Remember when Bush fell off one of thes things? Well, this could explain it.
Segway LLC has recalled all 6,000 of its human transporters sold to date because of a falling hazard, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Friday. When the batteries on the devices begin to run low ... there may not be enough power to keep the machine upright. Falls could happen if the rider speeds up abruptly, encounters an obstacle or continues to ride after receiving a low-battery alert. The CPSC said Segway has received three reports of injuries that, according to the announcement, may be due to this problem. In one incident, the user sustained a head injury requiring stitches. Ouch. Can you say âlawsuitâ?
Posted by: Rafael ||
09/26/2003 4:39:20 PM ||
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We've already got useful 2 wheeled personal transportation devices. They're called BICYCLES. I thought that the Segway was a dumb idea for the consumer market. For the ibdustrial market for warehouses and such sure. But they may have to add some landing gear
#4
Well there is a low battery indicator, so it seems to me that once the warning has been given that the battery needs recharging, any further use constitutes an increased risk to the rider and any injury sustained as a result of ignoring the warning is solely the rider's responsibility.
#5
B-A-R, come on! How's a ambulance-chasingdarwin award representative lawyer to earn a living?
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/26/2003 18:03 Comments ||
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#6
B-A-R,check side of cigarette package.Sure didn't stop lawsuits against tobacco industry.(As a lifetime non-smoker,I personaly don't think anyone who began smoking after 1970 should ever be allowed to sue tobacco industry).Remember,Segway was/is marketed as being safe and simple to use.Incidentaly,a columnist on ESPN's Page 2 website(cannot remember his name)predicted lawsuits over Segway when it was first introduced.His idea was an item marketed as being safe was sure to get fraud lawsuits filed the first time someone fell off.
Posted by: Stephen ||
09/26/2003 18:43 Comments ||
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#7
Stephen - It was Gregg Easterbrook, the link is here, a bit over halfway down.
A hunter attacked by a grizzly bear on a remote trail said he used duct tape to bind his bite wounds, then rode an all-terrain vehicle to his pickup truck and drove himself to a hospital. Bill Murphy said the Sept. 17 attack happened after he surprised a grizzly cub and its mother on a trail about 50 miles northeast of Anchorage where he was hunting for moose and sheep. This being the number one definition of "Oh Shit!"
âI didnât even have time to jump,â Murphy said. Murphy grabbed his rifle but before he could raise it, the mother bear pinned him face-down. It then clamped her jaws around his right shoulder and started shaking him like a rag. He said he felt teeth pressing against his skin, then a pop as they sliced through. At some point, the bear let go, then stood over Murphy, panting and drooling onto his head. All he could think about was a bear attack over the summer near the Russian River where a man was bitten on the face and blinded.
âI just lay perfectly still and said, âGod, donât bite my head,ââ Murphy said. Finally, the bear moved away. Murphy said he got up, planning to shoot the bear, but it had broken his rifle. Murphy said he wrapped duct tape around his shoulder and cut up a cloth bag to wrap around his thigh. He hiked out to his four-wheeler, rode about 15 miles back to his pickup truck and drove a half hour to Valley Hospital in Palmer. One tough SOB.
The 54-year-old said he has no idea how long the attack lasted, but it felt like âtwo lifetimes.â âI can laugh about it now, but I wasnât laughing then,â he said. If it canât be fixed with duct tape, it canât be fixed.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/26/2003 3:57:02 PM ||
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#1
Future note: bring TWO firearms next time, the second preferably a large caliber pistol.
#2
Well, he's alive and can tell us about it. I still shudder everytime I think about the pictures that were floating around on the web a while back of the forest ranger who got partially eaten. He shot the bear with a.38. All that did was piss the bear off. As I recall the guy who brought the bear down put seven 7mm magnum rounds into it. One big freaking bear
#3
Well, he's alive and can tell us about it. I still shudder everytime I think about the pictures that were floating around on the web a while back of the forest ranger who got partially eaten. He shot the bear with a.38. All that did was piss the bear off. As I recall the guy who brought the bear down put seven 7mm magnum rounds into it. One big freaking bear
#4
If I am hiking in the woods near my home, I always carry a rifle or a shotgun. I shot a grizzley in the heart once, and it ran for 150 yards before it died. Having a sow grizzley on one side of you and the cubs on the other is one of the most frightening experiences I have had in my life.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
09/26/2003 21:47 Comments ||
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Waaaay off normal topics, but this makes me very happy:
Cult science fiction series Doctor Who is returning to TV, 14 years after it was axed. The much-awaited comeback will be written by acclaimed TV dramatist Russell T Davies - a self-confessed fan. The BBC has said it is far too early to discuss possible storylines, characters, villains or who might play Doctor Who - and no budget has yet been set. I loved Doctor Who, Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker being my favorites. Only down side is Iâll have to wait 2 years before it hits the air. Fire up the Tardis!
Posted by: Steve ||
09/26/2003 9:02:30 AM ||
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#1
Transparent ploy by the BBC to get some good press. ;)
Actually, is that Fox pilot (not picked up in favor of Sliders for Chrissake) going to be canon?
#2
Don't know, I only saw it once when it first aired, wasn't impressed. I don't know if it showed in Britain. I'd guess they'd just pick up somewhere after the last official BBC episode.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/26/2003 11:01 Comments ||
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I got into Dr Who a bit when my girlfriend (now my wife) was a big fan. Dr Who was interesting (the idea of switching Doctors by morphing from one doctor to another was a pretty neat idea )but the effects were pretty low budget, especially compared to a Star Trek or other. Will be interesting to see how they update it
#5
Yeah, now they have that Fox movie as well as tons of novels and audio with Paul McGann as the 8th Doctor, so I wonder what they're going to do with him?
Posted by: J. Michael Krause ||
09/26/2003 15:18 Comments ||
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Liked the episodes with Leila. My favirute buts were when they battled a supersided virus colony that looked like a large crayfish called the swam. There was also an episode that had the flavor of the Orient including a evil animated doll.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/26/2003 18:06 Comments ||
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Associated Press. EFL LRR
Rsearchers in France have cloned rats, overcoming a quirk of physiology that thwarted many earlier attempts. Male and female white rats have been cloned using a technique that slowed the maturing of the rats' eggs used in the procedure, according to a report published today in the journal Science from researchers at the National Institute of Agricultural Research at Jouy-en-Josas, France. "Now that we have cloned M. de Villepin, we will attempt to clone le weasel himself, M. Chiraq!"
Posted by: Mike ||
09/26/2003 6:36:50 AM ||
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In the words of one prominent blogger: "heh"
This one was too easy though.
Posted by: Tokyo Taro ||
09/26/2003 6:55 Comments ||
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As much as I dislike the French govt., I have to admit this actually is a pretty significant scientific development. It has a lot of possibilities for the advancement of medical research. Plus I've had pet rats before - they're really cute! Good to see the French doing something positive for a change.
#7
It does seem that cloning research follows somewhat stereotypical lines: sheep in Scotland, cattle in the US, rats in France.
What's next? Australians cloning kangaroos? Or maybe crocodiles?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
09/26/2003 12:02 Comments ||
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Koalas would be more appropriate - I understand they're an endangered species. There are enough kangeroos for everyone in Australia to have one, and still leave wild herds.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/26/2003 12:37 Comments ||
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Good heavens, you don't think the Irish will clone the dimmest animal (four legged) on earth do ya?
#10
Hope they come standard with air conditioning. Also, can they compete with Giant Chinese Gerbils and Mutant Insane Krygstan Rats? Since they're French, my guess is "no".
A draft constitution for Afghanistan will be released within two weeks, and general elections will be held by mid-2004, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Thursday. Karzai told a conference at Columbia University that he hoped the constitution would be ratified by Dec. 31. A constitutional committee sent 460,000 questionnaires out to the public this year to find out what the Afghan people wanted in their new institutions. The 85,000 replies, and some 6,000 letters and 17,000 other messages, showed Afghans put high priority on religious tolerance, the rights of women, affirmative action on behalf of women, human rights and the reduction of the weaponry in the nation after decades of war, Karzai said. It got easier when they weeded out the few Taliban responses:
"We must kill the infidels!"
"Kill the infidels by Allah!"
"Infidels must die die die"
"Sea of fire for the infidels!"
"Mommy itâs cold out here and Iâm all alone!"
``We hope to present the draft of the constitution back to the Afghan people in about a week, or two weeksâ time,ââ he said. The country will have six months after ratification of the constitution to hold general elections. The drafting comes as Afghanistan struggles with a host of thorny problems — the regrouping of the Taliban, renewed terrorist attacks and the rebound of opium poppy production. ``Afghanistan will need many years to recover from all its ills,ââ Karzai said.
Makes sense. It's taken many years to accumulate them...
The speech was part of a series of appearances by world leaders who are in New York to attend the U.N. General Assembly. During a separate appearance at the Council on Foreign Relations, Karzai said Afghanistanâs neighbor, Pakistan, needs to curb Islamic extremism by stopping Muslim clerics from preaching hatred and by arresting Taliban leaders. Closing the border would help too.
He spoke just two days after Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf addressed the same forum. Musharraf said earlier that Pakistan was doing all it could to battle terrorism and squelch extremism in his nation. ``I want clear, visible action,ââ Karzai said. ``Afghanistan needs strong cooperation from its neighbors, especially Pakistan.ââ Afghanistanâs extremist religious movement is believed to have its roots in Pakistani religious schools, where many Taliban leaders studied.
"Believed to"? Thumping yourself solidly on the thumb with a claw hammer is "believed to" produce pain...
``Weâre not out of the woods yet,ââ Karzai said of Afghanistan. ``Are we worried about terrorism and extremism hurting the peace process? Yes, I am worried.ââ Nothing a few B-52s couldnât fix if only Perv would look the other way.
Attacks by suspected Taliban have been increasingly frequent and bold. The south and the east of the countries, where ethnic Pashtuns who made up the backbone of the Taliban movement live, has been the scene of some of the fiercest fighting involving U.S.-led coalition forces. The Afghan administration fears attacks are being staged from Pakistanâs deeply conservative tribal belt, where local people sympathize with the Taliban, share their harsh interpretation of Islam and loathe the presence of foreign troops. Fence. Barbed wire. Moats. Alligators. Land mines. Jagged glass. Hila monsters. Spikes. Man-eating tigers. Tammy Fay Baker... Tell me when to stop.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/26/2003 12:44:15 AM ||
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...Jimmy Carter, honor killings, male superiority, Jihad, wooden sandles, famine, black everything... ( We could go on for days, couldn't we? )
Posted by: Charles ||
09/26/2003 2:02 Comments ||
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Steve,that's Gila Monster,they are an endangered species.Tammy Fay,on the otherhand is a dangerous species.
#4
I believe TFB is classified as a WMD, Woman with Mascara Damage.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/26/2003 10:13 Comments ||
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#5
Back on topic. How long has it been between the liberation of Afghanistan and their constitution? Given the relative lack of examples to fall back on, it look like 2 years minimum from liberation to constitution. Not the months that the French insist upon.
#6
The male poluation in Afghanistan must be decimated. I expect that this will cause a plethora of problems for the next 40 years in that cul;ture. Here are links to Rueters articles about how western women have dealt with this issue: Rent-a-Husband and Finding a Husband the Harvard Business Way.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/26/2003 13:57 Comments ||
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The Saudi government on Friday identified two militants killed along with a previously identified al-Qaida suspect in a shootout this week in southwestern Saudi Arabia. The three were killed in a gun battle after Saudi security forces raided an apartment where they said a new terror attack was being plotted. A police officer was also killed and two suspected extremists were captured in the raid in Jizan, 600 miles south of the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
Authorities had earlier identified one of the dead militants as Sultan Jubran Sultan al-Qahtani, also known as Zubayr al-Rimi, a senior al-Qaida operative who was wanted by the FBI for terror threats against the United States. The Interior Ministry said Friday the two others were Turki bin Saeed al-Qahtani and Khaled bin Mohammed al-Shihri. The ministry statement did not say if al-Qahtani was related to al-Rimi, whose real surname is also al-Qahtani. Likely, it seems to run in the family, must be that inbreeding.
