Kathryn Jean Lopez of National Review got this URGENT! e-mail:
URGENT: need your help - Impeachment Petition Deadline Midnight Wednesday
Dear Friends,
Because of your vigilance and support for democracy, last Friday was a day of singular importance in Washington. The House Judiciary Committee met to discuss the Bush Administration's abuse of executive power and for the first time the case for Impeachment was discussed in front of a Congressional committee, in depth, at length and with authority.
Twenty members of the Judiciary Committee attended the six hour hearing, during which twelve witnesses, including myself and four members of Congress testified. In this hearing I called for the Impeachment of the President for misrepresenting a case for war.
This week I will present members of Congress with Impeachment petitions submitted by those of you who have signed the on-line impeachment form.
I need your help. In the next few days we must redouble our efforts to get more signatures on the online petition at kucinich.us. I'm asking each of you to please contact at least ten of your friends to go to www.Kucinich.us now and sign the Impeachment petition that will be delivered by me. Wednesday night is the deadline.
Please send out an email to all your friends and family, post this link, http://kucinich.us to your blogs and make this effort count as this is the only petition that I will deliver.
Thank you so very much.
Posted by: Mike ||
07/29/2008 11:36 ||
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By the time they finish, the election will be over anyway.
And why do I have a feeling that they will continue to push for legal punishment for Bush when he leaves office?
#3
Hey Dennis,
Actual IMPEACHMENT has to be based on FACTS, not lurid wet dreams of a confirmed moonbat. Why don't you take your impeachment dreams to somewhere they'll be respected - like Cuba. Just don't try to come back.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/29/2008 14:13 Comments ||
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#4
Real simple. We impeached their guy. So now they must impeach ours. Tit for tat, moonbat style. Nevermind that their guy had it coming.
#1
That is just a snapshot of the military. Those who do not serve will never truely understand. As I say that, let me make one thing clear; support from the people of the US is vital. Without it, we are an island of what the media calls an archaic belief.
#2
Army Life - You are right on both counts. In my callow youth, I took for granted all that our military did for us. I probably would have been one of those who snickered at sarcastic comments about our troops (like Kerry's 'study hard or you'll end up in Iraq'). And sadder still is the fact that many of my professors, who - in theory - are supposed to help young people to understand the world around them, would have snickered right along with me.
Thankfully, I have come to realize that those who've been "stuck in Iraq" (or anywhere else our troops have served) are the true heart and soul of our people. They (you all, I should say for many here) are the ones who make all of our good lives possible, whether we appreciate it or not. I may never truly understand what it means to serve, but I hope to never miss an opportunity to encourage support for the greatest military in history - great not only in power, but in motivation and accomplishment too. How much worse a place the world would be, if not for what American troops have done for over two centuries now!
Many thanks to all who serve or have served. God bless you and your families. And thank you, GolfBravo, for another excellent post.
(Bloomberg) -- Attacks on aid workers are forcing humanitarian groups to curtail operations in Afghanistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka and other war-torn countries, and relief agencies say they may have to make wider cuts.
Killings, kidnappings and violence against aid workers have more than doubled in the past five years, according to a draft of a report to be published by London-based Overseas Development Institute in the next three months. The average annual number of incidents rose to 76 from 2003 through 2007, compared with 35 in the previous five-year period.
For the first time, humanitarian workers are being specifically targeted, said Nan Dale, the U.S. executive director for Paris-based Action Against Hunger/Action Contre la Faim, which had two French workers kidnapped in Afghanistan on July 18. ``It's a terrible period in our history,'' Dale said in an interview in New York. ``We're hardly the only agency.''
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2008 00:00 ||
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Yet another attempt to wage law. That the UK and US governments state clearly that there was no torture doesn't seem to shut these clowns up.
The security and intelligence agencies were "mixed up in wrongdoing" in cooperating with the US in the unlawful treatment of a UK resident now held in Guantánamo Bay, the high court heard yesterday.
They allegedly gave information to the US about Binyam Mohamed, held incommunicado in Pakistan before being secretly rendered to Morocco where he said he was supposedly tortured. In return, the US "provided the UK with the fruits of his interrogation", the court was told.
If he was really tortured, let's see the medical report and the photos.
The claims were made by Dinah Rose QC, Mohamed's counsel, in a legal challenge to the government's refusal to disclose documents which, Mohamed's lawyers say, would demonstrate he was tortured and would shed light on Britain's knowledge of his mistreatment.
An MI5 officer, known only as witness B, made a "veiled threat" to Mohamed to cooperate with his interrogators when the officer saw him after he was first captured in Pakistan, Rose told Lord Justice Thomas and Mr Justice Lloyd Jones. The implication was "we won't help you unless you confess", Rose said.
Ooooh! Torture!!
Reprieve, a commie front for a the human rights group, has handed the Foreign Office a 55-page dossier about the case of Mohamed, a Ethiopia-born former Kensington cleaner who was rendered to Morocco and Afghanistan before being flown to Guantánamo Bay. Mohamed faces charges of giving material support for terrorism and for conspiring to commit terrorism.
The charges relate to an alleged "dirty bomb" plot.
So he's 'alleged' to have been part of a plot, but he was 'absolutely' tortured.
Reprieve's director, Clive Stafford Smith, who recently spent three hours with Mohamed at the US base on Cuba, said "all the confessions came out of torture", including the slashing of Mohamed's genitals with a razor in Morocco. Mohamed faces a trial by a US military commission which has been attacked as unconstitutional and unjust by ministers.
Slashing his genitals with a razor eh? That would certainly make me confess. Now let's have the medical report and the photos.
A US military defence lawyer at Guantánamo Bay said last month he had been told by the Pentagon that interrogators had been instructed to destroy notes in case they were called to testify on the treatment of detainees. Yesterday, the high court was told that the US prosecuting authorities had withdrawn an earlier commitment to disclose all documents relevant to Mohamed's interrogation.
The US refused to tell British officials that Mohamed had been secretly rendered to Morocco rather than being sent from Pakistan to Afghanistan as MI5 and MI6 were told, the court heard yesterday.
"The US refused to say where [Mohamed] was," Rose said. Despite this MI5 "repeatedly" supplied US authorities with detailed information for US officials to use in Mohamed's interrogation, she said. The US then supplied Britain with the "fruits" of that interrogation, Rose said.
So the Brits really didn't care what happened to poor Mohamed as long as he sang like a nancy-boy. Too bad, Mohamed, you should have stayed in Brighton ...
She questioned why British security and intelligence officials did not press the US to tell them where Mohamed was being held after he was transferred from Pakistan, and in what conditions. "The UK authorities knew perfectly well Mohamed was under the control of the Americans," said Rose.
Like I just said, the Brit intel folks didn't really care.
Mohamed was detained by Pakistani authorities in April 2002 on suspicion of trying to leave the country on a false passport. He was held incommunicado in Pakistan for three months when he was interrogated by US officials and subjected to torture, the high court was told yesterday. The government must have known the treatment Mohamed was likely to face, "given the history of the Pakistan authorities", Rose said.
The government did not dispute that Mohamed was held incommunicado for three months in Pakistan but did not accept the conditions in which he was held there were unlawful, the high court heard. The US denies Mohamed was subject to "extraordinary rendition", the practice of secretly transferring detainees where they risked being tortured.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/29/2008 00:00 ||
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The question that remains unasked amidst all this high indignation is what was a nice Ethiopian lad from Kensington doing in Pakistan with a false papers?
#3
I suggest we just shoot these guys AND their lawyers. Maybe it'll remind the judicial system that they "serve" at our pleasure, not their own. Every single member of the government of the United States, at any level, elected, appointed or hired, should be forced to read the entire second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, and sign an affidavit that they understand it. Britain needs to adopt something similar, and hold ITS government responsible. If "government" doesn't understand that its sole purpose is to "secure the rights" of the governed, it doesn't have a legitimate reason to exist. Taking up arms against a government doing anything else is not just a good idea, it's a requirement of citizenship.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
07/29/2008 14:20 Comments ||
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A Royal Navy commander has been removed from his ship after 15 of his sailors and marines were captured by Iran last year. Cmdr Jeremy Woods, captain of the frigate HMS Cornwall, had been moved "to a post where his talents and experience can be used to best effect", the Ministry of Defence said. A spokesman denied the decision was connected to events in March last year, described at the time by the head of the navy as a "bad day" for the service.
Iranian revolutionary guards captured the seven Royal Marines and eight sailors at gunpoint after they left the Cornwall in a small vessel to search a ship in waters between Iran and Iraq. Iran - which insisted the group was in its waters, something the UK denied - held them for 13 days, before their release in a publicity exercise orchestrated by the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The navy's embarrassment was heightened by the way the crew appeared willing to be paraded before the world's media in Iranian-provided suits, shaking Ahmadinejad's hand and smiling. Further criticism followed when two of the captives, Faye Turney and Arthur Batchelor, were allowed to sell their stories to the media. The latter was particularly castigated for complaining that his iPod had been taken. In December the Commons defence committee called the affair a "national embarrassment" and recommended formal disciplinary action against those responsible.
