Somalia's powerful Islamist movement has announced that it is tightening Sharia law in its territory and that it will fight the proposed deployment of foreign peacekeepers. In a series of edicts, statements and court rulings issued just days after a failed attempt to assassinate the president of the country's transitional government, the Supreme Islamic Council of Somalia (SICS) moved to strengthen its grip on power.
Already in control of the capital Mogadishu and much of southern Somalia, the Islamists said they would seize the port of Kismayo and close the border with Kenya to prevent an east African peacekeeping force entering the country to shore up the government's limited authority.
They also sentenced two alleged murderers to be executed in public, arrested a male martial arts coach and six female students, and banned the sale and use of the popular stimulant khat during the upcoming Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Sheikh Mohamed Nur Duale, a top SICS member in the Lower Juba Valley, said the Islamists had surrounded Kismayo, about 500km south of Mogadishu, and would soon take it from a local armed group. "We will not attack our Muslim brothers in Kismayo or any other place in the region. Our objective is to defend the country from the enemies of Allah. No one should dare stand in front of this holy objective."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/22/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
One of these days this is going to be a new base for terror. Crush it now while it's later and reap the dividends later.
#2
The turbins have outlawed Qat {khat} for Ramadan? Boy, things ought to get interesting in the rump state of Somalia about a week into that : speed junkies get MEAN when you cut them off.
#4
Did they outlaw using khat 24/7 or only during the day?
Posted by: James ||
09/22/2006 3:51 Comments ||
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#5
Gorb-
Give them all guns
They've already all GOT guns.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
09/22/2006 11:01 Comments ||
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#6
I was under the impression that qat/khat is a mild hallucinogen and depressant? I can't imagine speed junkies lolling about all day, cow like, chewing large mouthfuls of green leaves and dribbling green goo over themselves without caring, as qat chewers in Yemen are reputed to do.
President Hosni Mubarak on Thursday called for Egypt to pursue nuclear energy, as the US ambassador said Washington would be willing to help its Mideast ally develop a peaceful program.
Mubarak echoed a call made earlier this week by his son, Gamal, who many believe is being groomed to succeed his father. The proposal surprised some, who saw it as a jab at the United States, which is locked in a confrontation with Iran over its nuclear program.
"We must increase our exploitation of new energy sources, including the peaceful uses of nuclear energy," President Mubarak said in a televised speech at the closing session of a three-day conference of his ruling National Democratic Party.
"I call for a serious debate (in Egypt), taking into consideration what nuclear tecnology can provide by way of clean, inexpensive energy sources," he said.
He said Egypt was "not starting from zero. We have knowledge of this technology, enabling us to move forward with it."
US Ambassador to Egypt, Francis Ricciardone, said the United States had no problem with an Egyptian nuclear program and is ready to supply technology to help.
"There is no comparison between Iran and Egypt in this field. Iran has a nuclear weapons program, but using nuclear power for peaceful means is a totally different matter," he told the Egyptian TV station El-Mehwar.
"If Egypt, after detailed study on this subject, decides that nuclear power is a positive thing and important for Egypt, we can cooperate in this field. Why not?" he said.
#3
Just what a country with excess natural gas needs -- "clean, inexpensive" nuclear power. Nuclear power will never be cleaner or less expensive or less complicated than running local natural gas through a gas turbine/generator.
It looks like Perv and Hosni are determined to ride Ahmanutjob's and Hugo's coat tails right into Hell. Works for me.
#4
President Mubarek must be planning to recall the former head of Egypt's nuclear project... That would be Dr. El Baradei, I do believe, and from what I've heard he's been working to keep his critical skills current, so that's ok.
#6
He said Egypt was "not starting from zero. We have knowledge of this technology, enabling us to move forward with it."
This is a direct admission of their clandestine nuclear program which I routinely accused elBaradei of being unable to detect. That elBaradei is a native Egyptian probably has nothing to do with it.
#7
Interestly, no mention of what will become of the waste. At last check, I don't remember hearing about any salt mines in the Middle East to bury it.
The other would be security of these complexes. I remember hearing about after the fall of Saddam in Iraq. People were taking home the radioactive metals to make pots and pans and other containers.
The other use was for warmth. Radioactive metals throw off heat as well as radiation.
(KUNA) -- Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz deneied on Thursday any plans to establish a national security court. According to Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Prince Nayef said "there is no such thing as a national security court," noting that there were only deliberations between the Supreme Judicial Council and the ministries of Justice and Interior regarding the selection of some judges who will handle security cases.
As for claims in the foreign media regarding the cancellation of Saudi Arabia's "religious police," he said "they mean the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice" and canceling it will never take place. On Wednesday, the second general meeting for the commission's officials concluded its activities under the patronage of Prince Nayef.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/22/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice
This might be a good name for our RB mods
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/22/2006 3:12 Comments ||
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A Bangladeshi Muslim journalist arrested in the past for advocating ties with Israel now faces charges of sedition, a crime punishable by death in Bangladesh, and will likely be put on trial by the end of the month, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
In a court session on Tuesday in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, a state-appointed judge ruled that the government's case against Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury could proceed to trial and that the hearings would commence within 15 days. As editor of The Weekly Blitz, an English-language newspaper published in Dhaka, Choudhury aroused the ire of Bangladeshi authorities after he printed articles favorable to Israel and critical of Muslim extremism. Bangladesh does not recognize Israel's existence and refuses to establish diplomatic relations with the Jewish state.
In November 2003, Choudhury was arrested at Dhaka's international airport just prior to boarding a flight on his way to Israel, where he was scheduled to deliver an address on promoting understanding between Muslims and Jews. His visit to Israel would have been the first by a Bangladeshi journalist. Choudhury was charged with sedition, held in prison for 17 months and was reportedly tortured before being freed in April 2005. But the authorities in Bangladesh, which is ruled by a coalition government that includes Islamic extremists, decided to continue pursuing charges against him.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
09/22/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Its obvious that the extremist are setting the agenda throughout the Islamic world because they shout the loudest/threaten the most!!!!!
#4
Its obvious that the extremist are setting the agenda throughout the Islamic world because they shout the loudest/threaten the most!!!!!
No, they do so because there is no disagreement, by the very rules of Islam. Mohammed said silence is consent; the silence of the "moderates" is a sign of their consent for what is done in the name of Islam.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
09/22/2006 8:29 Comments ||
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#5
That's exactly right. Why do people insist on characterizing the problem as if the 'moderate voices of Islam' are being drwoned out? In the broad perspective of things, there are no moderate voices.
#6
This is another reason why we need a couple of Iowa-class battleships. NOTHING speaks louder than those 16-inch guns, except maybe an ARCLIGHT strike or two. We're being too nice to the muzzies. We need to show them the nasty side of the United States, so they understand what they're up against.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/22/2006 19:39 Comments ||
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This should be interesting. Let's see what Gods Rottweiler does.
Pope Benedict has invited ambassadors from Muslim countries and Italian Muslim leaders to a meeting on Monday in an attempt to draw a line under the polemics sparked by his comments on Islam.
The meeting, also to be attended by the Vatican's top official on inter-religious dialogue, is scheduled to take place at Castel Gandolfo, the lakeside papal residence outside Rome.
The Vatican has diplomatic relations with about 20 Muslim countries, including Iran and Pakistan, two of the countries where reaction to Benedict's words was strongest. "This is a positive first step...but diplomatic efforts alone are not enough to close this affair," Egypt's government-run daily al Akhbar said in a comment published on Friday .
The paper, which apparently had news of the invitation a day early, went on to call for "practical measures" to confirm the pope's respect for Islam .
The reaction among Muslims in Italy, where a top cardinal has already met Rome Muslim leaders, was mostly positive. "This is a great chance for dialogue," said Sergio Yahe Pallavicini, deputy head of Coreis, one of the Italian Islamic organisations expected to go to Castel Gandolfo.
Benedict's quotation of a medieval Byzantine emperor who said Islam had been spread through violence sparked angry protests in many parts of the Muslim world. Since he made his comments in the German city of Regenburg last week, the pope has twice expressed his regrets over the reactions to his words, saying they were misunderstood.
Dixie Chicks lead singer and Lubbock resident Natalie Maines has spoken out once again, this time attacking her hometown instead of the president. Maines made comments during the premiere of the new Dixie Chicks documentary being featured at the Toronto International Film Festival "Shut Up and Sing, which documents the group's time since the now notorious President George W. Bush comments when Maines told a concert crowd she and the Chicks were ashamed that Bush was from Texas.
The lead singer spoke to the Vancouver Sun recently, saying, "but if you live in Lubbock, Texas, where I'm from -- you just have one paper and one radio station and unless you're savvy on the Internet, that's it for you. If Bush said get a gun and kill an Arab, they would do that."
It's a comment that isn't sitting well with some Lubbockites. "I don't believe she should be cutting Lubbock down the way she does because Lubbock housed and fed her for a long time," a resident said.
"Everybody has the right to say whatever they feel, it's a free country," another resident said.
The documentary makers said they don't know exactly when "Shut Up and Sing" will air in Lubbock, but they said it could be as early as October.
#2
Excellent, keep flapping your lips Natalie. I think the other two 'chicks' are going to kick this one out of the coop. At least if they want a pot to piss in.
#3
Heh. I'd like to attend Natalie Maines Day in Lubbock. Perhaps everyone can dress up as stupid skanks with big mouths and expert opinions derived from their high school education...
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/22/2006 12:07 Comments ||
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#4
"Happiness is seeing Natalie in the rear view mirror." with apologies to Mac Davis. And wondering what ever became of the Texas Tech professor, Lubbock radio talk show host, and Rantburger extraordinaire-- Atomic Conspiracy.
#7
I get all my political advice from music college dropouts.
Posted by: ed ||
09/22/2006 13:14 Comments ||
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#8
Heh. I'd like to attend Natalie Maines Day in Lubbock. Perhaps everyone can dress up as stupid skanks with big mouths and expert opinions derived from their high school education...
#9
As a great irony, wouldn't it be funny if someone did a Persian version of the Dixie Chicks song "Goodbye Earl", about women who murder an abusive man, then broadcast the video it on Iranian satellite TV?
Except the women would be wearing a chador, and without saying so, imply that Earl is an Islamist Imam.
The only improvement I could make to that would be by portraying the women as a gang that goes around violently assassinating fundamentalist Imams with daggers in the name of the women's rights.
Showing more and more women joining the cause of killing abusive clerics, so that you have a room full of women waving daggers over their heads at the end of the video.
And give full credit to the Dixie Chicks. I'm sure they would appreciate that.
Like you are Natalie? Sounds like you managed to work your way all the way over to the DU and never made it past there. Quite a trip for one brain cell to make all by itself. Now let's hope it can make its way home if it grows up someday.
Overruling a prominent dean, the president of Columbia University, Lee Bollinger, yesterday withdrew an invitation to the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The dean of Columbia's school of international and public affairs, Lisa Anderson, had independently invited Mr. Ahmadinejad to speak at the World Leader's Forum, a year-long program that aims to unite "renowned intellectuals and cultural icons from many nations to examine global challenges and explore cultural perspectives."
In a statement issued yesterday afternoon, Mr. Bollinger said he canceled Mr. Ahmadinejad's invitation because he couldn't be certain it would "reflect the academic values that are the hallmark of a University event such as our World Leaders Forum." He told Ms. Anderson that Mr. Ahmadinejad could speak at the school of international and public affairs, just not as a part of the university-wide leader's forum.
Ms. Anderson's assistant cited an inability to arrange for proper security as the reason for the cancellation.
Mr. Bollinger told Ms. Anderson that while he finds Mr. Ahmadinejad's views "repugnant," she has the "right and responsibility to invite speakers whom she believes will add to the academic experience of our students."
The invitation sparked heated debate and outrage on campus and elsewhere because Mr. Ahmadinejad is a Holocaust denier and the head of a state that sponsors terrorism. The brouhaha over Mr. Ahmadenijad's invitation has also spotlighted the confusion of many regarding if and how standards should be applied when universities decide whom to welcome to their campuses.
