A rally in the southern Yemeni governorate of Dhalie on Monday drew several hundred thousand protesters from the governorates of Hadramout, Aden, Abyan, and Shabwa. Some estimates put the crowd at more than a half million. Both Saudis and Iranians supported jihad intervention in Yemen, which - when divided - hosted the only Marxist government on the Arabian peninsula. The Saudi group won the civil war, with partial help from Afghanistan and Sudan trained al-Qaeda terrorists. Many in the South - which is culturally different (Osama bin Laden is a northern Yemeni) - support independence and the only thing that is stopping them is lack of foreign support. Although the Marxists are successful organizers, their ideology will never produce a sustainable government. If we want democratic revolution in arabia, we could support the Seculars in the south.
The speeches included calls for “southern liberation” from the northern dominated regime of President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Thousands of the orange flags of the former People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY) were openly flown. A statement issued by the rally’s organizers blamed Saleh’s regime for undermining national unity, demanded the return of plundered land, and called for an international investigation into political murders and arbitrary detention practiced against southerners.
Protests have gathered steam in the southern Yemeni governorates since they began a year ago. The movement was started by former southern military officers who were punitively discharged after YemenÂ’s 1994 civil war on below sustenance pensions; more than 100,000 civil and military workers lost their livelihoods following the war. ProtestersÂ’ grievances also include widespread land theft by influential northerners, employment discrimination, exclusion from the political process, and omnipresent military camps and checkpoints.
The demonstrations adopted an increasingly separatist tone as the Yemeni regime reacted to the mounting civil unrest with increased repression and cosmetic gestures that failed to address the underlying issues. Since August, 17 protesters were killed by security forces. Hundreds were arrested. Reinstated southern military officers were forced to sign pledges to refrain from all political activity. The regime blocked Internet access to news sites, blogs, and YemenPortal.org, a Yemen-specific news aggregator. Many editors and journalists have been assaulted. Gunmen attacked the offices of al Ayyam, a popular independent newspaper in the South, and one person was killed.
At a February 2008 meeting in Dubai, leading southern Yemeni personalities, sultans, and sheiks proposed a constitutional monarchy in the former PDRY. A national rescue plan issued by the southern opposition had been entirely dismissed by SalehÂ’s regime months earlier.
Tensions arose shortly after the hurried unification in 1990 of the southern PDRY and the northern Yemeni Arab Republic (YAR); the official name today is the Republic of Yemen. The Document of Pledge and Accord signed in Jordan in February 1994 was an effort to avert civil war.
The document called for the expulsion of foreign terrorists and the trial of those terrorists who committed crimes (against southern personalities). Local rule was to be enhanced and the official media depoliticized. Another requirement was the removal of military checkpoints in the South and the pull back of military forces. The document envisioned the reorganization of the Yemeni military as a politically neutral national defense force. Yet, the articles of the document were never implemented.
In May 1994, the southern PDRY declared succession. President SalehÂ’s northern forces included a substantial number of Afghan Arabs and Islamic extremists. Aden, the capital of the former PDRY, was extensively bombed. The UN security council issued declarations 924 and 931 calling for a cease-fire. SalehÂ’s forces won the civil war in July 1994, and unity was reimposed militarily on the South.
After the defeat of the southern forces, Saleh consolidated his power with a series of constitutional amendments, alliances with terror groups, control of the state media, and by installing his relatives as the heads of the military branches and security forces. The northern elite’s hegemony was a “red line,” undiscussable for more than a decade. Resentment and humiliation festered and now threaten to explode in the southern governorates, where over the last year, the Yemeni regime has been gradually losing control.
Currently, there is a strain of southern sentiment that maintains the PDRY was not unified with the North, but rather was illegally occupied by SalehÂ’s forces following the civil war. Undeniably, the former states never reconciled as equal partners and development of a pluralistic system was arrested. Tribal relations became the basis for the evolving concentration of political, economic, and military power. For example, the current governor of Aden has been implicated in numerous land scandals.
Most of the southern protesters would be satisfied with a national system that established equality and dispensed justice. But pluralism is anathema to SalehÂ’s brand of tribal elitism, and northern citizens are just as effectively excluded from the political system as their southern brothers. Parliamentary elections are due in 2009, and the voter rolls inflated and inaccurate. The regime refuses to discuss proportional representation as advocated by the opposition coalition, the Joint Meeting Parties, and the make up of the Electoral Commission remains unclear.
Two convicted terrorists have been released early under a controversial Government scheme to ease prison over-crowding, ministers have been forced to admit. One is a radical Muslim cleric - Yassin Nassari, 29 - who was caught trying to smuggle blueprints on how to build a missile into Britain.
The identity of the second terrorist had not been made public but the BBC reported he was Abdul Muneem Patel, who was released from Glen Parva jail in Leicestershire on Jan 7 this year. Patel, of east London, was jailed for six months at the Old Bailey in October 2007 after a jury found him guilty of having a terrorism-related explosives manual.
After news of the early releases became public, Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, was forced to announce emergency measures to prevent the future early release of terrorists.
#2
After news of the early releases became public, Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, was forced to announce emergency measures to prevent the future early release of terrorists.
Here's one. How about you shoot them in the fuckin head?
#3
It's totally un-PC, but hanging terrorists from Tower Bridge for a week or two would do wonders toward maintaining the Britishness of Great Britain. Try it - I think you'll like it in the end.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/29/2008 17:14 Comments ||
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U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday condemned as "offensively anti-Islamic" a Dutch lawmaker's film that accuses the Koran of inciting violence. Did he watch it? Somehow I doubt it. But he has appearances to keep up and political posturing he has to maintain for the good of the world we all live in. Including the women in the video.
Ban acknowledged efforts by the government of the Netherlands to stop the broadcast of the film, which was launched by Islam critic Geert Wilders over the Internet, and appealed for calm to those "understandably offended by it." Who, the terrorists? Who cares? Surely the moderates understand that this film is only speaking about terrorists so they aren't threatened enough by it to threaten anyone's life. They probably welcome it as an opportunity to clean up their religion!
"There is no justification for hate speech or incitement to violence," Ban said in a statement. "The right of free expression is not at stake here." Tell that to the extremists that this film documents.
The short film, titled "Fitna," an Arabic term sometimes translated as "strife," intersperses images of the September 11 attacks on the United States and Islamist bombings with quotations from the Koran. Ooh, that's gonna be tough to argue against, won't it? Better threaten someone's life.
The film urges Muslims to tear out "hate-filled" verses from the Koran and starts and finishes with a cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad with a bomb under his turban, accompanied by the sound of ticking. For sure this cartoon is FAR more offensive than the brutal acts depicted in the video.
Several Muslim countries, including Iran, Pakistan and Indonesia, have also condemned the film. Why should governments get involved? Unless they are part and parcel of the religion, of course.
"Freedom must always be accompanied by social responsibility," Ban said. I think it's responsible to expose extremism, doesn't anyone else?
