Buried in the middle of a New York Times report from Gaza City, the tale of a young wife looking to end a failed marriage:
In a different part of town, another young fighter and his wife were getting ready to go see her brother, 20, who had been wounded in southwest Gaza City two nights ago while bringing food to fighters. The fighter, 27, in dark jeans and Timberland-style boots, swaggered with words about Islam and duty to his people. Hamas is doctrinally opposed to Israel's right to exist.
"It's either victory while alive, or martyrdom," he said. "Both ways are victory."
His wife, in a white head scarf, agreed. "Two days ago, he was very tired and he didn't want to leave the house," she said. "I told him you have to leave, you have a responsibility."
But the sight of her brother unconscious in the hospital bed seemed to jolt the couple into an alternate reality, one where they were vulnerable and afraid. The man's eyes glistened with tears as he asked the doctor question after question.
Back outside, the woman regained her composure. "I prefer you as a martyr," she said to her husband.
"What if I am injured?" he asked.
She repeated her preference for death. Be sure his life insurance premiums are all paid up, sweetie.
Posted by: Mike ||
01/15/2009 16:59 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#7
see if the Juice get a big fat GPS target signal that eventually turns out to be the "princess's" cell phone. You'll know he got the message. This one's a nagger and will be for the rest of her life
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/15/2009 21:43 Comments ||
Top||
Djibouti map here. Eritrea map here. The area of dispute is in the northern Djibouti province of Obock.
The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday unanimously demanded that Eritrea quickly pull its troops back from the Djibouti border and acknowledge the dispute with its Horn of Africa neighbor in an important area overlooking critical Red Sea shipping lanes.
In June, the Security Council condemned Eritrea for launching an attack against the tiny port nation of Djibouti, a key U.S. ally in the war on terrorism, which the U.S. said left 44 Djiboutian soldiers dead and many more missing. The council had called for a cease-fire and urged the two countries to withdraw their forces from the border. Djibouti did, but Eritrea did not.
The council's resolution Wednesday expressed "deep concern" that Eritrea has not withdrawn its forces and has refused to engage in dialogue with Djibouti or accept the offers of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the African Union and others to help resolve the dispute. The council demanded that Eritrea "comply immediately" with its order to pull back its troops and start talking to resolve the conflict. It gave Eritrea five weeks to take action.
Uncertainty over the Djibouti-Eritrea border also led to hostilities twice in the 1990s. Eritrea gained independence from Ethiopia in 1993 after a 30-year guerrilla war, and their border is also in dispute.
In October, Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh warned the council that Eritrea's occupation of Djibouti's territory could lead to war again. He urged the council "to do everything possible" to persuade Eritrea to leave the territory it has occupied since March.
Eritrea had accused the United States of instigating the conflict.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/15/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Time for the US to help out Djibouti, which has helped the US immensely by allowing us to set up a headquarters there. I'd suggest bombing Eritrean troops along the Djibouti border back to the early "still in the trees, swinging by their tails" era. You know, just as a courtesy call...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/15/2009 13:26 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Suddenly, the big pullback of Ethiopian troops from Somalia makes sense : Ethiopia lost its only functioning sea port when Eritrea broke off, and now all heavy commerce comes through the ports in Djibouti. Any threat to Djibouti leaves Ethiopia as a totally landlocked country, and Djibouti is the only one of Ethiopia's neighbors that is friendly. Expect LOTS of Ethiopian "volunteers" showing up in Djibouti WITH equipment,if Eritrea moves on Djibouti.
#3
Eritrea used to be staunch American ally, and was single handedly containing OBL when he was hiding in Sudan and trying to export his Jihad to the horn of Africa before 9/11.
Here is what Rumsfield has to say praising them.
This is of course before the Ethio-Eritrea border dispute, and the dimwit bush admin decided with all their wisdom and against international border ruling that favored Eritrea, decided to take Ethiopia's side, as they wanted to use them as proxy in Somalia.
Not to mention using American tax payers money to buy massive amount of arms from North Korea, breaking US/UN sanctions
This is what rightly is pissing Eritrea. Now the same thing is happening in Djibouti, where according the old colonial treaty, the disputed land is Eritrean, but then again American/ French interest is flying against international law, but what is international law when UNSC members have their own interests.
Posted by: Dan ||
01/15/2009 23:46 Comments ||
Top||
Evo Morales, the president of Bolivia, says he is breaking off ties with Israel in protest against its war in Gaza, which has left more than 1,000 Palestinians dead.
Morales said on Wednesday that he would seek to get top Israeli officials, including Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, charged with "genocide" in the International Criminal Court.
The Bolivian president also dismissed the United Nations and its "Insecurity Council" for its "lukewarm" response to the crisis and said the general assembly should hold an emergency session to condemn the invasion.
"Considering these grave attacks against ... humanity, Bolivia will stop having diplomatic relations with Israel," Morales told diplomats in the Bolivian capital, La Paz.
He also said that Shimon Peres, the Israeli president, should be stripped of
his Nobel Peace Prize for failing to stop the invasion.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/15/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
perhaps with the money Bolivia saves on a Cultural Mission, he can get a friggin decent haircut, and put away the tupperware. Jeebus! How embarrassing for Bolivia? Floyd the Barber did better cuts
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/15/2009 0:14 Comments ||
Top||
#2
But Morales uses cocaine every day so he's the man no matter what you say about his tupperware hair cut.
#4
Evil imMorales and his commie gang can follow their decomposed hero Che back to Cuba.
There was a time when Bolivians made short work of murdering commie thugs, but no more.
#7
I shall quote gromwife "Where's Bolivia & that are they good for?"
They're way up in the Andes, and all they can produce that anyone wants is cocaine (Bolivian marching powder). Morales is quite proud of the local product, too.
Of course, they're not smart enough to do the marketing/refining themselves....that's where the Colombians come in. That 'splains why he didn't threaten to cut off Israel's supply....that threat could only come from Bogota. ;)
Venezuela has broken off diplomatic relations with Israel to protest its military offensive in Gaza.
The decision by President Hugo Chavez's socialist government comes more than a week after it expelled the Israeli ambassador in Caracas and seven embassy staff members.
A Foreign Ministry statement said Wednesday that Venezuela "has decided to break off diplomatic relations with the state of Israel given the inhumane persecution of the Palestinian people."
Israel launched the offensive in Gaza on Dec. 27, seeking to force the ruling Hamas militant group to stop rocket attacks on southern Israel. Palestinian authorities say strikes have killed at least 1,025 of their people. Thirteen Israelis have been killed.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/15/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
ORLEANS, France (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy pledged "zero tolerance" for anti-Semitic or anti-Muslim acts in France as a series of incidents apparently related to Israel's offensive in Gaza continued.
"Those who want to import violence between different communities into France will find the state on their tracks," Sarkozy said on Wednesday at a New Year's address to police in the town of Orleans in central France.
Sarkozy's comments, which echo remarks he and senior ministers have made over recent days, reflect the government's concern to prevent anger over the conflict in Gaza spilling over into violence in France. "The level of tolerance will be zero tolerance," Sarkozy said. "We will not let the consequences of this conflict be imported into France."
Jewish organisations say there have been dozens of attacks against synagogues and other Jewish sites since Israel began its bombardment of Gaza last month with the declared aim of ending rocket attacks from the region run by Hamas militants.
Violence against Muslims has also been reported.
And guess to which set of reports Reuters will now turn its gaze?
