The king of Spain's recent undiplomatic outburst at the Venezuelan president has become a ringtone hit across Spain.
An estimated 500,000 people have downloaded the insult featuring the words "Why don't you shut up?", generating a reported 1.5m euros ($2m). Hey, Chavez, can ya hear me NOW? Nuttin' like a lil' capitalism for Verizon et al to make money of Hugo baby!
King Juan Carlos asked Hugo Chavez to "shut up" at a summit in Chile last week after the president said Spain's ex-PM Jose Maria Aznar was a "fascist". Of course, he's a fascist because he supported Bush. More at linky.
Posted by: BA ||
11/20/2007 07:47 ||
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#1
Giving the growing disfection in Spain for the monarchy he could be soon out of a job. But he has become so popular in Venezuela that he would quickly find an new one. :-)
Also while the tone was angry and Juna Carlos left the room raised and left the room immediately after he used no insults: Por que no te callas? translates as Why don't you stay quiet not as "Why don't you shut up" (Por que no cierras la boca) even if Juan Carlos used the 2d person of singular (unformal talk) instead of the third (polite form). For those familiar with French tu instead of vous, with German du instead of Sie, in old English thou instead of thee).
#4
AFAIK shut up is not polite in English. How do you tell it politely?
In Spanish from Spain callate is polite except that he is using the direct callATE (the form for speaking to family, people you know well, inferiors and the idiot driving the other car) instead of the formal callESE. However in Spain formal speaking is falling in disuse: TV anchors during interveiwes or vendors in shiops speaking with clients most of the time use direct instead of formal speech. Policians in Parliament normally speak the formal way. I don't know the use in South America.
#5
The Germans use the informal du with very close friends (equals) and children. They use the formal Sie with everyone else. To use the du form inappropriately is an insult. Even the younger generation of Germans, much more informal than their elders, will generally ask before "du-tsing". For someone as accustomed to the formalities of Court as King Juan Carlos I, to use the informal on a head of state is open insult, I should think. The entire quote, per JFM's translation, reads to me as exactly the kind of thing one would say to a small child, one so young that "Shut up!" would be frightening rather than effective. Also, while I haven't heard the incident to judge, the quote strikes me as a command rather than a question.
#6
"Please be quiet," is how we would say it politely in America, JFM. But the very statement implies the recipient is either unaware of proper behaviour, or hasn't been paying attention to the situation. Both are mild insults. "Shut up!" is indeed rude.
The old-fashioned informal thou (nominative), thee (accusative and dative), thine (genative) used through the 18th century, and taught as proper grammar through the 19th, conform to the formal You (n/a/d)), Your (g). Whereas the European languages have become more informal in their language, with regard to pronouns English went formal, treating everyone as linguistically equal to the king. ;-)
#7
"'Please be quiet,' is how we would say it politely in America"
True, tw, though in the instant case "Stuff a sock in it" would have certainly been tempting. ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
11/20/2007 18:25 Comments ||
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#8
You go sit in deh green chair for 10 minutes and think quiet thoughts.
Posted by: Thomas Woof ||
11/20/2007 18:41 Comments ||
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#9
that's the difference between me and royalty. I guess "STFU pendejo" is inappropriate in those circles.... I need to learn ALL the rules if I'm ever gonna circulate among the elites. Damn. Another thing to remember...
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/20/2007 19:59 Comments ||
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#10
Frank, I literally just fell out of my chair. I personally don't use curse words, but I definitely HEAR YA!
What's so hilarious about this is that the elites are so used to NOT hearing just everyday talk, that this is NEWS! Go to youtube, and you'll catch 50 different videos of the actual confrontaion and Univision's take on it (from TV).
Posted by: BA ||
11/20/2007 23:13 Comments ||
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A hip-shaking performance by the pop star Shakira has provoked a showdown between the Afghan government and the countrys independent media.
The culture ministry has been joined by senior Muslim clerics in warning the countrys largest private television station of serious consequences following the broadcast of a concert by the Colombian singer, famous among her young fans for her onstage gyrations. The performance by Shakira, whose hits include Hips Dont Lie, left Tolo TV facing possible legal action by the authorities, who are poised to take dramatic steps against the more liberal-minded newspapers and broadcast media.
The incident is the latest sign of a growing fight back by the countrys powerful conservative establishment against the tide of Western-backed liberal reforms since the fall of the Taliban government in 2001.
Draconian new media legislation is soon to be signed into law by President Hamid Karzai after it was recently approved by the Kabul parliament. The measures will give the government greater powers to limit broadcasts that are deemed damaging to Afghanistan and its culture, primarily by forcing television stations to carry more religious programmes or face going off air.
The Shakira broadcast caused consternation even though she appeared with computer pixellation covering her chest.
"Mom! Something's wrong with the TV!"
State television broadcast interviews with clerics and MPs criticising the concert while one pro-government newspaper attacked the "notorious" broadcast of a "naked US pop singer and dancer" claiming it provided inspiration to suicide bombers. "We believe Shakiras song will be shown with Tolo TVs exclusive logo at the training camps for suicide attackers to urge our immature young people to leave a number of our mothers bereaved," said the Weesa newspaper.
But the owner of Tolo TV, Saad Mohseni, who grew up in Australia, said: "This was not that provocative and Shakira was pixellated. The government are looking for an excuse to have a go at us.
"When we give airtime to the Taliban we are 'talking to terrorists', when we air people criticising the government we are told we are 'opposing peace and reconciliation'."
Afghanistans media has enjoyed a startling renaissance since 2001. Television was banned under the Taliban, but today eight independent television stations are broadcasting as well as more than 60 FM radio stations, while hundreds of newspapers and magazines are in circulation. However, instances of press intimidation and harassment have risen sharply in the past year. Two female journalists are among several to have been murdered.
The annual survey of media freedom worldwide by the organisation Reporters Without Borders ranked Afghanistan as 142nd out of 196 countries, and commented: "The Afghan media is in its worst state in six years."
Mr Karzais government has become increasingly alarmed by both press criticism and the danger that the liberalism apparent within the media could fuel the Taliban insurgency.
Afghanistans constitution guarantees the provisions of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, which include freedom of speech and expression. But it also includes a prominent article which states that "no law can be contrary to the provisions and practices of Islam". This has proved a battleground between liberals and conservatives particularly in relation to restrictions within Islams Sharia laws, most notably those on blasphemy.
