Hat tip: Jihad Watch Osama's former sister-in-law has a chilling message: Most Saudis back his extremist world-view
Comes as a surprise, doesn't it?
By MARGARET WENTE
When your name is bin Ladin, life becomes more difficult. People you meet wonder whose side you're on. Your children will have trouble finding jobs. "There is no escape from that name," says Carmen bin Ladin over a cup of tea in Toronto. "It is too notorious."
Ms. bin Ladin (she spells it with an "i"), tall, slender, chic and jittery, did manage to escape from the bin Laden family, along with her three daughters. Now she has written Inside the Kingdom, a book about life with the in-laws as seen from the women's quarters. When it was published in February in France, it became a bestseller. The book depicts the stifling, rigid Saudi culture as few Westerners have seen it.
The author also has a chilling message for the rest of us. Despite official protestations, she says, the vast majority of Saudis support Osama's extremist world-view. "Osama bin Laden is considered a true Muslim. They don't have any doubt about that," she says in a husky, French-accented voice. The Saudis, she maintains, are essentially Taliban with money.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: ed ||
07/29/2004 12:57:37 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
A handful of nukes can change a lot of people's minds, if they survive...
Target list: Riyadh, Jedda, Mecca, Medina, Dhahran, wherever else we might decide one is needed.
We will NOT be intimidated by a bunch of camel jockies screaming nasty words and waving swords. IF I have to, I'll start teaching soccer moms how to construct cannons out of tin cans and coathangers... One-time use, but you can kill about 40 people with one.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/29/2004 16:01 Comments ||
Top||
Two British universities have given their approval to a pair of Islamic colleges with close links to fundamentalist scholars and political movements, The Times can reveal. Ministers faced calls last night for an inquiry into the apparent connections between the colleges, which train imams for British mosques, and hardline Islamist groups. The European Institute of Human Sciences (EIHS) and the Markfield Institute of Higher Education are both registered charities and their courses have received university accreditation. The rector of the college at Markfield, near Leicester where a new campus was opened by the Prince of Wales last year is Professor Khurshid Ahmad. He is also vice-president of Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan's largest hardline Islamic party.
Professor Ahmad has publicly praised the Taleban regime in Afghanistan. In an article in July 2003 on his party's website, he wrote: "All of that area which was controlled by the Taleban had become the cradle of justice and peace." Markfield's courses have been validated by the University of Loughborough and one of its lecturers is Azzam Tamimi, who has declared his support for the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The EIHS, validated by the University of Wales, teaches courses in Arabic that are influenced by Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the cleric whose visit to Britain this month created a political storm. Dr al-Qaradawi was met by demonstrations of gay rights groups outraged by his denunciation of homosexuality as a disease and calls for him to be deported because of his defence of Palestinian suicide bombers. He chairs the council of scholars that devised the academic programme for the EIHS and its French counterpart. Tim Collins, the Shadow Education Secretary, said he was extremely concerned about the colleges. "There needs to be an urgent investigation by the Charity Commission, the Department of Education and the Home Office into the exact nature of these institutions, how they came to be sited in the UK and whether their presence threatens peaceful community relations in this country," he said.
"Islamic education is a perfectly worthwhile activity as long as it is conducted in a way which promotes integration and harmony within British society." The Charity Commission disclosed that both colleges have been the subject of official investigations. It has opened an inquiry into the general management and administration of the EIHS, which is located in an 18th-century manor house in Llanybydder, West Wales. The inquiry is focusing on accounting procedures. 'The cradle of justice and peace'
Posted by: Howard UK ||
07/29/2004 7:20:33 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
1 picture=1,000 words.Thanks Howard.
I think RAWA would disagree with the esteemed asshat Proffesor.
via Rooters
I was hoping for a rousing spittle-fest, but KCNA is strangely silent at this time...
Communist North Korea accused the South Thursday of committing "a terrorist crime" when it brought in more than 450 North Korean refugees from Southeast Asia in secretive flights this week.
"It frightens us so when they do that!"
The North Korean body, which handles ties with South Korea, broke its silence a day after the end of a two-day operation that brought the largest arrival of refugees from the North since the 1950-53 Korean War. Seoul cloaked the exodus in secrecy partly to avoid provoking Pyongyang.
... but since everything provokes Pyongyang, to include silence, why bother?
#2
It usually takes the K about a week to get a good froth up. But don't be surprised if you hear nothing about this from them. I mean why plant an idea in heads in the Workers Paradise?
"And if there is one, who cares? What're they gonna do?"
PRIME Minister John Howard today denied there was a diplomatic rift between Australia and the Philippines, but said there was a difference of opinions.
"We think they're wieners. They don't agree. Tough, ain't it?"
The row follows Foreign Minister Alexander Downer's criticism of the Philippines decision to withdraw forces from Iraq to save the life of a Filipino truck driver taken hostage by terrorists. Mr Downer said the move encouraged terrorists.
"Alex, go kick sand in Gloria's face!"
"There is no unfortunate rift," Mr Howard told ABC radio in Perth.
"What's 'unfortunate' about it?"
Howard's telling the truth, the rift isn't unfortunate at all.
"There is a difference about the language used by the Foreign Minister and I support the foreign minister completely in the wake of the Filipino decision to pull their military out from Iraq earlier than they had originally planned."
"He said they gotta squat to pee. I agree."
Mr Howard said he had not seen the full transcript of Mr Downer's comments. But he said the point Mr Downer was making was perfectly legitimate. "And I support it and that is that you cannot give in to terrorists. Strip away everything else. That's what it is all about and he made a very valid point," Mr Howard said.
"But... But... If we give them what they want, they'll leave us alone, won't they?"
"What they want is to beat you up!"
"Well... I guess... But not in the face, okay?"
#2
Who cares if there's a rift between them? The Filipinos caved and the Aussies say they won't, and I have no reason to believe they will, as long as Howard is in charge. That's all that needs to be said.
NATO ambassadors met again on Thursday to try to resolve differences over a pledge to train Iraqi security forces, with France notably blocking an accord, diplomats said. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) leaders agreed at a summit in Istanbul last month to provide such training after the handover of powers to Bagdhad from the US-led coalition, but left details to be hammered out. The French government is standing firm in resisting an Alliance mission in Iraq itself, pressing for training to take place outside the war-scarred country, diplomats say. The United States, which has long pushed for a bigger NATO role in Iraq where American troops have been struggling to contain mounting violence, is pushing hard for an accord.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2004 9:30:28 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Uh-huh. "Training to be placed outside the war-scarred country"... wouldn't that mean that some military in Iraq would go out to conduct the training? Wouldn't that drain the already stretched manpower? Don't suppose France is offering to replenish the forces in Iraq with soldiers of their own?
Suspected members of Greece's oldest urban guerrilla group are being freed before the Olympic Games after a court ruled Wednesday their trial would be suspended for most of August.
That's nice, I hear there are tickets available.
Seat pricing based on proximity to the events. Sniper range, 100 Euros, bomb range, 50 - 400 Euros (depending, of course), knifing range, 500 Euros. Package rates available.
The five are accused of belonging to the left-wing Revolutionary Popular Struggle (ELA) which is blamed for murders, bombings and other attacks from the 1970s to 1990s. They were arrested in early 2003, but under Greek laws suspects cannot be held for more than 18 months pending a verdict. Greek authorities had hoped the trial would be over by the Aug. 13 to 29 Games -- to avoid the possibility of any attack by supporters during the event. But the Criminal Court ruled Wednesday that the hearing would break from Aug 6. to Sept 1. The suspension means they will be free to walk the streets of Athens during the Games.
You know, if I had a suspious mind, I'd think that maybe a deal was made to let them out to avoid a attack. But they wouldn't do anything like that....
Can you say, "plausible deniability"?
Two of the defendants will be released Monday after paying 6,000 euros ($7,200) bail, two are already free due to health and other legal reasons. The fifth has not yet opted to leave custody.
Maybe he's worried he might run into some of his "friends" on the outside.
They have been on trial since February this year on charges of "setting up and participating in a terrorist group."
The Greek government rushed to assure the world that their release was not a threat to the security of the Games. "They are released within the framework of Greek laws and the safeguarding of human rights. In no case will this issue affect the Olympics and the security of the Games," a government official told Reuters.
Well, not from the ELA.
I'm so re-assured!
Greece is spending a record 1.0 billion euros on security for the Games, three times the amount spent on the Sydney Olympics in 2000. ELA has claimed responsibility for two murders and dozens of attempted murders and bomb attacks on Greek as well as U.S., German, French and European Union targets since 1975.
But these guys are not any danger.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/29/2004 2:24:51 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#2
Aren't these the guys responsible for the killing of a number of American and British diplomatic and military personnel in Greece over 3 decades? Another good reason to stay home.