This week, police opened an investigation into the case of three young people of North African origin who said they were attacked by pro-Israel militants outside a school in the smart 16th district of Paris. The three said they were assaulted by activists of the radical Jewish Defence League who were distributing tracts.
France's main Jewish association CRIF condemned the attack on Wednesday and urged authorities to catch the perpetrators as quickly as possible.
France is home to Europe's biggest Muslim and Jewish communities and in recent years, flare-ups between Israel and the Palestinians have often been followed by acts of violence against Jewish people or buildings in France.
On Wednesday, further graffiti attacks on synagogues were reported, with a swastika scrawled on a synagogue in the northern city of Lille and anti-Israel slogans written on another in the eastern city of Mulhouse. The incidents follow petrol bomb attacks on synagogues in Saint Denis, near Paris and Toulouse in recent days.
Violence has also marred demonstrations in which tens of thousands have marched in protest against the Israeli campaign.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/15/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Reuters is ridiculous.
I live in Paris. I listen to Jewish radios (among others).
But there hasn't been a single attack against a mosque committed by Jews.
As for the "three young people of North African origin who said they were attacked by pro-Israel militants", for the time being this attack has been denied by the LDJ (Ligue de Defense Juive) (Jewosh Defense League) which was accused of having carried it out...
For the first time, a senior Bush administration official has publicly described a detainee's treatment at the U.S. Navy Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as torture, according to a published report. Torture? Like drilling someone's extremities? Stoning them? Hanging them by their intestines? Tying them to four camels and sending them off in four directions? Raping their family in front of their eyes? Barbequeing them alive? Pouring gas on their kids and setting them on fire? Do share!
Susan Crawford, the retired judge in charge of determining which Guantanamo detainees should be tried by a U.S. military commision, has refused to refer the case of Mohammed al-Qahtani to prosecutors because of that assessment, The Washington Post reported Wednesday. She probably cries every time she hears the Titanic theme song, too.
"We tortured (Mohammed al-) Qahtani," Crawford told the Post. "His treatment met the legal definition of torture. And that's why I did not refer the case" for prosecution. Err, I am beginning to think we might need a new judge here.
Military prosecutors have accused al-Qahtani of helping to plan the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, and believe he may have sought to participate, possibly as the "20th hijacker."
The United States had been seeking the death penalty against al-Qahtani and five other men in connection with the 9/11 attacks. Crawford approved charges against the other five. It's still a FAIL.
She told the newspaper she came to her decision based on the combination of the interrogation techniques, their duration and the effect on al-Qahtani's health. Madam, I would like you to cast your eyes on this chart that details al-Qahtani's blood pressures changes in comparison to what it was before he was incarcerated. Now cast your eyes on this chart that details the blood pressures of the victims of the WTC attack.
"The techniques they used were all authorized, but the manner in which they applied them was overly aggressive and too persistent," she said. So worst case is that the first draft didn't quite get it, err, "right". So effing what.
"You think of torture, you think of some horrendous physical act done to an individual. This was not any one particular act; this was just a combination of things that had a medical impact on him, that hurt his health. It was abusive and uncalled for. And coercive. Clearly coercive. It was that medical impact that pushed me over the edge" to call it torture, she told the paper.
When asked later Wednesday about the report, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino responded, "It has never been the policy of this president or this administration to torture.
"Because of command influence concerns, I have not commented about individual cases from this podium and ... that's as much as I can say about it." Better ask Crawford about that, since she seems to think otherwise.
Pressed further on the issue, Perino said, "The commander-in-chief should not be commenting on cases where the government is bringing a case against a detainee. It would be inappropriate to do so from the White House."
The Department of Defense issued a statement Wednesday defending the military treatment of al-Qahtani. Who is still alive, vs. the present condition of the other 19 hijackers.
"We have conducted more than a dozen investigations and reviews of our detention operations, including specifically the interrogation of al-Qahtani, the alleged 20th hijacker.
"The investigations concluded the interrogation methods used at Gitmo (Guantanamo), including the special interrogation techniques used with Qahtani in 2002, were lawful.
"However, subsequent to those reviews, the department adopted new and more restrictive policies, and improved oversight procedures for interrogation and detention operations.
"Some of the aggressive questioning techniques used on al-Qahtani, although permissible at the time, are no longer allowed in the updated Army field manual." Bummer.
In November, military prosecutors said they would try to refile charges against al-Qahtani based on later interrogations that did not use harsh techniques, the paper reported. What did they use? Starbucks? La-Z-Boy? Virgins?
Crawford, who dismissed war crimes charges against al-Qahtani in May 2008, said she won't let the prosecutors pursue other charges. Because she felt so sorry for him. And those he would have killed given the chance. After all, too much is too much.
His interrogation took place over 50 days -- from November 2002 to January 2003, and he was held in isolation until April 2003, she said.
"For 160 days, his only contact was with the interrogators," she said. And for the rest of eternity the only contact the victims of the WTC attack will have is with the ground. It's not "proportional", I tell you!
Crawford, who studied interrogation and other military records, said al-Qahtani was forced to stand naked in front of a female agent, threatened with a military dog named Zeus, "forced to wear a woman's bra and had a thong placed on his head" during questioning, and "was told that his mother and sister were whores," the newspaper reported. Boo hoo. And how did this affect his health? Did his manhood shrivel up and retreat with his testicles to where they belonged in the first place?
Al-Qahtani, a Saudi national, was denied entry to the United States by an immigration officer in August 2001, and later was captured in Afghanistan. In January 2002 he was sent to Guantanamo, where he has remained in custody as an enemy combatant.
The agency said it is now focused on ensuring the proper treatment of detainees. That's debatable.
#2
And I guess he'll be set up fairly good for a multi million dollar lawsuit now as well.
If he does get a $million settlement, it should all come out of Ms Crawford's retirement account. Bush kept too many "useful idiots" on the payroll for far too long - my most searing criticism of him.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/15/2009 13:34 Comments ||
Top||
Barack Obama last night suggested it was no longer important to kill Osama bin Laden.
In an interview with CBS news the president-elect indicted he believes that it was more important now to simply contain the al-Qaeda leader. He said: "I think that we have to so weaken his infrastructure that, whether he is technically alive or not, he is so pinned down that he cannot function. "My preference obviously would be to capture or kill him. But if we have so tightened the noose that he's in a cave somewhere and can't even communicate with his operatives then we will meet our goal of protecting America."
Remember how the Dhimmicrats laughed when George Bush said that it was less important to kill Osama and more important to neutralize him?
He confirmed that the "number one" national security priority would be Afghanistan and the border region with Pakistan - rather than Iraq - saying that if he can keep al-Qaeda on the run, they will not be able to attack America.
Joe Biden, the vice president-elect who has returned from a fact-finding trip to the region, said: "Things are going to get tougher in Afghanistan before they get better."
He added: "Pakistan's position on Afghanistan is going to affect our ability to succeed."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/15/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda
#1
So... still not answered... does B.O. wanting to protect Islam from US wrath preclude protecting the US from Islam's hate?
#3
it is no longer important to kill Osama bin Laden
So at what point would it have ever been more important to kill the guy? The fact that he lives in a cave is way more damning than becoming a martyr. And if it wasn't OBL, it would just be someone else, who would probably be more qualified anyway. It's just that OBL had the $$$, so that made him king.
#4
3,000 dead in a premeditated act and the senior law enforcement official of the country says 'no big deal' about the perp. /there's not enough sarcasm in the world to cover that.