The statement said the two had been sought by the police, but did not elaborate. "I can say no more."
The ministry would not release the identities of the two captured suspects, citing security reasons. "Dito."
The statement said police found seven automatic rifles, a pistol, ammunition, two mobile phones, a laptop computer, about 200 compact disks and womenâs clothing used for disguise in the apartment. "Does this burka make me look fat?"
Posted by: Steve ||
09/26/2003 4:19:43 PM ||
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Why do I have a deep suspicion about this announcement? Could the Saudis bag just any old Jihadi and say it's one of the bigs, and get away with it? Can we truly accept that they've bagged al-Rimi, instead of just some joe-blow? I'd want more confirmation than just astatement from the Saudi government.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/26/2003 17:37 Comments ||
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EFL:
EVIDENCE has emerged that terrorist group Jemaah Islamiah tried to mobilise its Australian cell about the time of the Sydney Olympics by sending a militant from Malaysia to train devotees in the city. National security sources have confirmed the man, known to them as Azman Hashim, spent close to 12 months in Sydney during 2000, conducting self-defence training and survival lessons in the Blue Mountains west of the city. They say he returned to Malaysia some time in early 2001, where he was detained by the Malaysian Special Branch under the countryâs rigorous Internal Security Act. He remains in prison.
Keep an eye out for who's bringing him cigarettes...
The Royal Malaysian Police confirmed last night that they were detaining Mr Hashim, a martial arts expert, whom they accuse of providing paramilitary training to JI operatives throughout the region. Good place for him.
Australian police say there is nothing to suggest Mr Hashimâs time in Australia posed any threat to the Olympics, and claim it did not succeed in instilling a militant fervour among local JI followers. However, they have confirmed that his presence here stemmed from a concerted effort to transform the Australian JI cell, known as Mantiqi 4, into a group with the training and capabilities of its three sister cells in Southeast Asia. Malaysia, Indonesia and the Phillipines, right?
Mr Hashim fought in the southern Philippines in the mid-1990s and trained in a military camp alongside a group of Muslim jihadis (holy warriors) who have since committed acts of terrorism. He was friendly with the man widely believed to be JIâs fugitive Australian leader, Abdul Rahman Ayub. He is also an associate of the Islamic cleric accused of being JIâs spiritual leader, Abu Bakar Bashir. One big happy family.
Funny how that works, isn't it? Want to bet he's also married to somebody's niece, and that his own warms the bed of somebody else in the heirarchy?
Mantiqi 4 is regarded as the least operationally capable of the four JI cells. Many of its members remain under suspicion, but only one, Perth man Jack Roche, has been charged in connection with any terrorist plot. Police are sceptical about the will or ability of JIâs Australian-based sympathisers to mobilise into a group capable of a terrorist strike.
Be as skeptical as you want, but keep close tails on the bastards. Some of us hate surprises...
Those suspected of loyalties to the militant faction of JI are rigorously monitored by the federal police, ASIO and state forces.
Among them are a core group of six individuals, who are believed to have at one stage posed a potential threat, but who are no longer thought to be keen to turn to terrorism to achieve their ends. Or they are just keeping a low profile for a while.
It could happen. We're talking about Australia. Send a religious fanatic from Java or Sumatra to Australia and you run the risk of him discovering beer, the beach, people who have their own uniquely pleasant qualities, and, if he's lucky, Shiela. When you come right down to it, it's a lot more fun being an Australian than it is being a terrorist...
Abdur Rahim, known in Australia as Abdul Rahim Ayub, is still on the run in Indonesia, and is the subject of an intensifying intelligence-led hunt. He is being tracked primarily by the Indonesian intelligence agencies, BIN and INTEL, but they are acting largely at the behest of a combined group of ASIS and ASIO operatives. The Australian Federal Police confirmed they are strongly interested in finding Rahim and returning him to Australia to be interrogated. They have also sought details of Mr Hashimâs debriefing by the Malaysian special branch. Senior Malaysian officers will visit Canberra next week for high-level meetings with Australian police.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/26/2003 1:17:55 PM ||
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I think they missed the whole point of the "Olympic Movement." Don't they know its about commercialism and international prestige derived from buying off skating judges.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/26/2003 18:09 Comments ||
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EFL:
The Abu Bakar University, where police say they have uncovered a sleeper cell of the Southeast Asian terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, is typical of the madrasas Pakistan is trying to reform. Seven Indonesian and Malaysian members of what security officials say was a 19-man cell were students at Abu Bakar. The university teaches only the Qurâan, Sunnah (sayings of the Prophet), Islamic literature and Arabic, all exclusively in Arabic language. There is no science, mathematics or English language in the curriculum. Half of the 25-year-old schoolâs 500 students are from overseas, mainly from Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Attending school on JI scholarships.
Since early last year, Pakistan has been trying to regulate its 10,000 madrasas, drafting a law which requires them to broaden their curricula, register, and cease foreign funding. The draft law was watered down under pressure from powerful Islamic parties last year, but even its diluted form has still not been passed. Tap, tap....nope.
With many of the seminaries considered a breeding ground for extremism, Pakistanâs intelligence agencies have been watching them closely as they hunt Al-Qaeda and Taleban fugitives. Between attending grad school at the same madrasas.
But this month is the first time Southeast Asian students have emerged on the spy agenciesâ watchlists. Yemenis, Egyptians and other Arab and North Africans have previously been the main targets. âThis is the first time since the war on terror started that students of these countries are on our monitoring list,â a Karachi-based intelligence official, who asked to remain anonymous, said. Hummm, been moved to the "expendable" list?
Hambaliâs brother had been studying at Abu Bakar for four years under the name Abdul Hadi, according to a fellow student. The young Indonesian was âfriendly, softly spoken, and diligent,â the student said, asking not to be named. On Sept. 1 he was called by police for questioning, and never came back. An Islamabad-based security official said Gunawan was arrested in the first week of September. Last Saturday police and intelligence agents showed up again at the school and took away another Indonesian and five Malaysians. Could be he talked, between screams.
Raids on at least four other madrasas on Saturday and Monday netted 12 more Malaysian and Indonesian students. The Abu Bakar University lies in eastern Karachiâs crowded Gulshan-e-Iqbal district, where madrasas have mushroomed in recent years. Staff said the campus never encouraged militancy. "Weâre a religion of peace, and Iâll kill anyone who says different."
âWe donât teach extremism, only purely religious education according to Qurâanic teaching,â Maulana Mohammad Aaish Tahir, a senior cleric at the school, said. âWe only try to produce good Muslims and not terrorists,â he said. âWe only teach in Arabic and have qualified religious scholars...We donât have science or mathematics.â Bomb making falls under arts and crafts, I guess.
Less than two kilometers (1.2 miles) away lies the Darasitul Islamia madrasa, where six Malaysian students were arrested Saturday, the same day Kashmiri militant chief Hafiz Saeed, former head of the outlawed Lashkar-e-Taiba group, was giving a sermon there. Guest speaker, or is he a tenured instructor?
The school is run by Lashkar-e-Taibaâs political wing Jamaat-ud Dawa, led by Saeed. He travels Pakistan exhorting followers to wage jihad (holy war) against Indian forces in disputed Kashmir. But not in the madrasa, huh?
Saeed was known to often stay at the school. Staff and students refused to talk to journalists. Jamaat-ud Dawa said the arrested students had no connection with terrorism. âThey were all simple students who were known for their good behavior,â spokesman Yahya Mujahid said. "Theyâre all such good boys"
Careful! You almost stepped on his lips!
Posted by: Steve ||
09/26/2003 11:40:32 AM ||
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Protests turned into riots however as mobs torched the elections office, the high court, several police stations and police vehicles and stoned other public buildings, including the nation's main international conference centre. The latest death coincided with President al-Gayoom winning all 50 votes in parliament.
Had an election. The votes were counted, and it was all over but the shootin'...
He has secured a sixth five-year term to lead the tiny nation of 1192 coral islands, the most expensive tourist destination in the Indian Ocean.
That's... Ummm... (...carry the six... divide by 11... square root of 14......) 30 years in power.
At least 12 inmates have been flown to neighbouring Sri Lanka with serious gunshot wounds. Maldivian authorities have stressed the unrest was unrelated to the re-election bid of al-Gayoom.
"No, no! Certainly not!"
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/26/2003 11:27 ||
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Maldivian authorities have stressed the unrest was unrelated to the re-election bid of al-Gayoom
It was, ummm....sunspots. Or swamp gas. Or bad conch chowder. Definitely the chowder.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/26/2003 11:35 Comments ||
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Frank,
Miles and miles of untainted Indian Ocean beaches, few people, few tourists, lots of scuba and free-diving, great fishing, no smog (very,very few vehicles), and a relaxed life. Of course, there's also little industry (other than tourism and fishing), goods are expensive, and even most foods westerners prefer have to be brought in by ship or aircraft. This is another former British colony that never did progress beyond the "native industries" stage. Unfortunately, there isn't much of a market for straw hats, straw mats, and (expensive) raw fish in the rest of the world. The big reason, however, that it's so expensive is that it's 1000 miles or more out in the Indian Ocean from ANYWHERE. It's not like it's on the way to somewhere else - it's the proverbial "end of the road". Great place to be if you want to give up civilization, otherwise it's just another dead backwater.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/26/2003 13:18 Comments ||
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#4
Have to agree with OP here, it's one of the most isolated spots in the world. The only ones that match or exceed it for sheer "WAAAAY the f**k out there" quality are Easter Island, Clipperton Island, Kergulen Island (owned by the French, curiously enough), and Antactica.
As OP noted, unless you're either a "I hate Civilization and want to get away from it all" type, or an Arthur C. Clarke type, you don't want to live there.
(Arthur lives in Sri Lanka, but has enough money from his books and enough of a reputation with international literary circles, he was able to move there and build what amounts to a private enclave of high-tech civilization, importing whatever he might need. And he STILL gets to enjoy the "rural lifestyle", without giving up any luxuries, the lucky bastard. ^_^ )
Ed Becerra
Posted by: Ed Becerra ||
09/26/2003 14:31 Comments ||
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EFL
Ever since he landed in the US for the 58th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Musharraf has been singing an old, familiar tune: The violence in Kashmir is due to Indiaâs forceful occupation of that region; the bunch of brave fighting men who have at last count killed over 80,000 people, at least half of them defenceless women and children, in a little over a decade are not âterroristsâ but âindigenous freedom fightersâ. I wonât bring up the fact that the Pakistan president has, in his time, helped manufacture these âindigenousâ freedom fighters -- as in Kargil, when he dressed up units of the Pakistan Army in civilian attire and sent them across the border on a âfreedom struggleâ that precipitated a war. I wonât bring up the fact that the Pakistan president, in that earlier avatar as head of that countryâs army, allowed the bodies of his own soldiers to go unclaimed for a long time -- because to claim them would have been to acknowledge his role in that âindigenous freedom struggleâ. I think the rest is worth a read.
Posted by: rg117 ||
09/26/2003 10:59:12 AM ||
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Intelligence agents have arrested two suspected al-Qaida militants in an Internet cafe after two days of following them and monitoring their e-mail, officials said Friday. Monitoring is good.