A professor at the school of public health, Judy Jacobson, said Ms. Anderson "didn't see what line she was crossing." When asked to clarify the substance of that line, Ms. Jacobson paused. "Ahmadinejad is a Holocaust denier and inciter and I think that causes him to go far over the line," she said.
A Columbia sophomore who is a reporter for the Columbia Spectator, Mark Holden, said that while he personally does not like Mr. Ahmadinejad, he thought he should have a fair hearing. "It's a tough call,"Mr. Holden said."If given the choice to protest for him or against him I certainly would protest against him."
Ms. Jacobson, the leader of Columbia's chapter of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, a nonprofit group that aims to combat anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism on college campuses, sent a letter to Mr. Bollinger attacking the university's standards on such invitations. The letter, signed by numerous professors from all parts of the university, states,"Neither academic freedom nor the First Amendment requires Columbia University to give a podium to academic freedom to anyone who wants it, let alone a Hitler wannabe who has actively suppressed academic freedom in his own country."
A Harvard professor of law, Alan Dershowitz, said universities must either declare that they will serve as open platforms or articulate clear standards regarding who is welcome to speak on their campuses.
"Bollinger should have said that anybody can speak at Columbia period, but he would never say that. This was an educational moment missed by the university to articulate what its standards are," Mr. Dershowitz said.
#1
...ya know, the old surprise meter just hiccuped on me.
Rangel defends the President, Columbia turns away Amadinnerjacket - the Apocalypse must indeed be upon us.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
09/22/2006 11:03 Comments ||
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#3
I call it the brother's syndrom... I can beat on my brother all I want and he can beat on me all he wants... we fight like cats and dogs.
However don't think for a minute that someone outside of the family can pick a fight with either one of us... because the other one will immediately jump to the defense.
Sorta what I see going on with our country right now... if the world keeps bashing us long enough what they are going to see is the US unite as one single people with one single purpose...
The Defense Department's inspector general has concluded that a top secret intelligence-gathering program did not identify Mohamed Atta or any other hijacker before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, determining that there is no evidence to substantiate claims that Atta's name and photograph were on charts collected by military officials before the strikes.
In a 90-page report released yesterday, Pentagon officials said that the recollections of several officials involved in the "Able Danger" data-mining operation "were not accurate" and that a chart they said included a blurry image of Atta and his name never existed. The report concluded that there were no efforts to prevent contact between the Pentagon group and the FBI, a finding that challenges assertions by an officer involved in the program.
"We found no charts or other documentation created before 9/11 that contained a photograph or name of Mohamed Atta and was produced or possessed by the Able Danger team," acting Inspector General Thomas F. Gimble said in the report. Rest at link.
Posted by: ed ||
09/22/2006 15:24 ||
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They "found nothing" and don't believe the analysts and officers who told them there was something. Conclusion, (according to the DoD IG)...... there is/was nothing. .... "Well Yukon King, I consider this case closed." Off to a IG Hail and Farewell at Sine'
PRESIDENT George W Bush said today he knew of no US threat to bomb Pakistan following the September 11 attacks.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said this week a US official warned his country in 2001 that America would bomb Pakistan "back to the Stone Age" if it did not co-operate with the campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan.
"The first I've heard of this is when I read it in the newspaper today," Mr Bush said as he stood next to Mr Musharraf at a news conference. "I guess I was taken aback by the harshness of the words."
Mr Musharraf sidestepped the issue, saying he could not comment because of a book deal.
The Pakistani leader had told the CBS program 60 Minutes that the threat came from then-deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage, but Mr Armitage has since denied making such a warning.
#4
That's cause it wasn't a threat. It was a promise.
Posted by: Mark E. ||
09/22/2006 13:23 Comments ||
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#5
Eff all mighty, let the man dance around his answers for once! This involved punitive measures against one of the biggest terrorist players in the entire world. Or is that not enough for the media? (Don't answer that!)
They claim that we offered to blow them back to the stone age. Heck, all some in Pakistan has to do is look out the window to realize how silly that concept is.
Posted by: kelly ||
09/22/2006 15:09 Comments ||
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President Bush will sign the bill to construct 700 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border if it is approved by the Senate, the White House said, as Congress continued yesterday drafting more legislation to combat illegal immigration.
On Wednesday night, Mr. Bush told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that he would sign the bill if approved by the Senate, which spent the past two days debating whether they should even consider the fence bill.
Late yesterday, Democrats finally agreed to allow the bill to be taken up.
The House, meanwhile, approved a slew of new bills to speed the deportation of illegal aliens, outlaw tunneling under the border and close loopholes that allow criminal aliens to be released into the U.S.
"I think today's actions here in the House on these three border-security bills demonstrate that House Republicans are serious about securing our borders and enforcing our laws," House Majority Leader John A. Boehner, Ohio Republican, said yesterday. "The American people have called on Congress to take immediate action, and we have."
While the bills passed the House by wide margins yesterday, they face an increasingly dim future in the Senate, which has refused to approve major border-security legislation unless it is coupled with a guest-worker program and a direct path to citizenship for most of the illegal aliens currently in the U.S.
Senate Republicans have spent the past two weeks fighting among themselves over a White House proposal for dealing with terrorism suspects, and Democrats have stalled for more than a week approving the House bill to construct 700 miles of border fencing.
The most contentious immigration legislation approved by the House yesterday was a 277-140 vote to give state and local law enforcement more authority to combat illegal immigration. Also, it would close a decades-old loophole that bars federal officials from placing illegals from El Salvador into "expedited removal proceedings." The provision, adopted during El Salvador's 1980s civil war, means that suspected illegals often are freed back into the U.S. to await deportation proceedings but never heard from again.
The vast majority of Republicans in the chamber were joined by 62 Democrats to approve the changes in policy.
The House also overwhelmingly approved a bill to allow federal officials to detain illegals for more than six months if they are awaiting deportation. The same bill also would bar illegals from obtaining political asylum if they are found to be part of a "criminal street gang." That bill passed on a 328-95 vote.
A third bill passed without objection and would close a loophole in current federal law. The Border Tunnel Prevention Act of 2006 would criminalize the construction and financing of border tunnels with criminal penalties of up to 20 years' imprisonment for persons who knowingly construct or help finance an unauthorized tunnel across a U.S. international border.
Under current law, it is illegal to cross over a border, but not under a border. In recent years, 39 such tunnels have been found along the southern border through which illegal aliens and large quantities of drugs are smuggled. That bill passed on a 422-0 vote.
While House Democrats say they would prefer a single comprehensive bill to address illegal immigration, many, including top party leaders, joined in supporting yesterday's measures.
"Overwhelmingly in our caucus there is support for bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said yesterday. "Some of these things that they are putting forth piecemeal are awful; some are OK; but all of them are more acceptable in the context of comprehensive immigration reform. At the end of the day, if the issue is managed, there is a path to legalization, if the border is secure, if the workplace enforcement is there, if American workers are protected, then you can absorb some of these other initiatives they put forth. But standing alone, they don't manage the issue."
The White House and rebellious Senate Republicans announced an agreement Thursday on conditions covering the interrogation and trial of terror suspects. "I'm pleased to say that this agreement preserves the single most potent tool we have in protecting America and foiling terrorist attacks," President George W. Bush said. He spoke shortly after administration officials and key lawmakers announced agreement after a week of high-profile intra-party disagreement.
"The agreement that we've entered into gives the president the tools he needs to continue to fight the war on terror and bring these evil people to justice," said Sen. John McCain, one of three lawmakers from Bush's own party who told him he could not have the legislation the way he initially asked for it.
You knew Johnny Mac was going to cut a deal; he can't go into the primaries without one. And it leaves the Dhimmicrats twisting in the wind. Think they misunderestimated Dubya again?
Posted by: Fred ||
09/22/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
You know Dubya is right when even CNN grudgingly admits, wid smiles, that the present methods are effective + saved America from new airliner-based terror attack(s) [not in NYC].
#2
McCain's position, arguing that Bush's desire to provide clarifying language of Article 3 to protect the CIA interrogators from inadvertantly (heh) violating the vague language, never made any sense. None. He never deigned to explain himself either, instead posturing without substance that, in some bizarre mysterious way that only the Fuckwit Four could fathom, defining WTF Article 3 actually meant in real-world terms would somehow endanger US service personnel in some future conflict. Total BullShit. It's common sense to require specifics, require clarity, where there is doubt. This was one of his patented "Hey, lookit me! I'm important!" games. To treat this as anything but pure political crap is to flush logic down the drain.
The Fuckwit Four should be permanently assigned to the Shit List.
#4
Yesterday, Brit Hume said he couldn't fathom McCain & Co's position either. IIRC, only Mara Liasson seemed to think she sort of understood, but failed to make much sense when she tried to explain it, to the amusement of everyone on the show, LOL.
#5
McCain is like a hemorrhoid that flares up and is a pain in the ass
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/22/2006 3:14 Comments ||
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#6
SS, there are plenty of other men of valor who were POWs who don't side with McCain (Sam Johnson, etc.)
McCain has never been a general, but he shots off his mouth about troop levels as if he is a five-star. Disgusting.
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/22/2006 3:18 Comments ||
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#7
I wish I knew what these asshats were smoking. This is all about trying to mitigate the effect of the Hamdan ruling -- which, toghether with Rasul and Hamdi, is an invitation to get Colombian on federal judges if there ever was one.
First, the Supreme Cow had to ignore the fact that terrorists do not even remotely meet the conditions for the GCs to apply. Second, they overlook the fact that long-standing DoD policy is to adhere to GC standards anyway.
Most bizarrely, they skipped over the language of CA2, which applies to international armed conflict; if any provision is arguably relevant to GWOT, it would be this one. Yet the court somehow concluded that CA3 is the one that's applicable -- "armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties."
I.e., the Court ruled that the most global, international conflict history has ever seen is not of an international character, but an internal conflict within the territory of one nation (which one, I wonder?) Such demented, bizarro-land, post-modern "reasoning" is what passes for astute legal analysis these days. And now it is the law of the land.
Even acknowledging such bilge is to succumb to insanity. Any legislative "clarification" of CA3 amounts to one more baby step down the road of incremental surrender to our enemies, foreign and domestic.
Worst of all, totally lost in the dickering over whether peanut butter sandwiches are a war crime is the urgent question of whether the GCs should be scrapped entirely. The very foundations they were built on do not exist in this conflict, and nothing can induce the enemy to adhere to them anyway. It is a question of our survival. I would rather be a tad vicious and alive than compassionate and dead.
If everybody just immediately jumped on W's plan, the whole world would've smelled a stinker. All the libs, commies, socialists, and tranzis would've cried foul.
Karl knew this, and persuaded McCain and the other three to make a fuss about the fact that W's plan was too harsh. Everyone fell for that ruse! It fit their meme perfectly!
And what's 'in' and what's 'out', torture-wise? Can't tell ya. That's "secret".
Perfect!
Now W has Karl's original interrogation plan approved, and the Tranzi's and fellow travellers are mollified! Whadda deal!
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/22/2006 6:14 Comments ||
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#9
Thanks, eJAG. I thought the language was straightforward, so when Hamdan cam down I presumed I had missed some overriding tenet or provision.
So the reading comprehension of 5 members of SCOTUS are sub-3rd Grade... or they just didn't give a fuck and decided to ignore the bits they didn't like.
Is it obtuse enough to suggest that they need to be assisted in achieving a higher plane of "existence"?
#10
"It is a question of our survival. I would rather be a tad vicious and alive than compassionate and dead."
Hear, hear!!
I don't know where the Hell we ever acquired the perverse notion that if we, America, are not morally and legally beyond all possible reproach then we are no damn good at all; but if we don't get rid of it soon it's going to get a bunch of us killed-- possibly several million if we miss an intelligence tidbit that would have allowed us to foil a terrorist WMD attack.
And frankly, our squeamishness is likely to get more of THEM killed, too, because it fails to deter them from following a course that is leading them straight toward the greatest Train Wreck in all of human history.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/22/2006 6:23 Comments ||
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#11
Boy, you're cruising for a bruising, Dave D.
