Fourteen Americans have been confirmed dead in the Asian earthquake and tsunami disaster. US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told a press briefing there were seven dead in Thailand and seven in Sri Lanka but that several thousand Americans were still unaccounted for. The spokesman said the dead were a mixture of residents and tourists in the two countries but gave no details. US consular teams "are trying to get to hospitals, hotels and morgues" in the worst hit countries for signs of US nationals, he said.
About 600 names have been taken off the missing list in recent days but others have been added at the same time, Mr Boucher told reporters. US officials have emphasised that they do not yet fear that the missing in the stricken countries are dead just that they cannot be contacted. The death toll from Sunday's earthquake and ensuing waves which rocked several Asian nations is now nearly 120,000.
Posted by: God Save The World ||
12/30/2004 2:16:01 PM ||
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December 30, 2004: In North Korea, the government is trying to suppress growing enthusiasm for South Korean clothing, mannerisms and accents. Special police units are inspecting stores, especially the new free markets, for South Korean clothing (often second hand) brought over from China. VCR tapes and CDs of South Korean television shows and movies are already illegal, but the trade in them continues despite the risks. The South Korean influences began appearing ten years ago, and has reached far more of the population than the North Koreans ever thought possible. In 2004, some 1,900 North Koreans made it to South Korea. Many more (over ten times more) made it out of North Korea into China and Russia. One South Korean is known to have fled to North Korea.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/30/2004 9:18:47 AM ||
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#2
The harder you try to suppress people and keep from them the things they want, the faster you find yourself cut out of the loop. Imagine what sort of bribe is necessary to get a NorK border guard to look the other way for some illicit goods. Almost nothing in real money...
The Pentagon plans to retire one of the U.S. Navy's 12 aircraft carriers and buy fewer amphibious landing ships for the Marine Corps as part of $60 billion in proposed cuts over the next six years, The New York Times reported on Thursday, citing Congressional and military officials. The proposed reductions, the details of which are still being fine-tuned and would require Congressional approval, result from White House orders to all federal agencies to cut their spending requests for the 2006 fiscal year budgets, which will be submitted to lawmakers early next year. The proposed Pentagon cuts also include delaying development of a costly Army combat system of high-tech arms, reducing the program for the Air Force's F/A-22 fighter and delaying the purchase of a new Navy destroyer, the paper said. The Navy plans to retire the carrier John F. Kennedy next year, reducing the size of the Navy's carrier fleet for the first time since the mid-1990's, the paper reported.
The proposal also calls for reducing the number of new LPD-17 San Antonio-class amphibious landing docks, which are designed to transport Marine assault vehicles, amphibious landing craft and Osprey aircraft to trouble spots around the world. The Navy had planned to buy five of the ships over the next five years at about $1.2 billion apiece from U.S. defense contractor Northrop Grumman . Another major change would be to build fewer new Navy destroyers over the next six years. A team of contractors, led by Northrop Grumman, is building the ships at a cost of $1.2 billion to $1.4 billion per vessel. In addition, development of the Army's $120 billion Future Combat System would be delayed. The system is designed to link soldiers by computer with remotely piloted aircraft and combat vehicles. Military and Congressional officials, who have been briefed on the proposed cuts and spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity, said the Pentagon was looking to trim up to $10 billion in the 2006 budget. Mounting deficits and the growing cost of keeping more than 150,000 American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq the past year have forced the White House and the Pentagon to look at cuts.
#1
The Navy plans to retire the carrier John F. Kennedy next year
She was scheduled to be decommissioned in 2018 anyway. Navy has one final Nimitz class under construction, the CV-77 USS George H.W. Bush, expected to join the fleet in 2009. They have 5 more authorized to build of the new CVX class.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/30/2004 15:53 Comments ||
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#2
I see this as a mistake. The Navy will be our primary defence against China. We should not be reducing the number of carriers or amphibious capability.
We increased speinding dramatically after 9/11 but did not increase force size or weapons purchases. Where did the money go?
Does anyone know how much more it costs to keep a troop in combat than in peacetime duty?
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
12/30/2004 16:23 Comments ||
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#3
I can't say where all of it went, but a lot of it went into black boxes. However, the plus-up wasn't that big, really, and in 2002-2003 it bought tens of thousands of reserves and their equipment into the fight. We're still using reserves, but the reserve money has dried up, especially in the Navy. Also, most of the money went into unfunded requirements, that is, unprogrammed but real costs like uparmor kits for hummers. The defense increases didn't go into long-term planned expenses like new divisions, aircraft or ships. We're still carrying the debt from the 1990s budgets, the postponed purchases that were put off for years while current year money went to current ops and maintenance only.
Bush missed a tremendous opportunity to recapitalize the military in 2001, to add divisions, ships and aircraft (esp. tankers and airlift, the unsexy buys). This just continues a decade and a half of bad budget guidance.
#4
Now now. we can not look into the future. So spending billions on maintaining our Navy at current does seem like a bad investment from where we are right now.
I mean if you hope we avoid a war with China, then you have to assume the next 10 years is gonna be ground pounders carrying the load.
That means more low tech costs. You can still develope the high cost high tech stuff, and be ready to mass produce it, you just delay production.
Looks to me like Rummy is spending his money on Intel developement. which seems the smart move right now. But someone has to make that call, and he is the man.
#6
The F-22 Raptor procurement started at 700 and is now down to somewhere between 100 - 160. I'm betting more on the low end. This one reason that systems become so costly. The B-2 was originally scheduled for 300 and wound up with 23. Liberals were never good with math. They don't understand that if you reduce the denomator by a factor of 10 - 15 without changing the numerator, the dividend increases by a factor of 10 - 15 and the number of bullshit articles in the NYT increases by a factor of 100 - 150.
#8
I think getting "rid" of the JFK would be all right, if instead of breaking it up they transfer it to the Japanese navy, along with the Kitty Hawk. I think Japan is ready for a couple of carriers, and with Korea making noises, would welcome the chance to buy them. Both vessels are oil fired, and more expensive to operate than nuke carriers, such as the NIMITZ class. Personally, I'm going to wait and see what happens.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/30/2004 22:02 Comments ||
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#9
nice point OP! I have an office window that looks on North Island's Carrier berthing......use to be the one or two usually moored never sailed much, except for their wespac tours with one rotating back in. The last couple years, the sailing for training and "immediate readiness to deploy" efforts has been huge....also for the smaller ships and Pacfleet - a lotta traffic - Rumsfeld imprint?
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/30/2004 22:10 Comments ||
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#10
Pardon my ignorance - where's "North Island," Frank?
#11
sorry - Coronado - San Diego Bay - North Island NAS....
Pacific Fleet's at the 32nd street south end) of the bay, and the sub base is at Point Loma
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/30/2004 22:31 Comments ||
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Story seems to have a life of it's own now. Guess they'll have to hide this jet in the hanger with all the Black Helicopters. EFL
IT is nicknamed the Guantanamo Bay Express. On long-term lease to the US government, it is understood to fly suspects from one country to another for detention and interrogation — a process called "rendition". Former CIA officers and human rights agencies say the prisoners are sent to countries such as Egypt and Jordan where they are tortured for information.
Note the "former CIA officers", can't keep them away from a reporter
Although the American government denies torture by proxy there have been suggestions that the CIA encourages these countries to use aggressive interrogation methods banned under US law. One former CIA operative was quoted recently as saying: "If you want a serious interrogation you send a prisoner to Jordan. If you want them to be tortured you send them to Syria. If you want someone to disappear you send them to Egypt."
"They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send on of his to the morgue!"
The aircraft has been seen at military airports from Pakistan to Indonesia and Jordan and on occasions being boarded by hooded and handcuffed passengers. It always departs from Washington DC and has flown to almost 50 destinations outside America including the Guantanamo Bay camp in Cuba, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Uzbekistan. It has made several stops in the UK, although reportedly with no passengers, and The Herald has learned that at least one was at Prestwick airport on a flight from Amman, Jordan, to Washington.
They're coming to take you away, ha ha, he he, ho ho!
The white jet was, until earlier this month, owned by Premier Executive Transport Services Inc and according to research by the Washington Post the company's directors exist only on paper. Each has a recently issued social security number and an address which is a post office box. They have the kind of "sterile identities" which intelligence officers have revealed the CIA uses to conceal clandestine activities. The aircraft, which is based at Washington's Dulles airport, carried the number N379P on its tail until earlier this year when it became N8068V.
If this plane is sooooooo secret, why is it based at a commercial field? Hummmm?