"We must also recognize that the real fault line is not between Muslim and Western societies, as some would have us believe, but between small minorities of extremists, on different sides, with a vested interest in stirring hostility and conflict," Ban said. Is that where all those Angry Muslim Crowds come from? While the moderates all sit at home and try to figure out ways to suppress extremism?
(KUNA) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour said Friday that she joins in the condemnation, as expressed by the Secretary-General and the three UN Special Rapporteurs, of the tone and content of the film 'Fitna' by Dutch Geert Wilders.
Who asked her?
Arbour urged all those who understandably feel profoundly offended by its provocative message to restrict themselves to denouncing its hateful content by peaceful means. "There is a protective legal framework, and the resolution of the controversy that this film will generate should take place within it," she added.
She also urged lawmakers everywhere to discharge their responsibility under Articles 19 and 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. "They should offer strong protective measures to all forms of freedom of expression, while at the same time enacting appropriate restrictions, as necessary, to protect the rights of others," Arbour said.
What does all that mean?
She noted that equally, they should prohibit any advocacy of national, racial, or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.
Oh. That's what all that means.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/29/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under: Global Jihad
#1
I saw the film, and it is full of hateful comment about Jews, Christians, Hindus, gays, seculars and kaffirs in general. But: the hate all comes from muslim mouths. The UN can go to hell.
#2
I didn't see or hear one word of hate against or towards Muslims in the film. I heard hate against everyone however all from Muslim mouths and the Muslim holy book.
#5
I too, object to the "tone and content" of the film. It is violent and divisive. And that's what makes it so good. Wilders has basically made a jihad video. He quotes the Quaran, shows snuff pics, and airs the jihadi call to arms. He has made a high-end al-Queda film, but with a dagger in it's back (in contrast to Van Gogh's knife to the chest).
No one can condemn this film without also implicitly condemning the words, actions and videos of the jihadis. Maybe that's why we're seeing a collective yawn from the usual riff-raff. They can't riot about it because it duplicates a lot of what they hear from their Imams on a weekly basis.
Moderates might be offended because it paints Islam with a broad stroke, but that's where the dagger comes in. Wilder exhorts them to rip out those pages and stand up for themselves. He's saying, "If this film offends (muslim) you, then do something about it." That seems to be his audience, not just secular Dutch or western sentiment.
#11
Schoolmarmish imbecile: "Children! Children! Now, Geert, you have no right to stick your tongue out at the nice little muslim boys just because they killed your friend Theo. (Claps hands) Now, let's all just get along, or no cookies after recess today!"
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/29/2008 11:33 Comments ||
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#12
"They should offer strong protective measures to all forms of freedom of expression, while at the same time enacting appropriate restrictions, as necessary, to protect the rights of others," Arbour said.
Well, Louise. Doesn't that makes you sound like a clueless idiot.
I thought this ditz was quitting?
Arrested first in 1964 Sproul Hall
Bohdan Pilacinski: appeal; 3 counts, stipulation; 1 year probation, $150 fine, 10 days suspended. Hangs out all over the left blogosphere...
...I'm told Stop-Loss did only $1.6 million Friday from just 1,291 plays. Although the drama from MTV Films was the best-reviewed movie opening this weekend, Paramount wasn't expecting much because no Iraq war-themed movie has yet to perform at the box office. "It's not looking good," a studio source told me before the weekend.
"No one wants to see Iraq war movies. No matter what we put out there in terms of great cast or trailers, people were completely turned off. It's a function of the marketplace not being ready to address this conflict in a dramatic way because the war itself is something that's unresolved yet. It's a shame because it's a good movie that's just ahead of its time."
#1
Hollywood *knows* that the public doesn't want to see anti-war movies, yet they insist on shoving it down their throats.
The critics at Rotten Tomatoes give this a 61% "Thumbs Up", but it is the same old CRAP:
"Decorated Iraq war hero Sgt. Brandon King makes a celebrated return to his small Texas hometown following his tour of duty. He tries to resume the life he left behind. Then, against BrandonÂ’s will, the Army orders him back to duty in Iraq, which upends his world. The conflict tests everything he believes in: the bond of family, the loyalty of friendship, the limits of love and the value of honor." -- Plot Outline
#3
by the way - Yon's new book: "Moment of Truth In Iraq" (special signed copies) is available at his site - ships Monday if you buy it from him...in a couple weeks if you buy it elsewhere. I ordered one - will put a review up after I read it
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/29/2008 10:19 Comments ||
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#4
Meanwhile, over at the productive and profitable department of the entertainment business, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare moved 330,900 copies in the month of January. [Let's see at $60 bucks a pop that is over 19M. I'm sure the overhead is lower and the profit margins are higher on the games.] How long before shareholders, let alone the senior management, of these corporations start to shift emphasis of their business model? Faster, faster. Move the movie business to focus on oversea markets, so we can cut all the tax break incentives they exploit.
No, no one wants to see bullshit Iraq war movies, Mr. Studio Executive.
And how did you become Mr. Studio Executive by spending the money to make and release a movie you knew was gonna tank? If I was one of your stockholders, I'd be pretty pissed off about that.
#8
Nice bit of bait and switch the studio tried with the preview commercials. Tried to make it look like a war movie rather than the leftist whine fest that it really is. Looks like flyover country isn't as dumb as Hollywood thinks it is.
Posted by: ed ||
03/29/2008 14:07 Comments ||
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#9
If Hollyweird made a movie about Iraq that was a fair portrayal of American values and motivations behind the war people might just pay to see it. You might even knock one out of the park if you made an Iraq movie that made people feel good about ourselves and the U.S.
#11
I am from Texas, sometimes I'll drop in at a little church called Pony Creek. Out of 30-40 people who attend, the Sunday morning prayer list includes 3 to 4 local young men who are in Iraq, have been, or will be. The people portrayed in that film and the young men that film tries to claim are from Texas are not from Texas. The people in this area and the soldiers from here who are in Iraq are there for one reason, to prevent another 9/11. The ones who are back are appreachiated and are glad they served.
#13
I have a question about the basic premise of the movie:
IIRC If your term of enlistment ended in the middle of a tour in Iraq, they might "stop loss" you until the unit was out of Iraq.
I have not heard of someone whose tour ended being "stop lossed" and sent back to Iraq.
Have any Rantburgers heard of something like "Sgt. King's tale of woe" happening in real life?
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
03/29/2008 16:45 Comments ||
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#14
The type of movie Hollyweird refuses to make. One or two more generations of tech and no one will need them to make pictures people will want to see. Those will be made elsewhere. It'll be like Detroit and automobiles. Still around but a shell of its former self.
#16
Al, stop loss is a term to describe the release of individuals from their contract when there is a need/requirement for their skills for which they were trained and paid. The contract is for 8 years [unless they've altered that time frame in the last 10 years]. The period of 'active duty' is variable, usually three to four years. However, these are not usual times. So as the contract stipulates they can recall you back at anytime during that contract period.
Now let's throw in Title X USC -
TITLE 10 > Subtitle A > PART II > CHAPTER 39 > Para 671a. Members: service extension during war
Unless terminated at an earlier date by the Secretary concerned, the period of active service of any member of an armed force is extended for the duration of any war in which the United States may be engaged and for six months thereafter.