Woods is a navy veteran of 23 years who took command of HMS Cornwall in late 2006 after captaining a minesweeper, HMS Bangor. "This is an internal administrative matter between the individual and his senior officers and we will not give further details," a spokesman said.
The capture of the boarding party was described by Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, the first sea lord, as "one bad day in our proud 400-year history".
An internal MoD inquiry blamed bad intelligence, inadequate training, confused communications and poor judgment by senior commanders. The defence secretary, Des Browne, did not make public the inquiry's findings.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/29/2008 00:00 ||
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If I recall correctly, Cmdr Woods called home to the Ministry of Defence to ask for guidance on how to handle the situation, and was told to let the crew be captured rather than create an international incident.
FREEREPUBLIC > USN Capt Valverde reportedly relieved after his "GATOR NAVY" amphib auxil ship USS PEARL HARBOR hit a sandbar and got stuck ???
Poster - Other Ship Officers stand to have damaged careers after this incident - might as well start prepping their civilian resumes as per lost future USN promotions.
A court in The Hague has granted a request by former MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali for witnesses to be heard in support of her claim that the Dutch state is responsible for paying for her security in the US. The Netherlands stopped paying for Hirsi AliÂ’s bodyguards last year when she moved to the US permanently. Hirsi Ali, an outspoken critic of Islam, now works for a conservative US think-tank.
In her application in May, Hirsi Ali asked for eight witnesses to be heard but on Monday the court said the number would initially be restricted to five. Hirsi Ali can select which five herself, the court said. If she finds it necessary for more witnesses to be heard then she must make a further application stating her motivation, the court said.
The preliminary hearing, which could result in a full court case in which Hirsi Ali challenges the Dutch state to continue to pay for her security in the US, is expected to be held in on two consecutive days in the autumn.
According to earlier media reports, former deputy prime minister Gerrit Zalm, the head of the anti-terrorism organisation, Tjibbe Joustra, and justice minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin are among those on the witness list.
Turkey's prime minister has implied the bombings that killed 17 people in Istanbul on Sunday were the work of the Kurdish separatist PKK group. Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the attacks were a "cost" of the military campaign against the PKK based in northern Iraq. The PKK has denied having anything to do with the bombings.
Mr Erdogan visited the bomb scene as a court considered whether to ban him and his AK Party from politics, for alleged anti-secular activities. The Constitutional Court began its deliberations, on whether the AKP was trying to establish Sharia law by stealth, on Monday. The party denies the charges. But chances are that the court will close down the AK Party, casting doubt over Turkey's political future, its international relations and hopes of joining the European Union.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2008 00:00 ||
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But chances are that the court will close down the AK Party, casting doubt over Turkey's political future, its international relations and hopes of joining the European Union.
wow. Will the Turks fight off the Islamists? Color me surprised.
And these reporters are just so worthless!!
Why would ridding the country of an Islamist leader, who hopes to establish sharia on the steath, cast doubts over Turkey's future in the EU?
Senator Barack Obama said on Monday that the new government in Pakistan is still getting its "sea legs" but it is important that the US emphasise to Islamabad how seriously it takes the "base camps from where the movement across the border into Afghanistan takes place".
"And it's not just in the interest of Afghan security -- or US security -- it's also in the interest of Pakistan's long term security that we shut those bases down," he added.
Asked if the US should play a role in negotiations between Pakistan and India, he called it an example of "how we need to think comprehensively about the region". He added, "If one of the central concerns of Pakistan is its security posture towards India, then we need to put that on the table for discussions as we try to solve the problems in Afghanistan. Kashmir continues to be a constant instigator of tension between India and Pakistan. And, historically, Pakistan has tolerated, or in some cases, funded the mujahideen ... because they think it's somehow helpful to them in Kashmir. We have to have an honest conversation about how counter-productive that is."
Obama has in the past emphasised upon a radical overhaul of the traditional US policy of supporting the army at the expense of democracy in the country. He has said, "The greatest threat to the security of America and Afghanistan lies in the tribal regions of Pakistan, where terrorists are trained and insurgents strike across the border. We will not tolerate a terrorist sanctuary."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
And, historically, Pakistan has tolerated, or in some cases, funded the mujahideen ... because they think it's somehow helpful to them in Kashmir. We have to have an honest conversation about how counter-productive that is."
And if they don't take the hint, whadda you gonna do about it?
Sen. John McCain and his surrogates continued to press their attack Monday against Democrat Barack Obama for failing to visit wounded troops in Germany while he toured Europe last week.
Frank Donatelli, the deputy chairman of the Republican National Committee, pressed the case on morning talk shows, saying Sen. Obama has given a series of different explanations for the decision.
In an e-mail from McCain's campaign this morning, a retired army soldier who spent time at the Ramstein Air Base hospital after being injured in combat ramped up the criticism of Obama for choosing not to visit.
"I've spent time at Ramstein recovering from wounds received in the service of my country, and I'm sure that Senator Obama could have made no better use of his time than to meet with our men and women in uniform there," said retired Chief Warrant Officer Michael J. Durant. "That Barack Obama believes otherwise casts serious doubt on his judgment and calls into question his priorities."
Obama and his aides have said the senator was planning to visit the troops but decided at the last minute that it would be seen as too political, especially after contact from Pentagon officials questioning whether an Obama aide was part of the campaign.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2008 00:00 ||
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GUANTANAMO BAY US NAVAL BASE, Cuba- Prosecutors in the trial of Osama bin LadenÂ’s driver unveiled a graphic video on Monday of the Sept. 11 attacks and other Al Qaeda operations that is likely to play a repeated role in pending war crimes cases.
The video is entitled ‘The Al Qaeda Plan,’ an echo of ‘The Nazi Plan’ made by Oscar-winning director George Stevens as evidence in the Nuremberg war crimes trials of German leaders after World War II.
Nice touch. Perhaps they'll release the film to the public? I think the entire country could do with a viewing or three ...
‘Oh my God’ was heard repeatedly as crowds watched the twin towers of the World Trade center collapse on Sept. 11, 2001, in a vivid highlight of the movie shown over defense objections at the terrorism conspiracy trial of Salim Hamdan.
The six-member panel that will decide HamdanÂ’s fate also saw footage of charred bodies stripped of flesh in the bombings of two US embassies in Africa and the body of a US soldier dragged through the streets in Somalia in 2003. Control tower conversations with one of the doomed Sept. 11 planes were also included.
‘The Al Qaeda Plan’ was made for $25,000 by terrorism consultant Evan Kohlmann for the Office of Military Commissions, which is conducting the trials of terrorism suspects at Guantanamo. Its 90 minutes of video clips depict the history of Al Qaeda from its formation in 1988 through the Sept. 11 attacks.
The commissionÂ’s lead prosecutor, Col. Lawrence Morris, said the tape would be used in other trials but no decision had been made whether to use it in the trial of accused Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed.
Hamdan’s attorneys objected that the footage would prejudice the jury. ‘They’re trying to terrorize the members,’ defense attorney Charles Swift told the court.
The jury consists of military officers. I doubt they'll be 'terrified'.
But prosecutors said the video helped illustrate the goals of Al Qaeda training and ideology. ‘It is a very important part of the prosecution’s case,’ said prosecutor Clayton Trivett.
Commission Judge Keith Allred approved the video, after first saying it would serve more to prejudice the case than to prove a point. ‘The planes crashing into the towers and the people screaming doesn’t prove anything,’ he said.
A pivotal point of contention is the significance of HamdanÂ’s role in Al Qaeda. The Yemeni native was caught in November 2001 with two surface-to-air missiles in his car. Defense attorneys say he was a lowly driver, but the prosecution has sought to portray him as a trusted bodyguard who helped bin Laden evade capture and stay alive.
The two sides have also skirmished over an expertÂ’s testimony on the laws of war. With Hamdan being tried as a war criminal under a 2006 US law, the prosecution is seeking to show the United States was in a continuing armed conflict with Al Qaeda well before the Sept. 11 attacks. HamdanÂ’s attorneys have sought to demonstrate that the battle with Al Qaeda did not reach the state of armed conflict until the Sept. 11 attacks, which could make it harder for the prosecution to prove HamdanÂ’s actions count as a war crime.
Other than the USS Cole, the embassy bombings and the Khyber barracks, who'd ever think al-Qaeda was at war with us? Oh yeah, they said they were ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/29/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
The Yemeni native was caught in November 2001 with two surface-to-air missiles in his car.
A TV report says that the Indian Air Force has confirmed that the Pakistani Air Force warplanes had violated Indian airspace on at least three occasions in May and June. The Indian Air Force has now got itself into operational readiness after a pattern of air space violation was seen.
According to Times Now , three intrusions were reported in Pathankot sector. After these intrusions, the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the Indian Army - General Sekhon - spoke with his Pakistan counterpart - Major General Ahmed Pasha.
