Out of the total 3,216,542 Afghan refugees repatriated from Pakistan between 2002 and 2007, 342,240 are repatriated this year, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) sources said on Sunday. They said the UNHCR gave $100 to each refugee before sending him/her to Afghanistan.
As many as 281,720 families comprising 1,565,095 individuals were repatriated in 2002, 62,524 families consisting of 343,074 individuals in 2003, 67,023 families comprising 383,598 individuals in 2004, 79,727 families comprising 449,520 individuals in 2005, 24,232 families comprising 133,015 individuals in 2006, and 57,982 families consisting of 342,240 individuals in 2007.
The UNHCR is providing basic amenities to 976,609 refugees in 86 refugee camps in various parts of the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
That is an impressive number but most Afghans in Pakistan camps are parasites, like the Paleos. They can live of international aid, without the bother of having to earn a living. And many make cross border trips in support of the Taliban and the heroin industry.
The government released 119 Afghan prisoners from various jails of Balochistan and handed them over to Afghan authorities at Chaman border on Sunday, police officials said. These Afghans were arrested from various parts of Balochistan for illegally crossing the Pak-Afghan border. They were tried and sentenced under the Foreign Act and were handed over to the Afghan authorities after completion of their sentences.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2007 00:00 ||
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From Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
In just the past four days, Ingushetia has seen two police officers shot dead inside their car, a district law-enforcement head killed outside a mosque, and two Interior Ministry servicemen slain in a midday attack.
It also saw clashes between protesters and police in the largest public demonstration the republic has seen in years, with some 500 people gathering Wednesday in Ingushetias main city, Nazran, to protest a rise in abductions. Police fired guns into the air to disperse the crowd after some of the protesters began throwing stones. Many in the crowd said federal and regional military and security forces are behind the kidnappings, and called for the resignation of the republic's unpopular president, Murat Zyazikov, himself a former Federal Security Service general. ....
Magomed Yevloyev, an independent journalist and chief editor of the ingushetiya.ru news site, tells RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service that public anger isn't likely to diminish anytime soon. "It's 100 percent true that Ingushetia was on the verge of an uprising [during the rally]," Yevloyev says. "If the organizers had not stopped rallying at 3 o'clock at night, groups of some 100-200 young people from Magalbek and other towns had armed themselves with sticks and stones and were prepared to act as well. People were ready to revolt against our weak authorities. Now things are calming down, but in the future we could see the same situation developing again." ....
Local officials in Ingushetia have routinely blamed Islamic insurgents for the rising violence. Several of the rebel groups accused of the acts have rejected any connection to the spate of bombings and shootings. RFE/RL Caucasus expert Andrei Babitsky says, however, that Ingushetia today is undeniably a host to rebel fighters who have flowed out of Chechnya as Ramzan Kadyrov came to power and imposed strict control over that republic.
"The regions of Chechnya have actually come under strong control. It's becoming more and more difficult [for rebels] to fight there," says Babitsky. "A substantial portion of the armed groups that were operating in Chechnya are now moving into Ingushetia. The process began relatively early -- several years ago already. Ingushetia will settle down only if, for example, they impose a kind of dictatorship like the one currently in Chechnya."
Resistance fighters commanded by radical Chechen field commander Shamil Basayev staged multiple attacks against police and security personnel in Ingushetia in June 2004, killing some 80 people. Since then, Russian troops have regularly sought to intercept groups of Chechen fighters who use Ingushetia as a rear base.
In the summer of 2006, the resistance began systematically shooting ethnic Ingush serving with the republican Interior Ministry, branding them as traitors. But the Ingush jamaat -- one of several operating under the aegis of the Chechen resistance command -- stressed at the same time that in conducting such operations, it takes every precaution to avoid harming "ordinary Muslims." ....
In some part, the violence in Ingushetia may be aimed at undermining presidential authority. Zyazikov has patiently attempted to woo back ethnic Russians who left the region in the past decade. The apparently deliberate targeting of Russian residents is certain to hurt his standing, as are the frequent attacks against law-enforcement and security personnel. ....
Zyazikov's already dim reputation in the region is due in part to what as seen as his unwavering loyalty to Moscow. He is the only North Caucasus leader to be reappointed to his post after the Kremlin eliminated direct elections in 2004. Over the past four weeks, more than 1,500 people of a total of almost 2,000 respondents to an online poll have registered their readiness to sign a collective legal action against Zyazikov for corruption and deliberately misinforming Moscow about the true situation in Ingushetia.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
09/24/2007 08:06 ||
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#1
Time to use the environmentally friendly DOAB
Posted by: john frum ||
09/24/2007 9:33 Comments ||
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PARIS - The terrorist risk for France is at a new high following threats last week from Al Qaeda and a failed suicide attack on French nationals in Algeria, the countrys senior police officer said Sunday. We dont want to create panic, but the threat is strong today, Frederic Pechenard, director-general of the national police told Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper. It is strong because we are involved in Lebanon and Afghanistan; because the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) has radicalised, changing its name and getting closer to Al Qaeda; and because Algeria, which is so close to us, is going through a difficult period, he said.
Last Thursday Al Qaedas number two Ayman Al Zawahiri called for the cleansing of the sons of France and Spain from Islamic north Africa. Hours later a suicide-bomber rammed his car into a convoy in eastern Algeria, wounding two French engineers and an Italian. The French foreign ministry said it takes the Al Qaeda threat very seriously and has stepped up security at diplomatic missions in north Africa.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/24/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
If only the French had not sided with George Bush in his evil oil war!
Spain said on Sunday it had signed a permanent cooperation agreement with the United States to boost the fight against terrorism and prevent attacks. The agreement will lead to the reinforcement of capacity in both nations to prevent terrorist attacks and also to hunt people suspected of terrorism, the Spanish Interior Ministry said in a statement. Spanish State Security Secretary Antonio Camacho and the US ambassador to Madrid Eduardo Aguirre signed the accord. Under the agreement both countries will exchange information about people suspected to have links to terrorist organisations. The agreement stipulates a permanent cooperation between Spains national anti-terrorism agency, CNCA, and the US Terrorist Screening Centre. Details of the agreement were not made public.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
I'd be pretty skeptical of the utility of any agreement with the current Spanish Gov't.
The U.S. government is collecting electronic records on the travel habits of millions of Americans who fly, drive or take cruises abroad, retaining data on the persons with whom they travel or plan to stay, the personal items they carry during their journeys, and even the books that travelers have carried, according to documents obtained by a group of civil liberties advocates and statements by government officials.
The personal travel records are meant to be stored for as long as 15 years, as part of the Department of Homeland Security's effort to assess the security threat posed by all travelers entering the country. Officials say the records, which are analyzed by the department's Automated Targeting System, help border officials distinguish potential terrorists from innocent people entering the country.
But new details about the information being retained suggest that the government is monitoring the personal habits of travelers more closely than it has previously acknowledged. The details were learned when a group of activists requested copies of official records on their own travel. Those records included a description of a book on marijuana that one of them carried and small flashlights bearing the symbol of a marijuana leaf.
The Automated Targeting System has been used to screen passengers since the mid-1990s, but the collection of data for it has been greatly expanded and automated since 2002, according to former DHS officials. To minimize pi$$ing contests, I'd like to start with one simple question: Who was in charge in the mid-1990's, and has the government agency in charge of this program been changed?
Officials yesterday defended the retention of highly personal data on travelers not involved in or linked to any violations of the law. But civil liberties advocates have alleged that the type of information preserved by the department raises alarms about the government's ability to intrude into the lives of ordinary people. The millions of travelers whose records are kept by the government are generally unaware of what their records say, and the government has not created an effective mechanism for reviewing the data and correcting any errors, activists said.
The activists alleged that the data collection effort, as carried out now, violates the Privacy Act, which bars the gathering of data related to Americans' exercise of their First Amendment rights, such as their choice of reading material or persons with whom to associate. They also expressed concern that such personal data could one day be used to impede their right to travel.
"The federal government is trying to build a surveillance society," said John Gilmore, a civil liberties activist in San Francisco whose records were requested by the Identity Project, an ad-hoc group of privacy advocates in California and Alaska. The government, he said, "may be doing it with the best or worst of intentions. . . . But the job of building a surveillance database and populating it with information about us is happening largely without our awareness and without our consent."
Gilmore's file, which he provided to The Washington Post, included a note from a Customs and Border Patrol officer that he carried the marijuana-related book "Drugs and Your Rights." "My first reaction was I kind of expected it," Gilmore said. "My second reaction was, that's illegal."
DHS officials said this week that the government is not interested in passengers' reading habits, that the program is transparent, and that it affords redress for travelers who are inappropriately stymied. "I flatly reject the premise that the department is interested in what travelers are reading," DHS spokesman Russ Knocke said. "We are completely uninterested in the latest Tom Clancy novel that the traveler may be reading."
But, Knocke said, "if there is some indication based upon the behavior or an item in the traveler's possession that leads the inspection officer to conclude there could be a possible violation of the law, it is the front-line officer's duty to further scrutinize the traveler." Once that happens, Knocke said, "it is not uncommon for the officer to document interactions with a traveler that merited additional scrutiny."
He said that he is not familiar with the file that mentions Gilmore's book about drug rights, but that generally "front-line officers have a duty to enforce all laws within our authority, for example, the counter-narcotics mission." Officers making a decision to admit someone at a port of entry have a duty to apply extra scrutiny if there is some indication of a violation of the law, he said.
The retention of information about Gilmore's book was first disclosed this week in Wired News. Details of how the ATS works were disclosed in a Federal Register notice last November. Although the screening has been in effect for more than a decade, data for the system in recent years have been collected by the government from more border points, and also provided by airlines -- under U.S. government mandates -- through direct electronic links that did not previously exist.
The DHS database generally includes "passenger name record" (PNR) information, as well as notes taken during secondary screenings of travelers. PNR data -- often provided to airlines and other companies when reservations are made -- routinely include names, addresses and credit-card information, as well as telephone and e-mail contact details, itineraries, hotel and rental car reservations, and even the type of bed requested in a hotel.
The records the Identity Project obtained confirmed that the government is receiving data directly from commercial reservation systems, such as Galileo and Sabre, but also showed that the data, in some cases, are more detailed than the information to which the airlines have access.