Earlier this month after widespread publicity about its activities in America it became N44982 when it was sold to Bayard Foreign Marketing LLC of Portland. The CIA has a long history of secretly owning airlines and the only officer listed for that company, Leonard T Bayard, has proved as invisible as the previous owners. The prisoner transfers were first reported in May by the Swedish television programme Cold Facts which described how American agents had arrived in Stockholm on the Gulfstream in December 2001 to take two suspected terrorists to Egypt. Witnesses described seeing the prisoners, who wore hoods, handed to US agents. The clothes of the handcuffed prisoners were cut off and they were dressed in nappies covered by orange overalls. They were forcibly given sedatives by suppository. The Gulfstream flew them to Egypt, where two prisoners claimed they were beaten and tortured with electric shocks to their genitals.
Still can't find my nano-violin.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/30/2004 1:22:39 PM ||
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#1
I hear Ted Kennedy borrowed it for when he had to get back to The Compound quick for the holidays. He had to use the hood and the cuffs, but it's not like he hasn't been there before, and a ride's a ride...
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/30/2004 14:16 Comments ||
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#3
I'm still waiting to hear about the "ghost Humvee", which is remotely piloted, heavily laden with explosives, and used to transfer high-profile, hard-to-dispose-of prisoners like Saddam Hussein and Tariq Aziz to their ultimate destinations. With cameras rolling, the vehicles are detonated in a wide-open stretch of highway, leaving huge craters with no identifiable remains of their passengers. Too bad, so sad, the "insurgents" sent you to paradise and we're feeling so bad. It's an idea whose time has come.
#15
Assuming any of this horse-pucky were true, it would be a problem because....?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/30/2004 16:49 Comments ||
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#16
Barbara - because the snacks suck, the drinks are watered down, the stewardesses don't show any leg, and worst of all....no credit to your frequent flyer miles.
That's really inhumane!
#20
"Ghost Air" mottos:
All Flights One Way
Flying You Closer To Allah
You'll Love Our Physical Touch
We're So Friendly We Want To Know All About You And Your Friends
Posted by: Stephen ||
12/30/2004 20:37 Comments ||
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BUFFALO, N.Y. -- An Islamic civil rights group Wednesday accused U.S. border agents of religious profiling after dozens of American Muslims were searched, fingerprinted and photographed while returning from a religious conference in Toronto.
Now where did I put my nano-violin?
Some of those stopped said they were held at the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge for six hours or more with no explanation. A spokeswoman for Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection said agents stopped anyone who said they attended the three-day convention, titled "Reviving the Islamic Spirit," based on information that such gatherings can be a means for terrorists to promote their cause.
I'm shocked, shocked that Homeland Security would do such a think? They must have gotten a clue in their Christmas stocking.
"I asked `If I refuse to give my fingerprints, what will you do?"' said Galeb Rizek, 32, who claimed he arrived at the border around midnight and was held until 6:30 a.m. "(The agent) said, `You can refuse, but you'll be here until hell freezes over you do."' Rizek, whose family owns a hotel in Niagara Falls, said he is a frequent traveler across the border and has never before been fingerprinted or photographed. He described one woman, traveling with her young daughter, who protested and sobbed through the fingerprinting. The little girl cried as well.
No word on the fate of her puppy
"It was kind of dramatic. You really feel like a criminal and you haven't done anything wrong," said Rizek, who was born in the United States. "The image of a room full of American Muslim citizens apparently being held solely because of their faith and the fact that they attended an Islamic conference is one that should be disturbing to all Americans who value religious freedom," said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Funny, it brings a warm glow to my heart
Somehow, as soon as CAIR shows up, I cease finding things like this disturbing.
The group demanded an investigation by Homeland Security officials.
Followed by the award of a commendation medal... sorry, that was my investigation.
CBP spokeswoman Kristie Clemens said 34 people were stopped at the Lewiston crossing and four others were checked at the nearby Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls. They were held for an average of 2 1/2 hours and offered coffee and tea, she said. Clemens acknowledged the inconvenience over the additional security measures, but said with the threat of terrorism, there was no room for error. "We have ongoing credible information that conferences such as the one that these 34 individuals just left in Toronto may be used by terrorist organizations to promote terrorist activities, which includes traveling and fund raising," Clemens said. "As the front-line border agency, it is our duty to verify the identity of individuals — including U.S. citizens — and one way of doing that is fingerprinting."
Wow, common sense! That'll have to stop.
Just flashing a driver's license doesn't do anymore. There's no telling where it was made, or who made it...
Mo Rizek, 19, said frustration among those held for several hours boiled over to seething anger.
That's the usual Islamic reaction to most things, isn't it?
"Everyone was yelling," he said. "Some people had a 10-hour drive back to Connecticut in front of them, people had to go to work in the morning ... Every single person there was a U.S. citizen." He said one of the messages of the convention was how to change for the better the way people feel about Muslims post-Sept. 11.
I can think of several things: a moratorium on seething; replacing CAIR with a goat and eating the goat; maybe even concentrating on being an American, rather than on being a Moose limb. I'll bet none of those things were brought up at the conference.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/30/2004 10:01:44 AM ||
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#2
A "relgious conference", you say? Who were the speakers, and was it all hosted in English? How much zakat did you fork over for the "Palestinian Widows' and Orphans' Fund?" Did any of the organizers give you business cards, phone numbers, or ask you to pass along a message to "Cousin Mahmoud?"
#3
"It was kind of dramatic. You really feel like a criminal and you haven't done anything wrong," said Rizek, who was born in the United States.
Trust me: If you were made to 'feel like a criminal' you would be sitting in jail right now.
"The image of a room full of American Muslim citizens apparently being held solely because of their faith and the fact that they attended an Islamic conference is one that should be disturbing to all Americans who value religious freedom," said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Which 'religious freedom' would that be? The freedom to be associated with a religion known to support and fund mass murder worldwide, or the activities like antitheistic organizations like the ACLU to censor Christianity?
He said one of the messages of the convention was how to change for the better the way people feel about Muslims post-Sept. 11
The best way to do that? Accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. Convert from your barbaric religion to something less barbaric.
#5
I'm thinking of going to Mecca and/or Medina some time in the New Year for a bit or R&R. I am sure that I won't be hassled by anyone en route. These Muslim chaps don't sound like the types to tolerate racial profiling of travelers.
#7
This is the best news I've heard since - November. Keep it up, BP.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
12/30/2004 10:56 Comments ||
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#8
Poor damn victimized Muslims. They never get a break.
By the way, anybody got a list of the speakers at their "religious conference"? I'd be interested in seeing that.
#9
See post 9
Go to post #9 for a review from an enthusiatic participant. Next Imam Zaid Shakir (American convert) talked about making peace in the world, and how the Prophet p.b.u.h. did that. (By raiding caravans and chopping off the heads of the Quraishis?)
Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah talked about the history of Islam in America and Canada. Beginning with pre-Columbus discoveries of North America and on to the slaves who were brang in the continent..then the more recent immigration of global muslims, Islam has deep roots in North America. (In other words, North America was muslim before Columbus, so muslims are the rightful rulers.)
Then, Allah will raise it up whenever He wills to raise it up. Then, there will be a Caliphate that follows the guidance of Prophethood." ... After this, I felt that there was so much more hope in this world of Muslims being in power again, because I hadn't heard of this hadeeth before. If you want to know more about it (before getting the RIS DVD of course :thumbsup: ) go to http://www.geocities.com/anwardotcom/khilafah.html which is basically the same explanation given by Dr. Suwaidan. I can't wait to go again :i: XD. (Ah, yes. The neverending goal to rule the world under the Caliphate.)
#12
Crap. The link came out too wide. Can a moderator please hide it under the tag "Islamic Forum posting"? Thanks.
Posted by: ed ||
12/30/2004 11:09 Comments ||
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#13
anybody got a list of the speakers at their "religious conference"?
Ask and Google doth provide:
Among the many confirmed speakers are Dr. Tareq Suwaidan, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, Ustadh Amr Khaled, Imran Khan, Dr. Zakir Naik and LIVE nasheed performances by RAIHAN and SAMI YUSUF.
Oh, look! A website! Go to programs, someone with more knowledge will have to look these guys up.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/30/2004 11:11 Comments ||
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#14
"The image... is one that should be disturbing to all Americans who value religious freedom."
I've got some news for you, you raghead bastard: ISLAM is disturbing to Americans who value religious freedom, because Islam is the utter negation of religious freedom.