However, the warplanes did not penetrate deep into the Indian airspace. The Air force is ensuring operational readiness in four key places in the Western Air Command.
Fali Major, Air Chief, confirming to the reports of airspace violation said, "As usual our operational readiness is in place. They man three or four places in western air command which stretches from Kashmir to Rajasthan. This has been the norm throughout. But, we have not taken extra precautions because we know how these intrusions took place, and why they happened.”
Posted by: john frum ||
07/29/2008 14:04 ||
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After these intrusions, the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the Indian Army - General Sekhon - spoke with his Pakistan counterpart - Major General Ahmed Pasha.
Hey, Ahmed? Next time? They're dead men.
Have a nice day.
#2
Naughty, naughty, but I think they may be playing with fire. Those 15 year old F-16s we just sold them wont hold up for long against 5th gen Sukhoi S-37s.
#3
See also WAFF.com > GRECO-TURKIC "DOGFIGHTS" OVER SOUTHEAST AEGEAN . Greek RF-4's versus Turkic AF F-16's refight the TROJAN WAR in simulation vv inter-nation airspace violations???
No casualties despite testy moments - F-4's reportedly sent F16's packing???
#1
proposed by BDM Corporation (Subsidiary of FORD), Intelligence Analysts), under the New World Order.
So that's why Ford is losing so much money. Instead of building cars they were busy hobnobbing with the Illuminati and planning the new world order with the father of Bushitler...
Posted by: john frum ||
07/29/2008 14:12 Comments ||
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The "abject dismemberment" of Pak sounds like a pretty good idea to me. Let the Indians have it back; they don't have any qualms about using the measures necessary to keep Muzzies in line.
With as many as 19 violations of the Line of Control (LoC) recorded since January 2008, India told Pakistan to respect the 2003 ceasefire agreement between the two countries.
Don't make us come up there!
"The increase in ceasefire violations and firings across the LoC is a matter of concern to India," Defence Minister A K Antony said in a statement, a day after Army troops repulsed a Pakistani incursion in the Nowgam sector of northern Kashmir which left one Indian soldier dead.
Attributing the large number of violations with attempts to infiltrate militants, Antony said the situation along the 742-km LoC is being constantly reviewed.
Taliban in the Bajaur tribal district split into two factions after infighting between two militant organisations in Mohmand Agency led to the killing of eight members of one group on July 18.
Pro-Baitullah Mehsud Taliban leader Umer Khalid killed eight members from the Shah Sahib militant group, including its chief and deputy chief, on July 18. "We, four commanders, are resigning from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) over the killing of mujahideen in Mohmand Agency," Salar Masood, a spokesman for the four commanders, told Daily Times on Monday. "We will form our own group -- Tehreek-e-Taliban Al Jihad -- to continue jihad against the United States," Masood said on the phone from an undisclosed location in the Bajaur region. Maulvi Munir, Dr Abdul Wahab and Maulvi Abdul Hameed are the three other commanders who left the TTP. "Innocent mujahideen were killed in Mohmand. This is against shariah. Mujahideen do not kill innocent people," Masood said.
Then his lips fell off.
He charged the Baitullah Mehsud-led TTP with "deviating" from the real cause of fighting the Americans inside Afghanistan. "We took up the matter with Baitullah Mehsud but he did not take our concern seriously," he said.
"Pooh! Be off with you!"
The rift between the Taliban, according to observers, would weaken Baitullah Mehsud. They believe the infighting among militant organisations would help the government exploit the situation. "Taliban leader in Bajaur Maulvi Faqir must be upset at this development because the four commanders are quite influential," the observers said on condition of anonymity.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2008 00:00 ||
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Good. Maybe they'll be too busy killing each other to bother anybody else.
We do not fear the threatening statements by militants and anyone challenging the government's writ would be dealt with an iron hand, NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti said on Monday.
Talking to journalists after chairing a meeting of the provincial cabinet, Hoti said the provincial government would join hands with the federal government to tackle terrorism.
He said the NWFP government was fully aware of the people's safety and security needs and would not allow anyone to disturb the law and order. He said there was no need to take dictation from the United States and the Awami National Party-led government would only accept the people's dictation.
Hoti said the peace agreement with Swat militants was intact and there would be no operation in Swat if peace was restored there. He said some elements were trying to sabotage the peace agreement with militants in Swat, but the provincial government would take those elements head on.
Militant chief Maulana Fazlullah had earlier alleged that the government was being dictated by the US and demanded the troops' immediate withdrawal.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2008 00:00 ||
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Pakistan is not a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and as such, the group has no say in Pakistan's nuclear programme or its assets, Foreign Office spokesman Muhammad Sadiq said on Monday.
He told a weekly media briefing that the country had no relationship with the group. He said Pakistan's nuclear assets were fully secure and "followed the best international practices". Referring to the investigation into Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan's alleged role in nuclear proliferation, he said the issue's relevance to foreign policy had been resolved several years ago. Recent statements in the media were only important in a domestic context, he added.
The spokesman said the country needed energy and civilian nuclear power plants would help in that regard. "Pakistan is interested in co-operating with other countries to produce nuclear power under the proper safeguards," he said. Referring to the nuclear deal between India and the United States, the spokesman said that Pakistan's stance on the matter was clear. The country's national security interests were supreme and the government would do whatever was necessary to protect them, APP reported him as saying.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2008 00:00 ||
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They sound so responsible and level headed that I'll not give it another thought. After all, if you can't trust the Pakistanis who the hell can you trust.
The government would ensure safety for the management and staff of Daily Times and Daily Aaj Kal, Federal Information Minister Sherry Rehman said in an interview aired on Monday. Talking to ARY One World, Sherry said it was the responsibility of the government to protect and support the two newspapers. Daily Times and Aaj Kal Editor-in-Chief Najam Sethi understands that intolerance resulted from wrong policies of the previous government, Sherry said. She expressed the hope that the papers would not succumb to the threats of 'intolerant elements'. Talking about Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani's visit to the United States, Sherry said the visit was aimed at strengthening people-to-people contact between the two countries. Pakistan would not allow its soil to be used for terrorist activities, she said, adding that similarly no foreign country could be allowed to strike inside Pakistan.
Najam Sethi, if you haven't been paying particular attention, is my hero. He's the publisher of both the Pak Daily Times, whose copyright we batter on a pretty much daily basis, and The Friday Times, from whence come our occasional Nuggets from the Urdu Press. He's a man of learning, wit, and what looks like more than his share of personal bravery, since he shows the learning and the wit in the land of honor killings, Dire Revenge™, and kabooms, where life, already cheap, is regularly discounted.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2008 00:00 ||
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Any hero of Fred's is a hero of mine. Salute, Najam Sethi.
Note to Mr. Sethi: Don't trust government "protection". Buy your own men, and maybe send your family to Omaha or Poughkeepsie.
Repeated United States missile strikes in Pakistan can harm relations between the two countries, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Tariq Majid told a visiting US commander on Monday.
The necessity for such strikes is harming them now, isn't it?
"Expressing concern over repeated cross-border missile attacks/firing by coalition and Afghan forces, General Tariq said that our sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected," an ISPR statement quoted Tariq as telling Acting CENTCOM chief Lieutenant General Martin Dempsey.
Statements that al-Qaeda isn't headquartered in FATA or NWFP make the Pak government look not only devious but stoopid. Our banging an al-Qaeda big turban every month or two merely validates the appearance.
"Any violation in this regard could be detrimental to bilateral relations," it added.
It's a detriment that runs mostly in one direction. When you play with fire, gasoline's a lousy cologne.
Majid "also re-emphasised that Pakistan's armed forces are capable of handling any challenges to our security", it added.
"The fact that they haven't done so is beside the point."
Majid said that it was important to give the political process a chance to reach a 'real' solution to terrorism. The statement said that Majid also conveyed reservations against Afghan allegations of Pakistani involvement in the recent bombing of the Indian embassy in Kabul. Dempsey also called on COAS General Ashfaq Kayani.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2008 00:00 ||
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Al Qaeda is a national treasure. Bomb Islamabad instead.
President Bush praised Pakistan's commitment to fighting the Taliban and other extremists along its deteriorating border with Afghanistan on Monday, only hours after an American missile strike destroyed a militant outpost in that region, killing six, according to administration and Pakistani officials.
Mr. Bush, meeting with Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani at the White House, sought to minimize the administration's concerns about Pakistan's willingness to fight extremists along its border with Afghanistan.
Senior American officials, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice just three days ago, have publicly urged Pakistan to do more to deny safe havens to extremists and terrorists, like the one bombed on Monday.
With Mr. Gilani standing beside him on the South Lawn, Mr. Bush instead praised Pakistan as "a strong ally and a vibrant democracy" and expressed appreciation for "the prime minister's strong words against the extremists and terrorists."
"We talked about the need for us to make sure that the Afghan border is secure, as best as possible," Mr. Bush said before the two leaders began a private lunch. "Pakistan has made a very strong commitment to that."