The suspects, including a Yemeni national, were picked up Thursday in the northwestern city of Peshawar after a tip-off that the foreigner was sending e-mail to al-Qaida operatives, two Pakistani intelligence officials told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Agents began monitoring the men Tuesday. On Thursday, agents posing as customers in the Internet cafe pounced on the two after they sent their latest messages, the officials said. "OK, we traced the message. Pounce!"
The officials declined to comment on the content of the e-mail or where it was sent. "I can say no more."
One of the two was identified as Khalid Ahmed; the name of the other was not revealed. The authorities said the suspects were being questioned at an undisclosed location. Ah, yes, the famous undisclosed location, known worldwide for comfortable soundproof rooms, vintage giggle juice, and itâs well trained mustachioed truncheon wielding staff.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/26/2003 9:17:53 AM ||
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There are more than 20,000 troops or security forces in Iraq from nations other than the United States, which has 130,000. Most of the non-U.S. troops are organized under two peacekeeping contingents, the British in the south and the Poles in central Iraq. They are:
Britain: 7,400; 1,200 more planned.
Italy: 3,000
Poland: 2,400
Ukraine: 1,640
Spain: 1,300
Netherlands: 1,106
Romania: 600
Bulgaria: 480
Denmark: 406; 90 more planned for October.
Thailand: 400
El Salvador: 360
Honduras: 360
Czech Republic: 312
Dominican Republic: 300
Hungary: 290
Philippines: 177
Mongolia: 174
Norway: 156
Nicaragua: 120
Portugal: 120
Latvia: 106
Lithuania: 90; may send 50 more.
Slovakia: 82
Albania: 70
New Zealand: 61
Estonia: 55
Macedonia: 28
Kazakhstan: 27 We will remember, thank you.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/26/2003 4:25:34 PM ||
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We seem to have a growing list of friends. I'm glad to see that.
Actually, I'm sure there are many reasons these countries have sent peace-keepers to Iraq. One I think is primary in the mind of every leader of any nation on earth is, "we may be next" - not that the United States may invade them next, but that they may be the target of Islamic fanatics. Having a few people well-trained in how to deal with that kind of situation, plus the good wishes of the United States, can be the difference between an "incident" and a "disaster".
Whatever the reason, we're glad to have you, and have a (insert national drink of choice) on us!
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/26/2003 16:47 Comments ||
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#2
Funny how Canada, supposedly a nation of "peacekeepers", is not on this list.
#4
PM Bertie Ahern of the Republic of Ireland was in Albany, NY, last week and apparently mentioned that the Irish may soon join the "Unilateral" force.
I've also read (sorry, no link) that Finland may sign on, too.
#5
thank you Mexico...oh, wait, not there? Must be because your crack troops are deployed along the border to prevent illegal immigration and drug trafficking...er, not there either?
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/26/2003 18:19 Comments ||
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#6
The Canadians have a total of nine infantry battalions in their army, and about three or so are currently committed to peacekeeping duties in the Balkans and Afghanistan. Its not that they are unwilling (well they probably are), its that they haven't any troops left to deploy, at least not without going on a wartime basis.
#7
The Canadians have a total of nine infantry battalions in their army, and about three or so are currently committed to peacekeeping duties in the Balkans and Afghanistan. Its not that they are unwilling (well they probably are), its that they haven't any troops left to deploy, at least not without going on a wartime basis.
#8
Yes. The Canadian practice is to have, at any one time, three battalions on duty, three training for duty, and three rotated off for rest. They're already full up with other comittments, including Afghanistan.
Thereâs just so much mockable content here...
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher urged the Bush administration Friday to back away from its goal of helping to nurture a democratic Iraq as part of broader plan to promote democracy throughout the Middle East. Thanks for the lousy advice, Ahmed, but we finally have a president who understands the word "scam".
"They will not be a model and no model will be imposed on them," Maher told a gathering sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations. "Weâre a better model, really -- weâve run Egypt for thousands of years! We even think that the EU ought to adopt our model, since theyâre so impressed by age!"
He called on the administration to "let Iraq be itself." Uh, isnât that the experiment we just shut down???
The administration is using its politically-dominant role in post-Saddam Iraq to try to instill democratic processes from the local to the national level as an alternative to the countryâs long tradition of violent extremism. And to subsidize the Egyptian government to the tune of several billion dollars every year... donât forget that, Ahmed!
"I donât think that countries are eager to be models," said Maher, who noted that Egypt never had good relations with Saddam Hussein and had no reason to lament his demise. Particularly if those models donât allow our leaders to become disgustingly rich, and kill people who we donât like...
He said the U.S. role as occupier of Iraq must end as soon as possible in the interest of avoiding an unstable situation in the region. Hey, we Americans like instability -- look at whatâs happening in California!
On the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, Maher urged the United States to call off its "blame (Yasser) Arafat" policies and strive toward a more evenhanded approach." Okay, weâll be glad to include you and the other local kleptocracies in the blame game, if you insist.
While asserting that Arafat is not an "angel," Maher said the Palestinian Authority chairman is an essential part of the solution to the ongoing standoff with Israel. If youâre suggesting that the roadblock itself is an essential player in removing the roadblock, Iâd have to agree wholeheartedly...
He said it would be a mistake to regard the liberation movement Arafat has headed as incapable of living in peace with Israel once the elimination of Israel Palestinian independence is achieved.
"Liberation movements turn into governments and act differently," Maher said. "When theyâre all dead, weâll stop shooting at them!"
While restating his friendship for the United States, Maher said it was "absolutely necessary" for the administration to lean on Israel from time to time instead of focusing its wrath on the Palestinians.
He said Egypt does not allow the Palestinian to go "scot free" when they engage in wrongdoing and the West should do the same with Israel. "Hell no, we give them a stern talking-to and make them re-read the Protocols of Zion!"
As an example of what he described as the pro-Israeli posture of the United States, he cited the examples of Israelâs destruction of seven- and eight-story buildings where Palestinian noncombatants live. They only destroy the buildings that attack them... some of those darn buildings are pretty trigger-happy.
In response to those incidents, he said, "We havenât heard any clamor in the West." Weâve subcontracted our clamoring to KCNA...
He added: "Israel considers the death of an Israeli child to be one thing and the death of a Palestinian child to be another." Another subtle reference to the Protocols??
Maher also took aim at the wall that Israel is building in the Palestinian territories, contending that it shows an unwillingness by Israelis to pursue the goal of living in peace with Palestinians. Itâs actually a pretty creative way to attain that goal...
Beyond that, he said, the wall wonât achieve the Israeli goal of greater security because "Palestinians have missiles which can fly over walls." Sharon: "Guess what... weâre going to need a higher wall..."
#2
Typical Islamist bullcrap. Once we finish in Iraq, we'll have a secure base with good local support for other operations that may or may not need to be performed. I'm sure the Ayatollahs in Iran are finding it more and more difficult to sleep at night, knowing that combat-hardened US troops are on both their east and west borders, and that the people to the north don't like them at all. I'm sure Syria hasn't mis-understood our pulling our mobile assault troops (Marines) from Iraq, while beefing up our Army presence. I'm sure they're carefully watching as we turn several decrepit, run-down Iraqi airfields into first-class military bases. I'm sure they also understand, at the gut level, that we are going through a 'trial by fire' of our military troops, noting which ones are willing to fight, and which ones aren't. We're also doing a selective weeding of our officer corps, eliminating those that don't have the "right stuff". Most of this is under the radar of the "average American", but I'm sure there are people in Riyadh, Damascus, Cairo, Tehran, Sa'na, and elsewhere that are watching, and drawing the right conclusions.
The Middle East will be a much nicer place in a year, and totally unrecognizable in five. The dictators, kings, potentates, and religious leaders know that, and understands it means their demise.
They also know they're totally impotent to do anything at all about it.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/26/2003 14:49 Comments ||
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#3
Anyone see any valid reason why these guys are still getting U.S. aid money??
#5
B-a-r
They continue to get US money because we know they are addicted to it. As a result we get to pull strings and make demands (such as threatening to take away the money!)
Posted by: john ||
09/26/2003 20:25 Comments ||
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#6
Don't think the Iraqis won't remember who their "friends" have been in the Middle East.
"I donât think that countries are eager to be models," said Maher, who noted that Egypt never had good relations with Saddam Hussein and had no reason to lament his demise.
They also did nothing to help end the misery of the Iraqi people...Of course the Egyptian government isn't interested in other "models." The trouble is, the people there are going to be more and more interested...especially when they see what is happening for Iraq.
Posted by: R. McLeod ||
09/27/2003 4:28 Comments ||
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Movie star Bruce Willis brought a rock concert to a desert airfield, with his band entertaining hundreds of soldiers some 35 miles from the Syrian border. Hundreds of soldiers â some sitting atop helicopters, others lounging in Humvees â sent cheers and whistles into night air Thursday as Willis and his band belted out rock and roll and the blues. Most soldiers here said they didnât know Willis was a singer, but they approved of what they heard. "Somebody that supports the military like he has and that comes to visit soldiers â thatâs important to us," said Spc. Greg Pagan, a bus driver and a postal officer with the 3rd Brigade of the 101st Airborne Division in northern Iraq. "Itâs awesome. Itâs great for morale" said Col. Michael Linnington, commander of the brigadeâs "Iron Rakkasans" â the 187th Infantry Regiment. "Heâs my favorite actor and my age," said Linnington, who turns 45 next week. "Heâs a macho actor. Soldiers identify with action movies and action actors. Heâs a guyâs guy." Willis, sometimes donning a military hat or a military jacket over his sweat pants, sang mostly oldies as he and his band â the Accelerator â stood atop two flatbed trailer trucks. "Weâre here to support you," Willis told the soldiers. "If you catch him, just give me four seconds with Saddam Hussein." The crowd cheered. Still waiting for all those "I donât support the war but I support our troops" celebs to deliver...
Posted by: Dar ||
09/26/2003 11:16:21 AM ||
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#1
Fox is showing clips of his band playing daytime, so it's obvious he's not there for a one-shot concert to just get his PR going. He's the real deal, doing multiple shows all over for the troops . A patriot. I like that
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/26/2003 11:24 Comments ||
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#2
Good for BW. If you support the troops you support the mission. If you don't support the mission then you don't support those who carry it out. Loud mouthed anti-war celebs can't have it both ways. And one more thing - f^ck the dixie chicks. Insulting your own president on foreign soil to pander to an anti-war crowd for easy points is pathetic. Like to see those skanks try that crap back in Amarillo.
#9
Penguin--Thanks for the link! I stand corrected.
Posted by: Dar ||
09/26/2003 15:53 Comments ||
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#10
Sheryl Crow is good people. Unlike Sheen who is a chump. Depp looks like some hippie that just crawled out of a garage sale, but I feel sorry for Robbins - he has to go home to that ugly bug-eyed skank of his.
#11
You'll never see Crow in Iraq though--she knows she would get her ass booed off the stage anywhere she went based on her "No War" guitar strap at the MTV awards last spring.
Hat tip Instapundit. Sharply edited for brevity--read the whole thing!
