WASHINGTON -- Four men being held as terror suspects at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan are asking a federal judge for the right to sue for their release - a right already given to detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
A hearing Wednesday will test whether a 2008 Supreme Court decision - allowing al Qaeda and Taliban suspects at the U.S. naval base in Cuba to challenge their detention - should be extended to detainees held at other military prisons overseas.
The government argues that the detainees should have their cases heard by military tribunals. "This court has no jurisdiction to review this," the Justice Department wrote in a Dec. 19 motion asking for the case to be dismissed.
It added, "Federal courts should not thrust themselves into the extraordinary role of reviewing the military's conduct of active hostilities overseas, second-guessing the military's determination as to which captured aliens as part of such hostilities should be detained, and in practical effect, superintending the executive's conduct in waging a war."
But lawyers for the four men in Wednesday's case in U.S. District Court say the Guantanamo standard needs to be applied to other prisons. Otherwise, "a lot of the Guantanamo detainees could be transferred to Afghanistan - basically shifting the problem somewhere the government argues that they cannot challenge," said Kathleen Kelley of the International Human Rights Clinic at Stanford Law School, who is representing three of the four men.
"We are saying that's just not true," Kelley said Tuesday. "Detainees cannot be held without process indefinitely anywhere by the U.S. government."
So we won't hold them. Karzai will hold them. And let us take their brains apart as we wish.
More than 200 detainees are challenging their detention at Guantanamo, which reports a detainee census of "about 250" foreign men -- most held for years without being charged with a crime. But more than 600 are being held at Bagram Air Base outside of Kabul, Afghanistan's capital. In Iraq, officials estimate thousands are imprisoned in U.S.-maintained detention centers.
The evidence against the four men at the heart of Wednesday's case is unknown, and many facts about how and whether they were initially swept up and imprisoned after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, have never been made clear. Their lawyers are largely relying on statements from the International Committee of the Red Thingy Cross and other detainees who have since been released to build their case for freedom.
Tina Foster of the International Justice Network said none of the four - two Yemeni, one Tunisian and one Afghan - were in Afghanistan at the time they were captured in 2002. At least two of them disappeared for several years, then turned up in Bagram, Foster said.
(AKI) - By Syed Saleem Shahzad - With a new Taliban offensive expected when the snow melts in Afghanistan in the next three months, US and British forces are preparing to use 'Arbakai' or Afghan village militia patrols to complement a troop surge and confront the Taliban.
But since the Taliban controls 72 percent of Afghanistan, according to the influential British think-tank the International Council on Security and Development, there are doubts about whether the new strategy will work.
The concept is being driven by the head of US Central Command, General David Petraeus, who as head of the multinational force in Iraq very successfully combined a troop surge with tribal militia support against Al-Qaeda in Iraq in 2007. The strategy is widely credited with helping reduce violence in Iraq.
In the next six months, four US combat brigades will be added to existing troop numbers to confront the Taliban.
However, critics believe that the Taliban in Afghanistan is a different phenomenon from Iraq,where foreign fighters allied with Al-Qaeda led the insurgency and provided the opportunity for US forces to intervene and gain the support of local tribes.
The use of Arbakai in Afghanistan is also backed by British ambassador Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles.
Sir Sherard, a career diplomat, was assigned to Kabul as British Ambassador in 2007. He convinced British prime minister Gordon Brown that a modern adaptation of Arbakai would be an effective way to defeat the Taliban.
An Oxford University graduate, Coles apparently backed sending diplomats on secret missions, without the consent of the US or the Afghan government, to strike peace deals with Taliban commanders in south-west Helmand province. The initiative backfired.
The US and Afghanistan rejected such overtures and ordered the expulsion of European Union and United Nations officials, who were covertly sent with the consent of the British embassy in Kabul.
However, Sir Sherard did not give up hope and continued with his efforts to use tribal tradition to win support from local people.
Since his ideas matched those of Petraeus, the use of tribal militias gained support among foreign troops stationed in Afghanistan, except for Canada, which had doubts about the scheme.
Sir Sherard and Petraeus were apparently impressed by the historic success of the Arbakai, even though a similar plan launched in 2006 not only failed but actually fuelled the Taliban insurgency.
Under a scheme approved by Afghan president Hamid Karzai, Sher Mohammad Akhunzada, former governor of lawless Helmand province, recruited 500 men from local tribes and established a tribal militia to guard various locations in the province.
After the experiment of Helmand, there was a move to expand it in the neighbouring restive provinces of Urzgan, Zabul and Kandahar. The newly recruited militias were given monthly stipends and arms. However, these militias failed without firing a single bullet.
They defected to the Taliban, along with their arms as soon as they were launched, because the Taliban is the real tribal militia completely backed by tribal chiefs, clerics and local people.
The same thing happened with tribal police formed in late 2006. In 2007 they were sent to places like Panjwai in southern Kandahar province and in Musa Qala in Helmand province.
When the Taliban decided to target and take control of those provinces, they announced that local tribal police should lay down their arms and withdraw from the areas. The tribal police immediately took their advice.
The Taliban have already set up a force to counter a new troop surge in 2009 by cutting off the NATO supply line from Pakistan.
As a result of daily attacks on NATO's Kabul-bound supply route through Pakistan - which accounts for 80 percent of NATO's supplies for Afghanistan - the route is almost choked.
An operation was hurriedly launched in the Khyber Agency on the Afghan border last week to restore the supply route but it is unclear whether their efforts succeeded.
The British-backed peace agreements in 2008 in Pakistan's volatile North West Frontier province was aimed at giving the newly elected Pashtun nationalist Awami National Party a chance to establish itself in the rebel ruled areas and develop a consensus to drive out the Taliban.
This was also tried in the border tribal areas and in the Swat valley. In Bajaur, the local Salarzai tribe sided with the government, and heavily backed by Pakistan's army and air force, had some success.
They set the property belonging to the Taliban on fire but once the Taliban attacks began and Pakistani forces retreated, the Salarzai sustained huge losses.
In the Swat Valley, the Awami National Party, which governs North West Frontier Province created citizen comittees to establish peace in the area.
In a collective decision they destroyed property belonging to the Taliban. However, very much like Bajaur when the Taliban regrouped and forced the Pakistani security agencies to retreat, and the Awami National Party was wiped out of the Swat valley. Several leaders including members of the provincial assemblies were killed.
Even the ANP president, Asfanyar Wali Khan, was the victim of a suicide attack and forced to flee to Islamabad and then to Europe. He was only allowed to return after he and the Taliban agreed not to fight each other.
The big question now is whether Petraeus will have any impact on a resurgent Taliban which is extending its control in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2009 00:00 ||
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This was also tried in the border tribal areas and in the Swat valley. In Bajaur, the local Salarzai tribe sided with the government, and heavily backed by Pakistan's army and air force, had some success.
They set the property belonging to the Taliban on fire but once the Taliban attacks began and Pakistani forces retreated, the Salarzai sustained huge losses.
In the Swat Valley, the Awami National Party, which governs North West Frontier Province created citizen comittees to establish peace in the area.
In a collective decision they destroyed property belonging to the Taliban. However, very much like Bajaur when the Taliban regrouped and forced the Pakistani security agencies to retreat, and the Awami National Party was wiped out of the Swat valley. Several leaders including members of the provincial assemblies were killed.
Shahzad misses the point not once, but twice. The Pakistanis thought the tribal militias were a substitute for conventional forces. They are not, and can never be. The only way this can work is by having the tribal militia be NATO's eyes and ears, just as the Iraqi Awakening served as Uncle Sam's eyes and ears. The tribal militias can't fight off the Taliban. What they can do is tell us where the Taliban are when they see them, and hold the Taliban off while waiting for our troops to rescue them. Which is pretty much what happened in Iraq.
Why did the Pakistanis feed the tribal militias to the Taliban? Are they stupid? My guess is that they wanted the tribal militias - tribal and Taliban alike - to kill each other off, leaving the conventional military in charge. The fear of competition from Sunni militias is what made Iraq's PM Maliki so wary of the Awakening. The Pakistanis probably made the same calculation as Maliki, and pulled back before the tribal militias were ready to stand on their own.
Uncle Sam doesn't fear competition from Afghan tribal militias any more than he feared competition from Iraq's Sunni militias. He'll keep conventional forces nearby to exploit intelligence from the tribal militias. Pakistani forces used tribal militias as a substitute for conventional forces. Uncle Sam is looking to use tribal forces so conventional forces can do more, not less fighting, in engagements of his, not the Taliban's, choice.
The presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan claimed yesterday to have forged a "new relationship" after years of distrust and animosity between the neighbours. Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan and Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan promised a joint effort to tackle Taliban militants who pose a threat to both countries. Big toothy grins and hearty back slaps all around...
The two sides, which met at the presidential palace in Kabul, also signed a declaration promising to "closely co-operate . . . to eliminate the menaces of militancy, extremism and terrorism in the region". Peace in our lunchtime...
Kabul pulled out all the stops for the first official visit by Mr Zardari since he was elected in September, marking a significant shift in its attitude to its neighbour. Afghan officials routinely blame Pakistan's intelligence service for outrages in their country, including the attempt to assassinate Mr Karzai at a military parade in April and the bombing of the Indian embassy in July. All water under the bridge, right, boys?
Mr Karzai had made no secret of his dislike of Mr Zardari's predecessor, Pervez Musharraf. Kabul believed the former Pakistani army chief gave tacit support to Taliban attacks in Afghanistan from the lawless tribal areas on Pakistan's western border. A more profound change in relations will require the Pakistani military to abandon its policy of trying to contain Afghanistan and deny India any influence in the country.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/07/2009 00:00 ||
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The Venezuelan government Tuesday ordered the expulsion of Israel's ambassador to Caracas to protest the Israeli military's offensive in the Gaza Strip, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Earlier, President Hugo Chavez called the events in Gaza Palestinian "holocaust" and said the presidents of Israel and the United States should be tried in international court.
" The president of Israel at this moment should be taken to the International Criminal Court together with the President of the United States "
Hugo Chavez
"The Holocaust, that is what is happening right now in Gaza," Chavez said in televised comments. "The president of Israel at this moment should be taken to the International Criminal Court together with the President of the United States."
The socialist Chavez on Monday had accused Washington of poisoning the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to destabilize the Middle East and justify U.S.-backed Israeli incursions.
The death toll of Israel's 'Operation Cast Lead' hit more than 600 on a day where Israel targeted U.N. schools and homes that left children's dead bodies scattered all over and drew condemnation from U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2009 00:00 ||
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If he hasn't already expelled our ambassador, I call on George Bush to appoint Carratop as our ambassador to Venesuala and dispatch him immediately to Caracas.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/07/2009 0:40 Comments ||
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Sorry, SH, but Carrottop is banned under the Geneva Conventions (and rightly so), though it might be worth sending him to Oogo.
#5
Carrot Top (born Scott Thompson) is a red-headed prop comedian who appears in commercials for AT&T's collect-calling service. He is often comic fodder for others who dismiss him as unfunny, but sells out hundreds of concert dates a year despite this reputation. He is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida.
He has also appeared in movies, including 1998's Chairman of The Board.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
01/07/2009 12:12 Comments ||
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A hearing on the case of former officer of Azerbaijani Army Kamran Asadov and 19 others was held in the Court of Grave Crimes on Wednesday.
One of the defendants Hajibala Huseynov gave testimony. He spoke about Akhund of Abu Bakr mosque Haji Gamat Suleymanov as well. He denied his evidence giving to the investigators that Haji Gamat intended to commit jihad in Azerbaijan and said that he belonged to salafi sect. He is not able to commit jihad in Azerbaijan.
The accused man said religious laws were not correctly observed in Azerbaijan. Huseynov said they advocated for jihad for defense and supported jihad declared in Chechnya against Russia. Not depending on the sects, we are also supporting the nagshbandi struggle. When the judge told him Then you are supporting Armenian actions in Karabakh too, another accused man Ilkin Ismayilov answered him. He said it was not correct to compare Armenian actions with Chechens. Ismayilov spoke about Sheikh Shamil and said that he struggled against Russia for long years for independence of Azerbaijan.
Then Huseynov developed his testimony and spoke about the activity of former chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Associations Rafig Aliyev. He said they were satisfied with his activity. Huseynov said he delivered religious speeches before hundred people in Mashtaga Village. Kamran Asadov called Huseynov kafir (unbeliever) and said he was against the rules he set once.
Kamran Asadov, Bakhtiyar Orujov, Farid Jabbarov, Elshan Mammadov, Kamran Babayev, Samir Mehbaliyev, Terlan Karimov, Edgar Aliyev, Ramil Karimov, Shirvani Babayev, Samir Aliyev, Yalchin Maharramov, Orkhan Alizadeh, Hajibala Huseynov, Azer Ibadov, Shahriyar Mehraliyev, Ramin Jalilov, Rovshan Abdulaliyev, Ilkin Ismayilov and Vugar Aliyev are accused of setting up a radical religious group, attempting to start military struggle, attacking on LUKoil petrol station in Baku, preparing terror attack on the U.S. and UK embassies in Azerbaijan.
SEOUL, South Korea: North Korea announced Wednesday it will eat elect new members of its rubber stamp legislature in March, following months of delay amid speculation about the sobriety health of leader Kim Jong Il.
The North usually holds a parliamentary election every five years. The last election was held in August 2003, but the communist nation failed to hold one in 2008 after the 66-year-old Kim reportedly suffered a whiteout stroke.
On Wednesday, Pyongyang announced through its official Korean Central News Agency that the election of deputies to the 12th Supreme People's Assembly will be held on March 8. The brief dispatch provided no further details. The announcement could be an indication of an improvement in Kim's health.
Or an agreement on the identity of the new boss ...
South Korean and U.S. officials say Kim collapsed following a drunken stupor stroke in August, but was drying out recovering.
North Korea denies the drunken master leader was ever intoxicated ill, and since early October has sent a steady stream of urine photos and footage of him in public bars activities, such as visits to whorehouses military units, ABC stores farms and pool halls factories, though most of them did not specify an exact closing time location or date.
Parliamentary elections are a formality in North Korea because candidates are hand-picked by the ruling Workers' Party of Korea and totalitarian leader Kim. The legislature usually meets once or twice a year to rubber-stamp budgets or other decisions. In the 2003 poll, 687 deputies, including Kim, were elected with total support. Voter turnout usually is close to 100 percent.
Must make that exit polling really easy.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/07/2009 00:00 ||
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(Xinhua) -- Kim Jong Il, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), has visited a newly built power station located in an eastern province and called for the building of more hydropower stations, the official Korean Central News Agency reported on Tuesday.
"And then we will build the world's first hydropowered bomb!"
The quickest way to solve the power shortage is to build hydropower stations on a large scale in the DPRK where water resources are abundant, Kim said while visiting the newly built Wonsan Youth Power Station in eastern Kangwon province.
The report did not specify the date of the visit.
Kim also visited a family that had just moved into a newly built house equipped with electricity for cooking and heating. He said letting every one in the DPRK use electricity is the desire of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK).
The WPK has called for launching an "aggressive campaign" to boost the country's economy from the start of the new year in an effort to "open the gate to a great prosperous powerful nation in 2012."
It was the third report of the top leader's public appearance in 2009.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2009 00:00 ||
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I say we ought to comb all American junk yards for old electric motors of all sorts sizes and states of repair that we can donate to Kim's hydroelectric initiaitve allong with whatever used popsicle sticks are avaiable. I'm sure that Juche will allow him to parlay our goodwill jesture into a remarkable positive impact on NK GDP. Down the road we could send him a wagon train of garbage skows filled to the brim with old tires and later maybe bomb his palace with a gift of every used diaper we can find. Juche showed Korean culture to make this refuse that our hippies compalin about into something positive. What a win-win idea.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/07/2009 0:36 Comments ||
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a great prosperous powerful nation...with electricity in every home! for cooking AND heating!
#13
Kim also visited a family that had just moved into a newly built house equipped with electricity for cooking and heating.
Close relatives, no doubt.
Turkey's frenetic diplomacy to win a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas reflects its new-found clout in the Middle East and is also driven to appease a public opinion infuriated by the mounting death toll of civilians.
Turkey, a predominantly Muslim but secular country with good ties with Israel, has been playing a busy role in trying to bridge Arab division and broker a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Since Israel began its offensive 12 days ago, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has visited Arab leaders in Syria, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. He has kept in touch with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and has sent his foreign minister to the United Nations, where Turkey starts a two-year term as member of the Security Council.