Posted by: Don ||
07/29/2004 17:47 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Lets see murders go free because they are Greek? I am confused. If your trial isn't over before 18 months you get turned loose no matter how many people you have killed. Hmmm Oh yea "life"=7 years or some other such pathetic crap as well. It is Europe after all, No one is in for life except political prisoners.
DUBAI : A purported Al-Qaeda statement posted on an Islamist website threatened Europe with a "bloody war" following the expiry of a July 15 deadline set by Osama bin Laden for European states to pull troops out of Muslim countries. "Today, we declare a bloody war on you. We will not stop our raids until you return to reason," said the statement, signed "Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades - Al-Qaeda".The authenticity of the statement, published Thursday, could not be verified.
How exactly does one "verify" such a statement?
"After the expiry of the ultimatum by our sheikh Osama bin Laden ... and because you have not returned to reason, we declare a violent war on you as well as your people ... who, by their silence, support you," it said.
"'Cuz we're lions of Islam, with turbans and guns and bombs an' stuff, an' you ain't got none! An' we can slap our wives around whenever we want an' cut their noses off and toss acid on them, an' you can't! An' our prophet can beat up your prophet!"
An audiotaped statement issued April 15 by the Al-Qaeda terror chief gave European governments three months to withdraw their troops from Muslim states. The ultimatum was later authenticated by the US Central Intelligence Agency.
"Ummm... Yasss... It's our considered organizational opinion that it was, indeed, a statement..."
#4
More reason to go on the offensive... on the home front and abroad. To quote Rawhide: "Don't try to understand 'em,
Just rope and throw and grab 'em,
Soon we'll be living high and wide".
Posted by: Howard UK ||
07/29/2004 10:02 Comments ||
Top||
#5
#2. Good question.Nothing from him for some time.Maybe his dialysis machine crapped out.
#11
Think so - will spend another fruitless hour of my boss's time trying to locate - I read the Iran stuff on RB definitely. Would like to agree with JM but I think the Iranaians may be doing a six million dollar man job on him to return as some kind of Robo-Mahdi.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
07/29/2004 10:47 Comments ||
Top||
#12
Yup had Rawhide on TV in the Uk - and Bonanza!
Posted by: Howard UK ||
07/29/2004 10:47 Comments ||
Top||
#13
I can vouch for that. But Howard - you learned the lyrics?! I'm impressed.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
07/29/2004 10:57 Comments ||
Top||
#16
Howard - I read the article and looked out a few others, but can't find one that specifically says Hamdan whisked a swooning Binny out of Tora Bora.
#18
"We will create waterfalls of blood that will drag you to their depths. You have condemned your people to that. The infidel Europe has done the same to its people by following America. We will destroy European cities, starting by you, Berlusconi," the statement said. "The cities will bleed until all of you, European leaders and people, come to your senses. Withdraw your deadly missions from Iraq."
Are these people retarded, or just so far around the bend that they can't see the consequences? The western world (& nuclear powers) do not have their backs to the wall...do these dingbats want to get to that point, the end result being the arabian area turned into glass and parking lots? Unreal.
#22
From a "strategic" standpoint a major attack on a European city would be very stupid. The destruction of the Vatican or anything in that league will probably mean the end "peaceful islamization" of Europe (rabbit-style).
And say what you will about the French: A WMD attack on Paris and the French will NOT wait and see what the UN will do...
And forget about the West PAYING for oil in the future... can you spell "reparations"?
#23
Sadly, however, until there is a serious hit, each country will still muddle along, deporting rather than incarcerating and grilling, etc. Once hit, they either get serious or fold.
I like the fact that they seem to want Berlusconi so badly. All those Italian-made spaghetti westerns were very popular at home. A few cowboys are a good thing when under attack. A lot of cowboys is even better. Now if the EU will just allow the populace to arm itself...
#24
DNA scattered by high explosives will not reassemble itself into a previous form.
Well it could, but it would be unlikely before the end of this particular universe.
Posted by: God whats wrong with craps ||
07/29/2004 11:55 Comments ||
Top||
#25
.com you are absolutely right. I think it is something in the western psyche where we turn the other cheek...up to a point. The Jihadis will cross that line sometime and my guess is that it will be sooner rather than later. TGA is also correct about the French. If there is some really serious hit in France, look for mass round up and deportation operations to commence. Sadly Europe knows about those kind of things. This time it just might save them.
Posted by: remote man ||
07/29/2004 12:05 Comments ||
Top||
#26
Return to reason or we will kill all those silent anti war protestors. Your fault not ours.
#31
My old friend Madellyn, who was part of the Clinton administration, but who doesn't want to be revealed, assures me Osama is in Karl Roves basement, just waiting to be rolled out in October, or on the 3rd night of the RNC, if polling numbers indicate a bounce is needed...
#35
Best part of Edwards' speech: telling al-Qaeda, "we will destroy you."
Guys, guys, guys, if you want to threaten al-Qaeda, you send DICK CHENEY.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/29/2004 15:18 Comments ||
Top||
#36
TGA, yup, I liked that part.
If we can do it with a kmore united country thats better. And maybe even spend the resources needed to do it. Maybe even try to get State and Defense working in the same direction.
#39
Like Adriane, I always thought it was "Just rope and throw and brand 'em," which makes a lot more sense if you know anything about cattle ranching.
#40
If we can do it with a kmore united country thats better. And maybe even spend the resources needed to do it. Maybe even try to get State and Defense working in the same direction.
None of that's Bush's fault, LH. The country's split because the Donks decided power was more important than the country itself, and State's problems come from its internal preferences and, to be blunt, corruption.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
07/29/2004 17:43 Comments ||
Top||
#41
I think "brand 'em" might be the way Elwood sang it in the Blues Brothers movie, which is the prime exposure point for many.
#42
RC - My sentiments too. IMO the Dems are far more to blame for the current polarisation of US opinion than the 'pubs. They're utterly irresponsible out of power; heaven knows what shit they'd start pulling if the got it.
#47
Steve White: Best part of Edwards' speech: telling al-Qaeda, "we will destroy you."
He left out the rest of the Democratic playbook: "with really, really stern language, causing you to die laughing at our meaningless threats". Clinton was great at doing that. He got it off his chest, and did nothing.
A Danish pizza maker who was jailed last year in a war protest has been fired from his new job for re-offending. Aage Bjerre refused to serve French and German tourists because of their governments' opposition to the Iraq war. The passionate supporter of America's Iraq policy moved to the Faroe Islands last October after serving eight days in a minimum security jail for refusing to serve the tourists on Fanoe island, western Denmark. He had refused to pay a £500 fine. After completing his sentence, he was employed at a pizzeria in Klaksvik, a town of 5,000 inhabitants. But last weekend a group of German tourists arrived in his pizzeria and Mr Bjerre refused to serve them. He was fired again. He said: "They [the restaurant] knew my point of view when they hired me and that was OK until the first tourists came."
Posted by: Bulldog ||
07/29/2004 6:27:10 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Oops. In-article link's not what I intended. It should be this:
#2
I mean #13 is dupliocated at #1, of course. What happened to the original #1? Was there a different #1 before Frank's contribution started cloning? Can Frank's replicating 13 be stopped?
#3
Find out in next week's instalment of "Bulldog's HTML Nightmare"...
Posted by: Howard UK ||
07/29/2004 7:24 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Dunno about the Case of the Cloning Comments, lol...
O/T - Mr Aage Bjerre should apply to immigrate to the US. He could make a more substantial case for political persecution than 95% of the Muslim immigrants.
For me, this is the punchline:
The Danish GOVERNMENT fined him for his politics! I can see the pizzaria owner firing him for refusing to serve customers, no sweat as it's not his pizzaria - but WTF is the GOVERNMENT doing involved? That's just fucking INSANE!
Bravo for your courage, Mr Bjerre!!! C'mon over, my man! We'll find you a job or, better yet, help you get a loan to build your own pizzaria!
#5
Apparently no Danish equivalent of the First Amendment exists? Does the EU have such a guarantee either?
Posted by: Dar ||
07/29/2004 9:50 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Apparently no Danish equivalent of the First Amendment exists? Does the EU have such a guarantee either?
I expect Aris'll trawl through the latest draft of the proposed constitution and find some sub-clause appended to paragraph 414b, subsection 8 of Chapter Five (The Rights of Protectees ('clients' or 'individuals') and Restrictions Thereof) outlining, together with some platitudinous and aspirational terms speech and opinions (uttered or presumed) sanctioned and deemed acceptable by the state concerning itself or others without incitement or offense as to be prescribed and allocated in due course by the designated committees under jurisdiction of the supreme European Court of Human Rights or senior legislative body where appropriate...
