong time pointing the wrong things at the wrong soldiers (ours). We were kind enough not to hose them down with lead. They were dumb enough to go to Afghanistan and fight us, so you do not really want such dumb and foolhardy souls in your gene pool. Think upon that and thank us for helping you. The gitmo detainees will not be going home soon. In the words of the Russians, "Tough Shitskies." Have a nice day.
#4
Gitmo is getting a rep in the Arab world as the worst hellhole on earth. Excellent.
I've read at least one story where Iraqi prisoners were willing to tell us anything we wanted so long as they didn't get sent to Gitmo.
This is exactly what you want. Let them be scared shitless. We know the truth about the conditions there. This is one of those times when the Arab penchant for rumor-mongering the worst, most fanciful, stories is to our advantage...let's play it up!
Posted by: R. McLeod ||
08/06/2003 2:23 Comments ||
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King Fahd Bin Abdel-Aziz of Saudi Arabia has agreed to establish âKing Abdel-Aziz National Dialogue Centerâ with an aim to boosting and widening the process of national dialogue and consultations. Saudi Al-Watan newspaper has published a speech by Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Bin Abdel-Aziz to the Saudi people Sunday, August 3, in which he said that King Fahd agreed to set up a national dialogue center to be a practical means for developing a constructive dialogue in the kingdom. The Crown prince added that such a center would be âa historical achievement that contributes to finding an effective channel for expression in the fight against extremism and fanaticismâ.
It'll be interesting to watch people holding a national dialog while rolling their eyes and making faces. Didn't the U.S. have a "national conversation" on something or other a few years back? That worked well...
The Crown Prince emphasized in this regard the necessity of applying the ethics of dialogue âthat should be based on the worthy Muslim ancestorsâ traditions adopted by the kingdom.â He pointed out that those worthy Muslim ancestors had only been arguing through wisdom and good deeds.
"I mean, they hardly shot each other up at all..."
They followed the traditions of prophet Mohammed, may Godâs peace and blessings be upon him. âSaudi leadership and people wonât allow the freedom of dialogue to turn into nonsense and attacks against our enlightened symbols and scholars,â he reiterated.
That's Arabian for "say something out of line and we'll whack you."
âThis nation canât generate ideas that deviate from the constants of the Islamic doctrine. It wonât also accept ideas contrary to the instructions of Islam and adopt false notions to justify the evil objectives of horrifying Muslims,â he added.
"So nothin's gonna change, so just forget about it."
âOur Saudi people do not accept any alternative for moderateness that denies fanaticism as well as deviation from the righteous path.â
"If they do, we'll just cut their heads off."
Prince Abdullah pointed out that the Saudi kingâs approval of setting up the center came in the wake of holding âthe national gathering for intellectual dialogueâ that concluded its activities on Wednesday June 18, in which an elite of citizens of different tendencies participated. More than 50 intellectuals and religious leaders representing the Sunni majority and minority Shiite as well as the technocrat and liberals participated in the gathering that made its recommendations Friday June 20 to the Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah. The recommendations denied religious extremism and emphasized the necessity of dialogue for a better coexistence.
I guess one man's extremism is another man's moderation...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/05/2003 00:44 ||
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National Dialogue Center? That'll be down the street from the Society of Friends meeting house, right?
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/05/2003 1:52 Comments ||
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Nice speech, ahem.
One rather large tidbit that makes little or no sense: âOur Saudi people do not accept any alternative for moderateness that denies fanaticism as well as deviation from the righteous path.â
Denies? Huh? Anyone else find this back-asswards, assuming he's being positive? Allows or Permits or Encourages or Engenders or Promotes or... would make sense, if he's agin' it. This implies the opposite, that he be for it. Poor translation?
#3
CNBC did a puff piece on Prince Alaweed (sp.) and they showed him at one of these meeting houses. They pretend it's like a New England townhall meeting and everything, but we can only presume what would in actuality be said to the illegitimate royals before the Islamic Police (TM) get involved...
Posted by: Brian ||
08/05/2003 2:38 Comments ||
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Brian - Funny word pic: NE Townhall Meeting - by Dinks in Dresses, heh. The Royals have their own "police" force - and it wouldn't be the Islamic kind, bro! The National Emergency Forces belong to the Royals as their plaything. Local cops fall all over themselves, of course, to participate, but they're for show.
In the Dhahran area, when even the most minor princeling came around, there would be cops in their cars & jeeps, blue lights a' flashing, at every intersection of every major road - for hours on end - and even more screwing up traffic by driving 20-30 kmh slower than the "norm" - just in case His Inbredness wished to go somewhere.
The relgious guys are "mutawas" and their job is to fuck with the populace, especially infidels, to keep everyone in an imaginary Islamic line - kinda like religious Stasi cuz they encourage everyone to report others. I watched one of these goofs use his little "swagger stick" to hit a big blonde woman on the backs of her legs, once in Al Shula Mall (Al Khobar) back in '92, cuz the abaya she was wearing was too short to cover them. She must've been 6'2" - so I doubt there was one long enough to fit her in the whole Kingdom. Anyway, he whacked her 3-4 times and she spun around and headed for him like a freight train. A bunch of Saudis squeezed between them to protect him from her. I think she would've strangled the little dink, otherwise. The Expats there, myself included, almost had heart attacks laughing ourselves sick. One of the funniest things I have ever seen. Mutawas, ya gotta luv 'em - no one else does.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/05/2003 15:18 Comments ||
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I'm not sure how to interpret this. When despots completely run out of ideas, they sometimes do stuff like this, i.e. Gorbachev's glasnost. Measures like this are like a pinhole, inviting challengers to rush in and fill the vacuum of power and ideas. Unlike East Europe, there's no Vlaclav Havel or Lech Walesa to take control. Unlike Russia, there's not even a mafia -- as predatory and criminal as they are, at least they are apolitical and are capitalists at heart. The only folks capable of organizing and running a government in SA after the fall of the princes are the Islamists. Ultimately, I think that they'll dominate any "center for dialogue." They'll set up clacques and drown out everyone else's voice. Then the Saudis will either have to shut the center down or let the movement grow. The first path leads to cries of oppression and more legitimacy for the Islamists. The second path leads to surrender.
In some ways, the Saudis are in the same situation with regards to the Islamists as the Weimar government of the early 30's was in relation to the Nazis. Weimar wanted the many of the same things as the Nazis (end of Versailles, restitution of lost territories), they just weren't as willing to use violent means to get them. Both Weimar and the Saudis thought they could put the genie back in the bottle any time. The Weimar politicians failed. The Saudis will fail.
The emir of Qatar, a key Gulf Arab ally of the United States, is set to change his crown prince, diplomats said. There was no official explanation for the sudden change, but diplomats said the crown prince, Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, was dissatisfied about not getting the responsibilities he had aimed for. Qatar-based Al Jazeera television said the change would be announced on Tuesday local time. Diplomats said Sheikh Jassim was likely to be replaced by his brother Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, who heads Qatar's Olympic committee.
"Awww... I got nuttin' to do as crown prince!"
"Tell ya what: you can go play with your polo ponies and the Swedish blonde, and your little brother can be crown prince."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/05/2003 00:24 ||
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What's with this running the Olympic committee business (ala Uday)? Since when is that an important portfolio?
#2
Scratch. Bribe money. Chic hotels, cheap women, and all the shrimp you can eat. The Olympic Committee is second only to the UN in international corruption.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/05/2003 10:25 Comments ||
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F.B.I. agents have interviewed a Saudi citizen identified by Congressional investigators as a likely intelligence operative for Riyadh who befriended two of the 9/11 hijackers in California more than a year before the attacks. The interview today in Saudi Arabia was the first of two scheduled sessions between investigators and the Saudi, Omar al-Bayoumi, who was living as a student in San Diego in early 2000 when he met Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi, 2 of the 15 Saudis who came to the United States to train for the hijackings. The officials said that in the interview Mr. Bayoumi denied any advance knowledge of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
"I know nossing! Nos-sing! Tell them, Hogan!"
The interview with Mr. Bayoumi, whose presence in San Diego has long been known to American authorities, took place largely because he figured prominently in a Congressional report on the hijackings released on July 24 by a joint committee of the House and Senate intelligence committees. Mr. Bayoumi's dealings with the two hijackers are detailed in both the public parts of the report and in a still unreleased 28-page classified chapter. Saudi officials agreed to allow Mr. Bayoumi to be questioned by F.B.I. agents after Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser, asked the Saudi foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, for access to Mr. Bayoumi during a White House meeting with President Bush on July 29. At the meeting Prince Saud asked Mr. Bush to release the classified portion of the Congressional report so it could be rebutted. Mr. Bush refused.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/05/2003 00:08 ||
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New Zealand's intelligence service has been accused of "sexing up" evidence to try to keep an Algerian man out of the country.
Seems like everybody's doing it...
Ahmed Zaoui has been held in solitary confinement since he arrived in the country late last year. Authorities detained Ahmed Zaoui fearing he had been involved in an Islamic terrorist group. But the country's Refugee Tribunal has now cleared him of such links. However, New Zealand's Immigration Minister is refusing to release Mr Zaoui from jail, saying the country's intelligence service still considers him a risk. Lawyers for the detained man are questioning the intelligence information, saying some of it had been taken from news reports and off the Internet.
Where it magically appeared attached to his name for no reason...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/05/2003 00:20 ||
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Don't you just hate it when Ahmed Zaoui that happens? I mean here I am, minding Ahmed Zaoui someone else's business, typing away and Ahmed Zaoui pops out of the keyboard all Ahmed Zaoui by itself! And in a thread about Ahmed Zaoui some terrorist! Like Ahmed Zaoui phreaking magik! Those NZ spooks are Ahmed Zaoui on about nuttin'! I'd be glad to Ahmed Zaoui show Ahmed Zaoui 'em. Let the poor man live Ahmed Zaoui in peace, why doncha? Sheesh.
Two explosions damaged a vacation resort and a local office of Franceâs state-run telecommunications company, police said Monday. No injuries were reported. Just your tourist trade
The first of the blasts on this Mediterranean island took place Sunday night outside a France Telecom office in the northern town of Furiani, police said. Before dawn Monday, in the western town of Porticcio, an explosion rocked the entrance of a vacation resort near the western village of Furiani. Several cars parked nearby were also damaged. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks. Could it be these guys?
Separatist groups in Corsica have led a campaign of bombings since the mid-1970s in a push for more autonomy. Most attacks target official buildings in the middle of the night to spare victims. However, the violence has intensified since a Paris court convicted eight separatists last month in connection with the 1998 killing of the top French official in Corsica. Corsican Dire Revenge
Successive French governments have struggled unsuccessfully to end nearly two decades of low-level separatist violence. In the most recent attempt, the center-right government pitched a proposal that would have granted the Mediterranean island slightly more autonomy. But the measure, judged by many to be inadequate, was rejected in a referendum a week ago. Some people just donât want to ruled by France. Go figure.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2003 11:24:33 AM ||
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Total non-evenement : in the last two decades, "bad years" had about 500-600 explosions PER YEAR (that five to six hundred, yes!), while quiet years are about half that. I think the lowest were the two last year, before the "truce" was declared broken by the nationalists, with 100-150 booms. I can't confirm the numbers, but I kid you note about the scale of the phenomenon! Note that many of theses are criminals and/or about individual grudges. That's a real tradition. I think there are slightly over 250 000 corsicans on the islands. Calculate the ratio.
#2
When your country's flag has a Muslim's head on it, you've got to figure that violence goes with the territor.
Posted by: Christopher Johnson ||
08/05/2003 17:06 Comments ||
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France should just let 'em go. Let 'em find out just how expensive independence is. In a way it is a little bit of poetic justice. Seeing as how it was the French that fanned the flames of independence in Quebec
Posted by: Someone who did NOT vote for William Proxmire ||
08/05/2003 17:58 Comments ||
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When Turkeyâs government passed reforms to curb the militaryâs influence on politics, the European Union was jubilant. Not surprisingly, the military wasnât quite as pleased. And we all know what happens when the Turkish military isnât pleased.
At a traditionally tame military congress over the weekend, top generals reportedly criticized Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his defense minister after parliament voted to cut the influence of the military-dominated National Security Council. Gen. Cetin Dogan, a top army commander, accused Erdogan of undermining Turkeyâs armed forces and trying to change the secular regime, the daily Cumhuriyet reported Monday. A military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the report. "Forces that will not allow any change in the secular structure of Turkey will act together," Dogan said, according to Cumhuriyet. "If needed, the army and the nation will achieve the result hand in hand." Time to start the Turkish Coup Pool.
The tensions show how difficult it will be to curtail the influence of the military, which harbors enormous distrust of Erdoganâs Islamic-rooted government. The military sees itself as a protector of Turkeyâs secular state, and has sparked three coups. In 1997, it pressured a pro-Islamic government into leaving power. Turkey hopes to start membership talks with the European Union by the end of next year, but the EU has demanded Turkey first curtail the militaryâs influence and carry out other reforms before it can join. Once Turkey completes these reforms, the EU will come up with another reason to keep Turkey out.
The military suspects that Erdoganâs government has a secret agenda to replace the secular regime with an Islamic one — an accusation Erdogan denies. "You are benefiting from the Turkish peopleâs love for the EU. One day, you will pay for it," Cumhuriyet quoted Dogan as saying. "Donât assume that this force will be a coup. This will be the Turkish people." Cumhuriyet said Dogan was supported by other generals at the meeting. Erdogan reportedly defended his government, saying they had no intention of harm the military.
"By the beard of the Prophet, by my mother's burka, by the Gates of Vienna, by the blessed memory of the Sultan, and by the nose of the Hairy Djinni of Mosul, I swear! No harm will come to the military that doesn't also come to the rest of the country!"
The reported clash came only days after parliament passed reforms emphasizing that the National Security Council was an advisory body, allowing a civilian to serve as the councilâs secretary-general and permitting lawmakers to scrutinize some military expenses. The military has a strong say in national policy through its presence on the council, a forum used by the military to exert influence on the government. EU leaders had warmly welcomed the reforms. "The reforms on paper change the balance of power between the military and civilians but this does not mean that the military is no longer effective," said Umit Cizre, a political scientist at Ankaraâs Bilkent University. Meaning that no matter how many so-called reforms are on paper, if the military decides to have a coup, they are going to do it.