Drawing on Ankara's unique range of contacts, Turkish officials have also met Hamas leaders in Damascus. Ankara has offered to convey any Hamas ceasefire proposal to the U.N. As hundreds of thousands of Turks have taken to the streets to condemn the Israeli assault, Erdogan shocked close ally Israel by dubbing its operations "a crime against humanity," in language that paled even to that used by Arab leaders.
Ankara's diplomatic offensive is in line with its growing regional diplomatic status and closer ties to the Middle East since Erdogan's Islamist-rooted AK Party took office in 2002. But it also underlines its delicate balancing act. A NATO member which aspires to join the European Union, Muslim Turkey has positioned itself as a mediator in a tough neighborhood.
"Turkey has leverage in the Middle East because of its growing ties with Arab countries and its relationship with Israel, but it cannot redefine the power game in the region," said Fadi Hakura, from the London-based Chatham House. "Turkish diplomacy reflects its growing influence in the region, but it is also driven by domestic reasons. Turks are united in their disapproval toward Israel," Hakura said.
Despite Erdogan's harsh criticism of Israel and street protests, analysts do not expect a damage in relations between Israel and Turkey. Speaking to parliament on Tuesday, Erdogan said the strategic importance of Turkish-Israeli relations should overcome disagreements and "emotional exchange of words."
"I would like to remind those who call for Turkey to freeze ties with Israel that we administer the republic of Turkey, not a grocery market," Erdogan told parliament. An official at the Israeli embassy in Ankara, which is ringed by riot police these days, agreed: "As we did it in the past we should overcome this disagreement and will come back to our good relations, like in other crises."
Leading political commentator Cengiz Candar said Turkey had to play a difficult balancing act in order not to alienate its sometimes conflicting allies. "Turkey can not be seen as being too close to Israel, but it can not be seen either as being to close to Hamas. It is a difficult diplomacy. The bottom line is Turkey can not risk its relationship with Israel so Erdogan's rhetoric is just hot air."
Turkey's ruling AK Party and the secularist opposition, which have fought bitter ideological battles over the role of Islam in public life, have been united in condemning Israel and in expressing support for the plight of Palestinian civilians. Turkish secularist newspapers have run prominent pictures of Palestinian children killed by Israeli raids and of mosques damaged by bombs.
Turkey's normally pro-Israeli military has privately expressed criticism over Israel's actions, observers said. "The crisis in Gaza has united the secularist and the Islamist camp. There is consensus in condemning Israel," Hakura said.
International efforts are under way to end the fighting and secure a ceasefire deal and Turkey has said it is willing to send troops if an international peacekeeping force is set up.
#2
its new-found clout in the Middle East
What have these writers been smoking? If Turkey actually had some clout the fighting would be over. What Turkey has is delusions.
A number of school administrators have come forth in recent days to confirm that they recommend Jewish children should not enroll at their schools.
For their own safety, of course. Why the police couldn't protect them I have no idea ...
According to school administrators, law enforcement officials and social workers, the on-going conflict in Gaza has led to heightened tensions between Jews and Arabs - particularly Palestinians - here in Denmark.
I think there's heightened tensions between Jews and Paleos most everywhere ...
Yeah, wouldn't want the children of apes and pigs to offend them. Maybe you can rent some cattle cars and set them up in some kind of annex?
And although few headmasters of schools have faced the situation, most of those at schools with a high percentage of children of Arab descent say they try to prevent Jewish parents from enrolling their children there.
Since these are 'public' schools ...
Would it be okay if they wore those gold stars sewn onto their clothes? So you'll know who to "protect".
On Monday, headmaster Olav Nielsen of Humlehave School in Odense publicly admitted he would refuse Jewish parents' wish to place their child at his school. The comments were made following an incident last week in which two Israeli citizen's were shot and wounded at a city shopping centre. Police believe the incident was a reaction to the Gaza conflict.
Olav likely approved of the shootings ...
Other headmasters have now come forth to support Nielsen's position, adding that they are putting the child's safety first.
Ah, it's for their own good. I guess that makes it okay then.
At Caroline Skole in Copenhagen's Østerbro district, video cameras watch over the playground and entrances of the school, which is surrounded by a 2.5 metre-high barbed-wire fence. One parent whose child goes to the Jewish school said thinking about the extra security can be disturbing at times, but she felt it was necessary.
Rabbi Bent Lexner called the headmasters' concern 'theoretical. In reality, Jewish parents would never try to enroll their child in those schools.'
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/07/2009 00:00 ||
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Excellent inline comments Steve.
Of course actually enforcing the rule of law never crossed the administrator's little bitty minds.
#8
Two thoughts - first, in the shooting at a city shopping center: how did the shooter know his victims were Israelis? And secondly, why do I hear a very cultured, pleasant voice saying, "So you see, the barbed wire around the facilities here at Auschwitz really is here to protect the residents..."?
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/07/2009 5:28 Comments ||
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Maybe they could still attend.... but wear arm bands or something.
#10
Rabbi Bent Lexner called the headmasters' concern 'theoretical. In reality, Jewish parents would never try to enroll their child in those schools.'
#11
The Danes were the only EUros to stand up on the correct side of the Mohammed controversy. They have been staunch allies in the GWOT. This sounds like leftist academics trying to subvert the public will and implement their own leftist policies. I'll wait a day or two before hammering the Danes, though not their educationists.
#13
I side with the Rabbi. If there is rising violence present in the Danish society, it will certainly be present in the public schols. The school administrator may be purporting to take he moral high ground to the congradulatory noises of his peers, what he is really admitting is that he is a defacto prison warden of a penitentiary of which he admits he has no control. No decent parent would subject his child to shanking at recess.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/07/2009 8:10 Comments ||
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#14
Scooter has the right formula. It is the mooslams that have a problem with dicipline not the Jewish students.
#15
I've a few second or third cousins there (I've a few second/third/fourth cousins pretty much everywhere interesting). I hope they draw the proper lesson. Bottom line, any society that doesn't treat its Jews as equal citizens deserving equal protection under the law... doesn't deserve to have any Jews with all they bring wherever they live.
#16
It would be wonderful to see the Queen escort a young lad or lass to the school for enrollment to make a point. If my recall of Danish history and society are correct, it would send a very powerful message that wet-pant school administrators and paleo-trogs could not ignore nor challenge except at their own dire risk.
#18
All the schools in the EU should have video courses starting in elementary school showing the holocaust followed by discussion. If a takes a cop with a truncheon sitting in the classroom to make the Muslim students behave during those classes - so be it.
#22
So, say I had a problem with redheaded kids and liked to beat them up. Would Mr Nielsen ban the redheaded kids for "provoking" my bad behavior with their presence?
I guess America doesn't have a monopoly on idiots running the school systems any more.
The U.S. Army apologized Wednesday for sending 7,000 letters to family members of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan -- and addressing the letters to "John Doe."
Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. is sending a personal letter of apology to all the families who received the letters.
The 7,000 original letters were sent late last month by a contractor to inform survivors about private organizations that offer gifts, programs and other assistance to families of soldiers who were killed in the War on Terror.
Army spokesman Paul Boyce blamed the mistake on a faulty "mail merge" function within a high-speed printer the Army uses to send out mass mailings.
The letters were sent from the U.S. Army Human Resources Command's Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Center in Alexandria, Va, which issued a formal apology on Wednesday.
"There are no words to adequately apologize for this mistake or for the hurt it may have caused," Brig. Gen. Reuben D. Jones, the Army Adjutant General, said in a statement to be posted on the human resources Web site.
"It is important the original intent of the letter is not lost. The organizations mentioned are dedicated to honoring loved ones and recognizing their sacrifice and commitment."
According to the Washington Post, 4,829 U.S. service members have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001 -- 4,204 in Operation Iraqi Freedom and 625 in Operation Enduring Freedom.
Like many other protests of Israel's campaign in Gaza, this one ended badly police had to cool an ugly fight between supporters of Israel and Gaza, breaking up the warring sides as their screaming and chanting threatened to turn into something worse.
But some protesters at this rally in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., took their rhetoric a step further, calling for the extermination of Israel and of Jews. Separated by battle lines and a stream of rush-hour traffic outside a federal courthouse last week, at least 200 pro-Palestinian demonstrators faced off against a smaller crowd of Israel supporters.