Canada warned on Tuesday it would ratchet up pressure on Iran over the killing of a jailed Iranian-Canadian photographer, and called on Tehran to respect international human rights norms.
Or else ... what?
"McKenzie! Bring me my mukluks!"
But Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew's promise of action fell far short of measures demanded by the press, his opposition counterpart and the family of Zahra Kazemi, who died while in Iranian custody last year. "We are going to work with our partners across the world, in the European Union and in the United Nations to increase the pressure on Iran," Pettigrew told reporters in Montreal.
Bet that idea has 'em quaking in their curly-toed slippers...
"Iran must accept its responsibilities in line with its own laws, but also in line with the UN Declaration of Human Rights," Pettigrew said in his first public comments on the issue since Mohammad Reza Aghdam Ahmadi, 42, was acquitted.
"Or else!"
"Or else what?"
"Or they can expect a resolution, by Gawd!"
Kazemi, 54, a freelance photographer with dual nationality, died in July last year from a brain hemorrhage from a blow to her skull after her arrest for taking photos outside Tehran's notorious Evin prison. The judiciary initially claimed Kazemi died of a stroke, but a government report later revealed she had been struck by a blunt object. Her mother says Kazemi's body showed evidence of torture in several places, including broken bones. Kazemi's family has demanded justice, and charged the Canadian government with doing little to call Tehran to account. "I'm questioning myself on the honest intention of the Canadian government," Kazemi's son, Stephan Hachemi, said on Tuesday. "It's a shame."
They mean well. That's the important thing.
The chief Conservative Party spokesman for foreign affairs, Stockwell Day, accused Pettigrew of "failing to take immediate and decisive action."
"Actually, he failed to do much of anything."
Three UN human rights experts earlier on Tuesday said they were profoundly concerned at the acquittal verdict.
Concern and $3.95 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks, until the prices go up again...
The UN special rapporteurs on the right to freedom of opinion and expression, on the independence of judges and lawyers, and on torture expressed "their profound concern regarding the unanswered questions which have resulted from the acquittal of an Iranian intelligence officer on 24 July after a two-day trial."
Keep stonewalling, Iran, and the special rappers will be extremely concerned.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/29/2004 12:07:46 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
It was an accident, you Krazy Kannuks...AC-SEE-DENT. Happens all of the time to infidels in Muslim countries. It was just a careless smoker that led to all of the deaths in Sudan...not the Janjaweeds. Your photographer was just a careless person.
In fact you Kannuks ought to hold in front of the Hague for Hate Speech Crimes against Islam.
#2
All that's left for Canada is trade shut down with Iran. Iran is a big ME trade partner with Canada. And not only that, but trade with polite friendly little Canada gives some aura of "legitimacy" to the mullah madmen running Iran. If Canada treated Iran as though it had leprosy, perhaps Iran might hold a "re-trial." Who knows?
Once again I defend Canada because it was and still is a great nation and a darn good ally of the USA, Quebec notwithstanding. But I lay blame re: Canada's toothless paper tiger stature at the feet of Monsieur Jean Chretien, who reduced a once proud nation to joke material for the likes of Leno and Letterman. Chretien is Kerry with a bad accent, so we Americans should not get too pompous and point the finger at Canada and ask how a loser like Chretien could get so much political power. Remember we have John Kerry[say who?]running for President. Chretien is no worse than Kerry.
"Canada gets no respect because Canada has no guts. Tell me, who's afraid of Canada's anger? Nobody. Everybody knows Canada is weak, or how you say it -- a pussycat?"
He's railing from behind the counter at a west-end convenience store. He's 37 years old and a Canadian citizen who emigrated to this country from Iran where he'd been a mechanical engineer. Articulate, fluent in English, he's taking classes to upgrade his skill to Canadian standards...But Iran does know that Canada's protesting voice passes gums without teeth. What should Canada's response be to the Kazemi travesty? He shakes his head. "If she was the daughter of the Canadian foreign affairs minister and this happened, would Canada be afraid to do anything like it is now? I am so ashamed of Canada. Canada should end all relations with Iran. Canada should stop all exporting to Iran and stop importing from Iran. But Canada is afraid to hurt Iran. It makes my stomach sick."
The department of foreign affairs' website says Canada's main export by far to Iran is wheat and that we exported some $500 million worth in 2001 while importing from Iran mainly hand-woven carpets, raisins, dates, pistachios, and organic chemicals at a value of $121 million. In fact, says the website, Iran is Canada's largest export market in the North Africa/Middle East region. Hypocrisy and realpolitik: The website says Canada instituted a policy of "controlled engagement" with Iran in 1996, but that the policy "does not reflect any dimunition in our concern about Iranian government opposition to the Middle East peace process, its support of terrorism, its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, or its human rights record." ...Canada's prime exports? BS and hot air.
A lesson for American voters in November.
Posted by: rex ||
07/29/2004 1:21 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Some more salt on the wound:
Zahra Kazemi's son left a meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew angry and unhappy Tuesday after failing to get a commitment for government action in his mother's death....Hachemi said he expected immediate answers to his demands. When he emerged more than two hours later, Hachemi said..."The minister failed me and failed to have my mother's rights respected,".... Source
Posted by: Rafael ||
07/29/2004 1:25 Comments ||
Top||
#4
I would hope Canada can get an equitable deal in this sad affair.
Is that cool enough. Canada, your in this fight, start acting like it. Stop being campus PC and start being the hard boyz that was the Canada from your past, with red coats and black boots, no fucking around!
#8
"We are going to work with our partners across the world, in the European Union and in the United Nations to increase the pressure on Iran," Pettigrew told reporters in Montreal.
Yep. Well good luck with that. Let us know how you make out, eh?
#12
Canada could put the scare of God into their indigenous Muslim population and send a clear message to Iran by simply repealing thier gun control laws. They could go one step further by creating "a militia of the people, where every Canadian Citizen is a member capable of defending the homeland from attack", and ISSUING them guns and ammo, like the Swiss do. The Swiss haven't been attacked in 700 years. There's a very good reason for it, and it's only partially terrain. When every citizen's a warrior, and when every citizen's TRAINED to be a warrior, it's one hell of a mess to try to fight your way through them. Would only that we had such a citizenry!
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/29/2004 15:40 Comments ||
Top||
Posted by: Stephen ||
07/29/2004 22:54 Comments ||
Top||
#16
Thank you for the "dented ship" link, #14,because it shows perfectly the huge burden suffered by the Cdn. military due to the Liberal Party oafs who were in office soooo long,first under Comrade Trudeau and if that idiot didn't deliver lethal blows to the military, then along came Comrade Chretien for 8 years to really finish off the job.
Within that particular article is another sad story re: the SeaKing helicopters, which were the most dangerous thingies in the air for Cdn. soldiers because the SeaKings were 40 years old, can you believe it!!! From the CBC article:
...The military has been lobbying Ottawa to replace the aging fleet of Sea Kings for two decades. The aircraft are 40 years old, and require about 30 hours of maintenance for every hour in the air. Opposition parties pounced on the federal government during question period Thursday, accusing the Liberals of playing politics with the lives of pilots and other military personnel. But the government said there are always risks associated with flying, and that the Sea Kings are still safe.
"Clearly this is a negative development," Defence Minister John McCallum said, expressing relief that no one had been seriously hurt. "We will do everything possible to continue in the mission."
The doofus whom Chretien appointed Defense Minister, McCallum, was a former economist/banker, who had never served in the military and wouldn't know the difference between a SeaKing and a kingfisher. McCallum's appointment was an example of the transparent contempt which the Liberal Party held for the military.
Read McCallum's background and interests and it will make you better understand why Canada's defense/military is held together with clothes pins and glue.
logon: nottimes
password: nottimes
courtesy bugmenot
too long to post.
Via Jihad watch
Posted by: tipper ||
07/29/2004 11:30:26 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Ms. Edmonds worked as a contract linguist for the F.B.I. for about six months, translating material in Turkish, Persian and Azerbaijani. She was dismissed in 2002 after she complained repeatedly that bureau linguists had produced slipshod and incomplete translations of important terrorism intelligence before and after the Sept. 11 attacks. She also accused a fellow Turkish linguist in the bureau's Washington field office of blocking the translation of material involving acquaintances who had come under F.B.I. suspicion and said the bureau had allowed diplomatic sensitivities with other nations to impede the translation of important terrorism intelligence. \
Contractors who blow-the-whistle never last long.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/29/2004 20:57 Comments ||
Top||
7/27/2004 - EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) -- Officials have preferred charges against Maj. Gregory McMillion after an investigation found evidence he allegedly shipped contraband items here from an Operation Iraqi Freedom deployment. Major McMillion is assigned to the base's 728th Air Control Squadron.