Get out. Get out while you still can.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
12/30/2004 11:12 Comments ||
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#15
These morons wanted to know why they were being DETAINED? I want to know why on earth we let them back in at all??? Here's hoping that next year's conference is even bigger...and that we seal the freaking border after they all get NORTH of it!!
#17
Danm stright Dave. Do you think we could even *have* a christian revival meeting in Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, or even Indonesia? (Or even Iraq for that matter).
I'll listen to their bellyaching when we start raping, beating, chopping their heads off for even attending an 'Islamic' conference. (Not that I'm advocating we do these things.)
#18
Thanks, Emily. Looking at the program, I have to be fair and say that there isn't anything that would cause my twitchy antennae to think, "hmmm, they're talking about conquest, booms and jihad". But perhaps that's just the public face and they talked about something else behind closed doors.
The folks at that bridge could help us immensely by being the true moderate Muslims they claim to be -- by speaking about against the jihadis, and more importantly by pointing out the jihadis and their helpers. Then we could finish the WoT, and they could go back to their peaceful religious conferences.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/30/2004 11:49 Comments ||
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#19
That's the price of crossing the border
Yup. Story I heard back in the '70s, about an incident in the '50s or so. May be apocryphal:
The Reform Jewish Youth organization is (and was) called the National Federation of Temple Youth - NFTY for short. Regional groups have similar acronyms - thus NEFTY is New England Federation of Temple Youth, CAFTY is California, etc.
Well the region that included Cleveland, Buffalo, Toronto was called, naturally enough, Lake Erie Federation of Temple Youth. LEFTY. So a bunch of kids from Toronto is asked at the border why theyre going to Buffalo - "We're going to a LEFTY meeting" Took a lot of explaining. Which is why (so its said) the region was subsequently named NELFTY (North Eastern Lakes Federation of Temple Youth)
#20
Wow. They were fingerprinted? And then offered coffee and tea?
Will the brutality of our government never stop???
BTW....thanks, Border Patrol (whose members, I daresay, have been fingerprinted at least once to get their jobs.....and probably weren't offered beverages at the time they submitted to this gross indignity.)
#22
In the '70s it WAS called NELFTY (North Eastern Lakes Federation of Temple Youth) which was the oddest name among all the regions. I asked somebody why, and thats the story I got. Of course it MIGHT have had something to do with Toronto being on Lake Ontario rather than Lake Erie:) Or maybe just someone getting tired of "lefty" jokes. I suppose these days theres actually some way to check it out, but Ive never tried.
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/30/2004 13:03 Comments ||
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#25
Ain't that the shitz
Posted by: Capt America ||
12/30/2004 13:08 Comments ||
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#26
BTW, modern fingerprinting mostly involves a "livescan" unit. Slap your pinkies down on a glass panel for all of 10 seconds, no ink and paper. That's so brutal, dude...
#27
and invasive. Just like the Fla woman who wanted her veil on for her DL photo - these mooks shoulda been allowed to wear gloves for their fingerprinting. It says so in the Koran
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/30/2004 13:22 Comments ||
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#29
They should be glad I didn't "roll" their prints. They might still be there. If I had to give my prints to get back in the country It would be no problem. I suggest carrying your passport next time diptards.
#30
well wadya know? In response to Ships Q, i did a little searching. DIDNT find the answer, but DID find an alumni page for NFTY. And found that several people I went to camp with are doing just fine. All the girls I had crushes on are married :) which should suit mrs hawk just fine;). One young woman who sat next to me in modern Hebrew class moved to Israel and got married there. Guess her Hebrew is better than mine now (mine was FAR better then)
#31
Congrats on your discoveries, LH. My kids wanted to stop in Denver on the way back from Vail to meet my high school boyfriend, just to see how much better their daddy is. Girls can be cruel! (I refused. Let them be mean on their own time. And anyway, he finally found happiness with wife #3, and should be allowed to enjoy in peace).
A new government intelligence bulletin describes in the greatest detail yet al-Qaeda's techniques for assessing potential targets, extolling the lethal power of flying, shattered building glass and advising that kerosene and tires are effective for a deadly arson attack. "The focus is on maximizing the destructive and killing power of an attack," the bulletin says. The bulletin provides a fresh glimpse of terrorist reports found in computers and disks seized in Pakistan in July. The reports described the casing by terrorists of several buildings in the United States and prompted U.S. authorities to raise the terror threat level earlier this year for high-profile financial facilities in New York, Washington and Newark, N.J.
The heightened alert was eased shortly after the Nov. 2 election, and there is no evidence a potential attack ever moved beyond initial planning. "Current intelligence provides no indications that al-Qaeda has operatives to conduct an attack based upon the information in these reports," the eight-page bulletin said. Produced by the FBI and Homeland Security Department, the bulletin was circulated Tuesday to law enforcement, government and industry officials nationwide and obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press. The excerpts, according to the bulletin, show that al-Qaeda operatives go well beyond basic description of a potential target to sophisticated analysis of vulnerabilities in building construction, an examination of potential police and emergency response and recommendations for possible methods of attack.
In one report, an unidentified al-Qaeda operative notes that a building "is almost completely made to resemble a glass house — which could be devastating in an emergency scenario ... that is to say, that when shattered, each piece of glass becomes a potential flying piece of cutthroat shrapnel!" Another excerpt calculates that a particular building has precisely 67,000-square-feet of glass, adding for emphasis that it amounts to "an acre and a half of glass."
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/30/2004 12:33:09 AM ||
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Posted by: Dar ||
12/30/2004 9:29 Comments ||
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#7
Looking at the names and countries of origin, it is really clear how the heart of this is in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. IMO it is all a result of Wahabiism spread by Saudi money. The Saudi golden chain financier list is interesting. I saw on some lifestyle show a fat cat Saudi on his huge yacht in Monaco and I keep thinking how crippling it could be for a number of those ilk to be eliminated.
Posted by: DO ||
12/30/2004 11:15 Comments ||
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#8
A process of removeing the heart beat of all those golden chain ass clown would be a good thing. But that would be illegal wouldn't it.
Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Dan Gillerman, yesterday urged that Secretary-General Annan fire his top adviser, Lakhdar Brahimi, for his anti-Israel tirades.
Mr. Brahami recently likened Prime Minister Sharon to an assassin, adding to a series of statements that embarrassed the secretary-general, who is trying to position himself as a player in the peace process between Israelis and Palestinian Arabs.
In a phone call to a top U.N. official this week, Mr. Gillerman said that the latest anti-Israeli screed by Mr. Brahimi in Europe should be grounds for firing him, the ambassador told The New York Sun yesterday.
Speaking on Belgian radio and to the Belgian senate last week, Mr. Brahimi compared Mr. Sharon to an assassin, urged Europeans to increase their pressure on Israel, and said that the world is too accepting of "cynical and ridiculous" Israeli positions on peace with the Palestinian Arabs, according to a report by Agence France-Presse that was translated from the French.
Because Mr. Annan and many other top officials were out on vacation this week, Mr. Gillerman said he spoke with the head of the Asia-Pacific division, Geir Pederson, a Norwegian who is increasingly involved in issues related to the Middle East. He has asked Mr. Pederson to relay his message to Mr. Annan. A U.N. official who asked not to be named confirmed that the conversation took place, but refused to comment on it.
For the second time this month, a U.N. spokesman yesterday distanced Mr. Annan from Mr. Brahimi's words, saying Mr. Brahimi spoke "in his personal capacity." He added that Mr. Annan's views on the Middle East "are well known."
The U.N. issued a similar statement two weeks ago after Mr. Brahimi told an Arab audience that America professes to promote human rights in the Arab world while at the same time ignoring Israeli human rights violations.
"We've had enough," Mr. Gillerman told the Sun. After the incident in Dubai two weeks ago, Mr. Annan promised him in a private conversation that Mr. Brahimi would not repeat such statements, the ambassador said. A week later a similar sentiment, which Mr. Gillerman described as "bigoted," was publicly expressed in Europe.
Mr. Brahimi has been a prominent player in Mr. Annan's diplomatic team in postwar Afghanistan, where he has served as the secretary-general's special representative, as well as in Iraq, where he helped shape the first sovereign government last summer.
After returning from Iraq, Mr. Annan announced that Mr. Brahimi has accepted a role as an undersecretary-general, one of the highest-paid positions at the U.N., serving "as a member of the secretary-general's senior staff" and advising Mr. Annan "on a wide range of issues, including situations in the areas of conflict prevention and conflict resolution."
As a former top official of the Arab League, Mr. Brahimi, an Algerian national, is considered by the U.N. to be an expert on Arab and Middle Eastern affairs. Mr. Annan is said to have relied heavily on many occasions on Mr. Brahimi's advice on Middle East issues.