This has been on the books before even Bush I. So technically speaking, the government is being cool releasing pretty much everyone close to 'peacetime' practices. For the old Regular Army types, the contract is indefinite, with a little clause that allows the Secretary to recall them back at any time.
And for the whiners who want to make believe there isn't a war check in here. Note well the reference to "War Powers Resolution".
#18
I had a roommate that had done his four years, ETS'ed out and was home for two hours drinking beer. The phone rang and it was the department of defense on the line, telling him to pack up and come back because he was going to war. He was in two more years after the first gulf war. It does happen, everyone knows Uncle Sam owns your ass for 8 years, no matter what. I was thrilled when October 31st, 1998 rolled around as my 8 year 3 month contract ended and I didn't have to worry about getting called back.
#19
The initial 2001 GWO invocation of stop loss is described here.
The issue isn't that Bush did it. So did Clinton in 1999.
The issue is that this is a long war, many National Guard and reservists have served combat tours they never expected (I know, I know .... but they didn't, especially the Guard) and some regular Army and Marines are on their 3rd or 4th tour in theater. So that leaves some weariness to be exploited by the MSM and Hollywood ticks.
The deeper issue is, of course, the deliberate hamstringing of the regular services that was put in place after Nam. When you deliberately ensure that most specialists in various fields are in the reserves rather than the regular Army, you ensure that stop loss orders for those specialties will be issued if we are in a war.
#20
In addition to stop loss, there have been involuntary activations of individual ready reserve members, usually due to their specialty. Both the Army and the Marines have done this in the last few years.
#21
Whenever this issue comes up, I've got to admit that my primary bad guys are Rumsfeld and Bush. Why they didn't expand the size of the military after 9/11 is beyond me. This was Rummy's biggest mistake.
I agree, but kuddos to the President for eventually expanding the size of the force (surge), at at time when the Democrats were demanding our military cut-and-run.
#23
lotp, you understand that the National Guard Bureau which has operated as almost an autonomous branch with heavy Congressional influence [for obvious reasons] was the one to insist that the state Guard units remain pretty much combat arms oriented. Rational examination of the needs of governors would imply military police, transportation, engineers, medical service, et al for disaster relief and recovery. Instead the Reserves got those in ponderous and the Guard has been force structured for decades on the combat branches. In the downsizing just before Gulf War I and carried with a vengeance afterwards, DoD and Army were prevented from proportional cuts in Guard and Reserve formations. The active elements paid the price both in manpower and resources. That meant if and when the commitment came, those Guard and Reserve formations and individuals would have to carry a far bigger mission commitment than they had since WWII. And here we are today.
#25
This is another legacy of vietnam...that you only do 'your tour' and then get out. When my Grandfather and great uncle got drafted during WWII, it was for the /war/. My great uncle was gone for 5 years, his wife didn't see him until the war was over and then some.
Of course, this is understood by those military people who aren't in the service as simply a way to get money.
I'll never forget in the first gulf war there was that Marine INFANTRYMAN that sued, saying that he didn't sign up in the Marines to kill people.
#26
lotp I had no choice back in GW1, being as I spoke Arabic, Iraqi dialect, albeit minmally by then (not enough practice). Even though I had gone into the IRR just 3 days before Saddam crossed into Kuwait, they invol called me up "for the duration". Wasnt a problem anyway, I was talking to the local reserve unit's recruiting NCO about how to volunteer to go active from IRR when an NCO at MacDill gave me a call. Funny how hard it was to get back in, but how easy it was to get pulled back in.
#27
It happened in 1962, as well. Any old geezers remember the /Kennedy year/ ? If your ETS fell before 1 July 62, you were in until 1 July 63, for COG. Nobody whined too much; that's what we signed up for.
#28
And it isn't new. My dad was a B-29 navigator in WWII. He tried every angle after he finished college and an MSME to get back in the AF. No joy. But in July 1950 they tried to nab him.
#29
Nimble Spemble: Don't blame Bush or Rumsfeld for that.
Bush's philosophy was give the military what the military *says* it wants. This is the best boss to have, because if you have shortfalls or overages, it is your fault, not his. It means he trusts your judgment.
Rumsfeld's mission was not the conduct of the war, but the modernization and restructuring of the military. Again, he did not play armchair general with strategy or tactics, but made sure the transition from heavy armor divisions to Stryker brigades was done smoothly.
#30
Went over to IMDB to get some info on the movie and found this on one of their boards...
Seriously, I don't care if your for the war or against it. The premise of this whole movie is fraudulent.
1) Stop Loss occurs no more than 90 days prior to a deployment and you are Stop-Lossed throughout the deployment and then again 90 more days upon return to complete outprocessing. Start V.A. paperwork, do your medical, and turn in your gear.
2) There is usually a 1 year dwell time after you return from your deployment before you can deploy again. Also, yes, rapid action units (i.e. 82nd, 10th Mountain, and of course special ops units) have a 3 to 6 month dwell time.
3) You dont get all the way through out processing and then, your going to Iraq in a couple weeks. Not how it happens, unless a special ops unit.
4) You can be recalled back up once discharged if you are in the 8 year window called Inactive Ready Reserve. This has happened during this deployment for shortage Military Occupational Specialties. Shortage M.O.S's are critical specialties that the military feels to be imperative to completion of the mission. Certain factors are considered when call up people, however I do not have the list. How the I.R.R works is, should you do a 2 year enlistment in the U.S. Army you have 6 years left in the I.R.R. The amount of active duty time you have subtracts away from the amount of time left in the I.R.R. VERY RARE, but happens.
I do appreciate the fact that some people try to portray a soldier and his problems, but if you really want to adress some issues. Lets start with the spouses that take the soldiers money and run after they are 5 months into a deployment, spouses that get knocked up by jody while their husbands are deployed. Lets start bring some real stuff to the screen.
Like the war or not, you don't join the military thinking your not going to be deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. I swear to god if one person says that the recruiters lie to get people to join, wait, someone will say it. There are ignorant people. Look, everybody lies. Deal with it. Yes there are shady people, but to join the military is a pretty big step, especially now.
Fact 35% of all service branches have not yet deployed overseas yet.
Fact: Life isnt fair.
I was in 3rd BDE 1st AD in Fort Riley, Kansas. I had the oppertunity to go to Iraq for 12 months, come home and get told withing a month we were going back in less than 10 months. It sucked, but I made a commitment. Sometimes some people can be selfless and understand that there will always be a calling for a higher purpose, then some people in fear for their lives, will complain and find ways to get out.
Hindsight is 20/20. With the information we know now, should we be in Iraq. you decide, I was there and I can't change that. What I do know, weapons of mass distruction were there. Look at what he did to his own people and the Iranians. You can't pull that stuff off without having some chemical weapons people.
Fact: Prior to the Iraq invasion, every gallop poll was above 60% with approval to take military action to invade Iraq. Why did we invade Iraq? Anyone remember?
He was in violation of a U.N. Resolution by not allowing weapon inspectors to look at his plants. Yup, he sure did open up his gates at the last minute. But you play the come when I want you to come see game for 4 years, its about time someone did something about it.