Noticed that, did you?
Tolo TV has been frequently criticised for broadcasting Western-style programmes including versions of MTV, Oprah and Pop Idol. MPs were furious when the station recently broadcast footage of them nodding off and picking their noses during parliamentary debates.
Meanwhile, opinion on the streets of Kabul is divided over the Shakira broadcast. "Her clothes were very tight," said Sharif, a 41-year-old doorman who watched the concert. "Religious people say it is the West trying to impose their values but I had no problem with it."
Posted by: john frum ||
11/20/2007 16:10 ||
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#1
'bacha bereesh' being preferred...
Posted by: john frum ||
11/20/2007 16:12 Comments ||
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In fifty years, Shakira is definitely a candidate to appear on the cover of the Rantburg Defender-Scimitar & Times-Picayune.
PUL-E KHUMRI, Afghanistan (Reuters) - They are known as "bacha bereesh," boys without beards, teenage boys who dress up as girls and dance for male patrons at parties in northern Afghanistan.
It's an age old practice that has led to some of the boy dancers being turned into sex slaves by wealthy and powerful patrons, often former warlords, who dress the boys up as girls, shower them with gifts and keep them as "mistresses." Afghan police are battling to crackdown on the practice which has angered Islamic clerics who say those involved should be stoned for sodomy, forbidden under Islamic law.
In a society where the sexes are strictly segregated, it is common for men to dance for other men at weddings in Afghanistan. But in northern Afghanistan, former warlords and mujahideen commanders have taken that a step further with competitions for their dancing boys. "Every boy tries to be the first. They are dressed in women's clothes, have bells on their feet and have artificial breasts," said Mohammad Yawar, a former mujahideen fighter against the Taliban and resident of the northern town of Pul-e Khumri.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: john frum ||
11/20/2007 00:00 ||
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#2
Ah, yes. The non-existent Muslim homosexuality we hear so much about.
I'd say that this sort of abuse pleases Allah greatly. Otherwise it would not be such an entrenched tradition. This is no recent development, just as young students at the madrassahs being buggered by their imams is nothing new either. If it was such a great offense to the clerics, they'd have rallied the people against those warlords centuries ago. The clerics don't precisely because they, too, indulge in molesting young boys as well. A perfect example of negative reinforcement.
This sort of child abuse is a direct byproduct of a sexually hyper-repressed culture that places little value on human life, especially that of women and children.
#3
Ah, Zen...here I was getting my hopes up that afghanistannewscenter.com was our media propoganda tool to shame and humiliate the "former mujahadeen"! I didn't really realize this was for real. I thought it was our way of introducing theonion.com to them, or something, LOL!
Posted by: BA ||
11/20/2007 8:01 Comments ||
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#4
Our own feudal institutions - schools and churches alike - can still foster the same dependence, abuse and distortion of sexuality into a grotesque paedophilic mockery. The difference, of course, is our civilization is no longer managed by a tiny elite of feudal overlords and this sort of abuse is recognized for what it is.
#5
It is worth point out, too, that this feudal arrangement is a big part of what the Taliban's tribal allies are fighting to protect. They should know a Western, liberal democracy would no more tolerate the rape and enslavement of boys than it would allow women to remain wrapped in bin bags.
This is the diversity of culture the left protests in the street to protect. I hear a lot - even from supposed conservatives - about how if we were to attack enemy traditions we would only foster resentment. To the contrary, enemy traditions are what make them our enemy. We have to not only to defeat them in detail; we have to destroy everything they believe.
#6
enemy traditions are what make them our enemy. We have to not only to defeat them in detail; we have to destroy everything they believe.
Give the man a Kewpie Doll! As study after study shows, poverty and deprivation are almost insignificant as drivers of terrorism. It is Islam in general and shari'a law in particular that is the Root Cause of Muslim terrorism.
Shari'a law is so permeating and ingrained into Muslim consciousness that there can be no victory in the Global War on Terror until this barbaric throwback of a legal code is abolished for once and all time. It epitomizes the Muslim mindset and is the fountainhead of nearly every single evil that Islam inflicts upon this world.
#7
"Afghan police are battling to crackdown on the practice which has angered Islamic clerics who say those involved should be stoned for sodomy, forbidden under Islamic law."
"Many local residents have called for a crackdown"
"Those who do this are the devil"
"Under Islamic law, those who practice this should be stoned to death."
"We know it is immoral and unIslamic"
You can no more bash Islam for this practice than bash Christianity for gay behavior in San Francisco.
#8
You can no more bash Islam for this practice than bash Christianity for gay behavior in San Francisco
Bullshit. Islam has special fatwas declaring that hairless boys (i.e., pre-adolescent males without pubic hair) are not "men" and therefore sexual congress with them does not qualify as homosexuality. Speaking as an agnostic, it is to Christianity's eternal credit thatdespite their objection to adult homosexualitythey make no excuse for the inclusion of underage children in such practices within their own ranks or otherwise.
While Islam presents a broad target, on this particular subject of sexual child abuse there is much to "bash" it for and a host of good reasons for doing so.
Religious affairs ministry is investigating about the extremist Salafist trend in Algeria which is leading a counter-election campaign in mosques. Salafists are circulating tracts urging people not to vote in the upcoming local assemblies elections scheduled for November 29.
Tracts calling for local elections boycott are being circulated in mosques, a security source told El Khabar. Preliminary investigations disclose that the extremist Salafists are behind this nationwide propaganda. Further investigations are to be undertaken to unveil who is really behind the completely erroneous fatwa, according to the ministrys fatwa commission. In turn, religious affairs ministry has given an instruction to Imams calling them to devote next Fridays sermon to invalidate the fatwa and raise people awareness as regards taking part in the local ballot.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Students of Rajshahi Medical College (RMC) yesterday demanded exemplary punishment of Islami Chhatra Shibir cadres who attacked general students on November 14. At a press conference held at Rajshahi Metropolitan Press Club, they also demanded immediate withdrawal of a 'false' case that Shibir filed against eight general students on November 15.
