The film has earned the approval of conservative Christian groups
The film The Passion of the Christ is a month away from release but the controversy surrounding it is already producer Mel Gibsonâs cross to bear. "I anticipate the worst is yet to come," Gibson said at the Global Pastors Network conference in Orlando, Florida. The film, which depicts Jesus Christâs last 12 earthly hours, has been lauded for its historical accuracy - and accused of being anti-Jewish. Gibson urged the pastors to take youth groups to see the film, despite the R rating it earned for the graphic depiction of the crucifixion, Gibsonâs publicist, Paul Lauer told the BBC.
"I hope Iâm wrong, I hope Iâm wrong," Gibson, a conservative Catholic, told the 3500 evangelical pastors. Gibson will find out on 25 February, when the film is released on Ash Wednesday, the holiday that marks two days before Christians believe Christ was crucified. The film "represents a disturbing setback to the remarkable achievements in Christian-Jewish relations over the past 40 years," the American Jewish Committee said on Thursday in a statement. "Foremost among problems with the Gibson film is the inclusion of verse 27:25 from Matthew, the verse that blames Jews for Jesusâ death and was repudiated by Vatican II in 1965," said the committee, some of whose members have seen the film. Gibson belongs to an ultra-conservative Catholic group that does not recognise the reforms of Vatican II and celebrates mass in Latin.
The star of Lethal Weapon and Oscar winner for his role in Braveheart took more than $25 million out of his own pocket for the filming in Rome. He wrote the script, produced and directed the film and hired Jim Caveziel to play Christ and Italian actress Monica Belluci as Mary Magdalene. Even Pope John Paul II weighed into the debate. While some US media reported that the pope praised the film, Vatican sources denied those reports on Thursday and confirmed only that the pontiff had attended a private screening of the film in December. "We are deeply concerned that the film, if released in its present form, could fuel the hatred, bigotry and anti-Semitism that many responsible churches have worked hard to repudiate," Anti-Defamation League Director Abraham Foxman said. "The film unambiguously portrays Jewish authorities and the Jewish mob as the ones responsible for the decision to crucify Jesus."
The film attempts to portray life 2000 years ago, with characters who speak Latin and Aramaic, with English subtitles, earning the approval of conservative Christian groups. "The film is going to be a classic," said Dean Hudson, editor of the Catholic magazine Crisis. "It is going to be the âgo-toâ film for Christians of all denominations who want to see the best movie made about the passion of Christ."
More liberal institutions disagree. "We are really concerned that this could be one of the great crises in Christian-Jewish relations," Mary Boys, of the non-denominational New York Theological Seminary, told the Guardian. The last film to kick up such a controversy was Martin Scorseseâs The Last Temptation of Christ in 1988.
For different reasons...
Posted by: LongLiveIsrael ||
01/25/2004 11:51:11 AM ||
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I don't understand why the Jewish public is crying foul. This is a film which has historical accuracy, so calling it anti-semitic is wrong. The truth/history shouldn't be rewritten.
#6
The last film to kick up such a controversy was Martin Scorseseâs The Last Temptation of Christ in 1988.
Oddly, I don't remember Jewish groups getting that worked up over that film -- it was mainly Christian groups. For what it's worth, I saw Last Temptation of Christ at a showing sponsored by two campus religious groups -- the Newman (Catholic) and one of the non-Catholic groups. The priest praised both the movie and the book it was based on.
Something to keep in mind is that the groups damning the film have NOT seen it; at most they read an early version of the script. This isn't surprising; when Catholic groups were protesting Kevin Smith's film "Dogma", he went out and joined the protest. No one recognized him, despite his being in every film he's ever made and his playing a major role in that film.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
01/25/2004 12:42 Comments ||
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... the film is released on Ash Wednesday, the holiday that marks two days before Christians believe Christ was crucified.
You'd think CNN could get the basics about Easter right. After all, it's only the most important holiday for one of the world's largest faiths. But I guess I ought to revise my expectations downward. CNN thinks Ash Wednesday is two days before we mark the crucifixion (Good Friday), which means Easter must be on February 29th. *sigh*
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, 40 days before Good Friday. That means that Easter falls on April 11th. Unless you work for CNN.
#8
Regarding #1, the Jewish public isn't crying foul. The leadership of a few Jewish Organizations that depend on funding are. Makes for good pledge drives.
The film is getting great press because of the supposed controversy. How many will see it because of the controversy?
In the last two thousand years, passions raised against Jews because of the story of Easter was something that Jews had to worry about. But the threat axis has changed. Anyone with a brain knows that.
It's much ado about nothing. Which is usually the case for hyping Hollywood movies.
#9
Does this film explicitly say "The Jews are responsible for Christ's death."? Does it even imply it? (Didn't the Romans have a little part in this?)
If, through the best historical investigation possible, we were all to come to the conclusion that some Jews were responsible for this, should we not make a film about it, for fear of protests from "Jewish activists"?
If, as an analogy, a white man kills a black man, should the NYT not report it, for fear of protests from "White activists"?
Perhaps the complainers should lighten up, or at least see the movie before protesting what's supposedly in it.
If I hadn't heard all the argle-bargle about this film, I probably wouldn't have seen it. Now I think I will.
Mel Gibson has done a masterful job of promoting this movie.
Posted by: Les Nessman ||
01/25/2004 13:34 Comments ||
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If this movie does what it's detracters are saying then I'm for seriously kicking some Jewish butt. As I'm easily lead.
Nice point Les, I always thought the Romans were the bad guys in the story of the crusifiction. And the Jews were shown as very human in their behavior.
#11
Keith Fournier attended a private viewing of The Passion last November along with some other Washington DC denizens. Here's his column. Of his many interesting observations and comments on the event, this stood out for me:
"We would all be well advised to remember that the Gospel narratives to which "The Passion" is so faithful were written by Jewish men who followed a Jewish rabbi whose life and teaching have forever changed the history of the world."
#12
Don't forget that St. Paul was Saul, a Rabbi and Pharisee, before he had his conversion and started preaching to the goyim Gentiles.
And the Bible is firmly based in Judiasm from the Pentatuch (the books of Moses), other Jewish prophets and scribes, all the way to Isaiah, and even the Jewish revolutionaries like the Maccabees.
Seems Christianity's beginnings are very much intertwined with Judiasm. Those tricky Catholics, planning a head thousands of years...
#14
I'm writing something up right now, but my opinion is that the POLITICIANS killed Jesus: The fact that they were Jews and Romans is irrelevant. With his miracles, he was becoming popular with the People, while his teachings (The sermon on the Mount) clearly pacified the population (Opiate of the people, and all that). The Jewish leaders feared that the Romans would eventually notice and put Jesus in to replace them. When Pilate tried to go over their heads and appeal to the populace (a popular method used by the Romans to bypass the heads of pressure groups), the leaders worked the crowd and convinced them to ask for Barabbas: It's all there in Matthew if you know what to look for. In Acts, the people who were accused of handing Jesus over to the Romans confessed their guilt at Peter's preaching: The Fisherman noted that, and declared that they obviously had acted out of ignorance, and urged them to publicly oppose the action of their leaders. The apostle's preaching caused the Priests to complain "You intend to bring this man's blood upon our heads!" They knew they were personally guilty, and only wanted company to lessen the guilt, the way that Aaron, Moses' brother, blamed the people when he made the Golden Calf.
Politicians: Despite differences in cultures and nations, they're slime all over.
The descendants of those who cried out "His blood be upon us and upon our children" should say to their ancestors "Speak for your friggin' selves!", admit their ancestors goofed, and appeal to the principle that one doesn't punish the children for the crimes of the father.
And the rest of us should grab the collars of the "Christian" anti-semites and shake them hard while yelling "The people who killed Jesus are DEAD, YOU MORONS!" Pistol whipping and a rope necktie optional, depending on results...
Mel Gibson makes pretty powerful movies: I hated the british for all of five minutes after finishing watching The Patriot. I then remembered World War II and that they were on our side in Iraq and in the UN, so that passed pretty quickly.
I probably WILL hate the jews for all of five minutes: Then I'll remember that the guys who did all this are dead, that to blame the kids for the sins of the Dads is idiotic, and that the Israelis are now killing terrorists. I expect those feelings to pass quickly too. My Pastor will then pointedly remind me that Jesus was God, couldn't be a victim unless He allowed it, and only the necessity of dying for my sins and his sins made Jesus go through all this.
#16
I need to clarify: The only "goof" present day Jews should admit to is that Jesus was railroaded by the Jewish leaders of that day. Heck, they don't even have to apologize for anything, because they didn't do it. Take one look at the Israeli court system, and I'll say that what happened to Jesus then wouldn't happen today.
You saw what your ancestors did, admit it wasn't the right thing to do, you learn from it, and implemented the reforms. You can't ask for more than that, and if you do, you're just being a jackass.
#17
1. Jews and Jewish leaders have plenty of reason to be concerned about this film and comment on it
2. Christians who like the film, have every right to defend it, and the theology on which it is based
3. Questions about whats actually in the film will be answered when its released
4. A certain number of people on the "left" on foreign policy are VERY UNHAPPY with the alliance of neocons and other Jews with fundie and other christians on Iraq, GWOT, Israel, etc. This is a golden opportunity to try to fracture that alliance. i have a nagging suspicion that many who are posting issues related to this film on blogs that focus on the GWOT (like this one) are doing so with the deliberate intention of trying to fracture such alliance.
#18
The Jews are crying foul for the release of the Passion of the Christ because it is a reminder of the collective guilt and shortcomings of their faith. Jesus was a Jew who was uncovering the blindfold of ignorance the jewish faith contains - mainly the elitist oligarchy who were misinterpreting scripture for their own selfish agenda. This close minded attitude still exists amongst many Jewish leaders and groundwork is laid in the subconsciencious American mindset via the Anti-Defamation League and other left wing groups to maintain and foster their elitist agenda. There is no denying that the Jews have suffered throughout the ages. Maybe if they accepted Christ as their Savior and dropped the condescending attitude then their luck might change for the better.
Police in Pakistan have arrested a former Afghan provincial chief and ally of Taleban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar.
Maulvi Abdul Mannan Khawajazai, ex-governor of the western Badghis region, was captured near the Afghan border.
Afghan officials welcomed the arrest, saying Mr Khawajazai was connected to continuing violence in Afghanistan even if he had no direct links to terrorism.
It was not clear if Mr Khawajazai would be handed over to the US, like other Taleban members caught by Pakistan.
A Pakistani intelligence source quoted by the Reuters news agency said Mr Khawajazai ran the finances of the Taleban regime, which was overthrown in a US-led invasion after the 11 September 2001 attacks.
Officials said he was also a close aide of Mullah Omar, who remains on the run and is one of the USâ most-wanted men, along with Osama Bin Laden who ran al-Qaeda from Afghanistan.
Extradition possible
Colonel Basit of Pakistanâs border security forces said Mr Khawajazai was captured by police and intelligence officers near the south-western town of Chaman.
He was being held in an unspecified location.
Afghan authorities praised Pakistan for the arrest and said they might seek Mr Khawajazaiâs extradition.
They also urged Pakistan to continue their operations against remnants of the Taleban regime suspected of seeking refuge in border areas.
News of the arrest came as Pakistan confirmed that a man killed in an army operation late last year was a leading al-Qaeda suspect.
The authorities said the dead man was Abdur Rehman Khadar, who they said was a Canadian national of Egyptian origin.
He was one of eight alleged militants killed in a battle last October near the Afghan border, in the tribal region of South Waziristan which is one of the main suspected hideouts of Bin Laden and his senior aides.
The Yemeni branch of al-Qaida has vowed to attack western targets following the government's rejection of a conditional truce offer, according to an Islamist website. President Ali Abdullah Saleh shunned an offer by the group to halt attacks on western targets when they demanded 10 concessions on Saturday, according to www.alsahwa-yemen.net - which speaks for the Islamist Islah party. The website said it had received a statement in which "al-Qaida, Yemen" stated it had promised to secure "the blessing of Sheikh Osama bin Ladin" or another top leader of the Islamist network for the proposal spurned by Sanaa.
Qaeda's still looking for a home...
The group's conditions for not attacking Western targets included "allowing the mujahidin (Islamic fighters) to join their brethren in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine," the website said. But the proposal was rejected by the Yemeni government - "the Americans' second partner in the alliance against Islam and Muslims after the apostate Pakistani regime" of President Pervez Musharraf.
So now they'll try to bump off Saleh. And the Islah Party is probably too powerful for him to shut it down.
"We sued for peace, but they want war," al-Qaida Yemen charged. According to al-Sahwa, the group vowed to avenge the killing in November 2002 of Ali Qaid Sunian al-Harethi, alias Abu Ali - a suspected top al-Qaida operative in Yemen. Al-Harethi was killed along with five other Yemenis when a missile fired by CIA agents struck their vehicle in eastern Yemen. Sanaa has admitted cooperating with Washington in the attack. "The military wing of al-Qaida in Yemen - the Abu Ali al-Harethi Brigades - has for a year been preparing to carry out a devastating strike," the group warned, according to al-Sahwa. The group also warned of an "impending major strike in America," adding that the attacks on the Cole and the Limburg had been in revenge for the killing of Islamist leaders in Yemen. Yemen has been engaged in a crackdown on suspected members of al-Qaida since the 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States for which bin Ladin's organization was blamed, but its government denies that there is such a thing as a Yemeni branch of Al-Qaida.
In that case, just shut down the Islah Party.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/25/2004 11:56 ||
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... or another top leader of the Islamist network for the proposal spurned by Sanaa.
#3
Several of the jihadi sites have been prediting a "strike" approx Feb 4th - at the end of the Hajj - for some time now. So much wolf-crying has preceeded this that it lacks real lustre, but they do seem both in-synch about the timing and quite frothy. It only takes one group getting through to make them look invincible to the gulli-press. If they fail to make good on this threat, perhaps a few thousand jihadi wannabees will lose heart and find some other diversion for their clueless lives. One can hope.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/25/2004 20:36 Comments ||
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Hey, Dr Steve! Intermittent dial-up access for another 2 weeks or so. I have seen Nevada, now, and it is me... reminds me of the rough and tumble of Wyoming & Montana. BTW, way OT, have you checked out DLP television? I'm treating myself to one to go with my Tier-4 Digital cable, heh. HDTV on 51" screen and only 7" thick. Kicks plasma and LCD ass, bro!
On-Topic: Very sadly, I still believe we'll see a significant hit soon enough. Then we'll see how it plays out. We already know it takes being backed into a corner and having the shit slapped out of us to move the majority to action. I wonder, all of the old press that was unearthed regards post WW-II I've seen doesn't fully answer it, when we finally act, is it without so much harping and bitching by the lay-down-and-die crowd?