Look, you want to be against the war, seriously fine. Nothing at all I could do to change your mind. I got it, left side leans one way, right side go to the other. I'm not getting involved with that war of ideology. What I am saying is, listen to what I am saying.
While we as soldiers do appreciate you trying to take issue with some things that affect us. We pretty much know that Stop-Loss is "kind of" a back door draft. What I find irritating also, is the fact that kids who Initially Enlist into the military get bigger bonuses than those who have done this everyday for 12 + years. You want to pay an untested kid a huge sum of money before you even know he can do the job. WTF?
I knew what I was getting into when I deployed 2 times. I'm not an idiot, I could have died. I don't need some anti-war person trying to overstate an issue that really isnt as big of an issue as it was when it initially happened.
Thanks for the time, and for the memories.
Oh yeah, to those people who are against violence. Let's see how against violence you are when you see your best friend gunned down? Pretty sure you gonna want to, run away?
#31
I'm happy every time I see another commercial, 50-foot banner, or giant cardboard standee for this movie. Another million dollars the crummy studio heaves down the toidy. Too bad, so sad.
More than three dozen Democratic congressional candidates banded together yesterday to promise that, if elected, they will push for legislation calling for an immediate drawdown of troops in Iraq that would leave only a security force in place to guard the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
Rejecting their party leaders' pleas for sanity assertions that economic troubles have become the top issue on voters' minds, leaders of the coalition of 38 House and four Senate candidates pledged to make immediate withdrawal from Iraq the centerpiece of their campaigns.
Like lemmings to the cliff they're drawn ...
"The people inside the Beltway don't seem to get how big an issue this is," said Darcy Burner, a repeat candidate who narrowly lost to Rep. Dave Reichert (R-Wash.) in 2006. The group's 36-page plan does not set a specific deadline for when all combat troops must be out of Iraq. "Begin it now, do it as safely as you can and get everyone out," Burner said.
There was a time, Darcy, when your party stood for the victims of oppression and not for the oppressors.
The starkest difference between the group's proposal, dubbed a "Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq," and those embraced by many senior Democrats and the party's presidential candidates is that it rejects the idea of leaving U.S. troops on the ground to train Iraqi security forces or engage in anti-terrorism operations. The group instead calls for a dramatic increase in regional diplomacy and the deployment of international peacekeeping forces, if necessary.
Sure Darcy. Let's step through this.
Why would 'regional diplomacy' work once we leave? How would we leverage diplomacy with our military gone? Why would our friends believe that we'd stand by them if they've watched us desert the Iraqis? Why would our enemies talk to us if they can just roll us?
Which international peacekeeping forces? Why would any country contribute forces if we're leaving? And what if you decide they're necessary and the UN disagrees?
One of the signatories, Donna F. Edwards, who bested Rep. Albert R. Wynn in his Prince George's County-centered district in the Democratic primary on Feb. 12, said the candidates are offering "real leadership." She also gave credit to "some in the Congress who are prepared to demonstrate the political will" to end the war, signaling that she disagrees with Democratic leaders who have been thwarted in their legislative efforts to reshape President Bush's Iraq policies.
The antiwar candidates include several challengers who are highly touted by Democratic leaders, including Burner and Eric Massa, who is running a second race against Rep. John R. "Randy" Kuhl Jr. (R-N.Y.). A few are running in Democratic-leaning districts and, should they win their primaries, are likely to win in November. Many more are, for now, longer-shot candidates running against veteran Republican incumbents.
Democratic leaders said the new candidate coalition does not signal a divide in the party's war policy. "Democrats are united in our need to bring change in Iraq," said Doug Thornell, spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "It's up to the individual candidates to determine how to best do that for their district."
It's just amazing: someone please explain to me how one can honestly wish for their country to be defeated in a great endeavour.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/29/2008 00:04 ||
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Link ||
[7 views]
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#1
There was a time, Darcy, when your party stood for the victims of oppression and not for the oppressors.
When? If you refer to the times of "Ich bin ein Berliner", the democrat party was also the party of KKK and racial discrimination, and Johnson
could never have passed his constitutional amendment without republican support: had the vote been only between democrats would not have
had the required majority.
It was also Republicans not Democrats who gave women the right to vote. I will not tell who abolished slavery and who took arms to perpetuate it.
When you see a Democratic plan for anything with the word "responsible" in it, that's the first indication that you should hold onto your ass. Tightly.
#8
The last time the Dems in the Senate tried to push a drawdown measure through they couldn't even hold a majority of their own caucus. I don't see that changing next year even if Darcy gets precious self elected to the House.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/29/2008 14:10 Comments ||
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#9
Even the Brookings Institute takes the position that any drawdown will have to be done slowly and dependent on the situation.
Former Michigan U.S. Rep. David Bonior said Thursday he is "proud" of the controversial trip to Iraq that he and two other Democratic congressmen took in 2002 and wishes more Americans had listened to their concerns about the "horrendous" impact another war in Iraq would have on children there. Accounts of the trip resurfaced Wednesday when a federal indictment unsealed in Detroit alleged that what appears to be the same trip was secretly paid for by the Iraqi Intelligence Service.
This article starring:
David Bonior
Posted by: Fred ||
03/29/2008 00:00 ||
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[4 views]
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A Michigan man facing federal criminal charges of illegally working for Saddam Hussein's Iraqi Intelligence Service says he met with Hillary Clinton at the White House in May 1996.
In a 1997 interview with this reporter, Muthanna Hanooti said that at the meeting, Mrs. Clinton was "very receptive" to his request for an easing of the American sanctions on Iraq that were in place at the time. He said Mrs. Clinton "passed a message to the State Department" about the need to implement the oil-for-food deal, which was intended to allow Saddam to sell billions of dollars' worth of oil to pay for food for Iraqi citizens.
Back in 1997, a spokesman for the first lady referred inquiries about the meeting to the National Security Council. At the time, a spokesman for the National Security Council, Eric Rubin, responded by saying that President Clinton, not the first lady, sets foreign policy.
Asked whether Senator Clinton recalls the meeting or whether the presidential campaign had any further comment on the meeting in light of Mr. Hanooti's indictment, the Clinton presidential campaign yesterday offered no formal response.
This article starring:
Muthanna Hanooti
Posted by: Fred ||
03/29/2008 00:00 ||
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[5 views]
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(KUNA) -- Army Lieutenant General Martin Dempsey, stepped in as top US commander in Iraq and Afghanistan, replacing William Fallon as head of US Central Command, at a ceremony Friday. Dempsey, Fallon's number two at the US Central Command, Centcom, replaced navy admiral Fallon, who announced he was quitting on March 11th, amid news reports that he had fallen out of favor with the White House over Iran.
Dempsey, who earned high marks as army commander of the 1st Airbourne Division in Iraq in 2003-2004, now serves as the acting commander overseeing both Iraq and Afghanistan wars, until President George W. Bush selects his replacement and is confirmed by the Senate. Bush is not expected to name a Fallon's permanent replacement until the release of the latest Iraq reports to Congress, by top US commander in Iraq David Petraeus, in early April. Dempsey was recommended by Defense Secretary Robert Gates as a suitable replacement for Fallon, when he leaves office at the end of the month.