During the meeting, Erdogan reportedly clashed with the military over the firing of 18 soldiers for having suspected pro-Islamic leanings, but eventually relented. The meeting was overshadowed by another thorny issue when Erdogan canceled a traditional banquet in honor of the generals to prevent a possible crisis over his wifeâs Islamic-style headscarf — regarded by the military as a symbol of political Islam. Erdogan is pushing his luck.
Wait'll they see her in an evening burka. Stunning!
Turkish media reported that the military also warned Erdogan not to insist on the reforms about the National Security Council if President Ahmet Necdet Sezer vetoes them. Sezer hasnât said if he will endorse the measures. Turkey wants to start negotiations for membership in the 15-nation European Union by the end of next year. But the EU has demanded Turkey first curtail the militaryâs influence and implement democratic reforms, such as giving greater rights to its estimated 12 million Kurds. Well, thereâs two things the military wonât like.
The military has said it supports Turkeyâs EU membership but says Turkey should refrain from doing anything that could harm its national security. Itâs times like this that I miss Murat.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2003 9:41:51 AM ||
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Cumhuriyet - a Turkish prostitutes trade paper?
sorry - couldn't help myself
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/05/2003 11:23 Comments ||
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Steve---
It's a Murat Momentâ¢....*sigh*
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/05/2003 13:45 Comments ||
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The Phrench have a nice game going here:
1) tell the Turks to reform or else. The military won't go for all the reforms, so the Turks never join the EU
2) if the Turks DO pull off all these reforms, the currrent govt is Islamic enough to keep them out of the EU
3) in the meantime the Phrench can yank their chains and say things like "if you let the Americans move their troops through your country you'll never join the EU."
Hmmm, wonder what the chances are of the Turks joining the EU.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/05/2003 15:19 Comments ||
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#4
'Bout the same as Patty Ann Brown popping by to see me 'cause she heard what a great lover I am...
Posted by: Fred ||
08/05/2003 15:31 Comments ||
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Figures just released for July - an important month for the tourism sector - show that visitor rates are down by an average of 20% on 2002. "Itâs true that July was a weak month," Tourism Minister Gilles de Robien said. Forest fires have hit business in the south-eastern Riviera region, while the oil of the sunken tanker Prestige has blighted the beaches of the south-west for months. Iâm still hoping for locusts.
"It is true that in the south-east and the south-west, there are fewer tourists, especially foreigners," Mr de Robien said, although he was hopeful August and September would make up for the shortfall. A strike over welfare payments by art performers led to the cancellation of the seasonâs top two arts festivals -in Avignon and Aix-en-Provence - damaging Franceâs image in the process. One central problem, reports say, is the drop in American visitors, who are staying away because of the Franco-US rift over the war on Iraq and a weak dollar. The sharp rise in the value of the euro has also meant American buying power in Europe has been drastically reduced. I still havenât seen any reports on American tourists avoiding Europe totally, just France.
Hotels, restaurants and museums in their main destinations - Paris, the Riviera and the World War II landing beaches in Normandy - have reported a big drop in US visitors, Liberation newspaper reported last week. According to the official figures, the Germans and visitors from Asia, especially Japan, have also been shunning trips to France compared to last year. And British visitors have been unusually scarce - especially from the Dordogne region they are fond of. Snicker
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2003 9:13:12 AM ||
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I hope they're not watching the statistics closely in anticipation of an upturn. We're planning a trip for my son's high school class for next summer, and the trip to Spain this summer is being followed by a trip to England, Wales, and Ireland next summer. My son will NEVER see France on my tab.
Posted by: Tom ||
08/05/2003 9:35 Comments ||
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"There was an earthquake! A fire! A terrible flood!
IT"S NOT MY FAULT!!"
#3
A strike over welfare payments by art performers led to the cancellation of the seasonâs top two arts festivals -in Avignon and Aix-en-Provence - damaging Franceâs image in the process.
Is there anybody over there who isn't on the government tit?
We see these stories just about every day. I never cease to enjoy them. And they don't seem to have a clue why it's happening, which makes them even better.
#6
Things are getting bad when the Germans are refusing to travel to France. Maybe the Bulgarians are interested in invading? The Moldavans? The odd Lett ot two?
#9
A previous post on same topic stated American tourism down in France,up in Spain.If I remember right,French Premier opposed US in Iraq,Spanish Premier supported US.Hmmmmmmm...
Posted by: Stephen ||
08/05/2003 14:08 Comments ||
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#10
Irony perhaps? If President Chirac had only followed his own advice to the newest members of the EU. (to paraphrase) "You missed a good opportunity to keep your trap shut." MUAH HAHAHAHAHA.
Hey France, would you like a little cheese with that whine of yours?
Posted by: Paul ||
08/05/2003 15:08 Comments ||
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#11
The tourist numbers being down is simply a result of people not liking being insulted, their country stabbed in the back during a time of war, and witnessing underhanded and misleading dealing in the political, economic, military, and well, all arenas. The French have a sick society and they think that they have a seller's market because they know everything. The absolutely amazing thing is that the government just does not have a clue as to what is going on. So they try to strongarm everyone in the EU so they can get their way. I saw an article recently about some Dutchman going after france in the EU because the French debt is too high and france could be fined for fiscal irresponsibility. It will be interesting to see how this whole thing plays out with france. Tourism decline is only the tip of the shitberg iceberg with France.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/05/2003 15:35 Comments ||
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#12
The tourist numbers being down is simply a result of ... their country stabbed in the back during a time of war
Oh how I wish it were so. But somehow I don't think many Americans think in such terms, not in such big numbers that would make a difference anyway. I think the drop in tourism applies in general and not just France, because it is a shit time to travel. In difficult times people stay home.
"france could be fined for fiscal irresponsibility."
Classic example of what the EU is all about. I think you are refering to the EU rule that governments cannot run a deficit greater than 3% of their GDP. Well, since rules are made to be broken, the big 3 (FR,DE,IT) have no qualms about breaking them. Haven't checked the stats recently, but a few months ago they were on their way past the 3% mark. It's ok I guess since it's not really clear that France et al. would ever be fined for this anyway. Go Dutchman!!
via Daily Pundit Ted Bowen, the NDP caucus researcher who referred to U.S. president George Bush using the dismissive term "shrub" in an internal government memo, has resigned. Excellent!
According to a source who didnât want to be identified, Bowen was asked to resign last Thursday, one day after the memo became public knowledge and was initially suspended without pay. And if it hadnât become public?
Over the weekend, Bowen offered that resignation and the government accepted it effective immediately. Exit, stage left!
Bowen, 60, first joined the caucus office as a researcher 24 years ago under the Allan Blakeney government. Bowenâs lengthy career with the party stumbled last week when a memo he wrote to MLAs and party candidates was inadvertently faxed to the media. Dâoh!
The letter urged members to use "whatever creative flimflam you can come up with" to circulate a petition from the government urging Bush to re-open the American border to Canadian beef. at least it was open about it
The border was closed in May after a lone case of mad cow disease was found in an Alberta animal. While the memo itself seemed innocuous enough, it contained the subject line: "Re: Petition to President Shrub." thatâll get you goodwill...ass
A post-script on the letter explained that "shrub" was a dismissive nickname for Bush used by American writer shrew, bitter bitch and leftwingnut columnist Molly Ivins. Bowenâs gaffe made national news and even the Drudge Report, an American Web site that covers political news. It also embarrassed the NDP government at a time when Premier Lorne Calvert was in Toronto at the Rolling Stones concert to promote the safety of Canadian beef. Calvert later told the Canadian Press the memo was "just plain dumb" and in no way reflected the governmentâs position. "bring me dumbassâs resignation ..now"
The memo was the latest in a series of high-profile Canadian slights against Americans. Last year, Prime Minister Jean Chretienâs former press secretary resigned after she was heard calling Bush a moron. Liberal MP Carolyn Parrish also embarrassed Ottawa when she was overheard saying "Damn Americans, I hate those bastards." we remember that one too
In the latest incident, the province immediately distanced itself from both the memo and Bowen with Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Eldon Lautermilch saying the government would conduct an internal review and consider disciplinary action. Jim Fodey, chief of staff for the NDP caucus office, declined to comment on any disciplinary action taken, saying that it was a confidential matter. "We consider this an internal personal matter. All the staff in the caucus office other than myself are in a left wing cabal union and we have a collective agreement so Iâm not allowed to discuss this file," he said.
"I can say no more!"
Employees in the caucus office are represented by the Office and Professional Employees International Union. No one from the union office could be reached for comment. Bowen also declined comment on the story. Dâoh! again
Perhaps Ted should consider a rewarding career in the food service industry if he can't get a job working for Molly...
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/05/2003 3:14:09 PM ||
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The Mad Cows (and bulls and steers) are still on the other side of the fence, waiting to get in. And these ones are not bovine. Heh heh.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/05/2003 15:40 Comments ||
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Are Canadian bureaucrats really this dumb? "No one will ever hear me say this, but..." The only ones who appear dumber are American artistes who think they can shoot their mouths off while doing the Euro curcuit. No one will ever know... ever know...ever know.
âWe must finish off religious extremism,â thundered General Pervez Musharraf, âa religious minority is active and a majority is silent, but we must stand up and be counted. Pakistan is at the crossroads. We are in a make or break situationâ. He was briefing senior editors and columnists at the Governorâs House in Lahore on Monday.
Yup. Like to see it done. Gonna start any time now, are you?
General Musharrafâs two hour tour de force spanned geo-economics, geo-politics and geo-strategy in a comprehensive manner and he left no doubt in anyoneâs mind about his vision for an enlightened, moderate and prosperous Pakistan at peace with itself and with the rest of the world. âWe must not use the mosques to spread hatred,â he said, admitting that âwe Muslims have become too emotionalâ.
There'll be 100,000 people out in the streets shrieking and rolling their eyes over that charge...
He went on to say that not just Pakistan but the Muslim ummah was also at a crossroads. The international perception of both, he pointed out, was that they were hubs of fundamentalism and religious extremism and intolerance. He said Pakistan was uniquely poised to show the way forward for itself and the Muslim ummah. âShould we sleep over this opportunity?â he asked rhetorically, and then answered, âNo. But some people have put their foot on the brake. We must not let them do so, otherwise our generation will be responsible for not exploiting this situation of opportunity in the larger national interests of Pakistanâ.
Ummmm... Perv? You have a substantial minority in the NA that's made up of religious fanatics whose turbans catch fire at the words "secular state." You have people defacing billboards because they feature female faces to sell cola. You have nuts shooting up churches and Shiite mosques. It'll take ten years steady work to improve Pakland to the point where it's merely "bad."
The second pitfall he said was terrorism, which manifested itself in three forms: Al-Qaeda, Talibanism and sectarian and religious extremism. He said the world knew that Pakistan was doing its best to thwart the first two but the worldâs perception was that Pakistan was rife with the third factor. âBut a majority of us is not extremistâ he said, ânor are we sending or supporting Taliban into Afghanistanâ.
Actually the world knows nothing of the kind, and if Pakland isn't sending Talibs into Afghanistan they're popping into existence full-grown. They're not coming from Samoa or even Tadjikistan.
Pak dances to the Soddy tune, and I'm wondering if the Soddy tune this week might involve toning down the unreasoning hatred pushed by the Religion of Peace™. With the Riyadh bombings and the pressure they've been receiving since 9-11 — increasing in the past week from Congress — there's more incentive for the Princes to try and put their genie back in the bottle and pretend it was all a misunderstanding and ain't it terrible what a few loose cannons did? That's really the only explanation I can think of for Fazl's flirtation with sweet reason last week. Perv is famous for tough talk and soft actions, though. If we were to see Hafiz Saeed depart this vale of tears in a regrettable accident I'd maybe believe what he's saying.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/05/2003 17:33 ||
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âWe must not use the mosques to spread hatred,â he said, admitting that âwe Muslims have become too emotionalâ.
Now there is the understatement of the new millenium!
Fred---Since the Paks and the Saudis are so cozy in the sleeping bag together, would some additional pressure on Saudi help with Pak? Still, I cannot see how we can really influence positive change in Pak much. The NutCase Cross Section (NC2S) is almost at the critical mass level, so the only thing we can do is to squeeze the money. But I'm sure that they are well stoked now with cash, so it will take a long time for them to hurt.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/05/2003 18:18 Comments ||
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That's it! They're emotional! That's why they do all this blowing shit up stuff!
Glad that's all figured out. Or am I guilty of the dreaded "profiling"?
The Lashkar-e-Taiba is acting as a âsecret policeâ for the Taliban and Al Qaeda, American and Indian intelligence officials say. A US congressional paper on homeland security quotes former officers of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Indian agencies as saying that the recent arrest of eleven men in Virginia, allegedly connected with the Lashkar, raises the prospects of âa new terrorist threat in the United Statesâ. A special report in the congressional quarterly homeland security quotes the FBIâs former deputy assistant director for counterintelligence, Harry B âSkipâ Brandon, as saying that Kashmiri terrorists, who used to raise funds in America earlier for the fight back home, switched over to providing âother material supportâ to the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Of course, for the past half decade, a majority of the "Kashmiri" terrorists have actually been Pakistanis, belonging to groups that were hand in glove with the Taliban and Al Qaeda
Brandon says the US intelligence âare not just focussed on the Taliban and Al Qaeda, but also groups affiliated to themâ. The paper quotes Selig Harrison, head of Asia Project at Washington-based Centre for International Policy, as saying that before the 9/11 attacks, âI was told by a top source in the state department that the Lashkar was serving (as) a secret police function for the Talibanâ. Perhaps the Pakistani Lashkar was seen as more committed and reliable than local Afghans, or maybe the military past and loyalty to Pakistan amongst the Lashkar jihadis made them the choice of the Talibanâs backers in the Pak military
The report quotes former additional secretary in Cabinet Secretariat B Raman as saying that the Lashkar headquarters at Muridke (Pakistan) had âa guesthouse and a mosque constructed with funds provided by Osama bin Ladenâ. The Lashkarâs parent body was actually cofounded by Abdullah Azzam, the man who lead the Afghan Arabs throughout the 80âs before being killed and replaced by Bin Ladin.
