Between 9pm and 2am on Thursday nights all men must stay indoors cleaning, while their so-called downtrodden wives take over the tapas bars, free from the bondage of Andalucian machismo. Men daring to flout the rules faced on-the-spot fines of â¬5 (£3.50) and Mr Gil was the first to come a cropper. He unzipped his leather purse and took out â¬1. "Itâs all Iâve got," he said.
Torredonjimeno, with a population of 14,000 living off olive oil production, is not the obvious place for a revolution of the sexes, and its mayor, Javier Checa, may not seem the most likely evangelist for womenâs rights. A former Torremolinos ballroom dancing champion and media baron, Mr Checa dreamt up the idea because, he says, of his commitment to gender equality.
The town clearly has its gender issues. Though women account for more than half the population, only 10% of them work outside the home. There were 142 reported domestic violence incidents last year, and people still talk about the local woman killed by her husband a few years ago. In a neighbouring town, three women were throttled, knifed or beaten to death by their husbands this year, including a 92-year-old woman murdered by her older husband.
Yet those suspicious of Mr Checaâs motives and credentials were appalled by the manner in which the fines were collected. Uniformed "stewardesses" in short skirts and high heels were patrolling the streets ready to pounce on any man who disobeyed the new rule, which may have been one of many reasons why the first weekly "womenâs night" quickly descended into pandemonium. Most of the townâs men refused to stay in and refused to pay the fines, even though they were sold to them as "voluntary donations of conscience" to raise money for domestic violence charities.
The women were not too happy, either. They refused to be told which night they could or couldnât go out. Local feminists denounced the town hall for making "a mockery" of womenâs rights. Joined by communists, union members and general leftwingers, they staged a 1,000-strong protest against the "anti-constitutional" repression of men. Yesterday, the mayorâs office said he was still counting the money the four "stewardesses" had raised, but those who trailed the stewardesses guessed it was a maximum of â¬120. Would this happen every Thursday night, after the media circus had left Mr Checaâs balcony? No one could say. But the cameras would certainly be there for his next proposed stunt: banning TV on the first day of every month from November, by pulling the plug on the townâs aerial.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
10/05/2003 2:41:18 PM ||
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EFL -Newsday AP story
A Soviet bullet entered his skull behind the left ear and exited via the nearest eye socket, leaving nothing but lid. Two decades later, a permanently winking Maj. Mulla Naimatullah beams with pride when his commanding general tells this story. Then there is Col. Talib Hayatallah, who literally ate a Taliban slug. It crashed into his mouth and pulverized every tooth on the left side of his face before bursting out his cheekbone. He, too, smiles in satisfaction about the flesh-and-bone medal of valor.
A pair of Associated Press reporters went along for the first two days of the patrolâs hashish-scented ride through "ground zero" of the southern-based Taliban operations, which have spread inland from the border regions during the past six weeks to an area devoid of any international presence. The idea of disarming career guerrillas seemed as alien as southeast Afghanistanâs shades-of-beige landscape, with jagged mountain ridges that loom like hallucinatory skyscrapers, roads cut into maze-like gorges that turn a truck into a target, and treacherous stretches of rock quarry-like paths on which dust clouds often allow zero visibility. The guerrillas, shrouded in robes over their camouflage fatigues, traveled in 10 light pickup trucks and two larger trucks filled with fuel, spare tires and other supplies. They were on a loosely planned mission to fly the flag for the isolated, impressionable people of the flyspeck villages that are often hideaways for the Taliban -- a term that has been loosely used of late to include any enemy of the U.S.-backed central government.
As night fell, some of the scouts noticed what seemed like the same pickup truck pass them a second time. They moved slowly into the mountains, then stopped when they saw a pair of headlights coming toward them. It was the same truck, doubling back and, seemingly, scouting their movements. Taliban spy? Two soldiers were the first to burst out of their vehicles, swinging their Kalashnikovs, and soon dozens of others were pulling a young man from the truck. Terrified, he said he was heading toward a town and had lost his way. He was asked if he knew the name of a prominent tribal leader who lives in a village near the town.
"Yes, heâs my neighbor," the young man said.
"And the name of the village?" the general asked.
The man didnât know.
They wear their wounds of allegiance with honor, yet they are rogues the Bush administration aims to disarm. Disarm? The idea seems incomprehensible even to callow young militiaman like Lala Jann, who signed on after the Taliban were toppled at the age of 19. "This unit is an efficient unit," he said of the 1818 Advanced Special Ops, many of whom smoke the dizzying hashish that is a staple of the culture, especially among secular groups like Kandaharâs Sunni Muslims. Now 21, he was born into war and plans to carry a gun even if peace finally takes hold. His future, he said, is as a soldier in south Afghanistan, though he has no scars to show for it. Not yet. I donât know that there is much benefit to disarming units like this one. They donât appear to have set up a fiefdom. Iâm not sure they have many useful skills to preform any other function in society.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
10/05/2003 2:32:54 PM ||
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#2
I'm suddenly reminded of John Ringo's suggestion that we hire these guys as auxiliary troops of some sort. Maybe that would make the Syrians take us seriously, nothing else is...
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
10/05/2003 18:39 Comments ||
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#3
I like the fact that all these guys have taken head shots of one kind or another. Getting one through the eye socket would really would really test my motivation.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
10/05/2003 22:23 Comments ||
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Follow-up to past stories; registration required for the link.
The United States has accepted an offer by Serbia and Montenegro to send as many as 1,000 combat soldiers and police to Afghanistan to work with U.S. forces. The Serb-Montenegrin force, which will have to be trained to function under U.S. command, will be based in the Kandahar region near the Pakistan border, the officials said. The troops are expected to be ready by March. Afghan officials have not reacted to the plan.
I'll bet their so happy!
The deployment raises the question of whether it will include Serb troops or officers who may have been involved in atrocities against Muslims during the war in Bosnia or the more recent war in Kosovo. The U.S. Central Command, which is responsible for overseeing foreign military participation in Afghanistan, swiftly approved the proposal but told the Serbs that the United States wanted infantry troops rather than lightly armed peacekeepers. They do have to weed out the Serbs who committed atrocities in the Balkans. Iâm not sure that will leave the Serbs with a company.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/05/2003 12:46:50 AM ||
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#1
I would sure like to know what the quid pro quo was on this one.
Posted by: Pete Stanley ||
10/05/2003 1:48 Comments ||
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#4
I don't know what the turnover has been like in the Serbian army, but it's been long enough that a fair portion should be new enlistees.
I'm also not sure this rises to the level of quid pro quo. It seems to me that the Serbs stand to gain a lot by contributing troops in terms of appearances within Europe. With this, they are effectively completing their transition from 'bad guys' to 'good guys'.
#5
gotta agree - they gain nothing by sending goons and killers to a country in which there are so many others that would expose any mistreatment of civilians or others. I think this is a good faith effort to turn a corner, and applaud it. Now, get the Serbs and Bosnians to give up Radovan and Ratko and they'll be doing even better
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/05/2003 11:51 Comments ||
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#6
I sure hope that we have thought this thing through and played the devil's advocate in this plan. We do not need any unnecessary side shows right now. We need to make good on our course, so to speak.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/05/2003 13:26 Comments ||
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#7
y first thoughts on hearing this were, Serbs..Muslims...WTF. Maybe the Serbian Army has changed, I certainly hope so.
#8
Well, we know Saudi "charities" have been active in Bosnia. We got a list of the "golden chain" from one of those places. Albania/Kosovo has been a target of al Qaeda maggots, just as weak places like Somalia and Indonesia are attractive to Qaeda, for training purposes and whatnot.
So again, what is the quid pro quo?
Posted by: Pete Stanley ||
10/05/2003 22:49 Comments ||
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Bahrain will never tolerate acts of terrorism or allow them to deflect the kingdom from its path of democratic re-form, His Majesty King Hamad pledged yesterday. "The democratic process will not be reversed and we will progress along the path of reform with every determination and resolve, defending our national approach," he told a meeting of security chiefs.