Members of the Ministry of Educationâs Department of Curriculum Development are now in Tokyo, after leaving the city of Nagoya where they spent several days attending a training course in curriculum development hosted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. While in Nagoya, the delegation consisting of Dr. Abdulillah Abdullah Al-Mosharraf, the departmentâs director general, and four supervisors, Shakir Nasir Al-Shareef, Muhammad Abdullah Al-Zoghaibi, Abdullah Muhammad Al-Otaibi and Abdul Rahman Hamad Al-Huzaimy, also visited two Japanese schools as well as the Aichi Prefectural Education Center. At the schools, the Saudi delegation met with students and administrators and exchanged ideas and information on the educational systems in both countries. The delegation also visited Ruyuhoku Junior High School where they were received by Principal Junji Koyama. At Ruyuhoku Junior High School, both the Japanese and Saudis discussed problems facing junior high schools and students in both countries and methods of overcoming many of the challenges. âWe are very pleased to receive the delegation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This is a great opportunity for all of us to learn about the differences and similarities in our schools,â Koyama told Arab News. Members of the Saudi delegation said they were impressed with what they had seen at Ruyuhoku. âThere is a heavy emphasis on, and great pride in, Japanese culture which is continuously instilled in the students. Heavy emphasis is also placed on job experience, real-life skills and career choice development through actual hands-on experience.â
They train their students to do other things besides reciting religious texts and supervising foreigners...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/25/2004 11:00 ||
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Fred, the Saudis were impressed with the apparent capability of Japanese culture to bring about strict conformism. It was just a matter of time before the reputation of the Kamakazi attract the kooks from Riyahd.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 11:06 Comments ||
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Yeah, strict conformism and rewriting history. All the Japanese school history textbooks focus on Nagasaki and Hiroshima -
They fail to mention the atrocities they commited that lead to their getting nuked.
In a move aimed at tracking down terror suspects, the Interior Ministry is distributing booklets in foreign languages with pictures of most wanted suspects. The government put out a list of 26 wanted men on Dec. 6 last year. The list with pictures was published in all newspapers. Authorities said the men were connected to the terrorist attacks which had taken place in the Kingdom over the past few months. One of the suspects, Mansour ibn Muhammad Ahmad Faqeeh, surrendered to police last month. Before that security forces shot another suspect, Ibrahim ibn Muhammad Al-Rayyes, bringing the number down to 24.
Where it's stayed since...
The booklets have been published in different languages, including English and French, an Interior Ministry statement said. They contain names and pictures of the suspects. Authorities have offered an SR1 million reward for information leading to the arrest of one of the wanted men. The reward will rise to SR5 million for information leading to the arrest of more than one, and to SR7 million for actions that foil an attempted terrorist attack. The list of most wanted includes Saudis, a Yemeni and two Moroccans. Security forces have confiscated 300 explosive belts and nearly 24 tons of explosive material over the past few months, the Interior Ministry announced recently. The seizures by police included more than 300 rocket-propelled grenades and launchers, and more than 430 hand grenades, some of which were locally manufactured. Security forces also seized 1,020 weapons, over 352,300 rounds of ammunition and 674 detonators as well as preventing several criminal terrorist operations in the last phases of planning. After raids on terrorist hideouts, police have also confiscated communications devices, timers and equipment to set up truck bombs. The ministry statement also said security forces had detained âa large numberâ of people used as âterror tools.â
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/25/2004 10:55 ||
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I guess a deck of cards would have been the work of the bloodbrother of the destroyer. Its hard to use effective marketing tools in fundementalist societies.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 11:01 Comments ||
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Look at all that weaponry. 300 explosive belts! Those for clean targets or assasinations. Don't matter does it.
At least 66 pilgrims were injured, five of them seriously, when flash floods hit parts of Makkah on Friday, hampering traffic on Umm Al-Joud, Al-Mansour and Al-Haj Streets.
No earthquakes? No plague of locusts? But the hajj doesn't officially start until next week. Stay tuned for more moving religious experiences...
Civil defense officers rescued 47 pilgrims and seven families from the rainwaters. Col. Jameel Arbaeen, director of civil defense in Makkah, said his department had used a helicopter to rescue the families from a flooded area in Umm Al-Joud, west of the city. Forty-seven pilgrims from Egypt were stranded in their bus in the flooded Al-Mansour Street.
Forgot to mark their doorways with the blood of a goat, did they? Y'gotta pay attention to that religious detail...
Dr. Aymen Niazi, director of the emergency, safety and ambulance service department, confirmed that 66 pilgrims had been injured. Thirty-seven of them were treated at Ajyad Hospital while 29 others were taken to health centers, he said. The Saudi Red Crescent Society said it had deployed 32 rescue teams to help pilgrims. âWe have not received any call informing us of deaths or serious injuries,â Al-Nadwah Arabic daily reported quoting a Red Crescent official. Police diverted buses carrying pilgrims onto safer roads. Because of the rains, street vendors selling umbrellas in Makkah made sizable profits. Limousine drivers also exploited the situation, some charging SR30 instead of the usual SR10 to take pilgrims a short distance. More than 1.2 million pilgrims have already arrived from abroad for the Haj which is scheduled to start on Jan. 30. According to Maj. Gen. Abdul Aziz Sajeeni, director general of the Passports Department, more than one million pilgrims have come by air.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/25/2004 10:51 ||
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In the cities around Dhahran, they built curbs (Western contractors or concrete molds, heh) on almost all of the streets... no storm drains, but curbs. This allows the water to accumulate, instead of being swallowed by the sand of the frequent empty lots. When they do get a desert gully-washer, it just floods the streets. Of course (need we say it?) these people have almost zero experience with anything having to do with flooding... so you can expect everything from drowning in 8" of water to stalled vehicles (oooh!) to accidents to turban skiing...
Sheikh Ayed Al-Qarni, the well-known Islamic scholar, ... a veritable font of wisdom, we might add...
has denied telling the press that it was permissible for women to drive cars in Saudi Arabia. Al-Qarni was responding to reports in Arab News and other papers published two weeks ago.
"Nope. Nope. Never said it."
âI have recently stated that the issue of women not driving cars is not considered to be one of the basics of our religion. What I meant by that was that it is a subsidiary issue. The statement was used against me. It was then portrayed as if I had said it was permissible for women to drive cars in our country and this is something that is totally wrong,â he told Al-Madinah newspaper.
"Women can't drive cars! It would arouse lust! We all know that! The Prophet would turn over in his grave! He's probably doing it right now, just at the thought!"
The sheikh said he did not understand how his statement to the press could have been misused when he made it clear that he would not allow his own daughters or sisters to drive. Al-Qarni also said he mentioned clearly that such an issue should be brought up with the relevant religious institution. What he meant, he said, was that the senior Islamic scholars in the Kingdom had already issued fatwas (religious edicts) saying that women driving cars was sinful and not permissible in Islam.
I've noted before that any idiot can issue a fatwah. He proves my point...
âMy statements were misused. This is not the right way for those who search for the truth,â he said. He set out four statements as clarification:
âOne: I do not see women driving cars in our country because of the consequences that would spring from it such as the spread of corruption, women uncovering their hair and faces, mingling between the sexes, men being alone with women and the destruction of the family and society in whole.
"They'd be doinkin' each other at every opportunity! You know what they're like! They're not like me and... ummm... you."
âTwo: Sadd Al-Dharaie principle (the closing of doors which could lead to corruption or sinful actions) is one of the values in our religion. Women driving cars is a sinful thing. It is used by those who want to wage a war against purity and hijab.
But that's the same thing you said in One...
âThree: One of the principles of our religion is protecting honor and moral values. Women driving cars would threaten these principles because of the dire consequences resulting from it.
Ummm... That's the same thing as One, too. I think I see where this is going...
âFour: Such public issues must be brought up with the certified religious institution who have the say in such matters as I have said many times before.â
Well, at least he didn't just reiterate that it's sinful. I thought for sure he would. Instead, he sez "Just ask the religious authorities if it's sinful!"
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/25/2004 10:33 ||
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Al-Qarni? wasn't he on the Honeymooners?
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/25/2004 10:43 Comments ||
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Five When placed behind the wheel of a vehicle, any sane woman behind the wheel would drive away from our country at a high rate of speed.
I vote Islam as the most likely culture to rediscover foot-binding. Glad the real nuts just read teh Koran and not history books.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 10:47 Comments ||
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Frank-
Oh yeah, he played Al-abed Norton.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/25/2004 10:47 Comments ||
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When Allah created the universe, two of his main ideas were that women should not 1) show their hair in public or 2) drive cars.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
01/25/2004 11:01 Comments ||
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That sounds right, Frank. :)
But this dire issue got me to doing some really, really serious thinking. So I decided to use the WWJD paradigm.... In Mohammad's time, would they allowed women to drive camels?
Mohamed Latreche, the French Islamic leader, is under judicial investigation for allegedly making anti-Zionist statements.
Naw! He wouldn't do that!
Latrecheâs association, Parti des Musulmans de France, was responsible for organizing recent marches against a proposed law banning headscarves in schools. The statements were allegedly made during the march on Jan. 17 when some 10,000 demonstators took to the streets of Paris and 10,000 others were reported to have marched throughout France. According to French Justice Minister Dominique Perben, a specialized office of his ministry, will examine in detail audio and video recordings of statements Latreche which were broadcast on French radio and TV. One source in the ministry claimed that Latreche had said âZionism is an ideology of apartheid that we are combating in the same way that we combat Nazism.â He is also alleged to have said that, in his estimation, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Adolf Hitler were one and the same.
Shows a definite lack of intellectual depth, but I stand by my opinion that the right to hold opinions, stoopid or otherwise, is God-given â assuming God cares about such things. If He doesn't then we have to go back to square one. But Jefferson thought He did, so I'm with him. I think the gummint should come down on them with both feet as soon as they start hollering about jihad, as soon as they start suggesting their followers kill or beat or maim people, but not before. The appropriate response would be for those who don't agree with him to dismantle his arguments and heap ridicule and opprobium on him, verbally pulling his pants down and knocking him over in the schoolyard of public opinion. That makes the assumption that his opponents are at least as smart as he is, if not smarter, of course. If they're actually dullards who're lacking in both wit and spine, then they should definitely whine to the authorities, who can brush them off with a pro-forma investigation.
The Justice Ministry investigation was prompted, said the source, by complaints from several French anti-racist and Jewish organizations, among them the International League against Racism and Anti-Semitism and the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France. They say that Latrecheâs statements were not only anti-Zionist but also âanti-Semitic.â They have demanded the Justice Ministry ban his party. As a compromise, said the source, the Justice Ministry decided to open its investigation but has informed the two organizations that the dissolution of a political party is not in its power. Latreche has responded to the investigation, saying that he is âthe victim of a defamation campaign.â
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/25/2004 11:27 ||
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verbally pulling his pants down and knocking him over in the schoolyard of public opinion.
Well there's that.... but we could also beat them in the back alley of commerce till they piss blood.
#3
Latrecheâs association, Parti des Musulmans de France, was responsible for organizing recent marches against a proposed law banning headscarves in schools .... when some 10,000 demonstators took to the streets of Paris and 10,000 others were reported to have marched throughout France.
This reminds me of their massive demonstrations a few years ago protesting against the Taliban's prohibition of all education for girls.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
01/25/2004 15:55 Comments ||
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Yep Fred. Does France have that type of libel law. Oh man, if so, they really are toast. France gets beaten up a lot here at Rantburg and rightly so, some. But to see a once grand civilization implode is not cool. French and EU people need to take a stand and save the day. Could it be that France is again a major battle field?
Muslims are calling for a 24-hour coronerâs service in Luton so they can respect the rules of their religion. And the plea has the backing of MP Margaret Moran who says the fact the department does not operate at the weekend is âindirectly racistâ.
Another instance of racism that's so indistinct it can only be seen by trained observers...
But the idea has been criticised by a group which believes Sundays should be a day of rest. Islamic law says that Muslims must be buried as soon as possible after they die. This becomes particularly problematic if a family wants to fly the body abroad and the person has died on a Saturday or Sunday. Under British law a dead body cannot be removed from England or Wales without a coronerâs permission. Mobeen Qureshi, general secretary of Asian community group Khidmat, said: "Itâs a big problem. People do not choose when they die and if it happens at the weekend when the coronerâs off, we have to wait until Monday morning for something to be done. Islamic law states that dead bodies should be returned to the earth as soon as possible. Families get more upset than they already are because, unless the body is released and prayers are said over it, it is not clean under Islamic law. We have been trying for years to get something done."
"Therefore the failure to change bureaucratic procedures and treat us differently from everyone else must be racism!"
Ms Moran says several families have called her in distress over the matter and points out that other areas provide a 24-hour coronerâs service, so why not Luton. She said: "Not only is this wrong, it is indirectly racist."
"I've been trained to detect this sort of thing!"
"It is extremely distressing for bereaved families to find the last most sacred act of saying goodbye to their loved ones cannot be carried out in accordance with their religious beliefs." The coronerâs service is a department of the police run from the police station. In September this newspaper reported that the force was looking into providing a weekend service at Luton Register Office. Bedfordshire Police spokeswoman Jula Cox confirmed this week that the idea is still being investigated. But John Alexander from national campaign Keep Sunday Special said: "How extraordinary. If we went to a Muslim country and suggested their professionals worked on their holy days there would be an outcry. Children need to have time with their families at weekends and that includes the coroner and his staff."
Posted by: TS ||
01/25/2004 9:19:07 AM ||
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Ms Moron must've transposed a vowel in her name. "As soon as possible" means what it says - when we get around to it, ya whining bastards!
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/25/2004 10:21 Comments ||
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You're in our country. You obey our laws. You don't like it? Leave.
#3
I don't think they want a coroner to look at the corpse at all. Pretty hard to prosecute an honor killer when the brides body, with it's multiple stab wounds, has left the country.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 10:38 Comments ||
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Bosniaâs most senior Muslim cleric has warned that European governments must do more to support Islam if they are to curb Islamic extremism. Mustafa Ceric, the grand mufti of the estimated 2 million Muslims in this former Yugoslav republic, said in an interview in early January that Europe was failing to engage with Muslims, allowing militants to step in and create the kind of groups that have been used to recruit terrorists. In the interview, he called for European governments to help finance Islamic schools as well as to contribute to building mosques. Europe, he said, needs to âinstitutionalizeâ Islam, to give it âan official voice.â The grand mufti said government involvement in institutions like Islamic schools and mosques would help Muslims feel part of the state, as well as limit the growth of extremists. See, itâs so simple, help us in our Islamic takeover of Europe, because if you donât, you will get violence.
Posted by: TS ||
01/25/2004 9:09:17 AM ||
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Seething already? Perhaps those Serbs need military aid?
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/25/2004 10:22 Comments ||
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Ceric is recommending the Saudi methodology for dealing with violent kooks.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 10:50 Comments ||
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This is so depressing. The Bosnian muslims were once amongst the sanest muslims around -- cultured, urbane, tolerant. Even when they and the Serbs and Croats were at each other's throats you didn't hear this nonsense. Sounds like the wahabbits have spread their influence.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/25/2004 12:51 Comments ||
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Institutionalize Islam, make speech that defames it against the law, require funding from taxes for it, bow down to it, praise it, require everybody to study it.
There is plenty of room in Iran for these guys. After Bam!