[Where was this kind of concern to simply contain Tim McVeigh, when we witness the fastest arrest-trial-appeals-execution at the federal level in nearly the last fifty years.]
#8
SEN. OBAMA: And what I will do is, if we have bin Laden in our sites --
MR. O'REILLY: Yeah.
SEN. OBAMA: -- we target him, and we knock him out.
MR. O'REILLY: But everybody will do that. That will be the biggest win Bush could have if he could do that.
SEN. OBAMA: Of course.
MR. O'REILLY: But you can't send ground troops in because if all hell breaks loose.
SEN. OBAMA: We can't have -- nobody talked about a full-blown invasion of Pakistan. The simple point that I made was we've got to put more pressure on Pakistan to do what they need to do.
A commenter weighs in:
By Allen Sistrunk on September 4, 2008 11:48 PM
This is the reason Obama needs to be the next president of the United States. He understands how to lead and take care of America needs then other people needs. The Only way we as a nation can stay strong is to take care of our on instead of taking care of every body else.
#10
Announce this, then remove the bounty on Bin Laden's head. Then have the CIA take him out if he ever reappears. Take him out but ensure the body is found in a humiliating circumstance (as far as Islam is concerned that is).
#11
It was only important to get him when it was a politically convenient stick to beat the republicans with.
Now that the democrats are in power, it's important to get out ahead of this and prevent it from being used against themselves.
I hate partisan politics.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/15/2009 19:13 Comments ||
Top||
#12
I think we ought to kill Bin Laden just because he is an evil bastard who killed 3000 or so Americans. Moreover, he is responsible for the deaths of many more of our military in Afghanistan and Iraq. Lets get his sidekick, the evil doctor from Egypt while we are at it.
#13
We all expect politicians to walk back from their campaign promises. It is unusual, however, for a pol to take a crowbar to his platform before he even takes office.
#14
"When John McCain said we could just 'muddle through' in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights. John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the gates of hell--but he won't even go to the cave where he lives." - Barack Obama's DNC speech
India is considering moving the UNSC for extradition of Masood Azhar, chief of the banned Jaish-e-Muhammad, CNN-IBN reported on its website. Azhar was one of the individuals exchanged for passengers of a hijacked Indian Airlines flight that was taken to Kandahar in 1999. According to the channel, India is planning to approach the UNSC to get Azhar listed under its Resolution 1267, as it wants Pakistan to deport him to India.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/15/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
Pakistan on Wednesday chided India for continuing to 'ratchet up tensions' in the wake of the Mumbai attacks, calling its army chief's remark that all options were open 'most unfortunate'. The statement from the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad was the latest in a series of tit-for-tat accusations between the neighbours. India's army chief had said that while he regarded war as a last resort, India was keeping all options open.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/15/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
Pakistan is going to keep playing games, and India is going to get tired. That's going to lead to a lot of dead Pakistanis. The Pakistani government is playing the fool to someone already irritated and angry. Not bright.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/15/2009 13:37 Comments ||
Top||
Indian Army chief General Deepak Kapoor said on Wednesday his troops are ready for war, but admitted that "waging war is a political decision" and a last resort -- referring to rising tensions with Pakistan in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.
Political decision: "Waging war is a political decision," Kapoor told a press conference here. He claimed the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks came from Pakistan, and "in view of that ... we are keeping all our options open".
"It must be understood that it is not to create any war hysteria and the options include diplomatic, economic and -- as a last resort -- fighting," he said.
He said the armed forces were required to maintain a high level of 'combat readiness' at all times.
Kapoor said the Indian Army was aware of Pakistani troop movement from the western to eastern border. "Having known this fact, let me assure you that the Indian Army has factored this in its plans." He said the 'strike formation' around the Indo-Pak border in December was 'routine'.
Army to fight terrorism: Kapoor said the army would continue playing a role in countering terrorist threats, although such operations were the responsibility of the Home Ministry and the agencies under it. About the nuclear threat faced by the region, Kapoor said, "The presence of nuclear weapons in our neighbourhood underlines that any conventional war can ... turn into a nuclear war".
Posted by: Fred ||
01/15/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > CHINA ENVOY: CHINA WILL NEVER LEAVE PAKISTAN ALONE, by itself to face its worldly pressures and travails.
#3
PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > INDIA'S POSSIBLE WAR DEPLOYMENT + STUDY: PAKISTAN IS AT SERIOUS STRATEGIC RISK OF A WATER SHORTAGE, threatening Pakis internal/domestic stability and cohesion.
Also on PDF > CHINESE STRATEGISTS: INDIA CANNOT DISREGARD CHINA WHILE CHOOSING TO FIGHT PAKISTAN [Chin Perts believe the "China Factor" is strong enough to deter India from attacking Pakistan. PAKISTAN IS CHINA'S TOOL/MEDIUM FOR CONTROLLING INDIA]; + PARANOID INDIANS: PAKISTAN-BANGLADESH PLAN MUGHALISTAN TO SPLIT INDIA [Mughal-Muslim, joint PAK-BANGLA State comprising all or most of North India + East India as connected by a stratgeic corridor]???; + OSAMA BIN LADEN SUPPORTED THE PARTITION OF INDIA AND CREATION OF A "GREATER PAKISTAN" LIBERATING INDIA'S MUSLIMS FROM HINDU DOMINANCE.
Jan. 15 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza GilaniÂ’s reaction to IndiaÂ’s dossier on the terrorist attacks in Mumbai may harm ties between the nuclear-armed nations, the Foreign Ministry in New Delhi said.
Gilani told parliament two days ago the dossier contains information rather than any evidence of Pakistani involvement in the attacks. Gilani called on India to accept Pakistan’s proposal for a joint inquiry, adding the government in Islamabad wants to cooperate with its neighbor and uncover the “full facts.”
“It is ironic that information and material assembled after painstaking investigations of more than six weeks was just dismissed out of hand,” Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash said, responding to Gilani’s comments. “Obviously, India will do what needs to be done when it needs to be done.”
India may break off business, transport and tourist links with Pakistan unless it receives cooperation in investigating the events in Mumbai, the Times newspaper reported this week, citing an interview with Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram.
India blames Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba for the Nov. 26-29 attacks that left 164 people dead and is demanding the government in Islamabad extradite those involved. India presented Pakistan and other nations with a dossier of evidence Jan. 5, saying it proved the involvement of Pakistani nationals. Gilani said Pakistan was examining the information, which has been sent to the Interior Ministry. The results will be shared with the Indian government in due course, he said.
India’s army chief General Deepak Kapoor said military confrontation would be the last resort if diplomatic and economic options failed to result in action being taken against the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks. “We in India are keeping all our options open,” he said in a televised news conference yesterday. “It is not to raise any kind of hysteria for war. It will depend on how things progress.”
India is aware Pakistan has deployed troops in its eastern sector along the border and the army has “factored this in its planning” if at any time it has to undertake operations, Kapoor said. “That is not a concern for us,” he added.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said Kapoor’s comments were “most unfortunate,” Agence France-Presse reported. India “continues to ratchet up tensions, which is certainly not helpful to the cause of peace, security and stability,” AFP cited ministry spokesman Mohammad Sadiq as saying.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/15/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
i think they where harmed when terrorist swarmed Mumbai killing at random and yalll refuse too hand over the leaders who planned it
WASHINGTON — Military commanders are drawing up plans for a faster withdrawal of American troops from Iraq in anticipation that President-elect Barack Obama will reject current proposals as too slow, Pentagon and military officials said Wednesday.