"Before he fell foul of the US, Laden stayed in this guesthouse during his visits to Pakistan," Raman says. He further says the Lashkar is âbuilding up its clandestine infrastructure in the US and will continue to do soâ. Regarding chances that the Lashkar will participate in an attack on the US, Brandon says, "It is not outside the realm of possibility that it could pose a threat to US homeland security. If you had asked me four or five years ago, I would have said it was highly unlikely as they are interested only in Kashmir. But radical Islamic terrorism has given things a new twist and the authorities are gradually seeing a blurring of the lines between terrorist groups."
Not much difference among turbans. The net result's the same. See Jakarta, today...
While Raman feels they will themselves not participate in an attack on the US âfor the presentâ, Teresita Schaffer, director of South Asia programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, says her impression is that the Lashkar is âmore interested in their own homelandâ.
They're also professional jihadis at the cadre level. They'll go where they can find work.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
08/05/2003 1:40:09 AM ||
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How did Azzam die?
Posted by: Brian ||
08/05/2003 2:42 Comments ||
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so it was natural causes then?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/05/2003 10:55 Comments ||
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Super (dooper) Natural causes, Frank!
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/05/2003 19:55 Comments ||
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Does the car bomb come with the standard dealer package over there or do you have to buy it as an option?
The gall of some people!
LONDON: Pakistan Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali has said that India would have to make concessions on Kashmir that could colloquially be quantified as "hundred rupees" for "a big country" to "a-rupee-and-a-half" for a "smaller one" like Pakistan. In a wide-ranging, live interview jointly broadcast by the BBCâs Hindi and Urdu Services, Jamali affirmed that "the core issue is Kashmir" and because "India occupies the larger territory of Kashmir. We have to ask for concessions for the Kashmiris from India." Itâs kind of like welfare. The rich folk give money to the poor folk. Jamaliâs extortion is ironic since India was a leader of the Non-Aligned Movement, which for years has demanded transnational welfare payments from the US and the rest of the developed world (but especially the US).
The interview, billed as the first time the Pakistan prime minister was able to have a direct conversation with listeners in India, also re-stated the unshakeable strategic foundations of Pakistanâs Kashmir strategy. "You would have to see Kashmir as one," Jamali declared, "You cannot divide Kashmir into two and then see the matter! You would have to see who occupies what part of Kashmir! In whose favour is which part! Which is the bigger and the powerful country? It is the bigger country that has to sacrifice." Jamali insisted he was keen to meet Prime Minister Vajpayee anytime, anywhere, possibly even before Januaryâs Saarc summit.
Posted by: 11A5S ||
08/05/2003 12:40:45 AM ||
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After India's recent efforts to open doors, this is rather a slap in the face, it seems. Mebbe RamaLamaDinDong Jamali should avoid live interviews in the future. I can only imagine the steam this generated in the Indian Govt. I think they're both half-assed moronic asshat stuck-in-amber and/or crazed-loonie Govt's, but still...
#2
11 - i dont think hes actually asking for money, just using money to quantify how little he thinks Pak should concede on Kashmir. The big question is whether to keep Kashmir as one or divide it. If you keep it as one it seems clear that the majority would votefor independence or Pakistan - if you divide it a big chunk would vote to stay Indian.
#3
LH - Methinks you're spot-on. If they divide Kashmir, the Paki's "win", however, in that tiny speck of grey matter shared amongst the Indians. The Izzoids use the pop count when it suits them, other measures when it doesn't. In any case, it appears to be IsmoCreep to me - and somewhere around 800 million Indians will see it that way, too. Should be interesting to see what sort of response India decides upon.
#4
Agreed LH. He's saying that India is a big, wealthy (by Pak standards anyway) country and should make all of the concessions. The irony as I see it is that India and the rest of the NAM used to use the same exact negotiating ploy with the US. (Forgive our debts! After all we are poor and you are so rich. It's exploitation, I tell ya!) I think that this is a purposeful insult to India.
#5
Liberalhawk is right, they should accept the status quo in kashmir and build a fence (along the lines of the one the Israeli's are building). Problem is, every Indian I've every talked too about the situation is not really flexible on the issue and status quo is not good enough.
LONDON â Iraq reports an oil production capacity of 1.7 million barrels per day.
Thamer Ghadhban, responsible for Iraqâs oil sector, said the figure is the highest since the U.S.-led war in Iraq in March. He said Iraq is preparing to export as much as 800,000 barrels per day from oil fields in Basra.
"Iraqâs production capacity has risen to unprecedented levels since the war ended, reaching 1.7 million barrel per day," Ghadhban told the International Oil Daily. "Production is actually running at a rate of 1.55 million barrel per day."
Ghadhban said sabotage has hampered Iraqi plans to increase oil production and exports. He cited attacks on the Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline from northern Iraq to Turkey, which was blown up on late July 31. I hope that we can keep the boomers away from the oil infrastructure and keep this production up!
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/05/2003 8:03:07 PM ||
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Not only is it the highest, most is not going to Syria at below-market rates to keep the Baath-love going as before. Exports = $, something that will get them back on their feet, and with our "influence" drive a stake into OPEC solidarity
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/05/2003 20:18 Comments ||
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I can see the Lefties twitching now. "See! See! We told you! All about the oiiiiillll!"
In Liberia, it must be all about the evening gowned freedom fighters. But, oh yeah, they want us in there.
#3
The United States has imposed sanctions on five Chinese firms and a North Korean company for selling weapons technology to Iran.
The Chinese companies were named as: Taian Foreign Trade General Corporation of China; the Zibo Chemical Equipment Plant of China; the Liyang Yunlong Chemical Equipment Group Company of China; China North Industries Corporation (Norinco) and the China Precision Machinery Import/Export Corporation (CPMIEC)
In 1997, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), along with China North Industries Corporation (Norinco), signed an agreement with Iraq for a 22-year-long exploitation of half the Al-Ahdab field.
Energy-hungry China is looking to revive a 1.2 billion oil project signed in Iraq under the Saddam Hussein regime that had been expected to produce 90,000 barrels per day a senior Chinese oil official said on Thursday. China through its largest state-oil group CNPC signed the contract in 1997 to develop the Ahdab oilfield south of Baghdad but couldn't start on the project immediately because of United Nations sanctions on the Middle East country. Aug 01, 2003 Schlumberger.com
China North Industries was already under sanctions before they got caught selling weapons to Iran.
I'll bet they'll get their oil anyway.
If they do, clearly lust for oil and petrocash will have won over high minded excuses for our involvement in Iraq like 'liberation' and saving the world from tyrants, at least with regard to 'enemy' China.
Oh yeah, major oil discoveries in China and Iran. Maybe they won't want the oil after all.
U.S. troops in Iraq suffered through months of unnecessarily poor living conditions because some civilian contractors hired by the Army for logistics support failed to show up. Months after American combat troops settled into occupation duty, they were camped out in primitive, dust-blown shelters without windows or air conditioning. The Army has invested heavily in modular barracks, showers, bathroom facilities and field kitchens, but troops in Iraq were using ramshackle plywood latrines and living without fresh food or regular access to showers and telephones. Even mail delivery — also managed by civilian contractors — fell weeks behind. Though conditions have improved, the problems raise new concerns about the Pentagonâs growing global reliance on defense contractors for everything from laundry service to combat training and aircraft maintenance. Civilians help operate Navy Aegis cruisers and Global Hawk, the high-tech robot spy plane.
Civilian contractors may work well enough in peacetime, critics say. But what about in a crisis? "We thought we could depend on industry to perform these kinds of functions," Lt. Gen. Charles S. Mahan, the Armyâs logistics chief, said in an interview. One thing became clear in Iraq. "You cannot order civilians into a war zone," said Linda K. Theis, an official at the Armyâs Field Support Command, which oversees some civilian logistics contracts. "People can sign up to that — but they can also back out."
As a result, soldiers lived in the mud, then the heat and dust. Back home, a group of mothers organized a drive to buy and ship air conditioners to their sons. One Army captain asked a reporter to send a box of nails and screws to repair his living quarters and latrines. For almost a decade, the military has been shifting its supply and support personnel into combat jobs and hiring defense contractors to do the rest. This shift has accelerated under relentless pressure from Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to make the force lighter and more agile. "Itâs a profound change in the way the military operates," said Peter W. Singer, author of a new book, "Corporate Warriors," a detailed study of civilian contractors. He estimates that over the past decade, there has been a ten-fold increase in the number of contract civilians performing work the military used to do itself. "When you turn these services over to the private market, you lose a measure of control over them," said Singer, a foreign policy researcher at the Brookings Institution, a think tank in Washington.
Replacing 1,100 Marine cooks with civilians, as the Corps did two years ago, might make short-term economic sense. But cooks might be needed as riflemen — as they were during the desperate Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. And untrained civilians "can walk off the job any time they want, and the only thing the military can do is sue them later on," Singer said.
Thanks to overlapping contracts and multiple contracting offices, nobody in the Pentagon seems to know precisely how many contractors are responsible for which jobs — or how much it all costs. Thatâs one reason the Bush administration can only estimate that it is spending about $4 billion a month on troops in Iraq. White House Budget Director Joshua Bolten said this week he could not even estimate the cost of keeping troops in Iraq in fiscal 2004, which begins Oct. 1.
Last fall the Army hired Kellogg Brown & Root, a Houston-based contractor, to draw up a plan for supporting U.S. troops in Iraq, covering everything from handling the dead to managing airports. KBR, as itâs known, eventually received contracts to perform some of the jobs, and it and other contractors began assembling in Kuwait for the war. But as the conflict approached, insurance rates for civilians skyrocketed — to 300 percent to 400 percent above normal, according to Mike Klein, president of MMG Agency Inc., a New York insurance firm. Soldiers are insured through the military and rates donât rise in wartime. It got "harder and harder to get (civilian contractors) to go in harmâs way," said Mahan, the Army logistics chief. The Army had $8 million in contracts for troop housing in Iraq sitting idle, Mahan said. "Our ability to move (away) from living in the mud is based on an expectation that we would have been able to go to more contractor logistical support early on," Mahan said.
Logistics support for troops in Iraq is handled by dozens of companies, each hired by different commands and military agencies with little apparent coordination or oversight. Patrice Mingo, a spokesman for KBR, declined comment. Don Trautner, an Army official who manages a major logistics contract with KBR for troop support in Iraq, said he knew of "no hesitation or lateness" by KBR civilian contractors. "There were no delays I know of," he said, making clear that he did not speak for other contractors.
#1
This is what happens when you trade logistics for bayonets. For generations the Pentagon was hounded by critics for the high ratio of support to guns. What the critics never acknowledged is that no other armed forces in the world sustained continious operations on the other side of the planet. The Soviets, oft pointed out by those same self styled experts, had a very low ratio. However, Chechnya demonstates that they can't even properly support their own troops in their own borders. And we're headed in that direction now.
It was long ago in the time of Napoleon that civilian contractors were done away with in hauling the artillery pieces as they had a tendency to depart when things became complicated on the battlefield. Taking the artillery with them or abandoning the pieces then and there. This is a lesson unlearned.
Side note - the military insure themselves. Each month a portion of the members pay is deducted and paid into the Serviceman's Group Life Insurance program. The 250K lump sum paid for death, regardless of whether its peacetime, wartime, on duty or off duty, comes from that fund, it does not come from appropriated monies from Congress. Anyone relying solely upon the death benefits paid by the service or the VA will be greatly underwhelmed.
Posted by: Don ||
08/05/2003 16:47 Comments ||
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Dovetailing in with the story, I just saw this on Rooters via Google News:
http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=3223492
Seems a KBR Contractor was killed by a land mine...
#3
Any contractor be it civilian or corporate who fails to fullfill or renigs on a contract with the military(most especially in time of war) should be immiedatly terminated,and banned from any future contracts/employment with any government agency(fed.,state,county,city).In addition the should face both criminal and civil action.
These people signed contracts/accepted employement with the government in full knowledge the could be going into harms way.These companys/contractors recieve extremly good pay/benifits packages for thier work they should be forced to fullfill thier obligations in times of peace as well as war.
My brother worked as a driller in South America(at one time within walking distance of the Peurvian Border and the attendant coca fields)every where he went he was accompnied by an armed gaurd.he fullfilled his contractual obligations and so should these people.
#4
I'd take it (as with all news from a war) with a grain of salt. How many/what firms/what situations? Attacking KBR is an opportunity to take a shot at Dick Cheney's old firm, Halliburton, and I have a feeling Mr. Rumsfeld would have little patience for civvies contracting services and bugging out in stressful times. Raptor is right: anyone doing so should catch 28 connecting flights on their way home to unemployment
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/05/2003 20:09 Comments ||
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He used to be Mr. President, The Leader (May God Preserve him) or The Respected General. Now Saddam Hussein is HVT No. 1, a "high-value target" to U.S. troops in Iraq, sometimes the Ace of Spades, as he appears in a deck of "most wanted" cards, more often just "The Big Guy." But to the soldiers of the 1st Battalion 22nd Infantry Regiment out of Fort Hood Texas who are spearheading the hunt around Saddamâs home town of Tikrit, he is simply "Elvis." Not content with the Pentagonâs photofit images of what the elusive dictator may now look like, their mess hall in one of his palaces sports a doctored official portrait showing a now coiffed and sideburned Saddam under the title "Elvis Lives!." Inspired by countless supermarket tabloid "sightings" of the late rock legend, troops say they are on Saddamâs trail. "Course we gonna get Elvis," said one senior officer. "Last I heard he was working in a Burger King down in Tikrit." Yup, it sure sounds like morale is bad.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2003 12:57:44 PM ||
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We have not had any sightings recently here in Michigan where this whole Elvis Sightings thing started, but I will keep you posted.