The latest missile strike, however, underscored the increasing turmoil along that border. The strike, apparently carried out by an unpiloted drone, killed at least six people in a compound in Pakistan's tribal regions near the Afghan border Monday, including a senior Al Qaeda operative, residents and officials in the area said.
The missile strike was one of several in Pakistan's lawless tribal areas this year that have been aimed at Al Qaeda members. One Pakistani security official and a resident in the area said the attack might have killed a trainer and weapons expert known as Abu Khabab al-Misri, though there was no confirmation of that. The same expert was reported killed in a similar raid in January 2006.
A spokesman of the National Counterterrorism Center in Washington, Carl Kropf, declined to comment on the missile strike. Another American official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of diplomatic sensitivities of attacking targets in Pakistan, said if that Qaeda expert had been killed in the attack -- and officials were still awaiting confirmation -- it would deal Al Qaeda a significant blow. "This guy is one of their absolute key specialists in poisons and explosives," said the official. "He was also a key trainer of people involved in operations inside and outside the tribal areas."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2008 00:00 ||
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Loyalists within Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's militia network call it the "martyrs' list," and it's long and growing: At least three dozen senior members killed in slayings or fighting since last summer and nearly 60 others detained.
The internal document — obtained by The Associated Press — offers a rare look at how the top echelon of the Mahdi Army militia is assessing the sustained blows to its once-mighty shadow state and the challenges to its absentee leader al-Sadr, who is holed up in Iran.
It also underscores the twin pressures on al-Sadr's followers.
Shiite rivals are waging gangland-style hits with diminishing fear of reprisals. Iraqi-led forces, meanwhile, are pressing their advantage against al-Sadr's weakened network — militia cells, quasi-civic groups and street-level operatives who have all crafted reputations as the champions of the Shiite poor.
Each chip in al-Sadr's power base seems to tip the scales a bit more in favor of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his pro-American allies. Most important, the shifts give the government more confidence and room to widen its influence over Shiite politics, the key to control of the country.
As recently as this spring, the Mahdi Army still looked to be gaining ground on its dream of influencing Iraqi affairs the way Hezbollah exerts itself in Lebanon. Now, the al-Sadr leadership is penning more names onto its list and looking how to rebound.
The latest entry in the martyrs' list was July 18 after gunmen waited at a highway choke point to ambush Sheik Saffaa al-Lami, a midlevel al-Sadr functionary who headed the office in the New Baghdad neighborhood in the eastern part of the capital.
He joined 35 other names, including Riyadh al-Nouri, the director of al-Sadr's office in the southern city of Najaf — the spiritual and operational center of al-Sadr's forces where the Mahdi Army fought street-by-street battles with U.S. troops in 2004. Al-Nouri was gunned down in April as he returned from Friday prayers.
The list also has at least 58 midlevel to senior figures and militia commanders who have been detained by U.S. or Iraqi forces.
The al-Sadr leadership began the tally last summer to count perceived abuses after the Mahdi Army declared a shaky truce. Many of the incidents on the list were widely reported, but some could not be independently confirmed.
"No doubt we are facing pressures," Sheik Salah al-Obeidi, spokesman for the al-Sadr movement, told the AP. "Each time we are hit, it encourages others to do the same. But, I assure you, we are not going to break or disappear."
The Madhi Army has never released figures on its membership, but the Iraq Study Group in December 2006 estimated it could have ranged as high as 60,000 fighters. Defections and feuds suggest the current number is smaller.
The Iraqi government, meanwhile, also is gaining some breathing space on another front as al-Qaida in Iraq and other Sunni insurgents are down to only a few key footholds around Iraq.
So who is hunting the al-Sadr ranks?
The targeted slayings are widely blamed on power struggles between al-Sadr's militia and government-allied Shiite groups, which have been mostly absorbed into the security forces.
Meanwhile, al-Sadr's own foundations may be cracking.
Some factions are drifting into the government's fold before important provincial elections, which could come late this year. The mainline al-Sadr forces do not plan to field candidates.
"There is a perception of weakness around al-Sadr now and people will take advantage of that," said Marina Ottaway, director of the Middle East program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington.
The Mahdi Army is also on its heels after a series of Iraqi-led offensives that began in March in the southern oil hub of Basra. It then spread to other al-Sadr strongholds, including Baghdad's Sadr City — named for the cleric's father.
The security forces said the main target was breakaway militia groups backed by Iran and not the regular Mahdi Army. But the net effect left the Madhi Army uprooted in its main areas.
Al-Sadr, however, has been an outside observer from the Iranian seminary city of Qom since last year. His aides say he is engaged in religious study. But his absence from Iraq has opened speculation that Tehran could want to bolster ties with al-Makiki and doesn't want the firebrand al-Sadr in the mix.
Al-Obeidi would not elaborate on al-Sadr's self-exile. But he acknowledged: "It encourages our enemies."
No military commander is ready to dismiss the chance of a Mahdi Army resurgence. But its current trajectory shows how much — and how rapidly — its fortunes have changed.
The ambush of Sheik al-Lami offers something of a roadmap to the Madhi Army's diminished grip.
Until about May, the New Baghdad district where he was killed was fully under the control of Mahdi Army checkpoints and patrols that flew banners of al-Sadr. Iraqi forces now move through the area at will.
At his funeral procession, a few hardline Mahdi Army militants chanted against the Iraqi military, calling them occupiers. A shopkeeper, who gave his name only as Ahmed, watched the cortege and dismissed it with a wave of his hand.
"The Mahdi Army acted like kings here and not like helpers of the people," he complained.
Ahmed — still too fearful of Madhi Army backers to give his full name — said the al-Sadr network had controlled nearly everything from the price of cooking fuel to what type of displays appeared in store windows. He put up a poster of al-Sadr to avoid any trouble.
In many places around Baghdad, the former swagger of al-Sadr's followers has given way to worries about trying to hold the movement together.
On Friday in Sadr City, an imam finished prayers by chastising members of al-Sadr's bloc in parliament for appearing to abandon the former Mahdi Army strongholds.
"They stay away like they are strangers," said Sattar al-Battat. "Either they rally to our side or we should cast them off." MacGyver just ordered you another pallet of toilet paper.
Maliki is NOT 'pro-American'! He is only pro-Maliki. But that makes him anti-Sadr (and anti-al Qaeda), and 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend', especially in that part of the world.
Apparently the Air Force is desperate enough for good press that they made a deal with the NYT ...
The commander of American and allied air forces in the Middle East has completed a detailed plan for how air power would be refocused in Iraq if, as is widely anticipated, the number of American ground troops was reduced in the final months of the Bush presidency and beyond.
The commander, Lt. Gen. Gary North, described a future approach that would rely on jet fighters and bombers to help ensure the safety of American troops who remain behind to train Iraqis as the number of allied ground combat troops decreased.
Gee: our fighters and bombers would support the guys on the ground. Johnson, stop the presses!
In addition, surveillance aircraft would take on an ever increasing role in spotting adversaries, while transport planes would continue to support a growing Iraqi military, which for now is not capable of supplying itself.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/29/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Sorry. Let me be the first.
Who on this board ever saw sufficiently coordinated involvement by the AF that would warrant a success proclamation for their planning?
(VOI) - Police forces on Monday imposed a curfew from 5:00 p.m. on Monday until 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday after the security incidents in the city, a security source said. "Commander of the Kirkuk police General Jamal Taher gave the order to impose the curfew as of 5:00 p.m. today until 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday," the source, who asked for anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI). "The curfew will include people and a ban on vehicles," he explained. A total of 22 persons were killed and 150 others were wounded when a suicide bomber blew himself up among a crowd of demonstrators in downtown Kirkuk.
More than five thousand people took to the streets in Kirkuk, condemning the passage of the provincial council elections law, which includes an article postponing the city's elections. On Tuesday, the Iraqi Parliament, with the approval of 127 deputies out of 140 who attended the session, passed the law on provincial council elections.
On Wednesday, the Presidential Board, with the unanimity of President Jalal Talabani and his two deputies Adel Abdelmahdi and Tareq al-Hashimi, rejected the law in a rapid reaction one day after the Iraqi Parliament passed it during a session that raised hue and cry over its constitutionality.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Hey, today is Tuesday. So what's this?
"On Wednesday, the Presidential Board, with the unanimity of President Jalal Talabani and his two deputies Adel Abdelmahdi and Tareq al-Hashimi, rejected the law in a rapid reaction one day after..."
Future tense? Alternate reality? I am out of sync with the universe? (Hey, could be.)
Possibly they meant Tuesday?
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
07/29/2008 15:10 Comments ||
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#2
Which time zone is Iraq in, Whiskey Mike? Could it be tomorrow there already?
(VOI) Today, Staff General Abdul-Kareem al-Rubaee, the Diala operations commander, was dismissed and replaced by General Salim al-Itaibi, the Iraqi army 5th division's commander," the source told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI) on condition of anonymity. The source did not mention further details. But Lieutenant Colonel Isam Abdullah, the Iraqi army 5th division's media director, told VOI that this news is incorrect, without mentioning further details.