In his latest visit to Washington, where he met Secretary of State Powell and Condoleezza Rice, who has been nominated by the president to replace Mr. Powell, Mr. Annan stressed the need for deeper U.N. involvement in the Palestinian-Israeli dispute, according to sources on both sides of that issue. America has urged the U.N. to be more even-handed in its approach to the Middle East; it is seen by Washington as heavily pro-Arab.
Whether related to the Washington visit or not, after Mr. Annan returned last week, his chief of staff, Iqbal Riza, announced he would retire. In conversations with the Sun, several diplomats and U.N. officials named Mr. Riza, as well as Mr. Brahimi, as the most anti-Israeli officials in Mr. Annan's inner circle.
According to AFP, Mr. Brahimi, in an interview conducted in French on Belgium's RTBP radio last Friday, said, "You must condemn Mr. Sharon when he assassinates people, but you keep quiet just like you keep quiet when he uproots more than a million trees in the orchards of Palestine."
He urged European listeners to be much more aggressive in pressuring Israel. "A return of peace will not happen all by itself," he said. "It will happen only with a totally different European attitude."
A day earlier, Mr. Brahimi addressed the Belgian senate, where he said that the root of international terrorism is related mostly to the Arab-Israeli conflict, according to AFP. "What is being done to solve this problem? Not enough," he said.
"The international community has too easily accepted the cynical and ridiculous viewpoint of the Israeli prime minister, who considered the late president Yasser Arafat the only person responsible for insecurity in Israel and for the plight of his own people," Mr. Brahimi told legislators.
"In fact, the Arab states have essentially abandoned the Palestinians in recent years and Europe has not yet used the considerable political influence it enjoys to advance peace," he added. "European states and public opinion do not condemn loudly enough the grave violations of the most elementary human rights in Palestine."
#1
This is not the first time Kofi's buddy Brahami has made some antisemitic comments. He also was in Saddam's hip pocket while he served as number two in the Arab Leaque, never speaking ill of the mass killings, etc.
Posted by: Capt America ||
12/30/2004 23:09 Comments ||
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#2
Brahami's bitch daughter works/ed for CNN.
"He urged European listeners to be much more aggressive in pressuring Israel. "A return of peace will not happen all by itself," he said. "It will happen only with a totally different European attitude."
Come out with the truth bastards, what you pigs really want to say is that "peace can only happen if Israel is exterminated."
Interesting article. Syria's got next to no window for the rest of the world to look in. Their news agency's next to unreadable and there's no foreign language press that I've seen. It'll be intersting to see if things actually loosen up.
When Mehdi Dakhlallah wrote an article earlier in the year calling for the abolition of a clause in the Syrian constitution granting preferential treatment to the ruling Baath party, many thought he would lose his job as editor of Al-Baath newspaper. After all, Syrian Vice-President Abdel-Halim Khaddam responded that the constitutional clause, Article 8, was "holy" and could not be touched. However, instead of being sacked, Dakhlallah was promoted to minister of information and since then has launched an accelerated shake-up of Syria's media.
Journalists are growing bolder as traditional red lines blur, taboos are broken and fear of imprisonment for writing articles critical of the regime recedes. "This is new, this is very new," said Ziad Haydar, Damascus correspondent of the Al-Arabiyya Arabic satellite channel and Lebanon's As-Safir newspaper.
Dakhlallah's impact on media reforms was illustrated last month with the publication of an article containing unprecedented criticism of the Syrian intelligence services. The article, written by independent journalist Hakam Baba was due to be published in Lebanon's An Nahar newspaper - the more liberal Lebanese press is traditionally favored by Syrian writers who face censure in Syria. But even though Baba also attacked Dakhlallah in his article, the minister gave his approval for its publication in the Tishreen daily. "I think Dakhlallah wanted it published in Syria because it would have more impact here," Baba said.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
12/30/2004 00:00:00 ||
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U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage will leave this week on a trip to Turkey, Syria and Jordan aimed at boosting U.S. efforts in Iraq ahead of crucial elections there next month, officials have said. The State Department has yet to officially announce Armitage's trip. But a senior official, who asked not to be identifies, said late Tuesday: "I won't take issue with" press reports that he was expected in the three countries. William Burns, assistant secretary of state for the Middle East, was expected to accompany Armitage to Syria and Jordan, the official said.
He said the talks in the three countries would focus on bilateral issues and Iraq, particularly efforts to involve the country's Sunnis in the Jan. 30 elections despite violence and intimidation by insurgents. A U.S. source in Ankara said Armitage, due to step down early next year along with his boss, Secretary of State Colin Powell, was expected Sunday for talks on Monday with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/30/2004 00:00:00 ||
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So, what'd he do to get on the shit-list?
I presume he has a tailored message to deliver in each locale. I hope they are all strongly worded and, to make the points crystal clear, accompanied by photocopies from Jim Baker's briefcase.
#2
Armitage is the diplomatic equivalent of James Bond. An exceedingly dangerous individual, whose real purpose in government has been much the same no matter what official job he holds. He is the man who is sent when the US *threatens* other countries. He is realpolitik personified, and a master at brinkmanship. For example, when India and Pakistan were close to nuclear war, Armitage was sent, first to Pakistan, and then he flew directly to India, right over what was at that moment, the hottest AAA area on the planet. Neither side dared to shoot down his aircraft. He scared both sides back to the bargaining table, possibly threatening nuclear annihilation if one of them launched a nuke. He is 007. He is not sent for routine diplomatic missions.
Posted by: Murat Sucks ||
12/30/2004 13:38 Comments ||
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I find Armitage strong in many areas, but he has historically made some truly asshead comments. My understanding is that he was the one to put the ultimatium to Pakistan post-9/11
Posted by: Capt America ||
12/30/2004 13:44 Comments ||
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#8
What was the ultimatium Captain ?
Because if cooperation is what we received from it, it certainly wasn't bad
On certain topics, it appears we already have some new trolls, methinks. Talk about hot-button issues... pharmaceutical industry, death penalty, etc. Just brush the button and whammo!
#25
Face it dude, lately the Americans are unpopular in Turkey, in fact I should say everywhere outside your borders.
Murat, pay attention here. There's a fine point of American history that you (and many others, including the entire EU and some of our very own domestic Leftists) appear not to appreciate properly.
The U.S. is often described as a "nation of immigrants." This is key.
For the most part, most of us are monumentally indifferent to how the rest of the world's power elites and opinion leaders think of us. That's because we're the descendants of the people who moved here to get away from the power elites and opinion leaders in their former countries. They were the people that the power elites and opinion leaders oppressed, or at least looked down on and considered the wretched of the Earth.
Well, the people who packed up and came to the U.S. didn't get mad, they got even. They went on, in the freedom of the New World, to surpass the achievements of the Old--and to rescue it from itself a few times over the last century.
In short, Br'er Turk, WE DO NOT CARE.
Posted by: Mike ||
12/30/2004 21:29 Comments ||
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#26
pretty obviously not the old Murat - better engrish, vernacular ("face it dude"), less thought....
weak-ass effort.
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/30/2004 21:47 Comments ||
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Aris uses "dude" -- hmmmm.
Posted by: Tom ||
12/30/2004 21:50 Comments ||
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#28
send some nice looking chicks even Bridney would do much better than Kojak
Fred, also could you try to find a real Turk instead of Ameri-trolls raised on 1970s Greek-American TV action heroes and 1970s slang?
#30
Tex: Let's be clear. The ultimatium to Prev was given by Armitage and one other person (don't recall the other person off hand). Prev knew that Armitage was the conduit for Bush, and that he really had no other recourse. Armitage was the message carrier, not the message originator.
Armitage is so in tight with Powell, that some refer to him as a klingon. He is not alone. There are many in the military who grew to admirer Powell.
My preference is Josh Bolton over Armitage.
Posted by: Capt America ||
12/30/2004 23:23 Comments ||
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Actually, a Greek would probably be better acquainted with Telly Savalas aka Kojak than any American under 35 years of age.
#32
Armitage is a decent guy but basically a plodder. He's ridden on Powell's coattails for most of his career and is part of the "overwhelming force" anti-democracy promotion beltway faction that the State Dept's arabists love so much.
The past year has been the worst for human rights in Syria since Bashar Al Assad became president, despite international pressure on Damascus to stop abuses, a leading Syrian rights activist said yesterday. Lawyer Anwar Al Bunni said that while there were some cosmetic improvements, such as the release of some political prisoners and less vocal criticism of political opposition, the fact laws remained unchanged made real progress impossible. "If you really look at the attacks that happened on human rights issues in 2004 you can see that this year has been the worst in five years," Bunni said in an interview.