DEBKAfileâs Middle East sources reveal a thriving, unacknowledged, semi-secret Middle East trade route that has sprung up between Israel and Iraq in response to rising demand. More and more goods are getting through despite difficult and often hazardous conditions. The sudden demand in Iraq for Israeli six-packs owes much to the dearth of beer manufacturing in the strictly Muslim Persian Gulf region and the dry heat raging in Baghdad, Tikrit, Mosul and Basra, which makes an iced beer a favorite thirst-quencher for the close to 150,000 American GIs and 15,000 British troops sweltering there in full combat gear. Many Iraqis, too, have taken advantage of the new openness to their geographical west and cultivated a taste for the Israeli brew. Mmmmmmm, beer
To meet the demand, trucks, loaded with beer produced in Israeli breweries working round the clock, roll nearly 1,000 miles east night by night, through Jordan and over two frontiers.. Beer is not the only Israeli commodity heading into Iraq. The convoys carry farm produce, foodstuffs, dairy products, eggs and ice cream, orders for which keep Jordan-based Israeli sales agents and their Jordanian counterparts with full hands and busy satellite phones. Itâs part of the zionist plan to take over Iraq.
With the national economy in recession and expanding unemployment, Israeli manufacturers are responding with brisk efficiency to any unexpected equipment shortages sprung in American units far from home - from mobile kitchen units to transformers. The US Army Corps of Engineers, the unit responsible for the maintenance of Iraq oil installations, airfields and military landing strips, have found they can obtain pipe sections, pumps or reinforced concrete faster and more cheaply from Israel than by airlift from the US.
There is also a constant flow of military products including spare parts â whether made in Israel, withdrawn from American emergency stores in southern Israel or unloaded under cover of dark from American cargo ships putting in at Ashdod and Haifa ports. The Zionist-Great Satan axis at work.
The Israeli supply role usually ends at the Jordanian-Iraqi frontier. Jordanian agents then take over and ascertain that the merchandize is safely delivered to the correct recipients at the Iraqi end, a hazardous and costly exercise in todayâs Iraq. Their easternmost destination is Baghdad; their northernmost, the oil city of Kirkuk and the Kurdish town of Suleimaniyeh. Baghdad has two points of entry: the international airport and overland by heavily guarded trucks through the guerrilla-plagued Sunni Muslim Triangle of central Iraq. At Baghdad international airport, administered by US forces as a military facility, flying goods in by any carrier entails a bureaucratic runaround for permits and clearance. Even when an infrequent permit is obtained, the airport lacks the handlers and porters for unloading and the products still have to run the guerrilla gauntlet along the route to Baghdad.
But as a rule, the US civil administrator Paul Bremer prefers not to see Israeli transports landing in Iraq. He only makes exceptions for urgently needed equipment or the evacuation of injured American soldiers in urgent need of competent hospital care to save their lives. An injured US troop can be ferried to Israel in approximately one hour 50 minutes, Baghdad-Tel Aviv flying time. Hadnât heard we were using Israeli hospitals, thatâs another one we owe you.
A dire peril facing any road convoy comes from Syrian-Iraqi highway robbers, especially in western and northern Iraq. In the first weeks after the main war battles were over, the robbers were usually Iraqi special forces troops stranded without food or money to feed their families. Since mid-June, Syrian-Iraqi gangs have organized, as in Afghanistan and other war-afflicted regions of the world, and prey regularly and systematically on the lucrative traffic on Iraqâs pitted and scarred highways. Israeli supply agents on the Jordan-Iraq frontier describe to DEBKAfile how the robbers operate: âThey hire Jordanian spotters for advance tips on the kinds of truck convoys heading into Iraq, their contents and the nature of security and protection they carry. If the tip is accurate and leads to a lucrative haul, the tipster receives a good fee in cash or in kind from the looted goods. If wrong, the tipster had better make himself scarce or his body may be found in a wadi near the border. He would not be the first.â Evolution at work
Jordanian security escorts for these convoys are extremely well paid for their high-risk assignments. This inflates the market price of commodities many times over, but is considered a worthwhile investment as only Jordanians can be trusted to bring them safely to their end users. Iraqi escort guards are as likely as not to collaborate with the robber gangs. Most are therefore paid only when the goods on order are handed over. Interesting about the Jordanian gunnies riding shotgun.
The gangsâ targeting is unpredictable. Sometimes a valuable convoy goes through untouched; others may be destroyed or selectively plundered by these desert predators. Israel agents consigning deliveries from the Jordanian border have learned to tag Israeli trucks onto convoys originating in Egypt or Jordan to avoid drawing attention. Yet, in at least one case, Israeli merchandise in a mixed convoy was singled out for destruction. "OK, repeat after me. I will not shoot up the truck with the cold beer."
Despite these difficulties, Israelâs unacknowledged âexportsâ to Iraq, which started out at $6 million in May spiraled sevenfold to $42 million in June â not counting the military items on special order from US armed forces.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2003 12:04:09 PM ||
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What's funny about all this is that alcohol has a dehydrating effect on the body, so slaking a thirst with beer isn't exactly a smart thing to do.
#3
I drank a lot of Maccabi when I was in Israel back in the 80's. I thought it was pretty damm good. Oh, and forget that Lonestar crap, give me a Shiner Bock any day.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2003 13:05 Comments ||
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#4
Israeli Beer: A real HE-BREW!
GROAN! Damn, Pota.. you should be writing for stand-up comics!
Ed Becerra
Posted by: Ed Becerra ||
08/05/2003 13:18 Comments ||
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Hot weather + cold beer = no Sharia
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
08/05/2003 14:30 Comments ||
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I an from Texas and I cant't stand Lone Star. I am a Shiner fan too.
Posted by: Bill ||
08/05/2003 16:43 Comments ||
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#8
pardon, not lonestar, i should have said gold star, the "other" israeli beer.
Can't really comment on the quality, last time i had maccabi was before i had any developed taste in beer. The israelis i knew all said it was inferior to european beers.
Edited for brevity.
The United States will pay Iraqi claims for damages that are caused by the negligent or wrongful acts of U.S. soldiers, coalition officials said in Baghdad Aug. 3. As of July 31, American officials have already adjudicated 1,496 claims and paid 1,168 in the amount of $262,945. Some 2,517 claims have been made against the United States. The claims are made under the Foreign Claims Act, which provides that the military may pay claims for the wrongful or negligent acts of its forces to inhabitants of foreign countries who file claims. Military commissions adjudicate these claims. In Iraq, there are 31 Foreign Claims Commissions. At brigade level, a military lawyer or judge can award damages up to $2,500. At division level, a lawyer or judge can award up to $15,000 in damages. At the Combined Joint Task Force 7 level, a three-person panel can award up to $50,000. Claims that exceed $50,000 are sent to U.S. Army Claims Service for adjudication, officials said. Of note, because I just got this email this morning from my friend whoâs in MP and Baghdad—think theyâll be paying a claim to the owner of the white car. (Frankâs on Ativan, which must be some good s--t, judging from his grammar and spelling--itâs normally much better!)
Interesting day yesterday. I end up in Motor vehicle accideent. While going through an intereseection I teaboned this meduims sized white car. I had a sore head Cerone in the turrent [had] a major bruised leg and Richey a stiff neck. Humvee is totaled. knocked out of allingment and transmision only opperates in sencond and reverse no drive although from an
outside look you could never tell. Shaving my head again. Right now Iâm on Ativan which makes me not give a damn and tired. Everone is okay more detail later Frank ;-)
S{Well I finally have time to write. My problem was time and since my accident where i totaled a hummvee. I gett the next two days to recover. They perscibed me ativan to calm me down. So I owe you two more letters actually busy but a lot to write about.
Gotta go
Cheers
Frank ;-)
PS> one of our patrols got his with grenade or an IED(improvised explosive divice theyâre okay except their eardrumas are blown out ant that will take time to heall
Posted by: Dar ||
08/05/2003 10:51:10 AM ||
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#1
Follow up later in the day--after some of the Ativan wore off:
Had a big fender bender yesterday,in wonderful
downtawn Baghdad. I'm okay
slight headache thanks to the helmet and
seatbelt. I T-boned a car that was doing 70 in
an intersection while i was doing 35. Totaled
the humvee but you can't really tell from the
outside. Everyone is safe. I'm on ativan for
the next 2 days to de-stress. So tommorrow, i'm
killing the laundry monster, writing letters,
cleaning my weapon and relaxing. Miss everyone
Oh-well time to go into la la land ativan hits me
hard.
Cheers
Frank ;-)
PS. Everyone that I e-mailed yesterday when I was
still shaken and on Ativan. sorry about the
e-mail message at the 3rd grade level, I guess i
was more messed up than i thought
Posted by: Dar ||
08/05/2003 18:44 Comments ||
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A British company that helped build Saddam Husseinâs colossal Victory Arch in Baghdad, which boasts a matched pair of crossed swords held by giant hands, could help identify the ousted Iraqi dictator if and when he is caught. The bronzed statue, often shown in photographs or video of the war with Iraq, was built to commemorate the end of the Iran-Iraq war. See it all the time on TV. Ugly thing
"It was an enormous contract to win and obviously at the time we were very happy," said Chris Boveroff, the production director for Morris Singer, a British fine arts foundry. "Itâs bloody embarassing now"
Saddam wanted the huge fists to bear his own thumbprints, so he sent a set of Plasticine impressions to the foundry. After they were used for the commission 17 years ago, they were placed in the company safe. Say it all together now: "WHAT A MORON!!!"
They were forgotten — until the war with Iraq and the hunt for Saddam.
Posted by: Patrick Phillips ||
08/05/2003 9:54:49 AM ||
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Won't take the CSI guys to figure this one out.
#2
Damn--CSI will have this one figured out before the first commercial break. They'll have to throw in a subplot of Saddam found with a dead transvestite hooker killed with an ice pick to make it more interesting, or viewers will switch over to "America's Funniest Videos".
Posted by: Dar ||
08/05/2003 10:34 Comments ||
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Swedish arms experts found signs of an Iraqi programme for manufacturing prohibited weapons during a secret visit in June, their supervisor said today. Military and government officials pooh-poohed played down the claims and criticised the visit, saying it was not authorised.
"We didn't authorize the visit, so they found nothing. Just throw it away."
Two chemical and biological weapons experts travelled to Iraq to help a television team evaluate information it had obtained about Saddam Husseinâs alleged weapons of mass destruction, said Aake Sellstroem, from the Swedish Defence Research Agency, who authorised the visit. The information indicated Iraq had a programme for making chemical and biological weapons as late as last year, but yielded no clues about whether any actual weapons were made, he said. âWhat this shows is that there was interest, organisation and activities involving weapons of mass destruction until 2002,â Sellstroem said. âBut I havenât seen any information about how many weapons there were.âSellstroem, who heads the agencyâs weapons of mass destruction research unit, said a TV crew from a Monaco-based production company, World Television Network, requested his help in evaluating information it had received from an unnamed Iraqi source.
If they got it that easily, there's more — and we're sitting on it.
He said he made the decision to authorise the visit in haste and regretted not informing his superiors or the government about it.
"Ummm... Sorry. You were in the shower..."
Swedish Defence Minister Leni Bjoerklund strongly criticised the researchers for embarking on such a sensitive mission without government approval.
"Tut tut."
Defence research agency spokesman Hans Rehnvall said the two weapons experts, who were not identified, failed to find a âsmoking gun.â
"Nope. Nope. Nuttin' there. Move along. Nothin' to see..."
âThey didnât regard the results as particularly surprising or dramatic. A piece of the puzzle among many others,â Rehnvall said.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/05/2003 00:30 ||
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Sneaky phucking Swedes! (Use your best Swedish Chef voice from Muppets for best effect...)
The American government has cast doubt on claims by Laos that a bomb blast at a bus station in the capital Vientiane which injured at least 10 people, was the result of a business dispute. The device was hidden in a garbage bin near the depot, and went off as dozens of passengers waited to board buses on Monday afternoon. Lao Deputy foreign ministry spokesman Sodom Petrasy insisted that the attack, in which four women and one child were among the injured was not politically motivated. The "alk runner" theory revisited.
But a report by the US embassy in Vientiane has cast doubt on that theory, pointing to a number of attacks in recent months.
In July, "pro-democracy" rebels claimed to have begun an uprising aimed at overthrowing the communist regime, but the government has repeatedly denied that any fighting is taking place in the country. Undeclared Conflict Rule Of Thumb: If a government denies there is fighting going on, itâs time to buy defense stocks.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2003 1:29:49 PM ||
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(blinks)
Sodom Pederasty? No shit?
(another look)
Oh...
Hot of the presses.
JAKARTA (Reuters) - A huge blast that tore through the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta on Tuesday killed five people and seriously wounded five, Indonesian police said. More to follow, Iâm sure.
Followup:
FoxNews says 10 people dead, over 100 wounded. Jemaah Islamiyah is suspected. More to come...
Posted by: Pete Stanley ||
08/05/2003 3:21:46 AM ||
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#1
Now six dead.
Posted by: Pete Stanley ||
08/05/2003 3:52 Comments ||
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#2
Death toll up to 11. Smells alot like the Bali bombing.
Posted by: Douglas De Bono ||
08/05/2003 8:16 Comments ||
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#3
Just shows to go ya that tourism in Indonesia is forever dead. Luckily, Bali is a safe destination...
#4
A bomb explosion has killed at least 13 people and injured many others at the luxury Marriott Hotel in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. The blast damaged five floors of the American-run hotel, shattering glass and damaging cars parked outside. Indonesian Defence Minister Matori Abdul Jalil said it was caused by a bomb and was "clearly an act of terrorism". The Indonesian police chief, General Dai Bachtiar, later confirmed that the blast was caused by a bomb believed to have been in a car parked outside the hotel. He declined to speculate whether the blast was due to a suicide bombing. "There were human body parts around the vehicle but it cannot be ascertained as to whether they belonged to a perpetrator or to victims," he told reporters.
Premature Dire Revenge(tm) for the upcoming Bali guilty verdict.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2003 8:52 Comments ||
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#5
Mebbe they'll get serious now? Abu Bombblast should be shot now. Trial's over
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/05/2003 8:58 Comments ||
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#6
I am sorry for all those who were murdered.
I would point out that this is a soft target, in a muslim country. And at that, they only killed 13 this time. AQ is either still holding on for something yet to come, or it is not what it was.