Most of the chants were run-of-the-mill; men and women waving Palestinian flags called Israel's invasion of Gaza a "crime," while the pro-Israel group carried signs calling the Hamas-run territory a "terror state." But as the protest continued and crowds grew, one woman in a hijab began to shout curses and slurs that shocked Jewish activists in the city, which has a sizable Jewish population.
"Go back to the oven," she shouted, calling for the counter-protesters to die in the manner that the Nazis used to exterminate Jews during the Holocaust. "You need a big oven, that's what you need," she yelled.
Just saying out loud what ANSWER, the ISM and the rest really believes ...
The protest organizers, asked to comment on the woman's overt call for Jewish extermination, said she was "insensitive" but refused to condemn her statement.
Not so much insensitive as inconvenient ...
"She does not represent the opinions of the vast majority of people who were there," said Emmanuel Lopez, who helped plan the event, one of many sponsored nationwide on Dec. 30 by the ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism ) Coalition.
Lopez, a state coordinator for ANSWER, admitted there is a problem with anti-Semitism within his organization's ranks. But then he went on to call the supporters of Israel across the street "barbaric, racist" Zionist terrorists. "Zionism in general is a barbaric, racist movement that really is the cause of the situation in the entire Middle East," Lopez said.
So Emmanuel doesn't want the Joooz dead, just the Zionists. If you're sufficiently progressive it makes perfect sense ...
The unidentified woman, who protest organizers said was a Muslim, wasn't the only protester who raised hackles that day. Other demonstrators held signs that said "Nuke Israel," and a number made comparisons to the Holocaust, accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
Were they all Muslims too?
"This is absolutely inhumane," said Ahmed Suid, who attended the demonstration, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "This is a modern-day Holocaust."
The comparisons of the Israelis to the Nazis has Jewish organizations concerned about a "growing trend" at protests in America, where they say hatred of Israel and Jews is being increasingly preached. "We're worried about hate speech. We're worried because hate speech eventually leads to pain and suffering and death," said Abraham Foxman, director of the Anti-Defamation League, which has been tracking Gaza protests. "Comparisons of Israel to the Nazis are a deeply cynical perversion of history, an attempt to turn the tragedy that befell the Jewish people into a bludgeon against Israel," he said.
You're right to be worried, Abe. Perhaps next time your voting block will vote for people who stand with Israel, huh?
Even though police had to intercede and break up a potentially violent confrontation between the two factions at the Fort Lauderdale protest, organizers called it a success, saying it drew crowds of new activists. "It was not just an academic exercise . . . not just a protest," Lopez told FOXNews.com. "It's a material force."
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/07/2009 13:25 ||
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"She does not represent the opinions of the vast majority of people who were there," said Emmanuel Lopez...
Most of them prefer killing Jooooos in an earth-friendly manner. Burning them in an oven would probably add to global warming and is therefore unacceptable.
Posted by: Rednek Jim ||
01/07/2009 16:17 Comments ||
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#5
These are people who go out in the streets (in Gaza and the West Bank) and celebrate Jewish religious students being slaughtered by one of their "martyrs" (I mean murderers...sorry). Who call evil men who blow up school buses heroes. Who teach their primary aged children in their public schools that killing Jews will insure you get to Heaven and make your people proud. Who in 2000 publicly beheaded an Israeli soldier and played soccer with his head in the streets. Who after 9/11 went into the streets passing out candies and celebrating the deaths of 3000 Americans. And they call the Israelis barbaric? Typical Islamic BS that the world is getting so tired and fed up with. GO ISRAEL! Finish the job!!
Posted by: Dick ||
01/07/2009 16:38 Comments ||
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Don't just finish the job, get carried away. In fact, totally 'lose it' on them for all I care.
A federal judge is deciding whether to grant a new trial to a former Navy sailor convicted of leaking details about ship movements to suspected terrorist supporters.
U.S. District Court Judge Mark Kravitz questioned both sides Tuesday about the level of evidence that led a jury last March to convict Hassan Abu-Jihaad of providing material support to terrorists and disclosing classified national defense information. Judge Kravitz said he was not sure when he would issue his ruling on the defense request for a new trial. Judge Kravitz said he did not want to interfere with the role of the jury,
... then don't ...
but has to make sure there was sufficient evidence against Mr. Abu-Jihaad.
Mr. Abu-Jihaad, who was a signalman aboard the USS Benfold, was accused of passing along information that included the makeup of his Navy battle group, its planned movements and a drawing of the formation the group would use to pass through the dangerous Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf on April 29, 2001. He allegedly told his contacts, "They have nothing to stop a small craft with RPG [rocket-propelled grenade] etc., except their SEALs' stinger missiles." The ship wasn't attacked.
Mr. Abu-Jihaad, who is from Phoenix, sought a new trial in October, saying prosecutors lacked evidence and inflamed the jury by playing videos he had purchased that promoted violent jihad, or holy war.
Jury thought the prosecution had enough evidence ...
Judge Kravitz did not issue any ruling, but said he believes the videos were relevant and that he took steps to limit any prejudicial effect. The judge pressed prosecutors on a defense argument that documents Mr. Abu-Jihaad allegedly supplied his contacts were full of errors that an insider would not have made. "There are gross errors," Judge Kravitz said. "There is some information in this document that no sailor would get wrong."
Prosecutors said the leaked documents closely matched what Mr. Abu-Jihaad would have had access to as a signalman. Prosecutors said Mr. Abu-Jihaad was the only member of the military communicating with the group and had access to the classified information. Authorities also noted that the leaked information ended with a bold plea, "Please destroy message," which they said is further evidence that it came from an insider.
But Judge Kravitz questioned how prosecutors could reconcile the call to destroy the message with their contention that Mr. Abu-Jihaad helped provide a physical asset, a computer disk, to terrorists. "That to me is the weakest part of the case," Judge Kravitz said. "Does that suggest we have a confused jury?"
No, it suggests we have a bleeding-heart judge ...
Prosecutors said the jury could have decided that Mr. Abu-Jihaad knew the volume of information he provided would likely be saved and passed on to others. Prosecutors say investigators discovered files on a computer disk recovered from a suspected terrorist supporter's home in London that included the ship movements, as well as the number and type of personnel on each ship and the ships' capabilities.
Mr. Abu-Jihaad was charged in the same case that led to the 2004 arrest of Babar Ahmad, a British computer specialist accused of running Web sites to raise money, appeal for fighters and provide equipment such as gas masks and night vision goggles for terrorists. Mr. Ahmad, who lived with his parents where the computer file was allegedly found, is to be extradited to the U.S. Mr. Abu-Jihaad, who was honorably discharged in 2002, is scheduled to be sentenced in February and faces up to 25 years in prison.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/07/2009 7:57 Comments ||
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#2
#1: Make him walk the plank this time.
With a noose around his neck and a short rope.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/07/2009 14:11 Comments ||
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#3
Mr. Abu-Jihaad, who is from Phoenix, sought a new trial in October, saying prosecutors lacked evidence and inflamed the jury by playing videos he had purchased that promoted violent jihad, or holy war.
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, whose government has been accused by India of supporting a major terrorist attack there, vowed Tuesday to work closely with Afghan President Hamid Karzai to combat terrorism, saying it had become a menace to all countries in the region. Yeah, I vow to lose this gut, too. And to grow my hair back. My wife, Morgan Fairchild, thinks it's a good deal.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2009 00:00 ||
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Information Minister Sherry Rehman on Tuesday demanded of India to allow Pakistani investigators to access the crime scene in Mumbai. Talking to reporters in Islamabad, she asked India to stop the 'blame game' and cooperate with Pakistan against terrorism. India had admitted that Pakistan government is not involved in the Mumbai attacks, she said, and Islamabad had played a key role in the war on terror since well before the attacks. Sherry said the Pakistani government has begun its own probe into the attacks and any information given by India would be included in the investigation.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Its not a crime scene.
It is a scene of the terror war.
Has India goofed up its probe into the Mumbai terror attacks by recording the confession of Ajmal Amir Kasab, the lone surviving gunman, in Hindi, to give a handle to Pakistan to question credibility of the terror dossier provided to it on Monday?
Still worse is the alleged use of Hindi in the letter written by Kasab to the Pakistan high commissioner in Delhi, which was handed to the High Commission on December 22.
