Nearly 1 million revelers rang in the new year by not being killed in terror attacks in Times Square. With the dropping of the traditional crystal ball the old was rung out and the new rung in, as terrorists seethed worldwide.
Ignoring Shays, revelers clapped, cheered, hugged, kissed, and felt each other up as the year changed. With police snipers posted on rooftops and helicopters patrolling overhead, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and guest of honor, former Iraq prisoner of war Shoshana Johnson, sent the 1,070-pound crystal ball on a 60-second drop that culminated at the stroke of midnight. "It was brilliant," said Tanya Starkin, a 23-year-old waitress from Ireland, as fireworks lighted up the sky. "Everyone was so worried about everything, and now everything is good."
Not everyone was happy with the effect. Al Qaeda member Abu Mohammed Al Ablajstated that "They (Americans) should prepare ... their coffins, hospitals and graves. The coming days will be full of surprises and great events which will make them a historic example." As Congressman Shays slunk off for an undisclosed location, tired revelers blew razzberries in his general direction and wondered if they were too drunk to get a little. "It's a new year," an unidentified survivor said. "We survived the last one, maybe we'll survive this one."
"I heard Britney's gonna flash her boobs in her next video," said another.
"Happy New Year!" cried a third.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2004 13:13 ||
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farbeit for the NY press not to look at the glass as half full - Newsday:
"But in other parts of the city, 2004 began violently, with two homicides and at least 10 other shootings and stabbings in the early morning hours."
with that many millions of people partying and drinking, is it any wonder there were a few idiots behaving very badly? Shays is still a pussy
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/01/2004 13:27 Comments ||
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I can already hear the socialist whine for 2004 - "it's Bush's fault that there COULD have been a disaster in Times Square, but the administration has done NOTHING to make America safer from terrorism."
And they'll say it with a straight face, too (and then their lips will fall off).
Hey, anyone heard from osama lately? It's hard to be an icon to the islamofascists if you let those infidels party like that.
#3
Osama Bin Laden ( whos name translates roughly into " wet spot on a cave wall") could not be reached for comment. People in Guantanamo familiar with OBL said that for new years, OBL preferred to dress one of the goats in a burka and dance the night away to the infidel "Dick Clarks New Years Rockin Eve".
Posted by: frank martin ||
01/01/2004 14:22 Comments ||
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#4
I've heard that Gephart is mad because it was a 'miserable failure'.....
First of the year! *hugs everyone, even the trolls*
Posted by: Lu Baihu ||
01/01/2004 12:08:22 AM ||
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You beat me to it, Lu!
Happy New Year to all...
We seem to have made it without any major booms. I'm so happy!
Posted by: Fred ||
01/01/2004 0:28 Comments ||
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Amen, Fred!
Thank you, Lord and Happy New Year to all!
(Those Liberal trolls better get ready for a year of Shock and Awe to their "beliefs" and "value systems!")
#3
I've always wondered what it would be like to fly ahead of the Earths rotation and celebrate New Years in every time zone.
Don't know WHY I thought of that just now...
Posted by: Charles ||
01/01/2004 1:57 Comments ||
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No worries, and Happy New Year to you all too -- I hope to graduate this month or the next! :)
Posted by: Lu Baihu ||
01/01/2004 2:08 Comments ||
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Happy New Year to everyone! Special thanks to Fred for this place in cyberspace, and kudos to Lu for his imminent graduation!
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/01/2004 2:27 Comments ||
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I was holding my breath as the ball dropped in NYC...big ups to NYPD and all of the men and women working tonight to keep us safe and free. My resolution is to live up to their commitment and sacrifice. Best wishes for 2004 to all.
Afghanistan's constitutional convention has begun voting, but up to a quarter of the 502 delegates have refused to cast ballots for a draft charter backed by the United States.
"We can't win, so we ain't gonna vote, so there!"
Men and women from across the country lined up on Thursday to vote inside an immense tent at a Kabul college campus on proposed amendments to the 160-article draft document, including one giving women more seats in parliament. The draft outlines a strong presidential system with a limited role for parliament. It would also make Islam the official religion, but without Islamic sharia law. Interim leader Hamid Karzai has endorsed the draft, as have his supporters in the US, who want to see him run for president in elections scheduled for next June. Karzai has argued a strong presidency is needed to rebuild the country after two decades of civil strife. But his opponents at the constitutional Loya Jirga, or Grand Assembly, have criticised the process, saying it threatens to create an autocratic political system that sidelines minority groups such as the Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazaras.
Hmmm... Damned if you do, damned if you don't, huh?
Karzai is from the largest ethnic group, the Pashtuns, and the constitution could return the group to its traditional position at the centre of Afghan power at the expense of minorities.
That tradition is why Afghanistan is so blissful...
"This Loya Jirga is not a step towards stability," said delegate Wali Massoud, brother of legendary Tajik commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, assassinated by al-Qaida over two years ago. Opposition to Karzai at the assembly has been led by former President Burhanudin Rabanni, Uzbek strongman Abdelrashid Dostum and Islamic conservative Abd al-Rab Rasool Sayyaf. All are linked to the Northern Alliance, a faction of mainly Tajiks that helped the United States topple the hardline Islamic Taliban regime in late 2001. None of the three leaders was seen voting on Thursday. Delegates were voting on amendments governing the powers of the presidency, whether minority languages would be given national status and if seats in parliament should be reserved
for women and nomads.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2004 10:01 ||
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In countries divided along ethnic lines. Democracy doesn't result in a society where all are treated the same. We saw this in Northern Ireland, and Serbia. There is a very substantial risk of violent breakup or violent suppression of minorities.
I think a strong federal system along the Swiss model is the answer. Unfortunately, the majority group in this case the Pashtuns are unlikely to vote for a federal system, cos its not to their advantage.
So what to do? A federal system has to be imposed irrespective of what the Loya Jerga votes for. And BTW there is the same problem in Iraq.
Saudi Muslim clerics and intellectuals have adopted a series of recommendations on combating extremism, following a second round of "national dialogue" in the holy city of Mecca.
Something along the lines of "we should all be nice, and keep our heads down"? Or are there political points to be made here?
The recommendations will be delivered to Crown Prince Abd Allah bin Abd al-Aziz, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, on Saturday. A statement from the dialogue participants, did not say what the recommendations were.
They want it to be a surprise...
Some 60 participants, including 10 women who took part in the deliberations via a video conference link, were joined by 15 researchers for round two of the "Convention for National Dialogue" launched in June. The first landmark meeting held in Riyadh ended with a call for wide-ranging reforms and led to the establishment of a dialogue centre which hosted the latest deliberations. Since then, Saudi authorities have raised the prospect of limited reforms in the conservative kingdom, which is engaged in a massive crackdown against Islamic groups blamed for a series of suicide bombings in Riyadh in May and November that left more than 50 people dead.
This is the Gorbachev approach to reform — bit by bit, trying to preserve the status quo. It's the worst of both worlds. The Soddies' real choice is either to dig in their heels and remain an Islamist country, or to go all the way and try and enter the 20th century (at least).
Saudi leaders promised in October to organize the first ever polls in the kingdom within a year to elect half the members of new municipal councils. Semi-official reports have since said polls would be held within three years to fill one third of the 120 seats of the appointed Shura (consultative) Council, and that half the members of regional councils would be elected within two years.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2004 00:26 ||
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This is rich, to play upon a pun. I find myself wanting to quote The Deteriorata for the second time in as many days (scary!)... since these "recommendations" are to be delivered to the Clown Prince it's not mysterious - it's about following the money, or to use the quote, "know what to kiss - and when." QED.
#2
.com, check out the January 1 post by Wretchard at the Belmont Club site
http://belmontclub.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Matt ||
01/01/2004 11:09 Comments ||
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Matt - I've been waiting for the fallout from that article, "Saudi Paradox" - which is chock-full of information and even covers some of the nasty subtleties, yet Doran (the author) and his editorial twits came away with incredibly foolish and asinine conclusions. Dan's piece certainly made mincemeat of them - and drew an infinitely more intelligent conclusion! I also respect Wretchard's writing and grasp of the salient points - his provocative suggestions always define the range of options in clear terms. Re: the Saudis, well, IMHO it's a tossup whether SA or Pakiwakiland is the most byzantine miasma of myopia and corrupt inbred human devolution on the planet. :-)
#4
What do you think Bush's strategy toward SA really is, public pronouncements aside? Soft power? Prince Bandar for King? Choke the cash? Operation Saudi Freedom? 40km strip?
Posted by: Matt ||
01/01/2004 12:37 Comments ||
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Matt - Whew! You skip the easy ones, eh? I wish I knew what the strategy line is. One thing I am becoming more confident about is that he is jettisoning Geo41's entirely too smarmy relationship with them. Where we (probably) go from here has to be confrontation. Those 80 pages probably constitute much of the casus belli required for direct action. Of course, if I were Dubya, you already know I would follow your lead and skip the softball approach - no negotiating or demanding lame promises which they'd never keep - just take the oil away from them. The resulting scramble to get a piece of it would be illuminating. Since he was talked into playing the UN game, I am worried that he'll continue soft and slow - wasting time while they add to their terror treasury... until the next hit. Then any remnants of daddy's baggage will certainly be dumped entirely.
#6
And the Pakland issue is even tougher, what wit' the nukes and all. My ignorant guess is that we're waiting to see what the fallout from Iraq really is; if that doesn't have the desired effect, then we go for another piece of low-hanging fruit (Syria-Lebanon.) If there's another hit, God forbid, all bets are off.
Posted by: Matt ||
01/01/2004 13:24 Comments ||
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IMHO SyrLeb is just a symptom - a pool of cannon fodder, and like Pakiwakiland, is fueled by Saudi money. When we get a clue and that dries up - implosion won't be far behind. It couldn't happen to a more deserving pair of looneybins. The double-whammy is that the loss of Wahhabi money would also mean that the Pakiwakis couldn't survive by selling nukes, either, since those few loonies left with any native cash would be very very conspicuous - and in the sights. So about that oil down in So Chad...
Saudi Arabia King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz yesterday received the Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qurei and members of the accompanying delegation and discussed with them latest developments concerning the Palestinian issue, bilateral relations, and Arab, Islamic and international affairs especially the Palestinian question, and the acts of killing and destruction practices against the Palestinians at the hands of the Israeli forces. They also discussed the need that the international community's need to stop the continued Israeli aggressions and to work seriously for the establishment of just peace based on "international resolutions." Qurei, who arrived on Monday in Saudi Arabia in his first visit to the kingdom since his appointment in his post, also held talks with the Saudi crown prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, and with the foreign minister prince Saud al-Faisal.
Looks like Qurei managed to raise busfare to go to the Soddy Entity and look for some more handouts. Wonder if King Fahd's nurse knows where his wallet is?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2004 00:26 ||
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..and the acts of killing and destruction practices against the Palestinians at the hands of the Israeli forces.
The Yemeni parliament chairmanship agreed Monday to the opposition request concerning the reinvestigation into the assassination of the YSP Assistant Secretary General Jarallah Omar, a source at the National Authority following up the case told Yemen Times. He said that Speaker Sheikh Abdullah al-Ahmar and his deputy Yahya al-Raâee met a delegation of the authority Monday which delivered a message to them, requesting that investigation into the assassination should be done again to unveil the compliance of the assassin Ali Ahmed Jarallah and the political motives of the crime.