When Massoud Mazouri learned that the U.S.-led coalition had ousted Saddam Hussein from power on April 9, he hurried to Baghdad from his home in northern Iraq to set up an electronics business. Now the 28-year-old Kurdish merchant is selling televisions and satellite receivers at a brisk pace to gadget-starved shoppers. Itâs among the first signs that Iraqâs larger economy is coming to life. Television sets, refrigerators and boxes of satellite receivers are stacked 10 feet high on the sidewalks of Baghdadâs shopping districts. Shoppers who have waited for years to be able to spend their hoarded dollars are out in force. ââWhen I started in late April, I was receiving one container of DiStar goods per month,ââ Mazouri says. ââNow, I am getting five to six containers.ââ Each container holds about 270 television sets or 3,800 satellite receiver units. He says he is grossing $20,000 a day. ââAll the sales are done in cash.ââ
Since the collapse of Saddamâs regime, police Officer Gailan Wahoudi, 31, has bought a new television, a refrigerator and an air conditioner. ââIt is a new freedom I never had before,ââ he says. Louay Rasheed, 46, director of the Ministry of Planningâs trade statistics department, says he made the equivalent of $15 a month before the war and now earns $400 a month. Hassan al-Dinwani, 53, owner of al-Yussir Trading Shops in Baghdadâs Karada neighborhood, says one of his new customers was a policeman. ââThis was a surprise to me,ââ he says. In the past, officers couldnât buy goods at his shop because their salaries were too low. Iraqi police Lt. Raad Rasheed says his salary is now the equivalent of $275 a month, up from $25 before the war. ââMy family is happy,ââ he says. ââI am also more focused on my job because I no longer have to worry about money.ââ
Posted by: Dar ||
09/26/2003 10:59:04 AM ||
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#1
This can't be true, ABC/NBC/CBS/CNN/BBC/NYT say there is no electricity in Iraq. They wouldn't lie, right? Hello?
Posted by: Steve ||
09/26/2003 11:08 Comments ||
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#2
"My family is happy," he says. "I am also more focused on my job because I no longer have to worry about money."
Screw those people/groups that are questioning our commitment in Iraq. Stay the course and see it through to its logical conclusion. We will all be better off for it.
#5
âI am also more focused on my job because I no longer have to worry about money.â
I bet this also cuts down on the corruption since the police (and other government officals) dont have to take bribes just to keep their head above water.
I wonder what the pay rate is in some of the surrounding countries? Any idea?
#6
Damn,how come things are cost so little there and so much here.
Been seeing tv adds for"The Canadian Drug Store"claiming the same high quality meds made by the same companys,for 1/3 the cost of the price as sold here in the U.S.
What the hell is up with that?
Sounds like the American consumer is getting hosed!
A mortar blast tore through a market north of Baghdad, killing nine civilians and injuring more than a dozen others, Iraqi police said Friday. Townspeople suspected American soldiers stationed nearby may have been the target. The mortar round exploded about 9 p.m. Thursday at a market in this Sunni Muslim city about 30 miles north of Baghdad. Police Gen. Waleed Khalid said nine civilians died and 15 were wounded. U.S. officials put the injured figure at 18. Khalid described the attack as a "criminal act aimed at hurting Iraqi civilians." However, several townspeople, who spoke on condition they not be identified, said they believed the target was a government building about 250 yards away, where U.S. soldiers stay. Humm, missed by 250 yards? Sounds like a taliban mortar crew.
About 20 U.S. soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division were at the blast site Friday, providing security and assisting Iraqi police in the investigation.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/26/2003 10:23:23 AM ||
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#1
Those mortar men couldn't hit their asses with a hand full of rice! ;-)
I can see it now: "Achmed! You put the sight on upside down! Achmed: "Oops, my bad."
I felt bad until they said they were Sunni's from the "Triangle." What no dancing in the streets afterwards? Tough crowd. (SMILE)
Posted by: Paul ||
09/26/2003 13:11 Comments ||
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#2
Allah Akbar!! Die infadel pigs. Oh, wait a minute, Mufasa you dumb-shit, you just hit our market.
EFL:
U.S. teams in Iraq have uncovered some signs that a participant in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center may have received help from the government of Saddam Hussein after the bombing. Vice President Dick Cheney first asserted that one of the bombers — a U.S. citizen and one of the FBIâs most-wanted terrorists — received help from Iraq. Cheney, speaking Sept. 14 on NBC-TVâs "Meet the Press" program, did not mention the suspect by name. Other officials have confirmed he was speaking of Abdul Rahman Yasin, who is accused of mixing the chemicals in the bomb used in the 1993 attack.
We carried a USA Today article on this about a week ago. This adds a little bit of detail...
"And we have learned subsequent to that, since we got into Baghdad and got into the intelligence files, that this individual probably also received financing from the Iraqi government, as well as safe haven," Cheney said. Yasin fled the country after the 1993 bombing. He is the only man wanted for that attack who is still outside U.S. custody. Saddamâs regime said it had imprisoned Yasin since arresting him in 1994, and that offers to turn him over to the U.S. government were rebuffed in the weeks before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Yeah, right.
In 2002, he was interviewed on CBS-TVâs "60 Minutes" at an Iraqi prison. He thus far has not turned up in postwar Iraq. Hummmm
Cheney said the man was Iraqi. In fact, Yasin, 43, was born in Indiana and holds U.S. citizenship, according to the FBI. He is of Iraqi heritage and moved there as a child, returning to the United States in 1992, according to the FBI. Close enough for government work.
Cheneyâs description of Yasin came after "Meet the Press" moderator Tim Russert asked him about Iraqi connections to al-Qaida and the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, which destroyed the World Trade Center. "Now, is there a connection between the Iraqi government and the original World Trade Center bombing in â93?" Cheney said. "We know, as I say, that one of the perpetrators of that act did in fact receive support from the Iraqi government after the fact." But the first World Trade Center bombing is not precisely considered an al-Qaida operation by American counterterrorism officials. At the time, al-Qaida was in its formative stages in Sudan, and officials said they know of no conclusive evidence that ties either Osama bin Laden or the Iraqi government to the attack. Instead, some of the terrorists who carried out the bombing would later ally themselves with bin Ladenâs organization.
I think this guy's got a black belt in quibbling...
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the alleged Sept. 11 mastermind, was connected financially to the 1993 attack; he and bomber Ramzi Yousef would later receive financial support from bin Ladenâs brother-in-law. Same people, same mission, just under new name.
U.S. officials also offered no evidence Yasin took part in terrorist activity after he went to Iraq following the 1993 bombing. Dropped out of sight, did he?
It sounds here like they're expecting some kind of continuing education requirement or something — you have to blow something up every six months, or kill somebody, or you lose your designaiton as a terrorist. I'd day that, having bombed the WTC, he'd never have to commit another act of violence to be considered a terrorist for the rest of his life. But then, I don't have a short attention span, so I couldn't work for Associated Press...
The Bush administration has often tried to rhetorically link al-Qaida with Iraq, particularly as it made its case to invade the country. President Bush, though, said last week there was no evidence that Saddam was involved in the 2001 attacks. Did Saddam know about 9-11, most likely no, we never said he did. Did he get along with Binny, no. Did he provide support and shelter for some members of al-Qaida, yes.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/26/2003 9:30:08 AM ||
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#1
Don't forget that Sammy let all the cons loose just before the invasion. Yasin's long gone, being so high up on the hierarchy that Allah's given him an exemption from fighting the Infidels in Iraq.
#2
Of course Yasin didn't take part in any terrorist acts after '93! We had his name, his face, and his fingerprints in our files!
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
09/26/2003 10:08 Comments ||
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#3
Hmmm.... I wonder if Cheyney is setting the stage to unveil new thinking about Iraq and al Qaeda - specifically, who is Ramzi Yousef, exactly, and his "uncle" KSM.
Interestingly, Mylroie is a close friend of Claire Wolfowitz.
Posted by: Pete Stanley ||
09/26/2003 13:26 Comments ||
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#4
Where in the hell have these people been?
Laurie Mylroie. But now there's a paper trail. I've been telling those durn fereigners on the Independent News forum who cares about 9/11. What about WTC #1 and Oklahoma City? If this is solid, USA won't care what *the world* thinks. (And if you want some fun w/eurothink, visit that forum via delphi.com)
That's why I asked if the Yousef caught a couple of days ago was related to Ramzi.
And Saddam was the largest money-launderer in the world, who know what money went to whom for what? Could have been tied to 9/11 since he probably thought he got away w/WTC #1.
A member of the Armyâs 173rd Airborne Brigade has been killed and two others wounded in an attack in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, the Coalition Public Information Center said Friday. The vehicle the soldiers were riding in was hit in a rocket-propelled grenade attack at 11 p.m. local time on Thursday. The wounded were evacuated for treatment. We need a smaller version of the Bradley fighting vehicle for patrolling. Damn these RPGs.
Posted by: Rafael ||
09/26/2003 5:58:04 AM ||
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#1
Aren't those Hummers armored against bullets and rockets? Or are the RPG heat rockets able to penetrate a heavy armor, in which case also the armor of a Bradley vehicle is insufficient?
Posted by: Murat ||
09/26/2003 6:07 Comments ||
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#2
Humvees have armor, much like some civilian cars have armor. It's still a thin-skin vehicle.
Bradleys have reactive armor over armor plates. You have to hit it in the same place twice with an RPG to have much chance of penetrating.
Also, the armor itself is a lot heavier. The Bradley is an order of magnitude heavier, a lot of which is armor.
#3
Yes I agree, with reactive armor it should be very difficult for a RPG grenade to penetrate. I wonder why there is no such a thing as a reactive armor for thin-skin or light armored vehicles.
Posted by: Murat ||
09/26/2003 7:44 Comments ||
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#4
The reactive armor would be almost as dangerous as the RPG in a thin skinned vehicle like a HV.
#5
The Army's new Stryker Brigade should be arriving in Iraq soon.Stryker is not as heavy as the Bradly,but much better armored than the Hummer. It's overall size is smaller than the Bradly making it better for urban combat.
Stryker has a medievac version that is absolutly state of the art and will be a genuine life saver.It is rubber tired,wich means much less maintanence and less wear and tear on the roads.
#6
Alright, gentlemen, I'm going to give yall a little hint from the inside.
Word in the Joe network has it that the vast majority of problems with convoy ambushes isn't so much the vehicles as it is the convoy practices.
I'm not going to get into detail here, but I will say that all the boys getting shot up are big army. Big army seems to have a hard time doing what we call a "map check" and changing their procedures accordingly. Apparently certain infantry divisions are having a hard time understanding that Iraq is not some FTX in a really big post.
#7
The Iraqis (like most people) have an objection to tanks in their cities. The Bradley looks rather like a tank. The humvee, on the other hand, tends to get mentally classified as an ugly SUV. I'm not sure how people will react to the Stryker.
#8
Stryker being rubber tired is very quiet, unlike tracks. Think it'll be perceived as a big armored car.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/26/2003 10:18 Comments ||
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#9
A 7.62 round can punch through the door/windshield & roof of a humvee. A .50 cal round can punch through a USMC LAV-25 (Corps' pseudo-Bradley) or Amtrack. Reactive armor is too expensive to put on each one of them. DeviantSaint is right about convoy ops procedures. I'm not privy if these are regular
Army folks or reservists catching fire.
#10
The 87bill request includes new Armored Hummers and better Flack Jackets. I believe most of the Armor is underside to improve roadside bomb/mine survival. Additional Note: Notice how you rarely hear of Marine supply units getting hit. It appears the Marine policy of everyman being a Infrantryman (meaning they get advanced infantry training) appears to help.
Posted by: Patrick ||
09/26/2003 12:09 Comments ||
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#11
The last Marine unit left Iraq yesterday. This helps in the ambush thing. It is still true that
ambushing Marines tend to be harder (everything being equal).
Although reactive armor was designed and tested for the Bradley, it was never fielded at least not from 1988-1998, nor during the first Gulf War. Most units had the M2A1's that had thinner armor and could be penetrated by 14.7mm at ranges of 600 meters (as well as RPG's). We did have these M2A2's, but only company commander's had those. The armor was much thicker and seemed to be some kind of composite armor. I was really surprised at all of the reports of Bradley's shrugging many of the RPG's off.
The M1's are amazing. One of our's (we were tasked forced) was hit in the turret from 400 meters away by a T-55 and all it did was burn off some paint and left a slight dent! That was in the last war. It's truly amazing to see how advanced the technology has become in such a short period of time.