You haven't applied the Magic Filter to separate out the vast majority of Muslims who are Moderate from the tiny percentage that are Extremists. Of course, when the train wreck occurs, perhaps they'll suddenly and magically sort themselves for us, instantly forming an array of resistance movements and the Moderate Muslim Jihadi-Whacker Brigades. Sure, that's how it will go, I betcha. I must admit that I'm curious why the outlines of this aren't yet apparent, 5 yrs on if I use 9/11 as a starting point, 27 if I use the Embassy takeover, or 33 if I use the Oil Embargo, but it's probably a culture thingy and I just don't understand.
Anyway, I have it on verbose and strident authority that the sorting thing is required before you can say anything about train wrecks and stuff.
What's the sound of one finger wagging?
In any case, you've been warned, so you better watch it there, buddy.
#12
The reason the court held that CA2 doesn't apply is that "international" means a conflict between states, but the enemy is a decentralized terrorist network rather than a state actor. Strictly speaking, this is correct. But how CA3 is any more applicable is beyond me.
The logical conclusion is that NEITHER applies. Further, the list of actors that make a good-faith attempt to comply with the GCs can be counted on one hand. What's the use? Does our humane treatment deter the enemy from committing atrocities against us? No. Are our detainees hapless conscripts ordered into battle by a tyrant who gave them no choice? No.
The primary function the GCs now serve is a modern-day Treaty of Hudaybiyya -- a sham treaty Muhammad concluded with the Quraysh of Mecca, for two purposes: (1) to buy time to consolidate and re-arm, and (2) to set up impossible conditions that the Quraysh would surely violate, providing a pretext to declare war when they did. Only two years passed between the signing of the treaty, and the defeat, slaughter, rape, and enslavement of the Quraysh.
I'd like to see what the humanitarians say when the thing that supposedly "preserves our humanity" gets us all killed.
#13
Ms. exJAG, I'm awfully glad you're here illuminating the technical issues for us. Despite all the noises some here like to make, you join the select group of lawyers who make Rantburg their home, contributing snark and their personal knowledge and perspective to the mix. You'll have noticed cingold, of course, and there's Matt from N'Awlins and a surprising number of others, some of whom are current or retired military like you and Mr. future-exJAG (I do look forward to meeting him when he has the time to poke his head in).
#14
McCain finally got his polling results. I think he found out gasoline prices are more important than the volume of gas he produces.
As for being a POW hero, I salute him. But that buys him no special cred on the issue. It can as easily be argued it buys scepticism. And given the way this played out, I doubt it had much to do with his motivation either way. Just his Gang of 14 media whoring.
I am all for maintaining the GC provided that we rememeber in what spirit it was made: make war less inhuman NOT tie the hands of the bad guys. And in that spirit, AFAIK (but you know better) you are NOT bound by it once the other guy violates them. In that spirit if the other guy fires at you from a hospital the GC gives you the right to level the hopital, capture the offender and execute him for warcrimes. GC's spirit is: Crime shouldn't pay. Let's have American forces really respect GC because the "you gain nothing by violating the rules" effect is essential for Geneva's conventions being respected. Even if we know that Jihadis will never respect them other gueriilas and armed forces could get the lesson.
#16
Without addressing the status of prisoners, which is out of my league, why on earth would it be a bad thing to clarify "cruel and inhuman" treatment? Does undies on the head fall under that fuzzy definition? How about a female interrogator? How about Western music or art or pork nearby? How about a Christian or Jewish soldier praying nearby?
I think we owe a level of protection to our citizens earnestly trying to carry out their charge, and clear rules would help do that. And I think the international community needs to face up to the difference between insult, discomfort, and real torture.
#17
According to Suskind, alot of the info we've gotten from the big 14 was not obtained by coercive interrogation methods, and the big hit we got - a codename for KSM - was something wed already suspected, and it was only one piece of catching KSM. And we got a lot of bogus stuff from coercive methods - some of the false alarms we got in 2002 were cause Zubayday was spilling stuff that wasnt true to get the pain to stop. All in all, a mixed record. Is it worth the hits we're taking in our rep to for what we're getting? McCain doesnt think so. Warner doesnt. The militarys top lawyers dont. Powell doesnt. George Schultz doesnt.
And now the admin has given in. Yup, it leaves the Dems without an issue. It also means the admin has shown weakness. The real winners here are McCain, who stuck to his core beliefs at risk to his political career, but who ended up winning and forcing admin concessions, and the American people.
This materially increases the chances I will vote GOP in 2008, btw. Both because it increases the odds McCain will be the nominee, and it increases my respect for him.
As for me, I've been around long enough to have seen him cover his ass on the credit union financial scandal, only to appoint himself Mr. Clean via imagemaking. and I've seen him knife various colleagues in the back, while positioning himself as Mr. Above Nasty Politics.
If you buy it, I hope you like it once you take it home. He could be offering mucho dollars-off coupons, though, and I wouldn't pay a cent for what he's selling.
#19
"Boy, you're cruising for a bruising, Dave D. [...] In any case, you've been warned, so you better watch it there, buddy."
I think I can take care of myself OK, thank you...
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/22/2006 10:49 Comments ||
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#20
tw, thank you and the guys for a warm reception. There don't seem to be too many Rantburg Chicks, but that's to be expected, I guess.
Mr. exJAG lurks from time to time, but I don't think he'll be making an appearance. I'm paraphrasing here, but he says, "that's nice, but I think it's a &^%! waste of time to &%%#! argue about this *&%# anymore, and isn't it high *&^%^%#@ time to just &*%&$# every last &^$#! one of those &*%$# &%$!." So, I guess the nattering is up to me, as he's busy cleaning the guns. Such a sweetie-pie!
#21
See those scars? Senator McCain Sustained them during torture whilst a POW in Veitnam. If anyone earned an oppinion about interrogation he did!!
Um, with all due respect, that's a really stupid thing to say. Are we to consider John McCin's opinion unimpeachable because he was tortured in the Hanoi Hilton?
This is the same line of bullshit thinking that says Cindy Sheehan is an unimpeachable authority on Iraq because she lost a son, or the Dems scrounging for Vets to run for office on an anti-war platform.
Right is right, and wrong is wrong. McCain is DEAD WRONG on this issue. There, see? Everyone has an opinion, and his is no more unimpeachable than mine.
#22
"If you buy it, I hope you like it once you take it home. He could be offering mucho dollars-off coupons, though, and I wouldn't pay a cent for what he's selling."
Right, cause the current admin has never stabbed anyone in the back, or tried to cover their asses after a mistake.
#23
I doubt primary voting Republicans are impressed by McCain's continual underminimg of a sitting President of his own party, undercutting his own chances of getting the nominaion. He's got a better shot at the White House on a fusion ticket with Lieberman.
#24
SG1342 wins this week's 'Understated Snark' award (other than Fred's comment the other day, of course, but Fred isn't eligible for the award ;-). AoS.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/22/2006 11:27 Comments ||
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#25
BTW, it was the S&L scandal, not the "credit union" scandal, and McCain was exonerated.
#27
I'll stand by my judgment of McCain. Daddy taught me long ago to beware of people who set themselves up as paragons of virtue, to pity those who had lost their integrity and were struggling with their self hatred, and NEVER to give power to someone who combined both attributes in one political career.
#28
I know people who flew with McCain, and they don't like him.
That says a lot. He's a back stabber, not quite a Kerry, but untrustworthy, nontheless. Not his fault, really, he just follows what the MSM dictates. Simpleton comes to mind. Useful fool.
One thing is sure, he's no leader. He keeps taking the position against the American people, like on the borders issue. Leaders aren't that dumb.
When the debates start, you'll see how populist his positions are and how vacant his reasons are.
#33
I know people who flew with McCain, and they don't like him.
I knew him at NAS Cecil Field, FL when he became CO of VA-174, the A-7E II Training Squadron. I was but a lowly Airman Apprentice and Plane Captain in training.
He was a very arrogant and nasty dispositioned fellow, even for an officer. There were plenty of other ex-POW's returning to active duty and flight status, they all seemed to give him a WIDE berth.
Having tucked him into his A-7 a number of times, I can definitely confirm that he is indeed, a choad! That is all!
#34
Keating 5
Charles Keating was convicted of racketeering and fraud in both state and federal court after his Lincoln Savings & Loan collapsed, costing the taxpayers $3.4 billion. His convictions were overturned on technicalities; for example, the federal conviction was overturned because jurors had heard about his state conviction, and his state charges because Judge Lance Ito (yes, that judge) screwed up jury instructions. Neither court cleared him, and he faces new trials in both courts.)
Though he was not convicted of anything, McCain intervened on behalf of Charles Keating after Keating gave McCain at least $112,00 in contributions. In the mid-1980s, McCain made at least 9 trips on Keating's airplanes, and 3 of those were to Keating's luxurious retreat in the Bahamas. McCain's wife and father-in-law also were the largest investors (at $350,000) in a Keating shopping center; the Phoenix New Times called it a "sweetheart deal."
Sounds like your type of "honest", LH
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/22/2006 13:26 Comments ||
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#35
I don't like McCain, never have. I don't trust him. My gut sense tells me there's something dark and twisted lurking in the depths of his soul, something I wouldn't like one darned bit if it ever showed itself in the light of day.
I'll vote for him if I have to, but only to keep a Democrat out of the White House. And I'll have to take a deep breath and hold my nose while I do it.
I find McCain positively shuddersome.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/22/2006 13:35 Comments ||
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#36
We know that the President initially tried to accomodate McCain by referring to his Detainee Treatment Standards in the proposed legislation.
This 'famous' document is actually a short amendment to an appropriations bill (typical!) and requires two things:
1. No person under control of the DOD shall be subjected shall be subjected to any treatment or technique of interrogation not authorized by and listed in the United States Army Field Manual on Intelligence Interrogation.
2. No individual in the custody or under the physical control of the United States Government, regardless of nationality or physical location, shall be subject to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.
where
Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Defined.--In this section, the term ``cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment'' means the cruel, unusual, and inhumane treatment or punishment prohibited by the Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, as defined in the United States Reservations, Declarations and Understandings to the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Forms of Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment done at New York, December 10, 1984.
The US took exception to the UN Convention, referring instead to the 5th, 8th, and 14th Amendments.
So this is more than a little circular!
I take this to mean that a 'detainee' in the hands of the CIA in North Wazoo enjoys all the (pre-trial) protections of a US citizen under the 5th, 8th, and 14th Amendments and the settled law which implements them.
But that wasn't good enough for McCain.
Then there is the 'affront to human dignity', which can be interpreted any way you like. For example, I'd say that the open commode in a prison cell is an affront to human dignity. Or not providing clean sheets every day. Or not saying "Good morning" in a civil tone.
#37
Thanks, ex-JAG, for stealing/echoing one of my rants. People need to step back and consider the stupefying performance of the SCOTUS - your use of "insanity" is not hyperbolic - in simply making it up as they go along WRT CA3.
The scary - this means scary to intelligent, savvy, experienced people, and cannot be parodied as politically expedient - thing here is that the completely unfit SCOTUS just appointed itself executive and rewrote a treaty off the top of their head. If this is not a huge blow to both the Constitution and our security, I am desperately waiting for someone to explain it.
As for McCain, having observed him up close for several years on the Hill, long before he was a (pathetically eager) "maverick" preening for the media wing of the opposition party, he's nuts. Scary nuts, in a non-clinical sense. He's got all the personality attributes of the brilliant egotistical leader, save the brilliance and the leadership qualities. Just because he's not a complete idiot on national security like most Dems and many GOPers still leaves him mediocre at best in that department.
On a visit here last year, in a group including Clinton, Graham, and Feingold, he managed to make such an egregiously stupid and irresponsible comment in the press availability that CLINTON and even Feingold hastened to clean up the mess after him - this is no mean accomplishment. In an answer about trends in the war he said what the US should aim for is an acceptable level of casualties, or something to that effect. I'm not kidding. His colleagues fairly jumped in to insist that what was needed was commitment to make sure Iraqis had a chance to launch their democracy, then having just had its first successful vote. Jaws still hung open and heads shook as Graham took the discussion in another direction. McCain sat there looking shifty and weird as usual, not even seeming to notice what had happened.