If I recall correctly, Jarallah was a member of al-Islah, the Islamist party. He bumped off Jarallah Omar — no apparent relation — because he was a secularist, and remarked he wished he was a nuclear bomb so he could "blow to smithereens all secularists".
He added that al-Ahmar and al-Raâee responded positively to the request and decided to write a message to the Court of Appeals of Sanaâa, requesting it not go on in the trial so that all aspects of the case be made clear. They also said they would address the General Prosecutor Dr. Abdullah al-Ulofi and chief of intelligence with regard to the demands of the socialist party, conducting investigations into the issues the party believes important. This move on part of the parliament will achieve the YSP and opposition objectives in reinvestigation into the crime, revealing all aspects of the assassination and the people standing behind it. The YSP already said that names of the persons mentioned during the investigation with the murderer, including leading members of the Islah party.
So it sounds like the socialists want to get a few more political miles out of the investigation before the sentence is confirmed...
The court of appeals is expected to start the trial sessions this month as the assassin appealed the primary court verdict, sentencing him to death and five of his cellâs members to 5-10 years imprisonment in jail. Besides, the opposition observed the first anniversary of the assassination of Omar, attacking the government and holding it accountable for not disclosing the real truth behind the crime.
This is the al-Islah counterattack here...
Mohammed Kahtan, head of Islahâs political department lashed out at the government in a ceremony held Sunday, accusing it of trading in terrorism and expanding the size of poverty, oppression, calling for a political balance in the country to enhance freedoms and protect human rights against tyranny. He strongly attacked the government which he said is making business out of the fight on terrorism, pointing out that this procedure has caused problems to the country as âthe country and its political forces are not a commodity in your shops to trade withâ. He demanded the government to âfight terrorism in a more serious and legal way.â
They then follow up with a slight redefinition of "terrorism"...
âTerrorism is taking away the food of the masses, messing security and depositing public money in commercial banks,â he said. On his part, Abdulmalik al-Mikhlafi, secretary general of the Unionist Nasserite Party said that the coalition of terrorism and corruption is behind delay in disclosing the truth about Omarâs death despite the passing of one year since the crime. He demanded that the democratic margin should be widened, abolishing the law of demonstrations, amending the election law. âWhile the government is conducting dialogues with terrorists, it is arresting the political activists calling for change,â he added.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2004 00:26 ||
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The Irish Republican Army expressed "deep concern" Wednesday over the British governmentâs handling of peacemaking efforts in Northern Ireland. Maybe itâs just me, but "deep concern" emanating from a terrorist organization concerns me.
In its traditional New Yearâs statement, the outlawed IRA reiterated it scrapped an unknown amount of weaponry last October in cooperation with disarmament officials. The IRA charged that Britain did not respond to the disarmament move by advancing other goals of the provinceâs 1998 peace accord.
"Faith, and we disarmed but the bluidy Brits didn't!"
The IRA did not specify those goals in its statement. Repeatedly in the past, the IRA and its allied Sinn Fein party have called on Britain to make more cutbacks in military forces, impose sterner reforms on the provinceâs mostly Protestant police force, and provide an amnesty for IRA fugitives wanted for outstanding crimes. Amnesty? When pigs fly.
In its statement issued to journalists in Dublin and Belfast, the IRA said it offered disarmament officials "the largest amount of arms to date" last October. But it said others, chiefly the British government, "have not honored their part of it." Probably because the amount of arms surrendered by the IRA was some less than the 100% required.
"Consequently there has been no progress on a range of issues involved," the IRA said.
"So 'tis only right that we sent some of the boyz down to bomb Harrads..."
The central objective of the 1998 peace deal - to sustain a stable Catholic-Protestant administration for the British territory - has failed, partly because of the IRAâs refusal to disarm fully as the pact proposed. Yep, seems like nobody trusts the IRA. Canât imagine why.
A power-sharing administration led by Northern Irelandâs two major moderate parties - the Protestants of the Ulster Unionists and the Catholics of the Social Democratic and Labor Party - fell apart in October 2002 after police accused Sinn Fein of aiding an IRA intelligence-gathering operation inside the government. Well, thatâs one reason why!
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/01/2004 2:51:33 AM ||
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Britainâs prime minister was furious at President Nixon for not telling him that U.S. forces were going on worldwide alert during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, according to records released Thursday. Prime Minister Edward Heath learned of the alert - considered a high point in Cold War tensions - from news reports, the papers said. They were released under rules requiring that some secret documents be made public after 30 years. Britainâs intelligence listening post, Government Communications Headquarters, had learned of the alert but did not tell Heathâs office or the Foreign Office because officials assumed Heath and Douglas-Home already knew about it.
"Alistair, did you tell Edward?"
"I thought you did, Percy."
Nixon said he put U.S. troops on high alert for just under a week, starting on Oct. 25, 1973, to show the Soviet Union that America would not allow it to send military forces to aid Arab states fighting Israel. Worked, too.
The alert covered U.S. forces stationed in Britain. Heath wrote in a memo that he thought Nixonâs move, which came in the midst of the Watergate scandal, was unnecessary and harmful. "Personally I fail to see how any initiative, threatened or real, by the Soviet leadership required such a world wide nuclear alert," the prime minister wrote. "We have to face the fact that the American action has done immense harm, I believe, both in this country and worldwide." Gee, 30 years later we seem to have weathered it just fine.
The spy chiefs said they did not know what intelligence the Americans possessed, but said "we are inclined to see the U.S. response as higher than necessary to achieve the desired effect." A British intelligence memorandum released late Wednesday said Washington gave serious consideration to sending airborne troops to seize oil fields in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi during the 1973 Arab oil embargo, The Washington Post reported. Now we know what .com was doing 30 years ago.
The document reportedly said that if faced with deteriorating conditions such as a breakdown of the cease-fire between Arab and Israeli forces following the Yom Kippur War or an intensification of the embargo, "we believe the American preference would be for a rapid operation conducted by themselves" to seize the oil fields. Version 1.0 of the .com plan!
It cited a warning from Defense Secretary James R. Schlesinger to the British ambassador in Washington, Lord Cromer, that the United States would not tolerate threats from "under-developed, under-populated" countries and that "it was no longer obvious to him that the United States could not use force," the newspaper said. And heâs still right!
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/01/2004 2:47:44 AM ||
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Ha! Dr Steve is teasing me, again! Heath, proudly renowned for bringing the UK into the EU Community / Common Market, was apparently a damned soft sort of Conservative. His N Ireland and labor troubles should have been enough to keep him more than well occupied - since they were his undoing. In his senility he derided Thatcher to whom he had transferred the Conservative mantle...
I say this as a prelude to the fact that how the US chose to deal with the USSR over the 1973 war and their plans to resupply Egypt and Syria was out of his purview. Support for Israel was only a matter of words for him - Nixon did the right thing and Heath, an untrustworthy ally regards Israel in particular and the USSR in general, was welcome to piss up a rope. Nixon's action proves the point rather clearly.
As for the 40km plan (!!!), what was obvious to Schlesinger 30 yrs ago finally became obvious to me only a few months ago - they were a helluvalot smarter than me! What hurts is how PCism has obviously eroded our national will in the intervening time. Compared to that SecDef, today we're a bunch of pussies and wimps. What a shame that people will have to die, ala Pearl Harbor, before the bullshit is washed away. Sad.
#2
What's even sadder is that we've already had our equivalent of Pearl Harbor, and we're not anywhere near fully mobilised. We should have had at least two more army divisions by now, and the JDAM add-on package contractor should have had a contract tripling production after Afghanistan.
#7
Consider, .com, what was happening to Nixon at that time, and why, and what came afterward. Don't be so quick to commend a course of action which would likely elevate socialists in the U.S. once again. We don't have to seize the territory, only manage the rulers, which the U.S. has signally failed to do in Saudi Arabia. The credible threat of force should enough, and credibility has been enhanced of late.
Posted by: Alan Sullivan ||
01/01/2004 18:55 Comments ||
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Alan - "course of action which would likely elevate socialists in the U.S. once again"
WTF? I have NO idea what you are talking about or alluding to. You must've misread my comments. Please explain where this came from?
Re: the Saudis and the idea of mere threat of force being enough -- please pardon me, but you need to pony up something other than those lean statements. I give specifics for why I think what I think -- please feel free to elaborate - extensively. Your little one-off comments above don't convey diddley-squat.
#9
".com"--I have no idea what Alan's talking about either, but what could have "elevated Socialists" more than deposing Nixon with Watergate?
If only the US had done this 30 years ago, we wouldn't have to do what we're doing now...
Hindsight definitely is foresight.
(And one man the Socialists hated far more than Nixon was Kissinger, whose shoes the Liberals aren't fit to lick.)
#10
Do I really have to connect the dots, folks? Have you ever heard of a guy named Newton? Action and reaction?
If the U.S. did what you recommend, what would happen afterward? World peace? Benign hegemony? Well, maybe. Then again, it might well lead to another Clinton presidency, and the shackles of obeisance to Europe.
Posted by: Alan Sullivan ||
01/02/2004 7:37 Comments ||
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Britain continues to be one of the safest havens for terror groups. Not one suspect has been extradited despite nearly a dozen friendly countries, including India, naming wanted fugitives and making repeated requests. Besides India, requests have been made by the US, France, Russia, Jordan, Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia and Turkey.
Y'gotta work on that, Tony...
The money for the bomb blast in Vijaywada, from where Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani was contesting election, was said to have been partly collected in a mosque in London. A tip-off about such collections was allegedly passed on to the Indian intelligence by Scotland Yard. But when the Indian Government sent a security team to London earlier this year with full details on wanted men allegedly involved with terrorist groups operating in Kashmir, it was not allowed to question the suspects. The team was also not permitted to see the dossier with the British security on these men. Reports are that so far none of the men named by the Indian Government have been arrested.
"Alistair? Was anyone we know killed?"
"No, sir."
"Then tell them to come back next week."
In the late 90s the French had complained that Algerian plotters had a safe house in Wembley, north London. Moscow has said that Chechen rebels are in Britain. Tunisian officials allege that several leaders of the outlawed al-Nahda party are also here. The legal system is being blamed for delays in extradition of suspects. But sources allege that Tony Blair and Blunkett who had promised after 9/11 that they would speed up extradition of terror suspects sheltering in Britain, have failed and reneged on their pledge. Not one suspect has been sent out, instead £7 million has been spent on their legal aid. A diplomat is quoted saying that the " system in the UK has now gone beyond farce".
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
01/01/2004 2:29:56 AM ||
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You have no idea how much this annoys me.
Our whole immigration/asylum system is so screwed up that this hardly surprises me.
Remember this RantBurgers, 'our Tony' is a 'good guy' internationally, but his home record is abysmal.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
01/01/2004 3:07 Comments ||
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Tony, I think you and Bulldog (where is the lad?) have done a good job of explaining that to us 'merricans over the last few months.
Posted by: Matt ||
01/01/2004 11:18 Comments ||
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Sweden has decided against putting armed police on its commercial flights to and from the United States, following an alternative agreement reached with US transportation authorities.