The confession, included in the dossier, quotes Kasab as saying that it was read out to him in Hindi. The government might take the stand that the police officer who recorded the confession preferred Hindi as he might not be conversant with Urdu, the language that the terrorist allegedly knew, and that there is not much difference between spoken Hindi and Urdu that would make it difficult for Kasab to understand when the confession was read out to him in Hindi. However, if true that the letter Kasab wrote to the Pakistan High Commission seeking legal aid was also in Hindi, India will have no way to explain that as Kasab's writing as Hindi is not taught in Pakistan and a Pakistani national cannot be expected to write in Hindi. Urdu is Pakistan's language and would have been used by Kasab if he wrote any such letter.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
"It was written in black ink, as well. Everyone knows Pakistani nationals write in blue ink!"
And put little circles over their 'i's'... at least those that can write...
The Jamaatud Dawa has warned that Pakistan is making a 'big mistake' by acting against it, a report on the CNN-IBN website said. "The ban (by the United Nations Security Council) was one-sided; we were not heard by the Security Council. They didn't hear our clarification," Abdullah Muntazir, a spokesperson for the Dawa, told CNN-IBN from Pakistan on Tuesday.
"What the UN has done is just on the basis of what the Indian media has reported," he said. "The US demanded only three sanctions but the Pakistan government went way ahead of these sanctions. The Pakistani government arrested dozens of our workers, closed all offices and put our top 10 leaders under house arrest. So, what the Pakistani government is doing was not demanded by the UN," Muntazir said.
The Dawa spokesman warned Pakistan not to go after the organisation. He said that he did not know what the Pakistani government would do, but it would be a big mistake on their (government's) part. He said that it would not be acceptable at all to the people of Pakistan. "Hafiz Saeed (Dawa founder) has followers all over Pakistan, and it is not possible for the government of Pakistan to even think about handing him over to India," Muntazir said.
He rejected allegations that the Dawa was a front for the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba. "No, that is a total misconception. Jamaatud Dawa is different and Lashkar-e-Tayyaba is different. We have no links with the Lashkar," he said. Muntazir denied knowing the whereabouts of Maulana Masood Azhar, who is wanted by India for terrorism.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2009 00:00 ||
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Anti-India elements in Pakistan are planning an attack on Indian computer networks after the Mumbai terror attacks, the Press Trust of India (PTI) quoted Indian intelligence agencies as saying on Tuesday.
It cited sources in the Indian Home Ministry as saying that Pakistani hackers were trying out a dry run against Indian networks through popular websites registered there after the Mumbai attacks.
A source told PTI that Pakistani hackers had created websites such as www.Songs.Pk, which are infested with software to hack data from the targeted computers.
"The website www.Songs.Pk has over 1.2 million Indian users who are downloading stuff from these websites daily," said a cyber expert in the ministry.
The sources told PTI that it would take a few minutes for hackers to take control over all 1.2 million computers and the number of such computers was multiplying by the minute.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Pfft. What Indian user in his right mind would be downloading music from a Pakistani address?
So where did these Pakistani "hackers" get their 133t haxxorz sk1lls, anyways? Have the madrassas started buying etch-a-sketches for their incoming students?
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
01/07/2009 4:36 Comments ||
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#2
They are script kiddies - they wouldn't be able to hack an unsecured DOS 1.0 computer site without their scripts.
Posted by: Kathy K ||
01/07/2009 10:53 Comments ||
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The Jamaat-e-Islami Majlis-e-Shura has approved the names of Munawar Hassan, Liaquat Baloch and Sirajul Haq as candidates for party chief after chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad steps down in April, a private TV channel reported on Tuesday. According to the channel, Qazi had requested the Majlis-e-Shura not to recommend his name as party chief for the next term because of his failing health.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Jamaat-e-Islami
The imposition of self-styled sharia in Orakzai Agency by the Taliban is paving the way for a military operation in the agency, as operations were launched in the other tribal agencies after the Taliban announced to enforce sharia there, FATA Lawyers Forum (FLF) said on Tuesday.
Talking to Daily Times, FLF President Abdul Karim Mehsud said it was the Taliban's self-styled sharia that led to military operations in Bajaur and Mohmand agencies as well as in Swat.
The Taliban imposed 'Islamic law' in Orakzai Agency and Hangu district, bordering the agency, a few days back.
The Taliban banned women from visiting markets, except for medical treatment, but that too only when accompanied by an adult male relative. They imposed complete ban on TV, CDs and video centres in the agency. They established 'Islamic courts' in the agency, asking the tribesmen to access these courts for timely justice under Islamic laws. They also announced that girls in the agency would be married of their own consent.
The FLF president said the orders issued by the Taliban were part of tribal traditions 30 years ago, when women were not allowed to leave their houses without adult male family members, and tribal elders did not allow video centres in the area.
FCR: Mehsud said the tribesmen were approaching the Taliban's 'sharia courts' because they were frustrated with the colonial Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR), under which cases remained pending for decades in tribunals and courts of FCR commissioners.
FLF Secretary General Taj Mahal Afridi said the tribesmen were losing trust in the FCR judicial system due to 'faulty' policies of the central government and 'rampant corruption' in the offices of the political administration.
Afridi said the government should either amend the FCR law or replace it with the laws enforced in other parts of the country and make the judicial system transparent. Otherwise, FATA would fall into the hands of Taliban, he said.
Expensive shops: He said FCR tribunals and FCR commissioner courts were 'expensive shops', where the poor tribesmen did not get any relief in decades. That was why the 'Taliban courts' were welcomed by the tribesman, as these provided quick justice without any expense.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2009 00:00 ||
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...and I'll bet they peed on his Koran too.
A Pakistani national who spent more than six years in US custody five of them at the Guantanamo Bay military prison says he was subjected to torture and abuse by his US captors and plans to sue the US government.
Why sue? Bambi will give you whatever you want and call it a 'bailout' ...
Saad Iqbal, now back home in Lahore told The New York Times he was beaten, tightly shackled, his head covered with a hood, given drugs and subjected to electric shocks by Egyptian interrogators at the urging of US agents after being arrested without charges in Jakarta in 2002. Iqbal's attorney Richard Cys told the newspaper he plans to sue the US government for unlawfully detaining Iqbal.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Richard Cys told the newspaper he plans to sue the US government for unlawfully detaining Iqbal.
Whoaa a lobbyist lawyer and Hillary Donor helping a Terrorist sue the US government. Whoud a thunk it?
This is a scanned copy of the 79-page dossier of material stemming from the ongoing investigation into the Mumbai terrorist attacks of November 26-29, 2008 that was handed over by India to Pakistan on January 5, 2009.
A former aide to Saddam Hussein said in an audio tape aired on Tuesday that Israel would not have dared to launch its current attack on Gaza if the Iraqi leader was still in power.
But Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, the most senior member of the past regime still at large, said on the recording broadcast by Al Jazeera television that Iraqi insurgents would negotiate with Washington if the administration of president-elect Barack Obama withdrew from Iraq.
"The barbaric ... attack on our [Arab] people in Gaza is the natural result of the absence of Iraq, its national leadership and its leader ... the martyr Saddam Hussein," said Ibrahim, a leader of Iraqi insurgents. "We are with you on the battlefield... and Gaza shall be victorious, God permitting," he said. The television did not say how it obtained the recording and its authenticity could not be verified.
Ibrahim also addressed Obama, whose opposition to the Iraq war was a major part of his election campaign, but who has also said he wants a responsible withdrawal. "If you withdraw fully from Iraq and leave it to its people, free and independent, we will enter a dialogue with you immediately to set up the widest strategic relations with America," Ibrahim said, adding that Washington had "legitimate strategic interests" in Iraq and the region.
Ibrahim, who was vice-chairman of Iraq's Revolutionary Command Council, ranked sixth on a U.S. list of 55 most-wanted Iraqis, with a $10 million reward offered for his capture.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/07/2009 16:25 ||
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#1
At least we know who Baghdad Bob's working for now.
Five former Blackwater Worldwide security guards pleaded not guilty Tuesday to voluntary manslaughter charges and other crimes stemming from a shooting incident in Baghdad that left 17 Iraqis dead.
Each of the former guards has been charged with 14 counts of manslaughter, 20 counts of attempted manslaughter and one count of using a firearm in the commission of a violent crime. The five defendants, seated in a row at a courtroom table, remained silent in court, and as they entered and departed the courthouse. A lawyer entered their plea on their behalf.