Then we could talk about his illiterate, bizarre, and utterly alien indifference to our core democratic values such as free expression.
McCain is the perfect Republican for those whose understanding of people and important issues is at the level of NPR or your typical "educated" Beltway denizen. But he's a preposterous candidate for anything and I'm not too concerned he'll go beyond his current level of incompetence.
#38
StrategyPage: Al Qaeda's Allies in Congress If U.S. politicians John McCain, John Warner, and Lindsey Graham prevail in their political battle with the American government over military tribunals, the United States could effectively find itself returned to the policies of the Clinton Administration, when convicting terrorists often compromised the gathering of intelligence. How? Because one of the provisions in the McCain-Warner-Graham legislation would require that terrorists be shown all the evidence against them. Despite their noble intentions, their legislation, if passed, will increase the chance that a terrorist attack will succeed in the future.
More at link
Posted by: ed ||
09/22/2006 14:55 Comments ||
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#39
tw, thank you and the guys for a warm reception. There don't seem to be too many Rantburg Chicks, but that's to be expected, I guess.
Mr. exJAG lurks from time to time, but I don't think he'll be making an appearance. I'm paraphrasing here, but he says, "that's nice, but I think it's a &^%! waste of time to &%%#! argue about this *&%# anymore, and isn't it high *&^%^%#@ time to just &*%&$# every last &^$#! one of those &*%$# &%$!." So, I guess the nattering is up to me, as he's busy cleaning the guns. Such a sweetie-pie!
McCain is a choad. Junk Geneva. That is all!
Mrs. exJag,
Ima not worthy [*bows and scrapes*] ... but completely won over and a now big fan! >:-)
#40
NYT About the only thing that Senators John Warner, John McCain and Lindsey Graham had to show for their defiance was Mr. Bushs agreement to drop his insistence on allowing prosecutors of suspected terrorists to introduce classified evidence kept secret from the defendant. The White House agreed to abide by the rules of courts-martial, which bar secret evidence. (Although the administrations supporters continually claim this means giving classified information to terrorists, the rules actually provide for reviewing, editing and summarizing classified material. Evidence that cannot be safely declassified cannot be introduced.)
The NYT bitches that McCain gave away everything while StrategyPage notes that: In 1995, such information was turned over to lawyers representing Omar Abdel Rahman, the blind cleric and leader of the terrorists involved in the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing. At least one of the documents ultimately found its way to al Qaeda headquarters in the Sudan. That document contained a list of people who were on the government's radar screen and thus alerted al Qaeda to the possibility of surveillance.
...
Compromising methods of gathering intelligence, and the sources of intelligence creates a chilling effect. If a source wants to be extracted, intelligence he might have gathered in the future is lost. The same loss of intelligence happens when a source stops cooperating for fear of exposure, which happened in 1995 after then-Congressman Robert Torricelli burned a CIA source. Cooperation with other intelligence agencies will also suffer as they act to protect their methods and sources from being exposed.
Posted by: ed ||
09/22/2006 15:44 Comments ||
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#41
As a follow to Verlaine's excellent skewering of McCain, he is really weak on basic economics. I mean stupid doofus. He did an interview in the Saturday Wall Street Journal that made it clear he knew next to nothing about how the economy works. Give this guys a wide berth.
Verlaine: SCOTUS just appointed itself executive and rewrote a treaty off the top of their head. If this is not a huge blow to both the Constitution and our security, I am desperately waiting for someone to explain it.
Exactly.They should be tried and hung for torturing logic.
Redneck, have you also wondered if the proper spelling is "chode"?
#43
Random House's The Maven's Word Of The Day has a fine dissertation on the word 'choad' which says, in part,
Choad made a big splash with this 'penis' meaning during the 1960s in some underground comics: "What a find a giant choad!" (Zap Comics, unp. no. 3, 1968). This use faded off the radar in the late 1970s. Apparently, we can all thank the editorial gurus from the Usenet group alt.tasteless for its latest ubiquitous appearance.
The word has at least two other meanings that date from the 1980s. Choad is a name for the fecal matter on an animal's behind (also called a dingleberry). This is probably the meaning used by Bevis and Butthead who made reference to "Choad encounters of the turd kind" (1993). The last common variant of choad refers to the perineum (the part of the body between the genitalia and the anus).
Choad is also commonly found in the compound choadsmoker. Someone who is a choadsmoker is a 'loser'. Something that is a choadsmoker is 'boring' or 'lame'. These meanings also apply to the word choad, which is usually non-referential. That means the guy you heard calling you a choad on the subway was no more calling you a 'penis' than if he had called you a prick. Some people even call themselves choads with some pride. There is a Website called choad central where you can ask to be officially named a choad.
How convenient...
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/22/2006 17:04 Comments ||
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#44
...feeling priviliged to have read this thread ...
#47
The Senate Judiciary Committee met within a day or two after the incredible Supreme Court decision.
While some assumed that the Senate, particularly the Repubs, would fix the SC mistakes, it was clear from the onset that Graham (on the Judiciary Committee) had other interests.
Graham was riveted to his position from the very first. Witnesses (many of who were JAGs friendly to Graham's position) represented an echo chamber for Graham.
Rather than fix the SC decision, these clowns were bent on acerbating the situation.
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/22/2006 19:57 Comments ||
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#48
Redneck, have you also wondered if the proper spelling is "chode"?
I see that Dave D. has already weighed in with some fine information on the word choad. I was first introduced to the word on Usenet alt.tasteless many moons ago. I am including another definition below.
choad /chohd/ n.
Synonym for `penis' used in alt.tasteless and popularized by the denizens thereof. They say: "We think maybe it's from Middle English but we're all too damned lazy to check the OED." [I'm not. It isn't. --ESR] This term is alleged to have been inherited through 1960s underground comics, and to have been recently sighted in the Beavis and Butthead cartoons. Speakers of the Hindi, Bengali and Gujarati languages have confirmed that `choad' is in fact an Indian vernacular word equivalent to `fuck'; it is therefore likely to have entered English slang via the British Raj.
Also, I have heard it explained that a choad was a short penis, with a girth exceeding its length! So, that would make Johnny Boy a short fat dick!
Radical Muslim clerics and scholars in Pakistan have demanded the removal of Pope Benedict XVI for what they called "insulting remarks" against Islam. The Pope should be dismissed for "encouraging war and fanning hostility between various faiths" the hundreds of senior Muslims said in a joint message.
The Pope has said he is "deeply sorry" that his words, quoting a 14th Century Christian emperor, had upset Muslims. But his apology was rejected by the Muslims meeting in Lahore, Pakistan. "The Pope, and all infidels, should know that no Muslim, under any circumstances, can tolerate an insult to the Prophet [Muhammad]. If the West does not change its stance regarding Islam, it will face severe consequences," said the joint statement.
The group behind the meeting, Jamaat al-Dawat, has been listed by the US government as a "terrorist" group for its alleged links with Kashmiri militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba. "The Pope's statement against Prophet Muhammad was not unintentional," said Sajid Mir, a religious scholar and MP who took part in the meeting. "He has opened a new and an organised front against Islam and Muslims should prepare themselves for jihad because the Pope's insulting remarks against Islam follow President George W Bush's statement on crusades," he said.
From AFP
Hundreds of Pakistani Islamists held street protests to condemn Pope Benedict XVI for remarks they regard as anti-Islamic, with one leader saying the pontiff should be crucified. Demonstrators Friday poured out of mosques after the main weekly Muslim prayers in Pakistan's largest city Karachi, the eastern city of Lahore, the capital Islamabad and other urban centres.
"If the pope comes here we will hang him on the Cross," Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, a senior leader of Pakistan's main alliance of radical parties, told around 200 noisy demonstrators in Islamabad.
The alliance, called the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal or United Action Front, forms part of the parliamentary opposition and is often heavily involved in street protests in mostly Muslim Pakistan.
Ahmed also said the pope had joined US President George W. Bush's "crusade" against Muslims, referring to Christians who fought against Muslims from the 11th through the 13th centuries.
In Karachi police said at least 100 hardliners shouted slogans demanding an apology from the pope and criticising the United States. "Religious leaders like the pope should not use (US President George W.) Bush's tone," Merajul Huda, Karachi chief of the hardline Jamaat-i-Islami party, told the rally.
Witnesses said more than 300 people chanted slogans against the pope outside an Islamic school in the central city of Multan. Dozens more massed in Lahore. Prayer leaders also condemned the pope during Friday sermons around the country.
A gathering of hundreds of fundamentalists in Lahore on Thursday said Pope Benedict should be removed from his position for his "blasphemous" comments. The Pakistani parliament has also condemned the pope's comments and the foreign ministry summoned the Vatican's envoy in Islamabad last week to lodge a protest.
Posted by: john ||
09/22/2006 16:32 ||
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ISLAMABAD - A US-based human rights group on Thursday accused Pakistani security forces of using torture and other rights abuses in Pakistans part of Kashmir. Most incidents of politically motivated torture recorded by Human Rights Watch involved the ISI, or the police acting on the militarys behalf, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report, referring to the militarys Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
In the 71-page report on Pakistani Kashmir, HRW noted that there had been a reduction in infiltration of Islamist militants into Indian Kashmir, but it was still taking place. Most of those interviewed were of the view that though the level of infiltration had decreased substantially since 2004, there have been no indications that the Pakistani military or militant groups had decided to abandon infiltration as policy.
The report said the Pakistani military still maintained a close relationship with the militant groups in Kashmir.
It said last years devastating earthquake in the region was used an opportunity to craft a new image for the militant groups rather than as an opportunity to disband them.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/22/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
This just in... Water wet, fire hot... film at 11:00
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) MPA Dr Zakir Shah has started an anti-obscenity and vulgarity campaign through his Amar Bil Maroof Wanahi Anil-Munkar, (vice and virtue department), organisation after the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal-led NWFP government failed to implement his bill unanimously passed by the NWFP Assembly in October 2002.
Flanked by clerics and people of his constituency at a press conference, Dr Shah asked cinemas houses, music centres and cable operators to close their business during Ramazan voluntarily or his organisation would take extreme steps to do the same itself. He did not elaborate on the extreme steps his organisation would take.
Dr Shah asked the provincial and the federal governments to cooperate with his organisation in checking the spread of obscene posters, CDs, films and channels during Ramazan. I have stopped cable channels, CDs and video shops and video games in my home town, Yousafabad Colony, he said, adding that he had written to NWFP Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani, Chief Secretary Ejaz Qureshi and IG Police Mohammad Raffat Pasha to call an emergency meeting and direct cinema owners, cable operators and CD shops to close in Ramazan.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
09/22/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
What is really obscene is the spectacle of men sticking their butts in the air, while prostrate on carpets. That is vulgar to the nth degree.
Pakistan today vowed to not let foreign forces enter its territory a day after US president George Bush said he would order American military action inside this Islamic nation if Osama bin Laden was found to be hiding there. Bush told CNN that he would authorise military action inside Pakistan if intelligence indicated that al-Qaida leader bin Laden or other top terrorists were in hiding.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/22/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
So... lemme get this straight... they can't control the area, but they're gonna kick our asses if we go in? How's that work again?
#3
FU2048: So... lemme get this straight... they can't control the area, but they're gonna kick our asses if we go in? How's that work again?
Could it be that they really could control the area but are denying that they can, so that they can provide sanctuary for terrorists there, while plausibly denying that they are doing so? I think Pakistan needs to sort out the difference between Iraq and Afghanistan. Many liberals and some conservatives think of Iraq as a mistake. Very few of either ideological persuasion think of Afghanistan and the pursuit of bin Laden as a mistake, except perhaps with respect to not putting enough troops in to thoroughly dominate the landscape.
#7
Hi Zhang, long time no see. Could it be that they really could control the area but are denying that they can, so that they can provide sanctuary for terrorists there, while plausibly denying that they are doing so?
Nope. It's like Lebanon "government" in their South---rage when their pretense of control is threatened.