"Ya, sure! Dat's because we're against violence and stuff!"
"We have reached an agreement with the US authorities for other procedures in the event of a threat," Swedish Civil Aviation Administration spokesman Per Froeberg said. He explained that the Swedish agency had agreed with the Transportation Security Administration if a threat were issued against a Swedish flight, they would then discuss necessary security measures. Cancelling the flight would be the most likely option, Froeberg said.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2004 00:26 ||
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Hopefully those "other procedures" involve their planes not entering US airspace.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
01/01/2004 0:33 Comments ||
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So, if already enroute, will their flights go to Canada? Oh, goody, free up some of those landing slots and the absurdity of 150 flights scheduled to leave simultaneously from the major airports.
#4
Let's face it - the general public is going to find out which airlines have armed marshals, and gravitate to them. And the terrorists are going to pick out the airlines that don't have them. In a way, this is good - anyone who chooses to fly the Swedish airline can't say he did not have fair warning.
#6
Interestingly, Sweden does not have a national airline. It shares a "national" airline with Denmark and Norway - aka SAS or Scandanavian Air Service. Now, it will be interesting if Denmark (the more right leaning of the 3) does allow air marshals out of Copenhagen. By the way, the south of Sweden (Skane) is heavily populated with Iraqi, Egyptian, Palestinian and Afghanis - a huge concentration in Malmo. I have always suspected that this could be a new hot spot for exporting AQ operatives. We have to wait and see.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
01/01/2004 9:12 Comments ||
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They'll get with the program or be denied landing rights. Embarrassing and expensive to have to turn around mid-atlantic and return to land
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/01/2004 12:58 Comments ||
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Robert Spencer is not happy with The Right Reverend John Bryson Chane, DD, Episcopal Bishop of Washington and Dean of the Washington National Cathedral
The Right Reverend John Bryson Chane, DD, Episcopal Bishop of Washington and Dean of the Washington National Cathedral, last week preached a televised Christmas sermon that was so breathtakingly brimful of theological confusion and pandering dhimmitude that I am breathless as I type this.
Say on, Macduff. I've never seen a religion commit suicide before...
Rapt in wonder at the miraculous works of God, Chane asks a series of rhetorical questions: "And what was God thinking . . . when the Angel Gabriel was sent by God to reveal the Law to Moses? And what was God thinking . . . when the Angel Gabriel was sent by God to reveal the sacred Quran to the prophet Muhammad? And what was God thinking . . . when the Angel Gabriel was sent by God to reveal the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God?"
We might also ask what God was thinking when he made all religions interchangable parts, each one as valid as the other. F'instance, there's no apparent difference between an Episcopalian and a Unitarian, and neither religion appears to be as valid as any cargo cult or the Worshippers of the Great Toaster.
Chane continues: "Were these just random acts of association and coincidence or was the Angel Gabriel who appears as the named messenger of God in the Jewish Old Testament, the Christian New Testament Gospels, and the Quran of Islam, really the same miraculous messenger of God who proclaimed to a then emerging religious, global community and to us this morning that we are ALL children of the living God? And as such we are called to acknowledge that as Christians, Jews and Muslims we share a common God and the same divine messenger. And that as children of the same God, we are now called to cooperatively work together to make the world a haven for harmony, peace, equality and justice for the greatest and least among us."
"And since all three religions are equally valid, just as is Unitarianism, I might add, we have nothing to worry about if we happen to be overrun by wild-eyed Mussulmen, waving AKs and scimitars and such. I, for instance, will simply trade my bishop's mitre for a turban and continue collecting donations, living a very comfortable life, thank you..."
Gee, that all sounds swell. Put me down for harmony, peace, equality, and justice too. But I am left wondering if Bishop Chane has actually read the Qurâan that he acknowledges as a divine revelation. While he calls Jesus the "Son of God" in this sermon, is he aware that the book he calls "the sacred Qurâan" in practically the same breath doesnât exactly approve of those who call Jesus the Son of God? "The Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah. That is their saying with their mouths. They imitate the saying of those who disbelieved of old. Allah (Himself) fighteth against them. How perverse are they!" (Sura 9:30). Itâs unlikely that anyone who really believes that that verse was revealed by God would take kindly to Chaneâs calling Jesus "the Son of God." Meanwhile, by affirming both, Chane has demonstrated that he himself most likely doesnât believe in much of anything.
There's lots to believe in. A comfortable life financed by the regular donations of the faithful, the company of like-minded clerics, a certain amount of prestige. It's not like people are carried off by demons anymore...
Chane has also entangled himself in an absurdity. In his view, evidently, although his god was busy sending the Angel Gabriel to do a lot of revealing, this deity wasnât much interested in making sure his revelations were internally consistent or, therefore, particularly revelatory by any standard. In doing so, and by attempting to pander to Jews, Christians, and Muslims in one fell swoop, he has managed to make statements offensive to each group.
Only to those within each group who actually believe in their religions. He wasn't talking to them, though, and it was probably rude of them to listen in. He was talking to other people like himself, people who don't believe much of anything, starting with sin and redemption.
This kind of silliness is not a viable road to the genuine harmony, peace, equality, and justice that Chane longs for. Instead, itâs the road to dhimmitude: now that he has publicly affirmed Muhammad as a prophet, Chane could easily be pressed by Muslims to discard what may remain of his Christian faith â or else accept dhimmi subservience in the name of the peace he covets. For nothing is more certain than the fact that his generosity will not be reciprocated. Many Muslim apologists make skillful use of the fashionable language of tolerance by saying that they affirm Jesus as a prophet, and why canât Christians do the same for Muhammad. But if Chane thinks this is real tolerance and that he is reciprocating, he is much mistaken, as the cases are not in fact equivalent: the Jesus that Muslims affirm has little in common with the Jesus of Christianity, and for Christians to affirm Muhammad as a prophet would be tantamount to their renouncing Christianity â since Muhammadâs revelation demands adherence to propositions that are directly opposed to Christianity.
The position he's taking isn't an intellectual position; it's an emotional position. He's seeing the world the way he'd like it to be, populated with men of pompous goodwill like himself. He's going with the flow, which is why the Anglican church is losing ground. Clerics receive those donations and their comfortable rectories in the expectation that they are pondering the differences between right and wrong, good and evil, and taking one side in opposition to the other. The Catholics, or most of them anyway, are still doing it â they've pondered, and decided that abortion and lady clerics are wrong positions, hence the bitching and moaning within their church. The Muslims take it even further, with anybody with a turban seemingly authorized to issue a fatwa on any subject he pleases. Not only do Episcopalians not issue fatwas, they don't even take positions unless they're sufficiently fuzzy.
Meanwhile, anyone â Muslims as well as Jews, Christians, and others â seeking real peace would do better to seek it with integrity, not with shallow and empty-headed pandering such as that of Bishop Chane. In other words, not by constructing a fantasy world of fictional harmony, but by forthrightly acknowledging differences and looking squarely at what must be done to make genuine peaceful coexistence possible. The explicit renunciation of violent jihad theology would be a good place to start for the New Year.
But His Excellency the Archbishop didn't touch on jihad, did he?
#1
I was appalled when I heard that sermon on Christmas morning. Given that it came from an Episcopal Bishop, however, I wasn't particularly surprised.
#3
*snicker* You know I had a story idea once, (which I may yet get to write one day if I ever get the time) about angel Gabriel going around doing a lot of "revealing". To Jews, Christians, Muslims, Mormons, Jehova's Witnesses.... Any religion you can think of, and Gabriel has probably gone and inspired its prophets.
But then again I'd be presenting that angel Gabriel as rather *insane*. And acting on his own initiative. Or most likely to voices in his head that he believed to be God. Which qualifies as "insane" for most people. And most angels too. :-)
Anyway... my point is: dude, what is this bishop thinking?
Tension prevailed Thursday in a Bihar village where angry residents went on the rampage a day earlier to protest the placing of an idol of a Hindu god in a Muslim graveyard, police said. A strong contingent of policemen was deployed in remote Malepur village in Samastipur district and senior police officials were camping there to maintain communal harmony on the first day of the New Year.
Sounds like it's too late for that...
Sources in the police headquarters here said personnel of the Rapid Action Force, which deals specifically with sectarian violence, had been sent to the village. Angry villagers torched three government vehicles on Thursday morning and demanded action against police officials responsible for an incident of firing Wednesday that injured three people. Police had opened fire Wednesday to control an unruly mob that was protesting the discovery of the Hindu idol in the graveyard. "Police opened fire when some anti-socials began pelting stones, injuring the district superintendent of police," a police official said.
Yeah, but they couldn't control themselves. Shucks, they'd probably been seething for years...
The mob later set three bogies of the Darbhanga-Amritsar Jannayak Express on fire and removed fishplates on railway tracks to protest the firing. This disrupted train services in the area. Senior police officials said tension had been brewing in the village since last month when a Shivaling, or an idol representing the Hindu god Shiva, was reportedly found in a graveyard. A police investigation into the matter revealed that some miscreants had apparently planted the idol as part of a scheme to grab the land of the graveyard. "It was part of a conspiracy by vested interests to destroy communal harmony in Samastipur," said Rajendra Singh, deputy inspector general of police for Darbhanga range. Bihar strongman Laloo Prasad Yadav has charged communal forces backed by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh of being behind the incident to disturb communal amity in Bihar.
Posted by: TS ||
01/01/2004 11:56:53 AM ||
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how far do you have to stretch "maintain communal harmony" to describe this situation LOL
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/01/2004 12:13 Comments ||
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Have you pronounced the word "Shivaling"? What sort of rhyming, etc. could be made with this?
President Pervez Musharraf has won a vote of confidence in both houses of Pakistan's parliament and four provincial assemblies, keeping him in power until late 2007.
Unless somebody manages to kill him first, of course...
"He has won the vote of confidence," said Information Minister Sheikh Rashid on Thursday, adding that about 60% of the lawmakers had supported Musharraf. It follows the approval this week of a series of constitutional amendments by both houses of parliament that gave him vast powers, including the authority to dismiss the elected government.
Which is needed. Paks tend to elect governments that make the word "corruption" seem inadequate. With the MMA they've been exploring government by lunatic...
Musharraf was supported in the vote by the military-backed coalition government of Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali. The constitutional amendments were also backed by the Islamic alliance, the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), to give Musharraf the two-thirds majority he needed. But the Islamist parties abstained in the confidence vote where Musharraf only needed a simple majority.
That way they can say they didn't vote for him...
Secular opposition parties, who accuse Musharraf of subverting democracy, boycotted the confidence vote. In the 342-member National Assembly, Musharraf secured 191 votes with no votes against. He won 56 votes in the 100-member Senate, with just one vote against.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2004 10:06 ||
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The military in Indian-administered Kashmir say a senior leader of the Islamic militant group, the Hizbul Mujahideen, has been killed in an exchange of fire. A military spokesman said the man, Bilal Habhse, was shot dead by Indian troops in the district of Budgam. He described his killing as a major breakthrough for the Indian security forces.
Who did? Bilal? Or the spokesman?
"Ooch! Ouch! Y'got me, coppers! My death on the field is a major breakthrough for Indian security forces!... Gah! Rosebud!"
