The Columbus city prosecutor is refusing to prosecute CAIR's National Vice-Chairman, Dr. Ahmad Al-Akhras, for assaulting LGF reader Ciaospiriteven though she has proof of the assault on video:
The Columbus city prosecutor refuses to press charges against CAIR and Dr. Al-Akhras for assaulting me, twice. I was told that there wasn't enough evidence. What! The entire assault is on video (posted here). I was told since there were no injuries "it didn't rise to the level of an assault;" he didn't "punch you or anything." What about having a camera shoved in my face? What about grabbing and pulling my hand right along with the camera? Then I was told that they felt I was "badgering him with my questions." So perceived badgering is justification to push someone around? Anytime we don't like questions being asked of us, we now have permission from the prosecutor's office to attack someone. It didn't seem to matter that both times I was assaulted, I wasn't even talking directly to Dr. Al-Akhras. In the second assault, especially, I was standing silently while taping his public speech. I checked with two attorneys before I went to the prosecutor and both said it was assault. This is outrageous injustice. I have no protection in the future. Neither does anyone else. CAIR gets a pass. And CAIR called their rally "Stop the terror." I guess that means unless CAIR is doing the terrorizing. I plan to appeal.
Here's the information if anyone is interested in commenting: Columbus City Attorney, Richard C. Pfeiffer, Jr., 90 W. Broad Street, Columbus, OH. E-mail: RCPfeiffer@columbus.gov RE: Complaint #200608-0371
#1
Not at all surprised, myself. Had a guy attempt to run me over with his truck for daring to give his wife a parking ticket, and was told by the Maricopa County prosecutor's office that there was no "instrumentality" of the aggravated assault. Right.....2 tons of truck isn't a weapon? That amused the crap out of the two public defenders who witnessed it and were willing to testify against him at trial.
Hope she goes to her county or district attorney to file assault charges. They may take it up. (In my case the city prosecutor decided to go for it, and I am grateful to them for doing what should have been the County's job.)
#2
The elemental grounds for an Assault charge are met here. Prosecutors are supposed to consider whether or not the physical contact as made without justification, offends the public in general. If it wasn't politically incorrect to do so, the prosecutor should consider the low regard that Muslim men have for women.
Although the courts defer to prosecutors almost 100% of the time, the victim could apply for a writ of Mandamus to force the prosecutor to lay a charge. However, that would probably fail unless some public interest group filed an Amicus Curae (friend of the court) brief, and remember: while the American Civil Liberties Union serves the rights of criminals, few groups exist that serve crime victims.
A civil suit for battery would succeed, but the award would not be substantial. That CAIR guy should join the ranks of CAIR members who have been convicted of offenses. CAIR should be banned, along with the Islamic Society of North America.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/20/2006 8:17 Comments ||
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#4
I agree with Snease that the woman videographer should press a private civil lawsuit against the CAIR official. It's the only chance she has to obtain redress.
I've seem the video. The elements are there to bring a criminal complaint of assault by the office of the Columbus City Prosecutor. The prosecutor's refusal to bring charges must be grounded in politics and not the law.
Since the incident took place within the city limits of Columbus only the city prosecutor has the power to approve the charge of misdemeanor assualt since the circumstances of the incident did not give rise to a felony.
Traditionally, in Ohio, city (municipal) prosecutors (as opposed to county prosecutors) are not beholden or answerable to the voters. By that I mean they do not run for election. Instead they are hired by the local city council or municipal law director. I think this is the case in Columbus, IIRC.
If the woman videographer has a grip (and she does) with the manner this was handled by the city prosecutor she'll have to take that grip to the city council / city commission of Columbus.
I would like to think there are more than a few well trained and experienced attorneys in the Columbus area who would be more than happy to bring a civil complaint against this CAIR official even though there will be no "pot of gold" waiting for them at the end of the rainbow.
Lawyers are disliked and mistrusted. Until you need one. This lady needs one. I think she find one if she looks. I don't think we've heard the last of this incident. I hope not anyway.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
08/20/2006 8:17 Comments ||
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#5
cough.... I think that should be spelled "gripe"........sorry.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
08/20/2006 8:22 Comments ||
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#6
Ironically, if the victim had fought back, it is highly likely that cops would have arrested both of them. I was once falsely arrested when I resisted an assault, because the assailant accused me of excessive force. I wasn't charged because the assailant had a long record of this type of offense, and I had no criminal record at all. That didn't stop cops from handcuffing me, and forcing submission to a strip search. So do cops have to check criminal records before they make arrests, etc? No. And my fingerprints and booking photos are still in the system. Do cops arrest fellow cops whenever a citizen accuses a cop of either assault of excessive force? Never!
#7
Snease: fed up are ya mate? Sounds like you don't like it here, don't like cops, etc. I believe United Airlines just opened direct service between Dulles and Kuwait. United food and beverage service is superb (no pork by the way). Dial 877-228-1327..... and BE ON IT!
#8
I didn't read Snease as not liking it here. Just wanting perps to be the focus of law enforcement.
But as far as the comment on cops, it seems to me that they don't need to arrest cops when a complaint is made -- they know exactly where to find them, have to log formal complaints of that sort in the record and have disciplinary systems in place to deal with out of control cops. May or may not work 100% perfectly, but they're there.
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Posted by: Destro in Panama ||
08/20/2006 14:47 Comments ||
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#14
I agree our women bring alot to the table in the war against Islamic Fascism. I just wish we were (sinktrap here I come) harassing Cair with bullets and not words.
Posted by: Destro in Panama ||
08/20/2006 14:47 Comments ||
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(SomaliNet) Some of the government troops based around Baidoa airport, the temporary capital of Somalia were reported to have defected and are more likely to join Islamic Courts. Reports say on Saturday.
It is the fifth time defected militia of the Somalia government joined the Islamic Courts, which still continue to expand their power across the country.
About hundred soldiers of the transitional federal government have abandoned overnight their position near the airport of Baidoa heading towards Mogadishu where they will be joining the Islamic Courts. The defected troops of the government are from the central regions in Somalia.
Before the latest defection, there were underground negotiation between the Islamists and the defected troops, reliable sources said. The militia said their defection came after they met life difficulties from the government and then decided to leave Baidoa. They were on their way to Mogadishu where the Islamists await. It is the fifth time defected militia of the Somalia government joined the Islamic Courts, which still continue to expand their power across the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2006 00:00 ||
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(SomaliNet) Sudan has been warned by the United States (US) of potential consequences if it continued to resist United Nations peacekeepers in Darfur, AFP reported. US threatened to step up moves on Sudan for an international probe on alleged war crimes in the war-torn region if Sudan maintains it position on rejecting UN peace keepers.
Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir has warned that Sudan would confront any UN-sponsored forces sent to Darfur, which he said would become a "graveyard" for the blue helmet peacekeepers.
Meanwhile, Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir has warned that Sudan would confront any UN-sponsored forces sent to Darfur, which he said would become a "graveyard" for the blue helmet peacekeepers. President Beshir's threat came as the United States and Britain presented a draft resolution to the United Nations Thursday outlining the deployment of 17,000 peacekeepers to Darfur despite his opposition. In the same light, Senior US State Department official warned Friday about "the reality" facing Sudan if it "confronted with a unified international community" and a UN resolution that was "the will of the international community."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2006 00:00 ||
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CAIRO: Egyptian security forces detained 17 members of the banned Muslim Brotherhood on Saturday, security sources said, in a fresh step targeting the country's strongest opposition movement. The sources said the Brotherhood members were arrested at a home in Manoufiya province north of Cairo. They said authorities found anti-government books and pamphlets in the home. A spokesman for the Brotherhood said the members were on a private visit to the home of a member. He said the detentions brought to 87 the number of Brotherhood members being held in Egyptian jails. The arrests came days after a Cairo court overturned a decision to release two Brotherhood leaders, detained during anti-government protests in May, and ordered them to stay in jail for 15 more days. "These arrests come as a message from the regime to the Brotherhood indicating that the period of relative calm, which didn't last but a month, has ended," lawyer Abdel Moneim Abdel Maqsoud said in remarks published on the Brotherhood's Web site (www.ikhwanonline.com). The Muslim Brotherhood is officially banned in Egypt. But members elected as independents hold 88 seats in the 454-seat parliament, and the group operates openly within limits.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2006 00:00 ||
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Qatar's foreign minister called upon Israel to take advantage of the current opportunity to reach a peace agreement with moderate Arab leaders. In an interview that will be published in Newsweek on Monday, he warned that future generations of leaders may be more extreme and might insist on "pushing Israel into the sea."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
If they try to push Israel into the sea, there will be no future generations of Arab leaders.
