A Times writer joins Taliban fighters in an especially dangerous part of Afghanistan. The men appear to have no fear of squalor troops, and prove to be noble savages gracious hosts.
#5
:-) TW
Thank you. I just couldn't bear to let that repulsively obsequious intro stand unaltered. To spend time with the Taliban and have your lead observations be that they are brave and gracious! It's just unbelievable that journalism has descended to such blatant self-parody and that so few are outraged . . . or even care.
#6
It's just unbelievable that journalism has descended to such blatant self-parody and that so few are outraged . . . or even care. Posted by: ryuge 2009-01-11 13:30
Ryuge - when all you see whenever you pick up a newspaper, turn on the television, or listen to "news" on the radio is barnyard dung, adding the sh$$ from a new animal is hardly noticeable.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/11/2009 15:01 Comments ||
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#7
A sign of the parochial outlook of both journalists and readers, ryuge. In their universe, those who stop for a cup of afternoon tea must, perforce, be civilized, as opposed to the reality that the open-minded can see: stopping to catch their breath after exerting themselves in the mountains, while simultaneously tenderizing captive meat.
#8
One has to wonder of the LA-Times was 'embedded' with their heroes back when the Brave Lions of Islam saw fit to kidnap that group of Korean girls last year. One has to wonder of the LA-Times participated in the rapes and murder of the victims along with their 'noble' hosts. One has to wonder if the LA-Times was aware and/or participated with the murder of school girls and burning of schools.
#11
Perhaps we could send a "Thank you" to this reporter for his coded spy messages in his news stories. Let's see how his hosts act then.
Everyone who posts a message here could run a better newspaper than the LA Times: check your facts, publish the truth, when in America, support America.
Vice President-elect Joe Biden made a surprise visit to the Taliban's traditional stronghold in southern Afghanistan on Sunday and said the new U.S. administration will fully support troops battling the resurgent militants. Thousands of new American troops will be joining the battle against the Taliban this year, and Biden's visit is a sign that Obama plans to make the region an immediate priority.
"I am very interested in what becomes of this region because it affects us all," Biden said during his visit to Kandahar province, according to a statement issued by the NATO-led force. Biden was on the second day of his trip to Afghanistan.
During his time in Kandahar, Biden was briefed on activities of coalition forces in the south by Dutch Maj. Gen. Mart C. de Kruif, NATO's regional commander. They discussed "the future of southern Afghanistan, to include the addition of American troops later this year," the statement said. In Kandahar, Biden "reaffirmed his and President-elect Barack Obama's pledge to fully support troops and their efforts in the region," the statement said.
America's top general in Afghanistan, Gen. David McKiernan, told Biden on Saturday that thousands of new American troops expected in the country's south will need more support items "like helicopters, engineers, military police, transportation assets," said Col. Greg Julian, a U.S. military spokesman.
Thousands of British Jews turned out on Sunday afternoon for a pro-Israel rally in London and Manchester, held after a series of protests across Europe condemned Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza in often anti-Semitic terms. Organizers estimated that as many as 20,000 people participated in the London demonstration, which took place in Trafalgar Square. A parallel rally was held in Manchester's Albert Square.
"It was important for Anglo-Jewry to show support and solidarity with Israel. I felt proud to be Jewish," said Theo Julius, a participant at the London demonstration. Demonstrators waved placards reading "End Hamas Terror," and "Peace for the People of Israel and Gaza." These rallies were peaceful, unlike yesterday's pro-Hamas demonstration in London. Go figure.
#1
A few days ago, 12 000 turned out in the streets of Paris in support of Israel, at the call of the very consensual, Pc jewish representative council (Crif)... and, also, unlike the commies-immigrants demos/riots, no torched cars, no looted shops, no ululating, no "France, you're screwed, the hamas is in the street" cries by the demonstrators.
#5
Not all the demonstrators were Jewish. Several hundred British Anglicans turned out, too. A friend of mine from when we lived in Raunds was there with three others. I wouldn't be surprised that the next march would be Anglicans screaming outrage at their "religious leadership".
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/11/2009 15:04 Comments ||
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#6
I attended the one in Munich.
A peaceful mix of Jews and Non-Jews.
Not that anyone tried to make a difference
Posted by: European Conservative ||
01/11/2009 19:50 Comments ||
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The official at the housing office was typically blunt. His third customer of the day, a blonde with a northern accent, the pinched face of poverty and a baby in a buggy, looked crestfallen when she heard the news. 'You'll have to wait between one and ten years for a flat from us,' he said, blithely, from behind his desk. 'There are 18,000 people on the waiting list and, as of today, only 30 homes to go round.'
No wonder that when the young woman left, pushing the buggy out of the door into the sleeting rain of the shopping precinct in Salford, Greater Manchester, she looked near to tears. In her haste, she almost collided with Jason Hedgecock, a 20-year-old chef, who has also been queuing at the city's Home Search office.
Support for the BNP is rising as disillusioned working-class voters turn against Labour
'My family come from Salford, and I was born here,' he says flatly. 'I have been waiting three years for a home, ever since I left school. I've put my name down for one on the eighth floor over there,' he points to an ugly blue and white tower block, called Fitzwarren Court, across the busy road.
Jason is desperate to move out of the home he shares with his parents, John and Eileen, where he has to sleep on the sofa. Also living there are his two brothers, Scott, 24, and Adam, 19, as well as Adam's pregnant girlfriend, 20-year-old Jade - none of whom has anywhere else to go.
But the chances of a generation of young people such as Jason and the disappointed blonde ever getting a council home in Salford are next to zero. They are living in one of many places in England where a dire shortage of state housing has become the most controversial political issue of our time.
The statistics are stark. One in 12 council homes in England are now lived in by migrants, while the list of people waiting for social housing has doubled during Labour's time in power to 1.7million.