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
01/01/2004 1:59:50 AM ||
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"Who did? Bilal? Or the spokesman?"
Right on, Paul! While this is the norm from the "I can shout, don't hear you!" news services, the Beeb should be able to communicate a tad more clearly.
The two suicide bombers who blew themselves up in a failed assassination attempt on Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf last week were members of an outlawed group fighting Indian rule in Kashmir, three intelligence officials said Wednesday. The bombers were part of Jaish-e-Mohammed, which Musharraf banned in 2002 as part of a drive to purge Pakistan of terrorism.
Since they changed their letterhead and continued in business without interruption that didn't do any good...
One of the attackers was from Pakistan's portion of Kashmir. The identity of the other attacker has not been announced, although Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has said he was a foreigner.
"Foreigner" in this case being an Afghan. They can't find Afghans to man the Taliban, but they can recruit them to try and boom Perv...
The interior minister previously said three suicide bombers were involved in the Dec. 25 attack, but officials now believe there were only two.
"Lemme see, here. We got four lips. That means we got two boomers, right?"
"Are there two bottoms and two tops?"
Both men had undergone terrorist training in Afghanistan, he said. The attack in Rawalpindi, a bustling city near the capital, Islamabad, killed 16 people and left dozens wounded. Musharraf was unhurt.
I'd be worried about the third time being the charm, if I was him...
Two days after the failed assassination attempt, authorities raided a home in Rawalkot, a district in Pakistan's portion of Kashmir, said Abdul Rauf Chaudhry, an Interior Ministry spokesman. Police arrested three men, all believed to be relatives of one of the bombers. Chaudhry told AP on Wednesday that authorities have detained dozens of suspects, but he would not comment on whether Jaish-e-Mohammed was involved in the attack. "At this stage, we cannot say anything about it," he said.
"I can say no more!"
A spokesman for Jaish-e-Mohammed, Sahrai Baba, denied any involvement Wednesday. "We do not like Musharraf, but we did not try to kill him," he said by telephone.
"Nope. Nope. Wudn't us."
In recent days, Musharraf has said he is ready to discuss all options with India to resolve the issue of Kashmir â a territory over which Pakistan and India have fought two of their three wars since gaining independence from Britain in 1947. The stance has been met with anger by Kashmiri militant groups, who see it as a betrayal of their cause. The Dec. 25 attack came 11 days after a similar, failed attempt to assassinate Musharraf _ with a bomb against his convoy on the same road. The attacks raised questions about the Pakistani leader's safety. "Definitely, the attackers had obtained information about the president's movement from somebody responsible for his security," said another intelligence official, who also confirmed the Jaish-e-Mohammed link.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2004 00:27 ||
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"Lemme see, here. We got four lips. That means we got two boomers, right?"
You need to do a lip-count on your public affairs officials first...
They call their city the city of peace and it sure deserves this name. Samoa hasnât seen a single terrorist attack since the 9th of April. Its people have secured their institutions from looting, they protected the hospitals and important government buildings. The only exception was the military camps, some government buildings and the regional baâath headquarters, which were, stripped even of their bricks to remain as ruins reminding them of the miserable past.
Samoa is about 300 km to the south west of Baghdad; itâs a large governerate that shares wide borders with Saudi Arabia. Its people mainly are farmers, itâs well known by itâs palm dates which an Iraqi poet wrote a beautiful poem about it that became a popular song, very simple people in general and very optimistic.
Iâve been working there for more than a month, which was enough to make some conclusions about the city in particular, and the south of Iraq in general.
Samoa as many other cities in the south of Iraq had itâs deal of sufferings, pain and intended neglect, hence its people were very happy with the change I felt that through my daily contact and conversations with the people of the city. Till now I havenât found a single person who is against the change, something very different from Baghdad were you still find some people rise their voices in complain, and missing the (good old days). Too good to be true? No, the Japanese are setting up there. The Dutch already have. What are they doing right?
Posted by: Vlad the Muslim Impaler ||
01/01/2004 3:54:48 PM ||
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I'd disagree that the Japanese and the Dutch are the reason behind the peace in Samoa. I think its more likely they're there because its a peaceful region.
Most of our "coalition" partners are only willing to provide reconstruction and humanitarian aid, so they end up in places where there are no hotspots and unrest. If you look at the non Iraqi reconstruction deaths, 95% have been American, whereas only 75% of the soldiers in Iraq are American.
Another SOCOM (Special Operations Command) weapon has become popular with regular troops in Iraq. Itâs a 12 gauge shotgun that replaces the 40mm grenade launcher under an M-16 or M-4 rifle (using the same attachment hardware), and firing a special shotgun round for blowing down doors. The Knightâs Armament Company (KAC) "12-gauge `Masterkeyâ breaching module" has a three round magazine, a ten inch barrel and weighs nine pounds. The shotgun can be used alone, with the addition of a special stock attachment. Usually, one or two rounds will knock down most doors. The large number of raids U.S. troops perform in Iraq, makes this weapon popular. Many units simply take along shotguns, loaded with the solid shot "breaching rounds." But the KAC system means one less piece of equipment to carry, and gives the user an M-16 rifle to use as well. "Fatima! Someoneâs at the door! Open it quick before they blow it down!"
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/01/2004 3:02:19 AM ||
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I was under the ipresion that breaching rounds used powdered metal,no round going through 2-3 walls.30 rounds of 5.56,backed-up with 3 rounds of.oo buck.Now that be cool.
#7
raptor: Pretty sweet deal here, although it's known that SOCOM has used this for years as a staple of the M4A1 SOPMOD kit :) By the way, I have plenty of gun magazines here (Guns & Ammo and the like) here, and one of my back issues is about "breaching round ballistics" on human bodies (courtesy of an FBI study) -- at a breacher's extremely-close-quarters range of work, breaching rounds're still lethal enough :)
snellenr: Rifle grenades would do the trick -- I've a downloaded video of high-speed grenades in action designed to knock down the door outright, and have you seen the XM320 grenade launcher for the XM8 rifle?
Posted by: Lu Baihu ||
01/01/2004 13:29 Comments ||
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re: .00 buck - bet it has a nice kick too. I have a Winchester Defender: pistol grip 12Ga, 18" barrel, and when I use .00 buck, the barrel comes up so quick I pump another shell in reflexively. It holds 8 shells, and I'm sure most doors would have no chance of stopping it... :-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/01/2004 13:52 Comments ||
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I've got a 10-gauge double-barrel that I inherited from my great-grandfather. It'll take down a door, take out most small boats, and thresh wheat over about six acres! The left barrel's full choke, the right barrel half-choke, and both are about 40 inches long. The only problem is, it takes two strong men and a husky boy to fire the &$*&*% thing, and NOBODY makes shells for it (Small "THANK GOD!" for that)! I've fired it twice (left barrel only!), and it took about six weeks for the bruise to go away each time.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/01/2004 15:55 Comments ||
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Better yet, OP, there's a firm in Aregentina (or was, last time I checked) that made a micro-grenade that fit nicely into a 12-gauge shotgun shell. That would work nicely, and reduce the need for that 6mm/20mm assault rifle-grenade lashup the DoD is working on at the moment.
Ed.
Posted by: Ed Becerra ||
01/01/2004 23:46 Comments ||
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Five people are believed dead and dozens more wounded after gunfire erupted during a demonstration in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. About 2000 Arab and Turkmen protestors marched on the headquarters of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), one of the two main Kurdish factions, to demonstrate against a push by the city's Kurdish majority to incorporate the oil-rich centre into an autonomous Kurdish province. Protestors surrounded the building, chanting "No to federalism, Kirkuk is Iraqi" when clashes erupted.
I thought the general idea was that the Kurds are Iraqis, too?
Police said Kurdish fighters known as peshmergas opened fire on the demonstrators. Two people died on arrival at Kirkuk General Hospital, while a third died later of his wounds, hospital director Hashim Muhammad told AFP. Other sources quote another two died. A total of 31 people were wounded, five of them seriously, Muhammad said, adding doctors were operationg on the most serious casualties who were wounded in the head, abdomen and heart. Peshmerga guarding the PUK headquarters told Aljazeera's correspondent that the protesters had weapons and they were shooting at them (guards). However, protesters denied the allegations, saying they did not have any arms. "The peshmerga opened fire at the protesters," they told the correspondent.
The old unarmed protesters ploy, is it? Somehow I can't see a protest without a few AKs being involved...
Witnesses said US tanks and armoured vehicles quickly moved in to seal off the area, fanning out near the PUK offices and a local government building to keep protestors at bay.
"Is that a riot, sir?"
"I think it's a political discussion. Lock and load, just in case I'm wrong."
Representatives of Iraqi Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr, backing the Turkmen, were present at the rally. Many chanted "Kirkuk, Kirkuk is an Iraqi city. No to federalism" and "We want the Kurds to leave Kirkuk".
"Thank you for your participation in our political discussion. Please leave your number with the peshmerga and we'll get back to you."
Police chief Shirku Shakir Hakim said he told the demonstrators to stay on the edge of the town to avoid clashes with Kirkuk's Kurds. The Arabs appeared to hail mainly from outlying towns around Kirkuk. Despite guerrilla attacks, Kirkuk, a volatile mix of Kurdish, Arab and Turkmen, has avoided serious confrontation, thanks to a city council representing all of the city's communities, with a Kurdish mayor and Arab deputy. "They are coming to protest from Hawija, Tarjil and Tuz Kharmatu more than from Kirkuk," said Police Colonel Burhan Tayyib Habib, speaking about outlying areas which the Kurds want to incorporate into a Kurdish federalist zone.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2004 00:27 ||
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After more than 500 years living under the heel of oppressors and being screwed over by Western powers, it's not good, but not terribly surprising that the Kurds feel so possessive of their home ground. They demonstrated they "get it" regards capitalism and tolerance through all the years of the No-Fly zones. Sad that this occurred - they have to get smarter about it or they might lose out again.
The presence of Sadr-ites (and probably asshats from the Sunni Triangle) is a little surprising, but not that violence resulted with them there nor that the "demonstrators" ignored the police chief and sought out confrontation. It's time to slap this 'tard down and arrest him and all of his lieutenants as seditious enemies of the Iraqi state.
Personally, I don't expect Iraq to remain a unified state - and even a Federation might be beyond their grasp, given the centuries of hatred and oppression. Custom probably won't allow them to grasp it for a few generations - and by then they won't even consider it.
#2
.com (first -- happy new year wherever the hell you are these days!) I don't expect Iraqi to remain a single nation-state either, but for the Kurds sake they can't be the ones pushing for an autonomous state. The Turks (and probably the Iranians) will go nuts. They have to be "forced" into it; Sistani or somebody will have to make the first move and then they'll reluctantly agree.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/01/2004 2:33 Comments ||
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SteveW - Happy New Year! It rolled over just about an hour ago here...
Re: Partitioning -- I think you're dead right - and it's an insightful read! I didn't see that key until you pointed it out. Cool runnings, bro, nice catch!
I made it to LA and am finally connected, as of yesterday, I missed RB for much of the last week. I'm really enjoying the food and the fact that everyone's speaking English, heh. I recall how, in Jeremiah Johnson, Redford's character explains his being agog when he says, "It's been a long time since I had so much of the English language spoke at me." I concur! I'll hang here for a coupla weeks then mosey along to NV. After Saoodi, I want a little decadence, so I think Vegas is next! Now, if I could only get re-synched on the local time! BTW, Laficornia is even weirder than I recalled...