The new plans would provide alternatives to an earlier timetable to bring troops home more slowly than Obama promised during his campaign. Those plans were described to Obama last month.
The officials said Obama had not requested the new plans, but that they were being prepared based on talks with members of Obama's transition team.
A drawdown in Iraq is seen as a prerequisite to any significant American military buildup in Afghanistan, where Obama is ready to add up to 30,000 troops over the next two years, a near doubling of the current American force there.
The broad outlines of the military plan for Iraq presented to Obama in December envisioned withdrawing two brigades, or 7,000 to 8,000 troops, over the next six months, officials said.
American military officials have declined to be more specific about other details in that plan by Gen. David H. Petraeus and Gen. Ray Odierno, the top American commanders responsible for Iraq. But they have made clear that the plan did not set forth as fast a withdrawal as Obama pledged during the presidential campaign, when he repeatedly promised to have all combat troops out of Iraq within 16 months of his taking office, or by May 2010.
Officials with Obama's transition team say he remains committed to that goal, although he has also said he will listen to the recommendations of his commanders.
#1
Here we go again, just like with Clinton. Transition team and staffers blocking or dictation to commanders. The Commander in Chief should talk to his commanders and not let some snot nosed staffer tell him how to do his job. Next thing we know it will be the Clintons all over again with the Generals not allowed in the White house in uniform....
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
01/15/2009 12:00 Comments ||
Top||
#2
FREEREPUBLIC > STUDYING THE ISLMAIC WAY OF WAR + IRAN NEARS A NUKE DECISION. Among other, it is considered okay under Muslim/Islamic military traditions to break any and all formal agreements, pacts, etc. iff it BUYS TIME FOR MUSLIM FORCES/ARMIES TO REARM AND GROUP, AND UNDERTAKE A POTENT OR SUCCESSFUL NEW MILITARY OFFENSIVE AT A LATER OPPORTUNE TIME, NORMALLY ABOUT 10 YEARS.
Ergo, by the above Article 2009 + approxi 10 Years = Year 2019 for a new Islamist efort to retake IRAQ, etc. HOWEVER, I DOUBT IT WILL BE TEN YEARS AS THE JIHAD CAN'T WAIT THAT LONG.
* Lest we fergit, YEAR 2019 > close to Year 2018 and RUSSIA's "WAR IS NOT ONLY POSSIBLE BUT DESIRED" ANTI-US WAR.
The good news is that a DOOMSDAY COMET [break up = pieces?] WILL CRASH INTO EARTH IN 2012, ala TOPIX + OTHER.
Posted by: Mike ||
01/15/2009 13:54 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Look, I've been saying for years now that we ought to make fun of these two-faced, terror-enabling tw*ts. Oh, and also make fun of the fundamentalist islamics, of course.
The unusual report of a Saudi jihadist, who was killed while fighting Israel alongside Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, appears to indicate that Hamas may be gaining greater acceptance among even more fundamentalist Muslim groups.
As a rule, Hamas does not release details about its casualties - neither in number nor identity. But a Web site identified with a radical Islamic organization that preaches jihad and features the logo of Hamas' military wing, reported that Abu Muhammed Mari, a Saudi sheikh mujahid ("fighter-priest"), who previously fought in Afghanistan, Bosnia and Chechnya, was killed in the fighting in Gaza.
Reuven Paz, an Israeli scholar who researches radical Islam and who noticed the posting on the Web site, said it is important because it appears to mark a change in the way Al-Qaida and other jihad proponents view Hamas. They tend to criticize Hamas, seeing it as an ally of the Islamic Brotherhood, both of which they deem moderates willing to compromise and reach agreements with Israel. Those groups also don't look kindly upon Hamas' refusal to declare a theocratic Muslim state in Gaza. Despite this, the Saudi joined Hamas' struggle, possibly because there is no real Al-Qaida foothold in Gaza at this stage. In any case, Paz said, this is the first report of a Saudi killed while fighting alongside Palestinians against Israel.
Crushing! It's going to take at least a week to gather the international donations to repair the damage!
Israel's fierce assault on Gaza's Hamas rulers has destroyed at least $1.4 billion worth of buildings, roads, pipes, power lines and other infrastructure in already impoverished territory, Palestinian surveyors estimate. Drop one in that settling pond and it will be another $100M!
Arab and Western countries will be called on to foot much of the bill to rebuild -- which Palestinian economists say could take five years or more. A clear Hamass victory, to be sure! Wait a minute, maybe that wasn't a joke after all . . . .
The Israeli military says it has bombed over 2,500 Hamas-linked targets since Dec. 27, including 250 tunnels the militant group used to smuggle in arms as well as large amounts of weapon stockpiles and rocket launcher squads.
Even with the Israeli offensive going full throttle, the international community is starting to tackle the formidable postwar challenge. Europe's top four fundraisers for the Palestinians -- the foreign ministers of France and Norway, the European Union external relations commissioner and the international Mideast envoy -- are meeting in Paris on Thursday to discuss Gaza's reconstruction and the possibility of holding a new donors' conference.
The last one, held in December 2007 at a time of renewed Mideast peace hopes, secured promises of $7.7 billion in aid through 2010. However, donors may have a tougher time contributing large sums in the current global financial crisis.
Another concern is whether a cease-fire deal will lift the blockade Israel and Egypt imposed on Gaza after Hamas seized the coastal strip in June 2007 and ousted the forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who now controls only the West Bank.
"You cannot rebuild Gaza without open borders," said Tor Wennesland, the top Norwegian diplomat in the Palestinian territories. So what's the problem? Close the borders.
Yet ending Gaza's lockdown will require compromises that seemed impossible before the Israeli offensive.
Hamas will have to relinquish some control by allowing a buffer force to deploy on the crossings, most likely international monitors, Abbas' troops or both. That would seem reasonable, but they got JIHAAAAAAAD, baby!
Gatekeepers Egypt and Israel say there's no way they'll agree to give Hamas, viewed as a violent Iranian proxy, a final say over who and what enters and leaves Gaza. But if they accept a new border regime with monitors, that would inevitably strengthen the Islamic militants' rule over Gaza.
In any arrangement, rivals Abbas and Hamas will have to find a way to work jointly, not just to run the crossings but to oversee reconstruction projects. The two have been unable to come up with a power-sharing formula since Hamas defeated Abbas' Fatah movement in 2006 parliament elections.
Working out such understandings will take time, something Gaza's 1.4 million people may not have.
Israel says Hamas is using civilians as human shields and hiding its weapons in civilian areas. But the humanitarian crisis is becoming more pressing every day, according to the U.N. and human rights groups.
Tens of thousands have been displaced and the vast majority of Gazans depend on food handouts. Power cuts are widespread and at least 250,000 Gazans have been without electricity since Israel launched its offensive, aimed at halting Hamas rocket fire at southern Israel.
Sewage levels are rising precariously in rickety reservoirs. With nearly 4,000 wounded, along with about 1,000 killed, hospitals are increasingly overwhelmed and the health system is close to collapse, aid groups warn. Thirteen Israelis also have been killed.
Israel has allowed in convoys of supply trucks most days during the offensive, but aid workers say that's not enough to alleviate the crisis.
Even before the fighting, the blockade was pushing Gaza close to the edge.
Unemployment had risen to nearly 50 percent, with an Israeli export ban forcing virtually all of Gaza's 3,900 manufacturers to shut down, the U.N. said in December. Cash was scarce because of restrictions on bringing in bank notes, 80 percent of drinking water was substandard, electricity intermittent and tens of millions of gallons of sewage were discharged into the sea every day because of insufficient treatment facilities.