Attorney David Schertler, speaking for all the defendants outside the courthouse, predicted they will be proved innocent. "We want to make it clear to everyone these men committed no crime. They were defending themselves on a battlefield in a war zone when this occurred," he said.
If convicted, the defendants would face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for each manslaughter count, seven years in prison for each count of attempted manslaughter, and a 30-year mandatory minimum sentence for the firearms charge.
Judge Ricardo Urbina set a trial date for February 1, 2010. He agreed with defense attorneys that preparations for the complex case will require a full year, including the likely need for lawyers to travel to Baghdad to gather information and conduct interviews. "The United States government had a year and a half to investigate the case, and we did not. So we need a year to catch up," Schertler told reporters.
Lead government prosecutor Kenneth Kohl did not comment outside court.
The Baghdad incident, which occurred September 16, 2007, exacerbated the feelings of many Iraqis that private American security contractors have operated since 2003 with little regard for Iraqi law or life. It also created an extremely delicate political situation for the Bush administration and the Iraqi government.
The five defendants are Donald Ball, 26, of West Valley City, Utah; Dustin Heard, 27, of Knoxville, Tennessee; Evan Liberty, 26, of Rochester, New Hampshire; Nick Slatten, 25, of Sparta, Tennessee; and Paul Slough, 29, of Keller, Texas. A sixth former security guard, Jeremy P. Ridgeway, 35, of California, has pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and attempted manslaughter.
Prosecutors did not bring manslaughter charges for three of the 17 fatalities because they do not believe they have enough evidence to win a conviction in those deaths.
The company of Blackwater Worldwide does not face any charges.
The indictment of the five men represents the first prosecution of non-Defense Department contractors under the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act (MEJA), which was amended in 2004 to allow the Justice Department to prosecute such personnel providing services "in support of the mission of the Department of Defense overseas."
The attorneys for the defendants contend that Blackwater's employees in Iraq are exempt from the provisions of MEJA because the company has a contract in Iraq with the State Department, not the Defense Department. Also muddying the case are assurances of immunity initially given to the guards by State Department diplomatic security agents, who were investigating the incident before the FBI tried to interview them once it took over.
The State Department maintains its agents did not offer blanket immunity from criminal prosecution, but promised only that the statements the guards made on the scene could not be used against them in any prosecution. But when the investigation was turned over to the Justice Department to examine possible criminal activity, FBI agents discovered some guards believed they were immune from prosecution and therefore refused to be interviewed again, complicating the FBI probe.
A recently approved U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement pointedly specifies that U.S. civilian contractors will no longer be immune from Iraqi prosecution for crimes committed in that country.
#2
A recently approved U.S.-Iraq Status of Forces Agreement pointedly specifies that U.S. civilian contractors will no longer be immune from Iraqi prosecution for crimes committed in that country.
Vacant contracting positions are already piling up. No takers, I can't imagine why.
#4
gonna be hard too prove your innocent when 1 has already plead guilty. the usual bullshit with our justice ( if you call it that) system. Scare the hell out of 1 too turn on his comrades in the crime too testify against the rest too get a guilty verdict whether he is telling the truth or just covering his own ass
Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood chief urged Wednesday for a boycott of French products in response to allegedly "biased" remarks about Hamas group by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
The call came a day after Sarkozy's Mideast tour in which he tried to broker an end to the fighting in the Gaza Strip, now under the twelfth day of an Israeli assault. Sarkozy blamed Hamas for the Israeli offensive, saying before his Mideast tour this week that the Palestinian group bore a "heavy responsibility" because it broke an earlier truce with Israel.
The Brotherhood official, Hammam Saeed, said in a statement released on his group's Website that Sarkozy's comments expressed "animosity toward the Arab and Muslim nation." And besides that, infidels should not own wimin as beautiful as Carla Bruni.....iEHHHH!
"He exposed a total French bias toward the occupation and clearly advocates Israel continued Holocaust in Gaza," added Saeed, a hawkish Brotherhood member. We don't need no stinkin Reve De Provence Essentials. Our wimin and goats smell just fine. Pass the Ab Fries please.
(AKI) - Israel's Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, signalled on Monday that Israel would no longer respond with restraint to rocket fire from militant Islamist Palestinian group Hamas.
But they'll have a 3-hour ceasefire every day so the Hamas gunnies can have lunch and a siesta.
Her country's current military offensive in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip is intended to "change the equation" in the region, Livni said. Speaking to journalists in Jerusalem on Monday, Livni) defended Israel's incursion into the Gaza Strip as "legitimate self-defence".
Earlier on Monday, Israel's Defence Minister Ehud Barak told MPs that Hamas had suffered a "very heavy blow", but insisted the offensive in Gaza would continue to defend Israeli citizens. "We still haven't reached our objectives," Barak said.
On the tenth day of the military operation, thousands of Israeli troops, backed by tanks, artillery and helicopters, pushed deeper into Gaza, effectively splitting the north from the south in the the aid-dependent territory. Israeli Navy, Air Force and special units are also taking part, Barak stated.
Over 500 people have been killed in the military bombardment and ground offensive, most of them Hamas operatives, and over 2,200 have been wounded, Barak confirmed.
Barak defended Israel's action, saying any country would have taken the same action in the face of Hamas rocket attacks.
Palestinian militants fired 20 missiles into southern Israel on Monday, the Israeli army said. It said 47 rockets were launched from Gaza into southern Israel on Sunday.
Intense diplomatic efforts are under way to try to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, with separate missions to the Middle East being led by the French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and a high-level European Union team.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Her country's current military offensive in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip is intended to "change the equation" in the region, Livni said.
Short of lining the D-9s up shoulder-to-shoulder and pushing everything that's currently above ground in Gaza into the Med I don't really see how they can do much that will actually "change the equation" in the long run.
#3
If the Israelis dismantle enough of the Hamas infrastructure, when Fatah moves back into power in Gaza, they will be able to pull a "Night of the Long Knives" on Hamas. Fatah has already been supplying targeting info to the Israelis and Abbas really wants to shed Hamas blood after their attacks on Fatah.
(AKI) - Despite Israel's continuing military offensive in the Gaza Strip, the ruling Hamas' armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, warned on Monday it had "thousands of fighters" ready to fight and would finally be victorious in the conflict. "We are sure of victory and we have bombed Israeli cities with hundreds of missiles," brigades spokesman, Abu Obeida, told the Arab network, al-Aqsa. Just you wait, Buster!
"We have prepared thousands of brave fighters who are waiting for you in each corner of the street and will welcome you with fire," he said. "As long as the aggression intensifies, your losses will increase."
Israeli troops, backed by aerial and naval firepower, were reported to have surrounded Gaza City on Monday after 10 days of aerial bombardment. Soldiers were also reported to be positioned on the north-south road at Netzarim, effectively splitting the besieged territory in two and blocking Palestinian supply lines.
"Israel has only killed innocent civilians and this proves the failure of its military action," he said.
He claimed that that his group was about to launch Qassam rockets and for the first time a new type of missile that was only the beginning. "We want to experiment with other arms and bombs against you," he warned Israel.
According to the Arab network, Al-Jazeera, Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior Hamas leader, said that the movement's armed wing, had "given the most beautiful performances during its confrontation with the army that the world thought invincible".
"We will defeat it, God willing," he said. He then scurried to his deep underground bunker to polish his wart...
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
"the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, warned on Monday it had "thousands of fighters" ready to fight "
And as soon as the IDF leaves, they will crawl out from under their mother's bed and have a car-b-que.
(AKI) - The military wing of Gaza's ruling Hamas, the Ezzedin al-Qassam Brigades, has hundreds of suicide bombers ready to blow them selves up in the current military conflict with Israel, spokesman Abu Obeida said on Tuesday. He was speaking after a suicide bomber struck early in the day in the northern town of Beit Lahiya.
Hamas militants lured a group of Israeli soldiers into a building in Beit Lahiya and while they clashed another Hamas fighter climbed into an Israeli tank and blew himself up, Obeida said. Obeida also said fierce clashes between Hamas fighters and Israeli security forces had erupted in elevated areas captured by Israeli forces such as Ar-Rayis hill, Al-Kashif hill and Al-Atra near Gaza City, Palestinian news agency Maan reported. Obeidi warned on Monday it had "thousands of fighters" ready to fight and would eventually be victorious in the conflict.