#4
.com ... Drop me a line if you're planning to come any further East ... say, 'round DC/Baltimore? Casinos aren't as good, but you'll get to see where your tax money would go, if you had to pay any...
#5
Seafarious - Eeewww!!! State Income Tax territory! I've been paying Fed & Cal taxes all along - you don't get a pass unless you're small potatoes! Mebbe we can meet somewhere in the middle - y'know, what those moron coastal elitists call "flyover territory." At the moment, we're both surrounded by 'em! An old biz acquaintance has been making noises about going to Virginia - McLean / Reston - to drum up something, but that would fit a Prog Mgr / Proj Mgr (him) far better than a web apps weenie (me) so I haven't thought much about it. He's an ex-crypto type, so you'd prolly get a kick out of him! I'm gonna try to start up some trouble in NV, I think. If that doesn't look good, I'll go either to TX, FL, or AK and check them out. I was looking at SeaTac - until I found out that there was sufficient support for a local Palestinian newspaper. Grunge & Aged Hippies - wotta mix, eh?
#8
.com: Carson City/Reno is my recommendation - close to Sierras/Tahoe and still near big cities. No state income tax either, as I'm sure you've researched. I'm San Diego born and raised, but my family's from NV (Fallon, Fernley, and CC)
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/01/2004 14:16 Comments ||
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.com it's pool table flat south of Ocala... North FL elevation varies from sealevel to 320 ft... quickly. Of course for most folks that's still pool table flat.
#10
it's pool table flat south of Ocala... North FL elevation varies from sealevel to 320 ft
If you want elevation, good chances of excellent work (growing number of government contracts, if that interests you - SpaceCom's just over the next ridgeline), or the chance to rub elbows with other chipheads without having to put up with Cilifornicatia, try Colorado Springs. Of course, I'm prejudiced, but any city that starts out at 6000' and has an outpost on top of Pikes Peak can't be ALL bad. Little short of ocean, but there's a gorgeous beach just a hundred miles south of here... Maybe stop by on your way through, if you head off anywhere else.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/01/2004 16:06 Comments ||
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Thx, guys! I'm actually easy: I want no state income tax, either mountains or ocean, and a high-speed connection. Ocean always costs more so you have to live pretty far out of town - which may preclude cable-modem and decent ADSL.
Frank - I liked the looks of Reno / Sparks - even read their newspapers for a week to get the feel of the place - then a guy in Thailand (on a BB, not in person) told me Reno was like an old-folks home nowadays. Not True? I know I'd love the terrain and weather.
Ship - I did a consult in Jacksonville (Barnett Banks) and IIRC they had great piney woods all around. There was a tall leggy blonde who made other details of my time on-station kinda hazy... She could do this gymnastic kinda thing and... I love it when that happens!
OP - I have those classic hazy memories of a certain concert in Red Rock when I was, um, much younger, lacking certain social strictures, and footloose. I think I love Colorado, but I can't be sure, heh. ;->
Funny what you use to measure things in your memory, no?
At least five people people have been killed in an explosion that tore apart a crowded restaurant in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. According to Aljazeera's correspondent, Iraqi police sources said at least five people were killed in the restaurant blast late on Wednesday night which might be caused by a "suicide bomb explosion". Witnesses said the Nabil restaurant in the Arasat district of Baghdad had been destroyed and the building was in flames. At least 30 people had been inside when the bomb went off, witnesses added. Three journalists from Los Angeles Times were among the wounded. They are Tracy Wilkinson, the Times Rome bureau chief, correspondent Ann Simmons and Chris Kraul, who until recently headed the paper's Mexico City bureau. "So far it's cuts and bruises but we don't have a complete report," Times Managing Editor Dean Baquet said in Los Angeles, adding that all three had been taken to a military hospital for treatment. He said Wilkinson had called the paper and was apparently in good spirits. It is reported that the attempted bomber is still alive and a second suspect is in custody.
They said on the teevee earlier this evening that the military sez the Bad Guys plan a four or five day bombing spree. The car was packed with explosives, to include artillery shells. Restaurants aren't normally considered military targets...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2004 00:27 ||
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And how quickly did Al Jizz "arrive" on the scene?
#2
Has anyone else noticed that this looks like yet another case of the Iraqi insurgents targeting the Iraqi civilian population? The more I look, the more this sort of pattern seems to be common in guerilla movements.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
01/01/2004 8:35 Comments ||
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Phil: exactly. The fedayeen (I won't honor those assholes by calling them 'insurgents') have recognized, through a process of trial-and-error, that taking on American forces gets you killed rapidly. Taking on Iraqi police tends to bring an American reaction so that's out. Booming soft targets is about the only option left, that and robbing banks.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/01/2004 13:15 Comments ||
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That's not quite what I meant, Steve; it seems to be a common practice, even when they have available easy military targets, that insurgents like the fedayeen, or the shining path, or what have you, to commit violence or extortion against the civilian populace. To see another example, look up what happened in Hue during the Tet Offensive. Of course, many of the invaders were regular troops, but I think the point still stands.
Posted by: Phil Fraering ||
01/01/2004 20:01 Comments ||
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Police in Dagestan have averted a major terrorist act against the servicemen of the Armed Forces, Colonel Abdulmanap Musayev, chief press officer of the Dagestani Interior Minister said Wednesday. Police officers from the town of Buinaksk found a homemade explosive device ready for action on the highway linking Buinaksk with the republican capital Makhachkala. They found a metal box 70 by 30 by 40 centimeters in size hanging on the foothold of a road sign, Col Musayev said. It contained 34 TNT cartridges weighing 200 grams each, two TNT cartridges weighing 400 grams, a kilogram of ammonium nitrate, and a 120 mm artillery shell augmented with plastid. The set also contained metallic pieces to intensify the incapacitating effects and was connected to four electric detonators. District Prosecutorâs Office in Buinaksk has instituted a criminal case invoking the clauses of the Russian Criminal Code on perpetrating a crime and terrorism. Police and prosecution officials have no doubts that federal troops were chosen a target of the abortive terrorist act, since columns of the troops move along that section of the road several times during the day.
Edward Heath, channeling George McGovern the Conservative Prime Minister of Britain at that time, accused Nixon of putting US forces on alert to divert attention from the Watergate scandal. Just goes to show that the Brits may or may not be with us, but there are moments when weâll have to act, all the same. Was Heath paying the US back for the Anglo-French 1956 Suez Canal fiasco?
Brits Warned of U.S. Plans to Invade Arab States in 1973
Thursday, January 01, 2004
LONDON â British spy chiefs warned after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war (search) that they believed the United States might invade Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi to seize their oil fields, according to records released Thursday.
A British intelligence committee report from December 1973 said America was so angry over Arab nationsâ earlier decision to cut oil production and impose an embargo on the United States that seizing oil-producing areas in the region was "the possibility uppermost in American thinking."
Details of the Joint Intelligence Committee (search) report were released under rules requiring that some secret documents be made public after 30 years. The report suggested that then-President Nixon might risk such a drastic move if Arab-Israeli fighting reignited and the oil-producing nations imposed new restrictions.
The 1973 embargo and production cuts, used by oil-rich Arab nations as a means to pressure the United States and Western Europe, caused a major global energy crisis and sent oil prices skyrocketing.
The committee of intelligence service directors calculated that the United States could guarantee sufficient oil supplies for themselves and their allies by taking oil fields in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi, with total reserves of more than 28 billion tons.
It warned however that the American occupation would need to last 10 years, as western nations developed alternative energy sources, and would lead to the "total alienation" of Arab states and many developing countries, as well as "domestic dissension" in the United States.
Other records released Thursday showed that Prime Minister Edward Heath (search) was furious at Nixon over the American presidentâs failure to tell him he was putting U.S. forces on a worldwide alert during the 1973 Arab-Israeli war.
Heath learned of the alert -- considered a high point in Cold War tensions -- from news reports while he waited in the House of Commons for Foreign Secretary Alec Douglas-Home to make a statement on the Middle East crisis.
Britainâs intelligence listening post, Government Communications Headquarters, had learned of the alert but did not tell Heathâs office or the Foreign Office because officials assumed Heath and Douglas-Home already knew about it, the papers showed.
Nixon said he put U.S. troops on high alert for just under a week, starting on Oct. 25, 1973, to show the Soviet Union that America would not allow it to send military forces to aid Arab states fighting Israel.
The alert covered U.S. forces stationed in Britain, and Heath wrote in a memo that he thought Nixonâs move, which came in the midst of the Watergate scandal (search), had been deeply damaging.
"Personally I fail to see how any initiative, threatened or real, by the Soviet leadership required such a world wide nuclear alert," the prime minister wrote. "We have to face the fact that the American action has done immense harm, I believe, both in this country and worldwide."
A few more details from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Edited for brevity.
A Shaler [PA] woman was accused yesterday of assaulting a federal air marshal and interfering with a flight crew Tuesday on Northwest Airlines flight from Pittsburgh to Minneapolis. Dawn L. Sunday, 37, a hairstylist, was ordered held without bond pending a hearing Monday in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis. According to a criminal complaint, Sunday, who initially was seated in the front of the plane, was moved to the rear of the plane after the flight crew was informed that she was intimidating passengers and making loud and rude comments. After she was moved, Sunday allegedly tried to barricade herself in the area and would not allow other passengers in or out of the restroom. Federal Air Marshal Joseph Loftus said in an affidavit that he identified himself as an officer, sat next to Sunday and tried to calm her down but she became more belligerent and threatened to kill him. Loftus said he arrested and handcuffed Sunday after she hit and tried to choke him. She later kicked Loftus in the groin, he said. Sunday tried to bite an airport police officer after Flight 1057 arrived at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and at one point had to be tackled, the complaint said. The flight landed at 8:30 p.m. with Sunday in handcuffs. She was led off the plane by police and placed in federal custody. No, we Pittsburghers do NOT want her back. Minneapolis can have her!
Posted by: Dar ||
01/01/2004 5:16:56 PM ||
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Damn you, Dar.
Posted by: Brian (MN) ||
01/01/2004 18:33 Comments ||
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They weren't by chance showing highlights of Sunday's football match-ups of the Cardinals. Maybe she's just another rabid Viking fan coping with reality. But out of respect for the gal, 'unlike the Vikings' she didnt give up until after the wistle was blown.
Posted by: Rick ||
01/01/2004 22:33 Comments ||
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You're welcome, Brian. :-)
Posted by: Dar ||
01/02/2004 11:06 Comments ||
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Lots of interesting stuff here for those of you who believe in following the money. EFL
Saudi Arabia will build 950 housing units for Palestinians whose homes have been destroyed by the IDF in Rafah, Palestinian Authority officials said Wednesday after PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qureiâs first official visit to Saudi Arabia.
The found King Fahd's wallet, I guess...