Hummers are just like deuce and a halves. The extra armor seems to be mostly for small arms fire.
Posted by: Paul ||
09/26/2003 13:24 Comments ||
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#13
There are many factors that could affect the numbers when comparing the marine and army figures. Smaller force, not in the Sunni Triangle, force drawing down, etc. I have been keeping up on all these attacks and it just seems to me that the marines have a better record than even the British in the south and the Army in the northern Mosul area. I have read articles from military personel crediting this to the additional infantry training all marines get. The army's policy of stopping at basic training for these support personel I believe is dangerous and is probably part of the problem.
Posted by: Patrick ||
09/26/2003 14:45 Comments ||
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#14
There's more than just infantry training that's totally wrong. The Army needs to stop fighting World War II battles, and join the 21st century. There is no such thing as a "rear area" any more - troops can be targeted anywhere from the "front lines" (which really don't exist any more) to "garrison locations" either in the US or in Allied territory. The entire world is the "area of operations" for any future warfare, and must be accepted for that by all military organizations, including the Navy and the Air Force.
This is not something new, or just related to terror networks. We faced an indigent army in Vietnam that could strike from Da Nang to Saigon virtually at will, but we never gave up the idea of fixed front lines and zones of control. By the mid-1980's, we knew the Soviet Union had dozens of "deep penetration" units capable of reaching anywhere in Germany, and deep in to dozens of other countries. These people had several missions, but one that affected me personally was their intention of capturing the "compound" where I worked. The world takes on a totally different color when you know you're in the center of the cross-hairs.
Today's US military is under watchful eyes wherever in the world it happens to be deployed. That means EVERY SINGLE MEMBER of our military. They need to be trained to respond to the threat, whether they're in 29 Palms, or Ramstein, or Diego Garcia, or Yakuska, or the deserts of Iraq.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/26/2003 15:10 Comments ||
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#15
I recall hearing that no marines were killed post-war, partly due to their more aggressive tactics. Is this correct ?
#16
The Kevlar vests the US wears seem to do a fairly good job. Why not put Kevlar in the side panels/roof/elsewhere on a Humvee? Know it won't stop an RPG grenade, but it should make it harder to penetrate with a .22. Kevlar's heavy, but not as heavy as armor plate. Dollar for dollar, I think putting some protection into Humvees is cheaper than replacing them - and the guys that died in them.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/26/2003 17:14 Comments ||
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#17
All Marines do go through additional infantry training after boot camp. It's called Marine Combat Training or MCT. Regardless of Military Occupational Specialty (MOS), all Marines receive an additional three weeks of infantry training. All Marine Officers after OCS go through 6 months of combined arms infantry training in Quantico. So the infantry mentality is well-bred throughout the Corps. Convoy ops is taken extremely serious and support units either have organic defense assets on their vehicles & mobile "grunt" units often provide flank security for them. There are SOPs and immediate action drills for dealing with an ambush depending on the type, size of enemy, and terrain situation.
#18
Jarhead? Does that include the urban warfare training here at Pendleton? Also, IIRC the Israelis were sending training programs to our troops for ops in hostile urban areas. Should be getting there right now
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/26/2003 18:36 Comments ||
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#19
When I was in the ROK(Rep of Korea)I was station on a Hawk Missle Battery.Twice we had attempted penetration of our perimeter by NKOR sappers and this was in 1974-75.I have always thought that 6.8 weeks of Basic was not enough.After Basic I handled a -16 twice,both times with no ammo and never went to the range after basic.
Ahhhh,Korea:Land of slideing doors,heated floors, and slant-eyed whores.
Hambali and other senior members of Jemaah Islamiah have responded to the terror crackdown in Southeast Asia by moving the organisation west to south Asia, identifying Bangladesh as a refuge and setting up a sleeper cell of future leaders in Pakistan. Another lawless hellhole, good choice.
A senior Asian intelligence officer with access to key interrogation records of Hambaliâs interviews conducted after his arrest in Thailand last month told The Weekend Australian the JI leader was about to relocate to Bangladesh when he was caught in the city of Ayutthaya, north of Bangkok. Talking, is he?
The officer said he believed one of JIâs most wanted men, Malaysian accountant Zulkifli Marzuki, could already be in hiding in Bangladesh. The Weekend Australian has also learned that Hambaliâs terrorism plans for Bangkok initially included planting a bomb at the cityâs airport. But when his Malaysian accomplice, Mohamad Nazir bin Lep, who has previously only been identified as Lilly, caught a bus to Ayutthaya, he noticed that planes taking off from the airport flew low over an elevated highway. The pair decided to attack a plane with a shoulder-fired missile, the intelligence official said, but added that Hambali had not named the targeted airline. Rumor is it was a Israeli airline.
He confirmed US officials were interrogating Hambali, Lep and another Malaysian, Mohamad bin Farik Amin, also known as Zubair, in Bagram, Afghanistan. Ah hah, I called it right.
The officials were providing country-specific information from their interrogations to their regional allies, intelligence officials in Asia indicated. One official said the information supplied concerned only their particular country, and "was not really useful" because the material was already known. Sounds like we are being careful about what we are giving out, concerned about leaks. Like this article.
The Weekend Australian has also learned that Zubair intended to become a suicide bomber, and that he and Hambali travelled to Cambodia, where they lived for six months, in order to recruit students as suicide bombers. "He thought that Cambodians have gone through so much (horror) that they were sad in the head," the official said, referring to the countryâs Khmer Rouge genocide years. Donât think he found any takers.
The news came as an Indonesian consulate official in Karachi said Hambaliâs brother, Rusman Gunawan, who was arrested there this month as part of a sweep of Indonesian and Malaysian students, had transferred $US50,000 ($73,820) from Pakistan to Hambali in Indonesia on orders from a Saudi Arabian man in Thailand. Thereâs that Saudi money again.
Consular official Temu Alam said Gunawan, 27, had told him during a consular visit: "Someone named Toha from Saudi Arabia met me many times when I was in Thailand. He asked me to send money to Indonesia from Pakistan." Malaysiaâs deputy Home Minister Chor Chee Heung said the 13 Malaysians and six Indonesians arrested were being groomed as future leaders of JI. JI previously has been considered an exclusively Southeast Asian organisation. Sending their best and brightest overseas for education. Thought theyâd be off the radar and safe in Pakistan. This may be a bigger bust than I thought.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/26/2003 12:20:39 PM ||
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#1
It seems to me that the War on Terror is now really taking a big bite out of the operations of Al-Q and associated terror organizations. The headlines here on Rantburg just in the last 3 weeks or so show that the money is drying up or at least harder to hide, the leadership is now moving operations or negotiating with other countries for shelter (and having a harder time in those negotiations), their leaders and planners are being captured and are giving up important information, and they are now starting to worry about infiltrators in their ranks.
It's a job well done, and thanks to President Bush, the Coalition forces, the intel guys, and the Blogosphere for their contributions!
#2
I hope that's true about the money drying up. It's possible the sources are shifting tactics. What's clear is the Soddi's role as chief banker. Now that we're outta there, it's time to turn the screws on them. They've made some good moves against cells but I don't see them going after the money sources. Too close to home?
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
09/26/2003 13:45 Comments ||
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#3
Too tangled. They want to keep the money going to Hamas. They want to keep the money going to the Wahhabi cultural warriors. They even want to keep the money going to legitimate charities -- and there are some. Because it flows in such quantities, and because so much of it's designed to be hidden, a certain portion of it will continue going to the Qaeda-associated Bad Guys whether they want it to or not, simply because the individual money men along the way want it to. They're also making their own fine distinctions, ranging from outright false to sophistic. If we can't convince the Washington Post that the Chechen thugs are cynical banditti, out for their own personal power no matter how many dead innocents it takes, how're we going to convince the Soddies, where they pray for them every Friday?
Posted by: Fred ||
09/26/2003 14:12 Comments ||
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#4
Sounds like there's only one clear solution to the problem: pull the plug at the source. That may be a bit more radical than invading Iraq, where a true psychopath held power for thirty years. The Soddies have always cultured the image that they were our friends. We really need to discover some truly horrible perfidity on their part - more directly linked to the Royals, before we could possible invade Soddyland. If I were leading the NSA, the Soddy area would become a very high priority for my agency.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/26/2003 17:54 Comments ||
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EFL/FU
Burmaâs pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi will be kept under house arrest following her release from a hospital where she underwent surgery, her personal physician said Friday. Suu Kyi, 58, underwent what was described as a major three-hour operation Sept. 19. Her doctor, Tin Myo Win, has declined to specify the nature of the surgery, but other doctors have said it was a gynecological procedure. ok - donât need to hear the details, thank you
"She will go home today ... at night," Tin Myo Win told diplomats and reporters outside the Asia Royal Cardiac and Medical Center. The doctor said that while the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner would return to her lakeside villa in the Burma capital, she would be kept under house arrest. one of the few not diminished by the tarnished other prize winners
Suu Kyi was detained in May and held for months in an undisclosed location. The detention further isolated Burmaâs ruling junta, as world leaders appealed for Suu Kyiâs release. The junta has said she will be freed but has refused to specify when. "sno-cones in hell?"
"Anybody who wishes to see her once she is home should make arrangements through the authorities," Tin Myo Win said. Asked whether Suu Kyi would be allowed visitors, Tin Myo Win said: "You have to test" the authorities.
"If they don't beat you up, maybe you can see her..."
He said Suu Kyi thanked her supporters for their "warm concern," but indicated that she did not want people to "see her leave the hospital," apparently because of security concerns. rrriiggghhhtt
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/26/2003 10:53:02 AM ||
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Manila |By Gilbert Felongco, Correspondent | 28-08-2003 EFL and Fair Use
After almost a month hiding from authorities, an opposition senator implicated in the July 27 military mutiny in Makati City appeared in public to answer charges against him. "I missed the cable TV..."
Senator Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan arrived at the Department of Justice (DOJ) building in Manila to a warm welcome as throngs of reporters waited to meet the elusive former Army colonel who had led at least four military rebellions during the 1980s. An interesting resume... Wonder why heâs a suspect...
"I am here in good faith, to extend my willingness to submit myself to the system and be allowed to answer charges levelled against me," Honasan told reporters. The 52-year-old lawmaker arrived at the DOJ with opposition Senators Aquilino Pimentel and Vicente Sotto III. I am innocent - I have nothing to hide! These are my henchmen friends.
More... So another episode comes to a close and another circus trial begins. Just another day on As the Phillipines Turns.
Posted by: .com ||
09/26/2003 10:03:37 AM ||
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A "mastermind" who's still alive. That's different.
THIRTEEN Malaysian students caught in a recent round-up of suspected militants in Pakistan were being groomed as future leaders of the Jemaah Islamiah terrorist network. Deputy home minister Chor Chee Heung said the Malaysians â who were detained with six Indonesians â were sent to Karachi religious schools to be trained as potential replacements for JI leaders. Some of the Malaysian students were children of JI suspects currently under detention. The Malay Mail had reported earlier that the fathers of four of the detained students were being held at a detention camp in Taiping. One of the Indonesians, Rusman Gunawan, is a brother of alleged JI operations chief Riduan Isamuddin, better known as Hambali, who is now in US custody. Mr Chor told reporters yesterday that, before heading for Pakistan, the Malaysian students had received âpreliminary trainingâ at the Maahad Tarbiyah Islamiyah Luqmanul Hakiem in Johor, which was modelled after the Indonesian pesantren, or boarding school, founded by militant cleric Abu Bakar Bashir. The school was shut down by the Malaysian authorities last year for propagating Al-Qaedaâs brand of radicalism. Mr Chor told Parliament earlier in the day that 465 people had been identified as JI members in Malaysia, and that the group had indirect links to the Al-Qaeda network, mostly in the form of financial dealings. Police had traced 192 individuals over the past two years, including 60 now being held under the Internal Security Act. Several on the list escaped overseas. While the total stands at close to 500, the authorities believe that only about 100 people have escaped the security dragnet as some of the names on the list are aliases.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
09/26/2003 12:48:08 AM ||
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Ah hah, I was wondering about this yesterday when I saw this story in the Guardian :
Qodir said Gunawan had left for Pakistan to study Islam in 1999 after receiving a scholarship. He had kept in touch with his family regularly since then, Qodir said. ``When we heard about him getting the scholarship in Pakistan we were very proud because he was the first child to study abroad,'' he said. ``We were very disappointed and shocked when we heard of the arrest.''