Shibir has continued their political and criminal activities on RMC campus violating the state of emergency and they formed RMC unit committee on September 20 at a meeting in Shaheed Nurunabbi hostel, the students said. "On November 14, Shibir men forced newly admitted MBBS student Muhammad Naser to join Shibir politics and created pressure on him to get attached to 'Shibir-dominated' Shaheed Muktijoddha Kazi Nurunabbi Hostel," goes a written statement read out by out by Atiqur Rahman, a fifth-year student of RMC. "As they beat up Naser's companion Bablu, a fourth year student, general students rushed to his rescue but regrouped Shibir cadres attacked them.
Shah Alam Siddiki Lalon, Bablu, Anup Sarker, Asikur Rahman, SM Fahad and Sampad Kumar Datta were admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. "Lalon filed a case with Rajpara Police Station accusing 17 Shibir cadres on the same night," they said. "RMC Principal Professor Fazlur Rahman formed a three-member probe committee headed by Prof Abdul Hannan and asked them to report within November 18 but the committee failed to publish their report within the deadline.
"On November 15, Shibir cadres filed a 'false' case with Rajpara Police Station accusing eight general students. They also gave us death threat over cell phone for withdrawing the case against them," goes the statement.
When contacted, RMC Shibir General Secretary Abu Talha denied Shibir's involvement with November 14 incident. He, however, admitted that their committee was formed a few months ago. RMC Principal Prof Fazlur Rahman told The Daily Star that they will take action after receiving the probe committee report.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Freedom fighters yesterday urged the caretaker government to bring to trial the 1971 war criminals of Jamaat-e-Islami and its the then fronts Razakar, Al Bdar and Al Shams to save the country's independence, sovereignty and democracy.
"All freedom fighters (FFs) hope that the caretaker government will take effective steps to bring the war criminals to book. We the freedom fighters want to see during our lifetime that the war criminals have been tried," said a statement of the Central Command Council of Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad.
Copy of the statement was distributed among journalists and other people in front of Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU) office, where about 1,500 field level FFs from different districts, mostly poor, were scheduled to hold a press conference on their demands.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived on a lightning visit to Iran on Monday, the latest evidence of the burgeoning ties between the fellow US foes, the Fars news agency reported.
Chavez, who was accompanied by five ministers including the foreign, oil and industry ministers, was expected to leave Monday afternoon after several hours of talks with Iranian officials. The visit is Chavez's fourth to Iran since Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took office in 2005. He last visited Iran as recently as July, laying the foundations alongside Ahmadinejad for a joint petrochemical plant.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2007 00:00 ||
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#3
'ugo always leaves the country when things not look so rosy. New polls have the NO leading teh Siz now. Not enough to make a change in the win, but enough to require fairly serious cheatery.
Look for massive amounts of fresh milk imports in next 4 weeks.
Posted by: Thomas Woof ||
11/20/2007 18:23 Comments ||
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Three members of Iraq's Olympic soccer team and their assistant coach left the team during a trip to Australia and are seeking asylum in the country, Iraq's soccer federation said Monday.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
So I guess things aren't getting better in Iraq after all? Or at least not better fast enough for some people. NOW they need asylum, having abandoned their team to potentially lose in the next round to Syria or Lebanon!
"On Saturday, Australia beat Iraq 2-0 to move to the top of an Asian qualifying group for the 2008 Beijing Olympics." "This will cause poor morale, and have a bad psychological effect on the other players," Ahmed said of the asylum request. "This only shows disloyalty to the country," Ahmed said."
"Soccer is popular in Iraq, where the national team's successes in the past three years have provided a joyous distraction from the daily violence. But athletes and sports officials have been frequent targets of violence."
If all they were worried about was violence against athletes, they could have just quit the team and joined the police. Did they spend too much time amongst the 'Asians' in London or such, learning courage and national loyalty?
I'm being harsh - I don't disagree with their actions, merely their rationalization for them. I figure anyone with the opportunity to change from living in Iraq to living in Australia is merely proving their rationality by trying to sieze that opportunity.
#4
At first I thought that CBS's bogus vets were commiting suicide what with all the good news coming out of Iraq lately. Sadly, it's yet more see-BS dregs trying to salvage a failed narrative with fake but politically correct manufactured news.
#5
Had they checked with any other NATIONAL NON LEFT-WING groups they would have found that the data they were peddling was total Bravo Sierra. But that would not fit into the new tatic taht since we are winning the war there vets (whom SeeBS could care less about) are suffering more under Bush.
#7
#1: CBS "news writers" go on strike. Does that mean CBS will now be doing actual news and not "news stories"?
No, now it just means they have to think up their own lies.
No "Writers" to lie for them.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/20/2007 19:19 Comments ||
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#8
In other words, they can now be blamed directly, before they had a "Buffer" betweeen themselves and the lawsuits, now they have to find another dodge, the "Writers" aren't there to blame anymore.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/20/2007 19:21 Comments ||
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#9
A late thought, there's absolutely NO NEED for "Writers" if you're a "Reporter".
Only if you're a liar in the first place.
Reporters Report what happened, Only liars need "Writers" to make it up.
So now they're self-confessed Liars.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/20/2007 19:31 Comments ||
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President Bush's top adviser on homeland security is stepping down after 4œ years on the job, the White House said Monday. Homeland Security Adviser Fran Townsend turned in her letter of resignation to President Bush on November 6 and will be looking for new opportunities outside government. "I'm going to just take another job doing 20-hour days, but this time in the private sector," said Townsend, who has spent 25 years working in law enforcement and government.
Bush praised Townsend's work Monday. "Fran has always provided wise counsel on how to best protect the American people from the threat of terrorism," Bush said in a statement. "We are safer today because of her leadership."
Townsend's job, as the president's top adviser on fighting terrorism, involved identifying terrorist groups around the globe and assessing their threat, and finding ways to track and cut off their funding. She said that experience should will be useful in the private sector as well.
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
Fran Townsend
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2007 00:00 ||
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If she is part of the idiot cabal that Bush has that refuse to enforce border security, refuses to build the fence, and looks the other way at illegals, then good riddance.
#2
According to the clip, she and "W" have been discussing and planning her resignation, and search for that....... "20 hour work week" for 6-8 months have they? Obviously he's found his! So much for keeping one's "head in the game." "Will be looking for new opportunities outside gummit"..... oil, gas, Soodies, Brown & Root, KBR, Halliburton?