Last week, a government report from the Whitehall department of Communities Minister Hazel Blears warned that the crisis has resulted in a surge of popularity for extremist groups, including the British National Party.
Communities Secretary Hazel Blears has cautioned her own party not to ignore the concerns of the white working class
After interviewing 43 British families in Birmingham, Milton Keynes, Liverpool's Runcorn and Thetford in Norfolk, the report concluded that the white working class think they have been 'betrayed' and 'abandoned' by mainstream politicians who make them 'come second' to immigrants on the housing ladder.
The report provoked an instant response from a seemingly repentant Ms Blears herself. She admitted that white working-class people 'sometimes just don't feel anyone is listening or speaking up for them', adding that they should be allowed to voice their worries 'without fear of being branded racist'.
In the furore that followed, Frank Field, Labour MP for Liverpool's Birkenhead and joint chairman of the Cross-Party Group on Balanced Migration, agreed that the Government was riding roughshod over the working class at its peril. He predicted that Labour policies on housing would turn local people to Far Right parties in the next general election, echoing a dire warning he gave last year. 'Slowly, but determinedly, the white English working class - and I guess, some black Britons, too - are voting against unlimited immigration by embracing the BNP,' he said back then.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I suppose Immigration is OK until the jobs go way and the housing isn't there. And it doesn't help when they (the immigrants) start burning cars and shops. Are we talking about Britain or the EU in general?
#2
So, why aren't privately-constructed homes available? You'd think with unmet demand somebody would try to supply the need. Or is Arthur Levitt only possible in the USA?
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
01/11/2009 0:34 Comments ||
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#3
There isn't a dire shortage of state housing. There's a dire excess of taxes.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/11/2009 0:50 Comments ||
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#4
the white working class think they have been 'betrayed' and 'abandoned' by mainstream politicians who make them 'come second' to immigrants
Well, they do! And if anyone disagrees or offers any kind of dissent, then they're a racist and their ideas need never be given consideration, but ruled out entirely.
The Working class turns on Labour all Re-Thuglicans & DemoKraps over immigration and housing
Why Should fair minded American Citizens care if Illegal Immigrants soak up all the entry level jobs and then some?
Why Should fair minded American Citizens care if Illegal Immigrants are first to apply for, then get many of the available foreman's jobs too?
Why Should fair minded American Citizens care if Illegal Immigrants receive Tuition Free schooling for every one of their half dozen papooses that you and I pay for, cradle to grave?
Why Should fair minded American Citizens care if Illegal Immigrants receive Free Health Care, cradle to grave while Americans Citizens pay thru their noses Big Time every year all through-out their lives?
Housing? Guess?
Free Legal Aid? Guess?
First on Transplant Organ Lists!! guess?
Oh Yes, Illegal Immigrants need Big-Time OFF-SETS TO COMPENSATE them for all the unfairly distributed goodies, booty, and nougats "Whites" received over the millenia while the poor, poor, poor sobs were passed over!
Now Remember........., Illegal Immigrants got mean-looks all their live long days ...SO....
So Chill the Hell Out Today, Now that we "White Lazy Bxxtards" GOT Double Affirmative Action;
EXTRA Dirty-Looks, if but for no other reason but to off-set all "OUR" Natural Smiles and other Advantages!
ETC.
ETC.
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
01/11/2009 2:35 Comments ||
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#7
For those members of the white working class who voted Labour in the first place: didn't they bother to find out that they were voting for white middle class liberally guilty tw@ts who would do precisely this to them? Not much sympathy from me, I'm afraid.
Also, if fewer of them expected to get by in life never bothering with jobs and instead accepting that immigrants (whether muslims or eastern Europeans) would do the jobs they could do themselves, they might have the income to buy a house rather than being burdens on the taxpayer.
Labour: screwing Britain royally since inception (Propaganda Wing: 'BBC').
#8
Ha, Now the economy is drying up and the useful immigrants are going home (mainly here because of the artificial credit bubble), the tax-base is drying up and aboriginal layabouts are competing with new entrant layabouts for money extorted from workers.
There's no shortage of things to do, benefit addicts just didn't want to do them.
I know that you had your own crazy real estate bubble there, too, but are regular rents that unaffordable for most people who are employed?
Yeah, I know, the amount varies from place to place, but shouldn't that guy Jason be able to afford a small place on his own if he has regular employment? (It doesn't have to be a palace, just some place decent.)
#11
A friend, his wife and son moved to the outskirts of London a little over a year ago when his wife was offered a teaching job at a university. They will have to share a little apartmentment with 2 others for a while it seems.
#12
It sounds like Yob Monneypenny is finally raising his bleary eyes from his lukewarm pint and realizing that his Labor pals have conferred his inalienable right to the dole to a new constituency.
Like McCartney said when he heard Lennon was shot dead: "Bummer, man."
Posted by: regular joe ||
01/11/2009 9:26 Comments ||
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#13
RJ,
"Yob Monneypenny" would drink Lager, and that's drunk cold not warm.
Real Ale is drunk at cellar temperature and isn't a louts drink.
#16
When I lived there in 1986-88, British housing was EXPENSIVE. We looked at several apartments that rented from $450-$950/month, and were, in my opinion, sub-standard. From what I gathered, most of the jobs were in London, Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, and other big cities, but housing that was affordable for workers to actually buy couldn't be found within 50 miles. One of the people I knew in Raunds commuted from Wellingborough to London every day - 70+ miles one-way. He was paying over 600 Pounds for a small house on a tiny plot of land. I doubt if things are better now.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/11/2009 15:12 Comments ||
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#17
most people working in london live outside London as its too expensive to buy in London.Thats why like American cities we are creating Ethnic ghettos in our cities as the only people who can afford houses live in Council houses.People who live in council housing have no incentive to work as their rent is paid for if unemployed.Rent is expensive in the private sector especially in London so people looking for an easy life look for council housing hence the big waiting list and the likes of muslims jumping the queue with ther big families pissing off the locals!!!!!