The suspected contraband includes Iraqi AK-47s, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, Iraqi uniforms, rifles, knives and bayonets. These items were found last fall by 728th ACS Airmen unpacking mission equipment after their deployment.
"Hey, what's this?"
A little more than the average war trophy, it appears ...
The squadron was deployed for seven months to Baghdad International Airport and provided air battle management and theater command, control and communications for U.S. Central Command.
Major McMillion was charged with failing to obey a lawful general order and a lawful general regulation, failing to report and turn over captured or abandoned property, and dealing in captured or abandoned property. He was also charged with making false official statements, wrongful disposition of military property and conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. The charges are violations of Articles 92, 103, 107, 108 and 133 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
Well, kiss your career goodbye.
Under military law, charges that have been preferred are merely accusations. The major is presumed innocent until and if proven guilty in a court of law, said 33rd Fighter Wing officials. Look at the photos with the story. Quite a haul.
#4
My grandfather used blackmail in WWI. Turned out his sergeant was bringing back trophies including a fur coat for his lady. On the other hand gramps didn't plan to become a munitions dealer. Maybe they should ask this guy to see his partnership agreement.
Posted by: Mr. Davis ||
07/29/2004 11:19 Comments ||
Top||
#5
How in the hell did he get that much stuff shipped back[?]
#6
How in the hell did he get that much stuff shipped back over here before anyone else noticed it?
Simple, he had it tucked into any open space in the units equipment before they rotated back. Bet he leaned on the airmen building up the pallet loads. It wouldn't surprise me if one of them dropped a dime on him, I would have. Payback is a bitch.
Posted by: Steve ||
07/29/2004 12:10 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Steve, I have seen it happen before. Especially inthe first gulf war. Without giving number/names let's just say there are more than a few war trophies taken home by units deployed there. One guy thought he was being enterprising by packing an ENTIRE pallet of war trophies. Of course the load master discovered it before it was loaded. That Airman lost some stripes and some pay. The key word on war trophies is portion control. You can probably get a knife or a small item back with little problem. a rocket launcher or an AK? That stuff tends to 'stick out' and will probably make the dogs alert on it.
EFL
Iran has defied weak, pathetic international pressure and resumed testing a facility for converting uranium, a key part of the process of enriching the element for use as fuel or in a nuclear bomb, diplomats said Thursday. As my father used to say: "You are cruisin' for a bruisin'."
The European Union's impish "big three" -- France, Britain and Germany -- strongly criticized Iran when it tested the site in March, saying it sent the wrong signal and would make it harder for Tehran to regain international confidence. Yep. Nothing says "wrong signal" like enriching uranium. Hey, I can see the Hallmark card already: "You are bi&^% if you enrich!"
Iran promised the EU three in October it would suspend all activities related to uranium enrichment. But Iran says it still has the right to produce uranium hexafluoride and build centrifuges. The IAEA says the suspension was meant to apply to both. After Iran told the IAEA in April it intended to conduct the tests, the IAEA governing board passed a resolution in June that "calls on Iran ... voluntarily to reconsider its decision." Ooooooo! That's some really spooky tough language. Must of sent chills through everyone's turbins.
Posted by: Dragon Fly ||
07/29/2004 11:14:13 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Time to spool up the jet engines, boys. Mission planning will have details shortly.
#2
I ask this seriously...Are the blackhats in Iran:
- Really stupid and have a deathwish?
- Think Allah is going to protect them?
- Think the court of world opinion will prevent preemptive action by the IDF, or the US, or NATO, or the UN?
- Think the US is overtaxed and frozen by the election and will not shoot first, or allow the IDF to shoot?
- Think the US is too scared to do anything?
- Don't care?
#5
I think the Mullahs in Iran and the terrorists in Iraq along with various other sundry asshats are positive that keery will win in November and when he does that Bush will be paralized and inactive. And it has a very good chance of happening. After 1/20/05 if Kerry is in office don't be suprised if within a year Iran and the NorKs both test weapons that have suprisingly close yields. But not to worry, the UN will handle it.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2004 21:55 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Mousa Abu Marzoq, Hamas politburo member, welcomed on Wednesday the agreement between President Yasser Arafat and his Premier, Ahmad Qurei to end the government crisis. â The agreement foiled an Israeli attempt to use the crisis to start a civil war, in particular between Hamas and Fateh,â Hamas official told journalists at his office in Damascus, Syria.
First, I'm sure Gaza will just be a love-fest now that the two chumps have reconciled.
Second, I would think that Israel would be very much inconvenienced by a Gaza Civil War. Don't some Israeli companies use labor from Gaza? Additionally, all the chunks of people flying around will attract all the flies from Egypt.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/30/2004 3:18 Comments ||
Top||
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2004 21:50 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
But of course! What's the rub, you say? Well, here it is, in Erekat's own words:
âThe Palestinians cannot imagine a peace process without the full participation of the EU. Europe has contributed enormously since the beginning,â Erekat said.
Prominent religious figures and senior officials warned Sunday of Israeli plot to destroy and judaize Al Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site in Islam, demanding an immediate action from the Muslim world to prevent the Israeli harm. The warning came in response to the Israeli Public Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi's warning that extremist Jews might be plotting a deadly attack on Al-Aqsa Mosque to kill the Middle East peace process stone-dead and derail Israeli proposed pullout of the Gaza Strip Palestinian officials say the current Israeli government is using the extremist Jews to put its grip on the Mosque . "The Israeli government is hiding behind the extremist JewsâŠthey are using them to control the mosque, so if anything happens to the Mosque, they will receive the blame instead of the Jewish government," a Palestinian official told The Jerusalem Times.
The highest Muslim authority in the holy land, Sheikh Ikrema Sabri, said the Israeli warning is driven by ill intentions to put the holy place under the occupation grip and not out of Israeli concerns at the mosque's safety. "A case in point is Israel 's deployment of more troops to the mosque after Al-Ibrahimi incident, but occupation authorities denied Muslims access to it and imposed stringent and humiliating search measures," Sabri told IslamOnline.net.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2004 9:48:07 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
The day Jews, Christians and Buddhists can can enter a mosque in defiance of Islam will be a good day. There is nothing quite like the fussy fury of Muslims who believe their "place of worship" has been defiled by infidels-which should make us want to do it all the more. Armed and a step ahead in the engagement.
Former Security Affairs Minister, Muhammad Dahlan, strongly denied on Sunday that he was the driving force behind a wave of protests in the Gaza Strip against corruption among the leadership. Different Palestinian and international analysts said that Dahlan encouraged Fateh gunmen and members of various security forces to protest against alleged corruption in the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). "It's an honor I don't claim, (an accusation) leveled by the defeated," Dahlan told the pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat, in response to the accusations that he was behind the unrest. "Except to the small incident in Rafah, where gunmen fought with members of the Intelligence security, the popular revolt came after ten years of repeated demands to reform the PNA. Occupation and corruption entrenches each other." Corruption is not restricted to the financial sphere, but exists in the administrative, political and moral levels as well, he added. He said the solution to the problem does not lie in firing bullets or making charges against those demanding reforms. "We must be courageous enough to admit that we made mistakes here and there," he said. Dahlan called on President Arafat to "take a pause and think about the future of the Palestinians," adding he has no problem with Arafat, but rather with the corrupt officials around him.
"There is no problem between me and Abu Amar," he said, referring to Arafat by his nom de guerre. "My dispute is with "the corrupt class which wants the symbol of the Palestinian people (Arafat) to remain blockaded so they can continue to enjoy their financial privileges. They also want the occupation to continue so that they will have an excuse not to hold elections in Fateh." He also denied pressing for a senior position in the Palestinian government. "I am a man who is looking for real change according to a view and curriculum that includes firing all corrupt officials.. I dare anyone to say that I have ever demanded a position in any government or to be a member of any political delegation," he said stressing he wants to be an outsider. Dahlan scoffed at allegations that he was "Washington's man" in the Gaza Strip, saying he did not need help from anyone in his campaign against corruption. "The US has failed in everything and is not my model," he said. "I don't need the US or any other country. For me the support of Palestinian children from Rafah to Jenin is sufficient." Dahlan's remarks were the first he has made since the outbreak of the chaos in the Gaza Strip last week.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2004 9:41:51 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
Fatah insurgents have acquired short-range missiles from the Islamic opposition. Palestinian sources said Fatah's Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades have received several dozens of Kassam-class short-range missiles from Hamas over the last month. The sources said the Kassam missiles were transferred to Fatah as part of operational cooperation between the two groups. "There was an assessment that Hamas activists did not have the same freedom of movement as Al Aqsa, so a transfer of missiles was arranged," a Palestinian source said. On Wednesday, Palestinian gunners fired two Kassam missiles from the Gaza Strip into Israel. The missiles were said to have landed in the western Negev desert and no injuries or damage was reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2004 9:41:12 PM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
155mm artillery does wonderful things for urban combat. Suggest the Israelis use it frequently..