Qurei asked the Saudis to allocate money for the homeless in Rafah after Palestinian protesters accused the PA of ignoring their plight. He also asked for funds for the unemployed, for a medical center outside Ramallah, and to boost the PAâs budget. Saudi Arabia did not agree to provide for all these causes, but promised to continue paying $7.7 million a month to help the PA cover its budget deficit Note that this term is redundant - the deficit = the budget
and pay the salaries of its employees. "The Saudis agreed to pay $7.7m. for the budget till the next Arab summit in Tunis in March," said Majdi al-Khalidi, an official from the PA Foreign Ministry. "Saudi Arabia is the only Arab country which has payed its pledges," he added.
Maybe the other ones are tired of pissing money away...
The Arab League pledged last March to help the PA pay salaries by supplying some $55m. The PAâs budget for 2003 was $1.4 billion â $650m. was used to pay salaries, while $800m. was used for running costs, Khalidi explained. Non-Arab donor states are reluctant to support the PA budget, fearing corruption and misuse of funds. Instead they prefer to invest in development projects. I havenât seen evidence of development though.
PA Finance Minister Salaam Fayad recently traveled to Washington and urged the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund to reactivate a trust fund for the budget, so that donors will feel comfortable giving money to the PA. The money in the fund and its distribution would be managed by the World Bank and the IMF, a Palestinian official said. The World Bank agreed to renew the fund and will try to convince donors to pledge money for the PAâs budget for 2004, which is forecast at about $1.2 billion. "Our expectation is that the Arabs will pay $400m. of our $650m. budget deficit and that the Europeans and others will pay the rest," he added.
But so far, the PA can only count on the Saudi money. Note that it appears the PA doesnât collect any revenues of its own. Its a 100% welfare case.
"For the past two months, we had to borrow money from private banks to pay salaries, because Israel stopped paying the NIS 100 million a month it owes the PA in taxes," Khalidi said. "We cannot continue to borrow from private banks." Translates to the banks wonât lend us any more money. Knowing something about banks, they will have paid a hefty risk premium on the interest rate.
Israel is withholding money it collects in taxes from Palestinian goods as possible compensation for Israeli families and businesses who have filed suit against the PA. Iâm starting to like the sue-them strategy as a way of of cutting off the money flow.
Besides the monthly payments, Israel still owes the PA NIS 800m., Khalidi said. Many Arab states stopped paying their pledges after Israel and the PA agreed that Israel will resume monthly transfer of tax money to the PA. They did not resume payments when Israel froze the payments again two months ago. According to the agreement, the PA cannot use the money to pay salaries. It can only use the tax money to pay the private sector for its running costs, like electricity and telephones, Khalidi explained. Makes sense! Private companies stop supplying goods and services if they donât get paid and the PA canât be trusted not to steal the money.
Saudi Arabia will build 950 housing units for Palestinians whose homes have been destroyed by the IDF
Build them in Arabia for the Pales-whinians to live in and we'll talk.
By the way, I think there was a mis-print in this story. After "destroyed by the IDF" the phrase "for murdering Israelis" was inadvertently left out. I'm sure it was just an unfortunate oversight.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/02/2004 0:03 Comments ||
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And it ainât Mount Olive.
Eight Israelis and Palestinians left Thursday on an expedition to climb an unnamed, unconquered mountain in Antarctica, vowing to show they can work together under difficult, dangerous conditions. The two yachts carrying the six men and two women of the "Breaking the Ice" expedition sailed from Puerto Williams, a Chilean navy base 2,050 miles south of Santiago. "I think we are setting a very good example on how different people can live and cooperate together," expedition leader Heskel Nathanial said as the expedition sailed off in good weather. "We are determined to support and help each other," Nathaniel, an Israeli working in Germany for a real estate company, told The Associated Press by telephone.
"Howcome he gets to be the leader? Why can't a Paleostinian be the leader? [Seeth!]"
Minutes before their departure, he received phone calls from former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Nathaniel said. He said Arafat invited the group to visit him after their adventure. Iâm sure they can find a seat in the rubble of his office!
The four Arabs and four Jews plan to climb a mountain near the Bruce Plateau in Antarctica after sailing for 600 miles in some of the worldâs most treacherous waters. The yachts are expected to take four days to sail from Puerto Williams to Antarctica, via the Drake Passage. Then, they will sail for another five days along the Antarctic coast to the area selected for the climbing. Two of the Palestinians on the expedition spent time in Israeli prisons - one for attacking Israeli soldiers and another who was accused of terrorism. Two of the Israelis are former members of an elite commando unit. Advantage: Israel.
The nonprofit group Extreme Peace Missions said it organized the 35-day expedition "out of a belief that overcoming physical obstacles by working together as a team toward shared goals can unite the Israelis and Palestinians." Outward Bound for the Middle East?
The expedition is also sponsored by Israelâs Peres Center for Peace and according to organizers has received support from Arafat, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, the Dalai Lama and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. A veritable Whoâs Who of Failed World Leaders.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/01/2004 3:49:29 PM ||
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I like a nice feelgood story. Unfortunately those who are the real problem do nothing like climb mountains nor anything else productive. They sit in their little mosques and hovels and seethe and hate and project their failure on others....this nice moment won't change those people
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/01/2004 16:41 Comments ||
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Except in the real world the Pali's would build a mosque up there... call it the 4th most holy place in Islam then send their nephew to blow up on the playground where the children of the Israeli climbers go to school because they haven't got the skill or guts to kill the Jewish climbers.
With a death toll approaching 50,000, I'd call grilling too good for them. Roasting would be more appropriate.
Contractors and construction consultants who had violated the regulations on the reinforcement of buildings while setting them up in Bam would be introduced to Judiciary branches, said head of Management and Planning Organization (MPO) Mohammad Sattarifar here Wednesday. Speaking to reporters, he added that the cabinet has assigned MPO to report the reason behind the collapse of the buildings in the city, in particular the ones belonging to the government and public sectors. MPO and the Engineering Association are determined to jointly identify the jerry-builders and violating contractors, and disqualify them.
Anybody taking bets on whether they'll go after the ayatollahs who made money on the rake-offs?
They will also praise the ones whose constructed structures have withstood the Friday killer earthquake in Bam, he noted.
"Good boy! Have a cookie!"
"This is only half a cookie!"
"Think of it as a cookie less commission."
"The foundation of Bam citadel, which has not been demolished, will be restored.
That's very comforting. Wonder who gets the contract for that?
Meanwhile international bodies including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have declared they will sponsor the restoration of the destroyed historical complex, he added. The official said that in a cabinet meeting held in Kerman on Tuesday, it was decided to accept the call for assistance of foreign countries and organizations in the reconstruction of Bam citadel and issue permits authorizing them to launch the project under the supervision of Bam reconstruction headquarters. "Iran's Geological Organization will soon launch a feasibility study in the area to select a proper location where the new city of Bam will be constructed," he said, expressing hope that the city would be completed in 18 months.
Have you considered Samoa?
The Vice-President estimated the required credit to reconstruct the city at rls four trillion and added that in Tuesday meeting, the cabinet approved to allocate 2.690 trillion to the project. "The remaining costs would be supplied from foreign aid and people's donations," he concluded.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2004 11:42 ||
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Amir Taheri, in Nat'l Review online, told the whole story on how the ayatollahs took kickbacks to allow shoddy construction in what was supposed to be a "World Resource" (as designated by...you guessed it, the U.N.).
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/01/2004 11:49 Comments ||
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Watch. They will just reuse the mud bricks to build back to the same mess they had prior to Dec 23rd. Foreign aid and private donation will end up in the UN Oil for Food account and the mullah pockets.
Posted by: john ||
01/01/2004 20:42 Comments ||
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Iranian authorities have arrested the kidnappers of an Irish and two German tourists, who were released on Sunday after a three-week ordeal, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday. "These people are in the hands of the Intelligence Ministry, and it is up to that ministry to provide the necessary information," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid Reza Assefi said, without giving further details.
"I can say no more!"
The trio were kidnapped around December 2 by bandits while cycling near Nosrat Abad, on the road between the ancient city of Bam, which was devastated by a killer earthquake Friday, and Zahedan near the border with Pakistan.
...which hasn't been devastated by an earthquake recently.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2004 11:33 ||
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Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said here Thursday that Americans have been sending positive signals over ties with Iran for several months. "I am not sure but there are signals to that effect," said Rafsanjani when asked whether the signals would be an ice breaking move for resumption of ties between the two countries. Rafsanjani's remarks follow a decision by the US on Wednesday to waive its sanctions on the Islamic republic state for 90 days, thus easing delivery of aid to victims of the recent killer quake in the historical city of Bam, in southeast Iran.
We're doing that for the dead and injured, not for the ayatollahs...
On Wednesday, the United States cited Iran's "extraordinary humanitarian needs" to justify its decision to suspend for 90 days its restrictions on sending cash and equipment to the Islamic Republic. "The Iranian people deserve and need the assistance of the international community to help them recover," White House Spokesman Trent Duffy said in a statement. "The American people want to help."
Obviously they need it. I'd not say they deserve it. If they needed it and deserved it, then we'd be obligated to help. The fact that they make faces and holler and jump up and down, the while screaming "Death to the Great Satan!" relieves us of any obligation. Instead, we're providing assistance out of the goodness of our collective heart, just as we've done before in similar places, to include Iran. Since there doesn't appear to be a word for "gratitude" in Persian — it's not an Islamic concept — I don't expect anything to come out of our gesture of generosity.
The US treasury issued a general license temporarily enabling US citizens and non-governmental organizations to make direct contributions of dollars to Iranian and other organizations for relief work in and around Bam.
It would be interesting to see how many of those dollars get raked off by the local holy men, not that we'll ever know.
The state department said it was allowing the US government and US NGOs to export to Iran sensitive items like transportation equipment, satellite telephones, and radio and personal computing items.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2004 11:30 ||
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I'd like us to be sending signals to Iran - from a Radio and TV transmitter in Iraq. Why we aren't fomenting an uprising against the black hats is beyond me
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/01/2004 11:44 Comments ||
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I've had it in for the Black Turban crowd ever since November 4, 1979. For 24 years I've been waiting for us to give those evil bastards what they deserve, and I'm beginning to wonder whether even Bush has the balls to do it.
"Ties with Iran", my ass; I want war.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
01/01/2004 12:41 Comments ||
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I am convinced of one thing: if we allow them to acquire deliverable nukes, it will be one of the worst moments in the history of mankind - and a turning point with obviously disastrous potential. The policy of pre-emption has been installed and vindicated, IMHO, and I can't think of a more productive example of where it should be implemented. So yeah, take the Black Hats out - by 2nd or 3rd Qtr '04! ;-)
Rehash of a few news blips this week, but the overall strategy seems to be the TSA taking their job more seriously, and thatâs a good thing - EFL
The American authorities in the last week directed a United States-bound flight from Mexico to turn around in midair and imposed extraordinary security measures on at least six other incoming flights because of terrorist concerns, federal officials said Wednesday. Officials were so concerned about possible attacks on at least five foreign flights that landed in the United States, including one on Wednesday night at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, that they moved the planes away from the main terminals and rescreened the passengers. The security moves, along with the cancellation of several flights on Dec. 24 by Air France to Los Angeles, reflect an aggressive new approach toward guarding United States airspace because of concerns that terrorists may seek to hijack an international flight. The strategy is an outgrowth of the "high risk" alert status initiated 11 days ago.