#1
I'm not sure that directing the anger at the policemen is the moral of this nightmare. They seem just two small players in a bigger drama who perhaps rightly, perhaps wrongly decided to remove the flag. It seems to me that scape-goating them allows the real problem (the one that is far bigger than two cops making a decision in the heat of battle) to be brushed aside while we all argue over what the cops should or should not have done.
#2
They didn't "join" jew-hating muslim mob, they did what european powers-that-be (and the Us too, in some large extent) do, they APPEASED. It's unfortunate perceptions seem trapped for worse in a fantasied replay of WWII, with its victimization and its ogres... and it's even quite ironical in a very definite sense, as that fantasy worldview which was partly (not completely, gentiles did that a LOT, too, in many regards, "anti-fascism" as defined by the marxists is the official dogma of the Western Enlightened Elites) by portions of the jewish talking class intended on securing themselves a secure positioning in the guilt/victimhood race... BUT, this was turned upon its head by the memetic jujutsu of the cultural left (and also, ironically, by the remnants of the actual nazi propaganda apparatus that set itself in the service of the arabs after WWII)... and now, perception is : JUICES = NAZIS, PALEOS = WWII JEWS.
And you've got pretty funny after-effects, like that victimhood race, with blacks (by that, I mean the black talking class) in western countries being jealous of the jews, because they expect to reap more victimhood benefits from their supposed "victim" status, and assert jews 'stole' their thunder and are getting an underserved share of the White Guilt booty... and now, even "western" muslims are playing that card, see, they're more "discriminated" than the jooooooos, so whitey has to bend over for them even more...
Last time, about the Copenhague schools, I believed there was a lot of fantasies flying around, with the idea that europeans are all closet neo-nazis all waiting for a Furher so they can indulge again in their natural fascistical impulses and start chasing jews again (this is a common thread of thoughts at NP!, for example), IE, Europe is a continent of antisemites by birth, perpetual nazis, etc, etc... I find those american conservative fantasies rather interesting, but I'd just like to point out that the utmost majority of "european" antisemitism is due to our guests, and that the point of convergence with them actually includes the ANTI-EUROPEAN trends of the political/intellectual landscapes, a very diverse set of people whose common links are antisemitism and a reject of classical liberalism (free market & capitalism, freedom of thought, freedom of association, individual-based society, and let's be honest, Christianity); that's why you'll see the far-left and the far-right converge (at least on the idea of common ennemies for the wingnuts, who hates more the jooooooooos and the americano-zionists than the muslim colonizers they so lament) with the muzzies.
BUT, the common european man on the street has nothing to do with that; problem of Europe is that it has been neutered by decades of endoctrination (just as the USA are, I like to think to a lesser extent, be honest about it, you're sick too), NOT that it is a 1930's rethread.
#4
What I mean is that 2008 Europe, politically, demographically, and socially (and even humanly) is not the 1930's Europe. It's a spent force, mostly, with the "dangerous" elements being imported foreign populations, aided and abeitted by the dominating ideology of civilizational suicide. Commies and nazis actually still are here, but they're only very marginal auxiliary forces to this dynamic.
Don't forget who set the dance : the leftists may be thinking they are "using" mass immigration to get rid of the old order, and they're doing everything in their power to use that, but when push comes to shove, and when the leftist students have their ritualized fun by demonstrating against their daddies and mommies about school reforms and such, they get beat up and humiliated by the Youths who now have their own ritualized fun of turning every demonstration and public event into a "let's bash whitey's face in" festivity.
So, yes, commies and nazis were allied, but this was then, today, european political violence and extremism is just a sideshow to the actual action; real european problem is impotence.
#5
I think what you may be reaching for, anonymous5089, is the concept of nihilism, invented in Europe and a leading cause, along with Romanticism of manly warfare, of precipitating the first world war. The thing is, back in the day nihilism was in it's own way muscular and even positive in its destructiveness, looking to clear the many layers of historical underbrush so that an unencumbered modernity could emerge. Nowadays that nihilism, that clearing away, leads merely to the peace of the grave; there is no vision of anything new to replace the old.
#6
Kevin knows what Nihilists are - he's a Lebowski Dude
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/11/2009 14:58 Comments ||
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#7
the concept of nihilism
"Nihilists! *Bleep* me. I mean, say what you like about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it's an ethos."
-- Walter Sobchak, "The Big Lebowski"
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/11/2009 15:00 Comments ||
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#9
Rather than nihilism in its "ideological" form, I'd rather blame cultural pessimism as *engineered* by the gramscists of all stripes, coupled with the after-effects of long term soviet strategic disinformation & demoralization, and a spiritual void stemming from a kind of secularism enforced by a nexus of ideologies that can all be traced to the Enlightement.
This void is filled by a post-Christian messianism which is itself a secular religion, where the crucified Christ is the idealized non-european Noble Savage.
Rather than suicide or decay, I'd rather say western civilization has been killed on purpose, by people working for the Greater Good, to implement their utopia. Doesn't matter that their utopia is ultimately an impossiblity that is a failure, there is no centralized Grand Conspiracy, just automatons doing the part for which they've been programmed, and they come in all shapes and churches, but they do tend toward the same ultimate goal.
Really, it's the ultimate "grey goo" End of the World, except the nano-bots work on society and minds, rather than matter.
#10
love your comments 5089. We are sick too. Our current congress is corrupt and seem to feel no need to actually represent the people. I'm not sure when it happened, but it seems we woke up one morning and realized that we no longer matter in the political process. Not only do we not matter, there seems little we can do about it. They will be coming for our guns very soon and then the transition from citizen to peasant will be complete.