Ann Harrison, the communications director for a technology firm in Silicon Valley who was among those who obtained their personal files and provided them to The Post, said she was taken aback to see that her dossier contained data on her race and on a European flight that did not begin or end in the United States or connect to a U.S.-bound flight.
"It was surprising that they were gathering so much information without my knowledge on my travel activities, and it was distressing to me that this information was being gathered in violation of the law," she said.
James P. Harrison, director of the Identity Project and Ann Harrison's brother, obtained government records that contained another sister's phone number in Tokyo as an emergency contact. "So my sister's phone number ends up being in a government database," he said. "This is a lot more than just saying who you are, your date of birth."
Edward Hasbrouck, a civil liberties activist who was a travel agent for more than 15 years, said that his file contained coding that reflected his plan to fly with another individual. In fact, Hasbrouck wound up not flying with that person, but the record, which can be linked to the other passenger's name, remained in the system. "The Automated Targeting System," Hasbrouck alleged, "is the largest system of government dossiers of individual Americans' personal activities that the government has ever created."
He said that travel records are among the most potentially invasive of records because they can suggest links: They show who a traveler sat next to, where they stayed, when they left. "It's that lifetime log of everywhere you go that can be correlated with other people's movements that's most dangerous," he said. "If you sat next to someone once, that's a coincidence. If you sat next to them twice, that's a relationship."
Stewart Verdery, former first assistant secretary for policy and planning at DHS, said the data collected for ATS should be considered "an investigative tool, just the way we do with law enforcement, who take records of things for future purposes when they need to figure out where people came from, what they were carrying and who they are associated with. That type of information is extremely valuable when you're trying to thread together a plot or you're trying to clean up after an attack."
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff in August 2006 said that "if we learned anything from Sept. 11, 2001, it is that we need to be better at connecting the dots of terrorist-related information. After Sept. 11, we used credit-card and telephone records to identify those linked with the hijackers. But wouldn't it be better to identify such connections before a hijacker boards a plane?" Chertoff said that comparing PNR data with intelligence on terrorists lets the government "identify unknown threats for additional screening" and helps avoid "inconvenient screening of low-risk travelers."
Knocke, the DHS spokesman, added that the program is not used to determine "guilt by association." He said the DHS has created a program called DHS Trip to provide redress for travelers who faced screening problems at ports of entry.
But DHS Trip does not allow a traveler to challenge an agency decision in court, said David Sobel, senior counsel with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which has sued the DHS over information concerning the policy underlying the ATS. Because the system is exempted from certain Privacy Act requirements, including the right to "contest the content of the record," a traveler has no ability to correct erroneous information, Sobel said.
Zakariya Reed, a Toledo firefighter, said in an interview that he has been detained at least seven times at the Michigan border since fall 2006. Twice, he said, he was questioned by border officials about "politically charged" opinion pieces he had published in his local newspaper. The essays were critical of U.S. policy in the Middle East, he said. Once, during a secondary interview, he said, "they had them printed out on the table in front of me." Good. I'd be curious to see those articles before I make any personal judgments, but I'm pretty sure these guys didn't walk into work one day and say "You know, I don't have enough to do today, Frank. Let's go screw with someone at random as long as they have an Arabic name.
#2
Even if we restricted the screwing around with guys named Mohamed we could probably deal with 90% of the problem. Anybody related to somebody named Mohamed takes that up to exactly 100%.
#3
This also has another side these people have no clue about. This kind of information also allows the DHS to determine that some people and some behaviors are in and by themselves not a threat. When you have this kind of information, it can be used both to establish a profile of those that the nation may have a problem with, and also to establish that some people (little old grannies with knitting needles and scissors in a knitting bag) aren't a threat. Call it reverse profiling, if you will.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/24/2007 14:55 Comments ||
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#4
Sort of like chipping away everything that doesn't look like a threat. I wonder how lawyers are going to deal with that.
Mahendra Karma, Chhattisgarh Congress leader and Salva Judum protagonist, defends the movement in conversation with SHIVAM VIJ
A Congress working committee delegation went to Dantewada recently and has recommended that the Salwa Judum be ended.
I am not aware of such a report.
What if you are asked to respond to such a report?
They'll give their report but Salwa Judum can't stop if you just ask it to stop. It's a people's movement, run by the people.
Jairam Ramesh, considered close to Sonia Gandhi, has publicly condemned Salwa Judum and said that it should be ended. You are the Congress opposition leader in Chhattisgarh.
I do not know in what context he made the remark. Only the Naxalites understand what Salwa Judum really is. The Naxalites' media managment is so strong that most people don't know the truth. I can't understand how in a democracy like ours anyone can defend an undemocratic Naxalite movement, even unknowingly. Naxalism is such a problem that a you need a movement to solve it. Those with theories in air-conditioned rooms can't solve it.
What are you going to tell Congress president Sonia Gandhi about the Salwa Judum?
I'll show her my record of 17 years of fighting against Naxalites. Many years ago a people's movement I had initiated had thrown the Naxalites out. I'll tell her about the circumstances in which I have led this people's movement against Naxalite terrorism.
Former CM Ajit Jogi says Salwa Judum is a means of spreading saffronisation.
(Laughs.) That is seeing it politically. The war against Naxalism is on. That people want political mileage in a situation where people are losing their lives is very sad, it is cheap politics.
So you think there should be Salwa Judum across the red corridor?
There is certainly a need for public participation.
What about political and social solutions, or talks with the CPI (Maoist)?
Talks are a good idea, but why would they talk to you? What they want to spread their reach by using violence, not dialogue, they are an anti-state movement.
So talks are no use?
All wars end with talks. Be it Chhattisgarh or any other state, there have been many attempts at talks and ceasefires, but have you seen any results?
Guthi Koya tribals have been fleeing to Warangal and Khammam in Andhra to escape the Salwa Judum.
That is Naxalite propaganda, after the Naxalites have themselves driven these tribals out to Andhra!
Is it true that you don't want to contest the next election, a year away, from Dantewada.
I am looking at options. I want to contest from the place where the Naxalites are the strongest.
Or is it that you fear that thanks to unpopularity because of Salwa Judum, you may not win in Dantewada anymore?
No, I want to contest where the Naxalites are the strongest.
Do you approve of the way the Raman Singh government has handled Naxalism?
I think that we should not consider it unfortunate if the proposition and opposition agree on an issue. National security and integrity should be above politics.
So when are you joining the BJP?
(Laughs.) People spread these rumours to harass and defame. The BJP has been in government in Chhattisgarh and I could have switched over and gotten some benefits. Why would I go over when elections are at the doorstep?
But you are already jokingly called Chhattisgarh's 28th minister?
If we can sit with the government and work on something together, why not? Being in the opposition doesn't mean I'll see opponents as enemies. Ideological differences should not mean political untouchability.
The Chhattisgarh assembly had a closed door session. In a democracy people should know what happened there.
That closed door meeting had people who openly condemn for working against the Naxalites. If I did anything wrong in the meeting, why did my detractors not say it outside the house?
What was discussed?
It was a closed-door meeting.
It is alleged that you have personally led the torching of some villages which did not join Salwa Judum.
(Laughs) Give me one name.
Amrapali.
(Laughs)
Salwa Judum has been credited with a lot of violence.
All the violence is being committed - on villagers who have not joined Salwa Judum - by Naxalites. Ask them to explain it. Naxalites don't recognise your Constituton. Will anyone ever question that?
Sociologist Nandini Sundar and formwer Bastar collector BD Sharma, amongst many others, have been running a national campaign against Salwa Judum.
Let them come to the field and see. Why are they talking from closed doors? Sharma has been seen in Naxalite meetings. What does he have to say about that? Sundar has address Naxalite public meetings. There are photographs. SPOs who are former Naxalites have recognised her. Nobody can be bigger than the nation.
The Essar group has paid money to make Salwa Judum camps permanant, and it is said that your son works with Essar on that project.
Let's have a CBI inquiry on these allegations - be it corruption or human rights violation. I have devoted my life to it and people say I am running after money! Yes, we all want Tata and Essar in Dantewada. The iron ore is ours, the industries on it should be in Bastar itself.
Posted by: john frum ||
09/24/2007 11:06 ||
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#1
Sociologist Nandini Sundar and formwer Bastar collector BD Sharma, amongst many others, have been running a national campaign against Salwa Judum.
Surprise, surprise.
The leftwing sociologist opposes an anti-Maoist movement. How shocking.
Posted by: john frum ||
09/24/2007 11:27 Comments ||
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Law enforcement agencies have forwarded intelligence reports to the senior government officials regarding suicide attacks expected to be carried out by women bombers across the country, highly reliable Interior Ministry sources told Daily Times on Sunday.
There are chances that that male and female former students of Jamia Hafsa, Jamia Fareedia and Lal Masjid that managed to escape from Operation Silence could carry out suicide attacks across the country, the intelligence agencies reports said, according to sources. The report also suspected involvement of students from these madrassas in the suicide bombing on July 17 in Islamabad.
Intelligence agencies had forwarded detailed reports to the Interior Ministry as well, the sources said, following which authorities had issued special instructions in this regard.
Police told to keep an eye on burqa-clad women: In the report, sources said, authorities suggested that police seniors across the country immediately issue instructions to keep a close eye on suspicious women wearing shuttlecock burqas and/or youngsters roaming near important installations, especially foreign ones, as well as important personalities, law enforcement personnel and important public and business places.
They said that the ministry had also circulated special letters in this regard to senior security and administrative officials across the country. Provincial police officers (PPOs) of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan, NWFP, and the Islamabad police inspector general (IG) had also been especially directed to take precautionary measures on an emergency basis, they said.
This article starring:
Jamia Fareedia
Jamia Hafsa
Lal Masjid
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2007 00:00 ||
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Political turmoil and a spate of brazen attacks by Taliban fighters are forcing President Gen Pervez Musharraf to scale back his governments pursuit of Al Qaeda, according to US intelligence officials, who fear that the terrorist network will be able to accelerate its efforts to rebuild and plot new attacks, the Los Angeles Times reported on Sunday.
It said the development threatens a pillar of US counter-terrorism strategy, which has depended on Pakistan to play a lead role in keeping Al Qaeda under pressure to reduce its ability to coordinate strikes.