"We ain't gonna put up with that tiresome crap here."
The King said Thursday night's attack on a minibus in Sitra which injured five policemen had coincided with Bahrain gaining membership of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva. "The Bahrain parliamentary delegation was well received by the union and accordingly we have the right to wonder who is behind Thursday's incident," he said. "No-one can justify or accept any kind of terrorism that confronts the revival of the democratic process. Bahrain will not tolerate any kind of terrorism especially as it is now known how much damage terrorism has caused to the interests of Arabs and Muslims."
"It was okay when it was just Jews that were getting it..."
The King also called on people who made provocative remarks and speeches to consider the implications of their words. He said the incitement of acts of extremism and violence were inseparable from the acts of terrorism themselves. These acts led to the killing of innocent people, damage to property and the intimidation of peaceful men, women and children. "We call upon those behind these words to think sincerely and to balance their speeches in order to protect our youth and to show responsibility," he said.
They're really taking this seriously if they arrest the clerics who're whipping up the rubes...
The King warned: "As a result of the diversity of terrorist acts throughout the region and the whole world, the responsibility of security forces has to include facing up to and combating terrorism. At the same time the security forces must maintain national security in a manner which allows for the democratic and human dimension."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
10/05/2003 19:30 ||
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Finally someone in charge in the Arab world is telling the terrorists to knock it off. I'll give him some credit for that.
Posted by: Baba Yaga ||
10/05/2003 22:17 Comments ||
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The Suadis must have OK'd his speech.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
10/05/2003 22:28 Comments ||
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The chairman of the Kingdomâs Supreme Judiciary Council has said the punishment for individuals wanted by police for security reasons would be reduced if they surrendered. âThe surrender of a wanted person will have a big impact in terms of reducing his punishment, if he is punished at all,â Sheikh Saleh Al-Laheedan said.
"If he's punished at all"? Oh, yeah. That'll work...
Laheedanâs statement comes in the wake of a major crackdown on suspected terrorists in the Kingdom following the May 12 triple bombings on residential compounds in Riyadh.
But that was five months ago, so all is forgiven...
Police have arrested more than 200 suspects and seized a large amount of weapons and explosives in nationwide raids of militant hideouts. A number of terrorists and police officers have been killed in the operations. âIf a person surrenders to authorities after committing a crime and repents with the desire to prevent harm to himself and the public, he will not be given the same punishment as someone who does not,â the judiciary chief told Al-Riyadh Arabic newspaper.
What do the dead people have to do to get alive again?
âThe rule for the repentant, even if they took part in bombings or other crimes, is not the same as for those who flee or are tracked down by police or carry weapons to defend themselves. The two cases are entirely different,â he said.
"On the other hand, the dead guys will stay dead."
Laheedan said the religious edicts issued by some individuals urging people to stand up to security forces were against the Shariah. Such edicts would only create chaos and confusion in the country. He implied that convicted terrorists would be sentenced to death. âIf a person commits a dangerous crime causing fear and terror, the punishment will be to remove that fear and terror,â he told Al-Riyadh.
We'll be looking forward to seeing a few sentences carried out...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
10/05/2003 19:25 ||
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Western law enforcement and intelligence officials say that Dubaiâs free-wheeling financial environment â a mix of modern wealth and ancient commerce â has allowed the country to become an important crossroads for financing terrorism. United States officials are focusing closely on Dubai, looking for ways to stop the flow of terroristsâ funds. But experts say there are daunting difficulties to penetrating the maze. "Contraband of all kinds moves through there â liquor, cigarettes, precious gems, you name it," said Larry Johnson, a former counterterrorism official with the Central Intelligence Agency and the State Department. "Dubai is going to emerge as one of the battlegrounds in terrorist financing. Itâs a real, real problem and I donât know anyone who has a handle on whatâs going on there."
To include the government of Dubai...
Describing the United Arab Emirates as a clandestine rendezvous for planners of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, the officials say half of the plottersâ money â about $250,000 â was wired from banks here to operatives of Al Qaeda in the United States. In addition, American intelligence agencies have tied Qaeda money in banks here to the American Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. Dubaiâs conduits for terrorist money, experts say, include thriving Russian and Indian organized crime syndicates as well as the emiratesâ many free trade zones, which allow the commingling of legal and illegal commerce.
But the most significant, elusive conduit is the informal international money-transfer network known as hawala. Largely relied on by Middle Eastern and Asian communities around the globe, hawalas allow users to deposit money in one country and have the sums honored by related dealers elsewhere â permitting expatriate workers here to send small monthly sums home. The Western officials assert that Dubai, along with Pakistan and India, forms the backbone of a system that abets terrorism. The Russian mafia is reported to be involved in Dubaiâs nightclubs. Mobsters from both Russia and India are suspected by Western officials of trading in drugs, particularly heroin; analysts say they believe that such trafficking could provide a marriage of convenience for terrorists peddling drugs to raise cash.
For their part, officials of the emirates say that on the occasions when they do identify suspicious banking transactions, foreign counterparts rarely respond to their requests for detailed information to aid investigation. Banking officials here say that from August 2001 to May 2003, 429 reports of suspicious transactions were filed here and sent abroad â largely to Canada, Switzerland, Britain, the United States, Portugal, Italy and Luxembourg. The officials say the transactions have resulted in 46 active investigations in the emirates, but little aid from the countries they have notified.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
10/05/2003 1:01:18 AM ||
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The government has learned that the Queen could be the target of an Al-qaeda terrorist attack during a visit to Nigeria later this year. The intelligence warnings, which have been passed to the Foreign Office, indicate that Al-qaeda operatives hope to exploit weaknesses in Nigeriaâs security services to strike during the Commonwealth Heads of Government conference in December.
If you thought 9-11 was a stoopid move, this would make it look bright...
Posted by: TS ||
10/05/2003 10:25:59 AM ||
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Don't be messing with the Queen. Nigeria got Sharia but the Queen got Rule Britannia which is technically known as Freedom of the Seas.
#2
Nigeria needs to figure which side of the fence they're on before the fundo/Sharia set sends them to the shithole - like every other country they've tainted
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/05/2003 11:54 Comments ||
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#3
Do you think the visit will spawn a new bout of e-mail offers on the net?
SH,
Depends on what happens. If something DOES happen, and the Queen is endangered, some 110 members of the Commonwealth will begin sending troops to Nigeria. When the number of troops exceeds 1% of the population of Nigeria, there's gonna be some whacking and stacking going on. Gonna be lots of new corpses that "have money hidden away, and I need help getting it" for his poor dead husband/widow/children/grandchildren/et cetera, ad nausium.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/05/2003 16:59 Comments ||
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A Malaysia Airlines plane bound for Perth in western Australia, has been grounded after an engineer conducting pre-flight checks noticed its wires had been cut, a newspaper report said on Saturday. The paper said the aircraft had arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on October one from Singapore and later sent to the maintenance bay for a routine inspection. At least seven bundles of wires were on Thursday found cut on the A-330 aircraft, including those under an instrument panel located under the captainâs seat. Iâm not sure, but this seems to be saying that after the plane had went to the maintenance bay at the Malaysian airport for a routine inspection, it was released to be flown, and the flight engineer noticed the cut wires during pre-flight inspection, which makes it look like Malaysian workers in the maintenance bay cut the wires?
Posted by: TS ||
10/05/2003 10:44:12 AM ||
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#1
Stasndby, airline tickets are about to get more expensive throughout the world. Democrats in teh states will be going for the all maintenace workers should be federal employees angle. Funny but weren't the mole of GITMO all federal employees at one time?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
10/05/2003 13:16 Comments ||
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#2
The A330 is a fly-by-wire aircraft. Cutting wires, it seems to me, is much more dangerous in that kind of aircraft, though I would imagine that wires going to electrical servos that run the control surfaces are much more robust and shielded. This thing sends shivers down my spine. Thank goodness for the preflight. I would imagine that some faults would show up on the ground when they powered up.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/05/2003 13:32 Comments ||
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#3
When submarines are commissioned in the US, they make a representative from every one of the skilled trades sail with the submarine when it submerges for the first time.