As Centcom commander, Dempsey reports to Secretary of Defense and oversees US military relations with countries throughout the Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa. Prior to his experience at Centcom, Dempsey served in Baghdad as head of the command in charge of training Iraqi security forces. He also spent time in Saudi Arabia, where he headed a US program aimed at modernizing the Saudi National Guard, in 2001-2003.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/29/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
"the 1st Airbourne Division"?
Posted by: Matt ||
03/29/2008 0:07 Comments ||
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#6
I'm sure the staff was handling the day to day stuff till they got a new chief. I'm also sure that the nominee got a lot more vetting at the Secretary and White House level.
As reported in daily Nawa-e-Waqt, the American presidential candidate, Barack Obama, said that he is influenced by the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi of India and considers him to be a promoter of peace. He said that GandhiÂ’s idea was that people can do miracles collectively. He has a picture of Gandhi in his office, which reminds him daily that the real decisions are made by the public and not the White House. He is proud that Indian-born Americans support him.
Hair cutting centres for donkeys
As reported in daily Express, in the modern age when beauty parlours are being opened in the city, hair cutting centres for donkeys and horses are also opening up on the roadsides of Lahore. A donkeyÂ’s owner pays from 100 to 150 rupees for hair cutting to save the animal from heat in the warm seasons. These centres use generators for their hair cutting machines.
Pakistan is like Qissa Khwani Bazaar
Sarerahe wrote in daily Nawa-e-Waqt, that President Pervez Musharraf said we have been discussing for a long time, but no practical step has been taken for water storage programs. In reality, Pakistan is a Qissa Khawani Bazaar, where all night the story of Yusuf Zulekha is told and in the morning everyone asks whether Zulekha was a woman or man. Musharraf was listening to the story of Heer Ranjha from the ChaudhryÂ’s and erected mountains with their talks and their palaces.
Champions of a free judiciary
Ayaz Amir wrote in Daily Pakistan, that Asif Zardari wants to strengthen the parliament but restoration of judges is not on his priority list. The central issue in Pakistan is the lack of supremacy of law. Asif Zardari and his associates are giving the impression that restoring judges would create more disturbances. ItÂ’s like stepping on the sensitive domain of the army.
Birthday after four years
As reported in daily Khabrain, people born on February 29 celebrate their birthday after every four years. According to the Christian calendar, February 29 comes after every four years in the leap year. Similarly married couples celebrate their marriage after four years.
In praise of a great politician
Atta ul Haq Qasmi wrote in daily Jang, that Nawaz Sharif was fighting against the establishment except in the few early years. He offered sacrifices and left his government for principles; accepted hardships of jail, went through the torture of exile. He was offered every thing during the eight years but he stuck to his principles and considered it the biggest sin to think in that direction. He doesnÂ’t listen to any kind of settlement and the name of this politician is Nawaz Sharif.
The disillusionment of India
Columnist Abdur Rashid Turabi wrote in daily Khabrain, that Indian Army Chief Deepak Kapoor and Interior Minister Shri Prakash Jaiswal said that the militant movement in Kashmir will die shortly. The people of Kashmir and the mujahideenÂ’s patience, so that the Kashmir issue is resolved through dialogue, should not be considered as a weakness. The Kashmir resistance has 19 years of golden history, where every house has a shaheed and every town has shrines of martyrs. Such movements donÂ’t die. When the young generation is not afraid of death then no power can rule over such a nation.
Missile attack in South Waziristan
As reported in Daily Pakistan, a missile attack at a house and a madrassa killed 13 people in South Waziristan. The majority killed were students of the madrassa, but some sources say that the majority were Arab and Afghan students. The missiles were fired from an American spy drone. The American army denied its involvement.
Children without a father?
As reported in daily Express, British scientists have discovered a technique to change female bone marrow into sperm. In the future, men wonÂ’t be needed for having children and homosexuals can also have children. The New Castle Tyne University discovered this new technique. Scientists take stem cells from bone marrow and, with the help of chemicals, change it into male sperm. The same method could be applied on male bone marrow to change it into female eggs.
Journalists attacked in Dara Adam Khel
As reported in daily Express, bureau chief of Al-Jazeera channel, Saif ul Islam Saifi, a dailyÂ’s photographer, Syed Amer Ali, news photographer, Sajjad Khayal and an editor of Peshawar Dot One, Mian Asif, were attacked by Taliban militants in Dara Adam Khel while security forces also fired at them. The UnionÂ’s president demanded the government to provide security to journalists working in war zones.
Crazy pilots flying the plane of Pakistan
Sarerahe wrote in daily Nawa-e-Waqt, that a Canadian co-pilot lost his mind during a flight and started praying loudly. An army officer tied him to the seat and the plane landed at the nearest airport. The pilot was sent to a mental hospital. The pilot of our plane has been crazy for the last 60 years. This shows that pilots of the whole universe are flying the planes of Pakistan, otherwise crazy pilots have tried their utmost to crash the plane.
Pakistan is a failed state: Noam Chomsky
Daily Express, published excerpts of Noam ChomskyÂ’s interview with Business Recorder where he said that Pakistan is a classical example of a failed state and has been under this condition for a long time. During the tyrannical period of General Zia ul Haq, Pakistan underwent extreme Islamisation, which damages civil society. Now itÂ’s on the verge of a breakup. Balochistan is up in arms and FATA is out of control. After the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Sindh may also face turbulence.
Sania Mirza in trouble
As reported in daily Khabrain, Indian ulema gave fatwa (religious rulings) against the Indian tennis player Sania Mirza for wearing a tennis dress, which is against Sharia. She had to apologise to Imam Masjid of Hyderabad for shooting inside the mosque. In another incident she was pictured with her feet toward an Indian flag and again she had to apologise to the Indian nation. She announced in a press conference that she will not play tennis in India again.
Condi hugs tribal leader in Africa
Sarerahe wrote in daily Nawa-e-Waqt, that a picture was printed that showed Condoleeza Rice hugging Ghana’s tribal leader, Dr Amanual. Only a black can have the courage not to have nausea after hugging Condi. Hugging is not bad, if it is under the boundaries of sharia (Islamic laws). Our enlightened ones tried to promote hugging but it couldn’t go further than “parachute hugging.” There is hugging in our films that shake the whole sharia.
Homosexuality the cause of recent earthquake in Israel
As reported in daily Nawa-e-Waqt, a member of Israeli Parliament, Shalmo Benaziri, said that the recent earthquake in the country was because of homosexuality. Benaziri is a member of the government committee for prevention of earthquakes. He said that, “when a man turns away from God’s commandments, He shakes the world to wake him up.” The Israeli government allowed homosexuality as legal in 1988.