#7
They tried for another Bali. Marriot is right near the Western diplomat district so it's hit the ex-pat community hard psychologically. They've got one Aussie confirmed dead so far. Site looks devastated: it was a big bomb.
I take heart in one small sense: they'd be doing it IN Sydney, IN New York, IN London if they could. But they can't. So the next best thing is the Western enclave in a third world country.
It's still devastating but at least it means all those defensive measures are having some effect of keeping the vermin out of our own territory.
Also maybe now Jakarta will REALLY crack down and break up not just the JI rings but the Mullahs, too. Really hit the Islamonazi culture where it hurts: in the radical mosques. Solo should brace itself.
#10
Also maybe now Jakarta will REALLY crack down and break up not just the JI rings but the Mullahs, too. Really hit the Islamonazi culture where it hurts: in the radical mosques. Solo should brace itself.
Wasn't their prime minister's political party handing out copies of "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" a few months ago? If so, I don't think a real crack down is likely. More likely they'll round up a few low-level thugs, the disposible mule types they've got on trial for the Bali bombing, and call it a done deal.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/05/2003 10:28 Comments ||
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#11
The attack occurred in the most expensive part of Jakarta's central business district. This is near where many of Indonesia's governmental elites live. Where the Bali incident was treated as a distant event, this Jakarta attack may cause the resurrection of the Suharto-era death squads, where enemies of the regime simply disappeared, never to be found. This attack endangered the lives of the families of the security apparatus (i.e. the army, the police, etc.). We'll find out in the coming months whether their survival instincts are completely attenuated, which I seriously doubt. I suspect many high profile Islamists will disappear, supposedly into hiding, but probably into shallow graves.
On the attack itself, from what I gather, cars were not allowed to park in the lobby area - it was a drive-by suicide attack. From here on, it looks like a lot of high profile buildings in Jakarta are either going to be off-limits to vehicular traffic or every car entering sensitive areas is going to be searched for explosives. I don't envy the security men their jobs.
#12
The US said today Indonesian police had recovered the vehicle number of a van used in the deadly bombing of a luxury hotel in Jakarta, and were now looking for those behind the attack. At the same time, the US embassy in Jakarta urgently renewed calls for Americans in Indonesia to adopt tighter personal security measures in light of ongoing terrorist threats in the country. The embassy said local authorities were tracing the ownership of a vehicle that exploded in the driveway of the five-star JW Marriott hotel, killing at least 13 people, including the driver, and wounding more than 100. In a brief report sent to the State Department, the embassy said it had received reports that as many as 17 people had been killed and more than 137 wounded. It said two US citizens had been injured in the blast.
Most likely stolen van. If the terrorists have learned anything from the Bali and Kenyan bombings, it's don't use a van that can be traced back to you. Of course, some people never learn.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2003 13:39 Comments ||
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Hundreds of civilians began flooding across two battle-scarred bridges that divide the government-held city centre of Monrovia from the rebel-held port as the guns fell silent on Tuesday following the arrival of Nigerian peacekeeping troops. Tension relaxed after more than two weeks of heavy fighting between government and rebel forces for the control of the seaside city of more than one million people. Fighters loyal to President Charles Taylor tried at first to prevent the crowd of civilians from crossing the bridges that span the Mesurado River by firing into the air. But eventually, the crowd, chanting "We want peace! We want peace!" were let through to visit their abandoned homes and search for lost relatives. An IRIN correspondent who accompanied the human tide across the frontline saw bodies lying in the streets and dozens of abandoned bullet-ridden vehicles in streets carpeted with emptry cartridges on the rebel side of the city. "The bullet shells were so thick on the ground, it was like gravel," he said.
The number of rounds expended per casualty is probably incredible. Real soldiers don't fire from the hip, nor (usually) poke their gun barrels over the tops of walls and fire in the general direction of their opponents.
A plume of smoke rose from a residential area set alight by government artillery shells in fighting on Monday. People appeared well fed because the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Development (LURD) rebel movement had broken open warehouses in the port and had distributed food stocks held there to the local population. In contrast, food remained scarce in government-held areas of Monrovia, where the price of rice has soared five-fold in recent weeks and many people have not eaten a proper meal for days. A senior LURD commander appealed to the United Nations to send representatives into the rebel-held sector of the city to discuss the distribution of food stocks still remaining in the port warehouses and the use of the Freeport to bring in more relief supplies. Alhaji Sekou Fofana, LURD's deputy secretary general for civil affairs, told IRIN he only wanted to negotiate with the UN, because he did not fully trust some of the non-governmental relief agencies operating in areas of the city held by forces loyal to President Charles Taylor. He did not name them.
Doesn't want to restart the old Food for Nookie program, huh?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/05/2003 23:32 ||
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JPost - Reg Reqâd
Two IDF patrols were attacked with automatic weapons and explosives this evening in Tulkarm and Keedem, a military source told The Jerusalem Post.
"Paratroopers and border police were entering Tulkarm to arrest a senior member of the Islamic Jihad terror group. As our forces approached the house of the wanted man they were attacked with automatic weapons. The arrest was made and our troops arrived back to their base without injury," the source said.
The spokesperson said that a few hours earlier an explosive device was thrown at another IDF anti-terror patrol in Tulkarm. No injuries were reported.
The shootings come just hours before some 399 Palestinian prisoners are to be released by Israel on Wednesday. ...As a trust/confidence building measure....the U.S. State Dept acts like a battered wife to the Paleo Authority and Arafart himself
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/05/2003 7:56:05 PM ||
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Most terror attacks carried out since the cease-fire agreement between the Palestinian Authority and militant factions was signed in June were organized by Fatah members, who received orders and financing from Iran, security officials said Tuesday. According to security sources,the militant organizations are also trying to send representatives abroad through the Rafah crossing in the Gaza Strip, which borders the Israel-Egypt frontier. The armed militants who receive orders from Iran are members of local cells belonging to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, associated with PA Chairman Yasser Arafatâs Fatah party, but they do not necessarily adhere to orders from the partyâs political leadership, and are more dependent on money and orders coming from Iran and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah organization, which is based in Lebanon. Yasserâs checks been bouncing?
Since the hudna agreement was signed on June 29, the Israeli security establishment has uncovered several attempts to transfer information on weapons from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank. Hamas and Islamic Jihad are also expecting large-scale deliveries of weapons smuggled through tunnels across the border with Egypt, the sources said. Need to connect those tunnels to the sewer system, then flush.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2003 4:08:32 PM ||
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It looks like Iran is the next target on the WOT, or chess move if you like. If weapons are being smuggled into Gaza through Egypt, then Egypt has some 'splaining to do, too. For terrorist money, we have Iran and we have Saudi. Pakistan is getting some $$ from the US, but military aid, etc. is coming from the Saudi Bankroll. After the fall of Iraq, that source dried up. Saudi is on the defensive, but Iran is feeling frisky, especially with construction of Nukes well under way, with both options: U235 and Pu239 options.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/05/2003 16:36 Comments ||
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#2
Hamas and Islamic Jihad are also expecting large-scale deliveries of weapons smuggled through tunnels across the border with Egypt, the sources said.
Didn't our girl, Saint Flatbabe, die to protect some of these tunnels?
Bitch looks stupider every day.
#3
Yeah, isn't it sweet? Now we're down to 2 Rich Uncles left in Arabia. And the Black Hats certainly lack the Saudis' understanding of America and are, consequently, fucking up big-time. And soon there will be only one...
Where the Saudis have been playing us like a violin for 50+ years, the Iranian Mullahs have been ham-handed and dumb as bricks. Hard to imagine that they could be less adroit than demonstrated thus far. They really do need to invest in some Madison Ave assistance. Phools.
So I guess, with the El Lay Times spilling the beans publicly about the advanced state of Iran's Nuke Pgm, the Shihab-3 (?) missile that can reach Israel being distributed to "front-line" units, funding the shitheads this openly, and their general ranting and raving, they have managed to make themselves the most obvious next step. I had thought, prior to the nuke revelations, that SyrLeb would be the obvious next step. But following & stopping the money that runs it will be more effective, anyway.
I guess being the squeakiest wheel, discounting the ravings of the NorKs, is just too attractive to the terminally stupid. Okay, we see you. You've managed to put yourself at the top of the list. Congrats. Condolences to Little Mo's "bloodline."
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas Tuesday pulled out of talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon because of a dispute over a prisoner release, dealing a new blow to a U.S.-backed peace "road map." As noted frequently, this "Furor" is a feint to divert attention from the fact the lying Paleos havenât lived up to ONE of the actual roadmap steps. The prisoner release is a goodie, not part of the roadmap
Wednesdayâs meeting would have provided a chance to ease rising tension over disagreements that are frustrating efforts to build trust and fueling doubts that a shaky three-month truce announced by militants a month ago will hold. build trust? Bwahahaha
The meeting had been due to coincide with Israelâs planned release of Palestinian prisoners Wednesday, a gesture which is intended to boost confidence but has dented it because the Palestinians say not enough inmates are slated for freedom. and they have done what? exactly? to boost trust and confidence? Nada!
The army said 339 prisoners would be freed at four West Bank checkpoints and at the Erez border crossing in the Gaza Strip, revising a figure of 342 on a release roster published on Tuesday by the Israel Prisons Authority.
Another 99 prisoners will be released in the near future, the army said.
The Palestinians want an amnesty for all 6,000 of their jailed compatriots, saying this would show Israel is committed to the road map leading to creation of a Palestinian state by 2005 in territories occupied by Israel since 1967.
"Abu Mazen canceled the meeting because it will only be ceremonial on the day prisoners are released, and he believes the Israelis are not doing enough to promote the road map," a senior Palestinian official said, using Abbasâs nom de guerre.
A source in Sharonâs office confirmed the meeting had been canceled because of Palestinian "displeasure" at Israelâs intentions on the release of prisoners.
Israel, for its part, accuses Abbas of holding up the peace plan by not cracking down on militants. It has ruled out any further troop withdrawals from West Bank cities after an ambush Sunday that wounded a Jewish settler and her three children.
The Palestinian leadership say a crackdown on militant groups would spark a civil war.
Abbas and Sharon have met several times in recent weeks in talks that have helped build confidence and promote the road map, but deep mistrust remains between the two sides.
PROTESTERS DETAINED
The road map does not specifically mention a prisoner release but requires implementation of a previous plan which called for release of "all Palestinians arrested in security sweeps who have no association with terrorist activities."
Sharon says he favors a limited release to boost Abbas, who faces internal opposition to peacemaking.
Militants say Israelâs failure to release more prisoners, and continued raids and killings in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, threaten the truce they declared on June 29.
The prisoner issue is one of several blocking progress. Like continued Paleo attacks (how do you define a cease-fire Rooters?)
Another is a row over construction of what Israel calls a security fence in the West Bank to keep out attackers and what Palestinians call a "Berlin Wall" that grabs territory they want for an independent state.
Israeli troops detained 47 foreign (read ISM) and Israeli activists who tried to block construction of the barrier near the West Bank city of Qalqilya Tuesday. A military spokesman said they had ignored the armyâs orders to leave the area. Volunteers for the St. Pancake Brigade?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/05/2003 12:24:53 PM ||
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The Palestinian leadership say a crackdown on militant groups would spark a civil war.
If that's what it takes, then the sooner the better. At the very least, a civil war would demonstrate that there are some who aren't willing to place their faith in more acts of terrorism against Israelis as a way to get the Palestinian state they seek.
The prisoner issue is one of several blocking progress.
Strange, but I don't recall this prisoner "issue" being addressed in GWB's little roadmap, and it's pretty obvious at this point that Mazen isn't the answer.
#2
Enough already. Let's voiciferously side with Israel, state emphatically that we will NOT negotiate with ANY nation-state (or wanna-be nation-state) that uses terrorism as a means of achieving its end, and let the chips fall where they may.
Two Chinese students studying in the United States supplied Chinaâs military with American defense technology that allowed Beijing to produce a special metal used in sensors and weapons, according to a Pentagon report. "This is a classic example of how the Chinese collect dual-use military technology," an FBI official said. "Students come here; they get jobs; they form companies."
The espionage, subject of an ongoing investigation, allowed Chinaâs military to develop a version of the substance known as Terfenol-D, which cost the Navy millions of dollars in research to create. One of the Chinese students attended Iowa State University, where he worked closely with the Department of Energyâs Ames Laboratory on the schoolâs campus. The lab developed the material invented by the Navy in the 1970s. The other student attended Pennsylvania State University. The Terfenol-D data were stolen within the past three years in a computer hacking incident, the FBI official said. Racial Profiling! Wen Ho Lee!
In its annual report on Chinese military power made public last week, the Pentagon stated that "one of the Chinese students admitted sending this information [on Terfenol-D] to the [PeopleÂŽs Liberation Army]." Ohhhh. Nevermind
The Pentagon noted that "usually the connections between [Chinese] academic, commercial, and military organizations are not so clear cut." The FBI official said a Chinese company linked to the theft of the Terfenol-D data, Gansu Tianxing Rare Earth Functional Materials Co. Ltd., known as TXRE, is directly connected to the Chinese military. TXRE was set up by a Chinese official who studied with one of the two Chinese students. TXREâs promotional literature states that it has developed a substance that U.S. officials say is Terfenol-D. Terfenol-D is a high-tech material that changes shape in response to magnetic energy, and can be used in both sensors and mechanical devices. Because it has both commercial and military applications, any sale of the technology is strictly controlled and requires an export license. The Navy uses Terfenol-D in an advanced sonar system designed to track enemy submarines. The material also has applications for advanced aircraft and spacecraft. U.S. officials said it could be used by the Chinese in a multiple warhead missile stage and in "smart" aircraft wings. Just great
The sole U.S. manufacturer of Terfenol-D is Etrema Products Inc., a private company in Ames licensed to produce it. A company spokeswoman declined to comment on the Chinese acquisition of Terfenol-D. Last weekâs report was the U.S. governmentâs first public admission that the Chinese military had obtained the defense technology. Details of the Chinese acquisition of Terfenol-D were reported by Insight magazine in October. "The close relationships between the personnel and organizations involved often makes it difficult to separate the research, funding and cooperation triangle among Chinese universities, government institutes and businesses," the report said.