This cuts down on shoddy workmanship, but wopuldn't have much effect on a jihadi.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
10/05/2003 15:03 Comments ||
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#4
Super Hose:
Is it a random rep.? I think the shop steward would be my pick.
#6
Shipman,
I think it is the shop steward, but I'm not a bubblehead.
In the 1200 psi steam navy, I witnessed CPOs that would make their boiler tech's (BT aka flangehead) oe machinist mates (MM aka monkey mate) stand next to any steam valve that the man had repacked.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
10/05/2003 17:36 Comments ||
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#7
That's why the damn cigarette lighter wouldn't work...
Hat tip LGF
INTELLIGENT and attractive, 20-year-old Sabatina James should have a bright future to look forward to - but instead she lives in fear with round-the-clock police protection because of threats to her life. Now she has decided to tell the world about the death threat that hangs over her, not from an abusive spouse or a local thug, but from her family and much of the Muslim community of Linz in Austria. She has published a book entitled, Sabatina: From Islam To Christianity - A Death Sentence, in which she describes her fatherâs death threats, which he made under the Muslim laws of Sharia. Tell me again about the Religion of Peace
James comes from a Muslim family but attempted to convert to Christianity, a decision which met with extreme hostility from her parents - the kind of hostility that made the headlines in the UK last week when Muslim father Abdalla Yones was jailed for life for the murder of his daughter Heshu. He stabbed her 11 times after she struck up a relationship with a Christian. The book has made James a figurehead for persecuted women in Austria and Germany, but has also forced her to live under constant police protection at her home in the Austrian capital Vienna. She said: "The fear is still there. The fear that my parents could murder me under the laws of Sharia." She also told how she learned of her fatherâs plan to get her grandfather from Pakistan to carry out her death sentence. He told her: "Your grandfather is already an old man and will die soon. It wouldnât bother him to spend time in an Austrian jail."
"Hell, Grampaw's been in jail lotsa times, almost every time he's killed somebody, in fact..."
James moved to Austria aged 10 with her mother Fatima, her brothers Hassan and Adnan and her younger sister Aisha, after her father got a job on a construction site in a small rural village. The family seemed to settle into their new life, except for her mother, who flatly rejected the "immoral Austrian culture".
"All that yodeling, it's downright un-Islamic!"
However, their new lives changed dramatically four years later when they moved to the cosmopolitan city of Linz. There James began to develop an independent streak and wished to look and behave more like her western classmates.
The brazen hussy prob'ly wanted to wear a dirndl and everything...
"For this she was beaten up at home to such an extent that social services had to intervene," said Jamesâ publisher Josef Kleindienst. At 16, James took part in a family holiday back to Pakistan where she was told she was to marry her cousin, Salman. When she refused, her family sent her to a Koran school to learn how to become a "decent Muslim".
You become a decent Muslim by marrying close relatives and killing people...
Only when she agreed to marry once her education was complete was she allowed back to Austria. But after her return her previous feelings returned and after conversing with a classmate about God she began to read the Bible for the first time. James said: "I was amazed at the differences between the Bible and the Koran. The Bible spoke of love and forgiveness, but only Mohammedâs severity was conveyed in the Koran. "The turning point for me was the Bibleâs attitude towards women. There were no commandments that said women were put on this earth to serve men."
Grampaw and Pop don't like to talk about that part...
Of her future she said: "I donât know what will happen to me. All I can do is wait and hope that one day Christians and Muslims will understand each other better."
Unfortunately, I think they understand each other all too well...
Austrian author, Guenther Ahmed Rusznak who converted from Islam to Catholicism and tried to arbitrate between Sabatina and her father, said what made the threat worse was that a large part of Austriaâs Muslim community agreed. He said: "Ninety-nine per cent of the Islamic Community here in Linz condemn this girl, calling her a whore. This is ghastly."
#2
I guess the often misinterpretted passage in the new testement about women being submissive to their husbands looks pretty mild when compared to Sharia.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
10/05/2003 15:06 Comments ||
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#3
He said: "Ninety-nine per cent of the Islamic Community here in Linz condemn this girl, calling her a whore. This is ghastly."
Time to move her out of there. If Autria has an equivalent of a witness protection program, now woukd be a good time to use it.
The Guestbook link is broken, for good reason I guess.
And a message to the 99 percent of "decent muslims" in Linz. Nobody forces you to live in a Catholic country. And if you think that a girl is a whore because she wants to be a catholic then you really don't belong there.
Pakistani police fired teargas to disperse hundreds of angry Shi'ite Muslim mourners who went on a rampage in Karachi yesterday, a day after six Shi'ites were killed in an attack on a bus. "We will avenge the killings," shouted the crowd of about 1,000 mourners during a funeral procession for one of the six people killed in the Friday attack.
Just waiting for them to start hollering "Death to the Great Satan!"
Two or three gunmen riding a motorcycle opened fire with automatic weapons on a bus carrying Shi'ite Muslims to a mosque for main Friday prayers, killing five on the spot. A sixth man died in hospital. Eight people were wounded. No group claimed responsibility but police blame Sunni militants for most of the sectarian bloodletting in Pakistan. Yesterday young men and boys burnt tyres to block a main road and side lanes in Karachi's central district, threw stones at cars and motorcycles and damaged police vehicles, a police post and petrol stations. Witnesses said some of the protesters suffered minor injuries in scuffles with police, who struggled to control the crowd. Police said they had detained at least eight people. "The situation is now under control," city police chief Tariq Jamil said. Most of the dead and wounded in the Friday attack were employees of Pakistan's Space & Upper Atmospheric Research Commission, using a company bus.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
10/05/2003 19:35 ||
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Pakistan denied Friday that its firing of a nuclear-capable surface-to-surface missile had anything to do with stalled peace talks with India, which characterized the test as "nothing special." "Oh, that missile!
The Pakistani army announced the early-morning launch of the short-range Hatf-3 Ghaznavi missile and promised "a series" of tests in coming days. The missile can carry conventional and non-conventional weapons as far as 180 miles--within reach of several important targets in India. "We have successfully test-fired the Hatf-3 at New Delhi," said army spokesman Gen. Shaukat Sultan, who declined to say where the test was conducted. The army later released a statement saying India and other neighboring countries were informed before the test flight. Excuse me you cursed infidels, but weâll be test-firing a missile designed to incinerate your capital. Hope you donât mind and Allah curse you if you do."
In New Delhi, Defense Ministry spokesman Amitabh Chakravorty confirmed that his government had been notified. Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes later said the test was "nothing special." He told the Press Trust of India, "It has to be seen whether the missile is their own or provided by North Korea or China." The comments are an allusion to charges that Pakistan has exchanged nuclear and other weapons technology with North Korea, which Pakistan denies. Yasss, the vaunted Pak high-technology program.
China is Pakistanâs main supplier of military hardware, but the Hatf-3 is said to be an indigenous Pakistani missile. You can tell because it lands within a hundred miles of the intended target.
The test was the first by Pakistan since March 26, when it fired a short-range missile soon after India announced a similar launch. On Friday, Khan denied any link between the most recent test and failing peace efforts. An army statement added: "The timings of the tests reflect Pakistanâs determination not to engage in a tit-for-tat syndrome to other tests in the region. ... Pakistan will maintain the pace of its own missile development program and conduct tests as per its need to frighten the Hindoo infidels technical needs." The missile test came with Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali in the middle of a visit to the United States and two days after he met with President Bush. They reportedly discussed ISI-sponsored terrorism, the Kashmir situation and Washingtonâs desire for Pakistan to contribute peacekeeping troops for Iraq. Just leave the peacekeeping thing alone.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/05/2003 12:53:13 AM ||
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A boom in supply of hallucinogenic tablets has been coupled with the release of tens of thousands of criminals from prison before the US-led invasion to create a huge problem for the fledgling Iraqi police force. As well as the tablets, drugs like Valium and sleeping pills - in common use in Iraqi jails - are being used. The euphoria and lack of fear provided by the drugs, the police say, is giving desperate criminals the courage to carry out more crimes. "The release of those prisoners was a crime - a crime against me, against all Iraqis," Omar Zahed, the leader of the Iraq policeâs anti-drugs squad, told BBC World Serviceâs Outlook programme.