Posted by: ed ||
07/29/2004 21:59 Comments ||
Top||
#2
The missiles were said to have landed in the western Negev desert and no injuries or damage was reported.
Chances are these things are more dangerous to the shooter then the shootee. But they are a "Martyrs Brigade".
EFL. easily FISKed. I would, except my browser (Safari) won't allow me to use effects. good luck! Waking Up From the American Dream By SASHA ABRAMSKY
Last year I visited London and stumbled upon an essay in a Sunday paper written by Margaret Drabble, one of Britain's pre-eminent ladies of letters.
Ummm... She's a nut, isn't she?
"My anti-Americanism has become almost uncontrollable," she wrote. "It has possessed me, like a disease. It rises up in my throat like acid reflux, that fashionable American sickness. I now loathe the United States and what it has done to Iraq and the rest of the helpless world."
At least you're fashionable...
The essay continued in the same rather bilious vein for about a thousand words, and as I read it, two things struck me: The first was how appalled I was by Drabble's crassly oversimplistic analysis of what America was all about, of who its people were, and of what its culture valued; the second was a sense somewhat akin to fear as I thought through the implications of the venom attached to the words of this gentle scribe of the English bourgeoisie. After all, if someone whose country and class have so clearly benefited economically from the protections provided by American military and political ties reacts so passionately to the omnipresence of the United States, what must an angry, impoverished young man in a failing third world state feel?
#1
In the immediate aftermath of September 11, an outpouring of genuine, if temporary, solidarity from countries and peoples across the globe swathed America in an aura of magnificent victimhood.
Magnificent victimhood? No fuckin' thanks, lady. You want to wallow in it, feel free. Count me out, looney tune.
#3
"In the years since I stood on my rooftop in Brooklyn watching the World Trade Center towers burn so apocalyptically, I have spent at least a part of every day wrestling with a host of existential questions. "
How about this one, existentialist: how can the overwhelming solidarity the rest of the world felt for us on September 11th have been so easily dissolved?
I got your answer for you: it wasn't genuine solidarity in the first place. It was a show you put on for each other to convince each other how advanced, how sympathetic, how humane you were, concerned with the tragedy of others, while in your hearts, as the author has exposed, you secretly had the "craving to see America... humbled". I would go further-you wanted to see it suffer.
#1
I say more power to the guy. Sikhs have no universal ambitions to establish their religion uber alles and they have a long distinguished tradtion of serving their governments well no matter if it is secular or otherwise. This doesn't mean that they never resort to violence in their defense, but they have demonstrated that they can be rationally dealt with and that they value assimilation into whatever society they live in.
Has anyone ever heard of a lick of trouble these folks have caused in our country?
However I have to wonder just how authoritative some cop in a turban would be in New York but thats just me I guess. Probably wouldn't make much of a difference.
#2
You are right, #1, Sikhs have not caused trouble for America[though they have been problematic in Canada on occasion but that's another story] BUT once again this is a perfect example of immigrants not assimilating into their new home. If they want to wear their turbans then they can stay as low paid taxi drivers. If they want to move up the economic pecking order of our society, then they bloody well need to conform to the rules for the profession that have been in place for the past 100 years - policemen in NYC wear hats not turbans. End of story. Get with the program or stay a taxi driver. This uber cultural "sensitivity" nonsense is plain misguided and disrespectful of America's history and culture.
Posted by: rex ||
07/29/2004 13:40 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Sikhs in the British military are allowed to wear turbans instead of berets, helmets etc. Fair enough , IMO - they accept the possible consequences of not wearing a helmet. Because they don't shave, gas masks are pointless, too. Again, they know the risks. It's central to their religion that they do not cut their hair. A bit strange, maybe, but at least it's not anti-social (Beyond letting down your mates in battle because you've got shrapnel in your head and are choking on mustard gas...).
#5
Sikhs in the British military are allowed to wear turbans instead of berets, helmets etc
No offense, BullDog, but NYC is not the UK, and India was not one of our former colonies. What I'm saying is that because of the British Empire being a big part of UK history, there has been a natural co-mingling of colonists' traditions in UK society.
However, a turban on a NYC cop's head has no historical precedent. Sorry but I think this is a bunch of PC nonsense that flies in the face of commonly accepted US history and tradition.
Posted by: rex ||
07/29/2004 14:03 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Not all Sikhs follow these hair rules. I have met several who don't.
True. More than a few 'forget' they shouldn't visit the barber once a month. LOL. Doesn't mean the rest should be obliged to too.
Rex - if devout Sikhs want to serve in the NYPD, I'd say that's good news all round. It may seem like PC nonsense, but people would soon get used to it. The NYPD must know that having Sikhs on side is no bad thing.
#8
Check how many sikhs have won the Victoria Cross - there's a few 'Singhs' in there. A noble and warlike breed.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
07/29/2004 14:25 Comments ||
Top||
#9
Make no mistake about my previous comments. I have no issue with Sikh's fighting prowess and valour...that's a given. I just don't think they should be allowed to wear turbans as NYC police. Perhaps the Sikhs could get an exemption from their clerics to be allowed to not wear turbans on the job? But I don't think the tradition of the NYC police force should be turned upside down to accomodate police applicants' religious garb requirements. It should be the other way around. You want the job, here are the rules of dress. It's up to you to find a way around the uniform requirements if you want the job. End of story.
Posted by: rex ||
07/29/2004 15:12 Comments ||
Top||
#10
Agree with the sentiments Rex - letting the Sikhs wear turbans means ultimately we'll have burkha-clad and cross dressing bobbies. We've probably shafted ourselves somewhat unwittingly.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
07/29/2004 15:44 Comments ||
Top||
#11
Peggy, in answer to your question - yup. Seattle - a tribe of taxi cab drivers moved into Seattle from Canada and threatened used those knives they carry "to fight injustice" to carve out their own slice (no pun intended) of the hack trade. - this from one of the few non-turbanized cab drivers left in the town.
#12
I've never had anything but good experiences with Sikh's here in California; they are fine citizens 99.9% of the time. I say as long as a Sikh policeman stops muggers, rapists, and burglers effectively then let him keep his funny headgear & chops. There haven't been any noticable assimilation problems with them here.
#13
I saw these guys on TV and the turbans matched their uniforms. I certainly think they ought to be able to wear the turbans especially since they have been doing so for years and are employed by government. I'm sure so idiot will make a mockery of this type of tolerance and try to show up for work at Wal-Mart, a private employer, in drag - not tastefully, of course, but more likely decked out like Celine Dion or Cher.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/29/2004 20:51 Comments ||
Top||
Now he has one.BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein suffers from a chronic prostate infection and has refused to have a biopsy to rule out any chance he has cancer, an Iraqi official said in an interview Thursday on Al-Jazeera television. X-rays and blood tests carried out by U.S. military doctors did not show anything more serious than the infection and Saddam seemed to be in good health otherwise, Iraqi Human Rights Minister Bakhtiar Amin said.
He said blood tests came back negative for cancer, but officials wanted to take a biopsy to be safe.
"Pass the dull needle, please"
Posted by: Steve ||
07/29/2004 11:52:20 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
How about a red hot poker instead?
Posted by: ed ||
07/29/2004 12:21 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Anybody got that screwdriver we were using on his ear yesterday to fix his stroke?
#3
Borrow a tranquiliser gun off one of Saddam's old lion tamer goons and drop the old tramp in his own cage. When he's out cold you can probe all you like for a few hours. Any objections?
#5
Ah, the life of a peaceful poet/gardner is not without risk...
Posted by: Dar ||
07/29/2004 12:48 Comments ||
Top||
#6
.... Saddam seemed to be in good health otherwise.... I thought it was reported yesterday that Saddam had just had a minor, "death threatening", stroke. WTF is going on here?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
07/29/2004 13:50 Comments ||
Top||
#11
Wasnt there a king of England who was killed by having a hot poker shoved up his a__?
I think henry II, but not sure.
Posted by: N Guard ||
07/29/2004 15:01 Comments ||
Top||
#12
I suggest we use 'The Pear' just to make sure. This little device is used as a 'probe' into various orifices (male or female... ) and then opened up (see the screw?).
EFL - the Syrian music star in question was one of the people seen by the WallSteetwomen writter
The Syrian singer of a band that was detained by the FBI's Terrorism Task Force for suspicious activity during a recent flight to Los Angeles has written about the "glorification" of suicide bombers to liberate Palestine. - the mother of the suicide bomber is sad until she realizes he murdered people for Allan
Posted by: mhw ||
07/29/2004 10:32:39 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Again, what casino hired these guys? I just can't see this guy belting out "Lady Love" or "Having My Baby"...