An Islamic cleric who influenced at least one of the 7 July bombers and whose videos may have been seen by several of the terror suspects arrested earlier this month, is to be freed from prison in weeks.
Sheikh Abdullah el-Faisal encouraged Muslims to attend training camps so they could wage jihad on the West. He was jailed in February 2003 for nine years, reduced to seven on appeal, after being convicted of soliciting murder and inciting racial hatred. Hundreds of Muslims attended his lectures in mosques across Britain, including Birmingham, London and Dewsbury in West Yorkshire.
His trial heard recordings of el-Faisal, Jamaican by birth but living in Stratford, east London, praising Osama bin Laden. 'You have to learn how to shoot and fly planes and drive tanks,' el-Faisal told those who attended his lectures. 'Jews,' el-Faisal said, 'should be killed... as by Hitler.'
He encouraged the use of chemical weapons to 'exterminate non-believers', and exhorted Muslim women to buy toy guns for their children to train them for jihad. He also suggested that nuclear power stations could be fuelled with bodies of Hindus, slaughtered for their 'oppression' of Muslims in Kashmir.
Videos of his lectures have been found circulating in Muslim circles in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, where police are concentrating inquiries into this month's alleged bomb plot involving airliners.
El-Faisal is eligible for parole having served more than half his sentence. The Home Office confirmed he had been served with a notice of deportation to Jamaica, signalling that he will be released in weeks - bar a successful appeal against the decision.
The prospect of a man described in court as a 'fanatic and an extremist' being freed has troubled Muslim leaders who fear he will continue to disseminate his views in Britain. 'Once he's deported to Jamaica, what restrictions will there be to prevent him spreading his message of hate over the internet,' asked Andrew Dismore MP.
In the government's official account of the events that led to the London bombings in July 2005, el-Faisal is credited with having had a 'strong' influence on Jermaine Lindsay, who blew up a tube train.
James Ujaama, a US citizen jailed for conspiring to help the Taliban in Afghanistan, was recorded asking questions at el-Faisal's lectures. Richard Reid, who tried to detonate a bomb in his shoe on a transatlantic plane, and Zacarias Moussaoui, who was jailed for life over his involvement in the 11 September 2001 attacks, are also believed to have attended the lectures. El-Faisal's fluence extended to the US, where followers set up groups marketing tapes and endorsing jihad.
After el-Faisal's conviction, Peter Clarke, head of the Metropolitan Police's anti-terrorist squad, said the case had 'nothing to do with freedom of speech', as el-Faisal claimed, 'but everything to do with racial hatred'.
#1
His trial heard recordings of el-Faisal, Jamaican by birth but living in Stratford, east London, praising Osama bin Laden. 'You have to learn how to shoot and fly planes and drive tanks,' el-Faisal told those who attended his lectures. 'Jews,' el-Faisal said, 'should be killed... as by Hitler.'
He encouraged the use of chemical weapons to 'exterminate non-believers', and exhorted Muslim women to buy toy guns for their children to train them for jihad. He also suggested that nuclear power stations could be fuelled with bodies of Hindus, slaughtered for their 'oppression' of Muslims in Kashmir.
Other than that, he's a really nice guy. Let me know when he assumes room temperature.
h/t LGF
A British-based Muslim radical appeared to back suicide bombing yesterday when he claimed that dying for your beliefs was 'just'.
Dr Azzam Tamimi told an 8,000-strong crowd that standing up for your principles was the 'greatest act of martyrdom'. The 51-year-old was speaking at the ExpoIslamia convention in Manchester.
The Palestinian-born academic - who previously boasted he would carry out a suicide bombing in Israel - also repeated his public backing for Hamas, which remains banned in the UK.
He said: "The greatest act of martyrdom is standing up for what is true and just. Martyrs are those who stand up and stand up in defiance of George Bush and Tony Blair. You stand up to them and you say desist. Stop this injustice. Stop this oppression."
Dr Tamimi claimed the war on terrorism was a war on Islam. "We are Muslims in Europe, not European Muslims," he added.
"Being fair and just means finding the middle path. The middle path is not rubbing shoulders with Tony Blair and George Bush."
The crowd erupted with cheering and applause when he said that Israel had been defeated by Hezbollah. He continued: "Hamas is making sacrifices for you. We tell this government Hamas is not a terrorist group. It is elected by the people of Palestine. We are not terrorists. We are defenders of the truth. Fighting those who invade Muslims is a just cause.
"The government is trying to turn the war on terror into the war on Islam."
In November 2004, Dr Tamimi told the BBC that he was prepared to be a suicide bomber if the opportunity arose. In an interview which was roundly condemned, he said that 2sacrificing myself for Palestine was a noble cause. It is the straight way to pleasing my God and I would do it if I had the opportunity".
Dr Tamimi, a prominent member of the Stop The War coalition, is married with three children and lives in Willesden, North West London. After coming to Britain from the Middle East more than 30 years ago, he and his family have become British citizens and live in a council block.
He has repeatedly spoken out in support of Hamas and described their suicide bomb tactics as 'the courage of man'.
In July 2004, he invited the radical Sheikh Yusuf Al Qaradawi to the UK. Al Qaradawi, who spoke at a taxpayer subsidised conference in London - has called for a war on Jews and the execution of homosexuals. The tolerance of the RoP.
#6
"We are Muslims in Europe, not European Muslims,"
THERE is the problem, out in the open and spoken by a muzzie. They have no loyalty to the place where they live, or the laws that govern that place. They need to be rounded up and shipped back to where they came from, with an indellible tattoo that will restrict their travels to only islamic lands. Nothing else will work.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/20/2006 19:25 Comments ||
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#7
Amen Patriot. Assimilatio is not an option for them, Alan forbids it.
#8
Anybody ask this asshole why he hasn't died for his beliefs yet? (Or ever.)
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/20/2006 19:42 Comments ||
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#9
Two reasons Barb, #1. he fits the muzzie acedemian exclusionary rule (got to lead the 8000 to their deaths first). #2. At age 51 he's too damn old for virgins. 51 in muzzie years is about 95 in upright primates.
#11
The 51-year-old was speaking at the ExpoIslamia convention in Manchester.
Slight correction ...
The 51-year-old was speaking at the ExploIslamia convention in Manchester.
There, all better.
Dr Tamimi claimed the war on terrorism was a war on Islam. "We are Muslims in Europe, not European Muslims," he added.
Final question. Why is Tamimi still breathing? These are exactly the sort of instigators that need to begin catching acute cases of swift onset lead poisoning. Only when these murderous scumbags must first look over their shoulder before spewing such atrocious bile will we have begun to make progress.
The Conservatives are to call for strict quotas on the number of workers allowed into Britain from Bulgaria and Romania when the countries join the European Union in January. Damian Green, the Tory immigration spokesman, said the Government should learn the lesson from the "unprecedented numbers" who came to the United Kingdom - particularly from Poland - when the EU expanded in 2004.
I don't recall any Romanian splodydopes, Polish car bombers or Bulgarian spittle-spewers, do you?