"It was bad before, it's worse now, and it's not getting any better," said Maxwell Gaylard, the U.N. humanitarian affairs coordinator for the Palestinian territories. "Civilians are bearing the brunt of this destruction of homes and infrastructure."
Gaylard said that once the shooting stops, U.N. crews in Gaza could quickly fix pressing problems, such as distributing more food and repairing some power and water lines. However, larger projects would be harder to accomplish if access to Gaza is restricted, he said.
Just before the offensive, frustrated World Bank officials noted that an emergency project to drain a dangerously full sewage reservoir in Gaza was more than two years off schedule largely because of difficulties in getting supplies into the territory.
Palestinian economists say a renewed blockade after the fighting ends is unthinkable, especially since Gaza's smuggling tunnels -- a lifeline that brought in consumer goods as well as weapons -- have been largely destroyed.
"A continuation of the closure means the final death blow to Gaza," said economist Mohammad Shtayyeh, who runs a Palestinian economic development council that serves as a liaison between the Abbas government and donor countries.
Even under ideal conditions, with borders open, rebuilding Gaza would take at least five years, he said.
World Bank officials say that with the fighting still raging, it's too early to assess damage.
However, Shtayyeh's council and the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics have begun a first tally. Based on reports from 56 engineers, the development council said the fighting caused about $1.7 billion in damage in the first 15 days. This includes $300 million in damage in the southern district of Rafah, on Gaza's border with Egypt, hard hit by bombings because of the smuggling tunnels there, Shtayyeh said. About $135 million was in damage to houses and $35 million to infrastructure, he said.
The statistics bureau reported $976 million in damage and $408 million in lost trade, wages and other income in the first 17 days of the Israeli assault. About 4,000 houses were destroyed and 16,000 damaged, said director Luay Shabaneh. He said 30 Hamas security compounds, 15 government ministries and the main government complex were demolished.
Earlier this week, Hamas' Cabinet secretary general, Mohammed Awad, told the militant group's Al Aqsa TV that about 1,000 residential buildings had been destroyed, and 25,000 damaged.
Abbas is planning to address an Arab League meeting next week in Kuwait, where he will likely appeal for help for Gaza.
West Bank-based Planning Minister Samir Abdullah said rebuilding Gaza will be impossible if Hamas keeps ruling the territory alone. "It is a precondition that reconciliation take place and Gaza come under a legal authority," he said. "Otherwise, we can't do anything there ... and the economic situation will become some kind of Somalia."
#2
Regarding the $1.4 billion quoted figure... most of that will be wages. It seems excessively high to me. It costs the rebuilding at half a million dollars per hamas target.
#5
Why is the UN going to send people to fix that hellhole when there is a 50% unemployment rate? Shouldn't they put some of those dingleberries to work fixing their hovels?
I dunno....maybe they might take better care of them if they realize how hard it is to build something? (No wonder they act like spoiled brats....they've always had everything handed to them.)
Besides, if Achmed is busy on the construction crew, he won't have much time for rocket shooting practice.
#7
To get those numbers they must have a swarm of insurance adjusters in Gaza. Or is that subcontracted to Hamas?
Baksheesh man, or in local terms..The Chicago Way.
You know a hundred million here and a hundred there and pretty soon you're talking serious money.
#11
"Europe's top four fundraisers for the Palestinians [...] are meeting in Paris on Thursday to discuss Gaza's reconstruction and the possibility of holding a new donors' conference."
The war against Hamas nazislamist terrorists isn't finished yet, but the European pro-Islamic dhimmicrats are already planning to give again billions to the criminals living in Gaza.
Alan Dershowitz is right : terrorism succeeds only because it earns money.
Donors and fundraisers for the Arabs are supporting Hamas and Fatah terrorism.
#12
I don't care if it's a trillion dollars, not a dime should be spent in Gaza. Hamass caused the problem, let them fix it. If they can't, or won't, maybe Achmed the charcoal merchant will learn that just wishing for something won't get it, and it takes elbow grease and sweat equity. That's a lesson the entire muddled east needs to learn the hard way. Screw them all. Take Saudi Arabia's oil, and let the rest of the entire area rot.
I took a look at Mecca and Medina on Google the other day - now I know why Hamass are such moles. It runs in the Arab blood. There must be 50 tunnels in Mecca alone. Wonder what a Tomahawk in each one would do...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/15/2009 14:09 Comments ||
Top||
#14
well, in about a week they can ask the new crown prince for part of that bailout money, only seems congruent w/everything else the idiot dems would propose to waste tax$$$ on.
GAZA (Reuters) – Israeli forces pushed deeper into the city of Gaza and pounded densely populated neighborhoods with artillery and tank shells Thursday, stepping up pressure on Hamas as the warring sides weighed a ceasefire proposal. Keep weighing. Until you're dead.
At least 15 Palestinians were killed in the Israeli attacks, medical officials said.
The Palestinian death toll from the air-and-ground offensive has risen to at least 1,055, according to the upstanding Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza. A Palestinian rights group said 670 of the dead were civilians. Thirteen Israelis have been killed -- 10 soldiers and three civilians hit by Hamas rocket fire. Wow. On par with the Israeli's efforts. Until you consider that there are only Israeli soldiers on the battlefield.
Terrified residents of Gaza city, reeling from Israel's most relentless shelling since it began its offensive on December 27, huddled in homes that provided precarious shelter. Well, they did whenever the reporters came around.
Dozens could be seen fleeing on foot as explosions sent plumes of smoke skyward. Ah. So they do learn!
"It is a catastrophe," one woman said, walking quickly away from the area and carrying a child in her arms as two other children ran behind her to keep up. And only slowing up long enough to speak with a reporter for a few minues.
"We took our money and passports. We have to carry some identification with us in case we get killed," she said. "Hamas can claim victory if it wants but we just need this bloodshed to end." Try shedding some Hamas blood and it will.
A senior Western diplomat said Israel appeared to be trying to make last-minute gains on the ground before a truce could be imposed. Pinhead.
"It's a classic Israeli strategy," the diplomat said. There's a reason something earns the title "classic".
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said in broadcast remarks that Israel's armed forces would "fight up to the last minute." Pinhead.
Much of the fighting was centered in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said its compound was hit twice by shelling and three staff members were injured. Red on red or blue on red?
Israeli forces have encircled the city of 500,000 people for days. Tanks have made forays toward the center to test the resistance of Hamas and other militant groups but have held off a full-scale assault on the densely populated urban maze.
Ceasefire NEGOTIATIONS
About 14 rockets fired from the Gaza Strip hit southern Israel Thursday, causing some damage but no casualties, police said. I wonder why they continue to do it. Seems so pointless when compared to what the Israelis are capable of. Until you consider where the three Israeli civilian casualties came from. Totally avoidable by Hamass, if you ask me.
An Israeli envoy was to meet Egyptian mediators in Cairo on Thursday after a Hamas delegation concluded talks on an Egyptian truce proposal by repeating their demand that Israel withdraw its troops and lift a long-standing blockade on coastal Gaza. Shouldn't they be home preparing for the Shabbat or something?
Israel, which wants an end to rocket attacks on its towns and guarantees that Hamas cannot smuggle in more weapons from tunnels to neighboring Egypt, said it would not agree to a truce allowing the Palestinian Islamists to regroup and rearm.