Mr Zahed said that the tablets were of huge concern to the police force - and that their presence in Iraq was the result of a well-planned international criminal effort. "They only appeared in this country about two years ago," he stated. "We did a study and discovered it was a sabotage operation from outside Iraq. It had to be - because at first the tablets were coming in at a totally uneconomical price, just a few US cents per strip. Most of the tablets came in over our Eastern boarder with Iran. Our people used them and they have become part of a very profitable trade. There is an enormous mark-up on the price."
Mr Zahed said there were around 10-15 types of tablets. He added that some marijuana also came in, but it was not commonly used as it was very expensive. He stressed that the police needed to be able to enforce tougher penalties in order to deal with the problem. "At the moment the penalty for trading these tablets is a fine, or at the most a three-month prison sentence," he said. "Before the war we were drafting a new law with much tougher penalties. I just hope that legislation is put in place."
Mr Zahedâs claims of the effects of the drugs were backed up by Mohammed, a tablet user and former prisoner. "One type of tablet is called Lebanon - when I take it I see Lebanon. Iâve never been there, but itâs in the tablet," he told Outlook. I used to see bad things as well. I used to have terrible nightmares and be filled with fear. I dream of sex. When you take a tablet it makes you desperate. I attack women. You get a friend or a neighbour, or you get a weapon and kill someone, but you are not aware of your actions."
Among the users, some of the street addicts are very young. Teenagers and younger children sniffing paint thinner or correction fluid is a common sight.
"The other day I saw a five-year-old child on the street carrying a bag of correction fluid - it was awful," one Baghdad cafe owner said. "But he was just copying the older children." The cafe owner said that the explosion in drug use was due to the anarchy that had hit some parts of the capital after the fall of Saddam Hussein.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
10/05/2003 2:59:07 PM ||
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"The other day I saw a five-year-old child on the street carrying a bag of correction fluid - it was awful," one Baghdad cafe owner said. "But he was just copying the older children."
EFL/FU
British and U.S. troops clashed on Sunday with hundreds of former soldiers of Saddam Husseinâs army in a second day of violent confrontations which have left at least three Iraqis dead and scores wounded. Former soldiers = thug losers in most cases
British soldiers fired rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of former Iraqi conscripts who hurled rocks and set tires ablaze in the southern city of Basra. time to nip this in the bud - real bullets next or theyâll lose some Brits
The protesters gathered early on Sunday after a British soldier shot dead an armed man in Basra the previous day during clashes with Iraqis who had gathered to collect redundancy payments for being laid off from the Iraqi army. Ex-soldiers also clashed with U.S. troops for a second day in Baghdad near a payment center where they are given their $40 compensation for losing their jobs. Around 200 Iraqi men confronted American soldiers, shouting and waving their fists, before being pushed back away from the area.
Hey! That's what they did during the war, too...
Violent protests erupted on Saturday at payment centers in Baghdad, Basra and the town of Hilla. Iraqâs U.S.-led administration said supporters of Saddam fueled the unrest by spreading rumors there was not enough money to pay everyone. The U.S. military said two Iraqis were believed to have been killed in the unrest in Baghdad on Saturday.
Well, that saved 80 bucks...
"Reports to us indicate that there were two killed in Baghdad, and thatâs from the Iraqi police, not the coalition," spokesman Lieutenant Colonel George Krivo said. Two U.S. soldiers were also wounded, he said.
IRAQIS DEMAND JOBS
Locals in Basra said five people had been wounded on Sunday by rubber bullets. Iraqi police arrived to help quell the violence and fired in the air, but fled to a nearby university building after running out of bullets, chased by the crowd. thatâs gotta be prevented from re-occurring Mohammed Jasim Abboud, one of the protesters, said former soldiers needed jobs and money. Get off your asses - others are learning how to do it
"Weâve had no wages for a while now," he said. "We want our state welfare money rights like everyone else." The U.S.-led administration in Iraq disbanded the countryâs army in May, sparking several angry demonstrations by soldiers who said they faced destitution in a country whose economy has been battered by war and years of dictatorship and sanctions. The administration later agreed to make a one-off payment of $40 to around 440,000 former soldiers. Thousands have been queuing daily at payment centers around Iraq to get their cash. The U.S.-led administration says it is doing its best to create jobs and revive the economy. Spokesman Charles Heatly said joblessness before the war was estimated at 60 percent, and the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) was trying both to create jobs and to foster the private sector to reduce unemployment. He said hundreds of thousands of Iraqis had been employed in several large-scale public works programs. "All these projects employ large numbers of Iraqis," he said. "And of course weâre taking larger steps to get the private sector going in this country and get this extremely stagnant economy up and running."
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/05/2003 1:51:38 PM ||
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Demand jobs?
Look around, assholes. See anything that needs fixing? Well, FIX IT!
You find something useful to do and I guarantee somebody will pay you to do it.
#4
Let's see, there are several thousand buildings that have sustained damage, and need to be cleaned up. There are thousands of damaged and destroyed vehicles that need to be taken care of. There's a million miles of roads that either need to be built, repaired, or cleaned up. There are several tens of thousands of other things that need to be done.
There's a very large religious community that exists in every village and town. Why aren't they working between the coalition and the people that need jobs, to see that things get done? I can't imagine the Baptists, the Methodists, the Catholics, or the Jews having to wait to be asked - they'd be hounding the leaders of the coalition, demanding help in getting these people back to work.
The people still looking for a handout are drones. They've lived so long under a ruthless dictator that told them everything to do, including when and where to squat, that they've forgotten (or perhaps never knew) how to think. There's little they can do, because there's little they WANT to do. The best thing to do with them is to send them to clear some of the millions of mines that exist in Iraq and Afghanistan. I'm sure the best of them would learn to clear mines safely. The rest will do whatever they can, but the result will be the same - the mines will be cleared.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/05/2003 17:53 Comments ||
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Registration required for the link. EFL.
The soldiers who knew Capt. Brian Faunce well called him "Captain Shorty." Though he stood just 5 foot 4, he commanded with the authority of someone twice his size, a soldier said. "He took his job very seriously and he was a very outspoken person," said Sgt. Maj. Carlos Bassatt, who served with Faunce. "If he had to tell higher personnel that something was wrong, he would do that. It didnât matter to him as long as the mission got accomplished." Faunce, 28, of Philadelphia, died Sept. 18 in Al Asad, Iraq. He was moving in a Bradley fighting vehicle when he grabbed a power line and was electrocuted, the Department of Defense said. He joined the military five years ago after graduating from Penn State University, where he was in the ROTC program, Bassatt said. He married his wife, Sheryl, two years ago. Faunce was a dedicated soldier who often worked late into the night to get a job done, Bassatt said. "Whenever everybody else was gone, heâd still be working," he said. "He went out of his way to make sure the work got done and his soldiers were taken care of." Faunce was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, based at Ft. Carson, Colo.
Whether it was pheasant, quail, elk, moose or even Florida boar, Capt. Robert Lucero hunted it. "He loved the outdoors. It wasnât even about going out and killing something," said Maj. Guy Beaudoin, who served with Lucero in the Wyoming National Guard. "It was about the camaraderie that goes with hunting and about being out there with his friends." Lucero, 34, of Casper, Wyo., was killed Sept. 25 in Tikrit, Iraq, after being struck by an improvised explosive. Lucero enlisted in the Army in 1986 and served in Desert Storm before joining the guard, Beaudoin said. He had a degree in environmental engineering and in civilian life was a consultant. "Heâd be what youâd consider an all-American kind of boy," Beaudoin said. "Heâs the kind of guy that if you saw him, youâd say, `He was probably a great heartbreaker.â" Lucero--who had a wife, Sherry--was assigned to the Army National Guardâs 4th Infantry Division Rear Area Operation Center, based in Casper.