Musharraf vulnerable: President Musharraf, facing a potentially fateful election next month and confronting calls to yield power after years of autocratic rule, appears too vulnerable to pursue aggressive counter-terrorism operations at the behest of the United States, the Times quoted intelligence officials as saying.
At the same time, it said, the Pakistan Army has suffered a series of embarrassing setbacks at the hands of militants in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.
US intelligence officials said the conditions that have allowed Al Qaeda to regain strength are likely to persist, enabling it to continue training foreign fighters and plot new attacks.
We are worried, said a senior US counter-terrorism official who closely monitors Pakistans pursuit of Al Qaeda in the rugged frontier region.
I think the prospect for aggressive action ... is probably not good, no matter what, said the official, referring to the Federally Administered Tribal Areas where Al Qaeda is particularly strong. If Musharraf is removed from office or agrees to a power-sharing arrangement with political foes, the change in government could well mean a diminution of cooperation on counter-terrorism, the official said on condition of anonymity.
A senior US intelligence official said Pakistani retrenchment appears to have begun.
Were already beginning to see some signs of that, the official said, citing a recent series of reversals by the Pakistan military.
In the next few days, were probably going to see a withdrawal of forces that the Pakistanis put there, the intelligence official said, adding that the move could solidify a safe haven, where the [Al Qaeda] leadership is secure, operational planners can do their business, and foreigners can come in and be trained and re-deploy to the West.
Musharrafs popular support has eroded rapidly this year, starting with a failed attempt to oust the chief justice of Pakistan, the Times said.
Musharraf hopes to secure another presidential term in an October 6 vote by national and provincial lawmakers. In response to opposition calls that he give up his post as military chief, Musharraf said he would do so after being re-elected. The developments have triggered new concern in the intelligence community that a six-year effort by the United States and Pakistan to root out Al Qaeda, which has had limited success, could further falter, the paper said, and added that the intelligence official described it as a cauldron of events that has become a significant complication in efforts to rein in terrorism.
Democratic Musharraf may not help: The prevailing view among US intelligence analysts is that Musharraf probably will remain in power, but in a significantly weakened position that may require him to embrace democratic reforms and share authority with one or more political rivals, the Times quoted US officials as saying.
Such an arrangement would deprive Musharraf of the dictatorial power he has wielded, which enabled him to contain the political cost of carrying out counter-terrorism operations at the behest of the United States, the paper says.From a domestic politics perspective, sustained Pakistani action against Al Qaeda in [the tribal areas] would be suicidal, said Seth Jones, an expert on terrorism and Pakistan at Rand Corp. It would only increase hatred against his regime at the precise moment when he is politically weakest.
US officials said the terrorist network was seen as increasingly isolated and in a financial crunch until Musharrafs peace accord with the tribes last fall.
Since then, US intelligence has tracked an influx of fighters and funds into the region. And counter-terrorism officials have encountered a series of plots, mostly in Europe, linked to Al Qaeda and Taliban training camps in Pakistan, according to the Times.
Without significant steps to clear and hold territory within [the tribal areas], I dont believe Al Qaeda can be defeated or significantly weakened, the paper quoted Jones, the Rand Corp expert as saying. Consequently, the problem is likely to get worse before it gets better, said Jones.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda
#1
US officials said the terrorist network was seen as increasingly isolated and in a financial crunch until Musharrafs peace accord with the tribes last fall. Since then, US intelligence has tracked an influx of fighters and funds into the region
Is it any surprise that Perv would give them breathing room when they were being strangled?
Let us remind ourselves of the Official Motto of the Pakistani Army
Iman-Taqwa-Jihad fi sabilillah
Faith, Fear of Allah, Jihad in the way of Allah
Posted by: john frum ||
09/24/2007 8:06 Comments ||
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#2
Time to partition "pakistan" and end the farce once and for all. Divide it evenly between Afghanistan and India, and destroy the madrassahs, crush the tribal areas, and run the Punjabis to Soddy aRabida. Shoot anyone that objects, and that includes some of our "allies" and "citizens".
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/24/2007 17:05 Comments ||
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God Please Keep All The Partz Stuck Together and Up in the Sky Flying.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) The Marines have deployed to Iraq the first combat squadron of V-22 Ospreys, the tilt-rotor aircraft that spent decades in development due in part to a series of mechanical failures and fatal crashes. Bad JuJu these reporters don't know Shit form Shinola.
The Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 and 10 Ospreys left Monday from New River Air Station next to Camp Lejeune aboard the USS Wasp, Marine Maj. Eric Dent said. A typical Osprey squadron has roughly 200 Marines. Duct Tape, Wire, Air Hooks and 'Mo Duct Tape...
Marine Corps commandant Gen. James T. Conway said in April the squadron would deploy to Al-Asad Airfield, the second largest air base in Iraq located more than 100 miles west of Baghdad.
The squadron, dubbed the "Thunder Chickens," includes 20 pilots and is to spend around seven months ferrying troops, supplies and cargo, Dent said. "Thunder Chickens," LOL!, THAT'll strike Fear into the Marines for sure! The military plans to eventually operate 458 Ospreys, with 360 for the Marine Corps and the others used by the Navy and Air Force, Dent said. I repeat, PLZ EVERYONE PRAY!
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
09/24/2007 04:39 ||
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#1
Gee, Mr. Dawg - it's an interesting story but the commentary's kind of dry and impersonal, doncha think? LOL
#6
lolp Gee, Mr. Dawg - it's an interesting story but the commentary's kind of dry and impersonal, doncha think?
agreed lolp, you could say NEGATIVE even. I hope I am dead wrong and proven a fool by posting my opinion.
~:)
We will find out fairly soon...
Opinion: In a low speed wreak [takeoff and landing], the Tilt Rotor will even be less forgiving to its occupants than the Helicopters it originally was supposed to replace, the 46s & 47s, which btw, were never very forgiving to begin with.
Example, V-22 Osprey in Trouble Because engines are way outboard of center-line all sorts of nasty gremlins can mess with aircraft stability and airworthiness [ie. ability to fly]
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
09/24/2007 18:14 Comments ||
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#7
Red Dawg, your pessimism may be correct but the Chinook was kknow as the "shit hook" when I was in and fondly known for wrapping into a ball at the slightest excuse. The F-15 lost one of the first aircraft at the end of runway and a great many others were not wonderous during initial fielding. The Maurader was a man-killer til they learned how to fly & maintain it and did a few mods on the wings, engine cooling and landing gear.
Yes, we will eventually lose an Osprey with all aboard but how many helicopters with crew will we lose in the meantime? My question will be "does it work for the mission with the same approximate losses as other aircraft with the same mission?". Only time will tell.
If in doubt pray and give them a hand up rather than a hand around their ankle holding them back. It's a complex system and a negative attitude will help no one.
#8
Actually, "they" are modernizing chinooks as fast as they can (up to and including building new fuselages for some craft), and are buying more modernized ones for the army special forces...
_and_ had big plans to buy them for the air force too, but that's gotten caught up in the bureaucracy. The GAO wants the AF to buy whatever's cheapest, regardless of the altitudes it's going to have to really function at (seen a map of Afghanistan lately?)
I think they want the AF to buy one of the other birds, and when they have to do a rescue where we're actually fighting the damn war they'll borrow one of the new, or rebuilt, or old and not rebuilt Vietnam-era Chinooks to do the job.
#9
The USDOD, Army-DARPA, etc. is already working on larger, more advanced vertical-lift and related designs, designs capable of lifting IFV's or several dozen fully-equipped combat soldiers. As wid the V22's, the CHINOOKS, etal. helos are there until combat evals of the OSPREYS are completed and incorpor into follow-on design- and combat progs. As the USA moves into deep space, the Army may be taking over the tactical lift-strike functions from the USAF, and perhaps even sealift funcs from the Navy. ALL MAJOR US ARMED SERVICES ALREADY WANT THEIR OWN UAV UNITS.
#10
Even the RUSSIAN NAVY wants remore/robo, long range ARMED USV's FOR THEIR SUBS - adds a new dimension to LR UNDERWATER WARFARE. * SHKVAL HYPERVELOCITY TORPEDO - RUSS HAS ALREADY ADMITTED THAT IT DEV THIS TORP NOT ONLY FOR TRADITIONAL ANTI-SURFACE + ANTI-SUB NAVAL WARFARE AGZ THE USN-NATO.
#2
WTF? WTF!?! Like I'm supposed to give a ripping bloody rat's ass crapadoodle over how these wannabe terrorist warlord SHITS feel about getting their balls snagged in the web of global terrorism's mousetrap? Fuck them all to Hell. TWICE!
#3
They are living in relative luxury compared to what the deserve, or are used to for that matter. I wouldn't shed a single tear if you showed me pictures of them in a place that looked like Andersonville.
#6
Let me explain why I posted this: they're interesting images. They show the prisoners are pretty well fed, clothed and housed. They're allowed to pray. They don't have obvious bumps and bruises. The younger ones are in classes.
Now contrast that to how prisoners are treated in just about any other Arab state.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/24/2007 11:36 Comments ||
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#7
Zen, take a deep breath. Let it out slowly.
Repeat a couple dozen times.
The incessant outrage is becoming boring and counterproductive, if only due to the vast quantity of essentially repetitive comments.
#12
Actually those are good photos. And probably show that the prisoners there are treated as well as prisoners in the US. We even supply clean bottled water for the neck and foot washings before prayers.
That sheriff in Arizona treats his a bit more harshly than that (they live in tents and do labor) - I betcha these prisoners get better food and education.
Good job for Al Guardian to slip up and show humane and proper treatment, the professionalism of the US military.
Compare and contrast to prisons in Syria, Turkey or Iran.
#13
Compare and contrast to prisons in Syria, Turkey or Iran.
Too bad the human rights organizations can't possibly bring themselves to do such a thing. It might make America look good or something horrible like that.