While officials said they wanted to cooperate with other nations to strengthen security, they also said they were unwilling to let foreign flights into United States airspace without rigorous security checks. This week, Tom Ridge, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, put foreign airlines on notice that they would be denied entry to American airspace if they refused to put armed air marshals on any incoming flights of concern. The move, which met resistance from some countries, came less than a week after Air France canceled six flights because of American worries that terrorists might be aboard. The federal officials said that putting pressure on foreign carriers to use marshals was just one of several steps they were taking behind the scenes to meet rising concern about international flights. The officials said that in the last week they also had "significantly increased" inspection of air cargo on foreign flights, a source of widespread concern as a potential mode of attack for terrorists. Military F-16 fighter jets have also shadowed some foreign flights from Air France and other airlines arriving at major American cities, including Los Angeles, an administration official said.
And the federal officials disclosed Wednesday that after the Air France cancellations, they reached an agreement this week with a French delegation to impose tougher security on flights that American officials suspect may be at risk. A key provision, the officials said, was that the French agreed to give to United States officials passenger lists for any flights thought to be suspicious at least one hour before take-off, rather than waiting until the flight is in the air as is now normally done. American officials said they wanted to use that agreement as a model for ensuring tighter aviation security in other nations as well. "What weâre trying to do is establish protocols to be able to vet these passenger lists before the flight takes off, and thatâs in the interests of both parties," said an American official involved in the agreement. "No one wants to be told when a flight is halfway across the Atlantic that it has to turn around."
But American officials have shown a willingness to do just that in recent days if questions arise about a flightâs security. In the case of a foreign carrierâs flight this week from Mexico, a Transportation Security Administration inspector based there told officials in the United States that passengers boarding a flight for the United States had not been properly screened. As one official related the exchanged that followed, American transportation officials told the airline, "You said there were procedures in place for that flight that werenât there. Turn it around."
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/01/2004 10:49:00 AM ||
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"Military F-16 fighter jets..."
As opposed to Fred's private F-16 fighter jet? Cheez, these guys at least used to know how to write.
Posted by: Matt ||
01/01/2004 11:13 Comments ||
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Posting will be light this afternoon. I have to change the oil in my F-16 fighter jet.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/01/2004 11:14 Comments ||
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If you can keep the maintenance up it'll be great for your next trip to France.
Posted by: Matt ||
01/01/2004 11:21 Comments ||
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good catch Matt - I didn't see that when I posted. I hope, at least, they belong to the U.S. military? NY Times? wanna followup with that? ;-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/01/2004 11:33 Comments ||
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RAF = Rantburg Air Force
Posted by: Matt ||
01/01/2004 11:57 Comments ||
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My F-111 is up on blocks in the front yard, next to the El Camino. Getting hard to find parts, dammit.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
01/01/2004 12:26 Comments ||
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LotR - I saw McNamara on the tube the other night - mebbe he can help with those F-111 parts. As for the Camino, I need some wheels - what kind of shape is the body in? Any rust? Frame straight? 350? Bubbles in the dash? ;-)
#8
Foxnews Update: 11am PST - BA cancelled one of their 3 flts today to Washington (?)due to "people of concern" being on the flight...sounds like they have some specific concerns...
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/01/2004 14:01 Comments ||
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"sounds like they have some specific concerns..."
"Mahmoud, we're seriously concerned that you don't have a .45 caliber bullet in your gray matter."
Posted by: Matt ||
01/01/2004 17:03 Comments ||
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"Military F-16 fighter jets have also shadowed some foreign flights from Air France and other airlines arriving at major American cities, including Los Angeles, an administration official said."
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad is to pay a visit to Turkey next week, Turkish diplomatic sources said Wednesday, confirming the recent thaw in relations between the two neighbours which were on the verge of war just five years ago. The sources said Assad was to start a three-day visit on Tuesday, including talks in Ankara with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and a visit to Istanbul, Turkey's main business centre.
Latest move in the diplowar, as the Boy President tries to line up support or at least neutrality...
Relations between Syria and Turkey have improved markedly in recent weeks, with the signing of a security agreement in Ankara on December 17. The two Muslim countries have clashed in the past on the issue of Kurdish separatism - both are home to Kurdish minority populations - and on the use of water from the River Euphrates, which they both share. Turkey is also Israel's main ally in the region.
And Syria but one of its main adversaries...
In 1998 the two neighbours almost went to war, amid recriminations by Turkey over Syria's decision to provide refuge to the Kurdish separatist leader Abdullah Ocalan and to other members of his Kurdistan Workers' Party. However Ocalan was later expelled from Syria, and has since been captured by Turkish security forces.
"Get the hell out! They'll stomp us flat!"
The security agreement signed earlier in December followed Syria's decision to hand over to Ankara 22 Turks suspected of involvement in a series of disastrous suicide bombings which left 62 people dead and hundreds injured in Istanbul in November. Syrian Information Minister Ahmad al-Hassan condemned the Istanbul bombings as a "hideous crime on a neighbouring state and friend". Syria's Prime Minister Mustapha Miro visited Turkey last July, and predicted a "brilliant future" for relations between the two states. He was the first Syrian premier to visit Turkey in 17 years.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2004 10:12 ||
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Sharon announced yesterday that Israel would be annexing the Golan Hts territory they captured from Syria and settling it with about 250,000 settlers. Guess they're tired of Syria's games in Lebanon as well as lack of any progress on talks with Boy Assad. Could have a lot to do with water sources as well
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/01/2004 14:05 Comments ||
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I got into a huge, hairy argument with some LGFers over this matter when I said the man who shot the ISM guy was a hero. Some of them were saying they didnât want someone like this sharpshooter defending them, that the IDF has standards, and this rifleman did not live up to those standards. So, what do you all think. Was the rifleman a hero or a goat?
An Israeli soldier has been arrested after admitting he shot a British peace activist in the head, leaving him in a vegetative state. The Israeli military said on Wednesday that the soldier had been accused of gunning down 22-year-old Tom Hurndall following an inquiry demanded by the studentâs family and the British Foreign Office. Good shot, baby.
Mr Hurndall was shot eight months ago in a Palestinian refugee camp in the Gaza Strip as he tried to help children out of the path of an Israeli tank. Guess trhe man cares more for children than the âPalestiniansâ he professes to front for.
The Israeli army claimed the man they shot was wearing camouflage and was carrying a gun, a claim denied by Mr Hurndallâs family. In my book, he was helping a known terroist group; he may as well painted a target on his head.
The Foreign Office pressed for a full criminal investigation. Mr Hurndallâs family said the armyâs initial report on the shooting was a "straightforward fabrication". "We absolutely knew from our own investigation that Tom was not carrying a gun and that the armyâs initial investigation was an attempt to blame him," said Mr Hurndallâs sister, Sophie. "Iâm relieved theyâve finally admitted the truth, but the Israeli military does not have a good track record of holding soldiers to account . . ." Well, you havenât admitted the whole truth. Tom Hudnell was a terrorist supporting toady, and therefore a terrorist himself.
Mr Hurndall is in a vegetative state in a London hospital with a large part of his brain shot away. His family says it is still considering whether to seek a court order to shut off his life support. He canât hurt anyone now and he canât help the âPalestiniansâ. Doesnât matter to me much what they do.
The detained soldier, who has not been named, is a member of the Bedouin Patrol Battalion. A military statement said he had been arrested after admitting he had falsely claimed to have shot at a man with a pistol. We have got to get away from this concept of prosecuting riflemen who make mistakes. Granted it was one hell of a shot that removed Hudnell from concious thought, but I think the soldier who did this should not be prosecuted for the shooting What do you think? Hero or goat?
The military said that under interrogation the soldier admitted that Mr Hurndall was not carrying a gun and that he had opened fire "in proximity to an unarmed civilian in order to deter him".
Posted by: badanov ||
01/01/2004 10:09:46 AM ||
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Kinda of like the peace activist who donated her body to the IDF for tread lubricant outside Arafart's compund in Ramalah. Guess what?? You give aid and comfort to the enemy you become.....the enemy.
#2
Note to ISM and Mr. Hurndall's family:
If you willingly place your pointy little head in the line of fire to prevent action against rock and molotov throwing and gun/anti-tank shooting bastards, you've already made the decision to terminate life support.
I don't want the IDF to indiscriminately fire into civilians, and have not seen any fair evidence (Paleo/ISM liars don't count) that that has happened. The shooter doesn't deserve a medal nor rebuke.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/01/2004 11:05 Comments ||
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Whatever may be the outcome (I hope nothing more than a disciplinary sanction), at least it shows IDF's ethic is in no way comparable with PA "security force" 's. Their soldiers are accountable for their act : this is the difference between a western regular army, and a rag-tag third-world militia; the double-standards of blaming israeli, while excusing paleos for their lynching, use of civilians as cover, internal gunbattles,... is even more patent.
#4
I'm with Frank on this one. We'll never know whether there was a terrorist shooting from the childrens positions because the Paleos will never admit to it and Isreals word is worth shit to most of the planet.
Posted by: Charles ||
01/01/2004 12:51 Comments ||
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The "evil" side of me says, "From what range?" :P (did the soldier make the shot) while the "nice" part of me says that while the Hurndalls don't have a case, falsely claiming that your target was armed does indeed count as a valid charge ...
Posted by: Lu Baihu ||
01/01/2004 13:19 Comments ||
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Its interesting to note that a member of the Bedouin Patrol Battalion is almost certainly an arab and moslem. The news reports don't name him.
I understand the bedouin loathe the palestians and are supporters of Israel. This of course is not newsworthy.
An American nuclear sub (the USS Hartford) that grounded itself while training off the Spanish coast two months ago, apparently suffered worse damage that originally thought. The sub has just recently been dry docked and examined in detail. It was known that the bottom half of the rudder was torn off, but the gouges in the hull were deeper than first thought. Initially, it was thought that the damage was less serious. Although the sub was able to steam back to dry dock facilities at Groton, Connecticut, it had to do so at half speed, taking a month for a trip that normally is made in two weeks.
The cause of the accident was sloppiness by the six sailors in the navigation team. Too much time was allowed to elapse between position updates and the sub went aground while navigating shallow coastal waters. All six sailors in the "navigation party" were punished for dereliction of duty. The captain of the sub, and his boss (the commander of Submarine Squadron 22, based in Spain), were both relieved of duty. The implication here is that the training and discipline of the navigation party were not up to standard, and the shipâs captain and the squadron commander are responsible for training and discipline. The damage to the Hartford may require expensive repairs to the hull and keep the sub out of service for up to a year. Big oops here. Sounds like a bunch of careers just hit the rocks.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/01/2004 2:56:03 AM ||
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Quite incredible: This gives a window into the sort of performance expected of our Silent Service. I imagine the maneuvers being carried out would be used to insert SEALS and other Special Forces.
The Ikhwan al-Muslimin (Muslim Brotherhood) group in Jordan said it is considering the foundation of a TV station, or an independent radio, after the call made by the Jordanian commission for audio-visual media for the private sector and the parties to form broadcasting stations.
"That's enterta-a-a-a-i-i-i-nment!"
The official spokesman for the group, Yahya Shaqra, said that the group has the ambition and the desire to found such stations, due to the importance of the media as "a means of contacts to disseminate the Islamic call."