#9
Bush's "threat" was a diplomatic message to Pakistan "We will go anywhere to destroy terrorists, irespective of borders". Musharef either will not or can not deal with terrorism, neither matters.
Keep in mind Pakistan is a nuclear power, which makes it harder to deal with, which is why we may deal with Iran sooner than later, and before Pakistan.
With respect to Iraq, I believe it is wrong to assume that we can fix all the problems of Islamofacism in a single place at a single time. This WOT cannot be a single front war. We dealt with Afghanistan and the Taliban, and now the UN and NATO are involved. We dealt with Saddam and Iraq. We are now moving on to Pakistan and Iran. While the pace would appear slow and undefined, Bush himself has always said this war will take a generation or more to resolve. In reality, the activity is taking place very quickly from a historical perspective. From a strategic standpoint, we are right where we need to be in Afghanistan and Iraq. The noose is tightening around the Axis of Evil.
Do not get swayed by the Left wing MSM viewpoint. It may have political value but is never been right about anything.
Posted by: john ||
09/22/2006 8:04 Comments ||
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#10
Why exactly has this toad done a 180 and started kissing tribal ass all of a sudden?
The same reason he (temporarily) allied with the US. Self preservation.
#11
Well, chalk me up as another one who thinks we should've taken care of Afghanistan/Pakistan before getting involved in Iraq. Pakistan is harboring and breeding terrorists. I can't believe we've let them get away with it this long. Pakistan and the Magick Kingdom should've been dealt with before going to Baghdad.Taking care of those two would have left Iraq and Iran with a much different perspective than they have now.
#12
This should be viewed in light of the other story that initial cooperation was provided because the US threatened to bomb them back to the stone age if they didn't. Perhaps he has been informed that Islam is both compatible and comfortable with the Stone Age.
#13
Afghanistan was necessary to unseat Al Qaeda from its very comfortable home -- it is much less effective when scurrying from pillar to post.
Iraq was necessary to remove Saddam Hussein as a very busy player -- providing training and supplies to a great many Arab and Muslim terror groups besides Al Qaeda, with great fanfare providing cash payments of US$10,000-25,000 to the families of successful Palestinian suicide bombers, in addition to Hussein's little nuclear, chemical, biological and social projects at home. This also ended the unfinished war of 1991, removing arguments about how and whether we should continue enforcing the commitments made by the UN Security Council pertaining thereto, and removed a serious source of world corruption in the Oil for Food program. Finally, now that our troops are firmly settled in Iraq, we have a base of operations to threaten the entire region with immediate unpleasant action. Remember how many months it took to get everything needed over to the region in order to set the armies in motion at the Iraqi border? Iraq is what that famous stock market guru liked to call "a three bagger."
Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are next on the list. Were it up to me, I'd cut off Saudi financing, then knock off the Ayatollahs and their military and shake up (literally) the nuclear "research" sites, then finally pound the critical bits of Pakistan to rubble -- say key power stations, the cell phone system, and the home compounds of the top several ranks of the military and the relgious party leadership and cadres... and all the big mosques.
But that's just me, and if I were in any way qualified to act upon such plans I wouldn't be sitting quietly in front of my computer screen here in the wilds of the Midwestern suburbs, resting from the day's exertions. ;-)
About 1,000 Muslim clerics and religious scholars meeting Thursday in eastern Pakistan demanded the removal of Pope Benedict XVI for making what they called "insulting remarks" against Islam.
If the West does not change its stance regarding Islam, it will face severe consequences...
Benedict "should be removed from his position immediately for encouraging war and fanning hostility between various faiths" and "making insulting remarks" against Islam, said a joint statement issued by the clerics and scholars at the end of their one-day convention. The "pope, and all infidels, should know that no Muslim, under any circumstances, can tolerate an insult to the Prophet (Muhammad). ... If the West does not change its stance regarding Islam, it will face severe consequences," it said.
The meeting was organized by the radical Islamic group Jamaat ud-Dawah, which runs schools, colleges and medical clinics. In April, Washington put the group on a list of terrorist organizations for its alleged links with militants fighting in the Indian part of Kashmir.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
09/22/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
My only regret in this farce is that Benedict has backed down - thus encouraging and emboldening these scumbags. Their demands will not decrease, but increase, now.
The only answer to Muzzy outrage is to ignore them -- or escalate, but definitely do not retreat. There will be no peace until they have been either fought head-on or marginalized as the insane but irrelevant barbarians they are.
#3
My only regret in this farce is that Benedict has backed down - thus encouraging and emboldening these scumbags. Their demands will not decrease, but increase, now.
I don't feel that expressing regret of an ironic reaction counts as "backing down". Backing down would sound more like "I take back what I said, it was foolish of me, I was wrong, you were right, I've changed my attitude, etc.". Has the Catholic church ever taken back anything in less than 100 years? :-)
#4
Your Western take is about 30x more complex than the Muzzies can handle. He backed down as far as they're concerned, thus my comment. What they think is what drives them.
Silly me! And they probably also think whatever their imam tells them to think, anyway.
In any case, it seems like they're being encouraged to be too big for their britches, and when their little angry fists start flying, hopefully it will end quickly.
#6
I hope it continues long enough for more Westerners to realize that Islam is the problem. I am certain they will oblige, too. There's no evidence that the imams have any understanding of how we think, either.
#14
Those mooks crack me up. They still don't get it that being Pontiff is not quite the same as being the usual half-literate head of the local madrassah.
On behalf of my fellow Catholics, FOAD, and that includes your Prophet, too.
#15
He did worse than back down. He missed an instructional opportunity. He gave them a hook to make it look as if he had apologized so that they could blame him. Instead he should have told them, in a Popely way, that their immature reaction was their own responsibility and that they needed to start acting like grown-ups if they wanted to be treated like grown-ups.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
09/22/2006 8:30 Comments ||
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#17
.com is right and so is NS. He backed down and missed an opportunity to educate. But technically, I guess he's not a politician.
The muzzies/jihadiis are backwards, uneducated, black and white thinkers, and the operatives rile them up all the time with b.s., so yeah, there's no getting through to them.
The mistake here is answering to them as if they're coherent, informed people wanting peace, who actually were offended. They're very primative in their ability to reason, so it's always an "us against them" mentality. There is NO middle ground. That's why you can't give them an inch.
#18
I'm getting tired of this notion that the pope has "deep respect" for Islam. I saw that as a Drudge Report headline a couple of days ago, but that's not what the article said he said. The article said "deep respect for Muslims". The man has a deep respect for all human beings, so Muslims are included. I doubt his respect for Islam runs quite so deep.
#19
I wanna start seeing stuff like,
"Pope: "Nuke Waziristan", or "Pope:"Sorry I Offended The Crazy Motherfuckers, But Do You see Where I'm Coming From", or "Pope to UN: Bite Me", or "Pope: Muslims All Pussies, Not Afraid of Them."
They want insults, give'em insults.
#20
About 1,000 Muslim clerics and religious scholars meeting Thursday in eastern Pakistan demanded the removal of Pope Benedict XVI for making what they called "insulting remarks" against Islam.
Sigh. ONE THOUSAND targets all herded together and not a JDAM in sight.
We will begin to make progress when this sort of Spittle Fiesta gets bashed like a cheap Piñata. These are the programmers, these are the facilitators, these wingnuts pour poison into childrens' minds.
#22
Zenster hits the nail on the head. These guys ARE the problem. They are the ones that stir the pot, add the spice and make all their followers turn into Mr. Hyde. We should have capped them all in one strike. So seething commences. Who gives a rats. Change our stance....grrrrrrrr.
#23
Zenster nailed it. Why do we continue to pretend that there is ANYTHING honorable about an ideology that DEMANDS earthly submission by non-believers? Islam must be ridiculed and mocked, and ultimately relegated to the ash heap of history.
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer has warned the UN it needs to keep up the fight to rid Afghanistan of terrorists or condemn future generations to a more dangerous world.
In a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York, Mr Downer said future generations would suffer a less secure and stable world if nations failed in their duty to Afghanistan.
"Afghanistan represents a fundamental test for each of us," he told the gathering.
"If we are not resolute and steadfast in supporting Afghanistan against the scourge of terrorism, if we are not prepared collectively to stand up against the extremists, we will deliver to the coming generations a weaker international system and a far less secure and stable world."
And the global community faced a similar challenge in Iraq.
Mr Downer acknowledged the decision to go to war with Iraq had divided the UN membership, but it must unite now to defeat extremists who had made the war-torn nation their battleground.
"Today, there is a very clear choice that should unite us all," he said.
"We know what will come of Iraq if it is won by extremists.
"As in Afghanistan, we must all commit to securing its future.
"If terrorism prevailed, the consequences would be catastrophic for each of us, wherever we may live."
Mr Downer admitted the struggle against terrorism would be long and difficult.
"Our challenge is not just to keep our citizens safe from terrorist attack, it is also to defeat an ideology that allows for no ideas or belief systems other than its own," he said.
"It is imperative we see this ideology for what it is - a mindset every bit as brutal and uncompromising as its totalitarian predecessors in centuries past.
"To defeat this evil, we must harness the collective strength of the international community."
Mr Downer urged the UN to agree to a comprehensive convention on international terrorism, which he believes would make it possible for all terrorist acts to be criminalised in international law.
"It is disappointing that the UN still cannot agree on the scope of such a convention," he said.
He singled out Iran and Syria, urging them to use their influence over Hizbollah to stop its terrorist attacks on Israel.
While acknowledging a role for the UN, Mr Downer said individuals states must show leadership on the issue.
"Too often in the world of politics, the temptation is for governments to strike an attitude and then leave the substantive action for another day, or offload the responsibility onto others," he said.
The minister also reiterated Australia's desire to provide a military force in East Timor, working under its own command, to complement a UN-led police contingent.
#1
*snicker* One almost feels for those poor UN delegates who signed on for giving subtle hints to one another of sumptuous dinners amongst the glittering throng of People Just Like Us, who understand these things, not to be dressed down by a vulgar politician from Australia, of all places.
With the approach of the holy month of Ramadan, British forces in Basra are helping to distribute two thousand parcels of rice, flour and oil to displaced families in this southern Iraq city, providing food for the evening meal during this religious period.
Ramadan is the most sacred of all Islamic religious observances. Running from September 24 to October 22, the month is observed with ritual fasting. Fasting is the third of the five pillars, or guiding principles, of Islam. Muslims believe it to be a process of purification - a means to attain the consciousness of Allah and guard against the schemes of Shaitan (Satan). During this holy month, Muslims break their fast only after sundown, when families gather for one main family meal.
And like fasting, charity is a virtue celebrated by Islam. For those Iraqis displaced by conflict, the food handouts come as a token to help ease the hardship of being away from home. The gifts are a joint initiative between Iraq's Department for Displaced People and Migrants, the Red Crescent Society and British forces, who are funding the venture with reconstruction money.
Nearly 2,000 families are registered as displaced with the Department for Displaced People and Migrants. They will each receive 50 kilograms of rice, 50 kilograms of flour, a bottle of oil and a bottle of low-pressure gas for cooking.
The first of four bulk deliveries were made to the Red Crescent on Sept. 12, by Cpt. Luke Conway, a reconstruction project officer with the Multi-National Force in southeast Iraq. "It is very satisfying to know that we have the ability to help the poorest families in Basra," said Conway. Warning: Information about the Muslim holiday follows. I think it is just the Multi-National Force trying to be sympathetic.
The entire celebration of Ramadan is rich with meaning to Muslims. The most significant observance during the month is the Lailat-ul-Qadr, or Night of Power. This night is believed to be the very one the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Muslims spend the night asking forgiveness for their sins and reciting the Quran.
The festival of Eid-ul-Fitr celebrates the end of the fast and the end of Ramadan. It lasts three days and is exemplified by joyful celebration of enhanced piety, moral victory, peace, fellowship, brotherhood and unity. Eid is a time for expressions of thanks to Allah for his help and strength.
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/22/2006 06:45 ||
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Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Friday his Shi'ite Muslim guerrillas still had more than 20,000 rockets despite a war with Israel.