#3
Brown & Root? I doubt it. More likely Heritage Foundation, Hoover Institute or AEI. She is hot on the think tank circuit. Plus she has to write a book - you can't do that selling chicken shit cost plus work to the government.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
11/20/2007 9:20 Comments ||
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#4
Oh, I forgot. She once worked for Rudi Giuliani when he was U.S. Attorney for Southern District of New York. So, its possible she will also be part of his National Security team. If he wins she becomes leading candidate for Homeland Security or DoJ.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
11/20/2007 9:27 Comments ||
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The U.S. Military is demanding that thousands of wounded service personnel give back signing bonuses because they are unable to serve out their commitments.
To get people to sign up, the military gives enlistment bonuses up to $30,000 in some cases. Now men and women who have lost arms, legs, eyesight, hearing and can no longer serve are being ordered to pay some of that money back.
One of them is Jordan Fox, a young soldier from the South Hills. He finds solace in the hundreds of boxes he loads onto a truck in Carnegie. In each box is a care package that will be sent to a man or woman serving in Iraq. It was in his name Operation Pittsburgh Pride was started.
Fox was seriously injured when a roadside bomb blew up his vehicle. He was knocked unconscious. His back was injured and lost all vision in his right eye. A few months later Fox was sent home. His injuries prohibited him from fulfilling three months of his commitment. A few days ago, he received a letter from the military demanding nearly $3,000 of his signing bonus back. "I tried to do my best and serve my country. I was unfortunately hurt in the process. Now they're telling me they want their money back," he explained.
It's a slap for Fox's mother, Susan Wardezak, who met with President Bush in Pittsburgh last May. He thanked her for starting Operation Pittsburgh Pride which has sent approximately 4,000 care packages. He then sent her a letter expressing his concern over her son's injuries, so she cannot understand the U.S. Government's apparent lack of concern over injuries to countless U.S. Soldiers and demands that they return their bonuses.
While he's unsure of his future, Fox says he's unwavering in his commitment to his country. "I'd do it all over again... because I'm proud of the discipline that I learned. I'm proud to have done something for my country," he said.
But Fox feels like he's already given enough. He'll never be able to pursue his dream of being a police officer because of his wounds and he can't believe he's being asked to return part of his $10,000 signing bonus.
KDKA contacted Congressman Jason Altmire on his behalf. He says he has proposed a bill that would guarantee soldiers receive full benefit of bonuses.
#3
Do they try to get the money back from the ones that died?
For phucks sake, what a disgrace. Would a trunk POTUS candidate PLEASE hurry up and trot this out to the public before Hillary(!) does.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
11/20/2007 22:25 Comments ||
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#4
More REMFS f**king with real fighters. Those d*ckless desk pilots have been the bane of the real fighters in the military - but were the ones running it from Clinton onwards. No surprises someone there would try somehting that damned stupid.
Its like Patton said about the deskbound paper pushers in his day - they know as much about real combat as they do fornication - which is to say damned little.
The story of the US government's bungling in the case of Nada Nadim Prouty - "Jihad Jane" - gets worse and worse. Here are two more danger signs in her background that got overlooked: her cousin the terrorist, and her family's involvement in the Syrian National Socialist Party. That's right: It's not just Prouty's links to the terrorists of Hezbollah that got missed, but her ties to a Nazi party.
Since Prouty pleaded guilty last week to naturalization fraud and conspiracy, as well as unauthorized computer access at her FBI and CIA jobs, the two agencies have launched probes of how they bungled background checks before employing her. Then came reports that her sister, now a commissioned Marine officer, pulled a similar sham-marriage scam to gain US citizenship. But the scandal will only grow with this new information.
The failure of the background checks on Prouty puzzles sources familiar with her family's background in Lebanon. The Syrian National Socialist Party is actually an organization in Prouty's native Lebanon, where everyone knows it's a pawn of Syria's Baathist dictatorship; its stated goal is the formation of a greater Arab state, including Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Cypress and part of Turkey.
Prouty's maiden name is Al-Aouar - and the Al-Aouar family is noted back in Lebanon for its extremist political activity on behalf of the SNSP. That activism is all the more notable, because they are members of Lebanon's Druze minority - distinct from Syria's usual Shia Muslim allies there, and generally at odds with Hezbollah.
And intelligence sources from Israel and its old ally, the South Lebanese Army, say that Prouty's cousin, Nidal Al-Aouar, was a terrorist - one who trained in North Korea and the old USSR and went on to set roadside car bombs in Lebanon on behalf of Syria.
That the CIA did not uncover these elements of Prouty's background is cause for concern, since it is hardly a secret in Lebanon and Syria. But it's not just security agencies that have bungled this case. Prouty's lawbreaking was eventually exposed because of ongoing investigations of her brother-in-law, indicted Hezbollah financier Talal Chahine (to whom she is accused of disclosing classified information on three Hezbollah-related investigations that involve him).
Chahine laundered over $20 million to Hezbollah through his Michigan restaurant chain, according to a federal indictment unsealed in 2006. But his support of Hezbollah was rumored in Detroit's Arab community for years prior to that.
Indeed, top law-enforcement authorities had to have known about Chahine's involvement in immigration fraud and bribery on behalf of Prouty and other Lebanese nationals since at least 2003. That was when agents began investigating the INS' top Michigan official, Roy Bailey, for (among other things) taking bribes from Chahine in immigration/deportation matters.
With this information and more about Chahine and Prouty available to the government by early 2004, why was Prouty allowed to remain with the CIA until this September?
#1
FormerSpook has more over at:
'http://formerspook.blogspot.com
(For some reason link doesn't seem to work, at least as shown in my preview, but it's short enough to cut 'n' paste, so (maybe) you get it twice.) Equally damning, the Prouty case illustrates that today's spy catchers are hard-pressed to find the most obvious plants; we can only wonder how many big espionage "fish"--on the scale of Rick Ames or Robert Hanssen--remain undetected.
"But, the government says there's no evidence of actual espionage. In other words, Ms. Prouty was quite adept at covering her tracks--or the feds are afraid of where their trail might lead."
"And, in case you're wondering, Ms. Prouty is facing a sentence of less than 12 months in jail--or possibly, no prison time at all, along with three years' supervised probation and a $2500 fine, under a federal plea deal."