In the occupied West Bank Wednesday, Spain's Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, a former EU Middle East envoy, said: "My perception is we are very close to reaching a ceasefire. They are very close but still there is some work to be done." Some? Some? With Hamass being who you're negotiation with? You've still got another 14,000 Hamass militants left to kill, then you will be very close to reaching a ceasefire.
Israeli officials said Israel was seeking an agreement with Washington on regional and international security guarantees that would bolster Egyptian efforts to ensure Hamas could not replenish its arsenal. And of course, Shabbat in Washington falls about the day after the Shabbat in Israel, so you can't work then, either.
The United States and European powers, the officials said, would commit themselves to providing Egypt with advisers and new technology to combat smuggling tunnels. Firehoses?
Israel also was seeking an international maritime monitoring effort to prevent rocket smuggling by sea through Egyptian ports to block the shipments before they reach the border, the officials said. Does it include Greek Fire?
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon -- who arrived in the region Wednesday for several days of intense diplomacy on the conflict -- planned to meet Israeli leaders later Thursday. In a booby-trapped Gaza school, I hope?
Political analysts see a possible deadline in Tuesday's inauguration of Barack Obama as U.S. president, after which Israel may be reluctant to test White House support for a campaign that has stirred international outrage. Outrage among whom? It's more like an international touchy-feely get-together to affirm old values.
Human rights groups have reported shortages of vital supplies, including water, in the Hamas-ruled territory. A fuel shortage has brought frequent power blackouts. Yeah, disrupting lives is a bad thing. Isn't it. We can agree on that.
Israel has permitted almost daily truck shipments of food and medicine. But Human Rights Watch said Israel's daily three-hour break in attacks to facilitate the supply of humanitarian aid to Gazans was "woefully insufficient." Apparently not insufficient enough to keep Hamass from intercepting the trucks and selling the supplies for a profit. And not enough to keep them from scurrying around during their three-hour humanitarian break to set up Kassam rockets on timers so they launch after the three hour window is over instead of gathering much-needed s necessities like timers food. I dunno. Seems pretty sufficient in an area only 10 miles wide and 50 or so miles tall.
#1
I would like to see Israel break Hamas' back this time and force them to accept Israel's right to exist, among other things. That whole society is poisoned on hate and death.
Dozens could be seen fleeing on foot as explosions sent plumes of smoke skyward.
Why are they fleeing? I thought they wanted death like Israelis wanted life?
All followers of the three (3) great Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity
and Islam believe in the Ten (10) Commandments. In our humble opinion,
if anyone killed another innocent human being or himself, he is neither a Jew,
nor a Christian, nor a Muslim, because he disobeyed one of the most important
Commandments of Almighty God (Allah): Thou Shall Not Kill (MURDER)!
Â…Â…..
Given below are some of the verses from the Holy QurÂ’an and Holy Bible
in support thereof, referring to the number of Surah (Chapter) first followed
by the number of Ayah (Verse), later (from an English translation of the
Holy QurÂ’an by Mr. Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall).
Yet ye (Children of Israel) it is who slay each other and drive out a
party of your people from their homes, supporting one another against
them by sin and transgression, and if they came to you as captives ye
would ransom them, whereas their expulsion was itself unlawful for you.
Believe ye in part of the Scripture and disbelieve ye in part thereof?
(2:85)
Lo! those who disbelieve the revelations of Allah (God Almighty),
and slay the Prophets wrongfully, and slay those of mankind who
enjoin equity: announce them a painful doom. (3:21)
O ye who believe! eat not up your property among yourselves in
vanities: but let there be amongst you traffic and trade by mutual
good-will: nor kill (or destroy) yourselves (commit suicide): for verily
Allah hath been to you Most Merciful. (4:29)
Never should a believer kill a believer; but (if it so happens) by mistake
(compensation is due): if one (so) kills a believer, it is ordained
that he should free a believing slave and pay compensation to the
deceased's family, unless they remit it freely. If the deceased belonged
to a people at war with you and he was a believer, the freeing of a
believing slave (is enough). If he belonged to a people with whom ye have
a treaty of mutual alliance, compensation should be paid to his family
and a believing slave be freed. For those who find this beyond their
means (is prescribed) a fast for two months running: by way of repentance
to Allah: for Allah hath all knowledge and all wisdom. (4:92)
If a man kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell to abide
therein (for ever): and the wrath and the curse of Allah are upon him
and a dreadful penalty is prepared for him. (4:93)
For that cause We decreed for the Children of Israel that whosoever
killeth a human being for other than manslaughter or corruption in the
earth, it shall be as if be had killed all mankind, and whoso saveth the
life of one, it shall be as if he had saved the life of all mankind. Our
messengers came unto them of old with clear proofs (of Allah's
sovereignty), but afterwards lo! many of them became prodigals in
the earth. (5:32)
They are losers who besottedly have slain their children without
knowledge, and have forbidden that which Allah bestowed upon them,
inventing a lie against Allah. They indeed have gone astray and are not
guided. (6:140)
Say: "Come I will rehearse what Allah hath (really) prohibited you from":
join not anything as equal with Him; be good to your parents: kill not your
children on a plea of want; We provide sustenance for you and for them;
come not nigh to shameful deeds whether open or secret; take not life,
which Allah hath made sacred except by way of justice and law: thus doth
He command you that ye may learn wisdom. (6:151)
O Prophet! when believing women come to thee to take the oath of
fealty to thee that they will not associate in worship any other thing
whatever with Allah that they will not steal, that they will not commit
adultery (or fornication), that they will not kill their children, that they
will not utter slander intentionally forging falsehood, and that they
will not disobey thee in any just matter then do thou receive their
fealty and pray to Allah for the forgiveness (of their sins): for Allah
is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful. (60:12)
Kill not your children for fear of want: We shall provide sustenance
for them as well as for you: verily the killing of them is a great sin.
(17:31)
And slay not the life which Allah hath forbidden save with right.
Whoso is slain wrongfully, We have given power unto his heir, but let
him not commit excess in slaying. Lo! he will be helped. (17:33)
And those who cry not unto any other god along with Allah, nor take
the life which Allah hath forbidden save in (course of) justice, nor
commit adultery and whoso doeth this shall pay the penalty; (25:68)
Or if anyone has a wooden object in his hand that could kill, and he hits someone so that he dies, he is a murderer; the murderer shall be put to death.
or if in hostility he hits him with his fist so that he dies, that person shall be put to death; he is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him.
The assembly must protect the one accused of murder from the avenger of blood and send him back to the city of refuge to which he fled. He must stay there until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the holy oil.
" 'Anyone who kills a person is to be put to death as a murderer only on the testimony of witnesses. But no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.
Numbers 35:29-31 (in Context) Numbers 35 (Whole Chapter)
What the Jews think about Gentiles (Non-Jews).
This article appeared in the magazine “Free At Last” under the title
American Law, Fact, Fraud,
and Insidious Insiders
“Galatians, 4:16: Am I therefore become your enemy, because I tell you the truth?”–
“We…continue to be amazed with the ease by which Christian Americans have fallen into our hands…naïve Americans…we have TAUGHT them to SUBMIT to our every demand…Americans have not had a presidential choice since 1932. Roosevelt was our man; every president since Roosevelt has been our man. We…have put issue upon issue to the American people. Then we PROMOTE BOTH SIDES of the issue as confusion reigns.