"It doesn't compare to a couple decades ago when whole cities were leveled, but still it's serious," he reflected.
Hundreds of minority Kurds were arrested after ethnic riots this year. Rights groups and Kurdish parties say scores are still in detention and many have been tortured. Around 100 others were detained in protests calling for the end of emergency laws, but were later released. "The only positive thing is that the issue is now in the public domain, because of the pressure Syria is under from European countries and more significantly, the United States over its human rights record. "(But) there is no real change in the laws that govern the country. The security apparatus still has the power to charge people with things like harming the (ruling Baath party's) revolutionary goals or harming the state's reputation. "State emergency laws are still active and the extraordinary laws as well."Â
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/30/2004 12:00:00 AM ||
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This year topped 2003, which topped 2002, which topped 2001, which topped...
From the Rantburg Diplomacy Desk:
Iran's State Expediency Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani on Tuesday called for expansion of bilateral cooperation with Switzerland.
"Or at least a more favorable interest rate paid on our, er...rainy day funds."
In a meeting with the new Swiss ambassador to Iran Philippe Welti, Rafsanjani assessed Tehran-Bern ties as positive and said the ground for continued relations between the two sides exists, IRNA reported. Commenting on the US and western approach to international regulations and human rights, he said the 'hell' created in Guantanamo and Iraqi prisons are not apparently fit for human rights activists to comment on.
Said noted humanitarian and long-time civil rights activist Rafsanjani, thoughtfully stroking his beard.
Rafsanjani also noted that the crimes committed against the Palestinian and Iraqi nations, including the ban on young girls from pursuing education on account of their religious beliefs and the unilateral closure of Al-Manar TV channel are clear examples of human rights violations.
Someone get His Excellency a map...that's all happening in France, not Suissa. And the girls can go to school, they can't wear hijab to school.
During the meeting, the two sides exchanged views on key bilateral, regional and international developments. Welti, for his part, said the Swiss government respects the Palestinian nation's rights.
"I've already been to Yasser's grave twice! And I bought a souvenir baseball hat and shot glass..."
The Swiss ambassador also said that the torture of prisoners in Guantanamo and Iraq was clearly a violation of human rights laws and runs counter to international values.
"Yasss, truly. How much do you think you might need to launder through keep in your, er...rainy day fund?"
Welti stressed the importance of bolstering bilateral cooperation in all political, economic and commercial fields.
"We understand you'll be going into the tractor business soon. Normally we don't do agriculture, but call my secretary and we'll have lunch sometime."
One man died and two others were injured in uncertain circumstances in southern Egypt, a police source said on Thursday, in the latest in a series of clashes between Muslims and Christians in Egypt. The source said the clash took place on Wednesday when dozens of Muslims threw stones at a private building in Damshaw Hashim village, some 150 miles south of Cairo, which they believed a Christian resident was turning into a church without Allan's state permission. Police arrived at the scene and fired shots into the air to disperse the crowd, the source said. It was not immediately clear how the man had died or who he was. Members of the Christian Coptic minority, who make up 5 to 10 percent of Egypt's 70 million people, say they face restrictions in building churches among other problems. The authorities say every Egyptian is treated equally before the law regardless of religion.
And a monkey just flew out of my butt.
Christians scuffled with security personnel at a Cairo cathedral earlier this month. They had gathered to protest against what they said was the abduction of a priest's wife. Police also said this month they had arrested 25 people after sectarian violence erupted in Munqateen village, about 220 km south of Cairo.
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/30/2004 10:20 ||
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Be sure the MSM will seek to spin this as a brave truth-teller vs Darth Rumsfeld. Never mind the big story here, which is that Russia holds one of the keys to unlocking the region's WMD secrets.
When will we get a competent press corps that can pursue the real issues in depth rather than recycle partisan talking points?
#2
Be sure the MSM will seek to spin this as a brave truth-teller vs Darth Rumsfeld
Maybe this guy is a nut case or maybe he's telling the truth and Rumsfeld has some back stabbers in his close circle. The source of the story is the Washington Times, typically GOP friendly. If Mr. Shaw is telling the truth, I predict the MSM will bury this story, because after all they wouln't want their Democrat "moles" in the Pentagon/DoD given too much of a public profile. It's odd that this guy has been dumped for confirming a commonly held suspicion that Russia was helping Saddam just prior to the US invasion. "The Kerry media-driven October surprise attack on us and the president stopped within hours," Mr. Shaw wrote. "If I had not had the openly hostile environment in [Pentagon public affairs], I would have moved the story differently. In his December letter to Mr. Rumsfeld, Mr. Shaw complained that he had been targeted by "senior members" in the secretary's office. Mr. Shaw singled out Mr. Rumsfeld's chief of staff, Larry DiRita, and other officials for attempting to "suborn the office of the inspector general" after Mr. Shaw uncovered "a major [Coalition Provisional Authority] fraud and corruption case involving various [Department of Defense] figures."
#3
Mr. Shaw said he had been asked to resign for "exceeding his authority" in disclosing the information.....
"The Kerry media-driven October surprise attack on us and the president stopped within hours," Mr. Shaw wrote. ".....Getting the truth out instantly was more important than process."
To me, it sounds like he is a loose cannon. Rummy and/or the prez might have multiple reasons for not putting out a sensitive story like that at a particular time or in a particular way, and so it is not up to a junior guy to go running to the press with it because of his sense of the way the election is going.
December 30, 2004: The rotation of new units to Iraq and Afghanistan has resulted in a not-unexpected development. The replacement troops get in touch, informally, via the Internet, with the people already there and discuss details of what the new guys can expect. Now this sort of thing has gone on, at a much slower pace, since World War II. Until the Internet came along, the units waiting to go overseas, would either send some people ahead to get an idea of what to expect, or some people already over there would come back and provide details. There were also various reports sent back from the front. Mostly general stuff, somewhat useful. But it's all changed now.
People in the armed forces were quick to catch on to the Internet. After all, the Internet was created with Department of Defense money. But it was at the troop level that things got really interesting. The U.S. military is spread all over the planet, and troops are always eager to get an idea of what it's like in various places they might end up. This includes not only actual places, but units and ships. This curiosity has reached life-and-death proportions when it comes to going to Iraq or Afghanistan. So as soon as the soldiers find out they are headed overseas to replace a particular unit, they get in touch with people they are going to replace. And they talk shop.
This is all unofficial communication, and it makes the security people nervous. The troops generally use non-military email accounts. It's an open secret that .mil email accounts gets run through a security filter before anything is delivered. While the troops are aware of the importance of OPSEC (operational security, what they do, how they do it and so on), these emails often get into more detail then they ought to. Normally, this is not a problem. For all the talk of how "unsecure" email is, the vulnerability is more theoretical than practical. Where there have been obvious problems is on public bulletin boards and chat rooms. There have been a few incidents of troops unthinkingly revealing dangerous information, usually about tactics, security at bases or intelligence matters. The few times this has been found out by commanders, nastygrams were sent to the offenders commanding officer. Apparently there have been no court martials over this so far. After all, the troops are acting in good faith, and most of the communication remains via email. Troops are warned to stay out of public venues with these discussions. And the discussions are is getting results. Soldiers and marines arrive with detailed knowledge of what they are getting into. Security and intelligence officers arrive with an ulcer.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/30/2004 9:32:30 AM ||
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"Soldiers and marines arrive with detailed knowledge of what they are getting into. Security and intelligence officers arrive with an ulcer."
#2
The "underground" military email that gets out on the internet is useful for the rest of us citizens to gain some idea of WTF is really going on in Iraq & Afghanistan.
December 30, 2004: History is repeating itself again, as the army proposes to create logistics brigades for setting up airfields and ports, on short notice, to receive a flood of American troops and supplies. The U.S. Army was the original pioneer in this area, organizing Engineer Amphibious Brigades in 1942. The purpose of these units was to come in across the beach, right behind the combat units, and start setting up the roads, warehouses, airfields, railroads and truck transportation needed to get supplies off the beach, and to the fighting troops. The army brigades worked very well. Too well. The U.S. Navy had a fit when they discovered the existence of these engineer brigades. A rather unseemly spat followed, with the an eventual compromise. The army was allowed to keep the six, 7,400 man, brigades it had already created, and the navy was allowed to steal the idea and create as many more similar units as were needed for the rest of the war.