"The resistance today, pay attention...has more than 20,000 rockets," Nasrallah told a Hezbollah rally. "Within days, and (despite) emerging from a ferocious war (Hizbollah) has recovered all its organisational and military capabilities...it is stronger than it was before July 12."
Nasrallah also called for a new government in Lebanon, saying the current anti-Syrian coalition could not tackle the challenges facing the country after the 34-day war with Israel.
#2
No sense in wasting any more smart bombs on these people. Max load the F-15s with 1000 pounders and go to Beirut.
Posted by: ed ||
09/22/2006 13:18 Comments ||
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#3
Oh, come on, this article needs the "Bomb us now", "Kick our ass next", graphic.
I hope Lebanon realizes that Nasrallah just taped a huge "kick me" sign on their collective backsides. It looks like Sheik Hassan is ready for a couple of more of those overwhelming "victories".
#6
20,000 more rockets, but not nearly as many launchers as in July. Yes, indeed, someone should be concerned about that -- don't they blow up just as beautifully when bombs are dropped on the cached thingies as they do when shot off according to the directions on the package?
Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said Friday he will not head a government that recognizes Israel, striking a potential blow to efforts set up a more moderate ruling coalition.
Haniyeh spoke after moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas indicated that a planned national unity government between Hamas and his Fatah movement would recognize the Jewish state.
An Abbas aide said Hamas would not be expected to issue a statement of recognition, but would be asked to recognize agreements signed by the Palestine Liberation Organization, including the PLO's mutual recognition agreement with Israel, reached in 1993. Abbas heads the PLO, in addition to Fatah.
It was not clear whether Hamas would accept such an arrangement, with implied recognition of Israel, or whether Hamas was backing out of a coalition agreement reached earlier this month.
In a mosque sermon in the Gaza town of Beit Lahiya on Friday, Haniyeh laid out his group's position.
"I personally will not head any government that recognizes Israel," said Haniyeh, considered a leader of Hamas' more pragmatic wing.
Haniyeh said Hamas is ready to establish a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, areas Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast War, and to honor a long-term truce with Israel. "We support establishing a Palestinian state in the land of 1967 at this stage, but in return for a cease-fire, not recognition," Haniyeh said.
At the United Nations on Thursday, Abbas indicated that the planned national unity government between Hamas and his Fatah Party would recognize the Jewish state.
Fatah and Hamas officials said privately that it wasn't clear whether Abbas meant to solicit international support for the planned government, or set a new condition to forming a coalition with Hamas.
Abbas was still in New York on Friday, and couldn't be immediately reached for comment .
Hamas, which swept Palestinian parliamentary elections in January, currently rules alone. But Abbas, elected separately last year, has been toiling for months to broaden the government in the hope of easing crushing international sanctions imposed on the Hamas-led government to force it to soften its violent anti-Israel ideology.
Earlier this month, the two sides announced they would govern together, and strive to establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel an objective that implies recognition of the Jewish state.
But coalition talks have faltered because the West and Israel have balked at restoring hundreds of millions of dollars in funding until Hamas clearly states its willingness to recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept existing peace agreements between Israel and the Palestinians.
Abbas told a U.N. forum on Thursday that the national unity government would commit to all past agreements between the Palestinians and Israel, including letters exchanged by the two sides in 1993 that call for mutual recognition and the renunciation of violence.
In agreeing to form a coalition with Fatah, Hamas agreed to "respect" past agreements, but didn't commit to them, calling into question Abbas' ability to maneuver in any future peacemaking. Hamas is afraid that committing to past agreements would be tantamount to recognizing Israel, which it is sworn to destroy.
Israeli government spokeswoman Miri Eisin reiterated Israel's demand that any Palestinian government yield to the demands the international community has imposed.
In other news, unidentified gunmen set off a small bomb near Palestinian police guarding European Union monitors at the Egypt-Gaza border Friday, just after the vital crossing opened for the first time in a month, Palestinian officials said.
Two Palestinian policemen were injured, but none of the EU monitors was hurt, said Hatem Barhoum, a senior police official in Gaza.
Police responded first by firing into the air and then at the suspects, who were armed with automatic weapons, Barhoum said. A gunbattle raged for about 15 minutes, he said.
It was unclear how many gunmen there were, but all of them escaped, Barhoum added.
The incident took place inside the Gaza portion of the border terminal.
The Rafah crossing is the Gaza Strip's main gateway to the world, and is controlled by the Palestinian Authority and Egypt, with help from EU monitors. It has been shut down almost continuously since Hamas-linked militants captured an Israeli soldier on June 25 in a cross-border raid.
The passage opened early Friday for the first time since Aug. 25, and was to be open for two days so thousands of Palestinians could pass through en route to Saudi Arabia, to celebrate the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, said Hani Jabbour, a Palestinian diplomat speaking by telephone from inside the border terminal.
Some 1,500 Palestinians stranded in Egypt were also waiting to return home to Gaza, he said.
By mid-morning Friday, only one bus carrying some 50 Palestinians had crossed the border, Jabbour said.
A security chief affiliated with the moderate Fatah Party on Thursday accused Hamas militants of involvement in the killing of a top intelligence officer in Gaza. The killing of Jad Tayeh, a top intelligence officer, and four of his bodyguards in a drive-by shooting in Gaza last week raised tensions between President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah and the Islamic Hamas. The shooting took place near the home of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas.
Deputy intelligence chief Tawfik Tirawi, who is close to Fatah, said Thursday that investigators had given Interior Minister Said Siyam names of suspects in the killing, but that Siyam had not taken any action. Some of the suspects are Hamas members, Tirawi told reporters. He said he would now give the names of the suspects to parliament and the attorney general. Tirawi also said Haniyeh's guards could have stopped the attack, but did not elaborate. "This is either a cover up, negligence or powerlessness," Tirawi said.
In a news conference in Gaza, Siyam countered that Tirawi's criticism was baseless and politically motivated. Since Hamas came to power in March, it has been wrangling with Fatah over control of the security forces. Tirawi claimed that the killing of Tayeh was meant to undermine the security branches loyal to Fatah. Tayeh, a Fatah supporter, was in charge of ties with foreign security agencies.
Hamas has said the deadly shooting was part of an internal dispute in the intelligence services. In the West Bank town of Jenin, meanwhile, hundreds of Fatah supporters marched in the streets, calling for the arrest of Tayeh's killers. "Haniyeh swine, the blood of martyrs is precious," the marchers chanted.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/22/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Haniyeh swine, the blood of martyrs is precious
(a) I don't understand it.
(b) I'm glad I don't understand it.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert admitted on Thursday that there were failures in the management of the IDF and the Home Front during the war in Lebanon. In a televised interview, the prime minister also rejected criticism over the continuation of IDF operations despite the ceasefire secured by the United Nations Security Council. "It was a correct, justified and responsible decision, which was made out of consideration for all the issues involved. It was impossible for us to halt operations at that time, since we would have endangered the soldiers' lives," explained the prime minister.
"The IDF told me that we had to continue until we reached a point where if Hizbullah continued with its activities we would not be in an inferior (strategic) position," said Olmert, Army Radio reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/22/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
First it was "American Hiroshimas", now comes "KOSHER HIROSHIMAS"???
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was meeting Thursday night with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to discuss kidnapped IDF soldiers Eldad Regev, Ehud Goldwasser, and Gilad Shalit, as well as the diplomatic relations between Israel and the Palestinians. Earlier, Livni met with former US President Bill Clinton as part of a series of meetings held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/22/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
IDF troop levels are none of Kofi's business. Besides he is not an honest broker.
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/22/2006 3:23 Comments ||
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#2
Hope she washes-up/disinfects real thoroughly afterward.
Despite Hamas's boast to the contrary, European, Israeli and US officials said Thursday that the Quartet had not watered down the international community's three benchmarks for granting the Palestinian Authority international aid and legitimacy. Quartet representatives - made up of the US, the EU, Russia and the UN - met at the UN on Wednesday and issued a statement that "welcomed the efforts of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to form a government of national unity, in the hope that the platform of such a government would reflect Quartet principles and allow for early engagement."
The statement, which at points was almost identical to a statement on the Middle East put out by EU foreign ministers last week, did not explicitly refer to the benchmarks: recognizing Israel's right to exist, forswearing terrorism and accepting previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements. But in an indication that the Quartet had no intention of renewing direct aid to the PA, the statement "endorsed the continuation and expansion of the Temporary International Mechanism for a three-month period, and agreed to again review the need for such a mechanism at the end of that period." This mechanism provides humanitarian aid directly to the Palestinians, but bypasses the PA government.
The Quartet, like the EU foreign ministers last week, also encouraged Israel to resume the transfer of tax revenues to the PA - some $50 million per month. In addition, the Quartet seconded a UN request for James Wolfensohn, the Quartet's special Middle East envoy until he quit in the spring when financial aid to the Palestinians was cut off, to "report on the situation on the ground."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/22/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Looks like the dance of a thousand veils isn't gonna work this time, Abbastard
Posted by: Captain America ||
09/22/2006 3:24 Comments ||
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#2
I understand EU, Russia and the UN motivation. But why can't George be satisfied with being the founding father of Azatlan, and pass on Paleostain?
Pope Benedict XVI has invited envoys of Muslim nations for talks on Monday to try to smooth relations following a speech that offended the Islamic world.
Iran's deputy ambassador to the Vatican, Ahmad Faihma, described the Pope's invitation as "a positive signal".
"I know that this [the talks] will improve relations with the Islamic world," Mr Faihma told Reuters news agency.
On Sunday, the pontiff said he was "deeply sorry for the reactions in some countries to a few passages of my address at the University of Regensburg" in Germany.
On Wednesday, he told pilgrims at the Vatican that his remarks in Bavaria last week had been "misunderstood".
He said his use of medieval quotes from 14th Century Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologos, which criticised some teachings of the Prophet Muhammad as "evil and inhuman", did not reflect his personal opinion.
The Pope said his real intention had been to "explain that religion and violence do not go together, but religion and reason do".
#1
Yeah, well, thinking back to Masoud of the Northern Alliance, how about NOT letting any Muslim camera crews film the meetings. All Muslims are - at best - treacherous bastards who shouldn't be trusted any farther than you can throw a Koran.
A UN investigator on acts of xenophobia and racism on Thursday called Pope Benedict XVI's remarks on Islam "profoundly troubling."
In a report to the UN Human Rights Council, Senegalese rights expert Doudou Diene said he did not consider Benedict's remarks in Germany last week to be an attempt to legitimize Islamophobia. However, considering the current trend to associate Islam and terrorism the pope's lecture was "bound to nourish and give legitimacy" to the hatred of Islam, he said, recalling the violent protests throughout the Muslim world sparked by the newspaper caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/22/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
What a disingenuous asstard. The "trend to associate Islam and terrorism", lol. It's not a trend, fuckwit, it's an obvious fact. The violent protests, regards this quotation of an historical text and the cartoon idiocy, both manufactured phoney outrage, PROVES the Pope was correct. How is it his fault that the Muzzies are morons who do whatever their imams tell them to do, including staging violent protests on cue?
This is completely out of hand... by design. The truth is the truth. Pretending there is no 400 lb gorilla in the room, i.e. violent Muzzies, does not make him go away, you appeasing coward. Fuck the fuck off, UN. Worthless bunch of thieves and dhimmis.
#2
There's nothing quite like a human rights expert from Senegal, except perhaps one from Zimbabwe. Sitting in his office high above Manhattan, enjoying the food, ignoring the parking tickets, it's quite a life, and all you have to do is spew bullshit. You even get paid.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/22/2006 0:20 Comments ||
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#4
STFU!! STFU and GBTW already!!! I'm sick of these asshats dragging out old shiat for days on end just so they can enjoy some persecution complex shiat. STFU! The world has moved on, get with it already! It's all about Hugo now! Your thunder has been stolen.
#5
I'll tell ya what's profoundly troubling. The complete sellout of the UN to Muzzies and other assorted assturds making it totally disfunctional. US taxpayers have had a bellyful. Never heard so many in favor of dumping the UN as after the great Chavez speech. Maybe there's a chance of killing this turkey after all.