The Pentagon report stated that China is using students and scientists to develop its military technologies. "Husband-wife teams" also are employed, the FBI official said. According to the report, Beijingâs China Defense Science and Technology Information Center is the key collector of foreign technology and is part of the militaryâs General Equipment Department (GED). The GED "oversees a complex web of factories, institutes and academies that are subordinate to Chinaâs nuclear, aeronautics, electronics, ordnance, shipbuilding and astronautics industries," the report said. "Each of these institutions has an import/export corporation to facilitate the import of technology and knowledge." The FBI official said Chinaâs government uses people who study advanced technology in the United States to infiltrate U.S. companies to gain access to sensitive information. The collectors then return to China and set up their own companies or provide the information to the military, the official said.
In another case, two Chinese students in the United States were caught sending submarine-related technology to China to a relative working for the Chinese military. About 50,000 Chinese students currently study in the United States. U.S. officials said a small percentage are involved in intelligence and technology-gathering work for the Chinese government. "Our position is that the intelligence threat is asymmetrical, and it is all over the United States â in Iowa, Mississippi, Maine or Alabama," the official said. The FBI responded to the foreign threat by putting counterintelligence squads in all FBI field divisions
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/05/2003 11:41:50 AM ||
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#1
The FBI responded to the foreign threat by putting counterintelligence squads in all FBI field divisions
Yeah, that's reassuring. Why don't these pointy-headed government types create and implement procedures to weed out security risks? Having foreign nationals working with sensitive information and technology is an invitation for trouble, especially when they are from China, the main military adversary of the U.S. If access to this type of work has to be restricted to citizens to improve security then this needs to be done without delay. Who knows what other spies are lurking in other venues where similar research is being performed?
#2
Having foreign nationals working with sensitive information and technology is an invitation for trouble, especially when they are from China, the main military adversary of the U.S.
The problem, as usual, is from professors who won't cooperate. They don't care about national security - all they worry about is writing that next research paper and getting tenure.
At the same time, I wouldn't exaggerate the scale of the threat from Chinese espionage. During the late 40's and early 50's, the Soviets had many highly-placed spies in the State Department and in the defense research establishment - all of far higher caliber than the crop of Chinese spies who have been unearthed to date. Guess who won the Cold War? The good thing about doing counter-espionage on Chinese spies is that they're readily identifiable in a way that Soviet spies were not, meaning we'll have an easier time tracking them and their contacts.
#3
Goodness, spread some disinformation around. Let the Chinese have a few incidents due to faulty design, and they'll learn to do their own damned R&D.
Posted by: Ray ||
08/05/2003 17:43 Comments ||
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#4
The good thing about doing counter-espionage on Chinese spies is that they're readily identifiable in a way that Soviet spies were not, meaning we'll have an easier time tracking them and their contacts.
Not all Chinese collaborators are foreign nationals.
The traitor scum at Lockheed and Boeing, protected by a phony National Security policy mandating a 'dual contractor system for Pentagon aquisitions, play all sides when it comes to weapons and technology sales.
Russia is continually rewarded with new arms contracts with American companies (Boeing, Lockheed), direct aid, technology exchanges (International Space Station), and continued access to weapons labs, NATO functions, and high level G-8 meetings.
Why do we tolerate this?
Russia continues to manufacture large quantities of its second-best weapons systems for export to China, Iran, India, Syria, Egypt, Cuba, North Korea, and various smaller allies in Africa and Latin America. These weapons include millions of small arms, tanks, and artillery, as well as submarines, destroyers, fighters, ballistic missiles, and anti-aircraft/missile defense systems for the wealthier nations. Russia exports nuclear, biological and chemical weapons technology to a few select allies as well. It is the secret supplier of choice to all major terrorist groups in the world, though often Middle Eastern middlemen handle the actual transactions. Yet, the US continues to claim that Russia is an ally in the âwar against terror.â
The second largest proliferator of missile and weapons technology to enemies of the West is China, often working as a surrogate for Russia.
Russia and China play "competing adversaries" in order to effectively deal with nations who may have some antipathy for either Russia or China.
Those nations that dislike Russia (like Pakistan) deal with China, and those that dislike China (India) deal with Russia. Often China takes charge of the proliferation when Russia wants to appear as if it is "in compliance" with various treaties or wishes to cozy up to the US.
That is why currently China is taking Russiaâs traditional place as weapons and technology supplier in North Korea, Cuba, Panama and Venezuela. Both Russia and China are supplying Iran.
Edited for brevity.
Kim Jong Il, leader of the Democratic Peopleâs Republic of Korea (DPRK) has been elected deputy to the 11th Supreme Peopleâs Assembly, the top legislative body in the country, the DPRK Central Election Committee said Monday. Kim Jong Il, leader of the Democratic Peopleâs Republic of Korea (DPRK) has been elected deputy to the 11th Supreme Peopleâs Assembly, the top legislative body in the country, the DPRK Central Election Committee said Monday. Registered voters at Constituency 649 all went to the polls on Sunday and 100 percent of them voted for Kim, said the committee. Tap--tap--tap... Nothing... Go figure.
Posted by: Dar ||
08/05/2003 11:08:07 AM ||
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The last guy who got 100% is now without sons and fixed residence...
#4
and now, Kim Jong Il (and even Saddam Hussein) has a better claim to being elected than the "elected" Prime Minister of the PA, Mr. Abbas. Sort of puts it all in perspective.
#5
At least in places like Cuba, Syria, and Libya they don't even pretend to be a Democracy. This crap is just to show the people that 'We' still rule you. I heard Carter and Clinton are going to attend the swearing in.
Dozens of investigators on Monday were probing a $20 million arson that appears to be the work of the Earth Liberation Front. If front activists are responsible, it would be the costliest attack ever by environmental extremists. The fire early Friday leveled a 200-unit condominium complex that was under construction in what had been a scenic canyon with nearby wetlands. A 12-foot hand-painted banner found on the scene read: âIf you build it â we will burn it â the ELFâs are mad.â
The San Diego Union-Tribune newspaper reported it had received an e-mail from the ELF claiming responsibility. âIt does look as we progress on that the ELF has taken responsibility,â said FBI special agent Jan Caldwell. âThat does put it in the arena of domestic terrorism.â Yup.
San Diegoâs Joint Terrorism Task Force, an interagency operation of federal and local authorities, was being briefed, Caldwell said. About 100 investigators, including an FBI Evidence Response Team, have been put on the case, she said, and that number could grow. Now that the FBI is on the case I feel much better. I mean, they solved that anthrax case, right? Hello?
Stop Eco-Violence, a group that tracks eco-terrorism, said that if ELF activists are behind the arson âthe attack would register as the largest eco-terror crime to date. The 1998 ELF-claimed firebombing of the Vail, Colo., ski resort comes in at a distant second with an estimated $12 million in lossesâ. ELF activists have claimed responsibility for dozens of fires and other acts in recent years, causing $50 million in damages to the Vail resort, luxury homes, sport utility vehicles and biotech companies testing genetically modified crops.
Capt. Jeff Carle of the San Diego Fire Department said three construction workers who were sleeping on the site managed to escape unharmed. Itâs only a matter of time before someone dies.
Several hundred residents of a building next to the construction site were evacuated as heat from the blaze broke windows and melted plastic blinds in their homes. Carle said if environmentalists were behind the fire, he didnât understand their motivation: More trees would be cut down to rebuild the structure. Itâs the symbolisum they are after.
ELF, like its counterpart, the Animal Liberation Front, appears to be a loosely knit group with no central leadership. Instead statements encourage people to strike out on their own, claiming ELF responsibility. Or it could be a half dozen people pretending to be a large movement. Theyâve got better internal security than the KGB. One of these days, some construction site security guard is going to catch them in the act, then investigators will have some place to start. After they ID the body.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2003 10:42:28 AM ||
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For the FBI, this is the kind of crime they can wrap their beaucratic little minds around and drop the full weight of their labs and gizmoes on. I am optimistic they will do the job with this. When it comes to being proactive on the prevention or unconventional weapons side, their thinking is too DEDUCTIVE to work well. The culture of the FBI is not an INDUCTIVE one.
As for these bambi and thumper types, they have done more damage to the environment with this fire than a week's rush hour traffic in San Diego. Cars don't emit arsenic, chromium, nitrates, sulfides and soot like a fire does.
I think that you would find an underground network in every university with an environmental sciences department and/or a chapter of PETA, supporting these clowns.
The Earth Liberation Front is a bunch of anarchists. They have really no interest in protecting the environment. They are ultimately and foremost interested in the destruction of the US economy and the installation of an ultra communal agrarian state similar to the summer camps that Pol Pot put into place in Cambodia. The fact that environmental activist groups are not interested in solutions or understanding economic limitations and refuse to negotiate on compromises that will be mutually beneficial is the real veil lifting.
We need to consider that these kinds of groups, the eco-terrorists, are far more dangerous and far more virulent than we have given them credit. I am profoundly worried about what these groups are capable of.
At an Earth First Rally several years ago, the keynote speaker, who said the solution to the environmental damage that man was doing to earth was population control, was asked "What is the ideal human population of Earth?"
His response was "Zero" and the audience stood up and CHEERED.......
And that is why the same people that are pro-environment are are pro abortion, they really don't want any people on this planet. And the real extremists could be considered willing to die for this, given their regard of humans as a cancer and a virus on the planet.
#2
Interestingly enough, a Rodney Coronado, spokesman for Animal Liberation Front, and frequent apologist for ELF, was in San Diego hours before the fire started, giving a talk in Hillcrest to other small-minded haters of humans. Coincidence? Perhaps they can pull some FBI in - at least of better competence than the Jewell and Hatfill probes - and take a long look at Mr. Coronado and his compatriots? This isn't news here - it's been on local talk radio, but they're sifting thru the ashes for evidence.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/05/2003 12:18 Comments ||
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Even more interesting: Rod Coronado is a convicted arsonist.
Posted by: David Hines ||
08/05/2003 12:38 Comments ||
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"Rod Coronado is a convicted arsonist."
There you go profiling again, David.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2003 13:48 Comments ||
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Rodney Adam Coronado is a long-time ringleader of the Animal Liberation Front, a criminal enterprise that the FBI classifies as Americaâs most dangerous domestic terrorism threat. He was sentenced in 1995 to 57 months in federal prison, for the 1992 arson of a Michigan State University research laboratory. In a November 30, 2002 speech, Coronado openly confessed to at least six other arsons, all of them part of a crime spree known as âOperation Bite Back.â While the FBI was most intensely investigating Coronado, PETA gave him over $70,000 in âgrantsâ from its tax-exempt coffers
sometimes a profile fits ;-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/05/2003 14:34 Comments ||
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No doubt the FBI will be all over him. Maybe they'll even run over his foot.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/05/2003 15:03 Comments ||
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Like if the CIA can't put an operative in AQ [though Gentleman Johhny could make it], does it surprise anyone that the FBI has zero chance of getting anyone in ELF? Unfortunately, they're going to have to fry a good number of innocents first before the government will make an effort to get these anarchists. Then of course we'll hear the chorus of 'Oh, but everyones civil liberties are in jeopardy.' Our best bet is the stups fire something which sets someone on a vigilante path. Sorry, that resort site was funded by the Mob(tm).
Posted by: Don ||
08/05/2003 16:28 Comments ||
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Be a shame if Rod Coronado's house burns down while he's on his nationwide gospel tour.
A damn shame.
A grandson of Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who is currently in Iraq has denounced the religious "dictatorship" ruling Iran, an Arabic newspaper reported Monday. Iran "needs a democratic regime which does not use religion as a means to oppress people and stifle society", Asharq Al-Awsat daily quoted Hussein Khomeini, 46, as saying. The grandson of called for "separating religion from the state and ending the despotic religious regime reminiscent of the rule of the Church during the Dark Ages in Europe", the newspaper reported. "All those who came to power after (the 1989 death of) my grandfather exploited his name and that of Islam to continue their unfair rule," the younger Khomeini said, describing the Islamic republicâs theocracy as "the worst dictatorship in the world." At least in the top ten, you canât be number one without cannibalism.
Khomeini junior hailed the student-led protest movement in his country, predicting it would snowball into a "popular revolution" in the not too distant future and lead to "the momentous event" — the overthrow of the regime. The latest protests seem to have fizzled out.
He also appeared not to rule out US assistance in toppling the regime, although he said the Iranians were capable of effecting change themselves. "Freedom comes before bread, and if the Americans will bring it, let them come. Having said that, the Iranian people are capable of determining the fate of the ruling regime. What we need is the worldâs sympathy and understanding of our legitimate demands," Hussein Khomeini was quoted as saying. Youâve got it here.
But Europe will continue on-the-other-handing. They prefer their status to be quo...
The Tehran office of the late Ayatollah Khomeini Monday strongly denied the press reports, saying that Hussein Khomeini must have been drunk misquoted. "Nobody from his family bloodline could possibly disagree with us. Itâs unislamic, or something."
Meanwhile, the newspaper said a special unit from Iranâs elite Revolutionary Guard, or Pasdaran, entered last week the Iraqi territory in search of Hussein Khomeini. The Revolutionary Guardâs deputy commander, Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, was quoted as saying that Hussein Khomeini should be eliminated. Better get yourself some bodyguards, Iâd recommend the 4th ID.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2003 10:18:38 AM ||
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"All those who came to power after (the 1989 death of) my grandfather exploited his name and that of Islam to continue their unfair rule," the younger Khomeini said, describing the Islamic republicâs theocracy as "the worst dictatorship in the world."
This would seem to me to be tacit admission that Ayatollah Khomeini himself was a tyrant.
EFL
Kenyan police have identified the man who they say blew himself up in a police van, killing one officer and injuring another in the coastal town of Mombasa last Friday. The suspected suicide bomber is Faisal, a 20-year-old Kenyan Muslim from the Mombasa suburb of Kaloleni and son of Ali Deri, police say. A member of the religion of peace blew up himself and others, what a non-suprise.