The move lays down a direct challenge to ministers and represents a hardening of the Tory position on immigration under David Cameron. The party has avoided addressing the issue after being bruised by the reaction to its hardline policy under Michael Howard at the last election. But the Conservatives will use Bulgarian and Romanian membership to demand "controlled immigration". They want ministers to impose restrictions on workers from the two countries similar to the controls brought in by other EU countries two years ago, when Germany kept its total of newcomers to below 10,000.
Britain imposed no restrictions and saw up to 600,000 arrive from Eastern Europe. The Government estimated that only 13,000 would come in. Last month unemployment climbed to 1.68 million amid claims that migration from Poland had swollen the total.
#4
That, and the Eastern Europeans work hard and don't immediately join unions demanding 35 hr workweeks etc.
We have a lot of construction and building maintenance going on where I work. Most of the crew are Eastern Europeans. They come every day. They work while on the job. They are usually skilled when they arrive.
It's what my Ukrainian grandparents did a century ago, too. And yeah, many go to church. Even more know exactly what the far left does to a country when it's in power.
#8
Yup, bring 'em to America. They can join our other good immigrants from Mexico, Honduras, Haiti and Nigeria. We'll all manage to get along, and what us zoom ahead in the world.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/20/2006 9:50 Comments ||
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#9
Yes, come on over! We have free emergency rooms clinics and health care. Contemplating child birth, no problem, best obstetrics in the world, and free as well! Green cards, blue cards, no card? - no worries mate. We also have multi-ling phones, signs, Social Security, job preferences, business loans, affirmative action, welfare, food stamps, discounted housing, income tax relief. In fact, don't even bother filing taxes if you can't read the forms or find them confusing. Wanna quietly send your tax-free dollars out of the country and back home home? No problems, it's quite simple. The IRS and INS are both clueless, you'll love it here.
U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., says the United States is not winning the war in Iraq and he still thinks more troops are needed on the ground. McCain, a possible GOP presidential candidate in 2008, appeared Sunday on NBC News' "Meet the Press."
Asked whether the United States was winning the war, McCain said, "I don't think so, but I'm not sure that it's turned into a civil war ... I think it's been well documented now that we didn't have enough (troops) there from the beginning, that we allowed the looting, that we did not have control, particularly ... (in areas such as) the Sunni Triangle, which led to us paying a very heavy price."
McCain said U.S. troops must be able to deal with the insurgency, particularly Shiite militias. He reaffirmed his stand that U.S. troops should not withdraw. "I want to emphasize that we cannot lose this," McCain said. "It will cause chaos in Iraq and in the region, and ... we must prevail." He concluded by chewing on a pencil and saying, "This licorice tastes funny."
#1
The oil is flowing. Muslims are killing Muslims. 150,000 US troops are in range of Teheran. You can see current movies in the Green Zone. US casuality rates are low and declining. Muslims are revealing their inherently savage natures. It ain't perfect, but...
#4
Well, we could of followed Ripleys advice; we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure. Certainly would have saved cleaning up all the loose ends that upsets Senator McCain and others. Certainly would have avoided those 2,000+ casualties over three years everyone seems to think are soooo outrageous even though theyre less than what we lost in one day in Normandy or Antietam. We could have saved billions of dollars in rebuilding which has resulted in the fastest growing economy in the Arab world, glassed over parking lots are certainly more cheaper. We could have avoided those ugly pictures of people waving their [purple] fingers at us. I guess the regular finger salute we get from the Iran and Paleos is much more comforting for the Senator.
The only question is Senator McCain are you the man to authorize such a plan the next time around? Cause if you're not part of that solution, then you're just another part of the problem.
Seattle gets a little nervous, but doesn't draw the appropriate conclusions. Still waiting for that one magic law that will fix terrorism with a wave of a cop's hand. And it's an election year ....
Can you imagine seeing a mushroom cloud while driving along Interstate 5?
What if a 10-kiloton nuclear bomb exploded at the Port of Seattle's Terminal 18 on Harbor Island?
That scenario is worth thinking about in light of last week's incident when the port was evacuated after a bomb-sniffing dog implied an explosive device was hidden in a cargo container. We were lucky. This incident turned out to be nothing.
But do we think enough about the "what if"?
"What if" is exactly what scenario planning and analysis are all about. Last week (on the same day as the port evacuation), The RAND Center for Terrorism Risk Management Policy released its study about the Port of Long Beach, "Considering the Effects of a Catastrophic Terrorist Attack."
"We chose to analyze a terrorist nuclear explosion in a shipping port because it seemed quite plausible, although the actual probability of such an event is impossible to calculate," the study said. "We chose a 10-kiloton explosion because it is possible to obtain such a yield with a relatively crude unboosted design."
RAND figured that within 72 hours, about 60,000 people would have died from the blast or from radiation poisoning; 150,000 more people would have been exposed to hazardous radiation; 6 million people would try to evacuate the Los Angeles area; and 2 million to 3 million people would become refugees requiring relocation because of fallout.
Seattle's narrow traffic patterns would make escape from such an attack even more deadly. It would be hard for us to escape -- especially if we were all trying to evacuate at once.
"There has been a growing effort to limit the opportunities for terrorists to smuggle a nuclear weapon into the United States," RAND said. "Specifically, new initiatives to improve the security of the container shipping network have been proposed, but the challenges are large. Each day, 20,000 shipping containers from ports all over the world are unloaded in the United States. Given that there are 361 operational seaports in the country, it will be difficult to implement comprehensive in-port security programs."
Which is why the maligned Bush administration effort actually is better. We can't inspect every single container (and the Dhimmis know it), but we can screen shippers, ships and operators. And we can whack terrorists abroad.
The study said recent security efforts are better -- but untested. What's more, the scale of an attack at the Long Beach port would be significantly greater than 9/11 with direct economic costs exceeding $1 trillion.
"There has been a growing effort to limit the opportunities for terrorists to smuggle a nuclear weapon into the United States," RAND said.
Consider the conflict between security and trade. If there were an attack (at any port), there would be an immediate call to shut down all U.S. ports until security could somehow be improved. "In contrast, parts of the business community might advocate an early opening of the ports. However, financial and real estate interests may require financial risk protection before shipping could resume, and this would be almost impossible to acquire following the Long Beach explosion," RAND said. "At the same time, there could be a large-scale exodus from U.S. port cities by local populations fearing a second attack. Taken together, these results suggest there are reasonable prospects for extended closures of all U.S. ports ... at least for periods of substantially reduced operations."
And what if people wanted to leave Seattle because it is a port city, too? Gasoline will be in short supply throughout the region because seven refineries in the Long Beach area would be closed -- about a quarter of the region's gas and 18 percent of the jet fuel supply.
RAND predicts the nation's port system -- even if it were able to reopen -- would be unable to pick up the balance of Long Beach's cargo. Ports in the L.A. area account for 70 percent of the West Coast container traffic, and it would require double shifts in Seattle, Tacoma and Oakland to make up just 80 percent of that lost capacity. That is, if the government even allowed the ports to operate beyond enhanced security.
"We know we're vulnerable," Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said in the Senate last month when she called for that body to move forward the GreenLane Maritime Cargo Security Act. "Terrorists have many opportunities to introduce deadly cargo into a container. It could be tampered with any time it leaves a foreign factory overseas to when it arrives at a consolidation warehouse and moves to a foreign port. It could be tampered with while it's en route to the U.S."
The GreenLane bill would set standards for port security and provide new funding for ports to ramp up efforts. More important: The bill is a clear message to the Department of Homeland Security to make port security a top priority.
The incident in Seattle last week and the new RAND study ought to compel the Senate to move this legislation quickly. Before the view from I-5 is a mushroom cloud.
#3
Thanks to all these containers being offloaded without checking, not only port cities, but any city, is at the same risk. If you're very close you won't see any mushroom cloud. Only the flash of bright light.
#7
3000-plus die in New York, Washington D.C., and a lonely field in Pennsylvania, and they yawn. One (luckily) false-alarum in their own port, and they "get religion".
#8
Here's a thought, BAN all imports and inspect all returning export sealand containers at sea! Phuech China and all the rest. We can make all we need right here in the good ole USA, and they decide they don't want our products, so be it.