This time around, the army doesn't see any arguments arising. The new "Theater Opening Brigades" (TOBs) would deal with airfields (which the army still builds for the air force) and port maintenance (which the army still handles.) In 1942, the navy was upset because they had just developed this nifty new amphibious doctrine (and a bunch of new ships and marine units to make it work), and it appeared that the army was poaching. No, this time around, the army is offering to take a job that no one really wants complete responsibility for. For the last half century, the three services would sort of muddle through the establishment of logistics facilities overseas. The army proposes to do it faster, and on shorter notice, with its TOBs. Oh, by the way, the army actually had more ships (albeit smaller and less well armed ones) than the navy, and conducted more amphibious operations than the marines, during World War II. But today, the army has only a handful of ships and transport aircraft.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/30/2004 9:28:25 AM ||
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This looks similar to the "Bellhop, Waiter, and Hooker" brigades the UN sends in prior to one of their deployments.
#2
The name "Theatre Opening Brigades" gave me a momentary vision of chorus girls, stagehands, makeup artists, and understudies, all decked out in olive drab, parading up Broadway. "Troops, we've got a show to put on!"
In all seriousness, a good idea. Logistics count, more than most non-military people appreciate.
Posted by: Mike ||
12/30/2004 10:22 Comments ||
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This good stuff, without proper resources available, say on the way to Tehran, no force can last too long.
#4
I suspect this is part of something much larger. It implies that light combat units have arrived and secured an area, which must now be prepped for the arrival of rear area units, supplies, and heavy combat units. These units, in turn, support much more extensive combat operations further afield. The question is: "where?" A single separate brigade would normally support a division group or corps-sized operation. So if you have more than one TOB, you are planning something big.
#5
In general, for every unit which is ready for deployment or actively engaged, you need one or two more which are not, engaged in recharging and preparing for deployment.
(I had the same mental image as Mike when I first saw the headline here.)
Posted by: Steven Den Beste ||
12/30/2004 11:27 Comments ||
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#8
Sorry about this, but I can't get the image out of my head.
Imagine the marching cadence a "Theatre Opening Brigade" uses:
"O-ver-ture and curtain lights!" "O-ver-ture and curtain lights!"
"This is it we'll hit the heights!" "This is it we'll hit the heights!"
"Sound off!" "One, two!"
"Sound off!" "Three, four!"
"Curtain's up!" "One, two, three, four, one, two -- Three four!"
Posted by: Mike ||
12/30/2004 15:41 Comments ||
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From Jihad Unspun, an article by its editor, Bruce Kennedy
.... Over the past three years, we have translated literally hundreds of pages of Bin Laden's material, with some even dating back ten years ago that we felt were important for readers to understand Bin Laden's motivations, such as his 1994 letter of King Fahd. In others words, we are very familiar with his writing style, his diction, his voice, his viewpoints and his Aqeedah.
In the October 24th video release Bin Laden came across as a true Statesman — a leader that the Muslim Ummah desperately needs. His statement was articulate, well delivered and addressed not only the obligations of the Muslim Ummah but the broader issues affecting the Muslims as well. This video tape surely was of great concern to Washington and its crusader allies for Bin Laden presented rational viewpoints which in fact he generally does if one reads his material uncut and uncensored. It is only when clipped out of context in mainstream media that Bin Laden comes across as a villain.
On December 16, 2004, an audio tape was released to the web attributed to Osama bin Laden. At first listen, we had serious concerns about this tape, most notably that the speaker clearly had a different voice and while most of the content was old, the content was a significant shift from his previous positions At the time we determined that the voice issues could be just a poor audio recording however the tape had little static and was remarkably clear from a technical perspective. Erring on the side of caution, we decided to translate the tape in its entirety, a very lengthy endeavor, in order to maintain by our policy of letting viewers decide for themselves. The translation was released in four parts due to the enormity of the work and while the more we translated the more concerns we had, we felt it best to honor our agreement with readers that they make the decisions with respect to the material that appears on our pages.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
12/30/2004 9:02:25 AM ||
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sure glad MS posts the Jihadi propaganda....no agenda here, nope,
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/30/2004 9:55 Comments ||
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Lay off Mike on this one. One of the first rules of war is "Know thine enemy". In this case, know what he is thinking and reading. Jihad Unspun is a great place to read some top-notch insanity.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/30/2004 12:00 Comments ||
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Agreed. Most days, they make KCNA look like low grade insanity.
Hoping to hasten the doomsday their leader foretold, scientists who were members of Japan's Aum Shinrikyo cult brewed batches of anthrax in the early 1990s and released it from an office building and out the back of trucks upwind of the Imperial Palace. But the wet mixture kept clogging the sprayers the Aum Shinrikyo scientists had rigged up, and, unbeknown to them, the strains of anthrax they had ordered from a commercial firm posed no danger to anyone. Frustrated by their failure at biowarfare, they turned to a less arduous method of mass killing -- chemical attack -- and in 1995 killed 12 Tokyo subway riders by releasing sarin gas in the tunnels. The cult's experiences demonstrate just a few of the myriad technical obstacles that terrorists who might try to manufacture biological weapons could face, problems that would confound even skilled scientists who tried to help them, biological warfare experts say.
Locating virulent anthrax specimens with which to brew an attack-size batch would be difficult given the medical community's caution about suspicious buyers. Smallpox could be next to impossible to obtain because it is thought to exist in only two secure sites, in Russia and in the United States. Creating aerosolized microbes also requires expertise in many arcane scientific disciplines, such as culturing and propagating germs that retain their virulence and "weaponizing" them so they float like a gas and enter the lungs easily. But specialists also say it is all but inevitable that al Qaeda or another terrorist group will gain the expertise to launch small-scale biological attacks and eventually inflict mass casualties. Information on the mechanics of creating bioweapons is easily accessible on the Internet and in technical manuals, and the equipment to do the job is readily found. Many brew pubs, for example, have fermenters that can cook up deadly germs. Advances in bioscience, and the rapid dissemination of this knowledge worldwide, are making it easier for even undergraduates to create dangerous pathogens. Creating microbe weapons is more challenging than producing the simplest implements of terrorism -- conventional explosives or chemical weapons -- but much less difficult than the most technically daunting -- nuclear weapons -- experts say.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/30/2004 1:42:29 AM ||
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You know, All these reports abt. binny and bioweapons has me convinced of one thing-
It is extremely unlikely.
First of all, the technical skill to produce and deploy is hard. Very hard for these guys. Its easier, and has a higher likelyhood of sucess to brew up some nitro-urea and rent a ryder truck...
Secondly, (talking thru hat here) when you get right down to it, bioweapons aren't all that effective. Scary as hell, yes. Able to cause Hausfraus and beurocrats to keel over from fright, yes. But actual mass casualty generators, no. As the anthrax attacks after 9/11 demo'd, you arent likely to kill lots o' people. (BTW, I wonder how the FBI investigation is going? is it filed under cold cases yet?)
As an additional consideration, all the scare mongering abt Smallpox ignores one little fact-- we are much more capapble of handling disease outbreak than we were in 1918. Public health measures are much improved, and persional medical care will greatly increase survival rates.
Lastly, I would suggest that anyting put out by anyone associated in any way with the CIA be taken with several spoonfulls of salt, if past performance is any guide.
Posted by: N Guard ||
12/30/2004 9:59 Comments ||
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Biowar is terribly misunderstood, and just not cost effective when directed against people. It has so many downsides and drawbacks that it just isn't worth it, compared to more conventional attacks.
#3
agreed that a successful attack would be horrendous, but you actually have greater risk from food handlers not washing their hands after using the restroom. E Coli - is not your friend
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/30/2004 10:09 Comments ||
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Of all the clues that Osama bin Laden is after a nuclear weapon, perhaps the most significant came in intelligence reports indicating that he received fresh approval last year from a Saudi cleric for the use of a doomsday bomb against the United States. For bin Laden, the religious ruling was a milestone in a long quest for an atomic weapon. For U.S. officials and others, it was a frightening reminder of what many consider the ultimate mass-casualty threat posed by modern terrorists. Even a small nuclear weapon detonated in a major American population center would be among history's most lethal acts of war, potentially rivaling the atomic destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Despite the obvious gravity of the threat, however, counterterrorism and nuclear experts in and out of government say they consider the danger more distant than immediate. They point to enormous technical and logistical obstacles confronting would-be nuclear terrorists, and to the fact that neither al Qaeda nor any other group has come close to demonstrating the means to overcome them. So difficult are the challenges that senior officials on President Bush's national security team believe al Qaeda has shifted its attention to other efforts, at least for now. "I would say that from the perspective of terrorism, the overwhelming bulk of the evidence we have is that their efforts are focused on biological and chemical" weapons, said John R. Bolton, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security. "Not to say there aren't any dealings with radiological materials, but the technology for bio and chem is comparatively so much easier that that's where their efforts are concentrating."