#2
Suicide bombers kill God's innocents; that doesn't merit a tribute-it merits public condemnation. I wish those passengers had found the garbage pail and pelted the singers for writing such rot.
I love this line from the article: â Homeland Security officials say they have no intelligence that terrorists are conducting dry runs on airplanes.â
Funny, the rest of America has heard about it.
Posted by: B ||
07/29/2004 18:27 Comments ||
Top||
#6
I don't think his gig was at the Alladin. Their patrons don't go for that kind of schtick.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/29/2004 20:58 Comments ||
Top||
#7
So, about the song, what rhymes with "blowthefuckup" - I'm having a little trouble with it...
Islam Online, put on your hipboots, it's deep.
Christian missionaries could flood Darfur under the guise of humanitarian relief in case of any foreign military intervention in the predominantly-Muslim region, a Sudanese expert warned Wednesday, July 28.
"Horrors! Jesuits! Franciscans! The Maryknoll Fathers! The Little Sisters of Mercy! Baptists! Episcopalians! Saaaaaave us!"
"Darfur has been the base of Islamic culture in Sudan for as many decades and is the only region in the country that has no Christians or churches," said Hassan Mekki, a member of the Sudanese Foreign Minister's advisory board.
Darfur, the 12,847th holiest place in Islam.
Speaking in a live dialogue with IslamOnline.net's audience, he warned against a feared wave of proselytization that could lead to a situation similar to what happened in the south. "Until 1919, there were no Christians in the south. Now, there are more than three million people embracing Christianity in the region due to active missionary work," Mekki said.
Says something for the power of choice, doesn't it?
"Southern Sudan has 28 churches, including 20 ones financed by American churches and the Orthodox Church financed by British Anglican church."
The horror!
The Anglicans are sponsoring an Orthodox Church? The ArchDruidBishop is a rather ecumenical fellow, eh?
Posted by: Steve ||
07/29/2004 9:04:24 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
"The expert pointed an accusation finger at British occupation of Sudan, ended in 1956, for allowing missionaries into the country in large numbers in what he described as "a bid to upset the demographic balance in the Arab Islamic country".
Can't be much more direct than that; Darfur will be "cleansed" of blacks, even black Muslims. The UN is complicit because their obligation to stop genocide is overridden by their fear of upsetting Arab Muslims. Just stop for a minute and think about the stacks of corpses in that place. Rantburgers, what are we going to do about this organization which is now not only inept and corrupt, but actually rubberstamping evil? Am I the only one who wants us out of this agency of genocide in the 21st century?
#2
"Gee, if islam are such a great religion, why are you so worried about a little competition?"
Thank you. I have always wondered that myself. How strong can a religion be that must be protected by law from competition and which threatens people with death if they decide to abandon it?
That was also how I knew that we were on the right side of the Cold War. That wall in Berlin wasn't put up to keep the hordes from migrating west to east. Unwillingness to allow differing points of view shows weakness not strength.
#4
"Gee, if islam are such a great religion, why are you so worried about a little competition?"
Dang that is thought pervoking... A religon acting like a protected and subsidized cartel. I would predict that this would artifically raise the cost of entry into paradise.
Seriously anyone read anything about the use of economic models and religion?
That is also an interesting point. Christians lay their lives down and give to whoever needs it, just look at the record. Look at all the Christian hospitals and schools and orphanages all over the world.
Muslim charities such as they are focus almost exclusively on other Muslims as long as they are deemed the deserving types. Muslim charity is based on the receipients deserving the charity. Muslim charities focus mostly on the deserving or righteous poor which basically amounts to other Muslims as long as they are in favor. Just look at the record. How many Muslim charities do you know of the same universal scope as the Christian ones?
Oh and i forgot. Muslims are awfully charitable to Western minorities especially if they are prisoners or soldiers. Of course if you call attention to the fact, they immediately mobilze a battalion from the local mosque to go feed some homeless people provided that the local news comes along.
#12
I fervently want the US out of the UN and the UN out of the US. Unless something really drastic happens I don't believe I'll see it in my lifetime.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
07/29/2004 17:00 Comments ||
Top||
EFL I highlighted an interesting tidbit
In a farm overlooking the Euphrates River in the town of Hit, some 200 kilometres west of Baghdad, Fahd (not his real name) sits in his small hut surrounded by bags of TNT. On the shelves around him are detonator devices, cords, and hand grenades, while the ground is covered with rows of shells for artillery and tanks. Formerly, this 48-year-old amateur demolitions expert made his living selling bombs to fishermen to use for catching fish. But he told an IWPR reporter that his best customers now are guerrillas from neighbouring communities. "The Fallujah resistance [fighters] are my most common customers, and after that mujahideen of Diala [north of Baghdad] who distinguish themselves by planting bombs professionally," said Fahd.
So far, he has not had any buyers from the radical Shiite Mahdi Army, which also has been at war with the Coalition forces. Fahd has worked in explosives for 12 years, both before the fall of Saddam and after. At first, his bombs were used to catch fish - but today he has other customers. "I sell the bombs to the mujahideen, after assembling them and mixing them with even more dangerous materials," Fahd said.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/29/2004 3:56:16 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
I clicked the link to see who the IWPR funding/supporters are, and it is looks very similar to NPRâs. Also includes red thingy and our State Dept. Not very encouraging, if you ask me. I guess they are the International World PR rather than just the National PR.
#1
Long article which might best be described as the intellectual journey from easy, complacent, faux outraged Anybody But Bush to realizing he is probably doing the right thing, and even if it means his own political end, he has the will to do it... and if he's right, then there really is a wolf at the door. Oops!
Very well written, chock full of pick-apart LLL memes which, well, mostly get picked apart, more or less. I found the author's journey fairly honest and enlightening. I took the same journey long ago - before the meme existed and the ABB pressure existed as a cause celebre bolstered by forces from both within and without. Stopping the ABB snowball, once you're involved, must be something like quitting smoking or leaving home. Glad I missed it.
#2
Thanks for noting that article. I am printing it out now to add to the 200+ pages of documentation I am giving to my brother to try to restore his sanity after he drank the Mecca Moore Kool-Aid.
Posted by: DanNY ||
07/29/2004 7:47 Comments ||
Top||
#3
DanNY - :)
The more I reflect on the piece, the more I agree with your intentions - that it would be an excellent article to offer to a struggling / recovering ABBer. There were some leftover bits here 'n there that made me slightly angry - and they would serve the reverse purpose for the others - a touch of comfort. Sort of like saying, "There, there, you're not a total idiot. An idiot, yes, but not a total idiot..." Lol!
The ending, however, makes it plain enough: all the marbles are on the table. Figure it out: what's really important?
#4
Dennis Miller had a great comment about Bush. He said something like even if he loses in November, he's sincere enough about fighting this war that he will still be fighting it just as hard on the morning on January 20th. That said, I am fairly confident that he will be fighting it on the evening of January 20th as well.
Posted by: Tibor ||
07/29/2004 11:25 Comments ||
Top||
#5
The author of that piece, Tom Junod, is one of the best magazine writers out there today. he also did "The Falling Man" for Esquire, which should have won the National Magazine Award it was nominated for.
#6
growler, I knew it!
Both the "Falling Man" and this piece were outstanding!
We can only hope and pray that Junod's writings are seen by and similarly persuade as many ABBers as possible!
Viva Bush!
#7
"There were some leftover bits here 'n there that made me slightly angry..."
For me it was more than just a "few bits"; and I'm very reluctant to join the rest of you in congratulating this veteran Bush-hater for finally seeing the light.
Because I don't think he has, except for perhaps a glimmer. But OK, I'll give him credit for at least making a start on overcoming his prejudices and doing at least a little bit of self-examination. He deserves that much credit.
Big whoop.
What struck me most in this article is something I've seen again and again: people who start out from a position of blind, unreasoning hatred toward Bush always seem to have an extremely hard time figuring out what we are doing in Iraq, why we are doing it, and Iraq's crucial role in the war against Islamic totalitarianism.
Those who can't overcome their hatred of Bush simply cannot figure it out and they react with bafflement, confusion and anger. And their inability to figure it out (an inability carefully and deliberately nurtured by the Democratic Party, by the way) reinforces their hatred for Bush. It's a vicious circle, and maybe Junod now has a chance of breaking out of it.
But he's got a long, long, LONG way to go.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
07/29/2004 17:54 Comments ||
Top||
#8
Dave, I know how you feel...I had kind of the same reaction when I read it, too, especially the first page where he calls President Bush an "asshole."