Double game of MMA
Daily Nawa-e-Waqt, quoted from a Newsweek report that religious leaders who made Pakistan the most dangerous country of the world were routed in the February 18 elections and got only eight seats in NWFP. These politicians made the American invasion of Afghanistan an electoral issue and got 56 seats in the national assembly and 72 seats in NWFP. They made NWFP a haven for Al Qaeda and the Taliban, who used it as a base to attack inside and outside Pakistan. These religious leaders were playing a double game by criticising MusharrafÂ’s support for America but secretly helping him.
Auction of cricket players for Indian Premier League
As reported in Daily Pakistan, eight teams of the Indian Premier League bought 33 players for $ 124 million. Indian cricketer Mahinder Singh Dhoni was the most expensive player bought by Chinai for 15 lac dollars. The second highest cricketer was Symonds, who was acquired by Hyderabad for 10 lac. Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla bought Shoaib Akhtar for four lac, 25 thousand dollars for Kolkatta, while Shahid Afridi was purchased by Hyderabad for six lac, 75 thousand dollars.
Posted by: john frum ||
03/29/2008 07:20 ||
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#1
Homosexuality the cause of recent earthquake in Israel
And yet we haven't had one here (in New Orleans), or in Key West, or Cape Cod in - centuries? I wonder why not. But when the next one hits San Francisco, you'll know why.
Pakistan on Friday summoned the Dutch ambassador to the Foreign Affairs Ministry to lodge a formal protest against the release of a controversial film by Dutch member of parliament Geert Wilders.
A press release by the Foreign Ministry said the additional foreign affairs secretary for Europe told the ambassador that Pakistan “strongly condemned” the release of the film “which deeply offended the sentiments of Muslims all over the world” and is “expected to result in expressions of strong abhorrence and outrage”. He said the right to freedom of expression did not justify insulting other people’s religions. The film was “counter to the efforts of those individuals and countries that were building bridges between religions and civilisations”.
Prosecute: The Dutch government should now take necessary measures to minimise the impact of the incident and “prosecute Geert Wilders for defamation and deliberately hurting Muslims’ sentiments”, he said. He cited article 137 of the Dutch penal code, that prohibits defamation and incitement to hatred.
Despicable act: The Dutch ambassador said the release of the film on the internet was “extremely unfortunate” and “a despicable act” that the Dutch government had strongly condemned. He said the film had no other purpose but to cause offence. The Dutch government strongly rejected equating Islam with violence, the ambassador said. It had repeatedly negotiated with Geert Wilder to stop the release of the film, he said, and had barred it from running on television channels.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/29/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
If you say my religion is violent - I will Keeel you!
Don't tell me about gun control - I control my guns. We need the second amendment to make secure our rights to the first!
#2
How is it anti-Krayon? Weren't the imams and mullahs simply sourcing passages from the Krayon? The only ones who are anti-Krayon are those who say the passages are false. Shouldn't they be beheaded?
NWFP Chief Minister-designate Ameer Haider Hoti said on Friday that the jirga system would be used to restore the peace in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Talking to journalists before the inaugural session of the NWFP Assembly, he said that the law and order in the province and the FATA would be a priority of his coalition government. He said, “Only the jirga system could be effective in restoring lasting peace in the tribal areas.” Regarding the assembly session, Hoti said that it was a pleasant start. “We will continue with the same spirit,” he added. Pakistan People’s Party provincial chief Rahim Dad said that the restoration of democracy in the country was a mission of late Benazir Bhutto for which she waged a long struggle. “We will continue her mission at all costs,” he added. Former NWFP chief minister Akram Khan Durrani hoped that the ruling coalition would take the opposition on board and that the opposition would play a positive role.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/29/2008 00:00 ||
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I can't tell if they are dropped or not. I suspect there is no such thing as double-jeopardy in the military either, but this article suggests that different charges may well be brought forward after he cooperates with investigators as a result of these charges being dropped.
Do I sense just a wee bit o' MSM BS? :-)
Charges against a US Marine allegedly involved in the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha were dropped on Friday ahead of his trial, the military said in a statement. A court martial for lance corporal Stephen Tatum had been due to start on Friday on charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault.
However in a statement released from the Marines Camp Pendleton base outside San Diego, the military said the charges had been dismissed "in order to continue to pursue the truth seeking process into the Haditha incident."
It was not immediately clear if fresh charges could be laid against Tatum at a later date or whether the soldier may now cooperate with prosecutors.
Tatum had been accused of shooting dead two unarmed children as Marines cleared houses near the scene of a deadly roadside bombing in Haditha, 260 kilometers west of Baghdad, on November 19, 2005. The deaths were part of a grim civilian toll from the Marines' actions in Haditha. Four soldiers were initially charged with murder and four officers accused of staging a cover-up.
However, since charges against the soldiers were first announced in late 2006, prosecutors have struggled to make the allegations stick. Four of the eight have had charges against them dropped, while charges of murder were replaced by the lesser offence of manslaughter in the cases of Tatum and his squad leader Sergeant Frank Wuterich.
The military investigator overseeing Tatum's pre-trial hearing had recommended all charges against the soldier be dismissed.
#1
I'm waiting for the troops to start filing their Article 138 complaints. Insure a CC to your Congresscritter and Senator. It's the servicmember's personal nuke, aka Career Ender. It takes you out, but it also takes out those in the chain of command who pushed travesty to this point.
(AKI) - The bloc of Iraqi MPs loyal to radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's chief whip, Fallah Hasan Shanishel, has warned that prime minister Nouri al-Maliki will be "tried like Saddam Hussein" for his role in an ongoing security operation against Shia militiamen in the southern port city of Basra, pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat reported.
"Al-Maliki and all the members of his Shia alliance will be tried like Saddam Hussein for crimes against civilians - in Baghdad, Babel province [south of Baghdad] and Basra," said Shanishel, cited by Al-Hayat. "Al-Maliki is committing suicide in Basra. He is carrying out orders from foreign powers and he wants to destroy the Sadrist movement," al-Hayat quoted another Sadrist leader, Sadeq al-Ibadi, as saying.
Al-Maliki has this week been personally coordinating the crackdown against Shia militiamen in Basra. Over 130 people have been killed and 350 injured in clashes across Iraq since Tuesday, when fighting began in Basra and spread to other cities.
Al-Maliki on Friday reportedly extended a Saturday deadline until 8 April for Shia militiamen to hand over their weapons.
The Iraqi interior ministry said at least four people were killed and 18 wounded in clashes that erupted on Friday in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriya, an al-Sadr stronghold. Four people died and five were wounded on Friday in a US airstrike in Baghdad's Sadr City neighourhood - another Sadrist stronghold.
Rockets from a US helicoper gunship struck while militiamen had laid down their arms for Friday prayers, Arabic satellite TV al-Jazeera reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/29/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
How about threatening Tater with a Saddam-like trial?
#2
No one who knew anything about Iraq did not know that
if the US takes sides in the Badr-Mahdi conflict, the
truce with Sadr and the Sunnis would be off. And no
one had any doubt that if the US supports Badr against
Mahdi, the Sunnis in Anbar could well also turn on the
US presence. Nothing could be more tragic. For the
"Awakening" relationship between Anbar and the US
military was a replay of the CAP/MAT Marines in South
Vietnam's I Corps and Army in IV Corps localization of
the US-Vietnam villages union against the North
Vietnamese forces. The bonds were made at boots level.