Spec. Alyssa Peterson, 27, a language expert from Flagstaff, Ariz., was killed Sept. 15 in Telafar, Iraq, by a non-combat weapons discharge, the Department of Defense said. Her death is being investigated. Peterson had a strong sense of fairness and duty. When she was a student at Flagstaff High School, Peterson once sat out part of a soccer game in protest because other less-talented teammates were being left off the field, said Windy Shaffer, a friend and teammate. "She had this social awareness and sense of what was right that really set her apart," Shaffer said. Peterson earned a degree in psychology from Northern Arizona University in 2001, Shaffer said, and joined the military to learn languages. She had been in Iraq since July as an Arabic translator. "She was very talented and had very high standards for her own conduct and character," said her mother, Bobbi. Peterson was assigned to C Company, 311th Military Intelligence Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), at Ft. Campbell, Ky. God bless âem, every one.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/05/2003 12:44:03 AM ||
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Not much here that we donât already know, but worth a posting.
A pair of investigations in the United States and Spain is bringing new attention to the hidden role played by a secretive group called the Muslim Brotherhood in supporting radical terror networks. It first popped up in Egypt more than 75 years ago, dedicated to overthrowing that countryâs government and replacing it with a strict Islamic state. Later, the group fell off the radar screens of Western intelligence agencies. But the Brotherhood has hardly disappeared. In fact, recent investigations and newly obtained court documents suggest that the Brotherhood is very much alive and activeâand that its members have played important roles in the financing and support of terror groups that include both Al Qaeda and Hamas.
They're the ideological and financial glue holding the whole mess together. They also seem to cross Sunni-Shiite lines...
The Brotherhood âis the mother of all Islamic movements,â says Mamoun Fandy, a widely respected Arab scholar who recently gave lengthy testimony about the organization to the national commission investigating the September 11 terror attacks. But U.S. officials have little understanding of how the Brotherhood operatesâand how widespread its influence is among radical Islamic groups, Fandy adds. âThey [U.S. law enforcement agencies] just see a piece here and a piece there. They donât have a clue.â
"Mahmoud, speaking for Boskone..."
Some of the most striking new evidence about the Brotherhoodâs octopuslike connections have surfaced only in the past few days as part of the case against Solomon Biheiri, an Egyptian-born businessman who has been arrested by federal agents investigating a murky web of Islamic charities based in Herndon and Fall Church, Va., that are allegedly linked to terrorism and money laundering. Biheiri has been detained on immigration charges; no terrorism charges have been filed against him and his lawyer has denied any connection to terrorism. But to make their case that Biheiri should be detained pending trial, federal prosecutors last week portrayed Biheiri as the U.S. banker of the Muslim Brotherhood, linked him to a leading Muslim Brotherhood cleric in the Middle East and described apparent connections to Al Taqwa, a Swiss-based financial network whose assets have been frozen by the U.S. Treasury Department and which investigators believe functions as the central bank for the Muslim Brotherhood.
Bingo. It's there. All you have to do is dig for it...
At the same time, a Spanish investigation into Al Qaeda operations in that country has run up against a parallel, and possibly overlapping, network of Muslim Brotherhood members. One alleged playerâa jailed Syrian-born Al-Jazeera correspondent named Taysir Alouniâis identified in a Spanish police report obtained by NEWSWEEK as âa person strongly connected to the Muslim Brotherhood,â and some of his associates are strongly suspected Brotherhood members, as well. (Alouniâs editor says he is innocent of all charges.)
Binny used to say he was, too, when he was alive and well...
According to Fandy and others, the Brotherhood is the precursor to Al Qaeda and many other now-active Islamic terror groups. Founded in the Egyptian coastal city of Ismaeliya in 1928, the group was committed to purging that country of all Western influences, including any traces of democracy or liberal values that would undermine the goal of a global Islamic theocracy. Evicted from Egypt by that countryâs President, Abdul Gamal Nasser, Muslim Brotherhood members migrated to Saudi Arabia where, according to Fandy, they gained major influences in the countryâs educational institutions and were responsible for radicalizing Saudi students. A prime example of the Brotherhoodâs continued influence, says Fandy, can be seen through the activities of Sheik Yousef Al Qaradawi, a highly visible Egyptian cleric who, from his current base in Qatar, makes regular appearances on the talk of shows of Al-Jazeera.
They're also spread throughout North Africa, and at least as far east as Pakistan — Hek's a member, and so's Qazi...
But court documents in the Biheiri case paint a very different picture of Qaradawi. They identify him as a âhigh-rankingâ member of the Muslim Brotherhood who has been banned by the State Department from entering the United States and who has issued fatwas (religious rulings) legitimizing the use of suicide bombings by Hamas and attacks on U.S. military forces in Iraq. âThose killed fighting the American forces are martyrs given their good intentions,â Qaradawi was quoted as telling a Middle East newspaper earlier this year about the war in Iraq, according to a court affidavit released last week by a U.S. Customs agent who described Biheiriâs connections with Qaradawi. In his affidavit, Kane said that Biheiriâwho has been jailed on immigration chargesâmaintained a listing for Qaradawi in the contacts folder of his laptop. The affidavit also identified Qaradawi as one of the largest shareholders and a board member of Al Taqwa, the Swiss- and Bahamian-based financial network.
With, no doubt, a hefty paycheck attached...
Several Al Taqwa (Fear of God) principals, including the networkâs founder, Youssef Nada, and one of its directors, a Swiss-born Muslim convert named Armand Huber, have been slapped with terrorist âdesignationsâ by both the United States and United Nations. Huber is a neo-Nazi who converted to Islam and has attempted to be a bridge between Nazis and Islamists.
The Taqwa case indicates how the Brotherhood sometimes maintained contacts with Islamic regimes of all stripes. Several U.S. investigators told NEWSWEEK that in a raid on facilities used by Nada in Switzerland and Italy, they came up with a picture of Nada together with Saddam Hussein (Nadaâs lawyers have acknowledged that their client was friendly with top Iraqis). Meanwhile, in an interview with NEWSWEEK, Huber acknowledged maintaining close contacts with both European neo-Nazi activists and with the government of Iran, whose late revolutionary leader, Ayatollah Khomeini, was a Huber acquaintance.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
10/05/2003 2:08:05 AM ||
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They were from Gamma Al Islamiya, and many of them had been in prison for up to 20 years and had served their term.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
10/05/2003 20:17 Comments ||
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Palestinian Authorityâs premier-designate Ahmed Qurei has expressed readiness to visit the Mediterranean city of Haifa, occupied in 1948, following the Palestinian attack that left 19 Zionists killed including former commander of the Zionist navy. The website of the Hebrew daily âYediot Ahronotâ said that Qurei last night telephoned the mayor of Haifa expressing regret over the operation, which he described as âcruelâ. Qurei extended condolences to families of those killed in the attack and wished speedy recovery for the wounded. The paper quoted Qreiâs close aides as saying that the Haifa mayor appreciated the telephone contact and hoped that âviolenceâ between the two people would soon come to an end. He also extended an invitation to Qurei to visit Haifa, which the premier-designate accepted and declared intention to do so at the appropriate time.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
10/05/2003 19:04 ||
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"Zionists"....hahahahahaha....
Every time I hear that term, I know that it's either Palestinians or their sympathizers spewing more of their B/S.
Fearing Israel might exploit Haifa bombing to "remove" Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, thirty Israeli and foreign pacifists formed a human shield abound the Ramallah headquarters of the veteran Palestinian leader.
I still think they should helizap him...