Iran has confirmed for the first time that it has been firing artillery shells on Kurdish militant camps inside northern Iraq, saying local authorities had not listened to its warnings. The militant Kurdish separatist group Party of Free Life of Kurdistan (PJAK) linked to Turkeyys outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party has been behind a string of deadly attacks on security forces in northwestern Iran in recent months. Some of their bases are 10 kilometres inside Iraqi territory so this is part of our natural right to secure our borders, said General Yayha Rahim Safavi, military advisor to the supreme leaderAyatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iraq warned: Of course we issued warnings to the Iraqi government and told them to take them [the rebels] away from the border and respect its obligations, Safavi said in an interview with Irans English language channel Press TV late Saturday. But unfortunately the Kurdistan region, the northern part of Iraq, did not listen, so we feel entitled to target military bases of PJAK and they have been under our artillery fire, he added, according to the channels English translation.
Safavi, the former head of the elite Revolutionary Guards, gave no details of when the firing had taken place or if it was continuing. Iraqi Kurdish officials said last month that hundreds of Iraqi Kurds had fled villages near the eastern frontier after Iranian gunners targeted separatist guerrilla bases.
This article starring:
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
General Yayha Rahim Safavi, military advisor to the supreme leader
Kurdistan Workers Party
Party of Free Life of Kurdistan
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
So quid-quo-pro by the US against the Revolutionary Guard would be okay?
#3
It's time for some "shock and awe" against Iran, especially the mullahs and the IRGC. The thought of tearing them all into small fragments just warms the cockles of my thumping gizzard.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/24/2007 17:18 Comments ||
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Iran is smuggling advanced weaponry, including surface-to-air missiles, into Iraq to be used by extremists against American troops, the US military charged on Sunday. US military spokesman Rear Admiral Mark Fox told reporters in Baghdad that Iran was shifting sophisticated arms such as RPG-29s, explosively-formed penetrators (EFPs), 240-mm rockets and Misagh-1 surface-to-air missiles across its borders into Iraq.
Fox reiterated that Iranian national Mahmudi Farhadi, detained on Thursday in the northern province of Sulaimaniyah, is one of the kingpins in the bomb smuggling operations. He is a member of the Ramazan Corps, the Quds Force department responsible for all operations in Iraq, Fox said. We are fulfilling our professional responsibility to detain those individuals who are smuggling these illegal weapons into Iraq, he added.
Iran insists that Farhadi is a civilian official on a visit to Iraq as part of a trade delegation.
On Saturday, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, who says Farhadi is a known businessman and not a bomb smuggler, wrote a stern letter to top US officials in Iraq to demand that he be released. US military spokesman Major Winfield Danielson told AFP on Sunday that Farhadi was still being interrogated.
We are questioning the individual regarding his knowledge of, and involvement in, the transportation of improvised explosive devices and EFPs from Iran into Iraq, and his role in facilitating travel and training in Iran for Iraqi insurgents, he said. We have not yet determined if charges will be filed.
This article starring:
Mahmudi Farhadi
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2007 00:00 ||
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[1 views]
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#1
no arty fire at the Qods force like Iran does on the PKK?
#3
Don't be surprised 3dc when we get the news that Farhadi has been released, upon further investigation of his visiting status. The Rules of Engagement are softened while the US continues to pursue diplomatic 'surging', despite the mounting losses to the US's troops. However I smell a soft walking big stick carrying development of US policy in the air!
#4
So long as Mr. Farhadi has revealed everything he knows, and his laptop and cell phone as well, it doesn't matter whether he stays or gets sent home.
#6
Couldn't an enterprising DA arrest and indict dinnerjacket on an aiding terrorst charge? I can't imagine we can't make an argument against immunity or just ignore it to throw him in Rikers. Let him out later if need be.
Or, how about the US disappear the ENTIRE traveling party from his hotel while he's here? Just have the State department announce they have requested political asylum and no further comments.
Or... Don't some of the ex-Iran Hostages have outstanding judgments against Iran? If so, can they impound the Iran Airways 747 he flew in on. I can't see how immunity coiuld apply here as objects don't have rights. See seizures, case in USA.
#7
Nope. Heads of State get diplomatic immunity when they go visiting. Else President Bush wouldn't ever be able to land Air Force 1 outside U.S. borders for fear of an overzealous Belgian or French or German prosecutor.
I missed this last week - apologies if it got covered already.
A confession posted on the Internet by a translator working for U.S. forces in Tikrit [Saddam's home town] has provoked fear among many of his former colleagues who still work for the Americans. Some of these translators expressed fear that this repenting translator might post their names and thus endanger their lives, especially since there is no limit to who can peruse the Internet.
One translator (who spoke on condition of anonymity) said, "I intend to quit working for U.S. forces and am considering fleeing the country." He added that, "Despite our services to American forces, they will not be able to provide protection for us and our families if and when our names are posted on the Internet."
According to the confession posted on a Web site of an armed faction battling the occupation, the "reformed translator" said that he had been working with U.S. forces stationed at an Air Force base in Tikrit, and that he had stated his repentance on several news networks, after American forces bombed a police station in Abu Ajeel (5km east of Tikrit), which "killed large numbers of police and innocent citizens."
The translator said, "I published my confession right after the incident on several news networks and I promise to post the names of translators - both male and female - who frequently visit the U.S. base, along with photos and documents to prove it," once he leaves Iraq and settles in another country.
The translator added that he was in possession of documents, videotapes and CD-ROMS implicating interpreters who frequent the U.S. base or accompany American forces disguised as U.S. soldiers to arrest suspects in night raids. He explained that he was keeping an eye on them, and that, "they are still doing their jobs and causing harm to innocent citizens."
It is worth noting that many translators have already been killed after their names were disclosed in leaflets distributed throughout the city.
#4
I did see this last week. It does not sound unreasonable to me - at least the parts about 'terps being in a lot of danger and that a rogue 'terp could make that danger a lot higher. Also quite possible one of them is working for the other side.
The chairman of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), met with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice last week - and told her that Prime Minister Olmert agrees, finally, to turn eastern Jerusalem into the capital of a future state of Palestine. So reports the PA newspaper Al Hayat Al Jadeeda, quoting an unnamed "senior Palestinian source."
Abbas reportedly told Rice that Olmert had agreed to the demand in an Olmert-Abbas meeting a couple of days before. Another Olmert-Abbas meeting is planned for next week, the paper reports.
Arutz-7's Haggai Huberman reports on another PA media article. The Palestinian Press claims that Iran has given the order to Hamas and Islamic Jihad to reduce Kassam rocket attacks against Israel during the month of Ramadan, in order to reduce the suffering of Arab citizens in Gaza during this period. Hamas chief-in-exile Khaled Mashaal reportedly told Iran that though Hamas agrees to hold fire, Islamic Jihad does not.
Meanwhile, plans continue for U.S. President George Bush's international Middle East summit, scheduled for this November in Washington. Secretary Rice announced Sunday night that Syria and Lebanon will also be invited to take part, though they will have to commit themselves to help find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is not happy with the summit. "Without advance preparations and without an objective," he said, "I don't see what can come of it, and I don't see any reason to convene the summit."
High-level meetings of this nature are often accompanied by Arab violence and terrorism, and some fear that such violence this time will only intensify if the summit does not produce results favorable to the Arab side.
#5
How 'bout both? Works for me. I think Abbas is trying to pressure Olmert into agreeing to something he hasn't yet. I doubt Israel will give up ANY of Jerusalem. I see another war, and very soon. Abbas absolutely NEEDS it to retain any power. Only problem is that the paleostains will probably be kicked so hard they'll orbit Saturn, and Abbas will have even less power - even over his own body functions.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/24/2007 17:25 Comments ||
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#6
Many Israeli Netters are already going ballistic.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Sunday approved the reinforcement of Palestinian Authority Police in Nablus by allowing 500 more officers to enter the city, Army Radio reported. The move was approved following a request by PA Prime Minister Salaam Fayad. Security officials on Sunday said that if the PA police officers are able to bolster law and order in the city, then more officers will be allowed in other cities.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2007 00:00 ||
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[1 views]
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11 prominent authors and intellectuals announced Sunday that they would publicly call upon the government to reach an agreement with the Palestinians and to negotiate with Hamas.
The petition, which will be made public Monday, calls upon Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to make every possible effort to arrive at an agreement with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at the upcoming middle East peace summit in November.
The intellectuals will also demand that Hamas be engaged in talks in order to bring about a ceasefire with the organization. "In the past Israel has negotiated with its worst enemies," the petition reads. "And now, the correct course of action is to negotiate with Hamas in an effort to foment a general cease fire that will prevent further suffering on both sides."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2007 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
Perhaps someone should ask these elite morons how one negotiate with someone who's sole and only objective is your total destruction?
#2
Let the Egyptians work for the billions in US aid they receive every year... place Gaza under Egyptian administration.
They can negotiate with Hamas.
Posted by: john frum ||
09/24/2007 8:22 Comments ||
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#3
Eleven prominent authors and intellectuals...This sort of comment belies the title "intellectuals". I would be willing to bet that none of these "intellectuals" have degrees in engineering or the hard sciences. This is nothing more than the usual cry for attention by aging academics who have this nagging suspicion that they are totally irrelevant.
#6
Hey -- I grew up in an ivy-covered ivory tower. And very pleasant it was, too, although admittedly it left me totally unfitted for the real world. ;-)
#8
I'm afraid it was the somewhat newer gardens of the State University of New York at Buffalo, Besoeker dear. Not quite as pretty, but a lot less PC nonsense from the gardeners. ;-)
Several Fatah officials who fled to the West Bank after Hamas's violent takeover of the Gaza Strip last June have decided to return home, Palestinian Authority officials said Sunday. The decision came after the Fatah officials received assurances from Hamas that they would not be harmed upon their return to Gaza, the officials told The Jerusalem Post. But they denied that the decision was linked to reports about secret talks between Hamas and Fatah.
Some 50 senior political and security Fatah officials fled to the West Bank before and after Hamas took full control of the Gaza Strip. At least 400 others are believed to have fled to Egypt and other Arab countries.
The presence of the Fatah "refugees" in the West Bank drew sharp criticism from some Palestinians, who accused them of abandoning their subordinates in Gaza. Some of the Fatah leaders were questioned by a special commission of inquiry about their responsibility for the defeat of the Fatah-controlled security forces in the Gaza Strip.
In separate interviews with the Post, many of the Fatah officials who found sanctuary in Ramallah complained that the PA had turned its back on them. They said the PA leadership in Ramallah had restricted their movements and banned them from meeting with PA President Mahmoud Abbas and his top aides.