Diala operations command was formed in 2007, and it consists of the Iraqi army 5th division, and Diala police command. A U.S troops commander on Sunday said Iraqi troops are preparing to launch a large-scale offensive in the volatile province of Diala in August.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2008 00:00 ||
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[reported by NYPost]
Barack Obama carried out a secret assignment during his global tour last week.... the presumptive Democratic nominee slipped a note to Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.
The private message: Help an anguished Chicago mother get her daughters back.
Obama detailed the plight of Colleen Bargouthi, 36. She says that for the last year, her four daughters have been held in the Palestinian territories, made to wear headdresses and schooled in Islam by their Muslim father, Yasser Shibli...
----------------
If true, then Well-Done Senator Obama.
#2
Unless this alleged action was fully coordinated with diplomatic and US State Dept entities, he's once again out of his lane. Buyer BEWARE! In Islamic countries the children BELONG to the father. My sympathy for this barking moonbat...ZERO!
#6
Bargouthi's daughter's range in age from five to 11 years old and traveled with their 15-year-old brother, mother and father to his native Palestine in June of 2007 to visit their grandmother. The visit was supposed to be just a six weeks long. The woman says it was around Christmas 2007, after she repeatedly requested to come back to the United States, that her 38-year-old husband Yasser - who she had been married to for 15 years - abruptly announced he was keeping the girls with him in Ramallah and then threw her out of his family's home.
"My husband put two guns to my head and told me I could pick which gun I wanted to be killed with, which one would be better aim and would kill me more quickly and he made it clear that he could kill me and no one would know the difference," said Bargouthi.
Bet ya he promised you the world, right, Colleen? Welcome to the price of being stupid.
#7
Colleen could never have imagined the turn of events her life has taken. She was Colleen Davis when she met Yasser, a grocery-store manager, in 1993 through a friend while she worked as a waitress at Midway Airport.
He was a Muslim and she a Baptist, but he told her it was not an issue. She made her religious beliefs clear to his clan and got their blessing before the two married in a Christian ceremony 15 years ago.
Six months later, they traveled to Ramallah and she was welcomed into the family. "I always told him that I was a Christian and would remain one, and that any children we had would be raised Christian," she says. The couple settled in a Chicago suburb with her son, Ricky, from a previous marriage and had four daughters, Emily, 11, Hannah, 8, Amanda, 6 and Sarah, 5.
Colleen was a stay-at-home mom and her husband became manager of a cellphone store. The couple bought a house in 1999 but sold it when they couldn't make the payments.
Her husband rarely spoke about his religion and never went to mosque services, she said. Their children attended Cedar Lake Community Christian school.
The couple returned to Ramallah for a family visit and were there on Sept. 11, 2001. They were unable to return home for months and Colleen gave birth there to her fourth child, Amanda. "Things were so politicized at that time. It was frightening," said Bargouthi. "I had to walk through a checkpoint when I went into labor."
She told her husband she never wanted to return to the Palestinian territories. But in a nightmare ordeal, he packed up his wife and the five kids for a third trip to Ramallah in June 2007. "He really wanted to go, and I trusted him, and assumed we'd all come back from this trip, as we had the others," she said.
Almost immediately, tensions arose between the formerly happily married pair. "He said right away that he didn't want to go home again," Colleen said. He enrolled all five children in a private American school and signed them up for Islamic religion classes. "I protested, but it didn't matter . . . When I refused to put headdresses on my daughters, the school said they would fail. Eventually, I pulled them out," Colleen said. "He felt it was better for the girls to be raised in an Islamic society and not in America." He demanded that she convert to Islam and grew angry over her refusal, and began to get abusive.
Colleen turned to the US Consulate in Jerusalem for help, and discovered that he had gotten Palestinian passports for the girls.
After months of arguments and altercations, the couple agreed that he'd return the girls to her in America once she found a job. She and her son Ricky arrived back in Chicago in May. Within 24 hours, she had opened a child-custody case with the US State Department.
She took night shifts driving a cab and tried to plan the return of her daughters. Her husband now refuses. Colleen speaks to them once a day by speaker phone as he listens and cuts off the conversation if she brings up topics he considers taboo. She has hired two lawyers, human-rights professor Anthony D'Amato and Bob Pavich of PSA International, a global consulting firm. "There's no legal precedent in this situation, because we're dealing in an area where we don't have established diplomatic relations," Pavich said. "We needed Senator Obama's help to try and break through the legal and diplomatic walls."
Having Obama as her advocate was Colleen's wildest fantasy come true. "I'm just extraordinarily pleased with what he's done for me," she said. "It makes me feel wonderful - one step closer to my daughters."
Not long after she got word from Obama's camp about his efforts, the phone rang again. It was her estranged husband. He reportedly told her, "Fuck Washington, fuck Obama and fuck you!"
#8
Not long after she got word from Obama's camp about his efforts, the phone rang again. It was her estranged husband. He reportedly told her, "Fuck Washington, fuck Obama and fuck you!"
He's in trouble now! He'll have to answer to Reggie Love for that one.
Barack "all politics, all the time" Obama wants to be SEEN doing good, not doing good. This, cameras and wounded vets, wailing wall prayers etc. And that's just been THIS month. BO is a serial scumbag.
Posted by: Bin thinking again ||
07/29/2008 19:50 Comments ||
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Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak met Monday with US Defense Secretary Robert Gates for talks that an Israeli adviser said would focus on the threat posed by Iran's nuclear program.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman confirmed that Gates and Barak met at the Pentagon but would provide no details on the substance of the discussions.
"They met for about an hour," he said. "The meeting was part of standard defense consultations."
The meeting comes amid a continuing diplomatic impasse with Iran over its nuclear program and just two days after Tehran announced that its uranium enrichment facility in Natanz has now expanded to 6,000 centrifuges.
In an interview with Israeli public radio, Amos Gilad, a senior adviser to Barak, said the defense minister would "discuss the threat posed by the Iranian nuclear programme."
"This is a very important visit. Israel cannot tolerate living under an Iranian nuclear threat," Gilad said. "For the moment our priority is the diplomatic track, but Israel has to be prepared to use all options."
Barak also was expected to meet with Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and members of Congress, according to Israeli officials.
Barak's visit to the Pentagon was held without the usual honor cordon or other trappings of a typical ministerial visit to the Pentagon.
"He's come here several times, and we haven't done honor cordons before. He has a longstanding relationship with the secretary," Whitman said of Barak.
In another low-profile visit, the chief of staff of the Israeli Defense Forces, Lieutenant General Gabi Ashkenazi, met Thursday at the Pentagon with Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
Mullen's spokesman said they had "cordial and candid" discussions of issues of mutual concern, which included a wide array of security issues in the Middle East.
MOSCOW - A new generation of portable Russian grenade launchers that can fire multi-sized rounds and punch through tank armour will be built in Jordan from next year, a Russian defence contractor Bazalt said on Monday. It said talks to produce the Hashim RPG-32, a shoulder-fired grenade launcher, had been going on since 2007 when the company demonstrated the weapon for Jordan's King Abdullah.
"A joint operation created by Russia and Jordan is planning to start RPG-32 production in Jordan from next year. After that Jordan will be able to sell its production independently," Bazalt Director Vladimir Korenkov told Reuters.
Lovely. Wonder where they'll go ...
The Hashim, which can fire both large armour-piercing and smaller people-killing projectiles, was listed by the U.S. Army this year as part of its intelligence brief on 'Assymetrical Threats to Current and Future U.S. Forces'.
Bazalt representatives said the Hashim can destroy any armoured vehicle at up to 700 metres. During the 2006 Lebanese-Israeli war, Israel said its high armour losses were in part connected to Lebanese Islamists using Russian anti-tank RPG-29 grenade launchers manufactured by Bazalt and supplied by Iran.
Jordan has financed development of the Hashim launcher since 2005, although development and manufacturing has been overseen entirely by Bazalt specialists, a company representative said. The Jordanian factory will assemble the Hashims from parts delivered from Russia. Partial production will take place in Jordan.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/29/2008 00:00 ||
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Jakarta (AsiaNews) – Police evacuated the Christian Theological Arastamar Institute (STT SETIA) which is located in an eastern district of the Indonesian capital after it suffered damages during clashes between Christians and Muslims over the week-end. At least 1,500 students were moved to nearby police headquarters and a local Christian-based political party. The situation remains critical and further violence between opposite factions cannot be ruled out. Oh, I'd bet on it...
“The school foundation urged us to intervene to protect people,” said East Jakarta District Police Chief Senior Superintendent. “For this reason we moved everyone out.” When can we come back?
We'll...let you know.
Last night hundreds of residents from the village of Kampung Pulo had taken up arms threatening to storm the school after being instigated by an imam at a local mosque who claimed that a bunch of Christian gangsters were coming to “protect” the school after it was attacked on Saturday by a Muslim mob, causing damage to the building and hurting hundreds. Christian gangsters?