“With their eyes fixed on the issues, they fail to see who is BEHIND EVERY scene. We…toy with the American public as a cat toys with a mouse. The blood of the masses will flow as we wait for our day of WORLD victory…The naïve politicians in WASHINGTON are gullible. Most of them are not too bright…the powerful…lobbyists influenced…years ago (federal funds to aid Israel) and there is no one strong enough to stop it…some of that money is returned to the United States and spent on Zionist propaganda…through B’nai Brith…Conference of Jewish Organizations… World Jewish Congress…tax free so long as we are smart enough to get away with it…
“ANTI-SEMITISM does NOT signify opposition to Semitism. THERE IS NO SUCH THING. It is an expression we…use effectively as a SMEARWORD …used to brand…anyone who brings criticism against (us)…We use it against HATE-mongers… (we) do so. That’s all there is to it.
“…I’d say more than 90% (of us) know what is really happening to our people. We have COMMUNICATION unequalled…It is an established rule to destroy all members of pre-existing government…the Police, State Police, Army officers and their families and relatives…In Russia, there are TWO distinct GOVERNMENTS – one visible and the other invisible…The INVISIBLE rulers in the communist countries have a world CONTROL over the propaganda and the governments in free countries. The cultural and intellectual influence of Judaism is felt throughout the entire world…MONEY is more important than morality.
“We can accomplish anything with money…Israel can now win in any encounter…It will also be the base for World Government Headquarters. We CONTROL EVERY MEDIA of expression…newspaper , magazines, radio, television…even your music! We CENSOR…before long we will have COMPLETE CONTROL of your thinking…
“The richest plum…(we) took over the publication of ALL SCHOOL MATERIALS…could MOLD public opinion to suit OUR PURPOSES. The people are only stupid pigs that grunt and squeal the chants we give them…truth or lies. There is no silent majority…only thing that exists is an UNTHINKING majority and unthinking they will remain…their ESCAPE from our rigorous service is the opiate of our ENTERTAINMENT industry. We have castrated society through FEAR and INTIMIDATION. Its manhood exists only in combination with a feminine…appearance… being so neutered, the populace has become DOCILE and EASILY RULED…their thoughts…only with the present toil and the next meal…You have become addicted to our MEDICINE through which we have become your absolute masters.
“We pretty much CONTROL the U.N…There will be a forced class warfare here in the United States and many will be liquidated…I’m not boasting…I’m giving you the facts! It is TOO LATE for your Christian followers to put up a DEFENCE …Long, long ago we HAD to become the AGGRESSORS…that is undoubtedly one of our great PURPOSES in life…
“Religion…our CONTROL of the textbook industry…news media…able to hold ourselves up as AUTHORITIES…our rabbis now hold professorships in supposed Christian theological seminaries. We are amazed by the Christian’s stupidity …Judaism is not only the teaching of the synagogue, but also the doctrine of every Christian Church in America. Through our propaganda the church has become our most avid supporter…their believing in the lie that we are the ‘chosen people’ and they, the gentiles.” “These deluded children of the church defend us to the point of DESTROYING their own culture…The ignorant Christians…attack the crusaders even if they are members of their own families…Through our influence of religion we were able to involve the ignorant white Christians in WARS against themselves, which always impoverished both sides while we reaped a financial and political harvest…
“Through religion we have gained CONTROL of society, government and economics. The gullible clergy…instruct their parishioners that we are a special, chosen people…These PULPIT PARROTS extol our goodness for loaning them the MONEY to build their temples, never realizing that their own holy book condemns all USURY… pay our exorbitant INTEREST…they have led society into our CONTROL through the same practice.
“Politically, they hail the blessings of DEMOCRACY and never understand that through DEMOCRACY we have gained CONTROL…DEMOCRACY is mob-rule which we CONTROL through their churches, our news media and economic institutions…These RELIGIOUS PUPPET’S stupidity is only exceeded by their cowardice, for they are ruled easily…”
************ ********* ********* ********* ********* *
On Control, you may remember the 8/12/1976 sky-jacking of an Israeli jetliner in Istanbul, Turkey, in which four people were killed and some thirty injured. Aboard was the administrative assistant for then-U.S. Senator Jacob K. Javits (a Jew) of New York, 29 year-old Harold W. Rosenthal (a Jew), whose unfortunate murder that day was not from random bullets that killed the others. Evidence indicates that his was pre-planned, making me wonder if it was due to his lengthy, boastful interview with American Christian editor Walter White.
Please read the full interview at the following link. It is titled ”The Hidden Tyranny” and I hope from the brazen words above you will see why.
http://www.rense. com/general66/ rosen.htm
Individuals, not religions, carry out inhuman acts.
Islam is a religion of peace, accepted and practiced by more than 1.25 billion people worldwide. It is the fastest-growing religion in the world, and if it was what some critics claim, why should the people from all walks of life from around the world keep embracing Islam? Where is the sword now?
In Islam, a person has the right to defend himself, his family, his country or his neighbor(s), which justifies the resistance being offered by the people of Afghanistan, Bosnia, Chechnya, Iraq, Kashmir and Palestine, to attacks on their soils by the so-called liberators, who are actually the occupiers.
The Holy QurÂ’an clearly states that if a person saves one life, itÂ’s as if he saved humanity, and if a person kills one human being, itÂ’s as if he killed humanity.
What is happening in the enslaved Muslim countries is a natural reaction to occupation, bombings, killing and terrorizing of innocent civilians (children, old men and women), rapes, in addition to looting of resources, national antiques and artifacts, above all the destruction of their property by the occupiers.
Terror breeds terror.
We assure those who bash Islam that if there was no occupation in this world by foreign invaders, there would be no resistance – the so-called terror.
Please explain criminal acts committed by Christians and Jews on Jews, other Christians and Muslims alike, throughout history:
The solution is not a two state solution. The solution is REAL democracy in which the Arabs that were displaced by the Jews have the SAME voting rights as their Jewish counterparts. The real problem is that Israel is afraid of democracy because it feels that it cannot maintain a 'Jewish' state if real democracy is implemented because Arabs will soon outnumber Jews.
The racist mantra of a "Jewish state" that gone on to become the guiding directive of Israel's behavior is a relic of early 20th century thought and needs to be outlawed. Race based states are illegitimate. We knew that with South Africa. We know it with Zimbabwe. And it's time that the world punished Israel which is the MOST VIOLENT of all of the race based states.
Israel will never live side-by-side with anyone in peace as long as they cling to a race based state policy.
Peace requires respect for others. Racism is the antithesis of respect for others.
Israeli racism leads to the daily occurrence of children being stoned on their way to school, of the elderly being used as target practice by IDF soldiers, of crops, orchards, and other non-Israel dependent sources of food being destroyed without compensation, of houses being destroyed. And these acts have occurred non-stop for the last 60 years.
The saddest part about the events is that we are seeing a race-based response from Western nations to Israel's atrocities. In the Sudan, where blacks are attacking blacks then sanctions are imposed, troops must be placed, etc.
When Russia entered Georgia last October, it was IMMEDIATELY censured by the West, and aid INCLUDING MILTARY supplies was sent to Georgia. Threats were made against Russia to shut off funding, and impose sanctions even though Russia CAUSED LESS LOSS OF LIFE in Georgia than Israel has caused in Gaza.
However when Israel causes death, fires on international targets, kills medical personnel, shoots ambulances, uses banned weapons, attacks the freedom of the press by preventing journalists from seeing the Israeli actions for themselves, and rams relief vessels trying to bring food and medical aid, the West gives Israel a few harsh words, and EVEN MORE MONEY and weapons.