#5
I think we got so damn desperate for Arabic translators / speakers in any G2 unit including the military that we forgot basic logic, common sense and security. They need to batten down the hatches on security background reviews and start over on every arabic speaking employee hired before and since 9/11, especially the ones hired after.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
11/20/2007 9:31 Comments ||
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#6
Seems like the spook agencies are spending too much time today with inter-agency and internecine squabbling to be bothered with the business of intelligence.
#7
They would have lots more translators of both Arabic and Farsi if they were willing to hire Jews. Only half a million of the Arab world's Jews went to Israel after 1948, not to mention the Persian Jews. Plenty of them ended up in America and Canada.
#8
Her immigration fraud and initial employment with FBI came under Clinton in 1997. Her husband's deployment to Islamabad, where he would have been in charge of approving visas, came in 1999. Keep in mind the Clinton policy of deliberately not enforcing some immigration rules/standards.
What do you expect when the Clinton's administration's great parting gift to the American people was the destruction of the "W" key on computer keyboards.
The US has plenty of non-muslim Arabic speakers. Millions of Christians and Jewish Arabs have been cleansed from the Middle East and many have settled in the US. I just don't understand the thinking process that excludes them in favor of hiring the enemy.
Posted by: ed ||
11/20/2007 16:05 Comments ||
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#11
Is it really true that our government won't hire Jewish and/or non-Muslim speakers of Arabic as translators??? How is it that there is so little outrage or discussion about it? You'd think that the public would be concerned and that the conservative blogosphere and talk radio world would be making a big issue about this. Why is no GOP candidate making any hay over this? You couldn't ask for a better issue for someone to take up and win respect - and votes - from the party base. When was this decision made and does it apply to all parts of the federal government? What would it take to change this situation: an executive order, an act of Congress? I am astonished that this could be so (not that I haven't been astonished by things I've found out before!) Is there a source to find out more about this? Thanks in advance to anyone who knows something about this and has the time to help enlighten me.
NWFP Governor Lt Gen (r) Ali Mohammad Jan Orakzai has reiterated the governments stance of resolving problems through political dialogue rather than the use of force which, according to him, is the last option.
Talking to reporters after the oath-taking ceremony of newly inducted caretaker provincial ministers, the governor said the government is compelled to use force only as a last option in dealing with the problems created by extremists.
Alipuri captured, govt on its way: He said extremist elements have captured the Alpuri area in Swat, but government forces are headed to the area. We are taking action cautiously in our bid to avert collateral damage, he said. What we are interested in is that the extremists should vacate these areas and innocent people should be protected.
About the presence of foreign fighters in Swat creating problems for the government, Orakzai said, we have information about the presence of Uzbek nationals but this has not been confirmed yet. Asked if the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) leadership had offered their services for resolving the situation in Swat, the Governor responded: I have only read it in the newspapers, but there no such proposal has been submitted.
Responding to a question on the human and material damage caused during the last few days of sectarian clashes at Parachinar in Kurram Agency, Orkazai said a situation had presumably been vitiated there to divert the governments attention from Swat. The governor said a peace jirga from Hangu representing both sects had been sent to Parachinar to tackle the situation.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2007 10:17 ||
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Top|| File under: Taliban
Benazir Bhutto alleged on Monday that the government was planning on rigging the elections against the PPP. Besides all pre-poll rigging arrangements, the government has sent some 25,000 ballot papers to each provincial and National Assembly constituency to use against the PPP candidates in the upcoming elections, she claimed while talking to editors of Karachi-based newspapers at Bilawal House. She said the PPP had formally lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against this plan. Benazir also announced that she had called a meeting of the PPPs Central Executive Committee today to discuss whether the party should boycott the elections.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2007 09:49 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
This is pretty much routine tactics for Pak politix. If you're not boycotting, you're walking out, and if you're not doing either of those you're holding a riot in the streets. They're not real big on discussion, unless it's in a loud voice, and they're even less big on compromise, unless it's with somebody armed and dangerous, preferably wearing a turban.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2007 09:47 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
President General Pervez Musharraf is likely to resign as army chief over the weekend and take oath of office as a civilian president for his second term. I think the president will take oath of office for the second term on Friday or Saturday, Attorney General Justice (r) Malik Qayyum told Daily Times when asked to confirm whether the president would take oath within the week. The president had submitted a statement in the Supreme Court (SC) saying that if he were re-elected as president for the second term, he would relinquish charge of the office of chief of army staff soon after the election but before taking oath of office of the president of Pakistan for the next term. The Election Commission, under the rules, will send the result of the presidential election to the federal government, which will then announce the name of the winning candidate, the attorney general said. General Musharraf has already nominated Vice Chief of Army Staff (CVOAS) General Ashfaq Kayani as his successor. General Kayani will take over as army chief when General Musharraf resigns.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2007 09:43 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
The newly formed Supreme Court of Pakistan, which was appointed after emergency rule was imposed two weeks ago, today dismissed the main outstanding challenges to Gen. Pervez Musharrafs election for another presidential term, almost certainly ensuring his confirmation as president later this week. Ten judges heard the case today. Within three hours, they dismissed five of six challenges to General Musharrafs candidacy. There were five petitions, they have all been dismissed, said the attorney general, Malik Abdul Qayyum.
Comes as a surprise, dunnit? I know. It floored me, too.
There is only one left, and that will be heard on Thursday, he said after the proceedings, according to news reports. The sixth petition, which is not a direct challenge to General Musharraf but a complaint to the Election Commission from a candidate who was eliminated from the presidential race, will be heard on Thursday. That is expected to be dismissed, too, paving the way for the court to rubber stamp confirm General Musharrafs election to another five-year term.
This article starring:
Malik Abdul Qayyum
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
The New York Times plays softball with yet another jihadi recruitment organization.
For six days they came: hundreds of thousands of turbans Pakistani men squashed onto a barren rice field, dressed in baggy trousers, crocheted caps on their heads, sandals on their feet and long beards a common feature. They prayed five times a day, listened to preachers, ate by the flicker of oil lamps and slept with each other, cheek by jowl, on the hard ground.
By Sunday night, the annual convention of the Pakistan-based group Tabligh Jamaat, the largest gathering of Muslims outside Mecca, had come to an end without incident. That, in itself, was remarkable this year: amid the current political crisis, the government had banned all large gatherings and had broken up several others by force.