Still, the sheer magnitude of the danger posed by a nuclear weapon in terrorist hands -- and classified intelligence assessments that deem such a scenario plausible -- has spurred intelligence and military operations to combat a threat once dismissed as all but nonexistent. The effort includes billions of dollars spent on attempts to secure borders, retrain weapons scientists in other countries and lock up dangerous materials and stockpiles. "The thing to keep in mind is that while it is extremely difficult, we have highly motivated and intelligent people who would like to do it," said Daniel Benjamin, a former National Security Council staff member and senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Each type of weapon of mass destruction -- nuclear, biological and chemical -- presents special challenges for the groups seeking to acquire them, but also opportunities that can be exploited by people determined to unleash their awesome destructive powers.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/30/2004 1:40:03 AM ||
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Have these people got no idea what would happen if even *one* nuke was detonated in an American city?
There really is a reality disconnect here, Binny gets the all-clear to use a 'holy weapon' from some self-appointed cleric in the Magic Kingdom and thinks "that's ok then" - without, it seems, any thought of the consequences.
Perhaps he should look at this site to get some idea of what those consequences might be.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
12/30/2004 14:50 Comments ||
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The two big explosions that rocked the capital of Saudi Arabia Wednesday evening reinforce concerns among U.S. intelligence analysts that Osama bin Laden's increasingly frequent broadcast messages are still finding a receptive audience in the Arab world. The latest bombings in Riyadh—including one apparent car bomb near the Saudi Interior Ministry—come less than two weeks after an audiotape by the Al Qaeda leader blasted the Saudi rulers for "violating God's rules." The tape also praised as "our brothers" the men who attacked the U.S. consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia earlier this month. "The sins the [Saudi] regime committed are great...It practiced injustices against the people, violating their rights, humiliating their pride," Bin Laden said in the audiotape that first appeared on Dec. 16. The Saudi royal family, he asserted, was misspending public money while "millions of people are suffering from poverty and deprivation."
On Tuesday, another bin Laden tape surfaced, this one endorsing the Iraqi insurgency and declaring holy war on U.S. and Iraqi forces trying to safeguard the election. Less than 24 hours later, 28 people were killed in Baghdad, when insurgents detonated three-quarters of a ton of explosives in a house that police were raiding, flattening neighboring homes.
Proving a direct connection between bin Laden's taped messages and any particular terrorist attacks is difficult, if not impossible. Still, the latest developments are almost certain to bolster those analysts who argue the alarming spate of recent bin Laden messages are a harbinger of more attacks to come-rather than, as some Bush administration officials have argued, the desperate last gasps of a cowering, isolated terrorist leader trying to prove his relevance. The debate over what bin Laden is up to has intensified in recent weeks with a seemingly unprecedented public relations campaign by the Al Qaeda leader. In all, bin Laden and his chief deputy, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, will have released 11 different audio and video missives in 2004.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
12/30/2004 1:25:26 AM ||
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Why doesn't anybody grab the AlJizz video tapes and look at the blank tape lot numbers (on the case and inside). Plot where the different lots were sold and you are part-way to bin's hideout.
From The Washington Post
They want to be invisible, these young women at Baghdad University explained. They were sitting in a small group -- five students with pale head scarves pulled tightly around their somber faces. They would not give their names. That would be crazy, they said. The whole point of wearing the scarves now was to be anonymous and unimportant, to avoid being singled out and followed, or kidnapped, or shot. It was more than a matter of blending in. It was a matter of disappearing into the landscape. "I put on the scarf because I wanted to walk in the street without fearing someone will kill me or kidnap me," said one of the women. " I want to finish my studies. Without the scarf I cannot. I heard rumors about killing women without a scarf. Why should I risk my life?"
This is the new reality for many women in Iraq, Muslims and Christians alike. As the months have passed since the U.S.-led invasion, fewer women are daring to venture out without wearing a traditional Muslim head scarf, called a hejab in Arabic. In Baghdad, moderate Muslim women used to feel they had a choice whether to wear the scarf, even as religious oppression under Saddam Hussein grew over the past decade. Now, in many neighborhoods, it is hard to find a woman outdoors without a head scarf. Conservative Muslims believe that women should cover their heads to hide their beauty and not tempt the men who see them. Such instructions are spelled out in the Koran, the Islamic holy book. ....
"Because of the current situation in the country, lack of security, the occupation and many other things, people started to look for a way to escape the terror," said Fadhil Shaker, a psychology professor at Baghdad University. "They want to hide or take shelter to protect themselves. For women, the scarf is the best way to protect them. Women believe the scarf will be the wall to prevent people from looking at them."
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Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
12/30/2004 8:24:53 AM ||
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#1
No real surprise here - Islam's religious warriors have set up shop in Iraq - conducting summary executions and butchering anyone - including Muslims - who disagrees with them. When these men are killed, captured or cowed into submission, the scarves will come off. For such men, a woman's act of not wearing a scarf is an affront to them. In time, these scum will be scoured from Iraq.
#4
Maybe the women of Iraq should try it sometime. It's not like guns aren't available over there.
I've been wondering about that myself. At what point will Muslim women say that enough is enough and fight back against the freedom-smothering BS they're constantly subjected to?
From The Washington Post
.... specialists also say it is all but inevitable that al Qaeda or another terrorist group will gain the expertise to launch small-scale biological attacks and eventually inflict mass casualties. Information on the mechanics of creating bioweapons is easily accessible on the Internet and in technical manuals, and the equipment to do the job is readily found. Many brew pubs, for example, have fermenters that can cook up deadly germs. Advances in bioscience, and the rapid dissemination of this knowledge worldwide, are making it easier for even undergraduates to create dangerous pathogens. Creating microbe weapons is more challenging than producing the simplest implements of terrorism -- conventional explosives or chemical weapons -- but much less difficult than the most technically daunting -- nuclear weapons -- experts say.
Richard Danzig, a former Navy secretary and now a biowarfare consultant to the Pentagon, said that while there are 1,000 to 10,000 "weaponeers" worldwide with experience working on biological arms, there are more than 1 million and perhaps many millions of "broadly skilled" scientists who, while lacking training in that narrow field, could construct bioweapons. "It seems likely that, over a period between a few months and a few years, broadly skilled individuals equipped with modest laboratory equipment can develop biological weapons," Danzig said. "Only a thin wall of terrorist ignorance and inexperience now protects us."
Some agents are simpler than others to weaponize. Toxins such as botulinum, which is not contagious and unlikely to cause mass casualties, are the easiest to turn into weapons, particularly for a food-borne or water-borne attack. Bacterial agents such as anthrax, which also is not contagious, are more difficult to manufacture. Viruses such as smallpox, which is contagious and could kill millions, are tougher still.
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Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
12/30/2004 7:52:40 AM ||
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A group of Ugandan officials have met rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) commanders near the border with Sudan, aiming at ending the 18-year insurgency in the north, according to a report reaching here on Wednesday. The meeting took place late on Tuesday between a delegation including peace negotiator Betty Bigombe, government officials, legislators and others, and seven rebel commanders led by spokesman Brigadier Sam Otto Kolo.
This was the second meeting between Bigombe and rebel spokesman Kolo since the ceasefire between the Ugandan government and the rebels started to take effect on November 15. Acholi cultural leaders and elders led by Bigombe met Kolo on December 7 at Palabek in Kitgum district. Minister of Internal Affairs Ruhakana Rugunda, who has been appointed as head of the government peace team, was not among the officials who held talks with the rebels on Tuesday. However, Rugunda described Tuesday's meeting as "peace process making progress," saying that "the meeting meant to build confidence and reconciliation have taken place." According to an earlier report, the government peace team led by Rugunda will travel to Kitgum on Wednesday to join Bigombe. "The LRA reaffirmed during the meeting its commitment to ending 18 years of civil war in the region and urged the government to extend the ceasefire zone," said an official who attended the meeting.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/30/2004 12:11:22 AM ||
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I'm dead, dammit! Don't be associatin my deadass with this boolshit!