#10
Gromgoru's right. We can harden this country until we can not move, a tactic that will never work. We, again, need to take the fight to our enemy. We have to make a decision here in America, do we want to live like this waiting for the next strike or do we have the strength to do what needs to be done to make America safe? If we want safe travel and no fear of terrorists we must get to destroying Iran. I don't care if gas goes to $10 a gallon, I want these crazies dead before they destroy a large segment of the US with a WMD.
Posted by: 49 pan ||
08/20/2006 19:31 Comments ||
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#11
I agree with you Pan and Grom. We should have thrown in with the IDF and smoked the Hezbots once and for all. The only satisfaction we have now is the clear and undeniable verification that the Lebs and Hezbot are co-conspirators.
#12
RAND figured that within 72 hours, about 60,000 people would have died from the blast or from radiation poisoning; 150,000 more people would have been exposed to hazardous radiation; 6 million people would try to evacuate the Los Angeles area; and 2 million to 3 million people would become refugees requiring relocation because of fallout.
Too bad they didn't attach a cost estimate to this assessment. Does ONE TRILLION DOLLARS sound too far fetched? To cite the venerable Mrs. Davis:
Issue an unequivocal proclamation to all rogue regimes and terrorist sponsors that a single terrorist NBC (Nuclear, Biological or Chemical) attack on American soil will result in all notified nations being summarily glassed and Windexed. No negotiations, no apologies, no further notice. Glassed and Windexed on the spot.
Then sit back and watch these twisted f&cks scramble to rein in nutjobs like Kim and Ahmadinejad.
An attack like the one proposed by the RAND Center would set our country back a solid decade. I refuse to accept the risk of this. It is why we need to begin exterminating all jihadist Islamic clergy like the cockroaches they are.
I'm very happy and proud of the PFC but I was turned away after 9/11 because I was 38 and the cutoff was 34 (I have no previous military experience so I wasn't eligible for Reserves).
They jack up the age a couple of times until it's 42 but of course I'm 43 when that happens. I'm no physical specimen (too many sports dislocated shoulders, etc) but I could do [i]something[/i].
I blame Bush, Cheney, & Rumsfeld. (My wife might say Rumsfeld knows what he's doing by keeping this chickenhawk out of the service!)
God bless and guard the ones who do serve! I salute you, PFC Black.
#3
I feel your grief, JDB. If the US would allow old farts to take over reserve type duties here, stateside, it would free up those who are young enough to hump it without breaking a sweat. I'd sign up in a heartbeat, if they'd have me.
Congrats to the lucky stiff, PFC Black. *grumble grumble*
#4
lotp.... must have been some Ivey league types and their sons/daughters in there somewhere, some Georgetown enlistees maybe? Be sure to include them next time along with the ..... other folks that keep America safed.
#5
Besoeker, I can think of three kids off the top of my head that enlisted from the "big houses" neighborhood near me post 9/11 -- one into Marine ROTC, one to Annapolis aiming for the SEALS, and one Army. I know you've got issues, but really!
#6
Military volunteers from the upper- and upper-middle classes have been very low since the 70s. Especially among northeastern 'elites'.
That said, there HAS been a slow change since 9/11. I'm told West Point has seen more applicants from the New England prep schools. This generation isn't the Baby Boomers, by a long shot.
Also been told that the entering class at the Point had the lowest attrition rate during summer training of any class ever. These young men and women signed up knowing they were going to serve in the Long War. A lot of them could have gone to other elite universities, made more money, been 'safer' here at home. They chose to serve.
As to us old farts, I keep wondering if there's a way to bring back an 'auxiliary' type force, with 40 to 55 year olds, perhaps with previous service, perhaps not. They'd get some training and would be kept stateside or at the rear, but they'd help relieve the pressure on the Army. I'm no physical specimen either (too many twinkies) but if called I could provide medical care somewhere.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/20/2006 10:04 Comments ||
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#8
TW:
Hat tip and Godspeed to your neighbors and partriots. More are desperately needed. I'll stop short of using the terms nieve and stupid, but celebrating geriatric enlistments is way off. The army would NOT be enlisting these brave folks if their enlistment numbers were where they should be. It's a young man's (and woman's) game.
#12
I'll be 60 in a couple of weeks. I'm not fat, but I do have many physical issues (thus the 100% disability). I can still read out reconnaissance imagery as well as, or better than, most. I could easily work the northern or southern border, identifying trail networks (did that in Nam), support "centers" (did that several places), and picking out vulnerable areas. Yeah, I'd serve, as long as they let me keep my medications. Quite a few of the "kids" I trained in the 80's are now the leaders in a number of recon units around the world (and I'm VERY proud of them!). I'd even work as an unpaid volunteer, if the organization was properly supported and operated. I'm sure there are thousands of us that would, because we liked what we did in the service, or would like an opportunity to learn new things. Our government needs to get over their fear of indemnity and put us olsters to work for national defense.
As for the "I'm too good for the government" crowd, what have you done lately to make us safer? If the answer's "I don't know and I don't care", then STFU.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/20/2006 19:43 Comments ||
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#13
Whahahaha Patriot. Thank God for TRICARE Prime and to hell with the twisted, leftest communist concept of "duel receipt."
#14
I'm 47 and still in the hunt. I can still do what I was trained to. This 41 year old woman will never be a grunt, but she will contribute to the fight and set a example for others to follow. Don't sell her short, and this crap of an old guard is just that. There is a place for us in the fight and it's not running a reserve center or AIT.
Posted by: 49 pan ||
08/20/2006 19:55 Comments ||
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KATHMANDU - Nepals prime minister said Maoist rebels couldnt be accepted as a political party unless they lay down their arms, state media said on Saturday. The Maoists cannot be given the status of a political party ... until they give up weapons, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala said in the eastern city of Biratnagar, the Rising Nepal newspaper reported.
The rebels and an alliance of seven parties led mass protests in April that forced King Gyanendra to hand back power seized from lawmakers in February 2005. He has since been obliged to give up most of his powers.
The Maoists must lay down their arms and we are trying our best to create the right kind of environment for that, Koirala said. Only after that they will be treated as the eighth party and only then will it be possible to move ahead jointly with them, he said.
And if you can't trust a Maoist, who can you trust?
Koirala said the government was awaiting the arrival of a UN team to speed up the drive to establish lasting peace in the kingdom where the rebels began their deadly insurgency to install a communist republic in 1996. The UN team will arrive shortly to address the issue of arms management, said Koirala.
Oh that'll work well. Maybe the French can supervise.
Maoist rebels and the government earlier this month settled a row over monitoring each others fighters and weapons, a move which revives their peace process and power-sharing plans. Under the agreement, the rebels would confine their soldiers and weapons to camps in the countryside and the army would stay in barracks, while UN civilians would monitor both sides.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/20/2006 00:00 ||
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NEW DELHI - Indias army chief of staff heads Sunday to Russia to reaffirm Indias continuing long-term strategic partnership with its old ally despite fast expanding defence ties with the United States. General Joginder Jaswant Singh will hold talks with senior military officials, including the Chief of the General Staff of the Defence Ministry, and visit several military bases during his week-long visit, the Press Trust of India said Saturday.
Officials say the trip is part of customary military-diplomatic ties between the two nations which used to be on the same side of the fence during the Cold War, the agency said. Moscow remains Indias biggest arms supplier despite New Delhis rapidly warming relationship with Washington.
But the visit has assumed added significance amid reports Russia is concerned that India is increasingly looking to other countries such as Israel, its second-largest arms supplier, the United States and France for defence goods. Singh will be pressing for strong guarantees from Russia on maintenance of delivery schedules of contracted weapon systems, uninterrupted supply of spares and product support, issues that have become sources of concern in recent years.