A violent battle raged on Tuesday between Palestinian militants and Israeli soldiers in Khan Yunes in the southern Gaza Strip, Arabic satellite TV network Al-Arabiya reported. The Israeli military is reportedly seeking to isolate the key Rafah crossing point from Khan Yunes.
Israeli forces resumed bombing of eastern Gaza on Tuesday, Al-Arabiya said. In the ground offensive it began on Saturday, Israel is trying to surround and seal off all Gaza's main cities, especially Gaza City in the north. Israel is seeking a cessation of Palestinian cross-border rocket fire and the destruction of Hamas' weapons infrastructure.
Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert told the Israeli daily, Haaretz, on Tuesday that Israel had no interest in a prolonged offensive in Gaza. "The sooner, the better," he said when asked when the army planned to end its operation. "We did not set out to occupy Gaza or kill every terrorist. We set out to bring change to the south."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
So turn your CBs on and play with the frequency until they go boom!
(AKI) - US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice was expected to meet Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and other Arab leaders at the United Nations in New York late onTuesday in a bid to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. "The purpose of her trip is to move forward the international efforts to create a ceasefire in Gaza," said a State Department official.
Rice was due to meet Abbas, Arab ministers and other allies including Turkey's foreign minister, Ali Babacan. Babacan has been among key players in the Middle East that have been working for a ceasefire between the ruling Islamist Hamas movement that governs Gaza and Israel, which has been conducting a military offensive in the territory for eleven days.
UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon intensified his diplomatic drive to secure a Gaza ceasefire on Monday and held talks with Arab League secretary-general Amr Moussa, and the foreign ministers of Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates at UN headquarters. "Our task is to find fast and real solutions. It is regrettable that the call by the Security Council has not been heeded by the parties concerned. I believe that the Security Council should live up to its responsibilities under the UN charter and bring this crisis to an end and establish a durable, permanent peace in the region," he said.
The UN Security Council was to meet again on Tuesday to consider Arab calls for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict in the Gaza Strip and urgent humanitarian and medical aid for Palestinian civilians. French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the 15-member body this month, was to lead Tuesday's meeting.
France was reportedly working with Arab states to finalise a draft resolution for an immediate ceasefire, which included an end to the Israeli military assault as well as the firing of rockets into Israel by Hamas militants. The resolution would also provide for the provision of humanitarian aid and a resumption of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process as well as a mechanism to monitor the truce and protect civilians.
While Europeans and Arabs have broadly been calling for an immediate ceasefire in the latest violence, the United States has been urging a "during and sustainable" truce.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2009 00:00 ||
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Egypt said on Tuesday it was proposing an immediate ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza, to be followed by talks on long-term arrangements including an end to the blockade of Gaza.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak presented the proposal in a brief statement after talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. The proposal made no mention of many of the elements which diplomats said were under discussion, such as an international force to prevent Hamas receiving weapons.
Mubarak did not say what role Hamas would play in the talks he is proposing. Israel and the Europeans who have been active diplomatically do not talk to the Islamist group. The Egyptian proposal, as read by Mubarak, contained the following points:
-- Israel and the Palestinian factions should accept an immediate ceasefire for a limited period, which would allow safe passages to open for humanitarian aid to Gaza and give Egypt time to continue its efforts for a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire.
-- Egypt would invite both Israel and the Palestinian side to an urgent meeting to reach arrangements and guarantees to ensure that the current escalation does not recur and deal with the causes, including protecting the border, reopening the crossing points and lifting the blockade.
-- Egypt would again invite the Palestinian Authority and all Palestinian factions to respond to Egyptian efforts to achieve national reconciliation.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2009 00:00 ||
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U.S. President-elect Barack Obama broke his silence Tuesday on Israel's assault of Gaza and said he was 'deeply concerned' about the loss of civilian lives in both Gaza and in Israel.
The only thing he's 'deeply concerned' about is that it won't be over when he takes over and it's dumped in his lap.
Yes, it's becoming very clear that Mr. O loves to do the ironic cool sarcastic schtick, but when it comes to making tough decisions, well ... not his bag and in any case who wants to hear Michelle nag if she doesn't like what he decides?
Lord but this is going to be a long 4 years.
Joining a growing chorus of leaders from around the world, Obama told reporters "the loss of civilian life in Gaza and Israel is a source of deep concern for me."
However, Obama refused to comment any further and said he would adhere to his principle that only U.S. President George W. Bush would speak for American foreign policy at this time, adding he would have plenty more to say after his Jan. 20 inauguration.
Israelis better hurry the hell up ...
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he hoped the basis could be found for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as he called the current events the Middle East's "darkest moment" yet.
"I am hopeful that the basis on which an immediate ceasefire can take place can be found. It obviously depends on what we do on the crossings, what we do on the tunnels, what we do about the supply and trafficking in arms and what security we can give to both the Palestinian people and the Israeli people," he told reporters.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2009 00:00 ||
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#9
he has nothing to gain by talking now, why would he?
OMG, hes a self interested pol!!!! I for one, am glad of that, I didnt want a messiah, and im glad hes acting alot more like a Clinton. His worst step on national security so far is teh Panetta appointment, where hes playing to his base. kinda.
Tough decisions? Hes moving ahead making tough decisions on the economy. he didnt want to have a crisis in Gaza. But hell, shit happens.
#13
If I'm still among the living in eight years, I'll still be in disbelief that the American people elected this fellow. Of course I said the same thing about Slick Willie.
#14
If the Pope of Hope's base is as dissatified with him now before he even takes office I don't see him lasting 8 years.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
01/07/2009 19:08 Comments ||
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#15
Obambi won't survive four years. He's like a hothouse plant left in the back yard over winter. He's never had a job with stress attached to it. He'll wilt faster than the plant. Unfortunately, his departure would leave us with Joe Biden, the longest-living brain-dead Senator of all time.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/07/2009 19:09 Comments ||
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#16
#14 If the Pope of Hope's base is as dissatified with him now before he even takes office I don't see him lasting 8 years.
A Hamas delegation was in Cairo on Tuesday to discuss an Egyptian-proposed ceasefire with Israel, 10 days after the Jewish state's unleashed its massive offensive on the Islamists' Gaza Strip stronghold. The talks with the Palestinian delegation, headed by Emad al-Alami and Mohammed Nasr from Hamas's Syrian-based political leadership, represent the first such contact since fighting began but hopes of a truce appear dim.
" Our position is clear: end the aggression, withdraw (Israeli forces) from Gaza, open the crossing points, especially Rafah, with a total lifting of the blockade "
Mohammed Nasr, Hamas delegation
"Our position is clear: end the aggression, withdraw (Israeli forces) from Gaza, open the crossing points, especially Rafah, with a total lifting of the blockade," Nasr said.
Rafah in Egypt, the only border crossing with the Gaza Strip that bypasses Israel, has remained largely closed since the offensive started, with a trickle of aid going one way and wounded people coming the other. Under a 2005 deal, the Rafah crossing can only be opened to normal traffic if European Union observers and PA forces are at the border, which is also monitored by Israel.
The destruction of Egypt-Gaza tunnels around Rafah is a key Israeli objective in the war, aimed at preventing Hamas being able to rearm with rockets.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
"[...]after the Jewish state's unleashed its massive offensive on the Islamists' Gaza Strip stronghold"
6000 rockets over a 3 year period, is all but forgotten.
Al-Qaida second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri on Tuesday called on all Muslims to attack Israeli and Western interests over Israel's 11-day offensive on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Al-Zawahri's remarks were publicized just as a senior U.S. counterterrorism official said Tuesday that Al-Qaida's top leaders have been rendered ineffective by international anti-terrorist efforts. Osama Bin Laden and Zawahri, believed to be holed up in the remote Afghanistan-Pakistan border area, have been reduced to little more than a media operation, Dell Dailey, the State Department's counterterrorism coordinator, said in a breakfast meeting with reporters.
But Al-Qaida itself remains a threat owing to its regional affiliates and violent intentions, he said. "We see al Qaeda, in a centralized role, [as being] totally controlled," Dailey said. "Bin Laden can't get an operational effort off the ground without it being detected ahead of time and being thwarted," he added. "Their ability to reach is nonexistent."
Al-Zawahri's call on Muslims to attack Israel and the West was not the first of its kind since the Gaza offensive began.