But Junod reveals how kneejerk and thought-less the whole Bush hate thing is and how right the Bush doctrine has proved.
I'm convinced that many of those in the Bush-hating camp either can't handle reality (The whole "there is no war" mindset) or are just plain afraid since 9/11 and can't get past the fear.
In that many Leftoids read Esquire and also respect this guy's opinion, we can only hope that Junod is doing the Lord's work, as it were, with this piece.
#9
There are so many lefty polemics out there about Bush that have near zero fact to them it is hard to pick one out to focus upon. The one that I hear a lot (SF Bay Area - deep in the heart of the nuthouse) is that Bush runs the government based upon his faith and that he shoving religion down people's throats. Sometimes the criticism is just a vague "I don't like his whole religous thing". There is rarely any specificity to it and certainly no hard evidence of it when challenged. I think it was Bill Maher who slammed him because he is Born Again, making it sound like he handled snakes and is looking at his watch waiting for the Final Days. But it is all just nebulous claims that I hear, like a background feeling that the people can't put into words. I chalk it up to the power of the media to present and continue to reinforce a negative stereotype.
Posted by: remote man ||
07/29/2004 18:42 Comments ||
Top||
#10
The one that I hear a lot (SF Bay Area - deep in the heart of the nuthouse) is that Bush runs the government based upon his faith and that he shoving religion down people's throats...But it is all just nebulous claims that I hear, like a background feeling that the people can't put into words. I chalk it up to the power of the media to present and continue to reinforce a negative stereotype.
However, #9, the Left wingers were not threatened by Billy Jeff's overt expression of religious faith, like when he lugged around that hefty Bible where ever he went, especially after the Lewinsky scandal.
Seriously though, I agree with you, #9, about religion being used as a smear tactic against GWB, as though he is planning to "infect" America with an evil illness. I think some of the reasons the Left has this demented fear of GWB's personal faith:
a) that he was once a womanizing heavy drinking superficial gadfly in his youth, who eventually found his moral compass thru religion pisses them off big time, because they can't or won't do with their undisciplined, sorry lives what GWB did with his life. Many left wingers lead decadent lives, especially in the SF area, if I may be so "indelicate" to mention. Billy jeff and his a-moral life, which he never changed, made the left feel more comfortable with their foibles.
b)many folks in the media are Jewish and I 've read that many Jewish liberals loathe/fear church going Christians even more than aethiets or Muslims, who actually are a threat to them, the former due to general malaise-disinterest and the latter due to well enunciated religious hate. According to a Jewish writer, whose writing I like alot in Frontpage, Mr. Lawrence Auster, Jews associate WWII Nazi atrocities with Christians generally and continue to hold modern day Christians like GWB with contempt.
Well, for what it's worth, those are the 2 nebulous emotionally based reasons I see that GWB is ridiculed/hated/feared for his "born again" Christian faith, because there is certainly no rational reason.
Posted by: rex ||
07/29/2004 20:27 Comments ||
Top||
#11
The attack was not a gesture of heroic resistance nor the offshoot of some bright utopian resolve, but the very flower of a movement that delights in the potential for martyrdom expressed in the squalls of the newly born. It is a movement that is about deathâthat honors death, that loves death, that fetishizes death, that worships death, that seeks to accomplish death wherever it can, on a scale both intimate and globalâand if it does not warrant the expenditure of what the self-important have taken to calling "blood and treasure," then what does?
This is a two-fer...
First, via the BBC, we have the story of 200 Jews who've departed Phrawnce for Israel. via BBC - EFL. Israel takes in 200 French Jews A plane carrying 200 French Jewish immigrants has landed in Israel, at a time of strained diplomatic relations between Israel and France.
They were personally greeted by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who recently urged French Jews to flee to Israel to escape rising anti-Semitism. In his welcoming speech, Mr Sharon moved to reduce tensions with France. French police meanwhile said a Jewish cemetery had been vandalised in the town of Saverne, near Strasbourg.
...more...
Second we have a bit of Diplo-BS - which Chirac happily swallows, as appearance is everything, substance is nothing. via Expatica - EFL Sharon praises Chirac's efforts to fight anti-Semitism
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon paid tribute Wednesday to French President Jacques Chirac's efforts to combat anti-Semitism, as he greeted some 200 new Jewish immigrants from France. "We have seen over the past few years a renewed outbreak of anti-Semitism and we greatly value the mobilisation of Jacques Chirac and his government against anti-Semitism," he said in a welcoming speech at Ben Gurion airport outside Tel Aviv. ...more...
Now that, ladies and gentlemen, is nuance.
Posted by: .com ||
07/29/2004 6:30:55 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Chiraq must have paid for the tickets.
Posted by: Mr. Davis ||
07/29/2004 7:34 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Article: We have seen over the past few years a renewed outbreak of anti-Semitism and we greatly value the mobilisation of Jacques Chirac and his government against anti-Semitism," he said in a welcoming speech at Ben Gurion airport outside Tel Aviv.
Mainly by standing aside and doing nothing, thus encouraging Jews to leave France. No Jews, no anti-Semitism. I never thought Sharon capable of irony. Netanyahu, maybe, but not Sharon.
#5
words matter. A great power cant let itself be dissed in public, or it loses respect as a great power, and that translates into a loss of REAL power. Too bad some Americans dont understand that wrt America.
anyway, yeah for Arik (always more nuanced than most give him credit for, IMHO) and thanks to dot com for this juxtaposition.
#7
200 middle class, westernized Jews is always a good thing for Israel.
It's a good deal for any country it gives a foot in the door to the secrets of the federal reserve.
/do i haf ta?
[EFL] And it ain't Al Franken they're listening to.
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Whenever he dared to speak of corruption on the airwaves during Saddam Hussein's regime, Majid Salim, the most famous talk show host in Iraq, would be taken out of his studio and beaten in the middle of his on-air programs. He never imagined that one day he would host a program where callers complain about the government. For two and a half hours every morning, Mr. Salim hosts his favorite program of the day: "Service Hours." Usually a couple of ministry officials are invited to the studio where they attempt to solve the problems of the callers. "Hey Norm, I gotta problem with this here anti-profiling directive..."
Just three months ago Radio Dijla, or Radio Tigris, leaped onto Baghdad's airwaves. The radio station is privately owned by Ahmad Al-Rikaby, 34, an experienced journalist who was born to a wealthy Shiite family in Prague and raised in Europe. After the war, he helped the coalition set up a string of American-backed radio and television stations known as the Iraqi Media Network. But Mr. Al-Rikaby was not satisfied and left the IMN. In the 15 months since the end of the war, all the broadcast press networks were either backed by America, a political party, or a religious group. Independent media -- good idea.
"I found it very difficult to explain to the staff what is talk radio," Mr. Al-Rikaby told an audience at the Birmingham Radio Festival, where he was a guest-of-honor this month. His remarks were reported in the Guardian newspaper. "I had to bring them into my room and switch on the computer to surf the Net" and make them listen to BBC talk radio shows. "I said, 'This is how talk radio sounds.'" If they can succeed taking cues from the Beeb, imagine their ratings if they'd started with Rush...
Posted by: someone ||
07/29/2004 2:53:07 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
A group of lions reared by Saddam Hussein's son Uday has been removed from one of his former Baghdad palaces and taken to the capital's zoo. Three adults and six cubs, which were born during the war last year, were transferred by US soldiers across the Iraqi capital to their new home. A vet at Baghdad zoo said the animals were in very good health. The zoo was reopened a year ago after being badly damaged during the US bombardment of Baghdad. The zoo was once the largest in the Middle East, but by the end of the war only 80 animals were left alive. Under the management of Brendan Whittington-Jones, that has gradually increased to more than 100. He was delighted to welcome the new arrivals. "These nine lions have been left a at palace that belonged to Uday before the war," he said. The lions have been moved to an area of the zoo where they can be managed properly and receive daily attention, Mr Whittington-Jones said. Zoo vet Wassem Saleh Amin said "their health is very, very good. We take care of them and every day we are responsible for feeding them". He said they had been taking meat to the presidential palace every day to build up the animals' strength before the move.
There is no truth to the rumor that Uday was fed to the lions, and certainly no truth to the rumors that the lions refused to eat him.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/29/2004 1:11:00 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#2
Here is the story of how the lions were rescued... and again demonstrates the resourcefulmess and compassion of the members of the US military. Plus the cutest darn picture of a baby lion I've ever seen.