So even though much of America is still sane, as are many French, British or Europeans, there is little that we can do but sit back and watch the madness unfold and wonder what went wrong.
#11
That's an unfortunate event but has of course nothing to do with police "joining the mob".
It's a de-escalation move which may be questionable, but in Germany the police was within its legal rights. They decided that removing the flags was better than putting the people in the house in danger.
It is sad to see this, but it is within the law and has nothing to do with Israel and antisemitism.
Rather it sheds a grim light on the demonstrators (mostly Turks from the militant Milli Gorus). The demonstration at that point should have been dissolved but removal of the flag seemed to be the easier action.
I should mention that Munich had two demonstrations this weekend.
On Saturday the Gazalovers turned to the street, shouting things I'm not repeating here but were truly reprehensive. The large majority were Palestinians, mostly with hidden faces, and militant commies (also mostly with hidden faces).
There was another demonstration today at the central square of Munich. This one I took part in. It went very respectfully, without any insults and absolutely no violence.
I guess you know who those demonstrators were.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
01/11/2009 18:24 Comments ||
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#12
It is sad to see this, but it is within the law and has nothing to do with Israel and antisemitism.
I wonder whether the German police would have torn down a flag that deeply offended a right wing party. Or one that called for forceably reducing the earth's human population in honor of Gaia.
Somehow I think not. And therefore this IS about antisemitism and Israel, not as the sole cause but as the weakest point in European integrity.
#13
Or to be less charitable, it is about the cowardice of the authorities and their willingness to let Jews in Germany be the victims of mob violence.
#14
No, since this would happen in a non political context as well.
Let's say a large soccer mob is provoked by a flag (of an opposing group) hanging from a window police might opt for de-escalation as well and tear it down instead of risking violence.
I'd rather think they would be more cautious about an Israeli flag so I suppose the situation was dicey
Posted by: European Conservative ||
01/11/2009 19:32 Comments ||
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#15
A basic rule of behavior:
What gets rewarded gets repeated.
Mob violence, hate speech and threats by Muslims are being rewarded daily in Europe now. When Muslim immigrants and their children establish police 'no go' areas in Britain, in the banlieus of Paris, in Malmo and elsewhere, the authorities respond by ....
not going there.
When Muslims in Britain threaten and attack Jews, the authorities respond by ...
telling the Jews to keep a lower profile or just move away.
When rapes increase by over 400% in Sweden within a decade and it turns out that nearly all that increase consists of Muslim immigrant/offspring rapes of ethnically Swedish women, the authorities respond by ...
withholding the detailed statistics and threatening journalists who attempt to print them.
When German tourists travel to Muslim areas in Africa and elsewhere and are kidnapped, German authorities respond by ...
paying millions of Euros in ransom.
I fear it won't be long before you all are openly paying a dhimmi tax to the barbarians whom you're embracing. At this rate it won't even be a demand of the Muslims -- the European authorities will eagerly suggest it.
#4
Gitmo likely won't close in his first 1000 days, and maybe not even in his first 2000 days if he is reelected. Unless we can find a satisfactory way to deal with the hard core terrorists that are there.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
01/11/2009 12:35 Comments ||
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#5
The Big O projected Hope and Change™, and people who voted for him put their version on the screen, but reality has a way of forcing your hand when you are in the driver's seat.
Change, like recycled Clinton hacks. Change, like spending your way out of the hole that the Dems and Repubs dug with irresponsible spending.
Change, like talking about closing Gitmo until you find out that you have the most fanatic and twisted minds in custody there.
The only thing now that saves our republic is that the Islamic nutcases who want to destroy us are still more stupid than our leaders. Wonder how long that will last?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/11/2009 12:48 Comments ||
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#6
Sounds like Richard Pryor when he filmed one of his movies at a state prison. Figured out the inmates were there for a reason.
The arrest of two key Taliban commanders has raised hopes among the authorities for recovering the Afghan and Iranian diplomats missing since last year, officials said on Saturday.
"If the two commanders' release can help recover the two missing diplomats, the federal government may allow authorities to go ahead with the plan," the officials told Daily Times. Security forces arrested senior Taliban commander Ustad Yasir on January 3, and Mustafa Kamal Kamran 'Hijrat,' wanted by the government for attacks on NATO truck terminals in Peshawar, on December 9. Both are Afghan nationals.
Both the arrests were made from the Hayatabad residential area, according to senior security officials. Afghan ambassador-designate to Pakistan Abdul Khaliq Farahi was kidnapped in Hayatabad district on September 22 and commercial consular at the Iranian Consulate, Hashmatollah Atterzedeh, in Peshawar on November 13 last year.
"There is pressure on Pakistan to secure the release of the two missing diplomats from Iran and Afghanistan. A single day does not pass when the Iranian and Afghan diplomats do not visit the governor, the chief minister or the head of intelligence networks to seek progress," the officials said. It was proposed to use the two arrested Taliban commanders as a 'bargain chip' to win freedom for the missing diplomats, the officials added. NWFP Police chief Malik Naveed suspected Mustafa Kamal's 'involvement' in Farahi's abduction.
Wanted: A security official said the two arrested Taliban commanders were not wanted by the United States, adding, "The best use of the two men can be their exchange with the missing diplomats' who appear to have been abducted by the Taliban than simple kidnappers." The government has not formally acknowledged reports saying the two senior Taliban commanders were taken into custody but it has not denied the reports either.
If the authorities free Ustad Yasir in return for the recovery of either the missing Afghan or Iranian diplomat or both, it will be the second time that the Taliban commander would get a new lease on life.