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/25/2004 3:00:07 AM ||
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I think it says a lot about the French people (not just the gov't) that they would be so excited to embrace a Chinese communist dictator but they would protest a presidential visit from Bush. The French are lost.
#2
yeah i agree, totally lost and seemingly confused,maybe thier gonna try and ally up with China in the future to create some kind of crappy poor mans alliance against the US and U.K.I wouldn't put anything past those sneaky slimey French.
#6
Eisenhower should of told DeGaulle and LeClerc to get stuffed and let the 2nd Armored take Paris. Maybe next time it will have to take it away from the IslamoFasicts
#7
...has ever been lit a single color beside the salmon glow that it has worn nightly since 1985...
It glows the color of iron oxide all day long also. The Eiffel Tower is a metaphor for government by the current class of French elite. The Hose recommends that others be wary of adhering to it's structure.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 10:59 Comments ||
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Incredible. There really seems to be an emerging new trend of "reverse imperialism" in which the former colonies of France are now taking over the seat of the empire.
I bet Charles the Hammer is spinning in his grave.
Posted by: Dar ||
01/25/2004 12:23 Comments ||
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French diplomacy (and by extension, european, or so Villepin wishes) has one main goal, containment of the USA at all prices, and two main axes : its arab policy (Tm) (and all that 's related, appeasement, dictator-cuddling, pretending "Europe's roots are as muslim...", trying for the franco-maghrebians votes, being hostile to Israel, and so on), and its search of counterweights.
First counterweight is the "international community" (UN, multilateral orgs, ngo,...), second is China.
Being friend with China is Chirac & Villepin's other big strategical objective, and that is not a new one, as it go back to the start of Chirac 's first term.
The two clowns believes themselves to be respectively the new De Gaulle, and the new Talleyrand...
In the half-hour before Mohammed Jamil ended his life, he was a busy man. As he sat in a pickup truck loaded with C4 plastic explosives, he made and received no fewer than 109 calls on his cell phone, talking, at least in some cases, to accomplices in his effort to incinerate the President of Pakistan. Jamil, 23, might have assumed that the evidence he was creating would disintegrate in the blast he planned for Pervez Musharraf. If he did, he was wrong. Not only did he and a second car bomber fail to kill Musharraf in their Dec. 25 attempt, but the memory card of Jamil's cell phone has led authorities to dozens of suspected collaborators. Many belong to Jaish-e-Muhammad. Once allied with Musharraf's government, the group is now linked to al-Qaeda, whose leader, Osama bin Laden, called for Musharraf's overthrow in a recent audiotape.
Which is why there've been approximately two hit attempts on Perv in the past month...
One phone call that particularly disturbed investigators was between Jamil and a policeman on Musharraf's security beat.
That would be Mahmoud the Weasel...
An investigator on the case told TIME that the policeman, who has been arrested and is being interrogated, informed Jamil in which car Musharrafâwho uses several decoy limousinesâwas riding. U.S. and Pakistani investigators say they believe that insiders within the President's guard were also in on a failed Dec. 14 hit, allowing would-be killers to plant five explosive charges under a bridge that blew up just after Musharraf crossed it. Under a new order, police officers assigned to the President's motorcade are prohibited from carrying cell phones while on duty for fear they will use them to coordinate attacks on Musharraf.
Sounds like a pretty elementary precaution...
That Jaish-e-Muhammad has the capacity to launch sophisticated attacks on the President, possibly with insider help, is a situation partly of Musharraf's making. The government in Islamabad has long coddled militant Islamic groups, encouraging them first to help drive the Soviets out of neighboring Afghanistan and later to torment Indian troops in the part of the disputed state of Kashmir that is under Indian control. It was to this latter cause that Jaish-e-Muhammad was devoted. The President was especially supportive of Jaish-e-Muhammad's leader, warrior-cleric Maulana Masood Azhar. When Azhar was released from an Indian jail in a prisoner exchange in December 2000, he was permitted to stage a huge rally in Karachi attended by gun-toting followers. In 2001 Musharraf even tried unsuccessfully to persuade the various Kashmiri guerrilla groups to unite under Azhar.
Masood's still not in jug, so Perv still isn't taking the steps he needs to actually protect himself, much less break up the jihadi structure in Pakland...
The government's partnership with extremists was tested after 9/11. Under pressure from Washington, he banned various militant organizations in January 2002, but he left their leaders largely unfettered and allowed the organizations to reconstitute under new names. Pakistan's intelligence services were hesitant to crack down, even after Jaish-e-Muhammad began unleashing religious terrorism within Pakistan. Diplomats in Islamabad say that one reason Musharraf was reluctant to get tough on Muslim extremists was that most were allied with religious parties he needed to prop up his regime. After the two attempts on his life, Musharraf seems to have a new attitude. Acting on information gleaned from Jamil's cell phone, police arrested more than 35 suspects from mosques and seminaries, most connected to Jaish. "He's serious," says a U.S. State Department official. "He was born again on Dec. 25."
But Masood Azhar's not in jug and Hafiz Saeed's not even threatened.
One of those arrested last week was wanted as an accessory in the January 2002 abduction and murder of U.S. journalist Daniel Pearl. The Pakistanis have already convicted Ahmad Omar Saeed Sheikh, a militant close to Jaish-e-Muhammad, of abducting Pearl and sentenced him to death.
His neck hasn't been stretched yet, either...
A witness says it was al-Qaeda commander Khalid Shaikh Mohammed who actually killed the journalist. Arrested by the U.S. on March 1, 2003, Mohammed remains in U.S. custody. According to a senior Pakistani antiterrorism official, he is being held at a military base on Diego Garcia. Pakistan's Interior Minister, Faisal Saleh Hayat, told TIME "there's a strong possibility" that the Dec. 25 plotters were also "involved with al-Qaeda."
Holmes! Brilliant! How do you do it?
Throughout the 1990s, before marching off to fight the Indians in Kashmir, Jaish-e-Muhammad militants crossed into Afghanistan to attend al-Qaeda training camps. Officials in Pakistan say that these days Jaish-e-Muhammad activists give shelter to al-Qaeda militants and that al-Qaeda provides funding and guidance to Jaish-e-Muhammad, perhaps contracting the group out for killings. Says retired General Talat Masood, a consultant on security affairs in Islamabad: "The military had an alliance with these jihadi groups, but they got totally out of control."
And nobody noticed until now?
Suicide bomber Jamil was known to Pakistani intelligence. Wounded in the fall of Kabul, he was allowed to return home to Pakistan. On arrival in Peshawar, he was interrogated by Pakistani intelligence services and dismissed as harmless in April 2002. Jamil's rants against the U.S. and Musharraf were so incessant that his family kicked him out, neighbors say. But was Jamil the ringleader of the Dec. 25 plot? "Of course not," scoffs Interior Minister Hayat. "The ringleaders never blow themselves up. They get minions to do that."
Too important to the movement, y'know...
However dedicated Musharraf may now be to weeding out Pakistan's extremists, the task will be long and dangerous. On Thursday, terrorists in Karachi bombed a Christian study center, injuring 14 people. On the run now, these groups may be more dangerous than ever. Says an ex-commander of one of them in Lahore: "The boys aren't listening to anyone. They're desperate. They don't accept that the days of jihad are over."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/25/2004 13:53 ||
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All this results from a very foolish decision by the Bush Administration, letting Pakistan fly its thugs out of Afghanistan during the U.S. assault.
Posted by: Alan Sullivan ||
01/25/2004 18:54 Comments ||
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Indian police said Sunday they had arrested a cell of heavily-armed Muslim guerrillas who had been planning to attack the spectacular annual Republic Day parade through New Delhi Monday. "The level of security alert is now on maximum," Ashok Chand, Deputy Commissioner of Police, told Reuters. He said three members of the Pakistan-based guerrilla group Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is fighting Indian rule in disputed Kashmir, had been detained in the capital along with seven pounds of high-grade explosive. Chand said rocket-propelled grenades, detonators and timers were also recovered from the militants.
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf said European nuclear scientists should also be investigated, along with the Pakistanis, as they may have sold secrets abroad for "personal gain." But he said he wanted some European countries and scientists investigated as well. He said European countries had the sophisticated metallurgy to produce fissile materials. "There are European countries involved in refining and producing. It is high-class metallurgy. So why is no one talking about it?" he asked.
Good question. We should still keep talking about Qadeer Khan and his boyz, though, even though Perv's trying to change the subject...
While not ruling out Pakistani government involvement in proliferation, he said it was more likely that individuals were involved. He said the countryâs nuclear weapons were now under strict government control and that there was no possibility they could be seized by terrorists even if he was killed.
"But then, if they are, I'll already be dead, so it won't matter to me, will it?"
Posted by: Nick ||
01/25/2004 8:39:21 AM ||
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I wouldn't mind looking for involvement of scientists from other countries. Maybe the Hans Blitz's new group can snoop around France, Germany and Russia. That would be good for some laughs.
Somebody should ask Mumar if he arranged for all the folding chairs, toilet paper supplies and descks to disappear from Los Alamos.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 11:19 Comments ||
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A district and sessions court indicted on Saturday the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy President Makhdoom Javed Hashmi in a high treason case. Mr Hashmi was arrested in October last year when he made public a letter, supposedly sent by armed forcesâ personnel, expressing their support for parliamentarians against the policies of President Pervez Musharraf. The letter, which purportedly bore the insignia of the General Headquarters (GHQ), was said to have been received by some parliamentarians at their residences by post and Mr Hashmi had shown it to journalists at a press conference in parliamentâs cafeteria and later distributed the letterâs copies among reporters.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
01/25/2004 12:56:29 AM ||
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As the U.S. military begins the largest troop rotation of its recent history, soldiers of the 1st Armored Division are gathering their thoughts and their belongings in anticipation of heading home. As much as the past year has transformed Iraq, so it has changed the U.S. Army, giving soldiers new combat and survival skills, as well as new insights into another part of the world. I donât think that nearly as much direct interaction wih Arab civilians occurred in GW I. Hopefully, this will be really healthy for a country. I wonder if the views of thes returning servicepersons will soak into our societal consciousness ny November.
"Weâve learned many tactical lessons — how to look out for homemade bombs, how to maneuver the vehicles in an urban environment," said 1st Lt. Reies Flores of Harlingen, Texas. During a break at this makeshift training base, where soldiers conduct mock raids on houses manned by dummy rebels holding cardboard machine guns, Lt. Flores and other members of his unit eagerly offered advice to the troops who will replace them. "You need mosquito nets, mosquito repellent and sunscreen," said Command Sgt. Maj. Russell Sadler, whose unit operates in and around Baghdad. "Itâs an ever-changing environment," said the U.S. Virgin Islands native. "At night, itâs cold; in the daytime, itâs scorching hot. You have to maintain focus and vigilance. And you have to have a will to survive."
Spc. Kelly Leonard of Northfield, N.H., said her time in Iraq has given her a new understanding of Islam and Muslim women. "I thought that they were controlled by their men, that they couldnât do what they wanted," she said. "But when I asked a woman why she wore a veil, she said her beauty was just for her husband and her family, and I really appreciated that."
Almost all American soldiers in Iraq learn a few words of Arabic and acquire other cultural tips, said Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, spokesman for coalition forces in Baghdad. "All of our soldiers that come into theater go through a significant amount of training on not only how to fight and conduct their combat operations, but also to understand the cultural context of where theyâre going to be operating in," he said.
The arriving soldiers will live far better than the first troops, who often slept outdoors and had only the most primitive facilities. Most bases now have satellite-powered Internet cafes and televisions. Soldiers pass around satellite phones to make calls home. Sleeping quarters have air-conditioning, and each day tractor-trailers bring more and more mobile homes into Iraq. Still, life will be tough, soldiers said, offering various tips to the incoming troops: Spend quality time with your family and sort out money issues before leaving. Bring a positive attitude, extra socks and some DVDs to pass around. "I watch a movie every night. It kind of gets my mind off all this," says Sgt. Thomas Edwards of Milton-Freewater, Ore. "You can buy pirated new releases for seven bucks over at the little Iraqi stores." Capitalism takes root.
And, soldiers say, donât forget to bring a favorite pillow for those rough nights on a folding cot. "Prepare yourself mentally more than physically," said Maj. Ron Peaster of Andersonville, Ga. "I wish I could have spoken more of the language before I got here."
Brig. Gen. Martin Dempsey, commander of the more than 30,000 troops attached to the 1st Armored Division, said the most important thing to bring is a positive attitude. Then it would be better not watch the American news -and certainly not the BBC - for about a month prior to arrival in theatre.
"There are places in Baghdad where there was little left and itâs been rebuilt," he said. "There was no police force and now there is. There was nothing called the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps and now there is. I think my advice to my successor is going to be not to allow the periodic setbacks to deter him." The most important part of the handover, Gen. Dempsey said, will be making sure that valuable bits of acquired street wisdom — such as the names and faces of friends and enemies — donât fall through the cracks. "If we can hand over the intelligence piece of this, the rest will be relatively easy," he said.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 2:46:38 PM ||
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U.S. soldiers arrested nearly 50 people and confiscated weapons in several raids in Iraq's volatile Sunni Triangle after a series of bombings that killed six U.S. soldiers. A U.S. soldier died Sunday of wounds suffered in a grenade attack on his Bradley vehicle that was patrolling a central Iraqi town of Beiji the day before, said Maj. Josslyn Aberle, a spokeswoman for the 4th Infantry Division. Five other U.S. soldiers were killed in separate bombings and a blast that narrowly missed an American convoy killed four Iraqis and wounded about 40 others in a bloody day of attacks on Saturday. On Sunday, U.S. soldiers raided several locations in Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of the capital, and captured 46 people including three men suspected of involvement in anti-coalition activities, Aberle said. The remaining 43 were detained for possessing weapons without authorization. In Mukayshifa, a town south of Tikrit, soldiers raided a house Saturday and confiscated 220 hand grenades, Aberle said.
"You guys won't be needing these anymore!"
"Plenty more where those came from, infidel!"
"But you ain't gonna be the one tossing them!"
"I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece!"
Insurgents fired the rocket propelled grenade at the Bradley in the town of Beiji, north of Tikrit, late Saturday, piercing the driver's compartment and critically wounding the soldier. The soldier was evacuated to a military hospital, where he died. A second Bradley fighting vehicle returned fire toward the area from where the grenade was launched, and soldiers later captured six men who were in the possession of a grenade launcher, Aberle said.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/25/2004 11:41 ||
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...confiscated 220 hand grenades... Anything over 10 ahd you can't claim "personal use" even in a Pakistani court.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 12:12 Comments ||
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SH, you beat me to it. I was wondering just where one had to go to get authorization to have hand grenades in his home. Just for self defense ya know.
Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said yesterday he âhoped beyond hopeâ a sovereign Iraq would emerge quickly and warned any breakup of the country would spark civil war and wider conflict. In an interview with Reuters in Riyadh, Prince Saud said security was a precondition to the handover of power by Washington to a sovereign Iraqi government. âThe impact of a fragmented Iraq will not be just on Saudi Arabia, but on the whole region. I think there would be conflict between the Iraqi independent (ethnic and religious) entities that would arise. This would spread to neighboring countries,â he said. Prince Saud said any US plan for a political map based on ethnic and religious divisions would be dangerous. âIf you give a federation to one ethnic entity there will be a wish from another... It is in the interest of all ethnic or religious groups to have a united Iraq rather than an Iraq divided along ethnic and religious lines that could cause strife in the future,â he said.
But if it's essential to have a united Iraq, then it would follow that it would also be essential to have an Iraq in which all the ethnic and religious groups' rights are protected, even coddled. Instead, the Shiites are demanding implementation of shariah and political control, the Sunnis are trying to kill everybody in sight, and the Kurds, Assyrians, and Chaldeans are thinking more seriously about an independent Kurdistan.
Leaders of Iraqâs neighbors met in Turkey last year ahead of the US-led war to make commitments not to interfere in Iraq, Prince Saud said. âOn paper, they all agreed that this was what needed to be done. But should Iraq fragment, then who knew what would happen?â he said, adding that Turkey had already made its position clear. Turkey fears Kurdish autonomy in northern Iraq could stir up similar aspirations among its own Kurdish minority and has warned it would intervene if Iraqi Kurds declared independence. Its powerful military has said an ethnic-based federation in Iraq would be âdifficult and bloodyâ.
And it wouldn't be Turkish...
âYou follow the logic to its ultimate conclusion â that there will be a conflict that the neighbors of Iraq will interfere in. Then where is it going to end?â Prince Saud said.
I guess the solution would be for a secular state with minority rights protected. Every time anybody says that some cleric explodes.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/25/2004 10:41 ||
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Amazing all the Muslim country leaders are still fearful of getting bitch slapped some more by GWB. He always had a simple plan that has been totally effective since 9/11/2001. Disarm Islam and whack anyone willing to sell the Jehadis any WMD. He could only herd the Taliban and Al-Quada into Pakistan and Iran as the liberal whoosies at the UN refused him to permission hot persuit and bombing runs into the Tribal regions.
GWB still hold the ultimate Muslim Trump card in Iraq. The Shiite Mullahs and Sunni Clerics stirring up the Muslim crap need to be hung from the Mosque lamp posts. No way is the USA going to allow Iran Mullahs to run Iraq or Islamic law to enslave the freed Iraquis out of a sham structure called Islamic democracy.
GWB's Trump card is to pull all troops out of Iraq and give them 4 months of R&R and re-outfitting. The great Muslim land grab and power vaccum will pitt all the neighbors, Jehadis and religious sects against each other resulting in 1 million less Muslim mouths to feed. Muslim on Muslim murder is a lovely site to behold as the world will see it in all it's Jehad glory via TV. When the UN and Arab organizations beg GWB & the Brits to go back in and stop the slaughter he should turn them down 2 times. Then when the world liberals, Muslims and Bush Bashing peace-nics are on their knees we go back in a wipe out the remnents in a 3 week turkey shoot. This time we do it right and keep on blasting the various groups trying to hide behind skirts, beds and Muslim white flags so the others in the ME -Paki's, Iranians and Turks, PALs and Syrians get the message that the historical surrender tactics of Muslims won't work this time.
Posted by: Webmaster Mike ||
01/25/2004 15:07 Comments ||
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Mike, it seems to me that the Kurds will come out of that scenario OK. The who's your buddy, who's your pal thing.
Grand Ayatollah Sistani has his owm website: Sistani.org and among the first set of questions are quite a few about sex. The english version of the website is organized with questions from A to Z and the first question is whether anal sex is permitted (it is if both husband and wife are willing). There are also questions about prostitution, oral sex and masturbation.
Posted by: mhw ||
01/25/2004 7:37:28 AM ||
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Jeez this guy is a font of weird wisdom.
Question:I have certain questions about temporary marriage (Mot'e). âJazakumollahu khairaaâ for giving me the required response as soon as possible.
1. If the woman is not in need of any money and 'mahr' and is not asking for it in order to perform mot'e with the man, does he have to still give her the dowry, or is the mot'e ok without the dowry.
2. If both man and the woman, have no certain time-period in mind under which mot'e takes place, is it ok not to specify the time interval for the mot'e and simply accept that whenever one of them decided to leave the mot'e it will be over.
3. Is it ok to say in the condition for mot'e, that we will be together for one year, and after that we will continue until one of us, either the
man or woman, states that they would like to end the mot'e after that one year.
4. In a permanent or temporary marriage, can the woman put the condition before the marriage that the man does not marry any other woman, without
giving away her dowry.
5. If the man accepts not to marry another woman in his contract and still does so, does the woman have to right to divorce him, without giving away
her dowry?
Answer:1: You may give her a bunch of flower as Mahr (dowry), for instance.
2: The contract is invalid.
3: Time and duration of contract should be determined. After duration, they are as strangers to each other.
#3
Thanks a LOT, badanov...now I gotta clean the coffee off my my monitor.**S
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/25/2004 9:22 Comments ||
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So do we really want this guy overseeing the writing of the new Iraqi constitution? I agree with Val's comment to an earlier post -- Make the constitution for them. Where's Douglas Mac when you need him?
#6
That Allah of theirs is not only merciful and compassionate, he's also meticulous and complex. It's a good thing Allah provides us all these ayatollahs to explain everything for us.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
01/25/2004 10:25 Comments ||
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Do you think there are Iraqi voters that will base their vote on how Sistani answers the "anal sex" question? In America he would have to spout some non-commital nonsence that would strive to convince both proponents and opponents of each type of sexual activity that he sees things their way.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 12:20 Comments ||
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Do you think there are Iraqi voters that will base their vote on how Sistani answers the "anal sex" question?
#11
I'm reminded of a story that came out in the '70's about the Alatolla Kohmeini who wrote a theological book which answered important questions of every day life for Iranians.
One question was " Is it alright to eat horsemeat?"
The answer was "Yes, provided that you haven't had sexual relations with it....."
#12
Mercutio's comment reminded me that Khomeni also had a vigorous defense of the legality of marrying 6 year old girls because of the precedent established by Mohammad (whom Muslims are to emulate).
#13
In Thailand, rather than all of these inane minute distinctions and quibbling via fatwa, they simplify refer to it as short time or long time. Sistani and his ilk are truly pedants.
Nice human interest story about why a non-American signed up to fight the WOT. Also uses the phrase âwhite African-Americanâ.
In the middle of a former granary-turned-U.S. military base in Samarra, Iraq, a U.S. soldier gently folds a Kenyan flag and puts it away. For Pfc. Michael Giraudo, a white 20-year-old with a slim build and quiet demeanor, the flag isnât a souvenir — it is a symbol of home. "People get a kick out of me. Iâm from Kenya and Iâm white," he says with a laugh. "Itâs not what people expect when they think of Kenya."
Giraudo, the son of a British nurse and American safari guide, was born and raised in the East African nation. Giraudo split his childhood between Nairobiâs upscale, expatriate-heavy Karen district and the bush. He says he was brought up running in open spaces with animals at his side and listening to Masai tribesmen tell stories about lion hunts. "I guess you could call me a Kenya cowboy," Swahili-speaking Giraudo says of the moniker for rebellious, white, male youth who spend much of their time with black African Kenyans. "While most of my friends would be studying and that sort of thing, Iâd be out riding my dirt bike, or drinking beer with my buddies," he says, with an accent he describes as a mixture of British and African.
His father, Peter Giraudo, says his son was granted U.S. citizenship in 1991 even though he only visited America once as a child. "Michael was brought up to be proud of his heritage as best we could," he said in an e-mail. That pride would be emboldened by two pivotal moments: the terror attacks on the U.S. embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania; and the September 11th attacks on the United States. "When I saw the planes hit the twin towers — even though I had really never been in the United States, it really made me mad," Michael Giraudo says. "I decided something had to be done, somebody had to do something."
That something was to fulfill his long-standing fascination with the U.S. military by heading over to the new U.S. Embassy in Nairobi to enlist in the U.S. Army. But getting to boot camp wasnât easy, given post-9/11 tensions and security issues in the United States. "The U.S. military was discouraging. We could not, despite endless efforts, get them to send us the information packs because we had an address in Kenya," Peter Giraudo said via e-mail. "Even going to the military attaches here in Kenya did not help. They just could not easily handle recruiting applications from overseas." The younger Giraudo was so determined he moved to California, enlisted and finished Army basic training in 2002.
Like many soldiers, he didnât escape boot camp without a nickname: "Kenya" was the obvious choice. "One of the drill sergeants heard it and that was it, I was Kenya from then on," he says. "It was hard at first, getting to know the [American] culture and how to interact with people. Weâve had some times where it has been pretty hairy. Iâve had an Iraqi 120 mm mortar round land about 15 feet from me and it didnât detonate. Iâve had an RPG (rocket propelled grenade) come through my window. Fortunately, no one was hurt." But the white African-American says he wants to be here: "I hoped for it. I wanted to get a chance to do my job and experience what really goes on when people go to war." This may sound mildly paranoid but I swear I selected Iraq as the file-under category, and then when I cut and pasted the text of the article the file-under category changed to Southern Africa before my very eyes - I saw it happen.
Posted by: phil_b ||
01/25/2004 6:56:34 AM ||
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Since when is Kenya in Southern Africa? Its East Africa and straddles the Equator!
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
01/25/2004 10:13 Comments ||
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..If this man wants his citizenship papers, I hope somebody gets them to him NOW. He is a credit to his homeland, the US, and the Army.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/25/2004 15:42 Comments ||
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More than 750 Iraqi soldiers graduated Saturday from a U.S. training camp, including the first company of a coastal force patterned on the U.S. Marines. The 120 members of the Iraqi Coastal Defense Force, which finished a nine-week course at the camp, will now head south for additional training in the port of Umm Qasr before their deployment on Feb. 11, U.S. officials said. Interesting. Coast defense or tough infantry for future problems?
Coalition forces are now trying to establish a 27-battalion army by the end of September. Officials said each battalion in the new army will be made up of about 750 soldiers for a total force of about 20,000. So far, the training camp in Kir Kush, 50 miles northeast of Baghdad, has produced three battalions. Recruits for the fourth battalion have already started training. 20,000 is enough to keep order as long as no one big acts up.
The coalition had earlier planned to set up a 40,000-member army but later scaled it down, saying the money saved could be better used to train the Iraq Civil Defense Corps, a paramilitary force whose members patrol along with U.S. troops and monitor highways. The coalition plans to set up a second academy in Kir Kush to train noncommissioned officers, with the first batch of 500 joining on Feb. 12, said training officer Maj. Tray Johnson. He said over 2,000 non-commissioned officers are expected to go through two-month courses before themselves becoming trainers of new soldiers in their battalions. The Iraqi "Shake and Bake" school!
A pool of 42 Iraqi officers and NCOs is already helping U.S. officers train the new recruits, most of whom are from the former army. "This is part of the accelerated pace of Iraqis training Iraqis," said Johnson. "Our mission doesnât really stop till September. By then the Iraqi army will have the ability to sustain and develop itself." Sort of. These new NCOâs wonât be worth beans for years.
Col. Feras Mahdi, the commander of the third battalion, graduated in December and was made a trainer for subsequent recruits. Mahdi, a Shiite Muslim, said he rose from captain to colonel in four months in the new army. In the former army, Shiites were suppressed by the Sunni-dominated regime. "In this new army, there is a respect for the basic human rights of the soldier and the officer," Mahdi said. Teach that to your NCOâs and make sure they pass it on. Thatâs a start.
If it works, it'll make the Iraqi army unique in the Muslim world.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/25/2004 2:19:21 AM ||
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EFL Zeyad has an interesting post on his Healing Iraqblogsite regarding the GCâs supplanting Iraq personal circumstances (family affairs) law with Sharia.
Itâs an article written by Raqiya Al-Qaisi, an Iraqi scholar based in London.
The issue of family affairs is one of the most important issues that reflect progress or retardation of society, especially in the case of the relationship between men and women and personal circumstances (alahwal alshakhsiya). The Iraqi personal circumstances law which has been in effect for over 40 years represents an advanced one in its advocation of woman rights. We hoped for more reforms on the existing judiciary code in order for women to obtain additional rights which would conform with the prerequisites of the new Iraq, we did not expect to go steps backward as is the case today in Iraq?
The transitional GC recently passed a decision to abolish the personal circumstances law, and according to this decision which reflects the âdesire of Islamic partiesâ the GC agreed that Islamic Sharia (Allahâs law) would rule in cases of personal circumstances of man instead of the existing civil code. And that spiritual Islamic ethics would be included in the future government they intend to form in Iraq.
The GC gave the role of legal courts, according to this law, to clerics and tribal leaders. Which means that the destiny of women in Iraq will be subject to fatwas and personal interpretations of Islamic Sharia texts by Mullahs and tribal sheikhs, when it should be according to a fixed personal circumstances code. This project evoked storming rage and condemnation from Iraqi women because of the stark differences between the two. In the case of the personal circumstances law, legal courts rule depending on evidence and proof, because law is science, and science depends on certain knowledge. Whereas in the second case rulings are made from beliefs based on personal interpretation and misconstruction of Islamic law.
How can there be justice when decisions are based on a whim rather than a fixed code? It rather lengthy, if youâre interested in more, itâs linked at the title.
Posted by: Gasse Katze ||
01/25/2004 12:49:34 AM ||
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Whilst I have been arguing against early direct elections. IMO the big argument in favor of early direct elections is that it may forestall disenfranchizing and limiting the rights of women.
#2
Only if they can make sure women can vote, and can vote securely and privately, phil. Otherwise they'll either get ordered to stay home or ordered to vote a particular way.
Posted by: Kathy K ||
01/25/2004 5:54 Comments ||
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Which brings me back to creating a constitution first. Write into the constitution that men and women are politically and legally equal (the same). Make changes to the constitution dependant on a popular vote say 2/3rds majority and it pretty much guarantees that it can't be changed seeing as women can vote on it.
#4
phil thats part of the problem. One of the reasons the CPA has been pushing for caucuses is because they CAN'T seem to secure a secret ballot system. Personally I think we need to come down on them hard if necessary MAKE the constitution for them like we did Japan.
Posted by: Val ||
01/25/2004 6:58 Comments ||
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#5
I believe acceding to sharia is part of the back door deals being made with the likes of Sistani in trade for the cave dwellersâ giving the (temporary) appearance of accepting the GC, and delaying the calls for jihad. But itâs a deal with the devil, as we have seen every time totalitarian scumbags are appeased.
I still maintain that progress in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the hell holes around the Middle East, will be measured by how woman are treated in the law, and in the courts.