Israel has started compensation talks with Jewish settlers ready to leave the West Bank and Gaza Strip, their lawyer said Wednesday, as part of an evacuation plan that has fueled a Palestinian power struggle. Israeli Justice Ministry officials held their first meeting with a lawyer representing 90 families living in the Gaza settlements and four in the West Bank, also slated for evacuation, over compensation for voluntarily leaving their homes. The lawyer, Joseph Tamir, said advance payments could be made as early as this October, though it was unclear how much money the settlers would receive or when they would have to move. "They were playing their cards very close to the chest," Tamir said, "but an advance that does not reflect the ability to buy a new home is not realistic." Nearly all the families moved to the settlements for economic reasons rather than an ideological commitment, Tamir said.
Ideologues among the settlers threaten to resist evacuation, charging that giving up a few settlements means abandoning parts of the God-given Jewish homeland and would endanger Israel's security. Sharon says, however, the unilateral withdrawal of civilians and the military from Gaza would reduce friction and end rule over more than 1 million Palestinians. He also has said it would help entrench Israel in the West Bank, to which he attaches a higher priority.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/29/2004 12:00:00 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
I'm actually reconsidering opposition to the Gaza withdrawal after I saw what I saw of how the Palestinians handled what they have ... anyone else here doing the same?
Posted by: Edward Yee ||
07/29/2004 1:54 Comments ||
Top||
#2
It seems a move on Sharon's part to get the palestnians to fight among themselves and stop killing Jews for a while giving the
Isrealis a break. If the Palestinians are fighting each other there won't be coordinated attacks against Isreal and they'll kill each other off. It's remotely possible some one with some real sense will pick up the pieces of the Palestinian people.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
07/29/2004 7:24 Comments ||
Top||
#3
It's remotely possible some one with some real sense will pick up the pieces of the Palestinian people.
A mortician, perhaps.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
07/29/2004 8:50 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Aren't they all morticians RC? I mean, they handle body parts so well.
Posted by: Charles ||
07/29/2004 9:39 Comments ||
Top||
DNC Benediction by Imam Yahya Hendi
He works at Georgetown, "the first American university to hire a full-time Muslim chaplain. ... What do they teach you ask? My favorite lesson is titled, Secularism is Shirk in the Lordship of Allah. Here are some high points of the lesson (tauhid or tawhid is the unity of Allah; mushrik and shirk are Islamic terms for polytheism, a grave sin for Muslims - Christians are considered shirk because they "attribute partners to God" through the divinity of Christ and the Trinity; shirk equals unbelief and infidelism; emphasis in bold added): Whoever calls the people (and/or himself) to the following and obedience of another law other than the shari'a is a disbeliever and a mushrik.
Posted by: ed ||
07/29/2004 12:00:00 AM ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Georgetown, a Catholic university that hires a Muslim chaplain to teaches that Christianity equals unbelief and infidelism.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/29/2004 3:10 Comments ||
Top||
#2
The sad truth about Catholic universities is that many are only nominally Catholic at best.
Posted by: Mike ||
07/29/2004 6:05 Comments ||
Top||
#3
If we continue to allow this kind of crap, then we're too stupid to prevail in the struggle against Islamic fanaticism.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
07/29/2004 6:53 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Hey, Harvard? I'll take some of dat!
Posted by: Jesse Jackson ||
07/29/2004 11:39 Comments ||
Top||
#5
It's been a long time since Georgetown was a "Catholic" University. Someone once said that the secret desire of American Irish-Catholics was to become WASPS. Georgetown has gone further and become left-wing secular-humanist and often quite Anti-Catholic.
#6
Its wrong for a GU to have a muslim chaplin who teaches that Christianity is a form of polytheism? Er, I take it that means that the rabbi of Hillel house cant be Orthodox or Conservative, since Maimonides considered christianity a form of Polytheism and idolatry.
Look guys, tolerance DOESNT mean accepting the validity of the other guys beliefs, as my southern Baptist friends remind me. A christian can beleive that jews are going to hell for not beleiving in Jesus, but as long as he supports a society where all are treated as equals, hes TOLERANT. Ditto for muslims wrt to Christianity. I see no evidence that Hendi - who was all over the place after 9/11, including the white house - opposes equal rights for all regardless of religion.
#7
Sorry to rain on your parade, LH, but if Hendi is a Sunni and worse, a Waahab cleric, then they believe that Jews, Christians and also Shi'ites are all polytheists who must either meet death by the sword, convert by the same or face dhimmitude under a shi'a kaliphate, if they're lucky enough to live.
It gives me no joy to admit that several Muslim clerics have been invited to the White House--notice, not recently!--that have been proven to have definite ties to Islamist terrorism.
#8
LH, I don't have a problem with a Muslim chaplain being anti-Catholic. Neither do I have a problem with a Catholic University hiring a full-time Muslim chaplain. As a Catholic, I find it unacceptable that a Catholic University would hire anyone to teach people that Catholicism is unbelief and infidelism. I don't put money in the collection plate to sponsor the spread of Islam throughout the world.
The fact that Georgetown has hired this guy is as ludicrous as if McDonalds were to hire a cashier to dress up as Poncho Villa and instruct each customer that Taco Bell serves better and more nutritious food.
As things currently stand, when my kids are of college age, I will have to hunt down an appropriate Baptist Bible College so that they aren't bombarded with anti-Catholic opinions from teachers, even though my Bishop is located in South Bend.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/29/2004 23:02 Comments ||
Top||
#9
SH, Baylor University in Waco, TX is nice!
(Good Southern Baptist school and Crawford and Dallas are right up the road!)
Egypt said yesterday it would try to prevent adoption of an American-drafted resolution threatening U.N. sanctions on Sudan, aiming to temper international pressure on its neighbor over bloodshed in its western provinces.
"Arrrr! There ain't nobody messes with us Arabs and... errr... Muslims!"
The Arab equivalent of the Gambino family pulls together.
With talk of international sanctions and military intervention growing, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Sudan needs more time to fulfill its promises to disarm militias and restore order in the Darfur region.
"How much time?"
"'Bout 40 years should do it..."
Visiting U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, standing at his side, said there wasn't much time to spare.
"Think again, Bub!"
"These people are in desperate need," Powell said. "We should give the Sudanese government time to respond, but these people don't have much time."
It really doesn't take all that long to go from breathing in and out regularly to decomposing...
Aid groups, U.N. officials and Western governments say ethnic cleansing in Darfur - described by some as genocide -
... but not by Kofi...
has killed 30,000 people, most of them black villagers, and threatens 2 million. Some Arabs, however, have rallied behind Sudan's Arab government or, fearful the United States is only trying to remake the region, say the West is mishandling the Darfur issue.
"Yeah, they should handle it, um, some other way."
"It's only those black people. They don't feel pain like we do!"
"Kofi, you're black!"
"Yeah, but I got a nice suit!"
#4
If I recall, "mullahgarchy" is the British/Commonwealth spelling. American English has elided the name to "malarky," though the original meaning remains.
Posted by: Another Dan ||
07/29/2004 1:12 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Egypt? The armpit of Africa. Those assholes do squat. Why woould Powell even think about them. Oh yeah, I remember, Arab/islamic something.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
07/29/2004 3:14 Comments ||
Top||
#7
What line in the sand?
Posted by: Edward Yee ||
07/29/2004 3:28 Comments ||
Top||
#8
Muslim dominated countries = hopeless, hapless,and helpless
Posted by: rex ||
07/29/2004 4:03 Comments ||
Top||
#9
I'd rather we drew our last check in favor of Egypt. Why these clowns have M1-A2s and F-16s is beyond me. Do we want to make it a contest the next time they attack Israel?
Posted by: Mr. Davis ||
07/29/2004 8:00 Comments ||
Top||
#10
Still no contest, I believe the M1s were uh assembled in Egypt by Egyptians. As far as the F-16s are concerned they are flown by uh.. Egyptian pilots. Now if the Egyptians can recreate a SAM belt ala 1973 then there's a problem... but do we or the Russ sell them the good SAMs?
Posted by: Mr. Davis ||
07/29/2004 10:49 Comments ||
Top||
#12
I look forward to some enterprizing reporter in Georgia asking Cynthia McKinney a series of well informed questions about the Arab genocide of blacks in Darfar and Arab oppression of Berbers, Saudi enslavement of black Sudanese, etc.
The Atlanta Journal Constitution has some decent reporters (although most of its editors are leftists), there is hope this might happen.
#14
Desire to stop the bloodshed must come from within the African community of nations. Ain't gonna happpen. Slavery issue redux when African chiefs sold fellow Africans to Arab slavers - now we have African chiefs tied to Arab oil/money tit who are selling out their brothers...
#15
For the delusion we are rebuilding alliances, we are down on our knees, begging to be agreed with, so that the UN can remove the words "sanction" and "genocide" from resolutions and allow the slaughter to continue? It is sickening that we posture ourselves now as if we are the shamed. This UN is a lemon, yet we keep trying to drive it.
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.