A second suspected member of the al-Qaeda network arrested after the blast and who is said to be a close associate of Faisal, is still being interrogated by Kenyan police in the capital, Nairobi. The BBCâs Noel Mwakugu says Mombasa remains tense with residents fearful that the police will launch a major crackdown on suspected terrorists. If you are not a Friend Of Terrorists (FOT), why should you be fearful?
The police expressed optimism that the arrest and subsequent interrogation of the suspect had yielded useful clues which will boost the war against terror in the country. Kenyan truncheons at work.
The East African Standard newspaper quotes senior police sources saying that Faisal wanted to blow up the police station to eliminate an accomplice suspected to have been detained there before vital information could be extracted from him. Or he wanted to blow up the guy who ratted him out.
The suspect managed to detonate the hand grenade whilst he was seated in the back of a police vehicle, being guarded by two police officers, outside the police station. Memo to Kenyan police, next time search your suspects before putting them in the car.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2003 9:01:31 AM ||
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"Is that a grenade in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?"
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/05/2003 10:21 Comments ||
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Faisal had a last name, but it was blown to bits...
#4
Kenyan Security Minister Chris Murungaru said on Tuesday that the two men were Kenyan nationals of Yemeni origin, according to Reuters news agency.
A Islamic suicide boomer from Yemen, they hit the trifecta.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2003 14:49 Comments ||
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The Security Council voted unanimously Monday to extend the authorization for more than 5,000 French and West African peacekeepers maintaining a fragile cease-fire in the Ivory Coast. The resolution reaffirmed the councilâs commitment to the West African nationâs "independence, territorial integrity and unity." About 4,000 French troops are working with more than 1,200 West African peacekeepers to monitor a cease-fire between rebels, who occupy the northern half of the country, and loyalists of Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo, who hold the south. The resolution extends U.N. authorization to France and countries from the Economic Community of West African States participating in the force until Feb. 4, 2004. I thought the Phrench were pulling out soon?
The conflict erupted in September with a failed attempt to oust Gbagbo. The country, though still divided, is hopeful that peace will hold. A power-sharing government — including members of Gbagboâs party, opposition parties, and rebel groups — has met several times, and has moved recently to re-establish government services to the north. Ivory Coast, the worldâs top cocoa producer, was for decades West Africaâs bastion of stability and peace. A 1999 coup shattered that reputation, and the country has been volatile ever since. The government estimates that more than 3,000 people have been killed in fighting since September. About 1 million have been driven from their homes.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/05/2003 2:18:50 AM ||
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Hey, the Phrench always pull out - yet another reason why they're losing the population numbers game vs their Muslim immigrants...
A tribunal has convicted 100 people of rape, torture, murder and crimes against humanity in the largest trial so far seeking justice for Rwandaâs genocide. The three-judge panel sentenced 11 people to death and 71 to life imprisonment, J.M. Ntete, prosecutor for Butare province, said Monday. The response from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch over the death sentences should be deafening.
The crimes were committed during the 100-day slaughter in mid-1994 in which at least a half-million people were killed, most of them members of Rwandaâs Tutsi minority. Political moderates from the Hutu majority were also victims. Those who received the death penalty — including a deputy mayor — were convicted of being planners and masterminds of the slaughter. The mass trial, which ended Aug. 1, involved 139 defendants. It was held in a temporary courtroom in Mugusa, one of the thousands of settlements that dot Rwandaâs rolling green hills — and the site of the crimes. "It was rare that just one person in a settlement or neighborhood took part in the killings, so we are grouping all the defendants from a certain place so they can be tried together," Justice Minister Jean de Dieu Mucyo said. The tribunal also sentenced 18 people to prison terms ranging from one year to 25 years, and acquitted 39 people.
The trial was one of many taking place throughout this tiny central African nation of 8 million people. On average, between 30 and 40 defendants appear before each tribunal, the justice minister said. Whenever possible, the trials are held where the crimes took place. Rwandaâs genocide was orchestrated by a government of extremist Hutus who passed orders and distributed hundreds of thousands of machetes to killing gangs throughout the country known as Interahamwe, or "those who hang pull together." In neighboring Tanzania, a U.N. tribunal also is trying people indicted on major genocide charges in Rwandaâs war. The maximum sentence that tribunal can hand down is life in prison. Since Rwanda began trying those accused in the genocide, more than 400 people have received the death sentence but only 26 have been executed. Almost as many as Texas. Nope, no response from HRW yet.
Some 120,000 prisoners in Rwanda are awaiting trial on genocide charges in overcrowded jails. Trying to clear the backlog, authorities released some prisoners facing lesser charges to their home areas, where they face trial in local courts.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/05/2003 2:14:23 AM ||
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Exactly 100 people? Exactly 100 days? Whoa. The numerologists will see wheels within wheels here...
Citing a threat by North Korea, a government report Tuesday urged improving the countryâs missile systems and bolstering ties with the U.S. military. The study also suggested beefed up participation in U.N. peacekeeping missions, counter terrorism activities and the curbing of weapons of mass destruction. Terrorism dominated the Defense Agencyâs annual report, which also urged the military to raise its international profile. The report also mumbled something about a "Co-Prosperity Sphere", whatever the heck that is.
It cited North Koreaâs nuclear and missile programs as one of Japanâs biggest security concerns, and recommended speeding up research on missile defense. Japan currently has 27 Patriot anti-missile batteries. But they can only down missiles with a shorter range and slower speed than the ballistic missiles North Korea is believed to be developing — including the Taepodong missile test-launched over Japanâs main island in 1998. Tokyo should continue relying on the 50,000 U.S. troops stationed here under a half-century-old bilateral security pact, Tuesdayâs report said. Japanâs Defense Agency also raised concerns about Chinaâs sharply expanding military budget. Japanâs overall defense budget remains among the worldâs largest. In 2003, Japan expects to spend $41 billion on defense, down 0.1 percent from 2002 and less than 1 percent of its gross domestic product. "Letâs see, hummmm, Chinese budget bigger, Chinese acquiring more Russian weapons, North Koreans getting even goofier with bigger missiles — say, why donât we cut our defense spending some more?"
Critics say the governmentâs backing of a more active Japanese military signals a shift toward remilitarization and violates the countryâs post-World War II pacifist constitution. Not for us to tell them, but the Japanese might want to consider an amendment to that constitution, just to see how quickly the Chinese would step on lilâ Kim.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/05/2003 2:00:52 AM ||
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Regards your closer, there are bound to be some good song lyrics about "memories" apropos here...
50,000 US troops. Sigh. This a prime example (recall Iceland, as a small example) of why the global rethink & redeployment of resources by Rummy & the Boyz makes irrefutable good sense - and is an example of intelligent resource management (when the political absurdities don't prevent it) - finally - "The Wall" fell a long long time ago. I'd like to locate a comprehensive list of the headcounts and locations of US troops, world-wide. I'm sure it's no wonder our all-volunteer forces are currently stretched.
The Japanese are not poor and certainly as good as anyone and can handle the threats they perceive themselves. In fact, the NorKs and Chinese may "rue the day" they awoke the Japanese...
#3
I'd be happy to keep some assets in Japan, particularly naval and air assets. The Japanese generally have been cooperative since WWII and have been especially helpful lately. All things considered, they're friends and likely to stay that way.
The SKors, on the other hand, can learn to defend themselves. We can keep some air assets there to help out, but the 2ID should come home.
Ditto in Europe. Keep air and naval assets where they are useful to us and our better friends, but put army/marine units only where they are really necessary (directly or as the most logical place to base them for other arenas). Getting more army units back to the US would make future deployments easier to handle--it would spread the load and the troops would know that when they're done, they're coming home.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/05/2003 15:12 Comments ||
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Hoisting a Nigerian army officer on their shoulders, Liberians cheered Mondayâs arrival of the first soldiers in an international rescue mission that will try to end 14 years of carnage and see warlord-turned-president Charles Taylor into a timely grave exile.
Hope they brought pry bars with them...
By late in the day, 198 Nigerian soldiers armed with machine guns and assault rifles had been ferried by U.N. helicopters to the airport 30 miles outside Beirut Monrovia as the vanguard of a 3,250-man intervention force promised by West African nations. Overjoyed civilians poured onto the rain-slickened tarmac by the hundreds, waving white handkerchiefs and chanting: ``No more war! We want peace!ââ
You won't get it while Chuck's still there...
``I think the war is over,ââ said Fayiah Morris, who was in the throng swarming around Nigerian soldiers in camouflage and flak vests as whirring helicopters touched down, unloading troops and 16 tons of equipment, including one technical armored vehicle carrying a machine gun. Toyota LandCruiser with a minigun?
The sound of gunfire and black smoke rising from Liberiaâs ruined capital made clear the war was far from over. For much of the day, Liberian rebels and Taylorâs troops fired automatic weapons and rocket-launchers across the Old Bridge, separating the capitalâs rebel-held island port and the governmentâs downtown stronghold. At one point, rebels taunted their foes, dancing with brooms, opening their blouses doing back flips and waving their wigs at Taylorâs men. The government troops fired a .50-caliber machine gun mounted on a pickup truck in reply. "You bastards! You ruined my best set of falsies!"
Smoky plumes rose from the rebel-held side of the bridge. Residents said warehouses were smoldering from fires started by mortar shells Saturday. Taylorâs troops accused rebels of looting before peacekeeping forces move in, but arguments over goods among Taylorâs AK-47-armed fighters suggested they were doing the same. "This is our concession! Go loot somewheres else!"
Watching the clashes, a 16-year-old government militiaman named Victor was among those pinning his hopes on the peace force. ``Help us stop the killing. Iâm very tired,ââ he said, standing with automatic rifle in hand.
Try sucking that barrel while you pull the trigger, Vic...
At the airport, excited crowds waited at the edges of the airstrip clutching hand-lettered signs proclaiming ``Peace at last.ââ When the Nigerians arrived, about 300 people evaded security and ran onto the tarmac, lifting a smiling Nigerian Col. Onwuama Egbu Emeka to their shoulders and carrying him to a barbecue pit around.
I give it two weeks, outside, before the first peacekeeper's potted...
Civilians in Monrovia milled about on the road to the airport during lulls in the fighting, watching for the peacekeepers. ``I want to see them with my own eyes,ââ said Bangalu Wonwondor, a former farmer who has been a refugee since 1999. ``And when I do, even though I have no food, my belly will be big from protein starvation, and I will be happy.ââ That is likely to take a while. Outstanding command of the obvious.
The first peacekeepers concentrated on setting up defenses at the airport. And troops wonât move into Monrovia until sufficient numbers arrive, the forceâs Nigerian commander, Brig. Gen. Festus Okonkwo, told reporters. In New York, a U.N. peacekeeping official, Hedi Annabi, said just deploying the first 850-soldier Nigerian battalion and its equipment would take until Aug. 17. The United States is to begin flying in the second Nigerian battalion around Aug. 15, Annabi said. Oh come on! Even with helicopters it canât take that long. What are they using, Channel 5âs traffic chopper?
Later, Annabi said the United Nations plans to send ``a fairly sizable forceââ to Liberia, ideally starting on Oct. 1, to replace the Nigerian-led multinational force that began arriving in the war-battered west African nation on Monday. The mission will likely be modeled on the U.N. peacekeeping mission in neighboring Sierra Leone, which had 17,500 troops at its height. West African peacekeeping troops deployed repeatedly in Liberia in the 1990s, at times coming under attack from forces led by Taylor, then as always a rebel leader. Nigerian officers at the airport said they will operate under rules of engagement authorizing them to shoot to protect civilians or themselves. ``If we want to keep peace and we cannot keep peace, it will amount to enforcing peace,ââ Okonkwo said. ``Then weâll get back to the people that sent us. They will give us the mandate.ââ
The more Bad Guys you shoot, the fewer Bad Guys there are to shoot at you...
Speaking in Abuja, Nigeriaâs capital, a spokesman for the Nigerian Defense Ministry, Col. Ganiyu Adewale, said his countryâs troops will stay in Liberia until peace is restored, elections are held and a new government inaugurated. Or until Oct. 1st, whichever comes first.
However, he said Nigeria needs far more international backing for the mission, expected to eventually cost at least $2 million daily. As Fred noted yesterday, how is it that an oil-rich country canât afford this? Two battalions, about 1700 men, thatâs $1,100 per man per day for pay, logistics, everything. Somebodyâs padding the check.
Nigerian Foreign Minister Oluyemi Adeniji flew to Liberia on Monday carrying what aides said was a message for Taylor. Adeniji left without disclosing the message, but Nigerian officials said Taylor assured them he would start preparing to leave Liberia as soon as he cedes power. ``He even said the place would no longer be safe for him them,ââ Nigerian diplomat Folu Ogunbanwo, who was at the meeting, told The Associated Press. Gitmo would be safe.
Forest Lawn would be even safer...
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/05/2003 1:51:13 AM ||
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Nigeria oil rich?
Big population - oil revenues per capita arent that big.
Oil industry not terribly efficient, economy has too many subsidies and price controls, etc.
#2
Maybe they could pay for it with proceeds from the e-mail industry?
Posted by: Fred ||
08/05/2003 15:18 Comments ||
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Liberian rebels will fight on "till the last man drops" if President Charles Taylor fails to leave the country next week as promised, a rebel leader said on Tuesday. "Even if Taylor resigns but does not leave, we will not disarm. After Monday if he refuses to go we will fight him till the last man drops," said Sekou Fofana of the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (Lurd). A spokesperson for Taylor indicated on Tuesday that the president may not leave immediately after stepping down as promised next Monday, saying he could not give a precise date for security reasons. Taylor told South African President Thabo Mbeki by telephone on Monday that he would hand over power to his vice-president, Moses Blah, and leave the same day or Tuesday.
Or the next week. Come on Chuck, stay. You know you want to, be a man.
Posted by: Steve ||
08/05/2003 15:28 Comments ||
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The FBI has arrested a Pakistani man with alleged ties to al-Qaida in New York City, NBC News has learned. The man is alleged to have close ties to the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. What most worries senior law enforcement officials is that the man is involved with the shipping industry.