A Bangladeshi magazine editor arrested for suspected links with an Israeli literary group has been charged with sedition for allegedly trying to tarnish the countryâs image aboard. Bangladesh, a moderate Muslim country, bars its citizens from formal contact - such as business dealings or cultural exchanges - with Israelis. Traveling to Israel is also restricted. Police detained Salauddin Shoib Chowdhury, the editor of entertainment magazine Blitz, on Nov. 29 as he was boarding a flight in Dhaka for Bangkok. He allegedly was planning to travel to Tel Aviv. Immigration officials found in Chowdhuryâs possession an invitation to a literary conference organized by the Hebrew Writers Association in Tel Aviv on Dec. 1. They also seized a paper - containing remarks calling Bangladesh and its people Muslim fundamentalists - that Chowdhury was to present at the conference, police said. Police said they also confiscated fax and e-mail messages and computer disks from his residence and office, including a project proposal seeking 120 million takas ($1=BDT60.316) from a Jewish group to publish three newspapers. Police didnât name the group or say what type of newspapers they were.
On Saturday, police filed a case under a sedition law accusing Chowdhury of anti-state activities for having contacts with Israelis and trying to tarnish the countryâs image abroad, said Mohammed Abdul Hanif, a police official. Chowdhury, who has denied all charges, could be jailed for life if found guilty. The police investigation proved "beyond doubt that he was trying to tarnish the image of Bangladesh, so he should be charged with anti-state activities," the police said in the case filed with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate. Chowdhury was also charged with hurting the religious sentiments of Bangladeshis, which carries a maximum two-year jail term and a fine.
Ahhh, those laws against hurt feelings... But tell me, don't the people who're jailed for a couple years get their feelings hurt, too?
He remains in custody after being denied bail in early December. Chowdhury was recently named as head of the Bangladeshi branch of the Israel-based International Forum for Literature and Culture for Peace, which links writers campaigning for an end to violence, the group said earlier in a statement. Forum president Ada Aharoni called the arrest an unwarranted attack on an advocate of dialogue between Muslims and Jews. Bangladesh, which strongly supports a Palestinian state, has no official, political or economic ties with Israel.
#3
Bangladesh may be known as moderate but in 1971 millions of Hindus were massacred and since then the anti hindu ethnic cleansing has been going on reducing the hundu percentage of the pop from about 40 in 1970 to about 10 percent today.
A doff oâ da derby to Drudge
Another invention to make your air travels simpler.
Security experts are watching for guns disguised as mobile phones. So donât be surprised if youâre asked to whip out your cell phone and make a call next time you go through airport security. A mobile phone that masquerades as a gun may sound like a device concocted for 007, but itâs the latest hidden weaponry to show up on the radar of law-enforcement folks. Sources tell TIME that cell-phone guns, some of which have been seized in drug raids in the Netherlands, England and Germany, have been cited in several federal security alerts over the past year, the most recent just over a month ago. Though heavier than normal phones, the lethal ones look nearly identical. The hollowed-out devices, made in Croatia, are fired by punching buttons on the keypad and can shoot four .22-cal. bullets in rapid succession. So far, no phony phones are known to have surfaced in the U.S. And aviation-security experts say screening equipment now in use can detect the cell guns and other "improvised explosive devices," such as fake calculators, cameras, laptops and PDAs. To speed your next security check, you may want to leave some of those gadgets behind, along with your tool kit. Says a senior U.S. law-enforcement official: "Even a screwdriver could conceal a shotgun shell in a hollowed-out handle."
Posted by: Gasse Katze ||
01/25/2004 9:42:16 AM ||
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What can I tell you gromky? We're a little slow over here? It's from the Feb 02, 2004 issue of Time magazine on-line. But the linked ad was interesting. Those South Africans have all the latest gadgets.
Picture this senario at the airport: Guard says, sir, this cell phone seems a bit heavy, please put the antenna under your chin while I dial a few random numbers.... Instant 72 virgins.
The Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, has declared that "time is running out for the two-state solution" to the Middle East conflict - in an exclusive interview with the Guardian - because of the impact of Israelâs "security barrier" and settlement expansion on the viability of a future Palestinian state.
The unprecedented warning from a man who has devoted the past 30 years to drive the jews into the sea achieving a state in the West Bank and Gaza next to Israel came as momentum builds in Ariel Sharonâs embattled government for a "unilateral disengagement" from the most heavily populated Palestinian areas.
"Will they solve their problem by withdrawing unilaterally?", he asked, insisting that the Palestinian leadership remained "committed to peace" and that the way forward was for a "strong push from the international community and the rapid deployment of UN forces or observers". No thanks. We got suckered into Beruit.
He hailed last monthâs unofficial Geneva accord setting out the framework of a possible peace deal, despite widespread Palestinian hostility over its effective abandonment of refugee right of return to what is now Israel.
"Itâs not binding because they werenât official talks, but we appreciate it," he said. Since when hav the PLA treated official talks to be binding?
"Abu Mazen failed because the Israelis didnât give him anything," Mr Arafat said, "no release of prisoners, nothing on the building of the wall, no lifting of the siege of the pres ident." The new prime minister, Ahmed Qureia, has demanded concrete concessions before talks are resumed, while the US and Israel are insisting that the Palestinian Authority "confront terror". I think that Senor Arafat will have ample opportunity to confront terror in teh near term.
"They know they canât replace me," the Palestinian president said. " We are not in Afghanistan - we are proud of our democracy". If you already have a working democracy, or state,then the two state solution is at hand. Here are the reins.
He also said he has offered the Quartet (the US, EU, UN and Russia) to hold new elections in the Palestinian territories this April or June, despite the practical difficulties in towns and villages under siege - though the US and Israel are known to be anxious to avoid new presidential elections, which they believe Mr Arafat would win. Why would we care? They can elect him Duke of New York, A number one or Mr Big.
Mr Arafatâs warning about the prospects for a two-state solution if Israel presses on with its wall reflects a growing conviction among Palestinians, expressed this month by Mr Qureia, that if Israel continues to build settlements, walls and fences in occupied territory, they may be forced to abandon the goal of an independent Palestinian state in favour of equal rights in a "single democratic state". I donât see that Jordan would have a big problem giving you equal rights. Donât bother talking to Syria; theyâll be busy here shortly.
The senior Palestinian negotiator and cabinet minister Saâeb Erekat told the Guardian: "The two state solution is being buried by an apartheid system of Palestinian bantustans and walled city prisons. No in apartheid, the whites still ruled the seperated black areas. This is more like ... is there an Afrikaner expression for pruning a diseased branch?
"If the Israelis withdraw unilaterally, the Palestinian authority will collapse." Yes, but what is the downside?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 9:47:27 PM ||
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"They know they canât replace me," the Palestinian president said." We are not in Afghanistan - we are proud of our democracy".
What's that supposed to mean?
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
01/25/2004 22:30 Comments ||
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A top Russian diplomat on Friday accused Turkish non-governmental organizations of aiding Chechen rebels, and said some unnamed foreign governments were doing too little to stop funds, weapons and new cadres from reaching terrorists.
"We are still concerned about the activity on Turkish territory of a series of non-governmental organizations and individuals who according to our information are continuing to provide political, material and other support to terrorists operating in Chechnya," Deputy Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Trubnikov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.
He said that Moscow had frequently raised the issue with Turkish authorities.
"We are counting on a reaction based on the commonality of approaches to the problem of the fight against international terrorism," he said.
Trubnikov said that the government regularly informed other states that their citizens were providing money and mercenaries to the Chechens.
"I wonât hide that officials from these states donât always act on the facts we present to them actively or effectively enough, with the professionalism required," he said.
Article that supports my view that Soddie Arabia is close to internal collapse. Who knows what the trigger will be. Maybe elections in Iraq? Also interesting sidebar at the link. EFL
The tiny city of Sakaka in the remote al-Jouf province that borders Iraq may seem an unlikely setting for the beginning of a revolution against the ruling al-Saud family. But one does not have to spend too long here to realise that this is what is happening. Al-Jouf has witnessed an extraordinary level of political violence in recent months. The deputy governor, say local residents, was assassinated. Also shot down was the police chief, executed by a group of men who forced their way into his home. Even before these bloody incidents, the regionâs top Shariah Court judge was shot down as he drove to work early one morning. Seven men have so far been arrested over the shootings, according to Saudi officials. They admit that the attacks are linked, and that the seven may have been aided by as many as 40 others.
Elsewhere in Saudi Arabia, such violence could be put down to tribal feuds or the general lawlessness of a remote region. And there are also, everyone agrees, new social problems in al-Jouf, of the kind that is now plaguing this once crime-free Islamic state. Archaeological sites, defaced by the graffiti of the alienated, are also littered with the evidence of widespread drug abuse. But residents of the provincial capital Sakaka insist that the violence here is political. They say it stems from the fact that al-Jouf is the historic power base of the al-Sudairy branch of the royal family, which includes King Fahd and his six full brothers. Known as the Sudairy Seven, they include Prince Nayef, the Interior Minister, Prince Sultan, the Defence Minister, and Prince Salman, the Governor of Riyadh. They make all the important economic and political decisions in Saudi Arabia, with the Kingâs favourite son, Abdul Aziz, standing in increasingly for his father. But all members of the vast al-Sudairy clan consider themselves, and expect others to treat them as, princes and princesses. But other merchant families and tribes which were prominent before al-Jouf was incorporated into the Saudi kingdom and al-Sudairy took over are rebelling. The five streets of Sakaka are now deserted after dusk. Small place
Since the series of killings, members of the al-Sudairy clan have not been able to venture out of their walled villas without an armed guard. Special security police in bullet-proof jackets and wielding machine guns man permanent roadblocks on the approach roads into the city. Outsiders allowed in are closely observed by secret police. On the odd occasion that the visitor is a Westerner, his car is tailed day and night, as much for his own protection as out of inveterate Saudi suspicion. The families and tribes here are exploiting the vulnerability of a perhaps fatally weakened Saudi ruling family to reassert their territorial claims over those of the al-Sudairy. As many as 60 per cent of Saudis identify strongly with a tribe. Since the increased instability following last yearâs bombings in Riyadh on May 12 and Nov 8, the ruling family has been eager to show that it has the full support of the tribal sheikhs. But al-Jouf shows what everyone knows: that tribes will switch their âallegianceâ as soon as it is convenient. Brings to mind the saying âYou canât buy an Arabâs friendship. You can only rent it!
Residents say the final straw was the build-up to the invasion of Iraq, when United States troops took control of the airport in the nearby Arar, the kingdomâs official border crossing with Iraq. This was deeply resented by all Saudis, but especially by al-Joufâs residents, who have historic tribal links to Iraqis across the border. Many local officers in the Saudi army resigned at the time in protest against being relieved temporarily of their duties by US soldiers. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Saudis have since sneaked across the border into Iraq to join the jihad against US-led occupation forces. A number have been arrested by the Iraqi police, who describe them as âArab Wahhabisâ, in a pejorative reference to Saudi Arabiaâs austere, jihad-oriented brand of Islam. Other Saudis have been implicated in suicide attacks in Iraq, including one that targeted the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad. Only four people have so far been caught before they managed to get into Iraq, according to official Saudi government statements, leading many to wonder whether the border guards in al-Jouf are turning a blind eye.
#2
Many local officers in the Saudi army resigned at the time in protest against being relieved temporarily of their duties by US soldiers, say Saudi opposition groups.
They probably quit because it doesn't make economic sense to keep the job if they cannot get money for smuggling. So they have to become full time smugglers.
#3
"Welcome to Sakaka, capital of the Republic of Eastern Arabia. Our country is nestled between the Persian Gulf and the rolling sand dunes of Arabia 40 kilometers to the west. Though a new country, we are prosperous thanks to the abundance of oil and free thanks to a mutual defense treaty with the United States of America.
"Our chief of state is Prince Mahmoud, a third cousin of King Muhammed of Moroco, who has graciously consented to serve us in Eastern Arabia. Our parliament of 80 deputies (47 men, 33 women) is led by Prime Minister Fatima al-Abdullah.
"Our mayor, Moshe Benjamin, welcomes you to our city and hopes your stay will be restful and prosperous.
For more information, click here. For a listing of mosques, churches and synagogues in our city, click here. For the best nightlife in Arabia, click here, here, here, and here."
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/25/2004 20:50 Comments ||
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#4
Steve brilliant, I've got a few more links that may be of interest to the weary traveler. Just click here or here. Or go to my website www.respectmyrace.org
EFL
The Defense Department wonât know whether its multibillion-dollar missile defense system will be able to accomplish its mission when it becomes operational in Alaska in September. In a report to Congress, Thomas P. Christie said that because of a limited testing schedule that had been hampered by engineering setbacks, "it is not clear what mission capability will be demonstrated prior to initial defense operations." How long did it take for us to put a man on the moon?
The fledgling system is to be based in Alaska, with a second component in California, and is intended to help protect against a long-range missile attack from North Korea. After years of debate over the wisdom of building such a complex and expensive system, President Bush vowed early in his term to have a system built before the end of his first term. Defense officials maintain that it is better to start with a rudimentary defensive system than to have none at all. They say that a continuing series of tests and upgrades will improve the capability of the system, which is now being erected at Ft. Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. But critics seized on the report by the Pentagonâs own expert. How unsurprising.
"We wonât know what this system can do, if anything," said Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. "This is a rather severe indictment." He said the systemâs capabilities would be unproven even if two flight tests scheduled to be held before September were successful. You know sentator we have never really proved the viability of the MOAB either. What is your home address? John Isaacs, president of Council for a Livable World, an arms-control group in Washington, whoâs negative oppinion was easier to obtain than one from a real scientist said the report is "essentially confirmation that the deployment is essentially a sham, and that thereâs no evidence it will work. He called it a political deployment." The Pentagon is spending about $9 billion a year on various missile defense programs. Estimates of the final cost of the evolving system range from tens of billions to hundreds of billions of dollars. I imagine that the cost overcoming this system to the PRC will be economically crippling and lead to regime deatbilization -Snip- Strong endorsement of an O-5 in the military which was obviously immaterial to the issue.
In his report, Christie said assessments of the systemâs capabilities were based primarily on modeling and simulation and developmental testing of components, rather than on testing of a complete system. He said that because of "the immature nature of the systems they emulate, models and simulations ⊠cannot be adequately validated at this time." Says a missile expert, Dr. Tim Conway, "we thought that the juche-enhanced minions of the evil Mr. Kim may have taken time out from their current project, creating fire by rubbing to sticks together, and come up with an innovative way to defeat our state-of-art scientific modeling." His esteemed compatriot and fellow rocket scientist, Dr. Harvey Korman, proved unable to read his well prepared comments as he turned red-faced from the cameras in an attempt to cover the sound on snickering.
He also said additional tests of the Cobra Dane radar that would be critical to the system were "currently not planned." One of two booster rockets is on schedule for development and production, but a second has encountered problems and is behind schedule. Sounds like every innovative project in history I am familiar with.
Christie has previously voiced concerns about the schedule but not the eventual viability of the concept. In an interview three weeks ago with Inside the Pentagon, a trade publication, Christie noted the problems with the booster rockets. "Iâm a little concerned, frankly," he said.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 2:32:55 PM ||
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...What I love the most about idiot reports like this is that they never give you the true story, and the writers frequently lie awake nights hoping you aren't smart enough to check up on things.