Posted by: Rick James ||
12/30/2004 13:32 Comments ||
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Palestine chief Islamic judge Sheikh Tayasser Al-Tamimi today said that the spiteful, intoxicated Zionist settlerâs act of breaking into the holy Aqsa Mosque with a bottle of liquor then breaking it in the Aqsa plaza constituted a flagrant act of contempt to the feelings of all Muslims worldwide. Tamimi, in a press release in Ramallah, said that the act followed âIsraeliâ allegations that the holy site was threatened by fanatics and followed similar practices the latest of which writing shameful statements on the Silsila gate leading to the Aqsa at dawn Monday.
The chief judge held the âIsraeliâ government responsible for safety of the holy site, emphasizing that Tel Aviv knew quite well those planning to assault the Aqsa and was capable of putting an end to such threats but on the contrary it was encouraging and protecting those responsible for the attacks and threats. Tamimi asserted Islamism of the Aqsa Mosque and that Muslims had the sole right of ownership over that holy site and none others had the right to pray in it. He urged the Arab and Muslim Ummah to immediately intervene and put an end to such attacks that threatened the Aqsa Mosque.
They tried that several times before, Bub. Thatâs how the Occupied Territories came to be Occupied.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/30/2004 00:00:00 ||
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I would love to launch a conventional balistic missle at this cultist temple of death. But we have to respect the ROPs and other kookie religious sensibilities.
No one will ever build a fence high enough or thick enough to fence out this stupidity.
#2
Tel Aviv knew quite well those planning to assault the Aqsa and was capable of putting an end to such threats but on the contrary it was encouraging and protecting those responsible for the attacks and threats
The reason he says this is because that is exactly what the PA does regarding Paleo-boomers. He's giving away his game.
#3
Does the judge think the occupation of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre by a horde of Palestinian gunmen constitutes an act of contempt for all Christians worldwide?
#4
Wonder if the Palis will consider it sacrilege when they cause the collapse of Al Aqsa from all that excavation they are doing underneath it to destroy all traces of Jewish artifacts predating the islam?
Posted by: ed ||
12/30/2004 11:14 Comments ||
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#5
I wonder if they consider this the eqivalent of shitting in the Church of the Nativity when you occupy it for a couple of months?
Nah.....
#6
Since the al Aqsa mosque was built over the Knights Templars stables, one shouldn't be surprised at the amount of horse manure that seems to come out of it.
Ahmed Sadat, the detained PFLP leader, today urged his supporters and PFLP affiliates to vote for Dr. Mustafa Al-Barguthi for president of the Palestinian Authority at the upcoming election slated for 9th January. Sadat's call followed consultations with Barguthi and the PFLP that ended in a joint electoral program.
Worked a deal, did they?
The PFLP leader was speaking over the telephone from his PA prison cell in Jericho in a press conference held at Ramallah chamber of commerce in the presence of Barguthi and a number of PFLP leaders in the city. Sadat affirmed that his Front had indulged in dialogues with the DFLP and the People's Party in a bid to nominate one candidate for those "democratic forces" but the discussions reached a deadlock and each one tabled its own nominee.
PFLP is Communist-oriented, rather than Islamist. The People's Party is the Paleo version of the Communist party...
He said that the PFLP reached an agreement with Barguthi on national rights atop of which the right of return, self-determination and the independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. He said that the agreement also refused the so-called (American) roadmap plan for a final settlement to the Palestinian-Zionist conflict and the Zionist premier Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/30/2004 00:00:00 ||
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Facing an upsurge in lawlessness and anarchy, the Palestinian Authority is preparing to deploy a special force in the Gaza Strip to fight local criminal gangs. The new force consists of security agents from different branches of the PA security establishment and is headed by Brigadier-General Mohammed al-Sakka. PA security sources told The Jerusalem Post that the new security apparatus, called the Joint Central Force, would be subordinate to the National Security Council, which is headed by Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei. "The force's main task is to enforce law and order and hunt down criminals and murderers," said a senior PA security official in Gaza City. The source denied that the move was directed against Hamas or any of the armed Palestinian groups. "It will fight against murderers and rapists, not Hamas and Islamic Jihad," he emphasized.
"There's a difference, you know. It's just kinda subtle..."
Al-Sakka said the new force consists of 1000 security officers who would be deployed in various parts of the Gaza Strip within the next few days. He said its members have received special training in anti-riot tactics and combating crime over the past five months. He pointed out that the decision to establish the security force was taken by the National Security Council last June and had received the blessing of former PA chairman Yasser Arafat.
"Oh, yasss! Yasser was all for it, bless his dear departed heart!"
"The members of the new force were carefully selected and are all ambitious young men," he added. "They will all wear natty black uniforms and use white vehicles. They will also receive relatively high salaries because of the risks they face."
Men in Black, eh? Do they have those flasher thingies, too?
Yes, and we taught them to flash themselves, repeatedly -- Mossad Hey! How'd he get into my comments? I'm the Mossad, remember?
Posted by: Fred ||
12/30/2004 00:00:00 ||
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Talk, talk, talk. PA PR. And if they ever do anything, it won't be to the real problem, the real killers and thugs - it'll be disposables and flakes.
Whack 'e, tag 'em, bag 'em, and stack 'em and prove they were the real problem, your institutional terrorists, and then I'll listen to your blather.
#2
"It will fight against murderers and rapists, not Hamas and Islamic Jihad," he emphasized.
So it will probably do absolutely nothing. Another PA hack's private army created for the upcoming power struggle. Got to get your hand in early, right "General" al-Sakka?
#3
local criminal gangs = the PA, hamas, hezbullah, al aqsa martyrs brigade, etc. Boy, those MIB have their work cut out for them.
BTW, white vehicles? Will they have bullseyes too? [/sarcasm]
The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine today denounced the PLO executive committee chief Mahmoud Abbas' statement calling for demilitarizing the Aqsa intifada. A responsible source in the Movement said that such calls were harmful to the Palestinian people and cause. He charged Abbas, also a PA presidential hopeful, of deliberately reiterating such stands seeking the satisfaction of certain Zionist and international parties.
That'd be us, of course...
The spokesman affirmed that the intifada was the choice of all Palestinians and was not limited to a certain faction or group. Abbas should have rather focused on Zionist occupation's crimes in lines of the Palestinian people and to halt them if he could instead of "flirting" occupation with statements that only threatened unity of the Palestinian people. For their part, representatives of the Palestinian factions in Lebanon have issued a statement affirming insistence on the intifada and rejecting Abbas' position.
"Yeah! Youse guys get out there and explode! We'll cheer you on from here in Beirut!"
Posted by: Fred ||
12/30/2004 00:00:00 ||
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Israel will now be able to take part in the international war on terror financing, in addition to combating local terror funding under a law approved by the Knesset on Wednesday. Under the law, paying pensions or compensation to families of suicide bombers and others involved in terrorist activities will be prohibited. The Prohibition on Terror Financing Law was approved in a 62-6 vote, with opposition coming only from Arab MKs. The government initiated the legislation as part of the global anti-terror effort, and similar legislation exists in other countries. The passage of the law was necessary to enable international cooperation in blocking terror financing.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/30/2004 00:00:00 ||
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Opposition only coming from Arab MKs eh? Hmmm, I can't think *why* they'd be against this legislation!
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
12/30/2004 4:05 Comments ||
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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.
December 30, 2004: In North Korea, the government is trying to suppress growing enthusiasm for South Korean clothing, mannerisms and accents. Special police units are inspecting stores, especially the new free markets, for South Korean clothing (often second hand) brought over from China. VCR tapes and CDs of South Korean television shows and movies are already illegal, but the trade in them continues despite the risks. The South Korean influences began appearing ten years ago, and has reached far more of the population than the North Koreans ever thought possible. In 2004, some 1,900 North Koreans made it to South Korea. Many more (over ten times more) made it out of North Korea into China and Russia. One South Korean is known to have fled to North Korea.
When Mehdi Dakhlallah wrote an article earlier in the year calling for the abolition of a clause in the Syrian constitution granting preferential treatment to the ruling Baath party, many thought he would lose his job as editor of Al-Baath newspaper. After all, Syrian Vice-President 
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State 
A group of Ugandan officials have met rebel Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) commanders near the border with Sudan, aiming at ending the 18-year insurgency in the north, according to a report reaching here on Wednesday. The meeting took place late on Tuesday between a delegation including peace negotiator Betty Bigombe, government officials, legislators and others, and seven rebel commanders led by spokesman Brigadier Sam Otto Kolo.
Facing an upsurge in lawlessness and anarchy, the Palestinian Authority is preparing to deploy a special force in the Gaza Strip to fight local criminal gangs. The new force consists of security agents from different branches of the PA security establishment and is headed by Brigadier-General 