The Indian Army still had over 80 per cent Soviet or Russian origin arms in its arsenal, the Press Trust of India said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/20/2006 00:00 ||
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While Singh is in Russia the head of India's Air Force, Air Chief Marshal S. P. Tyagi will embark Sunday on a 10 day defence cooperation tour of the United States. He will visit the Pentagon, Nellis Air Force Base - Nevada and the U. S. Air Force Space Command at Omaha where he will attend a briefing at the network - centric - warfare - grid. This is an area where India's armed forces have also begun work. For years Marshal Tyagi has spoken of his country's need to acheive "strategic reach" due to the increasing global commitments of India's economy.
Posted by: john ||
08/20/2006 10:01 Comments ||
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#2
Singh needs to secure his expected materiel, including maintenance supplies for existing systems.
The question in my mind is whether he also is among the Indian leaders who have dislike the US. John or anyone, can you shed light on that?
The father of an Al Qaeda-linked Pakistani militant sought in connection with the alleged London terror plot on Saturday accused radical Muslim clerics of misguiding his son. The militant, Matiur Rehman, is a leader of the Al Qaeda-linked Lashkar-e-Jhangvi group and one of Pakistan's most wanted men. Rehman's 65-year-old father, Ali Mohammed, who has previously disowned his son, said Rehman was a normal boy growing up and keen on soccer. He said a now-slain leader of Sipah-e-Sahaba "misguided" youths, including his son, to take up militancy.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2006 00:00 ||
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TWO Shiite political parties have accused Iran of instigating violence in Iraq and trying to destabilise the country, exposing a growing rift within Iraq's largest sect that many fear will exacerbate the slide into full-scale civil war.
"All of this violence is because of the Shiism in Iran," said the head of the the Islamic Allegiance Party, Adnan Aboudi. "There are external infiltrating fingers playing now throughout the Iraqi arena."
The Islamic Allegiance Party is the political wing of the cleric Mahmoud Abdul Ridha al-Hassani, who is virulently anti-Iranian and anti-American.
The denunciations of Tehran, among the most public attacks to date by Iraqi Shiite groups, echoed concern expressed by the US President, George Bush, and military officials over Iran's burgeoning influence in the Middle East.
Iran, which is governed by Shiite Persians, has close ties to Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militia that has been warring with Israel, as well as to several of the largest parties in Iraq's Shiite-led government.
The pointed criticism of Iran followed a spate of violent clashes in southern Iraq between rival Shiite factions last week. The unrest served as a reminder of the bitter divisions between different parties in the governing coalition, made up of some factions closely tied to Tehran and others that bitterly criticise it.
A senior official with the Fadhila bloc, a powerful Shiite party that controls the oil-rich city of Basra, said that "Iranian individuals are trying to depose Fadhila from the Government".
"Iran has many tools and individuals in the country who are doing the things that are wanted by Iran," said the official, Abdul Wahab Razouti, who declined to name those individuals or the groups they belong to.
A US academic and Middle East expert, Juan Cole, said the recriminations towards Iran were directed at two of the largest Shiite blocs in the Iraqi parliament, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq and the Dawa Party. The Supreme Council was founded in Iran during Saddam Hussein's rule, and it and Dawa retain strong ties to Iran.
"Those groups are often coded as Iranian puppets," said Professor Cole, the author of Sacred Space and Holy War: The Politics, Culture, and History of Shiite Islam.
Many Iraqis believed that the Supreme Council and its militia, the Badr Organisation, received substantial monetary support from Tehran, he said.
#2
Interesting. Some are starting to notice that subordinating themselves to their co-religionists in Iran is against their best interests, which are rather in a successful Iraq. It seems to me this would logically make "full-scale civil war" considerably less likely, but then I'm not a trained journalist.
Seems they are a little concerned about that Iranian money.
And, from english.aljazeera.net "Many Arab governments have expressed resentment over last week's speech by Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, in which he criticised fellow Arab leaders for not supporting Hezbollah. He said the war had revealed them to be "half men"."
CAIRO, Egypt Aug 20, 2006 (AP) Arab League foreign ministers convened for an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss how to fund reconstruction in war-ravaged Lebanon and defuse Mideast tensions amid rising discord between moderate Arabs and Syria, a main backer of Hezbollah.
The Kuwaiti government plans to donate $800 million to Lebanon, Foreign Minister Sheik Mohammed Al Sabbah announced upon arrival in Cairo. Saudi Arabia said it already had donated $500 million, and other oil-rich nations have made pledges to chip in.
Lebanese foreign minister Fawzi Salloukh urged his Arab counterparts to make further commitments. "Lebanon is looking for more help for its reconstruction," he said ahead of the meeting.
Worried that the 34-day war between Hezbollah and Israel has given a boost to radical militants and their Syrian and Iranian backers, Arab ministers were expected to review a plan to channel funds to Lebanon and to revive the stalled Middle East peace process with Israel.
Diplomats said Arabs want to counter a flood of money that is believed to be coming from Iran to Hezbollah to finance reconstruction projects. An estimated 15,000 apartments were destroyed and 140 bridges hit by Israeli bombardment in Lebanon, along with power and desalination plants and other key infrastructure.
Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah has pledged to help rebuild Lebanon, and social workers with the group have begun distributing money to pay rent and buy furniture for civilians who lost their homes paying out $12,000 in cash per person.
Nasrallah did not say where the money would come from, but Iran, which helped create Hezbollah and is its strongest supporter, was widely believed to have opened its treasury for the rebuilding program.
However, Iran which is not an Arab nation and is not part of the league denied on Sunday that it was sending money to Hezbollah. "Hezbollah is a legitimate body in Lebanon; they have their own economic resources and popular support there," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi.
Eighteen of the Arab League's 22 foreign ministers gathered in Cairo but in a sign of growing regional tensions, Syrian minister Walid Moallem skipped the meeting.
#1
Arab League foreign ministers convened for an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss how to fund reconstruction in war-ravaged Lebanon
Simple, get the "West" couch out more jezia.
RAFAH, Egypt (AP) - The border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip opened Saturday, giving hundreds of stranded Palestinians the chance to return to Gaza for the first time in a month.
Egyptian tourism police Capt. Amr Osama said the Rafah border crossing will be open in both directions for two days.
It marked the third time the border has been opened since fresh fighting erupted in Gaza on June 25. Other, smaller crossings remain closed. The Rafah opening was a joint decision by Egypt, the European mission monitoring the crossing and Israel, which has the final say.
Several hundred Palestinians gathered in front of the crossing early Saturday waiting to return to the Gaza Strip. About 130 Palestinian deportees also were taken by bus from Egypt to Gaza.
About 2,000 people crossed from Gaza into Egypt, officials said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/20/2006 00:12 ||
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Why would any sane Palestinian want to live in Gaza? Woops, oxy-moroon alert. Belay that question.
Posted by: Alaska Paul back home ||
08/20/2006 15:28 Comments ||
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Hundreds of Palestinian security officials stormed banks and burned tires yesterday, demanding the banks return money deducted from a meager cash advance they received after months of going without wages. About 80 security officers, many of them armed with assault rifles, stormed up the stairs of the Arab Bank in Gaza City, parking themselves in front of the managers office and refusing to leave until they spoke to him.
Suffering the impact of crippling international sanctions, the ruling Hamas party has been unable to pay 165,000 government workers since taking office in March. Israel, the United States and other Western countries have said they will not lift the sanctions until the Hamas group recognizes Israel and renounces violence, something it has so far refused to do. Since March, employees have received only partial salaries in drips and drabs, forcing them to take bank loans and buy food on credit. Yesterday, the workers discovered the banks had deducted some of the advance to cover the loans.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Tap tap tap - nope, not a flicker.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
08/20/2006 7:10 Comments ||
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#2
HOW much is in those PA bank accounts in Switzerland etc.? Even after Suha took her chunk??
#3
Further proof of Pali stupidity. Any other rational group of people would have just stopped going to work. They just continue to fail the whole "cause = effect" thingy at every possible level, don't they?