First off, let's look at what Dr. Christie does, from http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jul2001/b07232001_bt331-01.html
Thomas P. Christie was sworn in July 17 as the director of Operational Test and Evaluation. In this capacity, he serves as the principal staff assistant and primary advisor to the Secretary of Defense on testing of DoD weapon systems. He will prescribe policies and procedures for the conduct of operational test and evaluation, live-fire test and evaluation, the composition and operations of the major range and test facility base, and the configuration of the test and evaluation infrastructure within the Defense Department. As he performs these duties, Christie will issue guidance to and consult with Pentagon leadership.
He isn't the chief weapons tester. His job is to make sure that when we test things, we don't hurt ourselves or others. His job is also to lay down the parameters under which such tests will be judged.
They say that a continuing series of tests and upgrades will improve the capability of the system, which is now being erected at Ft. Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
The system - as it stands now - is the result of more than forty years of continuous research into anti-missile systems. We have continually refined and improved the technology. Yes, we've had tests where the missile didn't hit the incoming. No one ever seems to consider the possibility that the function of the test might not BE to hit the missile.
He also said additional tests of the Cobra Dane radar that would be critical to the system were "currently not planned."
Cobra Dane went operational in 1977, and its primary function since has been to track - surprise - ICBM and SLBM launches. I think we can safely assume it will work. Now, is he referring to an interface problem, a hardware problem, a software problem, or is he simply saying that they haven't done as many integrated tests with Cobra Dane as they'd like? We don't know, and this article would happily have you believe it means the worst.
John Isaacs, president of Council for a Livable World, an arms-control group in Washington, who?s negative oppinion was easier to obtain than one from a real scientist said the report is "essentially confirmation that the deployment is essentially a sham, and that there?s no evidence it will work. He called it a political deployment."
We have a winnah...I'm not even going to hazard a guess at Mr. Isaacs' politics nor those of his organization. I believe they are obvious. It also doesn't say much for Mr Isaacs' analytical powers - the report most certainly does NOT confirm anything other than the fact that it is a new, state of the art weapons system with some bugs.
I notice that apparently neither Mr Issacs nor this article's author has a very good memory. Anybody remember the wind up to Desert Storm? The disastrous, 'won't work' weapons we deployed to the Gulf, like the Apache, the M1, the M2 the Patriot, and the ALCM/SLCM? I am convinced to this day that the stories about how bad these weapons were were at the very least tolerated by the leadership in order to mislead the bad guys.
One last thing - there will be some truly spectacular fireworks when we try to install the system at Vandy. Look for the nutcases to pull out all the stops on that one.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/25/2004 15:32 Comments ||
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with a second component in California,
?
Whoa... I thought the system was a a single beta brand launch system based in Alaska. Another Cobra Dane radar?
#3
Ship-
Honestly not sure. I THINK that Cobra Dane will handle tracking for the CA site as well. That makes a fair amount of sense to me, insofar as it doesn't require building of new radars, clearing large areas of land, and charges of irradiating baby ducks.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/25/2004 15:49 Comments ||
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So DoD is trying to kill all the baby ducks? Fox news isn't reporting that yet, I'll check ABC.
#5
another reason the security has been stepped up at Vandenberg. Recall that the head of security told the last batch of goofballs threatening to get on the base to do mischief that deadly force was authorized
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/25/2004 17:39 Comments ||
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Two years ago in this city, world leaders formed the Monterrey Consensus. We pledged to work for government that is responsive to the basic needs of every human being, and for policies that promote opportunity for all. At this yearâs summit, we are embracing the challenge of implementing that Consensus to bring all the hemisphereâs people into an expanding circle of development.
To advance these goals, my nation revolutionized the way we provide aid, and we substantially increased our aid to developing countries. Under our new Compact For Development, U.S. assistance is linked to good governance, investment in people, and economic freedom. Development assistance should light a path to reform and economic growth, rather than perpetuate the need for further aid.
The nations of this hemisphere must identify concrete steps to implement the noble ideas of the Monterrey Consensus. We must work to provide quality education and quality health care for all our citizens, especially for those suffering from HIV/AIDS. We must also chart a clear course toward a vibrant free market that will help lift people out of poverty and create a healthy middle class. We must increase the credit available to small businesses that generate the majority of jobs in all our economies, and reduce the time that it takes to start a business. We must strengthen property rights so that land can be leveraged as a source of capital to start businesses or hire new workers. And we must lower the cost of sending money home to the families of hardworking men and women who are earning a living abroad.
Over the long-term, trade is the most certain path to lasting prosperity. The openness of our market is the key driver of growth in the region and a testament to the United Statesâ belief in the mutual benefits of trade. Last year, about 83 percent of Latin Americaâs exports to the United States, roughly $176 billion worth of goods, entered my country duty-free. My country is committed to free and fair trade for this hemisphere through the free trade area of the Americas and through the growing number of bilateral free trade agreements we have completed and are negotiating. Our NAFTA partners have been vital free trade allies for 10 years now.
Our free trade agreement with Chile entered into force on the first of this year. Weâre completing a free trade agreement with our Central American partners. This week weâll launch negotiations with the Dominican Republic, and soon weâll begin negotiations with Panama and some of our Andean friends. Once completed, these free trade agreements will cover more than two-thirds of the GDP of Americaâs neighbors.
The essential foundations of prosperity and progress remain democracy and the rule of law. All nations must prevail in the fight against corruption. We must deny safe haven to corrupt officials and create a culture of transparency in the Americas. Today I signed a proclamation denying corrupt officials entry into my country. I urge other countries to take similar actions.
At past summits, we resolved that democracy is the only legitimate form of government in this hemisphere, and that the peoples of the Americas have an obligation to promote it and defend it. Those governments in our hemisphere that have responded by supporting democracy can be proud.
Our unity and support of democratic institutions, constitutional processes and basic liberties gives hope and strength to those struggling to preserve their God-given rights, whether in Venezuela, or Haiti, or Bolivia.
And through our democratic example, we must continue to stand with the brave people of Cuba, who for nearly half a century have endured the tyrannies and repression. Dictatorship has no place in the Americas. We must all work for a rapid, peaceful transition to democracy in Cuba. Together we will succeed, because the spirit of liberty still thrives, even in the darkest corners of Castroâs prisons.
We have great opportunities to work together to improve the quality of life for all the people of this hemisphere. To realize our common vision we must set goals that are specific and measurable. In doing so, we will affirm our determination to succeed and to give hope to millions.
Together we will implement the Monterrey Consensus, lift all our nations, and show the world that free societies and free markets can deliver real benefits to our citizens.
May God bless you all. (Applause.)
Wish I had video close-up on Hugo Chavez for that five minutes.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 2:04:50 PM ||
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"Today I signed a proclamation denying corrupt officials entry into my country."
I guess that's the end of the U.N. in New York.
Posted by: Tom ||
01/25/2004 16:25 Comments ||
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If France signed the treaty about corrupt officials then Chirak wouldn't be able to enter his own country let alone his own presidential palace.
EFL from NRO - relates to WOT due to CAPPS II content. The Awfulness of Wesley Clark
The candidate for people who want a really bad candidate.
By the end of the Democratic presidential debate on Thursday night, it was impossible to avoid the question: Was Wesley Clark trying to hurt himself? Or had the retired four-star general simply not considered the possibility that debate moderators would ask him, like, questions? Consider Clarkâs response to a query about the lobbying work he did in 2002 and 2003 for an Arkansas-based company called Acxiom. The software firm has developed a product called CAPPS II, which is an airline screening system that gathers information on passengers and color-codes them according to their potential terrorist risk (the name stands for Computer Assisted Passenger Prescreening System). Clark earned a reported $500,000 for pitching the product to the Transportation Department, the FBI, and the CIA. Some civil libertarian groups have strongly criticized the CAPPS II system on privacy grounds, and in recent days, the campaign of Sen. John Kerry has attacked Clark for his lobbying. The Los Angeles Times quoted a Kerry spokesman saying recently, "Wes Clark was a high-paid Republican Washington lobbyist who cashed in on his military record." So it was no surprise that Clarkâs lobbying came up in the debate. But when he was asked whether CAPPS II might "step over the line" of airline passengersâ privacy, Clark seemed to have no idea what it was all about. "Well, I donât know about CAPPS II because I have not seen the program, and I donât think many of the people who are worried about it have," Clark said. "I was on the board of the company [Acxiom], and I did take them around and introduce them to various members of the United States government, the Defense Department and so forth, because their technology will improve our security." You know I just introduced some people to some other people and they handed me this paper bag and when I got home and opened it...
But was CAPPS II a threat to privacy? "Had I still been on that board when all this was going through, I would have insisted that the American Civil Liberties Union and others be brought in to pre-approve CAPPS II," Clark said. "Whether that was done or not, I have no idea." End of answer. -snip - Peter Jennings stuffs Clark on his endorsement from Michael Moore.
It turned out Clark didnât know any more about Michael Moore than he knew about CAPPS II, the product he had made half a million dollars selling. Wish I could do that.
On other topics, Clark backed away from an earlier statement that if he is elected president, the United States will not suffer any more 9/11-style attacks. What he really meant to say, Clark explained, is that "President Bush must be held accountable." but I wonât guarantee that I would do better.
Clark also announced that he would "suspend all portions of the Patriot Act that have to do with search and seizure." He called for returning federal law enforcement to the days before cell phones changed the ways criminals (and terrorists) do business. "If they [investigators] want to do a wiretap, they can do it the old-fashioned way by jumpering into the Western Union lines or by holding up a stagecoach," Clark said. Finally, Clark struggled to explain a decidedly pro-war article he wrote for the Times of London last April, shortly after U.S. forces entered Baghdad (See "Wesley Clarkâs Pro-War Manifesto). Clark repeated his assertion that "I did not support this war," but explained that in the article he simply did not want to criticize U.S. policy in a foreign publication. "Iâm not going to take U.S. policy and my differences with the administration directly into a foreign publication," he said. He was worried that a negative article might have a negative impact on the sales of the country music albumn that he plans to formally release next week in South Carolina.
All in all, Clarkâs was the weakest performance in a presidential debate since, well, his performance in the early debates. Ouch!!!! Snip - charecterization of Clarks pulling rank on Kerry incident; peters into review of debate performacnes by Edwards Dean and Kerry zzz.
Deanâs non-mea culpa, clearly practiced and tested with his advisers, didnât fare any better than his early explanations of his Iowa rant. "Donât be hard on yourself about hooting and hollering," Al Sharpton advised the former Vermont governor. "If I had spent the money you did and got 18 percent, Iâd still be in Iowa hooting and hollering." Iâm glad Sharpton is in the race.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 1:50:01 PM ||
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Per Sensing and Stryker, here's a great example of how to answer questions from reporters;
At the same time the Cuban government protested the U. S. governmentâs decision not to continue migratory talks, it was redoubling its efforts to jam U. S. broadcasts through Radio Martà short-wave frequencies into the island nation. "With the new noises, I canât hear it any more," said Esther, a Havana housewife who said she used to listen to Radio Martà through her old Soviet-era VEF radio. Ester, are you sure you didnât accidently tune in a rap channel?
Broadcasts from the U. S. on the AM band are blocked by stronger signals from nearby Cuban stations, but when these go off the air for repairs or maintenance, the Radio Martà signal comes in loud and clear, according to listenersâ reports. Listeners who own newer radios can sometimes pick up the broadcasts at favorable times on certain bands. The Cuban government has implicitly recognized that Cubans listen to Radio MartÃ, and often blame it for any manifestation against the government. At the trials of the 75 dissidents and independent journalists in April, 2003, one of the principal pieces of evidence introduced was possession of a short-wave radio. We can do better than this. How about a broadcast signal from GITMO at low power but with a frequency that changes every hour. Then broadcast over 10 frequencies at once followed by 20 and 100. Make the Cuban Government work.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 1:14:41 PM ||
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I don't think they can jump around to different frequencies because then the listeners won't know where to tune in.
Posted by: Dar ||
01/25/2004 13:38 Comments ||
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Dar, the switching frequency scam was just to mess with the Cuban jamming station before transmission on multiple frequencies. (Dig, set and spike.)
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 13:53 Comments ||
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Why don't they transmit on 100 frequncies at once? It's not like Radio Marti is hurting for money.
#6
The best tool of electromagetic warfare, regarding a transmitter,is a 500 lb ECM device, Jon. But the resulting 'plosion might upset the folks on the UNSC.
#7
Still think we should either hand out radios from Gitmo or float them onto the beach from offshore. Give Esther a Sony and let them dwell on how much they enjoy living in that Workers Paradise⢠and wonder why her soviet radio is such a POS.
We already knew this but itâs nice to see some confirmation at higher levels. David Kay, the former head of the coalitionâs hunt for Iraqâs weapons of mass destruction, yesterday claimed that part of Saddam Husseinâs secret weapons programme was hidden in Syria. In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, Dr Kay,who last week resigned as head of the Iraq Survey Group, said that he had uncovered evidence that unspecified materials had been moved to Syria shortly before last yearâs war to overthrow Saddam. Syria or the Bekaa valley?
"We are not talking about a large stockpile of weapons," he said. "But we know from some of the interrogations of former Iraqi officials that a lot of material went to Syria before the war, including some components of Saddamâs WMD programme. Precisely what went to Syria, and what has happened to it, is a major issue that needs to be resolved." Dr Kayâs comments will intensify pressure on President Bashar Assad to clarify the extent of his co-operation with Saddamâs regime and details of Syriaâs WMD programme. Mr Assad has said that Syria was entitled to defend itself by acquiring its own biological and chemical weapons arsenal. No mention of how theyâll "acquire" them either. Sammyâs Sell-out Bazaar supplied them with a lot.
Syria was one of Iraqâs main allies in the run-up to the war and hundreds of Iraqi thugs officials - including members of Saddamâs family - were given refuge in Damascus after the collapse of the Iraqi dictatorâs regime. Many of the foreign cannon-bait fighters responsible for conducting terrorist attacks against the coalition are believed to have entered Iraq through Syria. A Syrian official last night said: "These allegations have been raised many times in the past by Israeli officials, which proves that they are false." "Itâs a Zionist conspiracyâ¢!"
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/25/2004 1:06:25 PM ||
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I'm thinking that if Iraqi police and military can look after themselves enough in half a years time then whats holding the allies back from packing up and rolling west.Could the packing up be done cleverly enough so as not to arouse syrian suspision and then form staging posts in western Iraq and launch a huge military op on syria.Be well worth the rewards to do this me thinks,what about you lot?
#2
(engage SmartAlek mode) Gee, the media has been harping on how David Kay says that there are no WMDs in Iraq and the "anti-war" crowd has been saying "AhHa!". You would think that WMDs or their components being smuggled into Syria would be big news.
I wonder why the initial stories about Kay left this detail out?
Posted by: Les Nessman ||
01/25/2004 14:02 Comments ||
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Syria is the low hanging fruit but I don't think they are of the imminent danger threat that would require taking the country out. I still think the WoT needs to go into a targeting phase. Taking out persons who are at war with us regardless of where they are.