He was first arrested in the NWFP in 2005 and handed over to Kabul. The Afghan government released him from Kabul's Pul-e-Charkhi prison in exchange for the abducted Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo in early 2007.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2009 00:00 ||
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Pakistan condemns the ongoing Israeli assault on the Palestinian people in Gaza and considers it a blatant violation of international law and a war crime, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN Zamir Akram has said. Akram was speaking on behalf of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference at a special session of the Human Rights Council, according to a message received here on Saturday. The session was held to discuss the human rights situation in the occupied Gaza Strip. He said the UN Security Council's (UNSC) call for a ceasefire should be immediately implemented. He said the unrestrained use of force, the killing of innocent civilians including women and children, the bombardment on UN safe havens and the collective punishment of the Palestinian people were war crimes and crimes against humanity. He called for bringing the culprits to justice. Akram said the 1.5 million people of Gaza had been subjected to a crippling blockade for the last eighteen months. He urged the UNSC and the world to help end the Israeli aggression on Gaza, ensure cessation of all hostilities and provide immediate protection for the Palestinian people and secure a ceasefire and return to calm.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Hopefully, soon to be echoed by "Indian brutalities" in Pakistan.
#2
Pakistan is right to complain. How dare a nation track the terrorists to their home bases to effectively deal with them - sets a very scary precedent!
#4
Apparently Akram still hasn't figured out the cause-effect thingy. Cause: Hamas shoots rockets at Israel. Effect: Israel blockades Gaza. Cause: Hamas keeps shooting rockets at Israel. Effect: Israel invades Gaza to shut down the rocket attacks. In the course of that, yes, some innocent (more or less) people get killed. However, Israel is targeting Hamas and its leaders. The fact that Hamas is a bunch of pussies who hide behind women and children is unfortunate.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
01/11/2009 19:16 Comments ||
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Tribal elders on Saturday pledged that the tribesmen would strike back if India imposed war on Pakistan. Attending a jirga of tribal elders from the North and South Waziristan agencies, they said six million tribesmen would not bear Indian threats any more. More than 100 elders of various tribes in Jandola, Kurram Agency, Orakzai and other agencies were present in the meeting. Speaking on the occasion, the jirga members said Indian intelligence agencies had began propaganda against Pakistan in a bid to isolate it internationally. They warned India against threatening Pakistan, saying the country was fully capable of replying in a befitting manner in case of war. The elders said the tribesmen would fight along with the army in case of Indian aggression against the country. The jirga members also condemned Israeli government's atrocities against innocent Palestinians.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
If this comes to pass, the Indians should be quite liberal in reducing the number of tribesmen, say by 5.8 million.
#2
India remembers the tribesmen. What they did in 1947 will not be forgotten.
"Dirty, blood-stained, ill-kempt with ragged beards and hair; some carrying a blanket, most completely unequipped," wrote Father George Shanks, a missionary priest in Baramullah, describing the ill-disciplined tribal army as it entered the town.
They were armed "with rifles of Frontier make, double-barrelled shotguns, revolvers, daggers, swords, axes and her and there a Sten gun. Jostling one another, shouting, cursing and brawling, they came on in a never-ending stream".
The tribesmen ransacked the mission (raping many nuns), looted Muslim homes and businesses, and abducted Sikh girls and women.
Posted by: john frum ||
01/11/2009 10:53 Comments ||
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#3
yeah, I'm thinking an even 6 mil dead is a good start
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/11/2009 10:57 Comments ||
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Aswat al-Iraq: The Supreme Court said on Saturday it will decide whether the Iraqi government has immunity in American courts for the acts of Saddam Hussein's regime, according to a report published by the Web site Law.com.
Tareq Harb, the chairman of the Iraqi Legal Culture Association, told Aswat al-Iraq news agency on Saturday (Jan. 10) that the Iraqi funds enjoy immunity even against acts committed during the time of the former regime.
Foreign nations usually are immune from lawsuits in U.S. courts, but federal law strips that protection from countries that support terrorism. Under Saddam, Iraq was considered a state sponsor of terrorism. But the Iraqi government, backed by the Bush administration, says the U.S.-led invasion that deposed Saddam and a federal law enacted in 2003 restored Iraq's immunity to lawsuits in American courts.
Americans suing Iraq include CBS News correspondent Bob Simon, who was held for more than a month during the Gulf War in 1991. The Iraqi government also is being sued by the children of Kenneth Beaty, an oil rig supervisor, and by the children of William Barloon, an aircraft maintenance supervisor. The plaintiffs are seeking compensation for the emotional distress they said they suffered because of their fathers' treatment while in Iraqi custody.
In 2001, U.S. District Court judge Louis Oberdorfer in Washington, D.C., found the two men had been tortured after being illegally detained in Baghdad. The judge awarded Beaty, of Mustang, Okla., $4.2 million, and awarded Barloon, of Jacksonville, Fla., $2.9 million. The men worked in Kuwait when picked up by Iraqi guards in separate border incidents, Beaty in 1993 and Barloon in 1995. The Iraqi government sentenced Beaty and Barloon to eight years in prison for illegally entering Iraq.
Beaty was released after a ransom of $5 million was paid to the Iraqi government, Beaty's lawyers say. Barloon was released after being held for 126 days. At the time of an earlier lawsuit by Beaty and Barloon and their spouses, U.S. law deprived Iraq of immunity from lawsuits. At issue in the case brought by the men's children is whether a federal law enacted in 2003 and a related presidential order restored immunity from lawsuits to Iraq.
The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia says it does not, that the law applies narrowly to legal restrictions on assistance and money for the new Iraqi government. Chief Justice John Roberts, then an appeals court judge, said in an earlier case that the 2003 law and the president's order were sufficient to block the lawsuits.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2009 00:00 ||
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ISRAEL has indicated for the first time today that an end is in sight to its war on Hamas, amid some of the heaviest clashes of an offensive that has killed nearly 900 people in the Gaza Strip.