"We came here because we realized the suicide bombing in Haifa with its many casualties would provide an ideal pretext for (Israeli Prime Minister) Ariel Sharon to do what he wants to do for a long time — to kill Arafat," former Knesset member Uri Avnery, who arrived with seven members of the Israeli pacifist group Gush Shalom (Peace Bloc), told Agence France Press (AFP) Sunday, October 5. "We rushed here from Gush Shalom to provide a human shield and perhaps be able to prevent the Israeli army from executing its plans. We will stay here as long as we feel there is a danger," he added, asserting that "killing Arafat would be a disaster for Israel, the entire region and the world." Also, some 20 members of the pacifist group International Solidarity Movement flocked to Arafatâs headquarters, saying they intended to stay till the day after the Jewish religious feast of Yom Kippur, AFP added.
Yep. Those are the usual suspects, saying the usual ridiculous things...
"It is comforting to see Israeli friends here rather than Israeli tanks," said Nabil Abu Rudeina, Arafat's main adviser.
"I really expected they'd blow the old goat away..."
"Sharon must understand that there is only one political situation, sitting down and negotiating peace, without the separation wall, without the assassinations, and without the incursions," he continued. "We are committed to the road map and ready to negotiate," maintained the Palestinian official.
"We'll keep killing as many people as we can, of course..."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
10/05/2003 19:00 ||
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Human shield for an orphanage I understand. Human shield for a bloodthirsty terrorist I don't get.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
10/05/2003 22:35 Comments ||
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Wasn't an AK-47 found in the offices of the "pacifist" ISM? Along with a terrorist? And didn't a couple of British-born boomers meet with the ISM before they committed their murders?
And I seem to remember that the ISM recommends against its members riding Israeli busses. Somehow, if they really wanted to act as human shields, I think they'd be doing that for the children on Israeli busses before the murdering Arafat.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
10/05/2003 22:35 Comments ||
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Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi gave a hard-hitting speech against fellow-Arab countries, declaring Arab nationalism dead and gone forever. âThe times of Arab nationalism and unity are gone forever,â Qadhafi told an audience of women on Saturday at Syrte, east of Tripoli, AFP reported. âThese ideas which mobilised the masses are only a worthless currency.â
"It's stinking pretty bad. It's time to bury it..."
The once champion of both Arab nationalism and Pan-Africanism also called on the People's Congresses, the centre of the country's political system, to permit Libya to withdraw from the Arab League. Libya has been planning to leave the League for a number of months.
There have been times when I haven't been sure. Sometimes I've thought Muammar just likes to see Amr Moussa grovel like that...
âLibya has had to put up with too much from the Arabs for whom it has poured forth both blood and money,â he said in his speech. The resulting effect, Qadhafi said, was that the oil-rich country had been isolated by the US and âdemonised by the Westâ.
That's what happens when you pick the wrong side...
The Libyan leader reaffirmed his new-found orientation south, towards the African continent, saying he found there a source of great strength for Libya.
Likewise, reaffirming his faith in womanhood, Qadhafi described the gentle sex as âbetter and more capable than men.â
I dunno if I'd go that far. Prettier, yes. I've discovered that 80 percent of the women I've met have been just as bad and just as inept as 80 percent of the men that I've met...
Colonel Qadhafi is protected by a team of Amazonian-like women bodyguards.
I prob'ly would be, too, if I had his money. I'd have dancing girls, too, and comely wenches to wave palm leaves to cool me...
The Libyan authorities this year dedicated celebrations for the 34th anniversary of Qadhafi's rise to power to women, paying tribute to their growing role in public life and participation in the armed forces. Libya's new policies are aimed at courting African rather than Arab countries, which Qadhafi has denounced as powerless to deal with the problems in Iraq and Palestine.
Muammar's probably as dumb as he looks, but he has had 34 years to figure this out...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
10/05/2003 18:52 ||
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Arab unity---forget that. African Unity? Wasn't there an Organization for African Unity that went far? Seems like they were organized around 1963 and were HQ'ed around Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Another rounding success.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/05/2003 21:19 Comments ||
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He's like Don King. You would think that his act would end but he keeps going like the energizer bunny on crack.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
10/05/2003 22:26 Comments ||
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There's something wrong with this suprise meter...
Kremlin-backed candidate Akhmad Kadyrov is heading for an emphatic victory in an election that has been widely discredited. Kadyrov took an early lead with as much as 80% of the vote in the most populated areas such as Grozny and Gudermes, the regionâs second-largest city, according to the ITAR-TASS news agency Sunday night. Despite widespread reports of nigh-on empty polling stations, election officials said turnout was over 80%.
"Remember to vote early and often!"
Kadyrov faced no serious rivals after many other candidates were either disqualified from running or otherwise removed.
"I heard y'er gonna drop outta the race, Oleg!"
"Why no, Big Igor, I wasn't... Uhhh... Yeah. I guess I am."
The election, which took place amid high security, came almost exactly four years after Russia poured as many as 80,000 troops into the Caucasus republic in what Moscow called an âanti-terror operationâ to quash the countryâs secessionist rebels. The conflict has since turned into a brutal guerrilla war of attrition, claiming tens of thousands of civilian lives. Many more have been made refugees trying to flee the fighting. Russia has officially lost between 5000 and 12,000 soldiers according to human rights groups. Kadyrov, whom opinion polls have shown to be widely unpopular in his native republic, said he would ask the Russian parliament to approve a new amnesty for rebels who lay down their weapons, although a previous amnesty that ended on 1 September was taken up by few rebels. According to the electoral commission 560,000 registered voters were given a choice of seven candidates in the election which Moscow pledged would be free and fair.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
10/05/2003 18:42 ||
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Golly. Whoever expected that?
The Palestinian resistance group Hamas has vowed to retaliate against Israel for its air raid inside Syria. Izz al-Din al-Qassam, the armed wing of Hamas, threatened on Sunday to respond to an Israeli air strike earlier in the day it said targeted a Palestinian refugee camp. "Our response to this serious escalation will be one of deterrence and it will happen soon in the depths of the criminal Zionist entity," its said in a statement. "We call on all the cells of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades in all areas to quickly respond in the depths of the Zionist enemy to the treacherous aggression on Syria," it added.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
10/05/2003 18:37 ||
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Hamas has vowed to retaliate against Israel
And this will be different from business as usual how, exactly?
The only thing wrong with Israel's air raid is they didn't use bigger and more bombs against these numbnuts.
Let Allah sort 'em out.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/05/2003 19:53 Comments ||
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After a homicide bomber murdered 19 civilians and injured dozens in Haifa, Israel bombs a Syrian terrorist training camp. The camp was located about 10 miles from Damascus.
In a letter to the U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the Security Council, Syria's foreign minister urged it to immediately hold a session to discuss Israel's action and to deter future strikes against Syria.
The foreign minister says Syria has practiced "the highest degree of self-restraint" but that Israel seeks to embroil the entire Middle East in its problems.
Yes, it is an violation of international law to strike back against guarilla armies located within totalitarian countries. The problems in the Middle East occur by themselves, without any Syrian involvement.
SFGate (AP Analysis: Israel's strike on Syria threatens to widen Israel-Palestinian conflict, RAVI NESSMAN):
If Syria does not respond militarily to the strike -- as it appears it won't -- Israel will have succeeded in serving notice that it is prepared to strike at nations supporting militant groups as part of its campaign to halt violence against the Jewish state. ...
[Reportedly, the air strike injured one guard.]
The United States also accuses Syria of letting foreign fighters into Iraq to attack American troops, and the recent arrest of two U.S. servicemen with links to Syria have led to U.S. suspicions that Damascus is spying on Washington.
Israel injures a Syrian guard in response to its internal problems. This is outrageous!
Posted by: Alex ||
10/05/2003 4:24:03 PM ||
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I agree Alex - as you may notice, it was posted earlier in Syria -Lebanon, and I'm personally outraged that more terrorists weren't blown to bits. Maybe next strike?