In an attempt to solve the problem East Jakarta District Chief Murdani held a close door meeting with the warring parties to discuss the issue. At the same time though, he said that police would conduct a thorough investigation and check if the schoolÂ’s legal status was in order and that it respected all building regulations. In case of violations he would issue orders to demolish the unlawful structures. Think I can see where this one's going.
At present hundreds of agents are guarding the school and have orders to stop any act of violence and disarm people. Ooooooops, looks like we missed that one. Sorry, kid...
The Arastamar High School for Theology and Biblical Studies, locally known as STT SETIA, was established by Rev Mathew Mangentang in 1987. The SST SETIA has more than 29 branches school across the country. In Jakarta alone it has thousands of students, including 265 who were injured in latest clashes.
Tensions between Christians and Muslims flared up on Saturday following rumours that a SETIA student had stolen a motorcycle that belonged to a Muslim from a neighbouring village. An INFIDEL stole my "cycle of violence"! Senny Manafe, a spokesperson for the school, rejected the accusation, claiming instead that the attacks were triggered by a trivial incident. In an attempt to chase a mouse in the street, a student threw a slipper against a house owned by a local Muslim. Outraged by the deed, the latter kicked and punched the student as people gathered drawn by the rumour that a Christian student had tried to steal the MuslimÂ’s motorbike. Well...at least they had a good reason.
“Many students suffered various injuries to the head. Others were burnt by Molotov cocktails,” Manafe said. Just doing The Prophets work...
The violence and charges against SETIA are the work of Risman Hadi, chairman of Muslim Brotherhood Forum of Kampung Pulo Village, who in the past opposed the opening and continued existence of the Christian institute. Looks like Risman's got a fine future in the ROP...
#2
Here's my question, and it's a good one.
Don't Christians own machetes, clubs, empty bottles that can be filled with gasoline and thrown at muslims? It sounds like fight or die for Christians all over the world, and they don't sound like they are playing to win.
#4
At some point the Hindu Nationalists in India are gonna get into the War on Terror big time. When that happens I suspect the Hindu Minority in Indonesia will come into play in ways the Muslims do not like.
Personally I suspect Indonesia will not survive the next few decades as a nation. They are too ethnically, religiously, and geographically seperate.
#5
I am so tired of this continuing nonsense and the neverending one way street. The next time a natural disaster occurs in a Muslim nation, let the bastards die. If every single Indonesian were to die tomorrow, what would the impact be on the rest of the world? Not much.
# Lawyers for bombers say executions amount to torture
# Plan to launch fresh legal challenge next week Bali bombing victim's dad: 'I'm not surprised'
LAWYERS for three Islamic militants on death row over the 2002 Bali bombings today flagged a new legal challenge to their impending executions. Defence lawyer Mahendradatta foreshadowed a Constitutional Court challenge next week, arguing the convicted terrorists could suffer unnecessary pain if they do not die immediately when the lethal punishment is carried out.
It is seen as another attempt to delay the executions of Amrozi, his brother Mukhlas and Imam Samudra, who could be executed at any time over the 2002 Bali bombings, which killed 202 people including 88 Australians. The three will face an Indonesian firing squad, and would be shot a second time if the first bullet does not kill them instantly, Mahendradatta said.
"We are not closing our eyes to the possibility of Amrozi being executed,'' he told reporters. ''(But) there's time when the convicted will feel pain until he is shot a second time.
"Amrozi was sentenced to death, not to be tortured.
"On Tuesday or Wednesday at least we will submit a material challenge to the Constitutional Court about this law.''
The comments could spark anger among families of the 202 people killed in the Bali bombings organised by the three terrorists, who have never expressed remorse for their non-Muslim victims.
"We will seek the execution without pain - we have to encourage the government and legislators to find a way to execute without pain,'' he added.
A spokesman for the Attorney-General's Office would not say whether it would delay proceedings. "The law has been applied and ... the executions will still be based on that law,'' he said.
Lawyers for the three have previously launched legal challenges when their executions have drawn near, resulting in delays. Security is tight around their island prison home as authorities continue with their preparations for the execution.
Bambang Winahyo, the head of Central Java's Justice Office, said authorities were expecting about 15 supporters of the Islamic hardliners to try to reach Nusakambangan Island, off Central Java. "We are coordinating with police to guard the Wijayapura port,'' he said. "Only those who have a relationship with Amrozi, like their families and lawyers, will be allowed in.
"The others cannot - journalists also are not allowed to see them.'' He said no extra security was needed "because the prison itself is already in the middle of the sea''.
Bali prosecutors had visited Batu prison to again ask whether the three would seek clemency from the president but were told by the head of the facility that "the three of them have rejected clemency'', he added.
#5
Well hell just do what the Brits supposedly did in India.
Tie them over the muzzle of a cannon and pull the string. I guarantee they won't need a second shot. You could even wrap them in pig skin to keep them warm.
#7
Jakarta (AsiaNews) - According to Islamic law, it is better "to die by decapitation than by gunshot", and no "repentance or regret" must be shown over violence committed "in the name of holy war". This is the "spiritual testament" of Imam Samudra, one of the three people responsible for the massacre in Bali in 2002, in which more than 200 people died. The three are awaiting judgment from the Indonesian authorities.
"Until I die, I will show no repentance for my actions", the terrorist is believed to have said to his brother Lulu Jamaluddin during a recent conversation at the maximum-security prison on the island of Nusakambangan, in central Java. He also added that a holy war, conducted through "the use of bombs" and suicide bombing attacks, is "blessed by God", for which reason he will never make "appeals to clemency" to avoid the death penalty.
According to a defense attorney, the men have asked for judgment to be carried out according to "the dictates of sharia", which provides for death by decapitation: another sign of their effort to "promote the values of Islamic law until the end, even at the point of death: dying by decapitation is a blessing". The lawyer also added that the island of Bali was chosen for the attack because it was under siege by hundreds of "infidels", meaning American citizens and their closest allies, including the English and Australians, who crowd the island's beaches and nightclubs every year.
From Jakarta, another lawyer for the three men has asked for the sentence to be overturned, because "the country's supreme court did not follow the correct procedures to apply the death penalty". This position was immediately rejected by Andul Hakim Ritonga, the deputy attorney general for the district, according to whom "everything was done according to the law" and only "the last bureaucratic formalities" remain to be arranged. He emphasizes that the site for the execution has already been chosen - the regency of Cilacap, in central Java - and that "we have submitted an official demand to Central Java Police and Bali Police HQ to make decisive actions to prepare their best shooters to do the job”.
The execution by firing squad should take place by the end of next month, before the beginning of the sacred month of Ramadan.
#15
My vote is to stake them out and set off a bomb near them. Some will die instantly; some will be badly injured and die slowly.
Sorta like their victims.
Posted by: Rambler in California ||
07/29/2008 14:10 Comments ||
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#16
My vote is to stake them out and set off a bomb near them. Some will die instantly; some will be badly injured and die slowly.
Sorta like their victims.
Posted by: Rambler in California ||
07/29/2008 14:11 Comments ||
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#17
Give them a typical jihadi punishment and decapitate the scum.
#18
Better yet, strap about 100kg of plastic explosives on them and detonate them in the center of a soccer stadium. Shouldn't hurt anymore than it hurt their victims.
TEHRAN (FNA)- Iran's Air Force commander said the country's military experts are capable of overhauling F-14 Tomcat fighter jets in a matter of 40 days.
Brigadier General Ahmad Miqani was quoted by press tv as saying on Monday that Iran's Air Force has achieved self-sufficiency in the repair, maintenance and overhaul of its equipment.
He added that Iranian military experts are capable of overhauling F-5 two-seaters, F-14 Tomcat fighter jets, 707 and 747 aircrafts with only forty days of work.
"We have upgraded our air force fleet, state-of-the-art radar-systems, and rocket launchers over the past few years," Brig. Gen. Miqani said, adding that the country would continue its efforts to reach the peak of its military capability.
The Iranian Air Force chief announced that the country is mass producing different types of drones used in reconnaissance missions, pinpointing enemy bases, and carrying explosives.
Iran has recently started the production of superior 'Quick Reaction' tanks to increase the country's defense self-sufficiency.
Iran has also developed an electro-optical surveillance system that can act as a viable alternative when radars fail to cover a particular range.
Brig. Gen. Miqani described recent enemy threats as mere psychological warfare but added that Iran is fully prepared to deliver a devastating blow to the enemy in the event of an attack on the country.
Israel and its close ally the United States accuse Iran of seeking a nuclear weapon, while they have never presented any corroborative document to substantiate their allegations. Both Washington and Tel Aviv possess advanced weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear warheads.
Iran vehemently denies the charges, insisting that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only. Tehran stresses that the country has always pursued a civilian path to provide power to the growing number of Iranian population, whose fossil fuel would eventually run dry.