Infantry units backed by tanks pushed deeper into Gaza's main city, sparking some of the fiercest battles yet of the 16-day-old war Israel launched on the Islamists in response to rocket fire from their stronghold.
But Israeli officials suggested the Jewish state is nearing the end of its deadliest ever offensive in the Palestinian enclave, despite having last week waved off a UN Security Council resolution calling for a halt to the fighting.
"The decision of the (UN) security council doesn't give us much leeway,'' Deputy Defence Minister Matan Vilnai told public radio. "Thus it would seem that we are close to ending the ground operation and ending the operation altogether.''
Silly man. What power does the UNSC have? Saddam defied them 17 times and would have gotten away with it 17 more if George Bush hadn't been president -- which he won't be in nine days.
Anyone honestly think the UNSC can enforce a resolution? Anyone honestly see international 'peace-keeping' troops in Gaza, getting potted by Hamas hard boyz and being blamed by the Israelis (if no one else) every time a Qassam heads outbound?
Finish the job. If the goal is to break Hamas, break them.
Earlier, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said the Jewish state is nearing the goals it has set for its operation, but said fighting will continue for the time being. "Israel is approaching these goals, but more patience and determination are required in order to reach these goals'' and "change the security reality in the south in a way that will allow our citizens to live in security and stability over a long period of time,'' Mr Olmert said at the start of the cabinet meeting.
Both Israel and Hamas last week brushed off the UN Security Council resolution that called on both sides to stop fighting, and the early Sunday hours saw Israeli troops push deep into the territory's main population centre.
Troops crept into the southern Tal al-Hawa neighbourhood in the early morning hours, encountering roadside bombs, mortars and gunfire from Palestinian fighters, witnesses said. The troops withdrew at daybreak, but hundreds of panicked residents fled from the area, clutching small children and hurriedly-packed bags after a sleepless night.
#2
deadliest ever offensive in the Palestinian enclave, despite having last week waved off a UN Security Council resolution calling for a halt to the fighting
Frank, DeaconMan... AP... if Ima still on the floor in 12 hours pls thro me a blanket over.
UN experts said the US' abstention on last week's Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza should be viewed as a warning to Israeli leaders that Washington's patience may be running thin.
Outgoing US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who spent three days in New York shuttling between conference chambers with her cell phone clutched tightly in her hand helping broker a deal between Arab nations and Western powers, told reporters Friday that the abstention was intended as an endorsement of the multilateral peace talks taking place in Cairo. Methinks, at least some, Israeli leaders recognize that there is difference between the numinous Miz Rice and US of A.
Israel said Saturday it was shocked and distressed by a senior Vatican cardinal's likening of Gaza under Israel's military offensive to a concentration camp. Surprise meter
#2
As a Catholic, I can say that this Cardinal can FOAD - he doesn't represent me. His comments were inappropriate and incorrect. If you can't do better, just shut up
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/11/2009 16:17 Comments ||
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The testimonies of Gaza Strip residents are revealing new details about the Israel Defense Forces' mode of operation there. In the past two days, Beit Lahia residents forced from their homes said soldiers were posing as members of Hamas' armed wing while advancing on the ground.
The daily pauses in bombing allow Gazans to meet with the displaced - most of whom are housed in an UNRWA school - and hear their stories.
Gaza resident S. told Haaretz he heard several people say they saw armed men wearing the uniforms and symbols of the Iz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, who "called out to each other in Arabic, as if they had caught a collaborator, and then, with the element of surprise, went into the houses."
A Gaza radio station warned that troops posing as locals were driving a vehicle normally used by paramedics. Residents said the radio broadcaster listed the vehicle's license plate number and color.
Haaretz has also learned that one of the army's methods for evacuating a home is to fire a missile toward its upper level. That is how B.'s house in Sajaiyeh was destroyed. It was bombed just a few minutes after a missile struck and 40 shell-shocked family members walked out of the house.
The IDF has also forced at least 40,000 people to leave their homes in agricultural and border areas. In Rafah, most of the 20,000 people removed from their homes were lodging with relatives and not in UNRWA facilities.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
probably a more truthful headline:
Hamas Residents Pose as Men
Posted by: Abu do you love ||
01/11/2009 1:42 Comments ||
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#3
So, the only response for hamas people should be to shoot at hamas people at sight - they're Zionists in disguise, and you never can be too careful. I'm so confused.
#4
Ok, let me see if I have this right. If they are wearing a Hamas uniform and are more or less competent, they must be IDF soldiers because the real thing can't figure out which end of the rifle to point away from their own vital organs (too much time with the Qassams, not enough with the AK knockoffs).
#5
That is how B.'s house in Sajaiyeh was destroyed. It was bombed just a few minutes after a missile struck and 40 shell-shocked family members walked out of the house.
#6
Gaza resident S. told Haaretz he heard several people say they saw armed men wearing the uniforms and symbols of the Iz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades,
This passes for proof in the Islamic world.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
01/11/2009 9:23 Comments ||
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#7
The ability to successfully masquerade as the enemy is the holy grail of COIN technique, with all kinds of operational and tactical benefits. It is also very difficult to execute successfully. Congratulations to the IDF if they have managed to pull it off.
#8
Agreed, AC - though it's more likely the Israelia just started the rumor about this to mess with the Gazans' heads and make them suspect everyone around them.
I heartily approve. :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/11/2009 10:38 Comments ||
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#9
best shoot first and ask "juice?" after
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/11/2009 10:42 Comments ||
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#10
tipper, you obviously don't know how many illegals a coyote can pack into a house in central Phoenix. 40 people in a house ain't nuthin'.
#13
Congratulations to the IDF if they have managed to pull it off.
AC, grouchy g(r)om will confirm it, but IIRC, Israel has whole units specializing in counter-insurgency that are made of arab-looking israelis who speaks fluent arabic with west bank or gazan accent and are used to perform deep (not speaking geographically, of course) infiltration, or more classical "grab & snatch" raids. Their approach to goats and hairless boys is unknown to me, though, possibly, and hopefully, they didn't go native ALL the way.