#7
#6 - I think in the paleos' case, that would be "by gun." ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/20/2006 14:26 Comments ||
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#8
But, Swamp Blondie, they have FAITH IN THE SYSTEM. Allow me to explain in verse form, based upon the famous Frank Sinatra song, "High Hopes:"
Once there was a paleo guy
Thought that he'd give Hamas a try
Did his job, worked hard as heck
But never got a Hamas pay check
But he had --- high hopes
He had --- high hopes
He had --- high-apple-pie-in-the-sky hopes
So every time you're feeling down
'Stead of wearin' a frown
Just remember Yassin
Oops! There goes another Splodydope
Oops! There goes another Splodydope
Oops! There goes another Splodydope scene!
Posted by: Alaska Paul back home ||
08/20/2006 15:41 Comments ||
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#9
You're on form today APFH! ;)
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
08/20/2006 16:00 Comments ||
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#10
Hundreds of Angry Palestinians Demand Salaries
Send 'em to Suha.
Yesterday, the workers discovered the banks had deducted some of the advance to cover the loans.
Isn't this just like the mafia taking out their "vig" before handing over the loan?
The E&P headline is tendentious - it only mentions the cameraman, ignores the US reporter
Palestinian journalists on Saturday protested the kidnapping of a Fox News correspondent and cameraman, as concern about the men's safety grew.
About 30 members of the Palestinian Journalists' Union gathered outside the parliamentary building in Gaza, holding up signs demanding the men be freed. Other signs called for security in Gaza, where armed men wander the streets freely.
Jennifer Griffen, chief Fox News correspondent for the Middle East, called the kidnapping a "test for the Palestinian people." "We don't care who kidnapped them, we want them returned unharmed. This is a very serious case for the Palestinians, for the Palestinian Authority," Griffen said.
Everything that happened the last fifty years? Nah, not as serious as this. A little self-centered mayhaps, Jennifer?
More than two dozen foreigners have been abducted by Palestinian militants, usually in an attempt to settle personal scores, but almost all have been released within hours. Security officials said they were concerned for the Fox journalists because no other foreigners have been held this long and all major militant groups in Gaza have denied involvement.
Khaled Batch, a leader of the Islamic Jihad militant group, said kidnapping members of the media "silenced the voice of freedom and justice."
and of course that has always been your highest ideal
"We ... have experienced oppression and denial. We don't want to practice this pain and suffering on others, on other wives and people," Batch said.
#2
Saw parts of this interview that Jennifer did. Throughout the last years, I've seen interviews she has done with the Palestinians. She generally takes a hard, true line with them.
And the parts of this interview I saw today... she was being tuff on these guys. Even telling them, "Fox is the ONLY news organization in Gaza City. That even comes into Gaza City." (That is another secret the MSM has kept from us).
Basically, her major question was, "How can we get your story out, if you arrest our journalists?"
She has the respect of these bad guys, yet, is clearly on Israel's side. Tough woman, you could see, she was fighting to get these guys back. And, seemingly, knows the "go to" guys to get to.
Was interesting to watch her interview. Here she was, surrounded by these car-swarm guys, at ease with them, yet demanding, her fellow workers be release.
As one person in my office said, upon the announcement of Fox reporter, Steve Centanni being kidnapped, "The guy on TV? The guy we watch? I know him. I've watch him." Then there was that thoughtful silence, with a distant look that glanced kinda upward, into a corner and said, "Now, it's personnel. This is someone I know."
Millions of us Americans have no one person involved in this fighting, yet we care. Finally, for us, this is a face we recognize. We quickly put his face on those thousands and thousands of young men and women serving in that volatile Middle East environment. Bet he is praying to hear those words, "United States Marines."
LONDON (AP) - Britain's close alliance with the United States is damaging its standing in the Muslim world, Iran's president said in an interview published Saturday. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged Britons to evict Prime Minister Tony Blair's government from office, saying Blair's support for Washington's foreign policy could force Britain into future Mideast conflicts, The Guardian newspaper reported.
"The British people should stop supporting governments that are waging war in the Middle East, such as their own government, the United States government and Israel," Ahmadinejad reportedly said.
Because none of the Moose-limb nations have anything against the Brits otherwise -- well, other than that they're infidels and crusaders.
Ahmadinejad said that the era in which America and a handful of other nations dominated world affairs was drawing to a close, and vowed that those trying to stop Iran from developing its nuclear capability would not succeed. "They are trying to deny our right to develop nuclear power," he said. "But no one can impose anything on the Iranian people. They will not succeed. This arrogance will not last forever. Soon you will see the great powers kicked out of their throne."
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/20/2006 00:04 ||
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#1
This guy is diabolically brilliant. He understands the social aspects of all the people he's managing into his line-up. For the Brits, it is a value to not be seen by others as "unfair" or "prejudice" or as less in the world. By saying Britain's alliance with the US "is damaing its standing in the Muslim world," he hopes to swing public opinion his way. And a lot of Brits, if not a majority, will buy it. The false promise and premise is that being "friendly" to Moslems will end these conflicts. Of course, "friendly" is never defined, and would translate "subserviant" if it was.
#3
AhMad must be reading the British press...just read (Times or Telegraph) that 80 perc. wants robust terror fighting capability following the European, not the American model.
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/20/2006 0:36 Comments ||
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#4
Ahmadinejad - anybody having relations with you sick fucks is asking for a serious hard time.
I don't consider nutjob to be diabolical, I consider him a throw-back to "pre-civilized" times. He's a surprise simply because he's so far out of the timestream. Additionally, he is "speaking" to several audiences - which we should keep in mind.
What I have seen coming out of Iran is nothing more than what passed for PR and saber-rattling and bravado in ancient times. He threatens those who oppose him, bluffs about his power and the lethality of his forces, claims new and devastating weapons are at his disposal, tries to keep the allies of his antagonists neutral by threats and innuendo, etc. Blah. That most of his idiotic spew can be fisked and disproven before the MSM can even crank up the trumpets is what's different, today.
As for painting himself into a corner with Aug 22nd, I think this is mostly for domestic consumption. What is likely to come out is that he's had a vision or visitation or something. It'll make his tools wild with glee - and leave us either laughing or scratching our heads - with the "serious" pundits plumbing the depths of Shia mythology and hurrying off to the publishers to cut a book deal. Bleh.
If he does not have a deliverable nuke, right goddamned now, then he's a clown Nazi - bluffing for all he's worth -- and he's toast.
#6
That little piece of crap needs to die on short notice. Now that his Navy is out in target space, we need to act now. Every breath he takes injects arrogance into the Muslim enemy.
As I write, Arab leaders are attacking Syria for serving as Ahmadinejed's player piano. And Iraq Shiites are talking about Partitioning Iraq on sectarian grounds. That would effectively mean delivering Basra and the south, to Iran. Ayatollah Sistani was Iranian born and raised. Iranian agents run the affairs of the oil rich river delta, while up to 20,000 Iranians pass through the Shiite controlled, Iraq border each day.
#7
It turns out that 8/22 is the day the moon starts a New Crescent phase. Also, at that time, three planets line up vertically to the right of the moon..Mercury, Venus, and Saturn form what could be called an 'I'. I'm not into astronomy, but the 7th Century thinkers might be. Maybe a sign from the moon god allan?
#8
"Britain's close alliance with the United States is damaging its standing in the Muslim world"
That's not a bug, that's a feature.
To Western governments who might be tempted to fall for this divide-and-conquer ploy, I will quote Ben Franklin: "We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang be beheaded separately."
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
08/20/2006 14:21 Comments ||
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Lebanese President Emile Lahoud said Saturday that nations with military ties to Israel must not be part of the UN peacekeeping force that will police a truce along Lebanon-Israel border. "All that we ask for is that the countries which will send troops must not have military agreements with Israel and that troops be equal in numbers so that no country's troops dominates the other," Lahoud said in comments distributed by his office.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2006 00:00 ||
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In other words, if you aren't going to support Hezbollah, f**k off. The Lebanese government is a sham and deserves no special consideration. When the war comes again, they will be burned to the ground.