#6
Same here, SOP35/Rat - I've received emails from "neutral" and "liberal" friends alike who range from "miffed" to "pissed off" - and the UN providing the venue is getting the blame. They expected Chavez to be, well, Chavez - but they are unhappy about this outrageous display under the auspicies of the UN.
Every time the UN hosts one of these anti-Israel or anti-US hatefests or bitchfests, they lose another percentage point or two of US support. This was a big one, from the chatter.
BTW, the pictures of the Bahraini GA President snickering and laughing was, I believe, what set most of my friends off. It was taken as supportive of Chavez's remarks, and it probably was. She hurt her cause more than she can imagine.
Well, we've had Ahmanutjob and Chavez come over here to display their arrogance, immaturity, and ignorance in front of the whole world and awaken/sway American opinion against their causes in a big way, too! And hopefully the EU and other countries who are in harms way and haven't figured it out are getting an inkling after thinking about it for a few days.
I'll mention the Pope's masterful stroke down here because he is in a class of his own and I don't even want him mentioned in the same paragraph as the previous two.
Bush is starting to talk. Elections are being fought, and I even heard rumor that Pelosi even came to Bush's defense (on a fairly safe subject of course, but it might break the ice!).
Seems pretty quick to me!
But yes, the sooner the planet figures it out, the less pain there will be and fewer innocent lives lost if/when we actually get around to dealing with it.
In the meanwhile, stock up on food, water, medicine, and popcorn. :-)
#10
A UN investigator on acts of xenophobia and racism on Thursday called Pope Benedict XVI's remarks on Islam "profoundly troubling."
Ah, yes... "xenophobia"-- as if there could possibly be anything more emphatically and institutionally xenophobic than Islam itself.
Anybody remember the UN's "World Conference against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance", that weeklong anti-Israel, anti-America hatefest in Durban, South Africa that finished up its filthy business a few days before 9/11? The one where all the Arab nations expressed their "deep concern" about xenophobia by circulating cartoon caricatures of hook-nosed Jews from Der Stürmer?
As I watched the Twin Towers fall, I said to someone, "This is 'Durban By Other Means.'"
Get rid of the UN. It is on the side of evil.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/22/2006 6:46 Comments ||
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#12
gromgoru, unfortunately they own the piece of real estate they are currently infesting on Manhattan. The Rockefellers gave them the land back in the 50's. We can't evict them from land they own. Our laws don't work that way, unless somehow we get a creative interpretation of the Kelo decision we could use. (Personally, I think the area would be better served by a shopping mall, but it would cause a bit of an international incident, and we are a touch busy right now with other matters.)
As for the funding, well, they think we still owe them over a billion dollars. If they keep this crap up, we just might start "deducting" money from the checks once again. The Japanese are doing it, and if we started doing it again, I think it would go over mighty well with the voters.....
#13
#2: There's nothing quite like a human rights expert from Senegal, except perhaps one from Zimbabwe. Sitting in his office high above Manhattan, enjoying the food, ignoring the parking tickets, it's quite a life, and all you have to do is spew bullshit. You even get paid.
Posted by: Steve White|| 2006-09-22 00:20 ||Comments Top||
And paid quite handsomely I might add, not to mention the first floor koffee shop and cocktail bar.
#14
Folks, lighten up. I have no more use for the UN than most of you, but it is providing a wonderful forum for idiots to embarass themselves. Can you imagine the worldwide outrage if America told the UN to take hike. Bush the Cowboy magnified 100x. It really would make diplomatic manoevering difficult and the MSM would send the wrong message.
Instead, we now have Democrats defending the Republican president in an election year! Thank you, Pelosi and Rangel, the RNC could not buy that publicity. Now about the Boulton nomination...
Cost of UN: $1 billion
Cost of election: $200 million
Cost of Pelosi support: Priceless.
Posted by: john ||
09/22/2006 8:30 Comments ||
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#15
And it's a lot easier to monitor and surveil the offices in the US than it would be in a foreign country.
#17
It's been said before, but it bears repeating. Keep your enemies close, and your friends closer.
Besides, kicking the UN out of New York doesn't go nearly far enough. The UN is broken beyond repair, and the only effective measure the US could take would be to leave the UN and start a League of Democracies. Except we might need a different name to avoid association with the failed League of Nations. How about United Democracies, to highlight the difference?
If we don't have the fortitiude and conviction to do that, then we may as well keep the whole circus right where it is, where we can keep tabs on it.
#19
And by "highlight the difference" I meant highlight the difference between the impotence of the United Nations as it exists now and the potential power of a united group of democracies.
Posted by: Cowboy is a compliment ||
09/22/2006 11:08 Comments ||
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#25
There was a time when I would read certain quotes from Human Rights Experts and ask myself That doesnt even make any sense What is it that I don't understand? Then after parsing their illogical positions I began to believe that some of these people are either basic cretins or perhaps logically-impaired. However, it has become clear to me that these people simply dont care if their arguments make sense or not. Their mission has become (or perhaps always was) intentionally ambiguous. With arrogance and contempt they have decided that principle, facts, and logic are secondary to promoting their ulterior agendas. Not only is it troubling but it is also very offensive. Unfortunately, anyone who attempts to expose their charade is also instantly labled a xenophobe, bigot, or whatever new term they come up with.
#28
One counter to antiwestern UN or AI propaganda is to use their techniques against them. Create thinktanks to ankle bite and criticize any and all shortcomings with flashy news conferences and press releases. Introduce to the press first hand accounts from those who are really being oppressed and killed while juxtaposed against UN and AI inaction, dinner party menus and guest lists.
Posted by: ed ||
09/22/2006 13:07 Comments ||
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#29
ed, you have highlighted what I consider to be one of this administration's greatest self-inflicted shortcomings. The opportunities have been simply endless. The atrocities, the hypocrisy, the duplicity, the broken promises, the barbarity, the gratuitous self-serving. All of it represents prime material to expose how corrupt and vile these regimes and religious tyrants are.
Instead, the oval office is relatively mute. The "Axis of Evil" was a fine start, but just like any good storybook, illustrations are half the tale. Islam and its facilitators should have been laid out to scorch in the disinfecting sunlight long, long ago.
#32
This "rights expert" hails from a 94% Muslim country with a 30% literacy rate for women. Hey Doudou, what about the rights of your women? "Rights expert" indeed.
#33
A couple of quotes my dear old mom used to tell me applies here. The first is "you get what you give". Second was "Do unto others". Both seem to apply here to these muzzie ass politicos. Unfortunately they will not learn their lesson.
The Pope knew exactly what he was saying and what would happen.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
09/22/2006 19:27 Comments ||
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#34
Right, Pan.
The Pope knows what was told to the children of Fatima, one of which is still alive today. They were told things that hadn't happened yet, but would happen like the second WW and about these times as well. I'm figurin' that the Pope knows that we're going to splash the muzzies real good. If he knew otherwize, he would act differently. He is rather content to do Pope like things rather than get involved with summit meetings and such. So, I conclude that we will smite the muzzies in a few years or months. Such things are best known and not shared.
#35
Also, back when I was in the 4th grade, about 1951, the nun told us that the Mohammedeans (that's what they called them then) were bent on forcing us all to become Mohammedeans. I wonder how a 4th grade teacher got that tidbit of opinion ? Maybe because secrets often make the rounds, and some of the Vatican insiders leaked.
I have remembered her words all my life because she was truely serious about it. She must have figured that we would still be alive so she should give us a heads up.
By these things we shall recognize the end times.
The politix of dhimmitude on display in the Philippines. Long but informative.
The chair of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has issued a statement warning that the peace process with the government is passing through a "turbulent area" and the sign "belts on" is switched. While acknowledging that negotiation is still the best option to resolve the conflict in Mindanao, MILF chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim, the MILF peace panel chair from March 2001 to July 2003 when he assumed the chairmanship after Salamat Hashims death, noted that if the government insists to dilly dally and treat the peace talks as mere counterinsurgency tool, who can blame the Bangsamoro people if they choose other means to continue their legitimate struggle for freedom and self-determination?
Generally, I don't blame the Bangsamoro people. But I do blame the Soddy money, the Soddy holy men, and their sycophantic press lackeys and spineless craven politicians. Meh.
Government peace panel chair Silvestre Afable in a statement issued in response to Iqbals statement on September 13, said the government had presented Constitutional options on the negotiating table consistent with socio-demographic realities and equitable development that will ensure just and durable peace. This is pragmatic peace building in the 21st century and not the outmoded counterinsurgency model of the cold war, Afable said.
"I believe we shall have peace in our time, and I believe I shall have another shrimp cocktail."
Murad said the government must take responsibility for this breakdown of the talks, adding it is not serious enough in its formulation on (the) strand on territory of the ancestral domain aspect of the Tripoli Agreement of 2001 by offering the MILF inclusion of some areas for the proposed Bangsamoro Juridical Entity subject to constitutional processes.
This is a conditional offer that no real revolutionary group worthy of its name can accept. This will only repeat the failure of the GRP-MNLF Final Peace Agreement of 1996 that until now the government has never complied with fully.Do we need to replicate this failure, prolong the sufferings of the people, and extend the war in Mindanao? Murad asked.
"Here's my velvet glove. Wanna see my steel fist?"
In his Sept. 13 statement, Afable stressed that in addressing the roots of the conflict, his panel supported concrete proposals for MILF leadership development, the preservation of the Islamic heritage, firm control of resources, and economic independence within the ancestral domain. All these are on the record.
What the MILF wants is an extra-Constitutional solution to the issue of territory, which is not possible to negotiate under the present terms of reference of the GRP peace panel. Discussions of a Constitutional nature can be done with the framers once the opportunity presents itself in the future, he said. Nevertheless, the GRP Panel will continue to propose options for consideration until a meeting of minds can be reconnected after this impasse, Afable said.
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Iran has warned Western powers the armed forces would hit back "like lightning" against any attack as it crowed over its military prowess and showed off firepower at a major army parade. Thousands of members of the armed forces and the whole panoply of Iran's ballistic missile arsenal were on display at the parade, including the Shahab-3, a weapon whose range includes arch-enemy Israel.
"We want peace but we warn the expansionists not to think of an aggression against Iran as we can defend the fatherland and Islam," Vice President Parviz Davoodi warned. "Our lions are so powerful that they can strike the enemy like lightning and destroy him," he added.
Grrrrrrr!
The comments of Davoodi -- standing in for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who has yet to return from a visit to the United Nations in New York -- come at a time of mounting tension over Tehran's contested nuclear programme.
The United States has never ruled out using force to make Iran comply over its atomic drive that Washington charges is aimed at making nuclear weapons. Tehran insists its nuclear programme is for civilian energy purposes only. Iran has also never been shy of warning it would retaliate if the Islamic republic was attacked and the parade included its longest-range missile, the Shahab-3, which has the range to hit Israel and US installations in the Middle East. "Are you not proud to see the Shahab-3, a missile with a range of 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles)?" boomed the commentator over the loudpeakers as two green Shahab-3s were driven past the parade ground on the back of a truck.
The missile was up until last year believed to have a range of 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) but Iran has worked on extending its range. However the missiles appeared to lack the anti-Israeli and anti-US slogans that were daubed on the weapon at last year's event and caused European diplomats present to stage a walk-out in protest. A succession of other missiles were also on display, including the short-range Fajr and the medium-range Nazeat, Shahab-1, Shahab-2 and Zelzal.
Thousands of soldiers clutching their rifles marched past Davoodi and other dignitaries to the sound of martial music in an event that has become Iran's most significant annual display of its military might.
The parade, which marks the anniversary of the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war in 1980, took place just opposite the mausoleum built for Iran's revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini on the outskirts of Tehran. "Our armed forces have no need for their power to be based on atomic weapons, this power is based on our convictions," said Davoodi, restating Tehran's denial of US allegations it is seeking nuclear weapons.
Davoodi also played up the importance of major war games that Iran has staged in the past month which have seen it claim the development of new missiles and warplanes. "In the recent manoeuvres the armed forces showed their power, notably in the areas that were once the monopoly of the great powers," said Davoodi.