It was also remarkable because the group, though it publicizes a benign strain of revivalist Islam and is held in wide esteem in many parts of the world, is suspected by Western intelligence agencies to be a recruiting ground for jihadists. The agencies say that among those who have passed through the group were three Western men who have been convicted on terrorism-related charges: John Walker Lindh, Richard Reid and Jose Padilla.
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Tabligh Jamaat
Asim Makhdoom, an imam at the Kubra Mosque in Lahore
Gen. Mahmood Ahmed
John Walker Lindh
Tabligh Jamaat
Jose Padilla
Tabligh Jamaat
Richard Reid
Tabligh Jamaat
Zahid Hussain, a Pakistani expert on Islamic militants
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Tablighi Jamaat
A new and classified American military proposal outlines an intensified effort to enlist tribal leaders in the frontier areas of Pakistan in the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban, as part of a broader effort to bolster Pakistani forces against an expanding militancy, American military officials said.
Militants have extended their reach beyond the tribal areas. If adopted, the proposal would join elements of a shift in strategy that would also be likely to expand the presence of American military trainers in Pakistan, directly finance a separate tribal paramilitary force that until now has proved largely ineffective and pay militias that agreed to fight Al Qaeda and foreign extremists, officials said. The United States now has only about 50 troops in Pakistan, a Pentagon spokesman said, a force that could grow by dozens under the new approach.
The proposal is modeled in part on a similar effort by American forces in Anbar Province in Iraq that has been hailed as a great success in fighting foreign insurgents there. But it raises the question of whether such partnerships, to be forged in this case by Pakistani troops backed by the United States, can be made without a significant American military presence in Pakistan. And it is unclear whether enough support can be found among the tribes, some of which are working with Pakistan's intelligence agency.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda
#3
A new and classified American military proposal
I didn't have to read any further before confirming it's a New York Times article. Fascinating that they're leaking proposals now, not even actual actions. I wouldn't dare have one of them at my house -- it'd be like having overexcitable dogs going after the cushions.
BAGHDAD, Nov. 19 Five months ago, Suhaila al-Aasan lived in an oxygen tank factory with her husband and two sons, convinced that they would never go back to their apartment in Dora, a middle-class neighborhood in southern Baghdad.
Today she is home again, cooking by a sunlit window, sleeping beneath her favorite wedding picture. And yet, she and her family are remarkably alone. The half-dozen other apartments in her building echo with emptiness and, on most days, Iraqi soldiers are the only neighbors she sees.
I feel happy, she said, standing in her bedroom, between a flowered bedspread and a bullet hole in the wall. But my happiness is not complete. We need more people to come back. We need more people to feel safe.
Continued on Page 49
Al-Qaeda fighters have been pushed toward eastern and northern Iraq where violence is now the highest in the country despite an overall decline in attacks, a senior US officer said Monday. "What you see is that the enemy is shifting," Major General Mark Hertling, the new commander of Multi-National Division North, told reporters here via video link from Iraq.
A turnaround by Sunni tribes in the western province of Al-Anbar has pushed Al-Qaeda fighters east, while US successes in securing Baghdad have driven others north from the capital, he said. "Whereas all types of attacks, but specifically IEDs (improvised explosive devices) have decreased throughout Iraq ... the north has the highest number of attacks in all of Iraq," Hertling said.
The general said bombs account for more than half the attacks in his area of responsibility, but their number has dropped sharply in recent months from 1,830 in June to 900 in October. "We had 466 as of the 19th of November and for the same period of time last month, as of 19th of October, there were 520," he said. "The attacks are still much higher than I'd like in the north but they are continuing to decrease in numbers and scale of attack," he said.
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
Major General Mark Hertling
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Iraq
#1
Dumb place to hide. They will have the Kurds, Shiites, Americans, Iranians and Iraqis at their backs. Lots of luck.
#2
Having the Iranians at their back is probably their objective. I imagine they can still garner some material support from that direction; among other things, Iranian authorities welcome the diversion of attention, as long as they can keep their involvement 'plausibly deniable.'
(AKI) - A referendum to decide the future status of the province of Kirkuk will take place at the end of the year, according to a senior minister in the autonomous region of Kurdistan in Iraq.
The minister for the affairs of external areas in the autonomous region, Muhammad Ihsan, said the government intends to proceed with the referendum.
"The referendum on the status of the contested province of Kirkuk will take place at the end of the year, with the collaboration and coordination of the electoral commission," he said.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Ma'an Ahmad Yousef, political advisor to deposed Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said on Monday that the Hamas-led government in the Gaza Strip would seek understanding and dialogue with Western powers, including the United States. "Since the beginning, Hamas' manifesto has been flexible and moderate, and its perspective of the West has called for understanding and avoidance of conflict and confrontation," Yousef said in a statement released by the cabinet of the Gaza Strip's de facto government.
"Since the beginning, Hamas' manifesto has been flexible and moderate, and its perspective of the West has called for understanding and avoidance of conflict and confrontation," Yousef said.
The statement continued: "We have welcomed Western calls for encouraging democracy and protecting human rights We called for avoiding estimation of the West as an enemy and for basing our judgments upon their policies rather than making generalizations."
The statement comes amid preparations for a Middle East peace summit in the US city of Annapolis at the end of November. Hamas has been excluded from the meeting, although the group holds power in the key Gaza Strip, home to 1.5 million Palestinians and a key part of any future Palestinian state. Hamas won a majority of seats in the Palestinian Legislative Council elections of 2006.
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
AHMED YUSEF
Hamas
Ismail Haniyeh
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Ma'an Among Palestinians who plan to vote in a future legislative election, 50% would vote for Fatah, and only 14.6% would vote for Hamas, a new poll from An-Najah National University shows. The survey shows that Hamas' popularity has dropped since it took control of the Gaza Strip in June, deposing Fatah's security forces.
30.8% of respondents believe that the Annapolis peace conference will succeed, while 54.9% believe it will fail. Nonetheless, 61.3% of respondents support the participation of the Palestinian Authority in the conference. Only 29.2% oppose it.