#3
C,mon, spit it out. You mean you want no US troops on the ground in Leb ? We won't bother unless the momentum carries us right through Syria down into Beirut.
Rhetorical question: Now that the Leb "army" is no different from Hezbollah, by their own declaration -- then the Leb "leaders" are no different from Nazirallah, either.
So, by their own stupidity, put 'em all on the same list. Who cares, other than Syria, Iran, and the dungheap at Turtle Bay?
I'd love to see this clown with a third eye. That'd shake up the game, but it'd only be side entertainment.
When Iran is decapitated, where do the Syrians and their Leb puppets think they can run? Who will care? Iran has the oil, they have nothing to offer but strife, grief, and chaos. So the answer is no one.
It all boils down to Iran. The sooner, the better.
#8
Well, the important thing is, next time Hezbollah attacks Israel, Israel's clear to flatten all of Beirut. The entire country's behind Hezbollah; no need to be so selective.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
08/20/2006 8:18 Comments ||
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#9
The UNIFIL deputy Force Commander is an Indian officer and there are 700 troops there (with actual combat experience). Pretty tough ones too - the 4th Sikh regiment.
Posted by: john ||
08/20/2006 8:20 Comments ||
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#10
You don't get to ask, Emile. You're the one's gettin' your asses kicked.
#11
Not to flatten all of Beirut. Just the government buildings, the residences of the President, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of Parliment, and anyone else in government affiliated with Syria, Hisb'allah, or the ruling families.
The Cedar Revolution was a good idea, but received lousy support from the West. Perhaps they will have better luck the second time, if the ground has been ploughed for them.
#12
Here we go. Let's put only Muzzie troops in Lebanon under the UN. Then when the Hez decide to fight Israel all the muzzie states will be at war with the joos. The UN will falter and the muzzies will be devided between their Islam beliefs and the UN. Assman johnnie in Iran will be laughing his ass off as he will finally get all of Islam finally involved. Oh this will be fun.
Posted by: 49 pan ||
08/20/2006 16:01 Comments ||
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Government sources said on Saturday that Israel had no choice but to act itself to stop the flow of weapons and missiles to the Hizbullah. A senior Israeli source said that UNIFIL and the Lebanese army were not showing any intention to end the re-armament of Hizbullah, since the former were unwilling to confront the terrorist organization, Israel Radio reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
I find it really worrying that I read comments like this but hear nothing about Israel frantically rearming and preparing for the next round. It's coming--are the Israelis going to be ready for it?
Another tie/loss is going to be very, very bad for Israel. They need to beat Hezb like a drum, kill several thousand of them, and completely cleanse S. Leb. They also need to make a blanket declaration that a) any civilians located in the vicinity of Hezb guerrillas forfeit all rights to immunity from attack, b) that all civilian casualties incurred as a result are the direct responsibility of Hezb, and c) captured Hezb members will be tried as war criminals, and executed if found guilty. It's for all the marbles guys. Don't screw around.
Posted by: mac ||
08/20/2006 4:19 Comments ||
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#2
You're totally right mac.
Muslims are only emboldened by a draw, even one as questionable as this. The only way Israel can claim a win is if they smoke those toads to the ground. Their next move will be to try to overrun Israel because they now think they are unbeatable. But I think they will find that attacking is a lot different than hiding in bunkers and coming out to cheer for themselves when the bombing stops.
#3
I think that Hizb'Allah and Iran will rearm and work on wearing Israel down. Everytime they fight to a draw is a win for them. It forces Israel to choose between going totally apesh*t or being proportional. They are banking on Israel being proportional. And they are probably right with Olmert in power. Israel handed Hizb'Allah a victory in accepting the phony cease fire. Now everyone is moving back to no-man's land, the UN and the UNIFIL farce still exists. Israel is facing the SAME situation before the war. Isreal threw away the initiative. There are very serious consequences for this, both for Israel and the US.
Posted by: Alaska Paul back home ||
08/20/2006 15:50 Comments ||
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#4
Alaska Paul, relax. Right now some of the smartest people in the World are sitting down, developing tactics & stratey for the next round.
DUBAI Qatar will rebuild the Lebanese town of Bint Jubeil and restore its public utilities, the official Qatar News Agency reported yesterday. Qatari relief and medical teams have helped in humanitarian operations and medical aid following the war in southern Lebanon.
The Qatari teams have also been helping in restoring two hospitals in Bint Jubeil and a government hospital in Sidon.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/20/2006 00:00 ||
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It was a big mistake to leave one splinter standing upright in this shithole. As one of Hezb's main ratholes, it should have been burnt to the ground.
A: This new campus is a branch of Texas A&M University, a prestigious university located in College Station, Texas, USA.
Q: Where is this new campus located?
A: Texas A&M University at Qatar is located in Education City, Doha, Qatar.
Q: What degrees are offered at Texas A&M University at Qatar?
A: This campus is offering four distinct undergraduate engineering degrees in Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical, and Petroleum Engineering.
http://www.qatar.tamu.edu/about_faq.aspx
This made lots of news, locally, at least, when this happened.
Aggies are far smarter than Qatarians. Maybe, the Texas A&M professors of engineering have been teaching these Qatarians how to build and rebuild, inferior structures?
Talk about your conspiracy theories! But, I'm afraid, this conspiracy of teaching faulty engineering, is one that just won't fly.
But it is disturbing to know, Qatar is rebuilding Hezb's main ratholes.
#3
You'd think they'd avoid the symbolism and pick another town. Perhaps if they just built it in the traditional japanese style with wood and paper it would be OK. :-)
#4
Something is wrong there. Bint Jubeil is a Shiite center. Arab governments are hot at Syria for their alliance with Shiites. Qatar is totally Sunni.
I have seen video from that occupied Lebanon' terror center, and it is nothing but a pile of rubble. When there was nothing but Hizbollah there, the IDF flattened it with artilery, sector by sector. Few Israeli troops targeted the missile launchers; most were in Lebanon to destroy Hizbollah infrastructure. And they did.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealed to UN member states to provide desperately needed UN peacekeeping troops for Lebanon and assured them the UN force would not "wage war" on Israel, Lebanon or Hizbullah. "It is not expected to achieve by force what must be realized through negotiation and an internal Lebanese consensus," Annan said in a report to the UN Security Council on implementation of the Aug. 11 resolution calling for an end to the Israeli-Hizbullah conflict.
A key concern of many countries is whether the UN force will be called on to disarm Hizbullah fighters, as called for in a September 2004 UN resolution. They want to study the rules of engagement and concept of operations for the force, which were distributed Friday, before making a decision on troops. Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown said countries needed to understand that the force would not be offensive. "It's not going to go in there and attempt large-scale disarmament," he said.
He appealed to European countries to contribute troops to an expanded UN force to balance the commitments from Muslim countries so that both Israel and Lebanon will view the troops as legitimate.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2006 00:00 ||
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A key concern of many countries is whether the UN force will be called on to disarm Hizbullah fighters, as called for in a September 2004 UN resolution. They want to study the rules of engagement and concept of operations for the force, which were distributed Friday, before making a decision on troops.
Read: The UN is not planning on actually doing anything like what it set out to do. The ol' "bait and switch" ploy, it seems. Would you trust these guys with your future?
#3
Further translation - ROE = You are observers and reporters, you will not exchange fire with anyone. If you come under fired and cannot self extract, you will seek refuge and call the command post for extraction.
#5
Does anyone else feel like we finally fell in with the rest of the world to hamstring Israel on this?
We started out on the right side, and by the time it was over, we were right there up front trying to get Israel to quit before their work was through. Now, there has to be another war. Hezbollah will only be bolder and more aggressive since they think(and I really think they believe this shit) that they won the war and drove Israel out of their shithole country.
#6
Way I saw it, Olmert had screwed it up badly and we stepped in to give Israel breathing room and an out before they really were bogged down in a quasi-occuaption they had no heart for and couldn't sustain.