Among the Fatah officials who are expected to return to Gaza are former PA minister Nabil Shaath, whose house in Gaza City was looted by Hamas militiamen last June, Rouhi Fattouh, Abdullah Ifranji, Hamdan Ashour, Gen. Mazen Izzadin, Abu Ali Shaheen and Gen. Samih Naser. All of them are members of the Fatah central committee and revolutionary council.
Despite holding senior positions in Fatah, none of the officials are "wanted" by Hamas. Sources close to Hamas in Gaza City said the Islamist movement was not opposed to the return of the officials to their homes.
"We never expelled them from the Gaza Strip," one source said. "These people decided to leave the Gaza Strip of their own volition."
However, the sources said other Fatah leaders who had played an active role in the fighting against Hamas would not be allowed to return to Gaza. One of them is former Fatah security commander Muhammad Dahlan, who has been accused by Hamas of spearheading US-backed efforts to bring down the Hamas government over the past two years. Hamas has confiscated Dahlan's villa in Gaza City, saying he would not be permitted to return to the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Hamas leaders continued to insist that their movement was holding secret talks with Fatah. Osama Hamdan, Hamas's representative in Lebanon, said talks were under way between the two parties in a bid to resolve the crisis. He refused to elaborate.
Another Hamas official, Ahmed Yusef, said the two parties were conducting secret negotiations. He said the talks were being held under the auspices of some Arab countries.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
"We never expelled them from the Gaza Strip," one source said. "These people decided to leave the Gaza Strip of their own volition."
The possibility of getting tossed from a building would be a rather strong motivator...
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed hope Sunday that key Arab nations, including Syria, will attend a Mideast peace conference this fall hosted by US President George W. Bush.
Rice said invitations have not been issued yet but "we would hope that the invitations would include the members of the Arab follow-up committee ... charged by the Arab League with following up with the international community on an Arab Peace Initiative" to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The committee members are Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen. Only two, Egypt and Jordan, have peace deals with Israel and some, notably Syria and Saudi Arabia, remain technically at war with the Jewish state.
The Mideast Quartet, comprised of the US, EU, UN and Russia issued a statement saying it was fully supportive of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's ongoing talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, also expressing hope that the conference would be a success.
The Quartet, represented by Rice, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, also called on Israel to continue giving "essential aid" to the Gaza Strip and expressed its concern for the effect that closed border crossings between the Strip and Israel were having on the Palestinian economy.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
#1
MY GOD, and she said that with a straight face too!!! I can just see in my vast mind, the Syrian delegation flatfooting into the conference hall with their snoots high in the air, noses pinched close!!
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reaffirmed his support for the Hamas authorities in the Gaza Strip in a telephone call with the premier dismissed by the Western backed Palestinian leadership, a Hamas spokesman said on Sunday. Prime minister Ismail Haniya spoke on Saturday night with... the president of the Iranian Islamic republic Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, spokesman Tahar al-Nunu said. He wished him well on the occasion of the month of Ramadan and reaffirmed Palestinian-Iranian ties, he added. The call took place against the backdrop of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York, which Ahmadinejad - who has openly called for the destruction of Israel - will be addressing amid a storm of protests.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2007 00:00 ||
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Israel agreed on Sunday to free another 90 Palestinian prisoners to try to bolster President Mahmoud Abbas ahead of a US-sponsored conference on Palestinian statehood, officials said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2007 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority
#1
Idiots, why don't you just give them their captured AK47s and RPGs as they leave jail, a real time saver. (For them)
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/24/2007 15:15 Comments ||
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COLOMBO - Sri Lanka offered on Sunday to halt major military operations against Tamil separatists in exchange for peace talks following intense international censure. Troops will not press ahead with an offensive if Tamil Tiger rebels agree to talk, Defence Ministry secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse told a newspaper amid pressure from the islands key foreign backers not to pursue the military option.
The countrys top defence official said it was now up to the Tigers to decide if the military should keep up its drive and urged them to resume peace negotiations which collapsed in October last year. The decision (of war or peace) is theirs and I believe they wouldnt reject this opportunity, Rajapakse told the Sunday Island. Well not take advantage of the ground situation, if the Tigers agree to negotiate.
Rajapakse, who is also the presidents younger brother, made the comments after the the United States urged Colombo against pressing ahead with a military drive. The European Union and neighbouring India have also warned against an all-out military campaign.
Because no one's allowed to crush terrorists and terrorism.
The surprise olive branch came just days after the defence secretary had vowed to crush the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
Rajapakse had on Monday called for stepped-up military action to finish off the rebels. Without defeating terrorism, we cant have a political settlement, he said last week in a speech in the northeastern coastal city of Trincomalee as part of celebrations after the ministry said three rebel gun-running ships had been sunk. The president is working hard on a political settlement, he said, adding: Whatever the political settlement, it cannot be implemented unless terrorism is eradicated.
The hard-hitting speech prompted the US ambassador to Sri Lanka to warn there was no military solution to the Indian Ocean islands long-running separatist conflict, which has claimed more than 60,000 lives since 1972. The expulsion of the LTTE from the east (of the island) and the recent sinking of several LTTE ships carrying arms and other provisions mark important military successes, Blake said. But these tactical successes should not tempt the government to re-consider whether Sri Lankas conflict can be won by military means. It cannot.
So we have noone at State who believes in beating terrorism. Figures ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/24/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
They told Peru's Fujimori the same thing about the Shining Path
Posted by: john frum ||
09/24/2007 9:50 Comments ||
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Ahmadinejad made some unexpected comments about homosexuality.
"In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country. We don't have that in our country," he says. That drew lots of boos. "In Iran we don't have this phenomenon. I don't know who's told you we have it," he says. Did he insist on his own drummer for the rimshots?
Posted by: Ol Dirty American ||
09/24/2007 15:41 Comments ||
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#6
Well, at least he doesn't prohibit them from serving in the Iranian military--unlike that evil religious fanatic Bill Clinton George W. Cimpy McHalliburton.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/24/2007 15:53 Comments ||
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#10
Yeah, just like Germany, France, Poland, the Netherlands and other countries were almost Judenrein right after WWII. And for pretty much the same reason.
#13
He is correct, they do not have homosexuals like here in America. In his country men do not live gay lives, they own women like they own furniture, and they have sex with young boys. In their country this is not concidered being homosexual but is concidered living the life allah would want them to.
Screw Columbia for inviting this tyrant into our house.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
09/24/2007 19:49 Comments ||
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#14
I'm pretty sure he doesn't define homosexuality the same way we do.
In Iran, if people have homosexual sex but hide it they may not be considered homosexual. Perhaps only people who a flamboyantly gay are considered homosexual (and of course no one does this because if they did they'd be dead).
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski likened U.S. officials' saber rattling about Iran's alleged nuclear ambitions to similar statements made before the start of the Iraq war.
Who?
"I think the administration, the president and the vice president particularly, are trying to hype the atmosphere, and that is reminiscent of what preceded the war in Iraq," Brzezinski told CNN's "Late Edition" on Sunday.
Earlier this month during a televised speech asserting that U.S. troops should not be immediately withdrawn from Iraq, President Bush said, "Iran would benefit from the chaos and would be encouraged in its efforts to gain nuclear weapons and dominate the region." However, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in an interview that aired Sunday on CBS' "60 Minutes" that "insecurity in Iraq is detrimental to our interests." They also concealed their nuclear program.
And the Left believes Short Round, of course.
Brzezinski also disapproved of Bush's statement. "When the president flatly asserts they are seeking nuclear weapons, he's overstating the facts," he said. "We are suspicious. We have strong suspicions, but we don't have facts that they are." How about a 15kT bomb going off at ground zero again? Would that be OK? Followed by ten more at other population centers and veiled threats of more to follow?
The whole point of 9/11 was that we couldn't wait to see what suspicious nations were doing with suspicious programs and suspicious characters. Zbig obviously didn't get it and this point, doesn't want to, since (I'm suspicious here) he wants a job in the Hildebeast administration, given that his pal Obama isn't going to get the big job in the Oval Office.
Brzezinski, who served under President Jimmy Carter, said he is not sure how to interpret Iran's intentions. Iran has insisted its nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful purposes. Maybe it wasn't entirely Carter's fault after all . . . .
Oh, great, a National Security Advisor who can't figure out what Iran is up to. That inspires real confidence, doesn't it.
"I think it's quite possible that they are seeking weapons or positioning themselves to have them, but we have very scant evidence to support that," he said. "And the president of the United States, especially after Iraq, should be very careful about the veracity of his public assertions." Is Brzezinski still part of our inner intelligence circles? I'm guessing he's not.
But Henry Kissinger, the former national security adviser and secretary of state under President Nixon, appeared not to doubt Iran's alleged ambitions. "I believe they are building a capability to build a nuclear bomb," Kissinger told CNN. "I don't think they're yet in a position to build a nuclear bomb, but they may be two or three years away from it." I'd rather they be two or three centuries away from it.
Brzezinski, who is advising the Democratic presidential campaign of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, urged American officials to be patient, whatever Tehran's intentions may be. Hide and watch. Then hide again when they pull out a nuke. "Oops, sorry! I hate it when I'm wrong!"
Don't worry, the MSM will stuff his comments today down the memory hole if the Mad Mullahs explode a nuke. Count on it in fact.
"If we escalate the tensions, if we succumb to hysteria, if we start making threats, we are likely to stampede ourselves into a war, which most reasonable people agree would be a disaster for us," he said. Please expand on who you consider to be reasonable people?
Him. Barack. Hilde. The Breck Boy. Kos. Howard Dean. Maddy Half-bright. Harry Reid (D-Saster). How many more 'reasonable' people do you need?
"And just think what it would do for the United States, because it would be the United States which would be at war. We will be at war simultaneously in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. And we would be stuck for the next 20 years." Better than the alternative!
A 10kT nuke does tend to ruin one's day.
Kissinger said the international community should enlist support from countries opposed to Iran becoming a nuclear power. They're chicken$hits. Like you.