Individual soldiers learned to bond with Sunnis. Then,
finally after five years, the US Command realized that
if you pay Iraqis they will work and decided to salary
them for keeping the peace. So, it would seem, the
needed "awakening" is ours, not that of the Anbar
Iraqis.
But all that is at risk as Maliki's name goes on a
Bush directed effort to defeat Sadr on behalf of
Hakim. To most Iraqis, the attack on Mahdi is support
for Iran's takeover of Iraq's South. Our planes are
killing Iraqis for Iran, many say, just as the 2007
nuclear NIE announced an end to US enmity to Iran.
WE really should not waste the bloody lessons learned
by our foot soldiers at boot level about doing things
the Iraqi way in Anbar. But if we are to repeat our
storm trooper tactics of Fallujah in Basra, then maybe
we should get out now before we come to be remembered
as the British airpower is remembered in Iraq from the
1930s.
Daniel E. Teodoru
Posted by: Harry Glereng9677 ||
03/29/2008 22:54 Comments ||
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#3
"run away!"
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/29/2008 22:57 Comments ||
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#4
But all that is at risk as Maliki's name goes on a Bush directed effort to defeat Sadr on behalf of Hakim.
You must have different sources than me. Word I have is Maliki went in, then informed the US.
To most Iraqis, the attack on Mahdi is support
for Iran's takeover of Iraq's South.
Which is countered by the fact that Arabs, and especially Iraqis, can hold two diametrically opposed concepts as having equal value at the same time.
Let's try that, shall we? "Maliki is an Iranian stooge, whose offical Iraqi government forces are attacking Iranian-backed Moqtada al-Sadr's militia, in addition to other Iranian backed miltias and criminal-elements, in order to allow Iran to take over Iraq's south."
Sounds about right to me.
Our planes are killing Iraqis for Iran, many say, just as the 2007 nuclear NIE announced an end to US enmity to Iran.
It didn't "announce an end to US emnity", you serial-posting buffoon. It was a diplomatic manuever. In case you hadn't noticed, Iran is still facing sanctions. Oh, and this time it's the Europeans in the lead.
But if we are to repeat our storm trooper tactics of Fallujah in Basra, then maybe
we should get out now before we come to be remembered as the British airpower is remembered in Iraq from the 1930s.
President Bush today called the Iraqi government's battle against Shiite Muslim militias a "defining moment in the history of a free Iraq" that shows a commitment to "even-handed justice," and he vowed continued U.S. help for the effort.
Answering questions from reporters after a White House meeting with Australia's new prime minister, Bush said Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki made the decision to take on the militias and criminal gangs in the southern port city of Basra, Iraq's second-largest city and main oil-exporting hub. Bush said that he was "not exactly sure what triggered the prime minister's response" but that he suspects it stemmed from complaints from Basra residents who grew "sick and tired" of the gunmen's behavior in the city.
"From the beginning of liberation, there have been criminal elements that have had a pretty free hand in Basra," Bush said. "And it was just a matter of time before the government was going to have to deal with it."
"Most people want to have normal lives," he said. "Most people don't like to be shaken down."
It was Maliki, himself a Shiite, who "made the decision to move, and we'll help him," Bush said. He stressed that the offensive "was his decision; it was his military planning; it was his causing the troops to go from point A to point B." He added that "a lot of folks here in America were wondering whether or not Iraq would even be able to do it in the first place. And it's happening." Many key posts in the Maliki government are held by Shiites, who make up the majority of Iraq's population.
Bush said Maliki's decision to move Iraqi forces into Basra "shows even-handed justice, shows he's willing to go after those who believe they're outside the law." Routing out the militias and gangs "is going to take a while," he said. "But it is a necessary part of the development of a free society."
Bush did not specifically address questions about the role of U.S. forces in fighting a major Shiite militia in Baghdad's Sadr City, where U.S. armor was deployed yesterday to battle Mahdi Army militiamen loyal to cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. There, Washington Post correspondent Sudarsan Raghavan saw U.S. Stryker armored vehicles, backed by U.S. helicopters and drones, engaging militiamen armed with AK-47 assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, as Iraqi army and police units stayed on the outskirts of the sprawling Shiite stronghold.
Bush insisted that Iraqi forces "are in the lead" in the Basra fighting, adding that "this is a good test for them." He said the United States "of course will provide them help if they ask for it and if they need it."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/29/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
*Despite numerous victories and successes, the budding US-CENTRIC OWG-NWO CAN STILL BE STOPPED AND DEFEATED.
* Despite defeats and heavy losses vv US-Coalition in Iraq-Afghanistan, etc., OSAMA + RADICAL ISLAM REMAIN ORGANIZED, AROUND, AND CAPABLE OF NEW ATTACKS.
THE MIL VICTORIOUS VERSUS THE MIL NOT-YET-DEFEATED.
For the first time since violence broke out on Tuesday, American and British warplanes carried out a bombing raids in Basra, and one Iraqi official conceded that coalition ground support was needed.
While a British army spokesman ruled out intervention on the ground, diplomats in the Baghdad embassy lobbied for a signal from the UK that troops could be deployed. Christopher Prentice, the ambassador to Iraq, signalled his differences with the MoD in a statement. "British Coalition Forces, in their overwatch role, stand ready to support Iraqi Security Forces operationally, as and when the (government of Iraq) requests this," it said.
But Major Tom Holloway, a spokesman for UK forces, said coalition intervention would be confined to "niche" capabilities. "We are providing them air power over the top of the city. The Iraqi air force does exist but doesn't yet have fast jets. We are also providing surveillance. We always plan for things like this but as we speak we are not planning to go to the city."
Posted by: Nimble Spemble ||
03/29/2008 00:00 ||
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#2
The way I read it, the bulldog has been neutered. Brown has held back so much in funds from MoD during his Chancellorship, and the MoD has priorities so bollixed that the troops in the field don't have the proper kit. And if they do go out they get killed, unless they survive in which case, they return to a society less welcoming than post-Vietnam America. Their strategy has been shown to be a failure to the comrades whom they so publicly denigrated.
Look at all the posts about what is going on back in Britain. You want to die for all that? Britain is suffering from the coriolanus effect. Whether it will be out of the bowl and through the siphon is not conclusively demonstrated, but if not, it's still going to be one heck of a mess.
#3
"The way I read it, the bulldog has been neutered."
Yes. And soon there will no longer be a British Army. There will be an EU military under command from Brussels. There will no longer be a UK at that point either. What is now the UK will be provinces of the EU.
Gaza's Hamas rulers are asking the Arab states to cut ties with Israel, and support Hamas's armed campaign against it instead. About 2,000 people were attending a Hamas-organized rally in Gaza, as Arab leaders convened in Damascus ahead of the annual Arab summit. Hamas leader Khalil al-Haya said Israel would only respond to violence. "The Zionist enemy doesn't have a vision of peace. Only force... fighting and holy war works with [Israel]."