Now it becomes clear just why he got this scholarship. Remember those other stories on the arranged weddings between the families of the various al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiah members and how the same family names keep popping up. They are breeding and training the next generation.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/26/2003 8:42 Comments ||
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#2
Aaah! And us oldsters thought we had to worry about the youth of today not stepping up into leadership roles. /sarcasm mode off now...
Happy Holiday - Rosh Hashana to the Jews - from the Paleo Killers - JPost - Reg Reqâd
Two Israelis were murdered, including a baby girl, and four others seriously wounded Friday night in a shooting attack on the settlement of Negahot, near the West Bank city of Hebron, rescue sources said.
Two others were also wounded in the attack, said Yeroham Mandola, a spokesman for the Israeli rescue services.
The attack, on the settlement of Negahot, near the West Bank city of Hebron, came as Israelis began celebrating the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanah on Friday evening.
Israel radio reported the attacker appeared to have been a lone gunman who got through the fence of the isolated settlement.
"To our regret, we have two killed and two more slightly wounded," said Dror Richter, spokesman for Israelâs ambulance services.
The attacker was shot and killed by soldiers guarding the settlement, according to the radio.
Holiday celebrations across Israel were marked by heavy security, with thousands of officers deployed at synagogues, parks and intersections to try to prevent attacks by Palestinian terrorists.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/26/2003 6:01:14 PM ||
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I wonder....
Was the Palestinian that mounted the attack looking for Jewish militants?
#2
Exactly Bomb-a-rama. Why isit that every Paleo that kills an innocent Israeli is immediately accorded the title of militant. The article states clearly that the victims were murdered. If the victims were murdered, the Paleo is a murderer. If he is a militant....the victims were "militanted"
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
09/26/2003 19:30 Comments ||
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Rex and BAR - exactly - that's why I posted it. Think the general media will ever pick up on the difference? It would take a nuclear or bio or chem attack before they ever take the leap to terrorists, and even then Rooters would still call them militants
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/26/2003 19:42 Comments ||
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via Rooters
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez accused the United States on Wednesday of harboring "terrorists" plotting to kill him and told the U.S. and Spanish governments to stop meddling in his countryâs affairs. In a rambling, raging speech to women supporters in Caracas, the former paratrooper also dismissed United Nations meetings as a "dialogue of the deaf" and said it was not worth speaking at the international body. Canât disagree with him on that point.
He railed against opponents at home and critics within the Roman Catholic Church and accused the U.S. television network CNN of lying in its reports about Venezuela, the worldâs No. 5 oil exporter. "Las mentiras, todas mientenâ¢."
Chavez, who faces a possible referendum on his rule sought by domestic foes, said he canceled a planned visit to the United Nations and the United States this week because his government had received information about a plot to kill him while he was there. "I have no conclusive proof to accuse anyone," he said. "Not that that would stop me from making stuff up."
(H)e immediately added that "coup-mongering, terrorist Venezuelans" who had taken part in a failed coup against him last year were plotting and training in the United States.
He said he had informed U.S. authorities. "If they (the U.S. authorities) are really fighting terrorism as they say, they should act against these terrorists who are threatening Venezuela," Chavez said.
Critics say the Venezuelan leader, a friend and ally of Cubaâs President Fidel Castro, is adopting an aggressively nationalistic, anti-U.S. stance to try to deflect the pressure for a vote on his rule. Chavez, elected in 1998, has repeatedly accused Bush administration officials of poking their noses in Venezuelan affairs. "What happens in Venezuela has nothing to do with Mr. Bushâs government," he said. "Except when itâs convenient."
He repeated strong criticism of the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq, saying Washington had no right to "bomb cities, invade countries and overthrow dictatorsthugstyrantsme governments."
#2
Chavez is right; there are terrorists in the US. We intend to put them in jail as we discover the. What does he intend to do about the FARC? I'm sure the Columbians would appreciate his help in apprehending them.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/26/2003 18:39 Comments ||
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Edited for brevity.
As he sang the lyrics to his celebrated patriotic hit last month at Staples Center in Los Angeles, red, white and blue confetti rained down on the curled brim of Toby Keithâs cowboy hat, and rocket-red pyrotechnics shot up past a video screen showing the Statue of Liberty. This was the Toby the crowd wanted and expected, the roadhouse patriot. But a few hours earlier, in a hushed dressing room, it was a different Keith -- one who talked about the increasingly onerous challenge of playing the uncomplicated man in complicated times.
Away from the firepower of the stage, this fighting man from Oklahoma said that he has decided to call a cease-fire in his ugly feud with the Dixie Chicks ("We had fun with it, but Iâm just done with it"), that he still has lingering questions about the necessity of the war in Iraq ("Honestly, Iâm still doing the math on that") and that he wonders whether the hit song, "(Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue) The Angry American," has typecast him ("People think I bang the war drum, and thatâs not me"). Click the link for more. Toby reveals himself to be a lot deeper than many people give him credit for based solely on his song lyrics.
Posted by: Dar ||
09/26/2003 4:12:01 PM ||
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#1
One doesn't "bang" the drums of war, Toby, one beats them.
#2
..that he still has lingering questions about the necessity of the war in Iraq ("Honestly, Iâm still doing the math on that")
I'm kind of wondering just what these questions are. It doesn't take excessive brainpower to figure out that in the bigger scheme of things, Iraq is simply another individual pond of water to be tackled in the draining of the bigger Middle Eastern swamp.
I also kind of wonder whether this guy just another person with a short attention who doesn't have the wherewithal to stand by what he believes in. After all, he says,"This war here [in Iraq], the math hasn't worked out for me on it. But I'm smart enough to know there's people smarter than me. [National security adviser] Condoleezza Rice, [Secretary of State] Colin Powell, George Bush -- this is their job, and I have to trust in them. I support the commander in chief and the troops."
If this is the case, there's no reason to be "done" with his little tiff with Maines and Co., as they haven't expressed any repentance for what they've said, so why give up now?
#3
Just another example of someone who has/had a huge run in the spotlight who still can't handle the basics of understanding humanity. Megla-killer-of-citizens + attacker-of-neighboring-countries + scores-of-unaccounted-for-weapons = Every reason in the world to invade!
With a Muslim army chaplain imprisoned in a Navy brig as an alleged terrorist spy, the military must rethink how it recruits and screens Islamic clergy, according to a key Senate ally of the administrationâs counterterrorism policies.
Duhhh... Really?
"Iâm gratified that military authorities have taken action to investigate what may be an alarming breach of security in our armed services, and I strongly recommend that the Pentagon review its policies in regard to the recruitment of clerics," says Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), chairman of a subcommittee on terrorism and homeland security.
That's one member of Congress who's not brain dead. Any others?
Following news that the chaplain and an Islamic Air Force noncommissioned officer are locked up on military bases as suspected terrorist spies, Kyl announced that his subcommittee, which has held two groundbreaking hearings on Saudi-funded Wahhabi support activity in the United States, is to investigate Islamist subversion within the U.S. military and prisons. Before now, investigating a religion would have been to hot to touch. We have a window of opportunity now.
Watch who comes out of the woodwork to try and close it...
"As was outlined in a previous subcommittee hearing, Saudi Arabia is at the âepicenterâ of terrorist funding," Kyl says. "We now need to conduct a thorough examination of groups such as the American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Council and the Graduate School for Islamic Social Studies, which provide Muslim clerics to the U.S. military and are also funded generously by the Saudi government." Everywhere you turn, thereâs the Saudis and their money. Funny how that works, ainât it?
Talk to the Shias and the Sufis. We can take our business elsewhere...
Kyl told reporters that the suspected terrorist penetrations of the military "long preceded the current administration," an apparent reference to the Clinton administration, which established the current Saudi-backed chaplain-screening program that approved the alleged spy. Oh, really? First time that little nugget of information turned up. Anyone know what the policy was before?
I don't think we could beat the Clintoons up too much over that, though. The Soddies were the smiling face of friendship in the Middle East until 15 of 19 of them took starring roles in the attacks on us. They've been at war with us for 30 or 40 years, and we've only just noticed it in the past two.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/26/2003 12:05:09 PM ||
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#1
Even money says the previous policy was to not have mullahs in the military.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
09/26/2003 12:08 Comments ||
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#2
With a Muslim army chaplain imprisoned in a Navy brig as an alleged terrorist spy, the military must rethink how it recruits and screens Islamic clergy, according to a key Senate ally of the administrationâs counterterrorism policies.
Easy solution that improves security: No Wahhabis.
#5
Shhhhhh... I'm hunting Wahhabits..
Go ahead! It's open season. Bag and Possession limits are in the larger 12-digit numbers. Feel free to friccasee, fry, broil, bake, or burn, at your discretion. WARNING - all hunting must be done on Planet Earth. License required for vegans and Sufis.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/26/2003 17:42 Comments ||
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Theyâve flip-flopped so many times, but this seems to be their final answer - Emile? Would you like a life-line?
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud has ruled out any Lebanese compliance with U.S. calls to freeze the accounts of leaders of the Palestinian radical group Hamas, which he described as a resistance movement against Israeli occupation. He was quoted by the Lebanese press as telling a cabinet meeting Thursday night that Lebanon "has a clear position with regard to the Palestinian resistance, which results from the Israeli occupation, and while there is occupation there must be resistance." Puppet-boy speaks....like they care about the Paleos..meh
They care deeply about the thought of Hamas blowing up their cars...
On August 22, U.S. President George W. Bush said his administration had moved to block and freeze the assets of six top Hamas leaders and five groups believed to aid the radical Palestinian movement. Sounds like we need to freeze Lebanese assets and blockade them and Syria..I thought you were either with us or the terrorists
An avalanche of protests was triggered in Lebanon after the central bank circulated a note to financial institutions in the country on September 8 asking for any information on Hamas-related accounts. The condemnation also sparked fears for the future of Lebanonâs highly valued bank secrecy policy. We need to crush their banking industry - itâs a clearing house for illegal (i.e.: Arafat) and terrorist funds
Lahoud was also quoted as telling ministers Thursday that Lebanon "declines to act against the Palestinian resistance or against banking secrecy." "Donât kill us!"
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/26/2003 11:18:26 AM ||
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#1
Kill the transfer codes for all Lebanese banks, today.
#2
Poor Lebanon, the ugly step-sister of the 1920 Franco-British division of the old Ottoman Empire. It was supposed to be a Christian state, a place where all Christians in the Middle East could congregate and escape persecution, just as Palestine was supposed to be a Jewish homeland. The Arabs (encouraged by both French and British anti-semites in their respective Foreign Offices) have been fighting to destroy both nations ever since. They've virtually succeeded in Lebanon. Only Israeli military might and will to fight has kept them from succeeding there.
Neither the French nor the British have clean hands, but only the British are willing to step up and help clean up the mess their earlier meddling caused. The world would be a better place by far if the rest of the world would totally isolate France until that nation grew up a bit.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/26/2003 14:23 Comments ||
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#3
I say cut it up and give the various pieces to its neighbors, and save the Pyrenees area exclsuively for the Basques.