"All fatwas, all the time!"
Shaqra explained that the group will prepare a comprehensive and updated study on establishing a TV or radio station, noting that technical personnel are available for such a work among its members." He said that the Muslim brothers in Jordan have two papers, as mouthpieces for the group. They are "al-Kifah al-Islami" in the 1950s, and "al-Rabat" which started by the end of the 1980s and continued until the beginning of the 1990s.
The end of the 80s to the beginning of the 90s? Like a year? Six months?
The audio-visual media law was issued in 2002 to make it available for the national private sector, and the local sector to invest in the media.
So they're trying to get away from state-run media, and the Ikhwanis are going to start a Koranic station, which will maybe draw a slightly larger audience than gospel stations draw here. And be just about as interesting.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2004 00:27 ||
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"All fatwas, all the time!"
LOL! Yep, just what they need.
Without infidel technology, these 'tards would still be in-breeding living in isolated little villages and oases - shooting each other over who can use the well.
#2
I think this is a great idea, and I think they need to broadcast Baywatch 12 hours a day. They can explain it to the mullahs in charge by showing how the ratings improve -- "see how much more we can charge for our fatwas now?"
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/01/2004 2:36 Comments ||
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If the fatwas have to compete with Baywatch, I can guess which'll win, until the Baywatch station's bombed by "unknown assailants."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/01/2004 9:22 Comments ||
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the Yahya Shaqra sisterhood?
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/01/2004 11:41 Comments ||
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#5
This is why we need a space station - actually, about a dozen of them, all circling the Earth at about 8000 miles up (out of range of A-Sat). Each could broadcast up to 40,000 stations to every square inch of the earth's surface. Remember "How ya gonna keep 'em down on the farm, after they've seen Pariee?"? I'm not for totally destroying the culture of any group, but I'm totally against controlling the ability to get information other than that "approved" by the local government - OR the local church. IF you really want to give a turbantop a headache, give him something to think about. Bombard them with TNC, TNT, A&E, Discovery, Disney, HBO, Showtime, and anything else that can hit the space-based repeater. Don't DUB ANYTHING - if it's a French show, broadcast it in French; if it's a German show, broadcast it in German; if someone else has already dubbed it (in Spanish, Japanese, or Polish, for instance), go ahead and broadcast it in whatever language it's received in.
Can you imagine the impact (word chosen with great care) of a Madonna "music video" broadcast into Islamistan in 145 different languages? 24/7, for about six months? I guarantee it will end bloodshed in Islamistan - all the males will have glazed eyeballs, incapable of finding a REAL rifle, and unable to see the sites if they do.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/01/2004 16:23 Comments ||
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The assistant secretary general of the Arab leagueNour Eddine Hasshad announced on Sunday that the Arab foreign ministers will hold an emergency meeting in Cairo in February 2004 to discuss the file of developing the Arab League.
"It's an emergency! Quick! Form a committee!"
Hasshad told journalists that the AL general secretariat handed over "since days the Arab League a complete file on the development of the AL, and that the Arab League will by its turn send final answers by the end of January 2004 to discuss it in the emergency meeting." Chairman of the office of the AL secretary general, Hesham Youssef, said that the AL general secretariat is making consultations with the member states to convene an emergency meeting for the Arab foreign ministers in order to discuss ideas and special proposals to develop the AL in February 2004 following Eid al-Adha vacation. He explained that this meeting "will be held in implementation of the decision of the recent Arab summit which was held in Sharm al Sheikh in March. It provides for that the AL ministerial council to convene an emergency meeting to be dedicated to discuss proposals for boosting the AL, on which the AL chief Amr Moussa will submit a report to the next Arab summit due in Tunisia in March, 2004."
None of that meant anything to me. I think they just want to go back to Sharm el-Sheikh.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2004 00:27 ||
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#1
I think someone mentioned it before here on RB: do these guys ever hold a non-emergency meeting?
6:07 Pray to LaLa
8:43 Tighter turbans is better turbans
9:00 KILL ALL INFIDELS!!!!!!!!!!
11:15 Pray to LaLa
12:00 Nosh time!
12:25 KILL ALL INFIDELS!!!!!!!!!!
12:55 Pray to LaLa
1:30 The solution to pollution is ablution
1:45 KILL ALL INFIDELS!!!!!!!!!!
3:52 Clitorectomy and your happy daughter
4:39 Science seminar: Killing infidels is good!
5:28 Pray to LaLa
You Jewish impostor, you are calumniating virtuous Muslims: they pray to Lala FIVE times a day not four and they call to kill all infidels ten times a day.
#5
my boys used to watch a cartoon with Superman, Aquaman, Batman et al, called the Justice League. That cartoon had more to do with reality than these burnoose-wearing weaklings
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/01/2004 13:03 Comments ||
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Hamas vowed that the liquidation of its leaders would not halt its anti-Israeli attacks after a military chief survived the first targeted killing operation against the main Palestinian militant movement in months.
Damn. I hope he was at least horribly maimed.
âThis will not stop the resistance of our people or change the position of Hamas which advocates the pursuit of battle until the end of the occupation and the recovery of the rights of the Palestinian people,â leading Hamas figure Ismail Haniya said on a day Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat charged in a speech marking the anniversary of his Fatah movement that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon did not want peace.
Been there, done that, got the corpses to show for it...
The raid on Tuesday evening, which left 11 people injured in the center of Gaza City, was a ânew Israeli crimeâ, which showed the government of Sharon was intent on âending the intifada and annihilating the Palestinian causeâ, Haniya added.
Sounds like a good plan to me...
Jamal Jarah, a leader of Hamasâ armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, and another military activist escaped unhurt when Israeli helicopter gunships failed to hit their car with a first strike. The pair managed to flee before the helicopters fired a second rocket, blowing up the vehicle, witnesses said, while 11 passers-by sustained shrapnel wounds, according to medics.
"Feet, don't fail us now!"
Hamas has not carried out any attacks on Israeli targets since early September, although it recently refused to declare a halt to campaigns even against Israeli civilians. Israel has tried to kill several senior Hamas figures in air raids this year, including its spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and political chief Abdelaziz Rantissi, but had held off on such operations since October. A senior member of the smaller Islamic Jihad movement was killed in a Gaza airstrike.
Rantissi and Sheikh Yassin have been in hiding since then...
Meanwhile, Arafat said in a televised address yesterday: âOur hand is still extended for a peace of the grave brave, we strongly believe in this peace and this belief will not wane despite the grief and suffering endured by our people. This Israeli government does not want the peace of the grave brave, does not work toward resuming the peace process and does not want to implement the roadkillroadmap or come back to the negotiations table,â he said. Arafat charged that Israeli Prime Minister Sharon refuses to comply with the demands of the internationally-backed road map blueprint for peace, which paves the way for the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2004 00:27 ||
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Hamas vowed that the liquidation of its leaders would not halt its anti-Israeli attacks after a military chief survived the first targeted killing operation against the main Palestinian militant movement in months.
Then whack them all whenever they are found, until every last Hamas "leader" is dead.
#2
Yeah, right, Haniya. You guys sure have been scarce since the Israelis started whacking you - and why anyone on the entire planet doubts it was working is amazing. Proof that people believe what they want to believe. As Simon said, "All lies in jest, still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest." Kill 'em all. And anyone who aspires to replace them. Take a number, fools.
#3
Arafat charged that Israeli Prime Minister Sharon refuses to comply with the demands of the internationally-backed road map blueprint for peace, which paves the way for the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005.
The hell he didn't. Sharon released Palestinian terrorists AND started to remove settlements. Arafish has done nothing under the peace plan. Not to mention that Hamas has basically said they'll still attack regardless of a State or not.
Posted by: Charles ||
01/01/2004 2:02 Comments ||
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#4
Assassinations Will Not Blunt Campaign Against Israel: Hamas
...maybe not, but there will be more cookies to go around at the funerals.
Although, without Saddam paying the $20,000 per martyr incentive, the cookie budget is probably strained pretty badly.
#6
Liquidation of their leaders? I love the sound of that....explains what the Paleo car swarms⢠have all over their hands after a IAF chopper attack
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/01/2004 13:23 Comments ||
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The International Committee of the Red Cross Thingy (ICRC) asked the American occupation forces in Iraq to permit it to visit the toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The spokesman for the ICRC, Florian Westfal, said "we are continuously talking to the Americans over the prisoners of war and other detainees in Iraq, and in the course of our contacts, we raised the issue of Saddam Hussein's case."
As long as Sammy is categorized as an "other detainee."
The ICRC spokesman said that "in his personal capacity, Saddam Hussein, is entitled to the protection of Geneva agreements, and that Saddam Hussein has the right to be visited by the ICRC," noting that the Geneva agreement does not specify a certain period for the visit of the prisoner. But he explained that the "general idea is that the visit should be made as soon as possible."
Go ahead. Bring him a toothbrush or something.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2004 00:27 ||
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#1
Fred - do you keep track of the words and phrases created on Rantburg? I used "Red Thingy" in an email to a now-reforming LLL friend not long ago and he laughed so hard he had to hang up and call back later. There are some terrific name-givers here and it might be interesting to keep a list of these jewels! As for the story it should be simple: no office in Iraq = no visit. Gutless wonders. Piss off!
A Sudanese opposition Islamist party said yesterday the government had arrested three of its leaders and 22 other members for having links to rebels in the western Darfur region of Africaâs largest country.
Yep. This is starting to look pretty complicated...
Witnesses also said Sudanese authorities raided a Khartoum university dormitory yesterday and arrested 50 members of the politically active Darfur Studentsâ Union there. The Popular National Congress (PNC) party led by prominent Islamist Hassan Turabi denied any direct contact with two main Darfur rebel groups.
Nothing about indirect contact, though...
The groups launched a revolt in February, accusing Khartoum of marginalizing the remote area. The United Nations says the Darfur strife has displaced more than 600,000 people and warns of a humanitarian crisis there. âThe government arrested these people... because they are from the same tribe as the rebels,â PNC official Mohamed Al-Amin Khalifa told Reuters, adding that he felt Khartoum wanted to re-arrest Turabi but held back because of international pressure.
And Turabi seems to be involved with the rebels in Darfur...
Turabi, a former ally in President Omar Bashirâs Islamist government, was released in October after two and a half years of detention for crimes against the state. Government officials declined to comment on the arrests but the state-owned Al-Anbaa newspaper quoted Bashir yesterday as saying Khartoumâs priority was to âwipe out the rebelsâ. But the PNC said the government was wrong to target it because it offered the best chance of finding a peace deal, thanks to historical links to the Darfur-based rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and leaders who came from the region. Khalifa said JEM was formed after splitting from the PNC in 1999. But JEM denied the claim. âWe are an independent group with no links at all with the PNC or Turabi,â JEM Chairman Khalil Ibrahim told Reuters.
"No, no! Certainly not!"
The other main Darfur rebel group, the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA), signed a truce with Khartoum in September but peace talks broke down earlier this month with both sides blaming each other. The SLA also said JEM was allied to Turabiâs party.
So Turabi seems to be running a backdoor revolution against Omar. This'll bear some watching, just to keep from becoming too confused.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/01/2004 00:26 ||
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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.