Like wahhabi immans, schools, hezbo camps, the like. I still believe that large scale military campaigns, like the Iraqi campaign, may not ever be needed again. You take out the brains of militant islam, (thats just not the AQ bunch) and let modernity take over.
Remember, blow up a palace, school, mosque and deny it. Do that everyday until the bad guys start getting in line to rat out who the next bad guy to get whacked should be. And repeat as needed. Simple I know, ruthless yes, me bad for thinking this way, not when the pussy footing around and showing repect for the "race of peace" is going backwards on human rights!
And lets let Iran do what it wants. All the fundies can have their paradise. Let them. It will crumble.
#4
"Syria is the low hanging fruit but I don't think they are of the imminent danger threat that would require taking the country out. "
Neither was Iraq an "imminent threat".
And why do you think denying obvious America-ordered assassinations will help you one bit? If you want assasination to be made a policy, make it officially -- how would that hurt you any more than doing it unofficially would? Because such a large scale worldwide attempt won't be possible to conceal.
#6
Aris, There is a lot of denial going on in regards to islamic perfidy. My point is to fight fire with fire. A "targeted" solution is not assasination IMO anymore. This war is being driven on many levels. You've got the Jews, you've got westerners in the fake holy lands of Arabia, you've got all that seething crap. But this war is not a war on Syria or Iran or Pakistan or Afganistan is it? It's a war on a idea, that should that idea, that whole submission thing, take hold, it could lead to a very bloody thing, catastrophy! No the line for me has been drawn. I know who and what the enemy is. I could care less about concealing the thing. The whinning would be a hoot. I could hear Cheney saying "we didn't kill the mullah, besides you have many mullahs so whats the problem?
Iraq was not an imminent threat. It posed a gathering imminent threat and was clearly hostile to the US, had broken treaties that US blood had paid a price to get. So I'm good with the bringing down of saddam. Is Syria a gathering imminent threat? Or is Syria a host to militants who are an imminent threat. I think the second and thats who I'd target. I'd target asshats in SA as well. And then, with a smirk on my face and in a texas drawl, I'd deny it and then repeat as nessasary. Would the world (France, China, South Africa) know? It's none of their business.
#7
If a fathead mullah issues a fatwah...he's a Tango. You woudn't have to pop too many of those goobers before they'd shut up.
I think it's really pretty funny that these pussy-boy mullahs and imans don't have have the balls to step up to the plate themselves. They always get some fool with a hard-on for 72 virgins to do their dirty work.
I guess they are pretty adept at throwing acid in any woman or girl's face who steps out of line, though. That's pretty manly.
#8
Tell Syria they have 7 days to move their equipment out of Lebanon. Take Lebanon with extreme prejudice. Commence fly paper round two. Kill, imprison or deport every Arab that speaks with an Iranian accent. Declare roadmap trial two.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 21:13 Comments ||
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The price of fruit juices sold in the Isle of Youth has gone up by government order, and consumers, who say the quality of the product is worse than ever, are unhappy. Doesnât AMTRACK work like that also?
Local cafeterias started charging 90 cents for a glass of juice that used to sell for 50 cents. Consumers say the juice is mostly water, with a little sugar and poor quality fruit concentrate. Hey, Hugo deliver 10 truckloads of papayas with the next shipment of crude.
Marta RodrÃguez, the manager of the Hanoi cafeteria in La Demajagua, on the outskirts of Nueva Gerona, explained the price increase saying: "The measure was handed down from the finance and price directorate of the Popular Power and the Municipal Commerce and Gastronomy company. Truth in Advertising scream for the name of the cafe to be changed to the Harare cafeteria.
It is true, the measure has not been well received by the population, but we are obligated to implement it. As far as the quality of the product, we always try to make it within the established parameters." In the nearby town of Atanagildo Cajigal, juice sales have gone down since the price increase. "No one ever consulted the people about prices; the government just decides and always has the last word," said La Demajagua resident Roberto RodrÃguez.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 12:57:34 PM ||
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"No one ever consulted the people about prices; the government just decides and always has the last word,"
Is he living in Cuba or France? I can't tell.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/25/2004 13:08 Comments ||
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Ever since the Soviet beet subsidy was cut the Cuban juice market has been in chaos. Sputnik Brand 10% beet juice was a major seller in the paso shops, now all that is left is juche.
Families of prisoners at La Lima jail in Guanabacoa have been told to bring cleaning supplies to clean the cells of their loved ones. An official addressed family members in the visiting room on January 8, according to MarÃa de los Angeles Borrego, wife of political prisoner Jesús Adolfo Reyes Sánchez. "We need you to bring light bulbs, mops, floor cleaner and air cleanser," he told them.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 12:48:13 PM ||
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Now that in a sort of good/cheap way is very Cuban.
HOLGUIN, Cuba, January 13 - A group of thieves dressed as policemen has been carrying out home robberies in the municipality of Antilla in HolguÃn province.
During the past three weeks, at least five homes have been targeted while the residents were present and five television sets, among other items, taken. One of the victims was Blas Evora MartÃnez, a former political prisoner, who was roused at 4 a.m. on January 7 by two men posing as police officers.
"So far, neither of the two very familiar looking the police officers assigned have not apprehended anyone," said Roberto Sardiñas Sánchez, delegate of the dissident pro Human Rights Party in HolguÃn province.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 14:57 Comments ||
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BBC - EFL
An African human rights court is due to come into force on Sunday following its ratification by the required number of African Union countries. In a continent where violations of human rights abound, the new court is seen as a step in the right direction. But many question whether the court can be effective and whether it will go beyond being just an idea. I have no questions about whether the court can be effective.
No country has yet offered to host it and no judges have been appointed to run it. I would be too embarassed to make a proposal in either catagory unless I was writing for the Onion.
The court is meant to work together with the Banjul-based African Human Rights Commission and is intended to enhance the African Unionâs commitment to human rights in the continent. Any committment whatsoever would be an astounding change.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 12:40:59 PM ||
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SH it's cruel too even post the article, much less comment.
Arab academics debated yesterday how they can teach their students about the worldâs superpower without themselves being identified with policies that are extremely unpopular in the Middle East. âHow can we avoid the political connotation whenever we talk about America to our students?â asked Mohammed Doujani, a Palestinian lecturer at Al-Quds University in Jerusalem, at a conference in a Cairo hotel.
Just off the top of my had, I'd say leave out the part about your own Armed Struggle™ and fighting against Imperialism™, and concentrate more on culture and accomplishments.
The US ambassador to Cairo, David Welch, urged the roughly 70 participants to encourage students to go beyond the negative image. âYou have to find ways to tell each other how to look at the American character,â Welch said.
"F'instance, why don't Americans swarm into the streets every time something goes wrong? Why don't they wave AKs and roll their eyes?"
Courses specializing in American studies are rare in Arab universities. In the most populous Arab country, Egypt, for example, there is only one Center for American Studies â at Cairo University. It was established as recently as 2002 and is funded by the US government. The conferenceâs keynote speaker, Philippa Strum, who runs the US studies program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, spelled out the need for students to comprehend the way America works. âAt one point in history, where there is one superpower... it is extremely important to understand its government and the rules that guide its government,â Strum said.
"Whether you like it or not."
The director of Cairo Universityâs American center, Mohammed Kamal, said that enrollment is growing. âLast year we had 30 students, and this year we have 50 students. The number of postgraduate students applying for masters and Ph.D degrees in American studies is also growing,â Kamal said.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/25/2004 11:16 ||
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Duh, place a picture of Britney Spears on a flyer to advertise the course. I don't know why I try to help these guys.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 13:02 Comments ||
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You could try showing them a conventional mouse trap. Explain it's many functioning parts, the technolgy. Then lay a clip of Ak ammo on the table beside it a allow anyone that can make a better mouse trap, at a better price, may have the ammo.
Expediency Council Chief Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani Saturday warned against the enemies` conspiracies against the Islamic Republic saying the enemies are after raising tension in the Iranian society by magnifying the political crisis over election in Iran to cover up their anti-Islamic attitudes.
Yes. It's deep-laid plots™ and sinister conspiracies™, hatched in the dark of night by the Enemies of Islam...
The election issue is a sensitive one and the enemies are after taking advantage of this sensitivity to create tension in Iran and to launch a war on Islam, Rafsanjani noted as he addressed the participants of an exhibition in Tehran. The main reason for enemies` move to exaggerate the issues on the eve of the seventh parliamentary elections is that they are after provoking tension as part of efforts to counter Islam and Muslims, he added.
"They just don't like us. Everybody knows that. An' we din't do nuffin'!"
The officials should try to present a good image of the Islamic system so that the enemies could not create pretexts to magnify the internal issues of Iran and fish in the troubled waters, he stated.
I always prefer to fish in troubled waters, myself...
Rafsanjani said, "we have not been good soldiers for Islam" while calling for further efforts to translate into action the Islamic tenets and principles. Rafsanjani said if the nation`s material and spiritual potentials are used to the optimum, Iran can turn into a prosperous country.
"Maybe even as prosperous as it used to be, in fact!"
He added that the government organizations should tackle the current difficulties across the country, in particular those concerning the mega cities, properly. He called for coordination among state organizations to counter corruption and prejudice and noted that any disharmony can be harmful for the entire country. Rafsanjani said that an effective justice and inspection system could guarantee the health of the community.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/25/2004 10:21 ||
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Is it paranoia=Islam or is it Islam=paranoia?
I can't decide.
#2
It's not paranoia when you understand that all the mischief you've been sowing in other people's yards may reap consequences in your own.
BTW - what bait do you use to fish in troubled waters? I'd have 24/7 broadcasts of VOA from Iraq
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/25/2004 10:50 Comments ||
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...any disharmony can be harmful for the entire country. Rafsanjani said that an effective justice and inspection system could guarantee the health of the community. - Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani wants to strengthen the rule of the fundementalists by further prolifierating courts and stoolies into communities. A little Culteral Revolution action in the offing?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 11:14 Comments ||
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#4
So, Dr. Frank, you're telling me that I'm not paranoid after all, because people really are out to get me?
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/25/2004 12:46 Comments ||
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#7
"He...noted that any disharmony can be harmful for the entire country."
So, don't you dare criticize me or oppose me The Iranian Supreme Council in anyway! Keep quite about my corruption and oppression because you are undermining me, my cohorts and our grip on power Islam.
We cannot allow for me and my cronies to be kicked out of our comfy monopoly on power and control our enemies to weaken us.
Posted by: Tokyo Taro ||
01/25/2004 20:26 Comments ||
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Expediency Council Chief - is that the guy who makes sure that the truncheons are properly prepared with pine tar to prevent them from slipping in the hands during full contact bludeonings?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 21:02 Comments ||
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#9
rafsanjani 's just looking after business--so he and his bazaari friends and corrupt mullahs can keep the pistachio mafia thing goin' on--ever look inside a camel cunt--looks just like this cup of diarriha sauce
Posted by: SON OF TOLUI ||
01/26/2004 1:06 Comments ||
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An earthquake measuring 3.4 degrees on the open-ended Richter scale jolted the city of Kermanshah in western Iran on Sunday morning. The seismological network of Kermanshah registered the epicenter of the quake 30 kms southeastern of the city. The tremor occurred at 1:28 hours local time. There were no reports of damage to property caused by the quake.
"Mene mene tekel upharsin!"
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/25/2004 10:16 ||
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That's Allah reminding the Guardian's Council that there's more wrath to come.
On the threshold of auspicious Ten-Day Dawn celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution, the manufacturing line for a sophisticated missile dubbed `Ra`d` along with advanced radar system known as `DM-3B` were commissioned Sunday in a ceremony attended by Minister of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani.
Didn't take that earthquake seriously, huh?
Radar `DM-3B` is the component of Nour missile which navigates and guides the combatant missile in its final stage and the advanced Ra`d missile is equipped with self-guidance device. The two systems are now manufactured in Iran`s aviation organization affiliated to the Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics. The acquired capabilities in missile industries in the Ministry of Defense is considered a turning point in enhancing defensive capabilities of the Iranian forces, said Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani. According to Iran`s defensive doctrine, `we never initiate any war, but we employ to our capabilities, new technology, committed manpower and experts, valuable experiences gained during 8-year of sacred defense to fully defend our independence, sovereignty, national security as well as Islamic values," he said. "A number of big powers have tried to prevent us from acquiring new defense technology mainly in the missile sector," he pointed out.
Will it do you any good? [Voice with Important Hair:] "Only Time Will Tell!" My guess is that it won't, unless you plan to rocket your own people.
Despite all negative efforts, the Islamic Republic of Iran by relying on its own capabilities has taken every essential stride to attain self-sufficiency in missile industry, he said. Ra`d missile is a medium range missile that can be launched on the coast or on ship board and consumes liquid fuel.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/25/2004 10:13 ||
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I'm sure there is an Aussie working in his garage that could provide a better Anti-air radar and missile.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 11:23 Comments ||
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Yikes! Sounds like they invented the GuideLine.
The latest German-mediated agreement to swap prisoners between Israel and Lebanon`s Islamic resistance group Hizbollah includes also a specific provision which is to address the fate of four Iranians who went `missing` in Lebanon one month after the June 1982 Israeli invasion. The four Iranians include the charge d`affaires at Iran`s embassy in Beirut Mohsen Moussavi, a diplomat Ahmad Motovasselian, IRNA photographer Kazem Akhavan and an embassy driver Mohammad Taghi Rastegar-Moghadam all of whom were never seen again after being stopped at a checkpoint on the Beirut-Tripoli highway. The checkpoint was reportedly manned by the then-Israeli backed Christian Phalange Militia.
My guess is that they're long-time deaders. What's yours?
It is believed that Lebanese Phalangists handed the four Iranians to the Israelis who are holding them as political hostages. There have been unconfirmed reports that the kidnapped Iranians were brutally murdered by either the Phalangists or the Israelis. Iran has repeatedly demanded information on the whereabouts of its four nationals and has made clear that it holds the criminal Israeli regime responsible for the kidnapping.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/25/2004 10:09 ||
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So Hizbollah is "Lebanon`s Islamic resistance group."
If they are a resistance group, I have to wonder what Iranian News thinks they are resisting? I don't believe it's the criminal Syrian occupation....
Members of Parliament protesting the Guardian Council`s methodology in disqualifying the incumbent MPs said on Sunday that certain elements behind the scenario have attempted to strip the Islamic Republic of its republican aspect.
No! Really? Who'da thunkit?
Deputy head of the Majlis Commission on National Security and Foreign Affairs Mohsen Armin read out the twelfth statement of the sit-in MPs challenging the obstacle the Guardian Council created in determining the religious commitment of applicants. They reiterated their belief that constitutionally it is not up to the Guardian Council to gauge religious commitment of the applicants and maintained that the conservatives who suffered a humiliating defeat in the year 2000 election have launched a campaign against the reform camp to humiliate the incumbent MPs.
Y'might say that. They're using whatever weapons are at hand...