"The current objective has to be to unite the countries that will suffer directly from Iranian nuclear weapons, the members of the Security Council and other countries in a program of diplomacy," he said. That would be nice. It might actually work to some extent. But careful not to let that point of no return slip past you unnoticed. Which would be Iran's sole purpose during this do-nothing process.
Getting those affected countries to unite isn't going to work unless they see that the U.S. is willing to stand by them today and tomorrow. They've got reasons to worry precisely because of people like Zbig, Obama and Hildebeast. Anyone see the Dhimmicrats working with the Gulf Council states? Anyone see the Dhimmicrats persuading the Russkies and the Chinese to forsake their own interests in Iran so as to contain the nuclear power the Mad Mullahs would have? Nah, me neither.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reiterated last week that Bush was committed to diplomacy when dealing with Iran, but has not taken any options off the table. "We believe the diplomatic track can work," she said. "But has to work both with a set of incentives and a set of teeth." We tried that already, didn't we?
Condi is uttering one of those basic statements of diplomacy -- words work better when you've got a club in your hands and the will to use it if pushed. Condi understands that, and Zbig apparently doesn't, which explains a great deal about why the Carter administration was such a disaster.
During the "60 Minutes" interview, Ahmadinejad denied claims by the administration that Iranian weapons are being used against American troops in Iraq. "We don't need to do that. We are very much opposed to war and insecurity [in] Iraq." Cheap words from a sawed-off pathologically lying egomaniac.
Ahmadinejad said U.S. officials are blaming his country for problems caused by the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Heard that, did he?
"American officials, wherever around the world that they encounter a problem which they fail to resolve, instead of accepting that, they prefer to accuse others," he said. "I'm very sorry that, because of the wrong decisions taken by American officials, Iraqi people are being killed and also American soldiers." Both because of Iranian meddling.
Ahmadinejad also said Iran has no use for an atomic bomb. No, not Iran personally. AQ however would.
Not sure Short Round would hand AQ a nuke. But they just might hand one to Hezbollah.
"If it was useful, it would have prevented the downfall of the Soviet Union," he said. "If it was useful, it would [have] resolved the problem the Americans have in Iraq. The time of the bomb is passed." ** Boggle **
The International Atomic Energy Agency said last week it has verified that Iran's declared nuclear material has not been diverted from peaceful uses, though inspectors have been unable to reach conclusions about some "important aspects" of Iran's nuclear work. How 'bout the undeclared stuff?
Which 'important aspects'?
Kissinger and Brzezinski also disagreed over whether Columbia University in New York should have offered to present a lecture by Ahmadinejad, scheduled for Monday. K: "I don't like him, so give him the rope!"
B: "He should be able to speak because I'm not sure of his intentions!"
K: "You're an idiot!"
B: "I'm not sure what you meant!"
Ahmadinejad has questioned whether the Holocaust happened and has made statements suggesting that Israel be politically "wiped off the map," though he insists that can be accomplished without violence.
He also leads a country that murders gays, apostates and dissidents. For starters. Let's not forget that.
Kissinger said Sunday on CNN that Columbia's invitation to the Iranian president to speak was not "appropriate." Kissinger clarified, "I do not oppose his speaking. I oppose its sponsorship by Columbia University."
Brzezinski said Ahmadinejad should be able to speak. "It seems to me a university's a place where ideas, issues -- very controversial issues -- should be discussed, can be discussed," Brzezinski said. "Look, if his views are odious, we can say so, but we have a society of openness," he said. "If we start censoring in advance what it is we like to hear and what we don't hear, we're on a slippery slope." Just hand MSNBC a DVD of your pre-recorded speech and after much introspection, hair pulling, and many sleepless seconds they'll take care of the rest.
Let's see if Columbia will invite Larry Summers, Condi Rice, or Victor Davis Hansen to speak, and protect their right to do so.
Prior to departing Tehran, Ahmadinejad called his planned address to the General Assembly "a good opportunity for presenting his own the Iranian people's clear views regarding the problems of the world and materialization of peace and tranquility," IRNA, Iran's state-run news agency, reported Sunday.
Some students and Jewish leaders planned to protest at the Ivy League school, which last year withdrew a speaking invitation it had extended to the Iranian president after citing security concerns. Iranian EFPs popping up all along his planned route, are they?
#1
Interview with Zbigniew Brzezinski,
President Jimmy Carter's National Security Adviser
Le Nouvel Observateur, Paris, 15-21 January 1998
Question: And neither do you regret having supported the Islamic fundamentalism, having given arms and advice to future terrorists?
Brzezinski: What is most important to the history of the world? The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet empire? Some stirred-up Moslems or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the cold war?
Posted by: john frum ||
09/24/2007 8:31 Comments ||
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#2
JF: Brzezinski: What is most important to the history of the world? The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet empire? Some stirred-up Moslems or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the cold war?
There's actually nothing wrong with his logic. The problem is that he thinks it's OK to counter the Soviet Union via proxies, but not OK to fight Islamic crazies (who are about to develop an A-bomb, and possibly hand it off to terrorists) directly.
#4
he did very little countering of the Soviets, and he advocates less with the Iranians. Why listen to what this loser and his former boss have to say about anything. They should be derided as the failures they were.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/24/2007 8:51 Comments ||
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#5
He was a drooling, dipshit, liberal coward when he was an adviser, and he still is a drooling, dipshit, liberal coward now.
#6
Brzezinski, who served under President Jimmy Carter, said he is not sure how to interpret Iran's intentions.
Because taking American diplomats hostage was sufficiently ambiguous not to be interpreted as the act of war it unambiguously is under international law. He should have been tried and shot as a traitor decades ago.
#7
Brzezinski, as a Pole, was obsessed with the Soviets. Islam was not even a blip on his radar screen. He did absolutely squat in the 1979 hostage crisis. Like Darth said, he was a cunt then and he's a cunt now.
#9
They pay a lot of attention to his former boss too
Posted by: john frum ||
09/24/2007 9:31 Comments ||
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#10
We will be at war simultaneously in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Where did Mr. Brzezinski get Pakistan from? Is he that certain Senator Obama will win the next election? As opposed to President Bush, who predicts the honourable Senator Clinton will lead the Democrats to lose the White House in 2008. (Thanks for the heads up on that, JosephM!)
#12
No, Mr. Brzezinski, the danger is not that we will stampede into war with Iran. The danger is that they will develop and deploy a nuclear weapon while numbnuts like you are still yammering about diplomacy. The very real danger is that having developed a nuke they are crazy enough to use it. Have you ever heard of radioactive fallout, Mr. Brzezniski? Have you weighed the risks of using conventional weapons to disable the Iranian nuke program against the risk of letting them proceed? I wish somebody would ask him that. When Brzezinski was in office it was his job to understand the peril that Islam presents to the civilized world and he failed. Sure, everybody else at the time was more concerned about the Soviets but his job was to understand all threats to national security so that his soft-headed boss could take appropriate action. They both failed miserably and that is why we need to bomb Iran now. Brzezinzki, Achmadinutjob and Jimmuh Carter all have one thing in common which is that everything they ever say is all bull$h!t. I can't stand it when they talk like that. STFU, Brzezinski.
#13
We will be at war simultaneously in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. And we would be stuck for the next 20 years."
If the US goes to war with Pakistan, it will not be alone... there will be 1.5 million Indian troops on the ground.
And there will be no "Pakistan" after such a war.. nowhere to get stuck...
Posted by: john frum ||
09/24/2007 10:57 Comments ||
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#14
Zbigniew Brzezinski, in danger of no longer being noticed by the cool kids in the media and policy elite, goes on TV and says a bunch of things calculated to appeal to the cool kids in the media and policy elite.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/24/2007 11:41 Comments ||
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#15
As for Whack Job speaking at Columbia, or even the General Assembly for that matter, it would be one thing if he represented a country where free speech and freedom of the press were permitted. It would be nice if average Iranians were allowed to have satellite dishes so they could watch TV that is not necessarily approved by the Mad Mullahs. It would be nice if they could have unlimited, unfettered access to the Internet. But they don't and until they do Whack Job can STFU. And if the likes of Brzezinksi can't understand that they have no business pretending to serve the American people. Whack Job should be treated like the terrorist he is. Bust his ass the minute he steps off the airplane, send him to Gitmo and keep him there until hell freezes over.
#16
It says so much that Carter had Brzezinski as his NSA. It all started on their watch and they will get to carry the weight of that in history books yet to be written. They are doing everything in their power to put as positive a spin on that as possible. Time is running out and history will have the last say. Unless of course all the textbooks are written by Columbia professors and then.....well that's a rant for another day.
Posted by: Total War ||
09/24/2007 12:06 Comments ||
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#17
What is most important to the history of the world? The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet empire?
I thought the later was Reagan's achievement?
p.s. Zbigniew, read recent news coming out of Russia?
#18
Yo, Zbigniew, stuff a sock in it you worthless hasbeen.
Whack Job should be treated like the terrorist he is. Bust his ass the minute he steps off the airplane, send him to Gitmo and keep him there until hell freezes over.
#19
Darth, he probably drools a bit more now that he is older.
Posted by: Ol Dirty American ||
09/24/2007 15:31 Comments ||
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#20
I am not with the President on all issues, but I support him 100% on attacking Iran. Without benefit of the CIA/DIA evidence that Mr Bush has on his desk, I believe that intense attacks on leadership and command centers - and nuke sites - would turn the people against the government.
What does the President know that we don't? Although Ahmadinejad remains popular among Persians (not Azeris, Balochis, etc) the Ayatollahs are resented for their use of public power to take personal wealth. The 10 top mullahs are so wealthy that they resist putting family money into working projects. Result: unsafe factories, intense worker resentment (millions of Iranians participate in May Day Rallies; these always result in at least some protest). The Ayatollahs use a local Gestapo (Basij) to break strikes. Then there are the secularist elites, who don't enjoy life under the Ayatollahs. Then there is the professional military, that has no use for jihad gambles. Elements of these groups would be in a position to pass state secrets. I wouldn't doubt that tens of thousands of pages of useful documents have come into the hands of US intelligence agencies, from walk-ins, in not mail-ins. Then there is technical information from spy satellites, etc, and that from friendly governments if not "assets" within the Iranian government.