Depending on how you do it, banging on pots and pans -- a traditional Latin American protest against unpopular governments and tough times -- could soon land you in prison in Venezuela. Every toddler in Venzuala is headed to the hoosegow, pronto.
Earlier this year, opponents of President Hugo Chavez staged nightly protests, called "cacerolazos," during an unsuccessful two-month strike to oust the president. The protests didnât seem to faze Chavez. Recently, opponents have targeted the homes of perceived government supporters, frightening families and prompting Chavez to denounce what he calls a new form of "terrorism." See Chavez is actively pursuing terrorists in his own way.
Ruling party legislators say the demonstrations have become so persuasive pervasive and threatening they want them outlawed and have introduced legislation making them punishable by up to five years in prison. Pro-Chavez lawmaker Tarek William Saab said he and his family have been the victims of cacerolazos at least 17 times over the last year -- at malls, embassies, movie theaters and even a hospital where his wife gave birth. He has moved his family to an undisclosed location in Caracas. where only paper plates and plastic spoons are available
Police were called when tray-slamming protesters confronted Saab and his mother-in-law at a Caracas hospital where his wife, Francis Fornino, delivered a baby son in April. In Venezuala people not only recognize politicians, they also treat them with all the respect they deserve.
The proposed law, according to ruling party lawmakers, would ban pot-banging protests outside the homes of public officials and those that take place on planes or lead to physical confrontations. Of course, bullies remain free to beat up opposition families. Kind of a spoils of war thing.
"It would violate freedom of expression," said Geraldo Blyde of the First Justice opposition party. His party is insisting on a two-thirds vote to pass the measure. Chavez backers are insisting on a simple majority. That, too, is illegal, Blyde says. Ivan Rincon, president of the Supreme Court, recently moved from his Caracas home to a military base to escape repeated protests outside his house. Government foes say he issues rulings that favor Chavez. And the Dixie Chicks thought that they had it bad.
Rincon blamed "some crazy people that are on the loose" and urged opposition leaders to dissuade their followers from forcing public officials to "abandon their homes." Chavez has endorsed the bid to criminalize cacerolazos targeting specific people and their homes. "It canât be permitted because it is called terrorism. It isnât a means of political protest," he said. Banging on a pot in support of opposition views is terrorism, but funding FARC killers in Columbia is Okee Dokee. What does Chavez think he is Provost of a university in the US?
Venezuelaâs opposition calls the proposed ban another move by Chavezâs leftist government to silence freedom of expression. The government already is sponsoring legislation to regulate TV and radio programming, and Chavez frequently takes over the airwaves to broadcast his speeches. The newspaper licencing scam will follow shortly Iâm sure. I believe Chavez is also seekign to silence puppeteers.
"Chavez and his collaborators abuse the power. We let them know that we donât accept it," said Celia Pinango, 53, a homemaker who waves a frying pan every time Chavez appears on TV. Glad I donât live at that house. That really could get annoying.
"Cacerolazos" have helped created geographic boundaries for pro- and anti-government figures. Fine restaurants in eastern Caracas are off-limits to Chavez supporters, whoâve put up with plate-banging protests by diners. Opposition leaders shy away from downtown. "Itâs unfortunate that people have to live this way, but thatâs what intolerance does," said the pro-Chavez lawmaker Saab. Venezuela is deeply divided over Chavezâs leftist rule. Opponents are seeking a recall referendum against the president but face intense resistance from the government. On Thursday, National Guard troops fired tear gas and rubber bullets for a second day at dozens of fired oil workers fighting eviction from state housing in western Venezuela. At least five people were hurt and 21 protesters were arrested. The workers are among 18,000 fired earlier this year for joining a failed general strike to oust the president. The recall effort in Venezuala is even more entertaining than the one in California. First they threw out the petitions because the signatures were collected too soon. Now the election committee is limiting the signature collection time frame to 4 days. Chavez wants the window dropped to one day.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/26/2003 11:15:26 AM ||
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Chavez is Fidel without the charisma, intelligence, and guerilla history - he won't survive using Fidel's tactics. Civil war is right, and I'm afraid it will get really bloody
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/26/2003 11:39 Comments ||
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#3
Actually, I'm pretty sure Chavez has the required history. Didn't he try to stage a coup?
Lesson for the soft-hearted: when someone tries to take over your government by force, don't put him in prison. Kill him. It's much more merciful in the long run.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
09/26/2003 12:07 Comments ||
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#4
The blew their chance taking this guy out about a year and a half ago (4/02 as I remember).It doesn't look like Hugo's about to give them a do-over.
#6
Wasn't there a hurricane Hugo that swept through the Caribbean a few years ago? Aptly named. This guy could take over for Fidel tomorrow, and nobody would notice the difference (except for the lenght of harangues - NOBODY beats Fidel for being long-winded - even Dean's met his match there!).
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/26/2003 15:17 Comments ||
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#7
He has defined terrorists as anyonewho opposes him. He has defined terrorist activity as beating on a pan to make noise. Does anyone question whether his state has become totalitarian?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/26/2003 18:41 Comments ||
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Pre-emptive security for the Jewish holiday weekend - you can depend on attacks to occur
A full closure was imposed on the West Bank and Gaza Strip late Thursday, ahead of Rosh Hashanah - the Jewish New Year - which begins sundown Friday and lasts until Sunday evening. The closure has been put in place due to fears that Palestinian militants plan to carry out an attack during the holiday.
That's the way they usually celebrate Jewish holidays, isn't it?
Palestinians will, however, be allowed to enter Israel for humanitarian reasons. Check the ambulances very carefully
Access to Friday prayers on the Temple Mount has also been limited to Palestinians aged 40 and older and those who carry Israeli identity cards. Police chief Shlomo Aharonishki told Israel Radio on Friday morning that large numbers of police reinforcements had been deployed throughout the country. Police numbers have also been bolstered in cities along the Green Line, and Border Police units are on high alert along the divide between Israel and the West Bank. finish the fence - faster
IDF troops operating in the West Bank city of Ramallah arrested 25 Hamas activists overnight Thursday. nice hunting
I wonder how many of them were sprung as part of trying to accomodate the Paleos during the hudna?
Hours earlier, Palestinian gunmen fired shots near homes in the Psagot settlement close to Ramallah. There were no injuries.
"Die, Zionist dogs!"
"I'm sorry. Did you say something?"
In the Gaza Strip late Thursday, Palestinians fired at IDF troops near Atzmona in the Gush Katif settlement bloc, and troops returned fire. Palestinian gunmen also fired two anti-tank missiles at IDF troops near the Gadid settlement in southern Gaza. There were no injuries in either incident. typical Paleo marksmanship, lucky there were no bystanders, puppies and baby ducks to hit
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/26/2003 11:01:48 AM ||
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Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has ruled out a prisoner swap with the Lebanese militia Hezbollah before the end of next week.
Damn. I was hoping he'd rule it out forever...
The family of missing Israeli navigator Ron Arad, opposed to the release of one of his Hizbollah captors now held in Israel, was granted access by the state to a large part of the file. Arad's family had filed suit against Hizbollah's Mustafa Dirani and complained that the fate of the aviator, whose plane came down over Lebanon in 1986 and is widely believed dead, was being neglected. But Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told public television on Thursday night that prisoners held in Europe over terrorism charges could be used as bargaining chips for any information on Arad.
Those two sentences are constructed as though they have something to do with each other...
"We have good bargaining chips, in which the Iranians are interested, and in which Hizbollah is very, very, very interested," Sharon said, referring to the Lebanese Shia guerrilla group. "They are in a European country, and this is part of the deal ... They carried out terror attacks." Palestinian and Arab media reported during the week that Israel could release up to 400 prisoners, including 185 Lebanese, Syrians and Jordanians.
That wouild be remarkably stoopid. Bargaining with terrorists for hostages in the first place is distasteful. Exchanging them at the rate of 400 for one live one and information on one dead one doesn't make any sense at all.
Germany, which has been the main mediator for the long-awaited prisoner swap, holds three Lebanese and one Iranian convicted in 1997 for the assassination five years earlier in a Berlin restaurant of Iranian Kurdish dissident Sadeq Sarafkindi. When contacted by French news agency AFP, the German foreign ministry refused to comment.
"Was der Helle? WassÃŒp mit das?"
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/26/2003 10:59 ||
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I'm sure the scene at teh downed aircraft looked simular to the scenes at the downed Apache lownbow during the Iraq War. I am surpised that there were no camera crews to film the peasant who "downed the aircraft" with a hunting rifle.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/26/2003 18:44 Comments ||
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EFL:
The Air Force translator accused of espionage at the terrorist prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was likely working for Islamic extremists connected to Al Qaeda, The Post has learned. Note to other ex AF readers, al-Halabi made Senior Airman BTZ, bet the board wishes they could pull that one back.
I'm not surprised. If they send the dummschitz and the dirt bags, they're stuck blowing up gas stations. If they sent or recruit the smart, clean-cut guys, they go further. It's the "dress for success" thing...
U.S. officials said yesterday that investigators have traced e-mail communications from senior airman Ahmad I. al-Halabi, a Syrian-born translator from Detroit, to a handful of "individuals" in Syria, including one man - whom they would not identify - suspected of ties to Osama bin Ladenâs terror network. "I can say no more."
"The case is going more in the direction of radical Islamic groups instead of the Syrian government. At this point we donât think there is a Syrian intelligence connection," said a military official. Other than the fact that nobody operates a radical group in Syria without a permission slip.
I'll bet the Syrian ambassador's complexion's better this morning, though...
Court documents revealed yesterday the Air Force was "monitoring and investigating" al-Halabi before he was sent to Guantanamo. Bwahahahaha
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations had been keeping track of al-Halabi since last November "based on reports of suspicious activity," Special Agent Lance Wega wrote in applying for a search warrant with a California federal court. The warrant was granted. While at Guantanamo, al-Halabi "made statements criticizing United States policy with regard to the detainees and U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East" and also "expressed sympathy for and had unauthorized contact with the detainees," Wega wrote. Military investigators searched al-Halabiâs quarters at Guantanamo on July 19 and found several pieces of mail belonging to Al Qaeda and Taliban suspects at the prison camp, Wega said. On his computerâs hard drive, the agent said, investigators found 186 classified Defense Department documents related to the Guantanamo detainees. Computer evidence indicates al-Halabi e-mailed or posted four of those documents on the Internet, Wega said. The implication is that al-Halabi was helping the prisoners communicate among themselves and with the outside world. Give him the needle.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/26/2003 10:56:02 AM ||
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a verrrry dull needle, and thick, like a pencil
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/26/2003 11:03 Comments ||
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Wow, what an a-hole, & a stupid one at that. I wonder if any American Muslim groups will condemn his treason.....I won't hold my breath. Hopefully he gets "man-loved" in the brig. This guy should've just stayed in Detroit and opened another Seven-Eleven.
#4
It would be interesting to know whether provisions of the maligned Patriot Act made the investigation any easier.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/26/2003 12:43 Comments ||
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#5
He's not the first, and unfortunately, not the last. The Soviet Union infiltrated several dozen people into the US Air Force between 1950 and 1970. Some of these people stayed long enough to earn a retirement check, and weren't discovered until after the fall of the Soviet Union. Some of those people managed to get into career fields that, while not "sensitive", told them a great deal about our military - fields such as finance, personnel, supply, and maintenance.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/26/2003 13:08 Comments ||
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#6
I worked with several forign nationals that were serving in our military and found them to be toprate. Syrian nationals should be washed out immediately along with any nations from other suspect nations (insert French joke.)