61.6% believe that the security campaign that the Palestinian Authority has begun in the West Bank city of Nablus will succeed; 24.6% believe it will fail. 57.6% of respondents expressed fear for their lives under the present circumstances.
The poll included 1360 Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and was conducted between November 15th and November 17th. The margin of error in the poll is ±3%.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Ma'an The Israeli government approved the release of 441 Palestinian Prisoners on Monday in advance of an international peace conference in the United States next week, Israeli media reported.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas had requested that 2,000 Palestinian prisoners released, out of the 11,000 that are currently held by Israel. Abbas and Israeli Prime minister Olmert met in Jerusalem on Monday in an effort to iron out differences in advance of the conference in the US city of Annapolis. Israeli stipulations require that none of the 441 prisoners to be freed will have "blood on their hands," or be members of Hamas.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Ma'an An Israeli court in Jerusalem is scheduled to resume the trial of Palestinian Supreme Judge Sheikh Tayseer Tamimi on Monday, on charges of incitement against Israel and visiting the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem without Israeli permission. "Jerusalem is a Palestinian property under occupation, and the occupation regulations do not apply to it in addition to the fact that Israel has neither cultural nor historical rights in Jerusalem," Sheikh Tamimi said commenting on his trial.
He called the trial politically-motivated and a part of an Israeli attempts to transform Jerusalem into a purely Jewish city.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
"Jerusalem is a Palestinian property under occupation, and the occupation regulations do not apply to it in addition to the fact that Israel has neither cultural nor historical rights in Jerusalem," Sheikh Tamimi said
going for the insanity defense, eh?
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/20/2007 13:27 Comments ||
Top||
Iran is far from acquiring a nuclear weapon, and despite U.S. fears about its atomic intentions, an American military strike against the Islamic Republic is unlikely, former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday. Oh yeah. The US is going to let that one slide because they have prior engagements elsewhere?
Tehran rejects claims by the United States and some European Union countries that its nuclear program is aimed at secretly producing weapons, insisting it is for peaceful purposes only. That's not what the smoke and mirrors say to me!
"I think Iran is a long way from having anything that could be anything like a nuclear weapon," said Powell, who was invited by the National Bank of Kuwait to speak on economic opportunity and crisis in the Middle East. Well, it may be true but their actions say otherwise.
A recent report by the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog found Iran has been generally truthful in the information it has provided the agency about aspects of its past nuclear activities. And birth control generally works 99% of the time, but that leaves 1% of the time it absolutely positively doesn't work at all.
But the International Atomic Energy Agency said it could not rule out that Iran had a secret weapons program because of restrictions Tehran placed on its inspectors two years ago. I'm sure the Iranians will work to overcome them in a couple three years or so.
Asked if he sees a U.S. war on Iran coming, the retired U.S. general said although no American official will say the option was "off the table," he did not see prospects of a military conflict. I guess that leaves time to tell the story!
There is no base of support among Americans for such an action, Powell said, adding that the U.S. military already has enough on its hands in Iraq and Afghanistan. It wouldn't take much to swat Iran then leave. It might take more to defend the Straits of Hormuz, though. I don't know if we have the bandwidth to do it now. But in another year or so, who knows what the situation will be in Iraq . . . .
Powell was the secretary of state under President Bush from 2001 to 2005. In September 2004, Powell said Iran's nuclear program was a growing threat and he called for international sanctions. OK, what changed?
#5
Powell is not and never has been a Republican, conservative, et.al. He is a military man through and through who couldn't handle the upper echelons of civvie life in the WH and State dept. He relied on professional (i.e. CIA) G2 and got BS. He was burned and humiliated professionally (since being SoS is to be an Internationalist) and is now super cautious but not fully outspoken like some before him. Too bad he doesn't like to play golf everyday and noodle in the garden.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
11/20/2007 9:38 Comments ||
Top||
#6
The man is an embarrassment. Thank God he is nowhere near the Presidency.
After the feuding political sides vetoed names of consensus presidential candidates drawn up by Maronite Patrirach Nasarallah Sfeir, Lebanon seemed to be heading back to square one. The new state of affairs prompted French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner to rush back to Beirut on Sunday for his sixth visit in as many months.
There was speculation that Wednesday's parliamentary session to elect a new president may be postponed till Friday, prompting fears of civil unrest and the formation of two rival governments. Kouchner said he was "less confident" about reaching a solution to Lebanon's political crisis after news circulated that the Hizbullah-led opposition vetoed presidential nominees Butros Harb, Nassib Lahoud Robert Ghanem and Michel Khoury. In turn, leading officials within the ruling March 14 coalition have reportedly vetoed Michel Edde, while favoring Ghanem.
The daily An Nahar said Monday that Speaker Nabih Berri and parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri were each separately expected to discuss the Ghanem-Khoury problem with their allies. According to An Nahar, information made available to March 14 said that a senior opposition figure had informed an international side that the opposition vetoes Harb, Lahoud Ghanem and Khoury and that the opposition could accept Edde and Lebanon's Central Bank governor Riad Salameh.
It said the emergence of Salameh's name made the opposition demand an amendment to Sfeir's list such as Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman be included. LBC has reported that Michel Edde went to Syria on Saturday to get Syria's blessing , but Edde denied.
Parliament is to convene on Wednesday to elect a new president to succeed pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud, whose term runs out on Friday. Three previous attempts have failed because the ruling coalition and the opposition have been unable to agree on a candidate, with the opposition blocking sessions or threatening to deny the legislature a quorum.
Failure to elect a new president could result in a power vacuum and possibly the formation of two rival governments. Under the constitution, the cabinet takes over executive power if the president's post became unfilled.
An Nahar said the "veto battle" has led circles to believe that there was a lack of global and regional understanding of a guarantee mechanism for finding a consensus presidential candidate.
Many political analysts fault the March 14 alliance for accepting that the list of candidates from Sfeir goes to Speaker Berri first for decision, knowing that the pro-Syrian , Hezbollah led opposition will use the list to shift the battle from the parliament to Ain el Tineh ( Berri's home). One analyst told Ya Libnan "Speaker Berri is acting as the whole parliament. Where is the democracy ? . This is bound to result in a new weak president that will not be able to lead the country in this critical period . March 14 alliance should have insisted that the list goes to the parliament on November 21 and let the parliament vote for the best president of the republic."