#4
The mythical "Allah strike". Maybe it's the Moslem equivalent of the Holy hand-grenade of Antioch. Or maybe they bought a lead flask full of djinn from a street vendor.
#11
Now did the Lord say, "First thou pullest the Holy Pin. Then thou must count to three. Three shall be the number of the counting and the number of the counting shall be three.
In his first public appearance since the start of his group's war with Israel, Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said Friday that "no army in the world" would be able to disarm his group, a key demand of a United Nations cease-fire resolution that ended the 34-day conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
"There is no army in the world that can [force us] to drop our weapons from our hands, from our grip," Nasrallah told an estimated 500,000-strong crowd, mostly Shiite Muslims, who turned out for a rally in a bombed-out suburb of Beirut to celebrate Hezbollah's "divine victory" in the war. "Today we celebrate a great divine, historic and strategic victory," Nasrallah told the crowd. He said he had decided to appear at the rally despite threats to his life.
"They said that this square would be bombed and this stage would be destroyed to frighten the people and keep them away," Nasrallah said.
He debated with his aides until 30 minutes before the rally, about whether to attend. "But my heart, mind and soul did not allow me to address you from afar," he said. "You are proving by attending this victory celebration that you are more courageous than on July 12 and August 14," he said, referring to the beginning and end of the month-long war.
The crowd roared with cheers as Nasrallah appeared waving to the crowd, flanked by his bodyguards as an announcer said "The leader has arrived."
The Hezbollah leader had been in hiding since July 12 when the group's cross-border capture of Israel Defense Forces reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev and killing of eight more troops sparked the war.
Roads toward Lebanon's capital were packed with cars and buses waving Hezbollah flags Friday, hours before what was billed as the country's largest rally to showcase the group's insistence that it won't disarm. Hundreds of Hezbollah supporters from across south Lebanon began marching toward Beirut a day earlier. Two hours before the rally, thousands of people had already arrived at the site on foot, in buses and in cars, chanting Nasrallah's name and waving Lebanese and Hezbollah flags.
Hezbollah's Al-Manar television said thousands of buses, minivans and cars were streaming toward Beirut from the south and the eastern Bekaa Valley. Members of Christian parties and pro-Syrian groups in northern Lebanon were also traveling to the capital to participate in the rally, the broadcast said.
During the war, Israel threatened to kill Nasrallah. An attempt to assassinate him now was considered unlikely since it would risk plunging the region back into conflict. However, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would not say in comments published Thursday whether Nasrallah remained a target.
The gathering is intended as a show of strength by Hezbollah at a time of increased friction with the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
At the rally site in south Beirut, workers set up tens of thousands of white plastic chairs facing a podium and organizers prepared tens of thousands of banners and flags. Past Hezbollah rallies have drawn up to 800,000 people.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/22/2006 11:59 Comments ||
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#2
After the battle of Asculum, Plutarch relates a report by Dionysius that:
"The armies separated; and, it is said, Pyrrhus replied to one that gave him joy of his victory that one other such would utterly undo him. For he had lost a great part of the forces he brought with him, and almost all his particular friends and principal commanders;...
#5
Israel should have cluster bombed the entire center. In one fail swoop they would have killed more Hezbo's than three months of battle could.
The battle that would have resulted would not have lasted forever and they would have gone back down.
The West will not turn the tide until we begin to fight like we actually are ready to do what must be done to win to hell with PC LLL sh*t and complaints.
From correspondents in United Nations
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud has said overnight that his country reserved the right to take Israel before the UN General Assembly or the world court to seek reparations from damage caused by its recent war against Hezbollah guerrillas.
"Lebanon retains the right to prosecute Israel before the competent bodies, most notably this venerable Assembly, or that of the International Tribunal, and to request the appropriate reparations for all the catastrophes Israel has inflicted on Lebanon," he told the UN General Assembly.
The Syrian-backed president noted that Israel's devastating war in Lebanon after Hezbollah guerrillas captured two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid in July had left "thousands of innocent people either killed or injured."
"The toll of destruction runs through several thousand housing units, hundreds of bridges, ports, airports and factories."
Mr Lahoud also welcomed the international investigation into Israel's use of cluster bombs during the conflict in south Lebanon.
"We are hopeful that this time, the world community will allow this investigation to reach its natural conclusion," Mr Lahoud said. "This will constitute a clear indictment of Israel for its recurring violations of international conventions and the Human Rights Charter."
According to Israel's liberal Haaretz newspaper, the Jewish state's army dropped more than 1.2 million cluster bombs into Lebanon during the month-long conflict that ended last month.
Cluster munitions spread bomblets over a wide area from a single container. The bomblets often do not explode on impact, but can do so later at the slightest touch, making them similar to anti-personnel landmines.
The UN estimates that as many as 40 per cent of the apple-sized bomblets fired into Lebanon failed to explode on impact.
Mr Lahoud's mandate was extended for three years in September 2004 at the request of Syria, whose troops were deployed in Lebanon at the time, despite a UN resolution calling for the country's constitution to be respected.
As a result, the Lebanese president has since been boycotted by envoys and ambassadors of a majority of Western countries.
#5
Ahmaddinojackass lies to kingdom come together with all top leaders/mullahs of turbanland. Reading the meaning of his words backward is one way ; regarding them as not having any meaningfulness, as with insanity, is another.
I-ran can better be known now as I-lie.
#8
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insisted Thursday that Tehran's nuclear program is peaceful and said he is "at a loss" about what more he can do to provide guarantees.
Okeydokey - lemme' help you on that one little buddy!
Allow unfettered access to American inspectors of every single one of your suspected nuclear weapon sites and reactor facilities!!!
"The bottom line is we do not need a bomb," he said at a news conference on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.
It is up to Iran to prove that. Thus far, the information train is running against you.
LONDON - A ship bound for Syria from North Korea that was detained in Cyprus is free to go but the fate of its impounded cargo of air defence systems is unknown, a source at the ships management firm said on Thursday.
Acting on an Interpol alert, Cypriot authorities stopped and detained the Panamanian-flagged Gregorio 1 in early September after officials thought the ship was involved in smuggling arms. Cyprus said it had found a batch of truck-mounted radar systems loaded in North Korea which they later identified as air defence systems, and a separate cargo of steel pipes. The managers of the vessel told Reuters the pipes were loaded in China. They also said the ships charterer was state-owned China Ocean Shipping Co. (COSCO).
And the Chinese didn't know a thing about the air-defense systems, honest ...
The source said the cargo identified as air defence systems and taken off the ship was still being held by customs, while the other cargo was free to proceed. She has been free to go since last Saturday...We just dont know where it will go yet, a source with the ships managers, Piraeus-based Transatlantic Maritime, told Reuters by telephone.
How about a secure location at a U.S. naval base? We could 'inspect' it further.
It could proceed to Syria eventually, but we need assurances it will not be harmed, stopped in any way.
"Hello, Moshe? ... Yeah, that 'cargo' you were interested in? ... Yeah, it's sailing tonight ..."
The P&I Club is deciding with Cosco ... and its owner what to do next. P&I Clubs insure the vast majority of the worlds merchant shipping and handle claims ranging from crew sickness to cargo damage. A court decision has still not been reached on what will happen to it, whether its free to go or not. Its up to the Cypriot authorities, he said of the air defence equipment.
Syria has since sought its release.
Since NKor air defense radar is better than what they currently have.
The defence-related cargo was seized because it was billed as meteorological equipment on the ships manifest.
Since it could pick up incoming shithailstorms ...
In addition to the apparent discrepancy in paperwork, Cyprus says it should have been informed about any military hardware passing through its territorial waters.
Discovery of the shipment put the Mediterranean island in a bind because of the risk of upsetting friendly relations with Damascus.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/22/2006 00:00 ||
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#3
Discovery of the shipment put the Mediterranean island in a bind because of the risk of upsetting friendly relations with Damascus.
I'm fairly sure given Baby Assad's mindset that the friendly relations are only a matter of political convenience, and not a kindred humanitarian spirit. As for the most part in life, nothing changes, you only become aware of it. And Cyprus should now be aware that they were being used.
Hizbullah supporters hurled stones towards IDF troops adjacent to the border fence in the Misgav Am area on Thursday. UN forces were called to the scene but the rioters dispersed before their arrival.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/22/2006 00:00 ||
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[7 views]
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#1
Must have been afraid of what the UN reaction would be if they found Innocent Civilians(TM) throwing pieces of their house rocks at their beloved IDF troops.
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.
(KUNA) -- Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul-Aziz deneied on Thursday any plans to establish a national security court. According to Saudi Press Agency (SPA), Prince Nayef said "there is no such thing as a national security court," noting that there were only deliberations between the Supreme Judicial Council and the ministries of Justice and Interior regarding the selection of some judges who will handle security cases.
A Bangladeshi Muslim journalist arrested in the past for advocating ties with Israel now faces charges of sedition, a crime punishable by death in Bangladesh, and will likely be put on trial by the end of the month, The Jerusalem Post has learned. 
Dixie Chicks lead singer and Lubbock resident Natalie Maines has spoken out once again, this time attacking her hometown instead of the president. Maines made comments during the premiere of the new Dixie Chicks documentary being featured at the Toronto International Film Festival "Shut Up and Sing, which documents the group's time since the now notorious President George W. Bush comments when Maines told a concert crowd she and the Chicks were ashamed that Bush was from Texas.
The White House and rebellious Senate Republicans announced an agreement Thursday on conditions covering the interrogation and trial of terror suspects. "I'm pleased to say that this agreement preserves the single most potent tool we have in protecting America and foiling terrorist attacks," President George W. Bush said. He spoke shortly after administration officials and key lawmakers announced agreement after a week of high-profile intra-party disagreement. 
ISLAMABAD - A US-based human rights group on Thursday accused Pakistani security forces of using torture and other rights abuses in Pakistans part of Kashmir. Most incidents of politically motivated torture recorded by Human Rights Watch involved the ISI, or the police acting on the militarys behalf, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report, referring to the militarys Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) MPA Dr Zakir Shah has started an anti-obscenity and vulgarity campaign through his Amar Bil Maroof Wanahi Anil-Munkar, (vice and virtue department), organisation after the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal-led NWFP government failed to implement his bill unanimously passed by the NWFP Assembly in October 2002. 
About 1,000 Muslim clerics and religious scholars meeting Thursday in eastern Pakistan demanded the removal of Pope Benedict XVI for making what they called "insulting remarks" against Islam.
Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Friday his Shi'ite Muslim guerrillas still had more than 20,000 rockets despite a war with Israel. 
Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas said Friday he will not head a government that recognizes Israel, striking a potential blow to efforts set up a more moderate ruling coalition.
A security chief affiliated with the moderate Fatah Party on Thursday accused Hamas militants of involvement in the killing of a top intelligence officer in Gaza. The killing of Jad Tayeh, a top intelligence officer, and four of his bodyguards in a drive-by shooting in Gaza last week raised tensions between President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah and the Islamic Hamas. The shooting took place near the home of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni was meeting Thursday night with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to discuss kidnapped IDF soldiers Eldad Regev, Ehud Goldwasser, and Gilad Shalit, as well as the diplomatic relations between Israel and the Palestinians. Earlier, Livni met with former US President Bill Clinton as part of a series of meetings held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Despite Hamas's boast to the contrary, European, Israeli and US officials said Thursday that the Quartet had not watered down the international community's three benchmarks for granting the Palestinian Authority international aid and legitimacy. Quartet representatives - made up of the US, the EU, Russia and the UN - met at the UN on Wednesday and issued a statement that "welcomed the efforts of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to form a government of national unity, in the hope that the platform of such a government would reflect Quartet principles and allow for early engagement." 
A UN investigator on acts of xenophobia and racism on Thursday called Pope Benedict XVI's remarks on Islam "profoundly troubling." 
Iran has warned Western powers the armed forces would hit back "like lightning" against any attack as it crowed over its military prowess and showed off firepower at a major army parade. Thousands of members of the armed forces and the whole panoply of Iran's ballistic missile arsenal were on display at the parade, including the Shahab-3, a weapon whose range includes arch-enemy Israel. 