Iran has also insisted that it would continue enriching uranium because it needs to provide fuel to a 300-megawatt light-water reactor it is building in the southwestern town of Darkhoveyn as well as its first nuclear power plant in the southern port city of Bushehr.
Tel Aviv and Washington have recently intensified their threats to launch military action against Iran to make Tehran drop what they allege to be a non-peaceful nuclear program, while a recent report by 16 US intelligence bodies endorsed the civilian nature of Iran's nuclear plans and activities.
Following the US National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) and similar reports by the IAEA head - one in November and the other one in February - which praised Iran's truthfulness about key aspects of its past nuclear activities and announced settlement of outstanding issues with Tehran, any effort to impose further sanctions or launch military attack on Iran seems to be completely irrational.
The February report by the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, praised Iran's cooperation in clearing up all of the past questions over its nuclear program, vindicating Iran's nuclear program and leaving no justification for any new UN sanctions.
The UN nuclear watchdog has so far carried out at least 14 surprise inspections of Iran's nuclear sites, but found nothing to support the allegations.
Following the said reports by the US and international bodies, many world states have called the UN Security Council pressure against Tehran unjustified, demanding that Iran's case must be normalized and returned from the UNSC to the IAEA.
Posted by: john frum ||
07/29/2008 16:08 ||
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Iran's Air Force commander said the country's military experts are capable of overhauling F-14 Tomcat fighter jets in a matter of 40 days.
AKA... they will become targets in a war and blown up on the ground.
July 9, 2008: On July 7th, an Iranian F-5 fighter crashed during a training exercise. One could understand that, as the F5 was an American built jet fighter Iran bought over three decades ago. Spare parts have been hard to come by, but Iran has managed, sort of.
The big problem is not the loss of three decade old U.S. jet fighters, but the many other older transports and airliners that have been going down. In the last six years, there have been at least a dozen crashes, leaving about 700 passengers and crew dead. Most of the downed aircraft were not American. Many of the lost aircraft were Russian, a nation that has no problems selling Iran aircraft parts. So what's the problem? Simple. Iranian aircraft maintenance sucks. That's because a lousy economy and a really bothersome lifestyle police have caused many technically skilled people to flee the country. Plenty of competent Iranian aircraft mechanics and engineers in southern California, not so many in Iran.
To make matters worse, anything involving aviation in Iran, gets a lot of attention from the secret police. Anyone of questionable loyalty to the clerical theocracy (that runs the country) is not suitable for key jobs (be they technical or managerial.) As a result, many organizations in Iran, especially government controlled ones, are poorly run. That can be fatal for passengers in Iranian aircraft. There are plenty of dead bodies and aircraft wreckage to prove it. It also says a lot about the readiness and capabilities of the ships and aircraft of the Iranian armed forces.
#8
I suspect the Iranian military still has a number of reasonably rational and, competent officers who have to be getting really nervous watching the improvement of the Iraqi armed forces. They have to know that they would be hard-pressed to fight Iraq to a draw if it came to war now, and they have to know that their religious nutcase leaders are capable of trying anything.
They, more than Ahmanidiot and his cohorts, are the natural allies of the current Maliki branch of Iraqi Shiites. Could be a way towards regime change in Iran? The product might be a little too powerful in the region for our tastes though. And such an alliance would seriously raise the pucker factor in KSA.
#9
Iran has the original F-14A with the Kapton wiring and the analog avionics, right? These things were basically hanger queens 20 years ago.
40 days to overhaul and repair is total BS.
Posted by: Bin thinking again ||
07/29/2008 19:57 Comments ||
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#10
Interesting point Glenmore. I noticed today that Iraq is going to get some C-130J's (latest variant). This is just the start of the Iraqi Air Force. Notice that the focus is on logistic capability...establishing the foundation first. Wonder if any of these will have a tanker capability...probably not as that might be a bit sensitive at this point. But capability is certainly going to increase and quickly. No doubt the Iranians see this and are puckering.
#11
I saw a postcard one time that had showed pictures of two ball peen hammers on it. They were of different sizes, probably 4 oz and 12 oz, hanging on a tool board. The caption under the small one was "Tuneup." The caption under the big one was "Overhaul."
For some reason, when the topic of Iranian fighter jet maintenance came up, that postcard came to mind...
#12
Couple paperclips, couple playing cards, it'll sound great!
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
07/29/2008 22:00 Comments ||
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#13
Glenmore is right, Iraq is well on its way to being a regional military superpower. No other country in the region or the Arab world will be able to challenge them (Turkey excluded).
In a far-ranging interview with New TV on Sunday, the head of the Democratic Gathering, MP Walid Jumblat, asked the leader of Hizbullah to salute Beirut, not to apologize to it. He called upon Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah "to salute Beirut, which is neither for March 8 nor for March 14, but is rather Beirut of the siege," which expelled Israel, "Beirut of the Palestinian resistance, and Beirut of the joint Lebanese-Palestinian struggle, the Beirut of diversity."
"I do not ask him to apologize, but rather to salute Beirut," the Druze leader said.
He said that divorce with Hizbullah is impossible and the March 14 alliance and the Shiite group must meet after formulating a clear relationship between the state and Hizbullah.
While Jumblat denied that his reception of released Lebanese prisoner Samir Qantar in Abey indicated that he had entered into an alliance with Hizbullah, he said one cannot be Lebanese "without Arabism and without Palestine."
Continued on Page 49
This article starring:
SAIYED HASAN NASRALLAH
Hizbullah
SAMIR QANTAR
Hizbullah
Walid Jumblat
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
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#1
LUCIANNE > AL QAEDA COMMANDER URGES KILLING OF SAUDI KING.
#2
Use of the Arabic language hardly connotes a unitary demographic group. American Indians and Hong Kong Chinese speak English, but hardly call for political unity with other speakers of the language. Jumblatt blamed Hizbollah for the Israeli invasion of 2006.
Why does Hizbollah and Hamas have power? WESTERN INDULGENCE. Future generations will pay for this negligence.
Syria's ambassador to the United States on Monday called for ending the "state of war" with longtime foe Israel, weeks after the two states announced the launch of indirect peace talks. "We desire to recognize each other and end the state of war," Imad Mustafa told a gathering of activists in Washington allied with Israel's Peace Now movement, in remarks broadcast on Israeli army radio. "Here is then a grand thing on offer. Let us sit together, let us make peace, let us end once and for all the state of war."
He added however that any peace agreement would depend on an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights, which the Jewish state occupied in the 1967 war and annexed in 1981.
His remarks came just two weeks after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said Damascus would establish "normal" relations with Israel, including the opening of embassies, if the Turkish-mediated talks lead to a peace deal. The launch of indirect talks between the two longtime enemies, who have technically been at war since 1948, was revealed in May, following an eight-year freeze in May.
The talks had previously foundered in 2000 on the question of the strategic Golan plateau, which runs down to the shores of the Sea of Galilee, Israel's main source of fresh water, and is currently home to some 20,000 Jewish settlers. Israel has demanded that Syria cut its ties with Hizbullah, the Palestinian Hamas movement, and other armed groups pledged to the Jewish state's demise, as well as distance itself from Iran.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2008 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[6 views]
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#2
Were it up to me, a continuation of such discussions would require the negotiators to sit in the same room, at the same table, with only one interpreter per side joining them. Turkey's involvement should end with providing that room and some cans of soda on a side table. It's time to stop accepting the Arab "Jews are icky" dramatics.
Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun on Monday defended Hizbullah, its weapons and leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah calling for bestowing parliamentary immunity on him although he is not a lawmaker.
Aoun, talking to reporters after the weekly meeting by members of his change and reform bloc, said Hizbullah "is not terrorist, no one has the right to label Hizbullah terrorist. Hizbullah weapons are resistance weapons and we would not give up our points of strength."
He described Nasrallah as the first Arab leader to have defeated Israel and "they should provide him with parliamentary immunity." He said Nasrallah is the only personality who should be followed.
"We shouldn't sit relaxed regarding the issue of naturalization," he said in reference to an alleged plot to naturalize Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
However, Aoun said the issue of "Hizbullah weapons should be tackled within the framework of the defense strategy." He urged Speaker Nabih Berri to call for a parliamentary session to ratify the Parliamentary constituencies as agreed during talks in Doha.
He described Nasrallah as the first Arab leader to have defeated Israel and "they should provide him with parliamentary immunity." He said Nasrallah is the only personality who should be followed.
Aoun declared support for the "case of those missing in Syrian jails and those who went missing at home." He said about 600-700 Lebanese citizens are believed missing. "Some of them did not reach Syria."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2008 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[7 views]
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Lebanon's former President Amin Gemayel visited Libya and met with the Libyan President Moammar Qadaffy to discuss the Lebanese situation. After the meeting on Sunday , Gemayel addressed reporters and called for Lebanese unity in order to face the Israeli problem. He said that solidarity will lead to the solutions to several issues in Lebanon, such as regaining the occupied land. Gemayel also said, "Libya is a state that is dear to Lebanon," and added. "This visit was necessary to discuss all Arab matters, including the Lebanese situation , with Commander Qadaffy."