Cardinal Sfeir was angered by the vetoes. He said it is up to the leaders to add or delete any name they want to the list that he has reluctantly submitted.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
#1
The UN has not disarmed Hezbollah, but rather allowed them to build up arms. I guess the UN is there for the destruction of Israel.
So, how do I put UN leaders in front of an international court when they do not follow their own LAW?
I tell you this now. If rockets are fired from Lebanon, That Christian country belongs in part to Israel by default, all military leaders in the UN who were supposed to disarm that militant terrorist organization are held in front of ICC, and all deaths are blamed on the United Nations. Turtle bay is closed and given back to original owner, and WWIII is off to a kick.
UNFIL is a landfill of bodies. This whole operation is a disgrace. Notify NATO. There is a problem.
Iran, you shall bear responsibility and I shall not even mention what happens to you Syria.
Israel is a tiny nation. They deserve to be a nation. If you Esau/ Ishmael/ et-al cannot let the Jews have a place, what is to say you have any sovereignty over your own land. If you do not respect GOD, you respect nothing. You will not find GOD in that koran.
As for you America, You need to WAKE UP.
This is NOT a peace process, it is a WAR process, and you are busy at starbucks.
Condi, this plan is off because it sucks.
MP Akram Shehayeb accused Hezbollah of setting the stage to control Lebanon and change its regime, vowing that the March 14 alliance is committed to confronting such a scheme.
Not fond of the idea of an Islamic Republic of Leb, are you?
Shehayeb, in an interview with Naharnet at the Phoenicia Hotel Bastion that he labels "The Abu Ghreib Jail," said: "Hezbollah is for a preemptive war to control state institutions -- to torpedo the Taif accord."
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, in his latest speech, "wanted to tell all the Lebanese political factions that 'I have the veto power as long as I possess all these weapons and all the money and this strong security apparatus.' This shows that Hezbollah wants a preemptive war to control state institutions in the future," Shehayeb said. "That is why we insist on electing a strong and capable president who can prevent this march of autocracy by Nasrallah," Shehayeb added.
French foreign minister has blamed unnamed groups for blocking a deal that calls for a compromise candidate to be chosen as the next president of Lebanon.
That'd be Hezbollah and, to a slightly lesser extent, Amal.
Last week, the parliament majority and the pro-Syrian opposition agreed to work from a list of names submitted by Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir the head of the Maronite Christian religion - the religious minority from which Lebanon's president is traditionally chosen.
Bernard Kouchner said "those derailing the process would be responsible for destabilizing Lebanon and the region." The Lebanese parliament is due to vote on November 21 to elect a new president to replace pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud, whose term expires on November 23 The vote has already been postponed three times, raising fears of dangerous new political instability.
"The one responsible for blocking a process that was agreed upon by all parties bears responsibility for destabilising Lebanon and for regional consequences," Mr Kouchner said after meeting the Western-backed, anti-Syrian parliamentary majority leader Saad Hariri. "I am surprised, France is surprised, that something is stuck, something is blocked, something is derailed," an angry Mr Kouchner said. "Everyone had given their agreement."
This article starring:
Bernard Kouchner
Cardinal Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir
Emile Lahoud
Saad Hariri
Posted by: Fred ||
11/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hezbollah
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.
A hip-shaking performance by the pop star Shakira has provoked a showdown between the Afghan government and the countrys independent media.
It's an age old practice that has led to some of the boy dancers being turned into sex slaves by wealthy and powerful patrons, often former warlords, who dress the boys up as girls, shower them with gifts and keep them as "mistresses." Afghan police are battling to crackdown on the practice which has angered Islamic clerics who say those involved should be stoned for sodomy, forbidden under Islamic law.
Students of Rajshahi Medical College (RMC) yesterday demanded exemplary punishment of Islami Chhatra Shibir cadres who attacked general students on November 14. At a press conference held at Rajshahi Metropolitan Press Club, they also demanded immediate withdrawal of a 'false' case that Shibir filed against eight general students on November 15.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez arrived on a lightning visit to Iran on Monday, the latest evidence of the burgeoning ties between the fellow US foes, the Fars news agency reported.
NWFP Governor Lt Gen (r) Ali Mohammad Jan Orakzai has reiterated the governments stance of resolving problems through political dialogue rather than the use of force which, according to him, is the last option.
Benazir Bhutto alleged on Monday that the government was planning on rigging the elections against the PPP. Besides all pre-poll rigging arrangements, the government has sent some 25,000 ballot papers to each provincial and National Assembly constituency to use against the PPP candidates in the upcoming elections, she claimed while talking to editors of Karachi-based newspapers at Bilawal House. She said the PPP had formally lodged a complaint with the Election Commission against this plan. Benazir also announced that she had called a meeting of the PPPs Central Executive Committee today to discuss whether the party should boycott the elections.
President General Pervez Musharraf is likely to resign as army chief over the weekend and take oath of office as a civilian president for his second term. I think the president will take oath of office for the second term on Friday or Saturday, Attorney General Justice (r) Malik Qayyum told Daily Times when asked to confirm whether the president would take oath within the week. The president had submitted a statement in the Supreme Court (SC) saying that if he were re-elected as president for the second term, he would relinquish charge of the office of chief of army staff soon after the election but before taking oath of office of the president of Pakistan for the next term. The Election Commission, under the rules, will send the result of the presidential election to the federal government, which will then announce the name of the winning candidate, the attorney general said. General Musharraf has already nominated Vice Chief of Army Staff (CVOAS) General Ashfaq Kayani as his successor. General Kayani will take over as army chief when General Musharraf resigns.
The newly formed Supreme Court of Pakistan, which was appointed after emergency rule was imposed two weeks ago, today dismissed the main outstanding challenges to Gen. Pervez Musharrafs election for another presidential term, almost certainly ensuring his confirmation as president later this week. Ten judges heard the case today. Within three hours, they dismissed five of six challenges to General Musharrafs candidacy. There were five petitions, they have all been dismissed, said the attorney general, 
Ma'an 
After the feuding political sides vetoed names of consensus presidential candidates drawn up by Maronite Patrirach Nasarallah Sfeir, Lebanon seemed to be heading back to square one. The new state of affairs prompted French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner to rush back to Beirut on Sunday for his sixth visit in as many months.
MP 