"It is a dictatorial mentality to humiliate the others by disqualifying people`s representatives to see whether they have religious commitment," the statement said broadcast on FM radio. "Don`t play with public conscience. Don`t pretend yourself as advocates of people. Disclose your despotic desire to manipulate people`s votes," part of the statement said. "Democracy cannot be harnessed by adding the adjective `religious` to it. It has only one meaning. When you respect democracy, you should take it for granted that it will comply with the religious values of the community. You cannot sacrifice democracy under pretext that we want religious democracy," the statement said.
On the other hand, you can have theocracy and call it "democracy," and a certain number of the rubes will buy it. Won't they?
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/25/2004 10:05 ||
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You'd think muslims would be flocking to Iran.
"It's paradise Abu!"
"Yes Ibn, I hear it's a racially pure, we can pray all day and not have to be humiliated on any given sunday."
Parliament on Sunday approved an emergency amendment to the electoral law following mass disqualifications to make the supervisory boards` vetting of the prospective candidates less stringent. The amendment included addition of two clauses to the electoral law as countermeasure to the supervisory Guardians Council`s rejection of many parliamentary aspirants on the ground that they lacked faith in Islam and the Islamic establishment. One clause envisages that a candidate, whose record is in question, can run in the contests if his or her qualifications are endorsed by at least 10 local `trustees`, including city and village councilors as well as Friday prayer leaders. The criteria in the vetting process, according to this clause, is the country`s common law, according to which a candidate`s commitment to Islam, the leadership and the Constitution is established with his or her own declaration. The other clause states that any candidate whose qualification has been approved once cannot be barred unless there are legal evidence against them.
The amendments, however, have to go through the screening of the Guardians Council to see if they comply with the Islamic Sharia law and the Constitution. Over 3,600 candidates from among more than 8,000 of those registered for the February 20 elections have been declared as disqualified by the supervisory electoral boards. Dozens of incumbent MPs, mostly barred from standing again, have held sit-ins to protest the blanket disqualifications. On Saturday, press published the names of 76 deputy ministers who had tendered their resignations to President Khatami, including key deputy oil ministers Hossein Kazempour Ardebili, Mohammad Aqaie and a high-profile figure in the development of giant Asaluyeh gas field, Asadollah Salehi-Forouz. Among the disqualified are the first and second parliament deputies Mohammad Reza Khatami and Behzad Nabavi. President Khatami and Parliament Speaker Mehdi Karroubi have called for `a fundamental review at the earliest` of the wholesale disqualifications.
Yep. That oughta do it. Bring 'em right around, by golly...
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/25/2004 10:01 ||
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Iran has rejected a suggestion by a man claiming to be a former member of its intelligence services that Tehran was involved in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
"Nope. Nope. Never happened."
The Iranian embassy in Berlin said in a statement that claims of a link between Iran and Al Qaeda were groundless and that the statements were the "contradictory and false declarations of an unknown person". In the statement the Iranian embassy "robustly denied this rumour, which is without foundation," and said Tehran was fully committed to the fight against global terror. The man has been called as a witness in a trial being held in Germany of Moroccan student Abdelghani Mzoudi over the suicide hijackings that killed more than 3,000 people. Identified by the codename Hamid Remz Zakeri, the man was called on by federal prosecutors to appear at the trial only hours before a verdict was due because they were convinced he could incriminate Moroccan student Abdelghani Mzoudi in the attacks. On Wednesday, the court made a shock announcement that it had agreed to wait to deliver its verdict in the case in order to assess the credibility of the new witness. German media report the witness told German police that Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ex-president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and three other clerics met with Osama bin Laden's eldest son at an airbase near Tehran on May 4, 2001 to finalise the plans for the attacks. The officers testified that the witness told them Mzoudi had been in Iran and was "active in the logistics of the September 11, 2001 operation," including the "composition and transmission of [encrypted] information to intermediaries". The mysterious witness is due to testify in person at the trial in Hamburg, north Germany, German radio and television broadcaster NDR reported on its website on Saturday, claiming to have spoken with Zakeri by telephone.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt ||
01/25/2004 09:56 ||
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#1
Hmm.... Osama also denied any involvement. Think there is a trend here?
The Navy has decided to relocate U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command (USNAVSO) from Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, to Naval Station Mayport, Fla. On Sept. 30, 2003, the President of the United States signed into law the Fiscal Year 2004 Defense Appropriations Act. The legislation included language that calls for the Navy to close Naval Station Roosevelt Roads no later than six months after enactment of the act. This legislation requires the relocation of tenant commands, including USNAVSO. Since the Navy must close Naval Station Roosevelt Roads by March 31, 2004, relocation of USNAVSO is a high priority. The relocation of USNAVSO to Mayport, Fla., effectively meets Navy mission requirements and will ensure Navy personnel assigned to the command continue to enjoy a high quality of life. The Navy studied a number of locations and took into account availability of existing infrastructure, communications capabilities and anti-terrorism/force protection support, amongst other factors. This relocation is scheduled to commence next month and be completed by March 2004. Initially, Commander USNAVSO will be âdual-hattedâ with Commander Naval Surface Group Two, and the two staffs will be consolidated. One flag officer billet will be disestablished. Naval Surface Group Two will then be disestablished, creating personnel savings and alignment efficiencies.
Posted by: Chuck ||
01/25/2004 8:14:57 AM ||
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#4
Sad part is that the working people are not the ones who caused this. It was the developers with an eye on prime real estate and the aforementioned a**holes limelight seekers from the main land who caused this. Then, GW out-foxed 'em all and declared the former bombing range on Vieques a National Wildlife Refuge.
#5
Jesse J., he's my man. If he can't screw it up (or just screw it), nobody can.
Big funding source down the tubes for PR. That will hurt. Maybe Jesse will give up some of the money he bilked from Toyota, or one of the other corporations he has ripped off (for the people, of course).
#6
I like the move to Mayport. I think that will workout well. Does anyone have a sense of whether Cuba will want to be a state, be a protectorate or run their own show?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/25/2004 20:57 Comments ||
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Israeli soldiers on Saturday shot and killed two Palestinian militants staking out an army position with binoculars along the fortified fence between Gaza and Israel. Members of the Al Aqsa Martyrsâ Brigades, an even more violent extremist offshoot of Palestinian decrepit leader Yasser ArafatâsFatah movement, said the two mental giants men were on an "exploratory mission" to gather intelligence for a future splodydope attack. Soldiers shot the men as they neared the fence. [Kapwing!] [Kapwing!] "That was easy, Moshe."
Several hours later, at the start of their funeral, other members of the group too cowardly to join their pals speaking through loudspeakers said the two men were dispatched on an "exploratory suicide mission" to gather intelligence near an army position in the military zone along Gazaâs edge with Israel. "Unfortunately they didnât return, so we have no idea what they found out, except that the IDF is out there. Somewhere. We think."
The men were identified as Ashraf al-Imbayed, 25, who had been wearing a freshly ventilated military-style jacket, and a close distant relative from the same Darwinist family clan, Samir al-Imbayed, 23. The men were strangely unarmed but carrying binoculars and cell phones, possible signs that they were planning an attack, the army said. Maybe they were just bird-watchers, out looking for Eagles and Falcons.
The army said terrorist militant groups have recently tried to plant explosives or infiltrate into Israel near Nahal Oz. Palestinians say terrorists farmers wandering into the area have also been whacked targeted. Hundreds of Palestinians, all some of them carrying sex toys weapons, joined the menâs funeral procession through whatâs left of Gaza City later Saturday. The menâs ventilated bodies were wrapped in murderous Palestinian flags. One low-rent rabblerouser mourner harrangued addressed the crowd dipping their hands in blood outside a weapons depot mosque, bragging promising to avenge their deaths. "Dire Revenge⢠for all!"
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/25/2004 2:48:13 AM ||
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could this be call for a palo street demo/funeral, those with the kinda carnival atmosphere,you know blood from the corpse being flicked around everyone and the magical sound of AK-47's being fired in amongst the crowds of zealots.Wouldn't you just love to be a Palo
NASAâs Opportunity rover landed on Mars late Saturday, arriving at the Red Planet exactly three weeks after its identical twin set down, and prompting whoops and cheers of delight from mission scientists. The unmanned duh AP reporter, six-wheeled rover landed at 9:05 p.m. PST in Meridiani Planum, NASA said. The smooth, flat plain lies 6,600 miles and halfway around the planet from where its twin, Spirit, set down on Jan. 3. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration had warned that it could take as long as 22 hours after landing for Opportunity to make contact with Earth, but it did so almost immediately. Shortly before entering the martian atmosphere, Opportunity jettisoned its cruise stage, shedding the disc-shaped structure that had provided power, propulsion and communications capabilities during its seven-month trip through space. Opportunity, like Spirit, had to execute a choreographed sequence of events to ensure its safe arrival on Mars. The only difference: Opportunity was to open its parachute 4,500 feet higher above Mars than Spirit did to compensate for the higher elevation of its landing site. NASA sent Spirit to Gusev Crater, a broad depression believed to once have contained a lake. It launched Opportunity toward Meridiani Planum, a flat, smooth region relatively free of the reddish dust that cloaks Gusev. Scientists believe Meridiani abounds in a mineral called gray hematite, which typically forms in marine or volcanic environments rich in water. Wish I could work at JPL!
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/25/2004 2:30:21 AM ||
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While 20% of the worlds population is trying to live in the 7th Century we can do this.
EFL to just the new stuff
President-elect Mikhail Saakashvili made an emotional plea for unity in his fractured nation Saturday on the eve of his inauguration, kneeling at the tomb of the 12th-century ruler who brought Georgia together. Wrapping his mission as Georgiaâs new leader in spiritual and historical symbolism, Saakashvili visited a monastery founded 900 years ago by David the Builder, a king who increased Georgiaâs wealth and prestige after, at age 16, taking the reins of a country beset by attackers. Touching the scarred stone surface of the grave with his hand, Saakashvili swore to do his utmost to unite Georgia, which was torn apart by separatist wars following the 1991 Soviet collapse. Did he pull the sword out of the stone?
The crowd cheered as Saakashvili passed by, reflecting the high expectations in the fiery 36-year-old who led street protests that brought down former President Eduard Shevardnadze in November. Unifying the country may be Saakashviliâs most daunting challenge: the provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia are virtually independent and the autonomous Adzharia region is led by a fierce opponent. Notice no march by Georgian soldiers to Adzharia as recently predicted.
Damn! Anybody want some of this popcorn?
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell was to attend Saakashviliâs inauguration, a sign of Washingtonâs interest in stability in Georgia - the site of a planned pipeline for Caspian Sea oil and part of a volatile region surrounded by Russia, Turkey and the Middle East. Saakashvili told independent Rustavi-2 television on Friday that Washington intended to double aid to Georgia this year to $200 million. Cheap at twice the price if he does some good.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/25/2004 2:23:46 AM ||
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U.S. congressmen flew into Tripoli on Sunday aboard a U.S. Navy plane they said was the first plane flying an American flag to land in Tripoli since Col. Muammar Gadhafi took power in 1969. In other news, an unidentified American man was seen at the officers club at former Wheelus air force base stocking gin and cleaning glasses.
"Iâm here to reinforce the positive steps that have been taken by the leader of Libya," Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., said. Led by Weldon, the bipartisan delegation arrived as U.S. and British experts were preparing to start dismantling Libyaâs weapons programs with Gadhafiâs blessing. Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., arrived in Tripoli earlier Saturday, but he wasnât on a U.S. military plane.
Prob'ly staying at the Sheraton. He'll learn...
The delegation was expected to meet with Gadhafi and visit the countryâs nuclear sites, which Gadhafi has agreed to open up to U.N. inspectors.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/25/2004 2:14:56 AM ||
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Next year in Wheelus.
Holiest site for Rantburgers?
#2
Câmon M Gad, just imagine yourself in the year 2020, looking back on your repentant history while reading the headlines: âGadhafi, father of the African renaissanceâ.
Prove Take your new good-citizenship and do some real good by brokering peace in the African latrine.
#3
We probably left more WMD's there from our weapons training missions than the mad Colonel ever developed. But if we have a renunion there then the only way to fly is a SA-16 via the Azores. Who is make the date palm wine?
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
01/25/2004 10:08 Comments ||
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#4
A dictator deciding to have good relations with America (though good for America itself) doesn't actually make him any less of a dictator, or any more of a bringer of "renaissance" to his people....
When we've heard things about Libya moving towards the path of democracy or of human rights, not just yielding to WMD-related demands, *then* I'll start thinking Gadhaffi's shift in alliances may actually have long-lasting positive effects to his nation or the area at large.
#8
Qaddafi's shift in alliances doesn't have to have long-lasting positive effects on his nation or the area at large. In case you hadn't noticed, you're talking about Arab Muslim states. Completely immune to positive effects of any kind; they seem to be prohibited.
What is positive is it's one less dictatored Islamic s***hole with the capacity to give crazy people who hate us nukes. That's all we have a right to expect.
Posted by: John Mendenhall ||
01/25/2004 19:51 Comments ||
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#9
Actually, we've had a couple instances here where Muammar's been making attempts to institute some sort of capitalism. He's seen that the Armed Struggle⢠route doesn't work - he's even worked out that he's been on the wrong side all this while. He's pointed out to his legislature (such as it is) that the oil money's all been pissed away and they've nothing to show for it. He's ordered his party cadres to institute capitalism as a form of revolutionary activity - kind of an off-the-wall approach, admittedly, but I'm assuming he doesn't know any better.
He's also decided he's not an Arab, but an African, and lined up a dynastic marriage for his son with an Ugandan princess. He seems to have had something going with the princess' Mom, too, which may influence some of his thinking.
I think we're looking at a guy who started out being a revolutionary and running a dictatorship, who wants out of the revolutionary business because revolutionary dictators' families don't end up succeeding them nowadays. (Whatever happened to Nasser's kids? What're Ben Bella's kids doing nowadays?) He has no idea how to actually be a capitalist, but he wants to try. He's probably got as much chance of actually making it work as I have of becoming an international financier. We both have about the same amount of knowledge of how to go about our intended career shifts. This isn't the end of the Libyan book, just the beginning of a new and interesting chapter.
I actually wish the guy luck.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/25/2004 20:45 Comments ||
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#10
Aris, you should be happy. Have you read about the nuke black market? We needed that info and it wouldn't have come out except for Qaddafi.
#11
Aris, I recently read a story about Athens Olympics, believe it was in the NYT. One of the major themes in it was that Greeks may be the greatest pessimists in Europe. Is that a true characterisation? Been meaning to ask since I read this about two weeks ago.
#12
Well, I don't really have any way of judging whether we're more pessimistic on average than the rest of the Europeans, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's true, where political issues are concerned at least.
Probably because of the fact that every major success Greece has had in the past century has been followed (or happened concurrently) with a major tragedy. The victory at WW1 and the Balkan wars, was followed by the Asia Minor catastrophe and the eviction of millions of Greeks from Smyrna -- the liberation at the end of WW2 was quickly followed by the greek civil war. The fall of the dictatorship at 1974 happened alongside the Turkish invasion of Northern Cyprus.
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.