And though I believe they're selected for traditional missions types (recon, scouting), there are also quite a few druzes & bedouins in the IDf, and israeli arabs also include Christians whose loyalty probably is less "tricky" than their muslim brethen's.
A preliminary investigation into the fatal shooting by the Israel Defense Forces into a United Nations building in northern Gaza on Tuesday reveals the Israeli troops firing on the building missed their targets by some 30 meters.
Hamas is claiming the mortar fire killed 42 people and left dozens wounded, but senior IDF officers say the figures are dubious and that Hamas is inflating the numbers.
The probe, which was conducted by the Paratrooper Brigade whose troops were responsible for the area, found that the army's location system to pinpoint launch sites indicated that militants had launched a Qassam rocket into Israel from within a yard adjacent to the courtyard of the UN building.
The troops had intended to launch a smart missile to take out the Palestinian launch team but a technical malfunction made this impossible, according to the probe. The commanders of the force instead decided to fire on the Qassam team with mortar shells equipped with a Global Positioning System for accurate fire.
However, the GPS element has an error margin of 30 meters and one of the three rounds fired by the paratrooper force slammed into the building owned by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, or UNRWA.
Two of the rounds hit the yard used to launch rockets into Israel, killing two members of Hamas' military wing who probably belonged to the squad that fired the rockets.
Nonetheless, in discussing the incident with Haaretz, some IDF officers say the force should have refrained from using mortar rounds and relied instead on more accurate fire. Military sources said the UNRWA building was marked on the maps of forces operating in the area.
Other officers said they found the death toll published by Hamas grossly exaggerated, pointing out that a week ago only three IDF soldiers were killed when a tank fired two rounds - which have a much larger impact than mortar rounds - into a building which was occupied by 50 IDF soldiers.
Officers interviewed for this article pointed out that Hezbollah resorted to similar inflation tactics after an IDF bomb landed on a UN post in Qana in southern Lebanon in 2006.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
More UN piss-me-off. You knew damn well the Paleos would be firing from your doorstep. Its what they do. Maybe use some brains and get the F out as soon as Hamas starts firing rockets into Israel.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/11/2009 1:21 Comments ||
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Protests in the Arab world calling for an end to Israel's bloody invasion of the Gaza Strip grew in size and intensity on Friday, with clashes between rival political parties in Palestine - and riot police in Egypt failing to stem a 50,000-strong rally. Supporters of the Hamas movement clashed with members of Fatah during protests in the Occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2009 00:00 ||
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The United Nations will resume aid distribution for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip after receiving security assurances from Israel, as a collection of funds for Gaza's civilians in the UAE reached $86 million in one day, organizers said Saturday.
The U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) said in a joint statement that the United Nations had received "credible assurances that the security of U.N. personnel, installations and humanitarian operations would be fully respected."
"On this basis, U.N. staff movements suspended yesterday will resume as soon as possible," the two organizations said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2009 00:00 ||
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The wives of the leaders of seven Muslim countries Saturday condemned the Israeli attack on Gaza and called on the international community to end the suffering of women and children there. They were joined by the daughter of the Libyan leader Moamer Gaddhafi after a meeting in the city of "Women for peace in Palestine."
The meeting was organized by Emine Erdogan, wife of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to a news agency report. Among those attending were Queen Rania of Jordan, Asma al-Assad, wife of the Syrian leader, Aicha Gaddhafi, daughter of the Libyan leader, and Wafa Suleiman, wife of the president of Lebanon.
" I hope our meeting will be an instrument of pressure on Israel for the immediate halt of the attacks on Gaza "
Emine Erdogan
"I hope our meeting will be an instrument of pressure on Israel for the immediate halt of the attacks on Gaza," Erdogan told participants in the meeting in an address carried live on Turkish television.
She spoke of a "humanitarian drama" in Gaza and urged the international community to put an end "to the sufferings of women and children" in Palestine which "attacked the most basic freedom, that of life."
Earlier those attending the meeting had met representatives of Turkish aid organizations operating in Gaza.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
of course, the leaders themselves were busy hiding under the bed.
Posted by: Abu do you love ||
01/11/2009 1:53 Comments ||
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Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas pressed his rivals Hamas on Saturday to accept an Egyptian plan to end Israel's war in the Gaza Strip, as a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo to discuss the proposal. "We hope that the (Hamas delegation) will reach an agreement without hesitation," Abbas told journalists after meeting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak who floated his peace plan on Tuesday.
Hopes for peace are increasingly focused on Egypt's mediation efforts since both Israel and Hamas brushed off a U.N. Security Council resolution on Friday calling for an immediate truce in the fighting.
The Egyptian plan seeks to meet Israel's requirement of preventing weapons going to Gaza through Egyptian tunnels and Hamas's demand for a reopening of Gaza's borders to normal traffic.
Abbas stressed he wanted an international force in Gaza rather than controlling traffic on the Egyptian side of the border, as suggested by European countries.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
IRAN is repor demanding HAMAS NOT ACCEPT, ala FREEREPUBLIC/TOPIX.
Woah. Bet you're glad you're not down there, huh, Khaled? A guy could get hurt... As Israel warned of an escalation of its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the leader of the militant Palestinian group vowed Saturday that Israel had squandered any chance of settlement and negotiation.
Damascus-based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal gave a fiery speech on the Arabic news channel Al-Jazeera condemning Israel's attack on the Gaza Strip, describing it as a "holocaust."
Easy for Khaled to call for people to rise up, he's safe in Damascus ...