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/05/2003 16:33 Comments ||
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Well, baby Assad has a few choices for his next move:
1. Retailiate directly vs. Israel.
2. Retailiate through it's proxies vs. Israel.
3. Don't retailiate.
The first choice will be seen as an escalation in that there are no equivalent sites in Israel against which Syria could conduct a proportional response, and, even if such a location existed, Syria is incapable of any sort of precision strike. Syria will have to move large military formations to retailiate directly. Such escalation would weaken its case in world opinion while providing the Israelis an excuse to humiliate the Syrians once again.
Option 2 forces it to more overtly support groups the US has designated to be terrorist organizations. This might attract those 5 aircraft carriers back to the region but it's doable.
Option 3 ensures that Baby Assad will lose face -- a very bad thing in the dictator business.
I predict baby Assad chooses Option 2. It's the best of a bad set of choices. I wonder if he regrets passing on a wonderful chance to behave himself.
EFL Newsday
South Korea will spend $3 billion to buy land and move a sprawling U.S. military base from the capital, officials said Saturday. I bet its our $3B.
The United States and South Korea agreed in June to relocate the 8th U.S. Armyâs 800-acre Yongsan Garrison, which now occupies prime real estate in central Seoul. The U.S. military already has an air base at Osan. About the Yongsan area, Prime Minister Goh Kun said: "I hope the government will build a park that can be compared to New Yorkâs Central Park." The relocation will be completed by 2006, officials said. Seoul residents have complained that the 8th U.S. Army headquarters occupies prime real estate in bustling central Seoul. Younger South Koreans also see the foreign military presence in their capital as a slight to national pride. I'm concerned for the national pride of South Korea. Letâs book.
When they set up the HQ, the real estate wasn't that prime, was it?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
10/05/2003 2:11:13 PM ||
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You mean we're good enough to fight and die for you jerks if needs be, but you really don't want to see us hangin' around till then?
JPost - Reg Reqâd; Update for the resulting wailing and gnashing of teeth
Syria said Sunday it plans to lodge a complaint with the United Nations against Israel for its attack on a Palestinian terroristsnuffy training base near the capital, Damascus.
They're trying to get the Security Council together even as we speak blog...
A Foreign Ministry statement said the "urgent complaint ... will clarify (Syriaâs) tenuous position" to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the UN Security Council. It did not elaborate.
Kofi, of course, will weep real tears over this violation of Syrian sovreignty...
George Jabbour, a member of Syriaâs parliament, ruled out a military response, saying Syria will have to deal rationally with the attack. "Cuz weâd get our asses handed to us"
Possibly from two directions...
"The military option has conditions, among them that it be beneficial" to Syria, said Jabbour. Military responses have not always proved to be of benefit to Syria, he said.
"Ummm... Matter of fact, I don't think they ever have. Have we ever won a war? Didn't think so, except for GWI, and we were only along for the ride..."
Israel has military might, and Syria has a strong legal position, said Jabbour. Plainclothes security officials banned journalists from approaching the camp in Ein Saheb, 22 kilometers northwest of Damascus, which Israeli warplanes bombed at 4:30 a.m. "weâre not done putting up the âbaby-milk-factoryâ signs yet, nor carefully placing the puppy, lamb and baby duck corpses"
The Israeli raid came in retaliation for a suicide bombing carried out by the Palestinian militant Islamic Jihad against a restaurant in the Israeli coastal city of Haifa Saturday. Nineteen people and the bomber were killed. "We will not tolerate the continuation of this axis of terror between Tehran, Damascus and Gaza to continue to operate and kill innocent men, women and children," Raanan Gissin, a spokesman for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told CNN. "We know where you live"
Israel said the camp was used as training base by Islamic Jihad, whose leader, Ramadan Shallah, is based in Damascus. In a statement faxed to The Associated Press in Beirut, Islamic Jihad denied it maintained any military or training bases in Syria. "The Islamic Jihad Movement confirms that it does not have any training center or military presence in Syria," the statement said. "This Israeli declaration is a failed attempt by the Zionist entityâs leadership to export its internal crisis and historic predicament - which was caused by the intefadeh (uprising) and resistance - to neighboring countries which provide material support and security to our killers." A senior commander for the radical Damascus-based Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command told The Associated Press the camp belonged to his group and has been deserted for a long time since it was bombed. He said a civilian guard was injured in the raid. shades of Vieques! U.S. out of Syria...oh, wait...
Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri urged the international community to deter Israel in a statement released by his office and faxed to The Associated Press in Beirut. "Hurry! We may be next"
"Lebanon ... calls on the international community and the United Nations to restrain Israel and the Sharon government, which alone poses a danger to international security and peace by attacking a sovereign state and an ineffective member of the Security Council and the United Nations," Hariri said.
You could hardly even see the Syrian lips moving while the Lebanese dummy was talking...
In Jordan, Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher condemned the Israeli strike. "This is an aggression on an Arab brotherly country," said Muasher. "It can drag the whole region into a circle of violence." "Idiot! Itâs Cycle of Violenceâ¢! Cycle! Not Circle!"
"We cannot remain in this circle of violence which threatens the whole peace process and Israel must realize that its current policies will not lead to any stability in the region," Muasher told the official Petra news agency and Jordan Television.
Seems nothing the Israelis do will lead to stability in the region...
Syrian political analyst Imad al-Shouebi said the attack was an Israeli attempt "to shuffle cards and play with fire." metaphor heaven
"Itâs ... a foolish offer by the Israelis to the Americans to launch a military attack against Syria to pressure her because of its stances in the Security Council," said al-Shouebi. the prone position, huh?
Syria has been under US pressure to expel the leaders of Islamic Jihad and Hamas. In an effort to appease the Americans, Syria closed the offices of the two groups after the US invasion of Iraq out of fear it could be the next nation targeted by the United States. But it has refused to act further. and reopened them - jeebus, this is the AP, and even we Rantburgers knew that - couldnât they have finished that important fact?
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/05/2003 11:45:39 AM ||
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"Israel has military might, and Syria has a strong legal position, said Jabbour"
Uh oh, I heard that Johnny Cochran and the ACLU are already in mid-flight to Syria.
"If the bomb hits, then the Arabs throw fits!"
Posted by: Paul ||
10/05/2003 13:37 Comments ||
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No oil for you, Syria. Let the Saudis pick up your tab if they want, or start making vegetable oil. We have to squeeze the sources of money to stop this terrorist madness. That means Iran and that means Saudi Arabia. Iraq is now a sink and not a source of funds to the terrorists.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/05/2003 13:43 Comments ||
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I hope we veto the inevitable Security Council Resolution.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
10/05/2003 13:59 Comments ||
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Military responses have not always proved to be of benefit to Syria, he (Jabbour) said.
"Holy Six Day War, Batman!"
Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri urged the international community to deter Israel in a statement released by his office and faxed to The Associated Press in Beirut.
I guess my entry in the futures page about "Israel re-invades south Lebanon" is looking a little better now, huh?
JPost - Reg Reqâd; updates on Paleo whack-a-mole
Israel Air Force helicopters attacked two targets in the Gaza Strip and IDF troops took up positions in the West Bank city of Jenin after 19 people were killed in a suicide bombing on Saturday in Haifa. Early Sunday, helicopters fired two missiles at a small, empty house near the beach in Gaza City early Sunday, and helicopters also fired missiles in a Gaza refugee camp, witnesses said. empty huh?
IDF forces demolished the home of the Haifa suicide bomber in the West Bank city of Jenin. No injuries were reported in the operation. The security establishment held consultations late into Saturday night to decide on Israelâs reaction to the Haifa suicide attack, amid little expectation a green light will be given to implement the cabinetâs decision to remove Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.
The house [that was struck] was reported to be near the Gaza beach and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafatâs residence in the city. The house belonged to the Kanita family, one of Gazaâs largest, but it was empty at the time of the attack. Mohammed Kanita, a member of the family, said it had been uninhabited for a long time. There was no furniture in the house. Ambulances arrived at the scene, but there were no casualties. Large crowds of people gathered at the scene, witnesses said. The large family has representation in all of the main Palestinian groups, including the violent Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Palestinians said. Itâs a family affair
A few minutes later, helicopters fired three missiles at militants near a house in the Boureij refugee camp in central Gaza, residents said. The house belonged to an Islamic Jihad leader, Morshet Shahin, but residents said he escaped the attack. No casualties were reported, but some damage was caused.