The Saudi-sponsored peace initiative, first floated in 2002, offers Israel peace with all Arab countries in return for withdrawal from all the lands it captured in the Six Day War, the creation of a Palestinian state with a Jerusalem as its capital and a solution to the refugee issue.
Israel has rejected the initiative in the past, but has recently spoken favorably of it.
Mushir al-Masri, another Hamas leader, said the Arab initiative was a "burden" on Palestinians. "Hamas is defending the honor and dignity of this nation on the [Arabs] behalf," he said.
The rally was peppered with pleas from children for a lifting of the closure imposed on Gaza after Hamas violently seized the territory last summer. "Your summit will be useless if you don't lift the siege on Gaza," a young boy screamed into a microphone.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/29/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
D *** NG IT, HAMAS > WE + OSAMA MUST DESTROY RUSSIA BY ATTACKING ISRAEL, as proven on the FARK.com correlations graph between SUNSPOTS/
SOLAR FLARES + IRAQI GOVT. MIL ACTIONS!
World's most popular & moderate considered Muslim Scholar Dr. Zakir Naik advocates "Death Penalty" (Capital Punishment)for people dare to leave Mullah Brand of Islam. Will he welcome this own principal of "Capital Punishment" for apostates for the people leaving their faith & joining Islam in India? Is there any difference between the psyche and mental level of Dr. Zakir Naik & the Taliban? Watch the video and decide yourself !!!
Almost half of Arab leaders are boycotting a weekend summit hosted by Syria, an Arab League official said on Friday, as US allies snub Damascus over the political crisis in Lebanon.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will host the leaders of Algeria, Comoros, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, the Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Sudan, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, the official told AFP.
With US allies Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan sending only low-level delegations, only 12 leaders from the 22-member body will attend the two-day summit, which opens on Saturday.
The leaders of Iraq, Morocco and Oman will also be absent, while Lebanon is boycotting the event.
As leaders began gathering in Damascus on Friday, Assad greeted the first arrival Comoran President Ahmed Abdallah Sambi, followed by Iraqi Vice President Adel Abdel Mahdi, an AFP correspondent said.
Damascus airport has been closed to all commercial flights until Sunday for the leaders' arrivals.
On Thursday, Syria's press hailed the summit a success due to the absence of US influence, a reference to the boycott by the heads of state from several regional US-friendly heavyweights.
"It is enough for the Arab summit in Damascus that the American ghost is banished... it is enough that for the first time all its decisions and agreements will be free of the American virus," state-owned Ath-Thawra wrote.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/29/2008 00:00 ||
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Former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated by a criminal network that is linked to some other terrorist attacks in Lebanon, the chief investigator said Friday. In his first report to the UN Security Council, Daniel Bellemare said the first priority of the investigating commission he heads is to gather more evidence about the "Hariri Network," its scope, the identity of all its participants, their role in other attacks and links with people outside the network.
Bellemare said the commission would not disclose any names to preserve confidentiality. "Names of individuals will only appear in future indictments filed by the prosecutor, when there is sufficient evidence to do so," he said.
Four pro-Syrian Lebanese generals have been under arrest for almost two years for alleged involvement in the murder. Syria denies any involvement in Hariri's assassination, but the furor over the attack forced Syrian troops to withdraw from Lebanon after a 29-year presence.
Bellemare said Syria's cooperation with the commission "continues to be generally satisfactory."
The former Canadian prosecutor said evidence indicates the network existed before his assassination, that it conducted surveillance of the former premier, and that at least part of the network continued to operate after he was killed along with 22 others in a bombing in Beirut on February 14, 2005. "The commission can now confirm, on the basis of available evidence, that a network of individuals acted in concert to carry out the assassination of Rafik Hariri and that this criminal network - the 'Hariri Network' - or parts thereof are linked to some of the other cases within the commission's mandate," Bellemare said.
The Commission has been providing technical assistance to Lebanese authorities in 20 other "terrorist attacks" that have killed 61 people and injured at least 494 others, he said. Eleven attacks have targeted politicians, journalists and security officials and nine involve bombings in public places.
In coming months, Bellemare said, the commission will also focus on identifying links between the Hariri network and the other attacks it is assisting in investigating, and "where these links are found to exist - the nature and scope of these links."
The chief investigator said the commission also has pursued its investigation into the identification of the suicide bomber. Bellemare said forensic information on the bomber's origin, characteristics and movements has been compared to entry-exit records in Lebanon "as well as the missing persons files of various countries to generate leads on the possible identity of the bomber."
"Based on these leads, DNA profiling is being conducted to further assist the identification," he said.
In previous reports, former chief investigator Serge Brammertz said the suspected suicide bomber did not spend his youth in Lebanon but spent his last two or three months in the country. To determine the man's origins, the commission collected 112 soil and water samples from 28 locations in Syria and Lebanon, and 26 samples from locations in other countries which were not identified.
Based on preliminary results, Brammertz said, the commission's experts believe the man was probably between 20 and 25 years old, with short dark hair, and lived in an urban environment for the first 10 years of his life and in a rural environment during the last 10 years of his life.
The commission also established "a limited number of countries where the suicide bomber could come from," Brammertz said. In his final appearance before the council in December, Brammertz said he is more confident than ever that those allegedly involved in the Hariri assassination will be brought before an international tribunal to face justice.
UN legal chief Nicolas Michel said Thursday the tribunal has received enough funding to keep it running for a year, meeting a key criterion for its final approval.
This article starring:
Daniel Bellemare
Posted by: Fred ||
03/29/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Pure genius. You mean it wasn't the actions of a disgruntled lone individual who managed to dig up a street in broad daylight to plant a bomb?
(KUNA) -- Syrian foreign minister Waleed Al-Muallem regretted Friday that France joined those opposing the Arab summit, due to start in Damascus tomorrow. Muallem, speaking to reporters on the eve of the summit, commented on French President Nicolas Sarkozy's statement in which he backed countries boycotting the Damascus summit by saying "we regret seeing President Sarkozy joining those opposing the Arab summit in Damascus and is directly interferring in the Arab affairs." Sarkozy is "classifying the Arab world like the US is doing," said Muallem. "We don't ask who are the European leaders attending the European summits, and we don't interfere in Europe's affairs ... President Sarkozy's remarks do not only concern Syria but all the Arabs because this is their summit," added the Syrian foreign minister. Sarkozy had backed Egypt and Saudi Arabia for lowering their representation to the summit.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/29/2008 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Two convicted terrorists have been released early under a controversial Government scheme to ease prison over-crowding, ministers have been forced to admit. One is a radical Muslim cleric - 
Former Michigan U.S. Rep. 
A Michigan man facing federal criminal charges of illegally working for Saddam Hussein's Iraqi Intelligence Service says he met with Hillary Clinton at the White House in May 1996.
Almost half of Arab leaders are boycotting a weekend summit hosted by Syria, an Arab League official said on Friday, as US allies snub Damascus over the political crisis in Lebanon. 
Former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated by a criminal network that is linked to some other terrorist attacks in Lebanon, the chief investigator said Friday. In his first report to the UN Security Council, 