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/26/2003 14:04 Comments ||
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#7
SH - I agree! One of the best NCO's I've ever met was a Mexican national. Tony was not only a super NCO, he was a great guy and a personal friend. The military considered him loyal enough to give him a high security clearance.
I knew one of the guys that was a Soviet spy, but only learned about it long after the Wall was down and Russia was our "friend". It shocked me to my roots! At the same time, I've met dozens of other "foreign nationals" from Germany, Great Britain, several of the Latin American countries, and even one New Zealander (medic in our clinic here in Colorado) that are top-notch people, doing a great job, and apparently just as loyal to the United States as any "born-here" citizen. The really good agents (not this two-legged mule from Syria) are "above reproach", keep a low profile, and go about their job just like everybody else. That's why it's such a shock when you hear of one of them.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/26/2003 17:01 Comments ||
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#8
Old Patriot
Just saw Gibson's show on Fox. Napolitano was on saying that the DOD was trying to have it both wats by charging these servicement with treason for actions committed in GITMO as the DOD had stated that Constitutional Protections didn't apply there.
Napolitano is usually pretty good but I beleive that he is barking up the wrong tree here as:
1. The UCMJ applies to servicemen whereever tehy go.
2. Consitutional protections like representation by a lawyer do not apply to enemy combattents in time of war. Even someone who has watched two episodes of Hogan's heros ought to understand that lawyers are not provided.
3. Napolitano pointed out that the poor captives could be incarcerated perpetually. Is he saying tha twe should have released German POW's before the German surrender. How long was McCain in the Hanoi Hilton?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/26/2003 18:19 Comments ||
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#9
First, the UCMJ applies to EVERY member of the military, for as long as they live, for crimes that occurred when they were IN the military. The UCMJ applies equally to active, reserve, National Guard, and RETIRED RESERVES. Even if you never have anything to do with the military after your 2/4/6+ year hitch, if you did one of the MAJOR crimes while on active duty, they have juristiction. They may or may not waive that juristiction, but they HAVE it.
Secondly, the UCMJ ONLY applies to military. That means it doesn't apply to civilian workers, foreign workers, or whatever - only to Uniformed Services Members.
Third, the UCMJ provides most (if not all) the same guarantees against self-incrimination, access to a lawyer, right to evidence, et. cetera, ad nauseum. They just don't do it the "regular" way - it's all done in accordance with the UCMJ. Article 31 is basically the same as the Miranda rights. It's all there - and the government knows how to use it as a sledge-hammer, or a pair of surgical tongs. These guys committed a crime against the military and the government of the United States. They will be treated absolutely 100% correctly, but the government will nail them anyway, since they have the evidence. The best thing to do for these two turkeys (and any others that may be involved) is to start singing, and don't stop until you've got your pardon, your General Discharge, and your walking papers in your hand. Depending on how much you know, you might make it. If you run dry short of that goal, so sorry, GI!
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/26/2003 19:13 Comments ||
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#10
Another BTZ FUBAR! I remember at Nellis they had a guy the made BTZ and turned out to be THE dope dealer for the base. Out of twenty years I saw maybe two people that got a BTZ or STEP promotion that really deserved it. Of course this goes back on the Supervisor. What kind of write-up did they give him? He might might have been a really good troop but working as a spy all along.
The Israeli army has invaded the Palestinian town of Jenin and bombarded its refugee camp with heavy machine-gun fire. Al jazeera's correspondent in Jenin said 15 military vehicles raided the town on Friday morning and imposed a curfew. Eyewitnesses said Israeli forces launched sweeping raids on the outskirts of Jenin while Apache helicopters hovered over the area. The raid comes a day after six Palestinians, including a three-year-old girl, were killed in a bloody day of Israeli violence in the occupied territories.
Yep. Just went on a rampage for no reason...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
09/26/2003 10:48 ||
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strange, nothing online in Jpost or Haaretz on this.....hhhmmmm think Al-Jiz might have an....agenda?
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/26/2003 11:11 Comments ||
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#2
..a bloody day of Israeli violence in the occupied territories."
..*sniff sniff*...
Smells like the usual sources are at it again. Surprising that the word "Zionist" isn't in there somewhere...
#3
It must be true, Islam Online is covering it and they don't have a agenda, do they?
A three-year-old girl also died of fright when the column of 35 Israeli armored vehicles, including tanks, pushed into the camp backed up by a helicopter gunship, family and hospital sources said.
No word on her baby duck.
Posted by: Steve ||
09/26/2003 11:16 Comments ||
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#4
Al'Jazeera: printing everything the terrorists want printed!
Anyone know if they have offices in the US? Sure seems like it's time for them to be protested.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
09/26/2003 12:10 Comments ||
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#5
This clearly is not an authentic Al-Jazeera report. It uses the words "Jenin" and "Israeli army" in the same sentence without including the word "massacre."
Six prominent figures were convicted on Friday of secretly transferring money to North Korea ahead of a historic 2000 summit, the first to be punished in a scandal that has tarnished the image of a Nobel Peace prize-winning former president Kim Dae Jung. Being a peace prize winner, along with Arafat and Carter is somewhat diminished already
The six men, including two key figures in Mr Kimâs administration, were given suspended prison terms immediately after the conviction by the Seoul District Criminal Court. The ruling means that the officials will not likely serve their sentences unless they are convicted of the same crime again. It is not clear if they will appeal. appeal? a suspended sentence? bwahahaha
The court found them guilty of secretly remitting US$100 million in violation of South Koreaâs strict foreign currency regulations. The case has severely damaged the reputation of Mr Kim after an independent counsel concluded that his government funnelled the money to North Korea in exchange for hosting the 2000 summit with the communist countryâs leader Kim Jong Il. The summit led to the dramatic false easing of tensions on the Korean Peninsula and as a result Mr Kim won the Nobel Peace Prize that year. Mr Kim, who was never investigated or indicted, finished his five-year term in February this year. He was succeeded by President Roh Moo Hyun, a political ally.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/26/2003 10:48:35 AM ||
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Semms like they are currently willing to come to the table without being bribed ... whenever the Chinese say they should.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/26/2003 18:36 Comments ||
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Amy Bickers, Tokyo,26 Sep 2003, 11:22 UTC EFL and Fair Use
A powerful earthquake jolted Japanâs northernmost island of Hokkaido Friday, forcing thousands to evacuate their homes. Local media reports say more than 300 people were injured. An earthquake measuring 8 on the Richter scale struck off the coast of Northeastern Japan at 4:50 a.m. local time Friday. The powerful earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, about 100 kilometers off the coast of Hokkaido. It was the biggest quake recorded in the world this year and the largest to hit Japan in almost nine years. Damage was minor given the quakeâs intensity, because the area affected is mostly rural.
Posted by: .com ||
09/26/2003 9:22:13 AM ||
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Luckily it hit Japan and not a Muslim country. Thereby saving tens of thousands of lives.
Posted by: Dar ||
09/26/2003 12:34 Comments ||
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#3
The US has an airbase at Misawa, in west-central Hokkaido. Friend of mine there said that there was some "swaying and rocking", but no serious damage. They're still operational. Earthquakes are notorious for being totally unbiased in who they kill/maim/murder/mangle/injure, unlike some religious and political groups.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/26/2003 12:43 Comments ||
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#4
I understand Old Patriot.... tell me in which Muslim country there would have been no deaths from a Mag 8.0 quake?
#5
Dar - Fair Use is indicated to document that reproducing the article on Rantburg is not meant to infringe upon the copyright. Some blog sites have had suits filed against them for posting of entire articles. If you EFL and reproduce any embedded copyright notice then you have complied with the "fair use" court rulings - or such was your stated intent - almost as important in court. Just trying to protect Rantburg from the zealous types... as it rises in the blog ratings (and Glenn at Instapundit gave a very nice plug yesterday, which will help) it will appear on the radar scopes of those who might think to target it. Windy explanation - sorry!
Three teenage girls, including twin sisters, are due to appear in a Moroccan court later on Friday charged with planning suicide attacks in Rabat. Iman and Sanaa Laghrisse and their friend Hakima Rejlane, all aged 14, are the youngest suspects so far in a series of trials targeting Islamists in the wake of the bombings in Casablanca in May that killed 45 people. The announcement of their arrest earlier this month caused a sensation here. We had a good laugh about it here, I didnât know they were 14.
The fact that girls so young were apparently prepared to die for the cause of Islamic extremism added a new dimension to the trauma Morocco has been suffering since the attacks. The information that has filtered out about the girls since has provoked both pity and fear. According to the police, they were planning to carry out a suicide attack on a supermarket that sells alcohol in Rabat. The porno movie theater was already booked.
The alleged plot apparently came to light when they asked their local imam, or Islamic preacher, if he would give his official blessing with a fatwa. He said no.
It has been reported that the girls come from a broken home, had been living in poverty with little education and may have been forced into prostitution. The police say the girls came increasingly under the influence of Islamists as they tried to find a way out of their desperate situation. The prosecution case seems likely to focus on the girlsâ alleged manipulation by Islamic extremists. This sounds like a job for Oprah!
Posted by: Steve ||
09/26/2003 8:50:18 AM ||
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It's not surprising that the Islamists target that age group. Cults, drug pushers, gymnastics coaches, pimps, pedophiles and other lowlife find young adults that age confused and easy to sway. It's sad.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/26/2003 12:34 Comments ||
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#2
Yes, maybe Oprah can help them with their "self esteem" issues. She can bring in Dr. Phil to consult...
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said that there was "some convergence of views" within the UN Security Council on a new resolution for Iraq. "Weâll be working on language in the days ahead to try and capture as much of that convergence as possible," he told reporters without elaborating on what the areas of "convergence" were. "Weâll see what we are able to come to agreement on," Powell said. All except the French thought the French were reprehensible and smelled bad.
His comments follow three days of intense talks about the proposed resolution at the 58th UN General Assembly session and on its sidelines. The United States wants the new resolution to authorize a US-led multinational force to stabilize Iraq and call for the US-appointed interim Iraqi Governing Council to submit a timeline for the countryâs return to self-rule. In an interview taped with CBS televisionâs "Late Night with David Letterman," Powell said the United States was anxious to see a new Iraqi constitution written and ratified "within six months" followed by a "period of elections." In a meeting earlier Thursday with Governing Council members, Powell said the interim government understood the need for an elected government but said it was too early to discuss a specific timetable for when it should be set in place. "I think we did converge on the understanding that we did need a democratic political process that rests on a constitution and elections that flow from that constitution," Powell said. "Thatâs been a subject of some debate over the last week or so, but I think we all have a common understanding," he added. Sounds like the French will abstain this time.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/26/2003 12:32:24 AM ||
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Ahhh...
I'm a little slow on the up-take.
The French want any Iraqi government in place. They don't care if it's elected or not. In fact, they'd prefer that it wasn't.
#2
We'll get a government up and running in Iraq long before we get common sense and decency in France. I used to have a lot of sympathy for the french because they seemed to get invaded by the germans or the english about every 20 years for the past two millenia. But since I've gotten to know them over the last couple of years, I think I know why they get invaded all the time and its not just for the food.
The French couldnt be any more transparent if the were made of saran wrap. They want a quickie Iraqi government that can be manipulated the way that Saddam was, to put them and rhone polenc back in the business of stealing oil revenues from the Iraqis.
US to France - theres a new sheriff in town.
Posted by: Frank Martin ||
09/26/2003 11:03 Comments ||
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#3
Don't feel bad, Dishman. It took me a while to figure out the same thing.
#4
Let's see - Dad and his buddies had a friendly chat with Vlad "Mr. KGB" Putin, Schroeder gets chummy with GW at the White House, and we have a "convergence of views" in the UNSC...
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.