"Boom in Haifa! Run for the hills!"
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/05/2003 7:03:23 AM ||
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Israeli planes attacked an Islamic Jihad training base deep in Syria in retaliation for a suicide bombing at a Haifa restaurant that killed 19 people. The raid was the first Israeli attack on Syrian soil in more than two decades. The attack, which occurred late on Saturday or early on Sunday, was on the Ein Sahev camp, about 15 kilometres north-west of Damascus, according to Israeli officials. The base was used by several terrorist organisations, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the army said in a statement. "Syria has been warned more than once by the United States that it should close all the facilities of the Islamic Jihad," Israeli government spokesman Avi Pazner said. "Apparently it has not done so. And it is our policy, after what happened [on Saturday], to go after Islamic Jihad wherever they are."
Their UN ambassador used the post-9/11 Afghanistan example...
The Syrian Government had no immediate response. A senior commander for the radical Damascus-based Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command told The Associated Press in Damascus that the camp had been one of its deserted bases, not an Islamic Jihad camp. A civilian guard had been injured, the commander said.
"Also four puppies, six kittens, and two baby ducks..."
The attack came several hours after a Palestinian woman wrapped with explosives entered a beachside restaurant in Haifa during the busy lunchtime hour and blew herself up, killing 19 people. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack. Western diplomats have said Syria was loathe to be seen to be betraying the Palestinian cause, and it also did not want to give up one of the few bargaining chips it still had in negotiations with Israel. Despite Syrian denials, the diplomats said Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders in Syria directed the groupsâ members in the West Bank and Gaza.
Event: Israel launches airstrikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon
Group: IDF
Narrative: The Israelis have taken several shots from Hezbollah recently in northern Israel. The temptation is to strike back, the restraint is the pressure from Washington to "follow the roadmap". Which one wins out?
Window: 0 Months (10/19/03)
Probability 75% entered by Steve White on 8/20/03
Probability 70% entered by Watcher on 8/20/03
Probability 80% entered by tu3031 on 8/20/03
Probability 80% entered by True German Ally on 8/20/03
Probability 75% entered by Spot on 8/21/03
Probability 75% entered by Spot on 8/21/03
Probability 100% entered by Chuck Simmins on 8/22/03
Probability 65% entered by Super Hose on 9/17/03
Overall opinion is Probable (78%)
Current opinion is Probable (79%)
Event: U.S. Military Action Against ME Nation
Group: U.S.
Narrative: United States takes military action against some Middle Eastern country such as Iran or Syria.
Window: 1 Months (10/21/03)
Probability 80% entered by Chuck Simmins on 8/22/03
Probability 20% entered by True German Ally on 8/22/03
Probability 35% entered by Mike on 8/23/03
Probability 75% entered by Frank G on 8/24/03
Probability 20% entered by Watcher on 8/25/03
Probability 50% entered by tu3031 on 8/25/03
Probability 5% entered by Steve White on 9/3/03
Probability 65% entered by Super Hose on 9/17/03
Overall opinion is Possible (44%)
Current opinion is Possible (42%)
But we weren't too far off...
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
10/05/2003 6:28:05 AM ||
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#1
of course, only a civilian guard was injured - what, no baby ducks or puppies? If Israel can reach deep into Syria (NW of Damascus), then Lebanon and Syria now understand they're vulnerable, and Israel feels the line's been crossed. Next? BTW - think there will be staff changes at the Syrian Air Defense today? Bwahahaha
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/05/2003 6:35 Comments ||
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#2
This is a little lame. When does Yom Kippur end?
Syria's Foreign Ministry issued a terse statement hours after the attack, which it called a "grave escalation," saying it plans to lodge an "urgent complaint" against Israel with the United Nations, calling for a Security Council meeting.
1) Syria, here's the number to call ... 1-800-waaah-waaah waaah!
2) Go IDF, I guess the kid gloves are starting to come off.
3) Syria can go to the UN all it wants. Israel will just bee-yotch slap Coffee Ann Ann until he assumes the fetal position crying like a baby!
4) I love it when Israel punks out one of those sorry Arab countries.
Posted by: Paul ||
10/05/2003 11:28 Comments ||
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#4
Actually, this is a little depressing, because Sharon almost certainly ordered this so he could once again get away with symbolic retaliation rather than having to take substantive action and remove Arafat.
#5
This attack was not about the Haifa suicide bombing. That is yet to come.
The attack on Syria was in response to the attack on Mossad operatives by Hamas and Hizbulah last week.
Posted by: john ||
10/05/2003 13:44 Comments ||
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#6
rkb---good point. As we see in Iraq, it will take years to overcome the sickness to the population laid on by the despots. This is like abused children. They have been imprinted with horrible treatment, and it is in there for life. We first have to break the cycle, which means getting rid of the leaders. We will have almost a generation lost before their countries can slowly recover. The US politicians better quit crawling up each others asses (oh the imagery!) and see the monumental task set before us. This will take a commitment like a 30-years war. But at stake is the survival of Western Civilization.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
10/05/2003 13:52 Comments ||
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#7
Sounds like Sharon bombed the proverbial apirin factory. I bet there is some scurrying at teh actual terrorist camps.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
10/05/2003 14:01 Comments ||
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#8
I agree with rkb on the greater population of these countries. I'd like nothing better than to see them liberated of the thugs ruling them, and liberated as well from the backward, medieval thinking that has chained them down.
I wonder just how many Syrian generals are going to be shot at sunrise relieved of their commands?
"Sorry Mein Fuhrer Mr. President, we had no idea the Zionist pigs IDF was coming!"
"What do I pay you for, you idiots?!?!"
"Um, ... to keep you in power?"
"Oh."
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/05/2003 14:06 Comments ||
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#9
John.... really hoping you are right. I didn't even consider that.
#11
John wrote: This attack was not about the Haifa suicide bombing. That is yet to come. The attack on Syria was in response to the attack on Mossad operatives by Hamas and Hizbulah last week.
John, I hadn't heard about the attack on the Mossad operatives. Do you have a link to that?
Posted by: Jonathan Elliott ||
10/05/2003 21:34 Comments ||
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A Palestinian woman wrapped in explosives blew herself up Saturday inside a seaside restaurant popular with both Arabs and Jews, killing 19 bystanders, including four children. Suppose I donât have to comment that line. Oh, maybe it helps to go back to the "source", the Arab News.
Female Bomber Strikes
Nazir Majally, Asharq Al-Awsat
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 5 October 2003 â A Palestinian woman blew herself up in a crowded restaurant in Haifa yesterday, killing 19 bystanders. At least 55people, including Maccabi Haifa coach Ronnie Levy and two other senior club officials, were wounded in the attack on the Maxim Restaurant, co-owned by Arabs and Jews. You can do more: Go to Google News and type in "19 bystanders". And marvel.
Posted by: True German Ally ||
10/05/2003 2:33:16 AM ||
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#1
so is saddam to blame for this...coz bush said that the key to peace in Israel-palestine is defeating saddam and changing the Iraqi regime. Was that woman one of those saddam loyalists who being blamed for all that goes wrong in the middle east these days ? Hahahaha now American soldiers have been to baghdad and back and there r still suicide bombings. What next, good morning tehran ?
#7
"push 1 if you want to speak to an intelligent human; push 2 if you wish to speak to stevey"
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/05/2003 11:58 Comments ||
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#8
When you walk the streets of Haifa, you see a beautiful city that could be in Europe, but there is a tension there that made me extremely uncomfortable even ten years ago. I imagine the feeling was the same in Beirut when it was still the Paris of the ME.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
10/05/2003 13:53 Comments ||
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#9
Like a lot of leftist turds, Stevey gets a serious hard-on when the Palestinians kill women and children.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
10/05/2003 22:37 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