Caveats: prospects of occupation would unite opposition, so it should be renounce on the first day of attacks. Proffers for negotiated peace agreements - as done in Afghanistan - would only allow a Taliban like group to shadow a new regime. In the current context, democraticization would again legitimate neo-Ayatollahism; Iranians can be prepped for secularism. Capping escalation scenarios in face of potential missile attacks against both US concentrations and would be catastrophic (trust me: a missile threat to a single US aircraft carrier, will result in nuclear retaliation directed at the source of danger). Operating under anything but a Reagan fait accompli plan would serve the enemy (Bush must NOT plea the cause either the UN or by Nixonite solemn declarations to the American people).
The current Iranian government has to go, and by any necessary means.
We learned that nation-building worked with Germany and Japan, after occupation; our leaders need to learn that it CANNOT work with Muslims. They have declared us their mortal enemies. We need to admit that and make an adjustment.
#26
our leaders need to learn that it CANNOT work with Muslims
Mark me down as one who needs to learn this also.
Though Alan MacFarlane now explicates why Japan was a good candidate for democracy in The Making of the Modern World, it was not at all clear in 1945 that it would be.
We've invested a lot in Iraq to find out if a Muslim country can move or be moved into the modern world. I'm willing to wait a few decades to find out. The alternative is likely to be a lot more expensive on every dimension.
#27
The big option is: take the oil fields, and keep
the locals away. Muslims don't recognize the
very sovereignty system that permitted Western recognition of their de facto frontiers. Africa was carved up into colonial administrative centers only 122 years ago, at the Berlin Conference. It was only 30 years ago, that self-government began in most of the carved-ups.
We need to re-colonize much of the Middle East, while recognizing Russian interests. Their place in Iran somewhat mirrors our relationship with Saudi Arabia, thus we could work with them on occupation, perhaps at another Berlin Conference. If we take a leap of faith that Russia will eventually evolve into a Western democracy, we could at long last give them a warm water port. I would place a harsh 200 mile exclusion zone (re local savages) around the oil fields, and bring in inoffensive Christian Philipino and Indian Hindu workers to replace locals.
At long last our leaders have to admit it: a Muslim with a smile on his face, has a knife in his back pocket. Their 2-cent "prophet" ordered enemy status with Jews and Christians, and their system compels submission to that dictate. The President's Muslim "allies" HAVE to hate him, and they do. Strategic deception ("taqiyah") compels
them (CAIR, et al) to pretend otherwise.
#28
"What is most important to the world" > TOPIX NEWS/OTHER > EXISTENTIAL BATTLES FOR THE MIDDLE EAST. Whether Muslim or Jew, Partisan or Neutral, the Nations of the ME [and other world regions] are fighting LOCAL WARS FOR NATIONAL-ETHNIC SURVIVAL, i.e. wars AGAINST OBSOLESCENCE AND SELF-IMPLOSION/SUICIDE. IN the INVERSE > WAR(S) FOR RELEVANCE = RELATIVITY/COMPARATIVITY > WARS FOR CONTIN DIVERSITY.
#29
I'm willing to wait a few decades to find out.
I'm not. Due to proliferation of nuclear weapons technology and the Internet's facilitation of global terrorism, we have no such luxury as "decades" to wait. Muslim majority nations must swiftly be brought to heel and made to understand that their continued existence is suffered by us only through Islam's absolute abandonment of jihad against the West. Anything less must earn them harsh iron-fisted military subjugation or flat-out annihilation. No other options have even a remote hope of delivering us from Islam's evil and withering embrace.
Posted by: Natural Law ||
09/24/2007 20:44 Comments ||
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#31
Lest we fergit, WND.com + WORLDTRIBUNE + RUSSIANS have claimed that IRAN MAY ALREADY HAVE THE BOMB(S), as does Osama and AL-QAEDA vv SUITCASE NUKES, via post-USSR Russian Black Market and its networks. Syria has had decades already wid its nucprog to covertly collect nucmats. IN ANY CASE, IFF SYRIA > argues that Israeli strike has ruined any hope of Israeli-Syrian peace, DOES THIS MEAN NEW COLD WAR = WAR OF ATTRITION, ostensibly via LEBANON-NORTHERN ISRAEL; or THAT A STATE OF WAR NOW EXISTS, SAVE FOR NO ONE SIDE ATTACKING THE OTHER??? *TOPIX/WORLDNEWS > AL-QAEDA NETWORK EXTENDS INTO SYRIA.
#32
A STATE OF WAR NOW still EXISTS, SAVE FOR NO ONE SIDE ATTACKING THE OTHER??? with Syria training and arming its proxy Hizb'allah in Lebanon, who still hold at least two Israeli soldiers hostage, and Israeli jets making sonic booms and occasionally dropping things over Syria.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Former Syrian information minister, Ma'ahdi Dahallah, rejected a Sunday Times report released on Sunday that Israeli commandos had seized evidence of nuclear material in Syria prior to an alleged raid carried out by the IAF.
This type of report, Dahallah told Radio Sawa, was a form of psychological warfare and called on Israel to present the so-called evidence if the country had indeed gathered it, Israel Radio reported.
Like Israel is going to give any hostiles proof-positive of any such activities. Just what Israel needs right now. Instead, it will remain a question mark in everyone's mind right now, so even their enemies aren't going to get out of their overstuffed chairs to do anything about it.
Besides, I'm sure any evidence has already been presented to the parties who are interested in doing something about it.
Iran has offered French Former Minister Bernard Kouchner an open invitation to the country so that he may explain his latest comments regarding its nuclear activity, Israel Radio reported. Kouchner said last week that France must prepare for a possible war because of Teheran's uranium enrichment which the West alleges is a preface to the development of nuclear weapons. An Iranian Foreign Ministry official said that such a visit would clarify Iran's relationship with other countries in the region.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Time to give Nutjob a tase of his own "What I meant by 'wipe Israel off the map'" kind of clarification.
#2
GULFNEWS > FRANCE FLEXES ITS MUSCLE. Its Paris' thats raising the stakes in the ME, NOT the USA, Israel, or Iran. ALso from GULFNEWS > A MOMENT OF TRUTH > Battle of Iraq is no longer about democracy. but IMPERIAL AMBITION AND GLOBAL DOMINATION.
#4
Mr. Kouchner, should he accept the invitation, upon arriving and departing the airport terminals, he should fervently pause in step, ask to be blindfolded and taken to ¼ of Iran's nuclear development complexes! As the security lead motorcade makes it's brief stops along the way, simply count how many tours are offered. Thank the Iranians for their 'open invitation' and depart the country. The Iranian Foreign Ministry's clarification will then be perfectly 'clear'.
Lebanon's top Shiite Muslim cleric expressed fears Sunday that a US-sponsored peace conference in the late autumn would serve instead as a cover for renewed aggression by the United States and Israel.
Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah also charged that the United States had given Israel the green light to destroy Hamas-controlled Gaza by supporting its decision last week to designate the strip a "hostile territory." "We fear that the American peace conference that Bush has called for in the fall would be a cover for a new American-Israeli aggression in the region and would constitute the basis for another military adventure," Fadlallah said in an announcement.
Fadlallah, the top religious authority for Lebanon's 1.2 million Shiites, warned Arab countries against "directly or indirectly joining this game."
This article starring:
Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
TOPIX NEWS > Blogger site asks whether USA will = should attack Iran while Moud is in New York???
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in New York on Sunday as critics protested his planned speech at Columbia University and the hardline leader denied that his country building a nuclear weapon. "In political relations right now, the nuclear bomb is of no use," Ahmadinejad said in a "60 Minutes" interview airing Sunday. "If it was useful it would have prevented the downfall of the Soviet Union. If it was useful it would resolved the problem the Americans have in Iraq. The time of the bomb is passed."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
"In political relations right now, the nuclear bomb is of no use,"
That'll all change the moment he gets his dirty little hands on one, though.
#3
RUSSIA'S VACUUM BOMB WARNING artiiiiikle > in this WAR FOR OWG known as the GWOT, 20th Century-style and prior Ways of Wara as between nations and alliance is now obsolete. 'Tis only MINOR? REBELLIONS and ARMED FACTIONALISM AGZ GLOBAL/
PUBLIC AUTHORITY. IOW, D *** NG IT, LONG LIVE THE EMPIRE > l'questionne' is, WHOSE/WHOM'S GLOBAL EMPIRE IS IT???
#5
Very correct Zenster, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's sole mission bestowed upon his head by the ruling Mullah Council is to stall the world, make time sloowwww, while the Iranian 'chiselers' continue to carve at that wooden circle to match the square peg. Until Man can unlock the forces from the next level of dynamic energy, that of matter/antimatter annihilation and micro singularity creation, fission and fusion at the atomic level represents the zenith in man's desire to be 'like God'! It would be the pinnacle of supreme honor for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and his minions to present the 12th Imam with the sacrifice befitting his return and resumption of rule. The world will deny the nation this vision, just as Cyrus The Great was denied his in 530 B.C.E.
#7
REUTERS > Iran is closely observing US troop movements in Iraq - iff a conflict breaks out, US units may come under direct Iranian missle attack as are within range.
#8
PS: WTF is "60 Minutes" doing airing the views of our nation's declared enemy?
The MSM has been on a campaign for months to "humanize" the Iranian thugocracy. I recall seeing some treacly thumb-sucker on the History Channel (or maybe Dateline) on Iran a few weeks back; I hit the remote as soon as I picked up the thinly-veiled central message: "They're nice people, just like us-- and unlike our own government!"
WTF is "60 Minutes" doing? Just being good little progressives, is all...
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/24/2007 6:54 Comments ||
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#9
PS: WTF is "60 Minutes" doing airing the views of our nation's declared enemy?
Good point no lions in the MidEast any more. Greenpeace should be lobbying for the re-introduction of these animal species like they are arguing for the introduction of African ones in the US West and EU East.
Maybe mountain lions, wolves and grizzlys from the US West would make good replacements and warm the Left's coal hearts.
#13
Again, I don't speak with all the knowledge that most here have, but IMHO;
Columbia University cleared out the Minute Men from speaking awhile back, how is it they welcome Ahmadinejad. Boggles.
I heard that he's still planning to go see ground zero, and if there are any crowds protesting he will be able to use that in his twisted message to the Iranians back home.