About four months ago, in the heart of New Yorkâs garment district, agents from the FBIâs Joint Terrorism Task Force arrested a young Pakistani man as he sat at his desk in the office of an import company. The case is sealed. But senior U.S. law enforcement officials tell NBC News they believe the man, Uzair Paracha, is closely connected to Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the alleged al-Qaida mastermind arrested in Pakistan in March. Paracha is still being held in New York City as a material witness. The officials say he may be charged with providing material support to al-Qaida as early as this week. The officials say they do not yet know if Paracha is actually a member of al-Qaida and have no information he was planning any specific terror attacks. Officials also do not believe the company where Paracha was arrested is connected to terrorism.
Their biggest concern: what Paracha might have been able to do. Parachaâs father runs a clothing export firm in Karachi, Pakistan, that regularly ships large containers full of clothing to Newark, N.J. âThis is something that would concern me greatly,â said Rick Hahn. Hahn, a former FBI counter-terrorism agent, says al-Qaida has used or attempted to use containers to smuggle both terrorists and deadly materials. âThe potential for danger lies in the fact that they could bring in weapons of mass destruction, even large quantities of high-quality explosives,â said Hahn. Parachaâs father, Saifullah, was about to board a plane in Karachi last month when he disappeared â arrested by Pakistani police, his family believes. U.S. sources say the father is in custody.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
08/05/2003 1:42:51 AM ||
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Interesting - and the potential is certainly there. This Press obsession with some imagined formal Al Qaeda membership needs to be rooted out of the collective mind. They don't carry spiffy AQ ID cards. Those who interact with the known asshats, by whatever means, and show the tell-tales are linked and must be checked out for overt / covert activity. The job the cops have is hard enough, already. You don't need video of them doing the secret AQ handshake and kissy-face. Sheesh.
IslamOnline â Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades held Israel accountable for the killing of one of its cadres Monday, August 4, while claiming responsibility for Sunday gun attack on an Israeli car south of al-Quds (occupied Jerusalem) that wounded four Israeli settlers. Israel claimed that Nihad Razeq Qassim, 27, was trying to lay a bomb to ambush an Israeli patrol, which shot him dead. "The man was shot dead by the soldiers (near the village of Farun, not far from Tulkarem and a bomb of several kilograms was found beside him," Agence France-Presse (AFP) quoted an Israeli army spokesman as claiming. "The body was left on the scene until daybreak for fear that it might have been booby-trapped or that other bombs were nearby," he added.
Well, damn them. They should have have given him a good talking to and sent him on his way. That's what the Paleo security guys would have done...
However, the Brigades dismissed the Israeli claims as "groundless," asserting that it was a deliberate assassination. A journalist told IslamOnline.net that Qassim's body was mutilated by Israeli troops, as one witness said that the troops pulled the body over the ground for a long distance. Razeq, who was also a member of a branch of the Palestinian security services, was wanted by the Israeli army over his involvement in anti-Isralei attacks.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/05/2003 00:37 ||
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Savage Israelis - he missed his same-day-before-sunset burial. Savages. As for whether he was an asshat Jihadi bomber or an assassinated asshat Jihadi, who the fuck cares? Mutilated? C'mon IOL (LOL) - that's your MO, not Israel's. And he was also in Pal Security Forces. Big surprise there.
#3
...as one witness said that the troops pulled the body over the ground for a long distance.
Probably tied a rope to him and dragged him 100m or so from the bomb to clear any trip wires/dead man switches he might have been lying on. Guess it's too hard for the journalistas to actually interview the sappers involved. Lopsided stories like this leave me with no doubt as to what side the press is on.
Old news, but itâs always good to get the official statement...
A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of the Democratic Peopleâs Republic of Korea today gave the following answer to a question put by KCNA as regards a string of vituperation let loose by Bolton, U.S. under-secretary of state, against the DPRK. According to a press report, during his recent visit to south Korea and Japan Bolton hurled malignant abuses at the top leader of the DPRK. Bolton asserted that "while he lives like royalty in Pyongyang, he keeps hundreds of thousands of his people locked in prison camps with millions more mired in abject poverty" and "for many in north Korea, life is a hellish nightmare." Iâm surprised they put the quote in. Might make some average Norks start thinking about it.
Boltonâs remarks make one doubt whether he is a man with an elementary faculty of thinking and stature as a man or not, to say nothing of whether he is a politician belonging to a hawkish faction or to a dovish one. OOOOOkay...
We know that there are several hawks within the present U.S. administration but have not yet found out such rude human scum as Bolton. What he uttered is no more than rubbish which can be let loose only by a beastly man bereft of reason. Jimmy Carter would never say anything like that. Weâre so hurt.
Bolton was so completely seized with the inveterate habit of rejecting others out of reason that he made a malignant personal attack even on the top leader of other country. If he is allowed any longer to speak for the u.s. policy on the nuclear issue, this would adversely affect not only the fate of the policy but that of the administration itself. Yeah, right.
Boltonâs reckless remarks cast a doubt as to whether the U.S. truly wants to negotiate with the DPRK or not.
There is no change in our stand on holding the six-party talks including the bilateral talks between the DPRK and the U.S. for the peaceful settlement of the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula. We caved. Donât tell anybody.
A caravan is bound to go ahead though dogs bark. Now thatâs deep. Iâll have to remember that one.
Such human scum and bloodsucker is not entitled to take part in the talks in view of either the importance of the talks aimed to decide on peace and stability in Northeast Asia or human dignity. Iâd make sure "Bolton" is front and center at the table.
On the basis of a serious analysis of Boltonâs outcries in the light of his political vulgarity and psychopathological condition as they are quite different from the recent remarks of the U.S. president, we have decided not to consider him as an official of the u.s. administration any longer nor to deal with him. You donât make that call, boys.
We may exercise self-restraint as regards other matters but will never allow anyone to slander the top leader of the DPRK whoever he is and wherever he is on earth. In other news, the psychopathic little prick (will that get me on their list?) won the election. Got 100% of the vote. Can you believe that!? Althought the last world leader to get 100% of the vote in an election didnât make out too well.
Posted by: tu3031 ||
08/05/2003 12:36:24 AM ||
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#1
Other than Mommy and Daddy, is there anyone who has escaped their notice and failed to get the "annihilation" threat letter? I believe you have to present it to get into the ball.
#2
Its size and shape of the table negotiations here. They caved on the multilateral talks and are trying to get something in return to save face. Therefore they savage Bolton, hoping we'll replace him. White House said that Bush will make the final determination, and he does not seem to be rushing it. While the clock ticks on for DPRK
Posted by: Ben ||
08/05/2003 4:54 Comments ||
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#3
I'm not even going to bother rating this one.
Metaphorically speaking, Bolton shot an arrow into the NKor forest. In response comes this loud, hysterical bellow of fact-free invective and insult. I think he got someone's doinker.
*Yawns* Commies. They react like this when you get too close to the truth, in order to intimidate you into shutting up. It's a good indicator of their desperation.
#4
Ben: great comment, I was just about to say size-of-the-table myself!!!! It's the Den Beste influence at work. Spot on!
Ptah: true, it's getting a bit yahwn BUT he did say : human scum and bloodsucker.
Not only is this an interesting new addition but it will make me proud to be a US ally when the US present none other than the honourable Bolton as their representative at the multilateral talks.
His first name isn't Michael is it?
Every time I hear this on the news I start thinking of... sittin' on the dock of the bay...
then I imagine htis flimsy junket moored about 100 meters off shore on which some little Korean men are jumping up and down waving their arms, pointing and shouting and throwing things into the water in his general direction as he sits and sings and watches the sun set.
#8
Wow... no Juche, no Songun, no "Dear Leader", no "sea of fire"... How utterly prosaic. Far below the standards of moon-howling I've come to expect from KCNA. Obviously they did not ask the right questions. No dirt and twig ration for that reporter today.
#9
Notice he never denied there being royalty in PY, prisons chock full of the oppressed, and raging poverty.
Posted by: Michael ||
08/05/2003 14:04 Comments ||
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...Actually, there's days when I miss the kind of DPRK propaganda we used to listen to when I was in the ROK. Stories about how thousands of men die of heart attacks daily because the assembly lines are speeded up too fast, or how a family of ten must share a single 'frankerfurter'...those were the days. Of course, the Great Leader was in charge then, and the standards were a bit different.
All kidding aside, I've got to agree with Ptah - Mr. Bolton's comments must have touched a serious nerve over there somewhere.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
08/05/2003 14:20 Comments ||
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#11
Mr. (Mad Mike) Boulton ought to fire off another salvo of vituperation⢠and we will take some more readings of NORK response. This is an interesting experiment.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/05/2003 17:43 Comments ||
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"but have not yet found out such rude human scum as Bolton."
I was ready to take PDRK off the Axis of Evil list for just a moment when my hopes were raised that they were talking about Michael...
I'm just pleased that our press didn't get all worked up over our "provocative" statements. When Pyongyang threatens to turn Seoul into a "sea of fire" that is just there way of saying "let's talk."
Oh wait, Chris Matthews just--at this moment--wondered if we should be saying harsh things on the eve of talks. Lord help us.
With the LA Times report (registration required)and Israeli confirmation, weâre starting to get some triangulation on the Iranian nukes. This leaves less than a year to axe the ayatollahs. Iâm an independent conservative, but Iâm starting to lose my patience with the Democrats who are undermining the war for a few votes. This is way beyond the realm of partisan politics.
Iran will have the materials needed to make a nuclear bomb by 2004 and will have an operative nuclear weapons program by 2005, a high-ranking military officer told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told the committee, "It is clearer than ever that the Iranians are making every effort to acquire weapons of mass destruction." [...]
Posted by: 11A5S ||
08/05/2003 12:23:21 AM ||
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...FWIW, I trained with quite a few guys from the old Imperial Iranian AF in the late 70s. If they were any indication, just getting rid of the ayatollahs is not going to get rid of the bombs - the only way to do it is to level anything even remotely connected with a nuke project and make sure they understand that we will not allow them to rebuild them. Even the Shah - who was thoroughly bought and paid for - was pursuing a nuke project. That provided the basis for the current one over there.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
08/05/2003 1:03 Comments ||
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Of course, the Shah wasn't planning to drop a nuke on Israeal the instant he got one. The ayatollahs, in contrast, thing they're being personally commanded by AliMohammedAllah each other to wipe out the Israelis with the sucker. Followed by various other infidels, including us, the Bahais, the Zoroasterians, and the House of Saud.
Well okay that last one has possibilities, but ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/05/2003 1:35 Comments ||
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"Nuke 'em!" as Rafsanjani said here, on the Very Un-Official Iran Press Service. I'll bet the Black Hats really hate these guys for translating and storing their diatribes...
So why hasn't there been a bigger stink about their progress from Dubya? Surely the US intel community knows more about this than the El Lay Times.
Is this a Predator job? Followed up by a TLAM strike? Followed up with armed support for the real revolution to throw the Black Hats back into the basement - which is more than they deserve for their corruption and repression?
#6
All things considered, a dreadful accident at the Iranian test site as they are preparing for the first test would be convenient... said accident helped along by a spare fission core.
#7
Will the Isreali bombers fly through Iraqi, Saudi, or Turkish airspace on their trip to Iran? Will they get covert midair refueling assistance along the way? Who could fault Isreal this go around after Rafsanjani's threats.
Same tactic as recently used in Iraq (radio detonated explosive)with an effective counter tactic (bomb sniffing dog) applied. Definitely not a cure-all, but it works in certain circumstances.
GROZNY, August 4 (Itar-Tass) - An act of terror has been averted in Chechnya by the engineer reconnaissance unit of the Interior troopsâ commandantâs office on the Katar-Yurt-Orekhovo highway on Monday morning. The sappers defused a land mine. The law enforcement bodies of the Achkhoi-Martan region told Itar-Tass that the explosive device made of a mortar shell was planted at the roadside in a pile of construction waste. The bomb was detected by a sniffer dog. The mine was equipped by an electric detonator and a remote-control device of foreign make. The sappers rendered the bomb harmless on site, and nobody of the servicemen was hurt. The district police are searching for those involved.
"Hi, there, Mahmoud. This your bomb?"
Posted by: 11A5S ||
08/05/2003 12:12:17 AM ||
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Men! Remote controlled devices! Pfeh! They'll prolly have to hand control of the campaign back to the wymyns - who are very determined and don't waste time on such frivolities. A coupla pounds of C4 or Semtex, a detonator, battery, dead-man switch and she's off!
Ilham Aliyev, son of Azerbaijan's ailing president, Heydar Aliyev, was appointed prime minister of the oil-rich former Soviet republic today, stepping in to run the government as concerns grew about the health of his 80-year-old father, who has been confined to a military hospital in Turkey for nearly a month. Today's sudden move, in which Azerbaijan's parliament ratified with just one abstention a presidential decree appointing the younger Aliyev, set the stage for the first handover of power from father to son in a former Soviet republic.
I think this is the first handover of any sort for Azerbaidjan. Another hereditary democracy. Guess he and Assad will have something to talk about.
Members of Azerbaijan's democratic opposition immediately denounced the dynasty's "illegal effort to seize power" in a strategically located country of 8 million that expects to reap billions of dollars in new oil revenues in coming years. A presidential election, in which both Aliyevs are registered as candidates, is scheduled for Oct. 15. But as prime minister, Ilham Aliyev would automatically become acting president if his father could not continue in office, a constitutional change pushed through by the elder Aliyev last year. The new prime minister, 41, who has a reputation as a reformed gambler who now serves as deputy head of the ruling party and vice president of the state-owned oil company, has long been groomed as a presidential successor. "I will telephone my father today," he told a television reporter minutes after the vote. He then waved to acknowledge a standing ovation in the parliament. "This decision will make him very happy."
Well, sure. He was worried Sonny wouldn't have a job...
His appointment came after days of deepening mystery about the health of his father, a member of the former Soviet Politburo who redefined himself as an Azeri nationalist after independence and has ruled the country since 1993. Sequestered in Turkey since July 8, Aliyev, who has had heart problems, has not been seen in public for the last month, fueling increasingly frantic rumors in Azerbaijan that he might be dead.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
08/05/2003 00:08 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
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.