"You have finished off the last chance and breath for settlement and negotiations," he said, calling on Arabs to continue their protests to pressure their leaders and the international community. "We are living the hardest moments of the resistance now, we want another intifada in Palestine and on the Arab street."
Meanwhile, Israel pounded rocket sites and tunnels Saturday while its planes dropped leaflets warning of an escalation, and Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas predicted a "waterfall of blood" unless all parties adhere to the U.N.'s call for a durable cease-fire.
Hamas fighters kept up attacks on southern Israel, launching 15 rockets. And with neither side ready to step down, the death toll in two weeks of fighting rose to more than 800 Palestinians, according to Palestinian medical officials, and 13 Israelis. Flames and smoke rose over Gaza City amid heavy fighting.
Mashaal's comments come as a Hamas delegation is in Egypt, together with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, to discuss an Egyptian cease-fire proposal and possible international monitoring force to enforce an agreement.
Mashaal said that any international monitoring force would be treated as "occupation" force and Hamas said that before any negotiations could take place, Israel had to halt attacks, pull out of the Gaza Strip and lift the siege of Gaza. He did say, however, that the group would deal with any peace proposals with an "empty open mind." So what are you willing to give up before negotiations can take place? The male prostitutes at the Damascus Hilton?
Diplomacy was not finished, but it appeared to be in retreat following both sides' defiance of Thursday's U.N. Security Council resolution calling for a halt to fighting. Struggling to keep peace efforts alive, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak invited representatives of Gaza's Hamas rulers to Egypt for further talks on his cease-fire initiative.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Y'know, calling 600 some-odd terrorists and terror supporters killed in combat operations a "holocaust," to a people who know firsthand what a real holocaust is... well, it is so dumb it's almost funny. Should we call a "waaa"mbulance for the little cry-babies? I mean, are you gonna be fearsome martyrs and fight to the death, or not?? These people a truly pathetic.
#3
I hope Israel had a satellite in place to track this prick home from the press conference. I'm not big on the idea of Israel going around popping radical figures, but this guy is one I would like to see them do away with.
At minimum I would enjoy Livni going on a ridicule offensive against this maggot.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/11/2009 1:38 Comments ||
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#4
"You have finished off the last chance and breath for settlement and negotiations,"
You know, that's so sad, because if hamas proudly stood for something, it sure was for settlement and negociations and all that peacenik stuff, that's what they lived for. Such a waste.
U.S. President George W. Bush deflected Israel's secret request last year for bunker-busting bombs it wanted for an attack on Iran's main nuclear complex, saying he had authorized covert action to sabotage Tehran's suspected atomic weapons development, The New York Times said.
Is there anything the NYT won't leak if it harms our national security?
Citing U.S. and foreign officials, the Times reported on Saturday the White House was unable to determine whether Israel had decided to carry out the strike before Washington objected or whether Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was trying to get Bush to act more decisively before he leaves office this month.
Details of the expanded U.S. covert program and the Bush administration's efforts to talk Israel out of attacking Iran emerged from 15 months of interviews with current and former U.S. officials, international nuclear inspectors, outside experts and European and Israeli officials, the Times said. None of those interviewed would speak on the record, the paper said, adding it omitted many details of the covert efforts from its report at the request of senior U.S. intelligence and administration officials.
So not a word of this may be true ...
It said the interviews also suggested "that while Mr. Bush was extensively briefed on options for an overt American attack on Iran's facilities, he never instructed the Pentagon to move beyond contingency planning, even during the final year of his presidency, contrary to what some critics have suggested."
But aware that financial sanctions against Iran were inadequate, Bush turned to the CIA, according to people involved in the covert program, authorizing a broader effort aimed at Iran's industrial infrastructure supporting its nuclear programs, the Times said.
So now the NYT is going to blow Operation Lemony Snickett ...
While the paper said details were closely held by U.S. officials, it quoted one as saying, "It was not until the last year that they got really imaginative about what one could do to screw up the system."
But the official said "none of these are game-changers" in that the efforts would not necessarily cripple Iran's program.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/11/2009 00:00 ||
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[4 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Half the world could have told this story in one sentence. The US has a covert program to attempt to disrupt the Iranian nuke program, but it can't stop the nuke program completely.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/11/2009 0:19 Comments ||
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#2
Why put anything from THAT paper as a post? I do not see them having any cred, or business for that matter.
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 Times writer joins Taliban fighters in an especially dangerous part of Afghanistan. The men appear to have no fear of 
Vice President-elect Joe Biden made a surprise visit to the Taliban's traditional stronghold in southern Afghanistan on Sunday and said the new U.S. administration will fully support troops battling the resurgent militants. Thousands of new American troops will be joining the battle against the Taliban this year, and Biden's visit is a sign that Obama plans to make the region an immediate priority.
Tribal elders on Saturday pledged that the tribesmen would strike back if India imposed war on Pakistan. Attending a jirga of tribal elders from the North and South Waziristan agencies, they said six million tribesmen would not bear Indian threats any more. More than 100 elders of various tribes in Jandola, Kurram Agency, Orakzai and other agencies were present in the meeting. Speaking on the occasion, the jirga members said Indian intelligence agencies had began propaganda against Pakistan in a bid to isolate it internationally. They warned India against threatening Pakistan, saying the country was fully capable of replying in a befitting manner in case of war. The elders said the tribesmen would fight along with the army in case of Indian aggression against the country. The jirga members also condemned Israeli government's atrocities against innocent Palestinians.
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas pressed his rivals Hamas on Saturday to accept an Egyptian plan to end Israel's war in the Gaza Strip, as a Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo to discuss the proposal. "We hope that the (Hamas delegation) will reach an agreement without hesitation," Abbas told journalists after meeting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak who floated his peace plan on Tuesday.
As Israel warned of an escalation of its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the leader of the militant Palestinian group vowed Saturday that Israel had squandered any chance of settlement and negotiation.