We need to get the UN out of our country. To allow him into the UN is one thing, to allow him free reign to go to other parts of our country is just wrong.
It almost seems like we should be able to hold him accountable in a court of law for his previous crimes if he steps out of the UN grounds. Huh? "In political relations right now, the nuclear bomb is of no use,"
That'll all change the moment he gets his dirty little hands on one, though. as usual right on Zenster.
Posted by: Jan from work ||
09/24/2007 12:47 Comments ||
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#14
Columbia just lost a few hell of a lotta pegs in my book. Go anywhere but Columbia for your education.
Posted by: Jan from work ||
09/24/2007 12:49 Comments ||
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#15
You're very intuitive trailing wife (#10), I find solace at times revisiting the Hebrew Scriptures, especially after brainstorming the Unified Field Theory with colleagues. Ahmadinejad and his meaning often refracts the spectrum of my thoughts.
#16
No, it's just that Cyrus the Great is dealt with at length in only two books of the Old Testament, smn. The charming story of Daniel is one, the historic document of Cyrus' ending of the Babylonian Exile in Ezra/Esdras is the other. The imagery in Daniel is much more poetic. :-)
#17
When asked about acknowledging the right of Israel to exist he said: "The right of all to vote in the Palestine elections, Jews, Arabs, Christians and Muslims should be respected by all."
I guess that mean's Israel can't exist but Jews should have some sort of vote in "Greater Palestine".
With Lebanon caught in virtual political stalemate, Amin Gemayel, a leader in the governing coalition, said Saturday that a much-anticipated election for president set for Tuesday was unlikely to take place until next month, diminishing hopes that the deadlock could end soon. Parliament will still convene on that date, but the session to elect a successor for President Emile Lahoud, who must step down on Nov. 24, will probably center on discussions between the ruling majority and the Hezbollah-led opposition.
The majority wants to elect one of its own, but the opposition is pressing for a compromise candidate. The opposition vowed to block a candidate it did not want by boycotting the session. Only a few opposition legislators are expected at the session so that the number of participants is fewer than two-thirds of the 128 seats in Parliament, the quorum needed to elect a president.
Mr. Gemayel spoke to reporters following a meeting with the speaker of Parliament and a leader of the opposition, Nabih Berri. It was the first time the two had met in at least six months. Mr. Gemayel said the session would be the first in a series of meetings and at the end we will agree on a president who is capable of uniting all the people.
Lebanon has been caught in a 10-month power struggle between the pro-Western government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and the Hezbollah-led opposition, supported by Iran and Syria. The election for president could play an important role in settling that confrontation. If Parliament fails to elect a successor for Mr. Lahoud 10 days before his terms ends, the majority contends it can elect a president with 65 votes of the 128 total.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2007 00:00 ||
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TEHRAN (AP) President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday that the American people are eager for different opinions about the world, and he is looking forward to providing them with "correct and clear information," state media reported.
The hardline Iranian leader left Sunday for New York to address the U.N. General Assembly and speak to students and teachers during a forum at Columbia University.
Ahmadinejad said his visit will give Americans a chance to hear a different voice, the official IRNA news agency reported.
"The United States is a big and important country with a population of 300 million. Due to certain issues, the American people in the past years have been denied correct and clear information about global developments and are eager to hear different opinions," Ahmadinejad was quoted by IRNA as saying.
State-run television also quoted Ahmadinejad before boarding his presidential plane Sunday as saying that the General Assembly was an "important podium" to express Iran's views on regional and global issues.
Columbia canceled a planned visit by the Iranian president last year, citing security and logistical reasons. Ahmadinejad has called the Holocaust "a myth" and called for Israel to be "wiped off the map."
Hosseini said there "are efforts to cancel" the Columbia speech, but the Iranian government is continuing to pursue the program. He did not elaborate other than saying a lot of pressure was being placed on the program's sponsors. That must be the special "Persian pressure" so beloved by US institutions of higher education. But don't worry Mr. Midget, the administration of Columbia U. will make sure the hall is filled with people ready, willing, and able to give you a standing "O" as you stride towards the podium.
Posted by: mrp ||
09/24/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Sounds like MOUD read DRUDGE's report on Dubya saying Hillary will win the Dem nomination for 2008. OTOH, OSAMA > reportedly worried about the future of Al-Qaeda. Iff the USA doesn't attack Iran and becomes involved in LT "quagmire", instead of being a Islamist Messiah = Hero his legacy will be the destruction of Radical Islamism coupled wid the greater [global]empowerment of America, all of which is contrary to his and Islamism's criticisms of America + desire to get the US-West out of the Muslim ME.
AS WITH MOUD, OSAMA MAY NO LONGER BE ABLE TO RELY ON ANTI-US US FORCES INSIDE AMER PER SE [read - 2008 POTUS ELex].
As a saying goes its when things look bad or are at their worst that divine/heavenly miracles occur, correct???
#2
Dubya has reportedly said HILLARY will be the Dems nominee for 2008, whilst DICK MORRIS [NEWSMAX] has claimed that the US Dems are poised to control the Congress after 2008, besides also likely winning the WH. IOW, WOT [post-Dubya] > MAY NOW BECOME THE WAR FOR GLOBAL-EMPIRIC BUREUACRACY/ADMINISTRATION + GLOBAL WELFARISM. Whether the USA successfully protects its sovereignty + identity + Federalist-Republican structure, etal. IN THE NAME OF ITSELF IS UNCLEAR.
Remember, DIALECTICISM/WAFFLEISM/ CORRECTNESS > WOT > ANTI-US LEFTS + ALIGNED > USA CAN WAR FOR GLOBAL EMPIRE AS LONG AS IT LOSES = GIVES UP ITS EMPIRE IN THE END, VOLUNTARILY = FORCIBLY, UNILATERALLY = MILITARILY BY THE WORLD COMMUNITY.
#4
A report at Michelle Malkin's site says that a Columbia grad was recently released from a Persian prison, which may lead one to consider that part of the "pressure" tactics was a quid pro quo.
Posted by: Canukistan ||
09/24/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
No spilled milk here. Canada is sitting in the 'Cat Bird's' seat, with no dog in this fight. Canada should be applauded for keeping illegal aliens out, Canadians in, and the ability to 'flip the bird' at the Iranians and snuggle ever so softly behind the big muscles of Uncle Sam's torso.
While there is an enormous gulf between Canada's and Iran's human rights records, many of the economic and social rights Iran highlights in the booklet are viewed by a significant number of developing countries as more important than civil rights.
I see the "journalist" remembered some of their undergraduate indoctrination. I smell a Carleton student.
#5
#4 The fact that Canada puts up with the Quebeckers without resorting to genocide puts them way up on most countries
Posted by: Cromosing Bluetooth9846 2007-09-24 12:58
#6
Lest we fergit, after 9-11 Canada was one of those places where Muslims having two-plus cars, multi-story houses, food, education and good-paying jobs = D *** NG IT, CANADA CLEARLY MUST BE ISLAMIZED IFF NOT DESTROYED. Success and Prosperity in Canada-USA meant these nations must be suborned and destroyed.
From Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
A new report ... by RFE/RL highlights the scope of the Iraqi Sunni-based insurgency's media network. The report suggests that the insurgent strategy's apparent strengths -- decentralization and flexibility -- are also its greatest weaknesses. The book-length report, Iraqi Insurgent Media: The War Of Images And Ideas by RFE/RL regional analysts Daniel Kimmage and Kathleen Ridolfo, provides an in-depth analysis of the media efforts of Sunni insurgents, who are responsible for the majority of U.S. combat deaths in Iraq.
The popularity of online Iraqi Sunni insurgent media, the authors contend, reflects a genuine demand for their message in the Arab world. Kimmage and Ridolfo argue that the loss of coordination and message control that results from decentralization has revealed fundamental disagreements about Iraq's present and future between nationalist and global jihadist groups in Iraq and that these disagreements are ripe for exploitation by those interested in a liberal and democratic Iraq.
The report also finds that anti-Shi'ite hate speech is an increasingly prominent part of the insurgent message. With sectarian killings on the rise in Iraq, the tenor of invective points to the possibility of even greater bloodshed. ....
The popularity of online Iraqi Sunni insurgent media, the authors contend, reflects a genuine demand for their message in the Arab world. A response, no matter how lavishly funded and cleverly produced, will not eliminate this demand. The authors argue that efforts to counter insurgent media should not focus on producing better propaganda than the insurgents, or trying to eliminate the demand for the insurgent message, but rather on exploiting the vulnerabilities of the insurgent media network. The entire report can be read or downloaded as a pdf at the link.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester ||
09/24/2007 08:17 ||
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#1
The report also finds that anti-Shi'ite hate speech is an increasingly prominent part of the insurgent message. With sectarian killings on the rise in Iraq, the tenor of invective points to the possibility of even greater bloodshed. ....
This, coupled with their takfiri (holier-than-thou enforced with guns) antics, is going to lose Al Qaeda and all the takfiri jihad groups their fan base at an accelerating rate. It's good to know others are noticing and spreading the good word. I hope those responsible for such things on our side have noticed, too.
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.
The U.S. government is collecting electronic records on the travel habits of millions of Americans who fly, drive or take cruises abroad, retaining data on the persons with whom they travel or plan to stay, the personal items they carry during their journeys, and even the books that travelers have carried, according to documents obtained by a group of civil liberties advocates and statements by government officials.
Law enforcement agencies have forwarded intelligence reports to the senior government officials regarding suicide attacks expected to be carried out by women bombers across the country, highly reliable Interior Ministry sources told Daily Times on Sunday. 
Iran has confirmed for the first time that it has been firing artillery shells on Kurdish militant camps inside northern Iraq, saying local authorities had not listened to its warnings. The militant Kurdish separatist group 
11 prominent authors and intellectuals announced Sunday that they would publicly call upon the government to reach an agreement with the Palestinians and to negotiate with Hamas. 
During the "60 Minutes" interview, Ahmadinejad denied claims by the administration that Iranian weapons are being used against American troops in Iraq. "We don't need to do that. We are very much opposed to war and insecurity [in] Iraq." 
Lebanon's top Shiite Muslim cleric expressed fears Sunday that a US-sponsored peace conference in the late autumn would serve instead as a cover for renewed aggression by the United States and Israel. 