A Saudi Web site last week reported that a popular cleric has issued a fatwa urging Muslims to target Israeli interests everywhere, to avenge the attacks on the Gaza Strip. The site, Rasid, posts news about Saudi Arabia's Shiite community and on Sunday said that Sheik Awadh al-Garni has issued a religious edict urging Muslims to strike anything that has a link to Israel, calling it a legitimate target for Muslims everywhere.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last week also issued a religious decree to Muslims around the world, ordering them to defend Palestinians against Israel's attacks on Gaza, state television said. "All Palestinian combatants and all the Islamic world's pious people are obliged to defend the defenseless women, children and people in Gaza in any way possible. Whoever is killed in this legitimate defense is considered a martyr," state television quoted Khamenei as saying in a statement.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Go ahead, start by bloowing a few EUropean capitals.
Whoa, whoa, whoa....I thought everyone was going to love us after we elected The One!
Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader lashed out at President-elect Barack Obama in a new audio message Tuesday, accusing him of not doing anything to stop Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip, according to an intelligence monitoring center. Uhh, maybe because he's not actually the President yet
The recording purportedly by Ayman al-Zawahiri was al-Qaida's first comments on the Gaza crisis since Israel launched its offensive against the Islamic militants of Hamas on Dec. 27.
In the comments, which were posted on a militant Web site and obtained by the SITE Monitoring Service, al-Zawahiri described Israel's actions in Gaza as a "crusade against Islam and Muslims" and called it "Obama's gift to Israel" before he takes office later this month.
"This is Obama whom the American machine of lies tried to portray as the rescuer who will change the policy of America," al-Zawahiri said, according to SITE. No wonder the media hasn't really promoted THIS tape!
"He kills your brothers and sisters in Gaza mercilessly and without affection."
Al-Zawahiri, who is Egyptian, also criticized Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, calling him a "traitor" for keeping Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip closed since Hamas seized power. "At the time when Israeli planes drop their bombs from the air, he closes the borders with his forces so that the plan of the killing of believers in Gaza is fulfilled," al-Zawahiri said, according to SITE.
Thousands of people in cities worldwide have held mass street demonstrations to protest Israel's offensive, but al-Zawahiri said those were not enough. "Fight the Zionist Crusader campaign," al-Zawahiri said, according to SITE. "Strike its interests everywhere you can reach them. Support and back your mujahedeen brothers and children against them."
The audio message was accompanied by a still photograph of the al-Qaida leader sitting with a gun in his lap.
(AKI) - Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Moallem on Monday called Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip "a barbaric act" and called for those responsible to be prosecuted for war crimes at an international tribunal. Moallem was speaking at a media conference in the Turkish capital, Ankara, with his Turkish counterpart, Ali Babacan.
"Through this criminal aggression Israel has proved that it does not want peace," he said. "It's a country based on aggression, killing, war crimes and mass destruction. What peace are they talking about in the face of this aggression?"
As a European delegation met the Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and other leaders in Cairo in a bid for a peaceful solution, Moallem and Babacan called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
"I came to Turkey to discuss ways to bring about an immediate ceasefire, a removal of the blockade and the opening of all crossings, as well as finding a mechanism to achieve these goals," Moallem said. "I stress to you that our opinions are similar and that we have formed a joint stance."
Babacan said an international monitoring group was essential for peace. "The implementation of a sustainable solution under an international guarantee is only possible with the formation of an international monitoring group," he said. "Turkey would not hesitate to take on such a mission if it is asked or demanded."
Moallem met Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul earlier on Monday during his one-day visit.
Last Monday Babacan announced that Turkey was suspending efforts to host indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria because of the Israeli offensive in Gaza. In May, Syria and Israel, technically still at war since the first Arab-Israeli conflict in 1948, began Turkish-mediated indirect talks after direct negotiations halted eight years ago over the Golan Heights issue.
Turkey, who condemned Israel for the ground offensive, has called on the Jewish state to immediately end its operation in Gaza in retaliation for Hamas rocket attacks, and appealed to the United Nations Security Council to end the violence.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Let's not mention Syria's terrorist supporting campaign and war crimes committed in Iraq, shall we?
A conservative military watchdog is very concerned about a recent survey of military personnel that indicates a significant number of service members might leave the all-volunteer force if the ban on open homosexuals in the military is lifted.
The annual survey was conducted by the Military Times, which once again asked active duty personnel if they oppose the effort led by Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher (D-California) to repeal the 1993 law -- Section 654, Title 10 -- which clearly states that open homosexuals are not allowed in the military.
Approximately 58 percent of the respondents indicated that they were in favor of continuing the ban. But Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, is more astonished at the response to a question that had never been asked on that survey before.
"In essence, what would you do if the law is repealed?" she relates that question. "The Military Times found that 10 percent of respondents said they would leave the military, and an additional 14 percent said they would consider ending their careers," she points out. "Now, even if half of those numbers turned out to be an accurate prediction, that would be devastating to our volunteer force. It would pretty much destroy the military as we know it."
Elaine DonnellyShe believes those who might consider leaving have legitimate concerns if the law is repealed. "The new policy would be forced co-habitation with homosexuals 24-7 in all military communities," Donnelly adds. "Corollary programs to make the program work would include professional diversity training to enforce acceptance and zero tolerance of anyone who disagrees."
Donnelly expects Tauscher to reintroduce the repeal legislation within the next several weeks.
#4
Many will be leaving anyway, with Obama in charge.
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
01/07/2009 16:21 Comments ||
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#5
professional diversity training to enforce acceptance and zero tolerance of anyone who disagrees
More likely "zero tolerance of anyone who disagrees to enforce acceptance".
#6
In truth, before Bill Clinton, if a homosexual was discovered while committing a homosexual act, they would be discreetly discharged, often without punishment and with an honorable discharge.
Don't ask, don't tell changed that, so that if an individual was identified as a homosexual, truthfully or not, their life was in danger. The new policy resulted in a whole bunch of homicides. Motive was specifically omitted, so as to avoid troublesome connections being made.
The best an open homosexual could hope for, if a new policy is enacted, is to be savagely beaten in basic training, by his peers. If he makes it to active duty and is discovered, he is a dead man.
#7
We don't need soldiers, we can talk to our enemies. That's always worked. Right?
Posted by: The Left ||
01/07/2009 19:22 Comments ||
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#8
lifting the ban is a dumb move - the Mil is not a social experiment, & pushing for diversity is 90% of the time a load of horse shit & a waste of tax $$$. I have nothing against homos, I am revolted by the thought of what they do together but I don't want anyone injured because of it. Bottomline, you repeal this and we cannot protect them. Too many serviceman don't want them around & will take matters into their own hands.
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.
WASHINGTON -- Four men being held as terror suspects at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan are asking a federal judge for the right to sue for their release - a right already given to detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
The presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan claimed yesterday to have forged a "new relationship" after years of distrust and animosity between the neighbours. Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan and Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan promised a joint effort to tackle Taliban militants who pose a threat to both countries.
The Venezuelan government Tuesday ordered the expulsion of Israel's ambassador to Caracas to protest the Israeli military's offensive in the Gaza Strip, the foreign ministry said in a statement. 
A hearing on the case of former officer of Azerbaijani Army Kamran Asadov and 19 others was held in the Court of Grave Crimes on Wednesday.
A federal judge is deciding whether to grant a new trial to a former Navy sailor convicted of leaking details about ship movements to suspected terrorist supporters.
A former aide to Saddam Hussein said in an audio tape aired on Tuesday that Israel would not have dared to launch its current attack on Gaza if the Iraqi leader was still in power. 
(AKI) - Despite Israel's continuing military offensive in the Gaza Strip, the ruling Hamas' armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, warned on Monday it had "thousands of fighters" ready to fight and would finally be victorious in the conflict. "We are sure of victory and we have bombed Israeli cities with hundreds of missiles," brigades spokesman, Abu Obeida, told the Arab network, al-Aqsa.
(AKI) - The military wing of Gaza's ruling Hamas, the Ezzedin al-Qassam Brigades, has hundreds of suicide bombers ready to blow them selves up in the current military conflict with Israel, spokesman Abu Obeida said on Tuesday. He was speaking after a suicide bomber struck early in the day in the northern town of Beit Lahiya.
U.S. President-elect Barack Obama broke his silence Tuesday on Israel's assault of Gaza and said he was 'deeply concerned' about the loss of civilian lives in both Gaza and in Israel. 