Gemayel expressed concern over the way the Palestinian cause is dealt with in the Arab world and in Lebanon. "Consultations and coordination are needed in order to formulate a solid Arab strategy on the Palestinian issue and relations with the West," Gemayel said
Gemayel also called for a common defense strategy in order to face Israel. Gemayel did not explain what the Libyan leader could do to help Lebanon.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2008 00:00 ||
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Link ||
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#1
Right, cause Israel is always attacking you for no reason.
The United States can defeat Al Qaeda if it relies less on force and more on policing and intelligence to root out the terror group's leaders, a new study contended on Monday.
"Keep in mind that terrorist groups are not eradicated overnight," said the study by the federally-funded Rand Research Centre, an organisation that counsels the US Defence Department.
The report said that the use of military force by the US or other countries should be reserved for quelling large, well-armed and well-organised insurgencies, and that American officials should stop using the term "war on terror" and replace it with "counter-terrorism". "Terrorists should be perceived and described as criminals, not holy warriors, and our analysis suggests there is no battlefield solution to terrorism," said Seth Jones, the lead author of the study and a Rand political scientist.
"The US has the necessary instruments to defeat Al Qaeda, it just needs to shift its strategy," Jones said. Nearly every ally, including Britain and Australia, has stopped using "war on terror" to describe strategy against the group headed by Osama Bin Laden. Based on an analysis of 648 terrorist groups that existed between 1968 and 2006, the report concluded that a transition to the political process is the most common way such groups end. But the process, found in 43 percent cases examined, is unlikely with Al Qaeda, which has a broad, sweeping agenda, the report said.
The second most common way that terrorist groups end, seen in about 40 percent of the cases, is through police and intelligence services apprehending or killing key leaders, Jones said. Police are particularly effective because their permanent presence in cities helps them gather information, he said. By contrast, the report said, military force was effective in only 7 percent of the cases. Jones said, "Even where we found some success against Al Qaeda, in Pakistan and Iraq, the military played a background or surrogate role. The bulk of the action was taken by intelligence, police and in some cases, local forces."
"We are not saying the military should not play a role, but unless you are talking about large insurgencies, military force should not be the tip of the spear," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/29/2008 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[7 views]
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#1
when did Rand become so pussified?
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/29/2008 6:03 Comments ||
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#2
Go after the state sponsors ie Saudi Pakistan and Iran-The real Axis of evil!!!!
Posted by: Paul ||
07/29/2008 6:12 Comments ||
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#3
How are we to do that without plunging the world into a 1929-style depression when the oil from Saudia Arabia and Iran are suddenly cut off at a time of peak sales by those countries? And how will we get supplies to NATO in Afghanistan when the only route from outside runs through Pakistan?I ask in the hope that you've developed enough expertise through your readings over the past two years to tease out some possibilities, because I haven't a clue. Thanks!
#5
and could someone please tell me exactly how the police were going to arrest Osama in Afghanistan?
This is the same kind of BS that worked so well during Clintoon's time. The world is not one big happy tranzi state where the UN can police everything as much as these sorts would like it to be thus.
#7
Well, in a sense they are right. The foot soldiers and leaders of AQ have been killed/captured and Iraq proved that they can't stand up to US soldiers and terrorize the population. The flypaper strategy worked for us and AQ has to change, so what we did in Iraq most likely will not work again.
However, though assassinations and good intelligence work, they can be finished off. I don't like the "Policing" term Rand uses, but if used more as "Policing" your house against vermin I can see why they used it. Hopefully the brain dead Morlocks in Washington get the fucking clue.
I just have a really bad feeling that once Iraq is pacified and our troops pull out in 2010ish that the US will put its head back in the sand and let the hydra keep growing heads until we get another 9/11.
#10
The police option is only realistic because Al Queda was defeated in Iraq and their worldview has been humiliated. To be honest if we keep up the military tempo we eventually will mistep (that is have a Democratic President) giving them the propaganda victory they are desperate for. We should start to stand down where it is possible and work behind the scenes and with spies and supporting insurgencies and proxies when we can. At least for a while, possibly four years or so.
#11
Iraq is moving quickly to the win collumn. It will continue to strengthen and should be able to handle any internal AQ issues it confronts. All very good. But Afghanistan will remain hot for some time and that is where the new flypaper will be/is being laid.
We all know that the tribal belt of Pakistan is a tribal hellhole that will be a regular source of islamo-nut cannon fodder. It will also be the primary convention locale for any AQI big turbans.
We need to continue aggressive military operations inside Afghanistan combined with targeted strikes and wetwork operations in the tribal belt. I don't see anything but containment that is going to have a marked effect in that area (I don't see total war as an option). The tribes are far too stunted as a social construct relative to the rest of the world to hold out much hope for change (the islam infestation only makes things more intrasigient). So other than something akin to regional genocide, which I do not support in any way, containment seems the only near-term route possible.
#12
Remoteman, I'm not so sure. The tribal area very well might kill itself at this point if there wasn't an obvious "other" there to unite them. I think it's time for the Afghan government to fight the good fight while the US moves elsewhere (Pakistan, or at least in and out of the border a few times).
#13
Well RJ, it would be nice if they self-immolate, but I'm not going to wait around for that to happen. The Afghan Army is coming along, but it is a slow development. Note that this is a national entity in a place that has a rather tenuous grasp on the concept of nationhood. I don't think they are going to be able to get the job done in a meaningful way anytime soon. Sadly, many of the issues that afflict the tribal belt also afflict Afghanistan. I hope I am wrong on this.
That said, I do agree that the US must maintain pressure on miscreants in the tribal area. As others have noted, this is a tightrope walk as we need these areas and Pakistan in general as a logistic supply route. If that goes, we can kiss Afghanistan goodbye.
#14
Apparently the tribals in that part of the world have been merrily killing each other since the time of Alexander the Great of blessed memory. So it isn't likely the current festivities would result in extinction any time soon, even without field trips across the border.
#15
The United States can defeat Al Qaeda if it relies less on force and more on policing and intelligence to root out the terror group's leaders, a new study contended on Monday.
Duh! It would be nice if groups such as the Rand Research Centre, could keep up with the latest COIN manual by Amos/Petraeus and go to chapter 6 which says better than Rand are able to articulate in their report, what the use of policing should be .
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 Royal Navy commander has been removed from his ship after 15 of his sailors and marines were captured by Iran last year. Cmdr Jeremy Woods, captain of the frigate HMS Cornwall, had been moved "to a post where his talents and experience can be used to best effect", the Ministry of Defence said. A spokesman denied the decision was connected to events in March last year, described at the time by the head of the navy as a "bad day" for the service.
A court in The Hague has granted a request by former MP Ayaan Hirsi Ali for witnesses to be heard in support of her claim that the Dutch state is responsible for paying for her security in the US. The Netherlands stopped paying for Hirsi AliÂ’s bodyguards last year when she moved to the US permanently. Hirsi Ali, an outspoken critic of Islam, now works for a conservative US think-tank.
Turkey's prime minister has implied the bombings that killed 17 people in Istanbul on Sunday were the work of the Kurdish separatist PKK group. Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the attacks were a "cost" of the military campaign against the PKK based in northern Iraq. The PKK has denied having anything to do with the bombings. 
Senator Barack Obama said on Monday that the new government in Pakistan is still getting its "sea legs" but it is important that the US emphasise to Islamabad how seriously it takes the "base camps from where the movement across the border into Afghanistan takes place". 
Sen. John McCain and his surrogates continued to press their attack Monday against Democrat Barack Obama for failing to visit wounded troops in Germany while he toured Europe last week.
GUANTANAMO BAY US NAVAL BASE, Cuba- Prosecutors in the trial of Osama bin LadenÂ’s driver unveiled a graphic video on Monday of the Sept. 11 attacks and other Al Qaeda operations that is likely to play a repeated role in pending war crimes cases.
Taliban in the Bajaur tribal district split into two factions after infighting between two militant organisations in Mohmand Agency led to the killing of eight members of one group on July 18.
President Bush praised Pakistan's commitment to fighting the Taliban and other extremists along its deteriorating border with Afghanistan on Monday, only hours after an American missile strike destroyed a militant outpost in that region, killing six, according to administration and Pakistani officials. 
Loyalists within Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's militia network call it the "martyrs' list," and it's long and growing: At least three dozen senior members killed in slayings or fighting since last summer and nearly 60 others detained. 
"No doubt we are facing pressures," Sheik Salah al-Obeidi, spokesman for the al-Sadr movement, told the AP. "Each time we are hit, it encourages others to do the same. But, I assure you, we are not going to break or disappear."
In many places around Baghdad, the former swagger of al-Sadr's followers has given way to worries about trying to hold the movement together. 
In a far-ranging interview with New TV on Sunday, the head of the Democratic Gathering, MP 
Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun on Monday defended Hizbullah, its weapons and leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah calling for bestowing parliamentary immunity on him although he is not a lawmaker. 