As if they have ever done so in the past. This is just Annan's not-so-discreet signal to the terrorists that the UN's anti-Semitic policy remains unchanged.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Jacques, I don't blame you. You need a clear answer from Koffee. Since you both lie so well , you'll never get one. But, it's gotta be somethin' like this: The French will be in the middle. When firing breaks out, Israelis will fire thru you to get to Hezbs. If your troops line up with Hezbs, the Italians (if they show) will also be firing at the French. Any further questions ?
The middle-aged housewife lugging her food shopping in a white plastic bag had a lot to say about her worries for her three grown-up children living here.
With the fighting over in Lebanon, many here fear the worlds attention may now focus on Tehran and that international sanctions will be imposed if Iran does not suspend its nuclear research programme by the end of the month. Like many people here I am worried, said the woman. Sanctions cannot be a good thing. Just look at how the people in North Korea are living.
The woman would not give her name for fear of persecution, even though what she said would not normally be rated as subversive by the authorities. Just look at how prices have gone up in the past eight months, she said looking at her shopping bag of bread, milk, yoghurt, olive oil and vegetables. Imagine how far up the prices would go once sanctions are imposed. I am really worried for my children.
Yet at the same time she could see why Iran was searching for alternative sources of energy. Even today there are some parts of the country which, under the scorching 50 degrees heat, are facing power cuts, she said, reflecting Irans argument that its nuclear programme is aimed at making not bombs but electricity.
uh huh. yep - A/C, that's what it's all about. That's why the R&D is in those deep tunnels, saves on A/C bills for the labs while the Holy Leaders graciously look forward to an air conditioning unit in each apartment in the country.
Across the road in a middle-class area of central Tehran, a young graduate student was even more worried. Sanctions mean isolation, said the student of metallurgy who preferred not to give his name, just like what happened in Iraq before, and in North Korea now.
He said Iran had managed to build a consensus in the world against itself by its rhetoric.
#1
Has Iran ever expressed any logical reason for preferring nuclear fuel over oil for electricity generation? Is there some reason they haven't explicitly expressed that we should know about? Pollution, perhaps?
#5
a young graduate student was even more worried. Sanctions mean isolation, said the student of metallurgy who preferred not to give his name, just like what happened in Iraq before, and in North Korea now.
#6
I'm told by co-workers with family still there that there's two tiers in Iran society. This guy quoted is one of the educated, the middle-upper class. They bear much of the brunt from the mullah's policies, socially and politically. The base of support for the MM's is the uneducated populace. When they lose them, the MM's will only hold power by the barrel of a gun, a la Mugabe
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/20/2006 12:10 Comments ||
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#7
There are many good people there. During the Pahlavi regime, Fort Bragg sent many mobile training teams to Iran to assist their army. It was said to be a pretty damn good tour. No reminder required regarding the termination of that effort.
The on-going military training ops you have going on has made many of our MSM and Congressional patriots (as well as roughly 50% the USA civilian population)decide to rethink this issue. Surely, common ground can be found in this quagmire! asymmetrical triangulation (at)
Posted by: at ||
08/20/2006 19:13 Comments ||
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#9
The entire thing about nuclear power is a farce. Nuclear energy requires water - tons of water - for cooling. You can't build a nuclear power plant in a desert (unless you're Israel, and willing to pump the water a hundred miles or more). Now, if they want to build nuclear power plants along the coast, and use the excess heat to run desalination plants, I could believe that. The rest is just bulls$$$.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/20/2006 20:31 Comments ||
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#10
During the Pahlavi regime, Fort Bragg sent many mobile training teams to Iran to assist their army. It was said to be a pretty damn good tour. No reminder required regarding the termination of that effort.
As a young techie I had an offer to spend 24 months in Teheran working on an Iranian system parallel to the one I'd worked on for the JCS command center. Great salary and benefits, travel etc. Husband flat refused to go. I thought about it for a while (no kids at that point) and eventually agreed to turn it down, although I would have come home w/ enough savings for a townhouse.
18 months into what would have been my contract term the Shah fell. I'm still not sure if it was good or bad that I didn't go, but we've been married 32 years now FWIW. ;-)
Lebanon's defense minister threatened on Saturday to halt the Lebanese army's deployment in south Lebanon if the United Nations does not intervene after an Israeli commando raid near Baalbek. Defense Minister Elias Murr said Israel's raid in the eastern Bekaa Valley early Saturday was a violation of a UN-imposed cease-fire that ended fighting between Israel and Hizbullah. "If there are no clear answers forthcoming on this issue, I might be forced to recommend to the Cabinet early next week the halt of the army deployment in the south," he told reporters after a meeting with UN Representatives.
We will not send the army to be prey in an Israeli trap...
Murr said the Israeli operation deep inside Lebanon could spark retaliation, which in turn could lead to Israeli reprisals. He suggested Israel might be trying to provoke a response, so it could have an excuse to attack the Lebanese army. "We will not send the army to be prey in an Israeli trap," he said.
He said he believed Hizbullah was committed to the ceasefire, but said he worried Israel was trying to provoke retaliatory attacks from "any group that wants to cause a problem for Lebanon." He did not elaborate on which group that could be. "It could be that they (the Israelis) are pushing it (any group) to fire a rocket on northern Israel, so that Israel can come and attack the Lebanese army," Murr said. He said he was waiting for a response from the UN later Saturday.
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Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
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(SomaliNet) Some of the government troops based around Baidoa airport, the temporary capital of Somalia were reported to have defected and are more likely to join Islamic Courts. Reports say on Saturday. 
(SomaliNet) Sudan has been warned by the United States (US) of potential consequences if it continued to resist United Nations peacekeepers in Darfur, AFP reported. US threatened to step up moves on Sudan for an international probe on alleged war crimes in the war-torn region if Sudan maintains it position on rejecting UN peace keepers. 
The Conservatives are to call for strict quotas on the number of workers allowed into Britain from Bulgaria and Romania when the countries join the European Union in January. Damian Green, the Tory immigration spokesman, said the Government should learn the lesson from the "unprecedented numbers" who came to the United Kingdom - particularly from Poland - when the EU expanded in 2004.
KATHMANDU - Nepals prime minister said Maoist rebels couldnt be accepted as a political party unless they lay down their arms, state media said on Saturday. The Maoists cannot be given the status of a political party ... until they give up weapons, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala said in the eastern city of Biratnagar, the Rising Nepal newspaper reported.
RAFAH, Egypt (AP) - The border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip opened Saturday, giving hundreds of stranded Palestinians the chance to return to Gaza for the first time in a month.
Hundreds of Palestinian security officials stormed banks and burned tires yesterday, demanding the banks return money deducted from a meager cash advance they received after months of going without wages. About 80 security officers, many of them armed with assault rifles, stormed up the stairs of the Arab Bank in Gaza City, parking themselves in front of the managers office and refusing to leave until they spoke to him.
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud said Saturday that nations with military ties to Israel must not be part of the UN peacekeeping force that will police a truce along Lebanon-Israel border. "All that we ask for is that the countries which will send troops must not have military agreements with Israel and that troops be equal in numbers so that no country's troops dominates the other," Lahoud said in comments distributed by his office.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan appealed to UN member states to provide desperately needed UN peacekeeping troops for Lebanon and assured them the UN force would not "wage war" on Israel, Lebanon or Hizbullah. "It is not expected to achieve by force what must be realized through negotiation and an internal Lebanese consensus," Annan said in a report to the UN Security Council on implementation of the Aug. 11 resolution calling for an end to the Israeli-Hizbullah conflict. 
The middle-aged housewife lugging her food shopping in a white plastic bag had a lot to say about her worries for her three grown-up children living here. 
Lebanon's defense minister threatened on Saturday to halt the Lebanese army's deployment in south Lebanon if the United Nations does not intervene after an Israeli commando raid near Baalbek. Defense Minister 