The message is clear. If non-whites are attacking each other, then something should be done to stop it. If white are attacking whites then something MUST be done to stop it.
However if whites are attacking non-whites, then the murder and violation of international laws are apparently all justifiable because those non-whites are just so horrible.
I don't believe that this message is one that most Westerners would agree with, but it is DEFINIATELY the one that they are letting their governments send to the world.
#8
Oh my. Thank you, qazi/kaddie001. I almost fell off my chair laughing at the spectacle of ignorance you made so publicly of yourself this morning. But congratulations on learning how to cut and paste so well -- no doubt you will soon be ready to be promoted to first grade. In first grade you will be taught how to read, and then you can see if the sources you so excitedly quote actually wrote what you have been told by those no less ignorant than you. Good luck, my dear qazi/kaddie, and work hard so that you might someday achieve that which separates humans from the lower animals.
#11
In case you think that nobody is answering your 'arguments' - its just that we get a lot of chew-toys around here who cut-and-paste the same lies as you. Its self evident that your full of crap. You see here we are not ignorant of your arguments - we know them very well indeed.
Islam is the fastest growing religion? If so its only by birthright, forced retention, and lets not forget forced conversions (after being gang-raped and then being sold as sex slaves) and not by choice. Also note that the mainstream 'Islamic' scolars do not denounce such actions and they are not isolated incidents - because they are allowed by your Koran and were practiced by your 'prophet' (piss be upon him).
And lets not forget that the islamic 'god' is so pathetic that he has to force people to worship him - to leave Islam is to get a death penalty.
Heck your 'god' is so pathetic he doesn't even allow his slave to hear of other religions - terrified that they learn the truth and become free.
The sword is there and in full career - along *all* the borders of the Islamic world. Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, India, Africa, Russia (Beslan), Europe, UK, Australia, etc...
Sorry but reality bites your argument on the ass and shows that Islam is *not* a religion of peace. Islam means 'submission' - and not voluntary either.
Funny - Israel lives side by side with Jordan and Egypt. Arabs and Muslims in Israel have full voting rights. Hmm... looks like reality is once again calling you a liar.
#12
Islam the fastest growing religion? Why then do the Muslim clerics state with alarm that there have been 6 million Muslim apostasies per year since 2001, considerably more than the claimed rate of of conversions to Islam. Like poor, dear qazi/kaddie, Muslims who used to think the world ended at the border of Dar al Islam are discovering that it does not, and many are more capable of rational thought than he.
#14
The "fastest growing religion" is yet an another false argument used by the Master Religion to booster the rubes; most, if not almost the totality of it comes from exponential birthrates (falling throughout many islamic countries, still. True, islam is an assertive ideological force with a real forward drive, but as far as i know, even in France where islam DRIVES the religious landscape (aid, ramadan,... are much more covered and promoted by the MSM and the chattering class than any Christian holidays, hala meat is an huge market that every supermarket franchise targets intenseively,...), well... according to what's known, there are about 10 000 conversion FROM islam to Christianity (mostly evangelicals & Charismatic Catholics, very few Catholiics, the french official Catholic church is neutered by PCness and multiculturalism and DISCOURAGE conversions), often wimmen, funnily enouff, A YEAR... as compared to the 50 000 converts to islam as a whole in France according to the RG police intelligence (ok, let's say, 100 000, for the sake of it), who happens to usually be people converted after marrying a muslim.
Of course, this remains very marginal (10 000 a year out of a 8-10, possibly 10-13? millions muslim total in France, most probably), but, who converts out of free will and deliberate choice the most???
The HUGE threat posed by islam is not one of conversion (though it may ultimately become, once critical mass is achieved, and all the ennemies of the european way convert to the strong horse, someday), as the imams and the Holy Men gloats to the northern african masses, it is of a massive, unprecedented arrival of muslim COLONIZERS into non-muslim lands... when people are given the choice, like the ten of thousands of iranian expats that freely convert to Christinaity in the USA, they usually choose a transcending religion with some actual spirituality, not some dumbass tribal law and disguized paganism that is nothing more than a collection of do and don't centered on submitting to arab imperialism and obsessed by bodily functions.
Anyway, the fastest growing religion is supposedly, according on your criteria, either evangelical Christianity (see china, africa), or Crowleyanism lite, aka wicca.
#15
Two things bother me here. First is Israel and their constant bowing to a ceasfire. In my humble opinion they should continue with their fight until Gaza in in total surrender. The press and the UN are going to call any conflict Jew agression anyway. Israel needs to get back and read the tea leaves. The strong US support is going to get weaker and weaker with the new prez. Listening to our new prez it sounds to me like we will go into a Carter type admin and stay hands off of Iran and their wars. Israel need to get this finished, their existance is at stake.
Second is who is coaching these Palestinians on their IO operations. They are diong a great job of defeating Israel in the world view. We should learn something from this and use our capabilities to counter it.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
01/15/2009 12:16 Comments ||
Top||
#16
"Nothing clarifies the mind like the prospect of being hanged in the morning."
Since you stole took up so much of Fred's bandwidth with your bullshit missives, I'm sure you've both made handsome donations to him for hosting your horseshit ravings thoughts.
Haven't you?
*What's that chirping sound?*
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/15/2009 14:57 Comments ||
Top||
#18
Salman Rushdie let the cat out of the bag 18 yrs ago and looks like he hit the bullseye
The Israeli military operation against Hamas in Gaza enjoys the overwhelming support of Israeli Jews despite the loss of civilian life in the Hamas-run territory, a survey released Wednesday showed.
A whopping 94% of the public support or strongly support the operation while 92% think it benefits Israel's security, according to the Tel Aviv University survey.
The poll found that 92% of Israeli Jews justify the air force's attacks in Gaza despite the suffering of the civilian population in the Strip and the damage they cause to infrastructure.
Nearly 1,000 Palestinians have been killed during the 19-day old operation, about half of them Hamas terrorists. The mysterious civilians of Gaza
Seventy percent of the Israeli public said that the ground operation, which got under way on January 3, was a necessary move, the survey found.
Despite ongoing international calls for an immediate cease-fire and a flurry of diplomatic activity to reach a cease-fire by week's end, the survey found that 90% of Israelis believed that Israel should continue with the operation until all its objectives were achieved.
The survey found that 70% of the public believe the operation had high or moderately high chances of achieving all its objectives, with a whopping 93% approving of the IDF's fighting capability.
About 80% of the Israeli public oppose the cease-fire with Hamas unless it includes the release of IDF soldier Gilad Schalit seized by Hamas in a cross-border raid two and half years ago, the survey found. Arabs (and their enablers) really, really should have been more careful---Eleazar Ben Yair has an equalizer nowadays.
(Xinhua) -- Visiting UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon held talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak Wednesday on the ongoing Israeli offensive against the Gaza Strip which has killed more than 950 Palestinians.
The two sides reviewed the latest developments of the Gaza crisis and are expected to discuss an Egyptian initiative aiming at putting an end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups in Gaza.
Ban, who arrived here earlier on Wednesday morning for a week-long Middle East mediation tour, is also scheduled to visit Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Kuwait to strengthen the joint diplomatic efforts to strive for an early end to the Gaza fighting.
Ban's Middle East tour came as part of the UN efforts to push for the implementation of a UN Security Council resolution on Gaza.
On Thursday, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1860, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza "leading to the full withdrawal of Israeli forces."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/15/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
COUNTERTERRORISM BLOG > KHAMEINI: EVERY ONE OF THE US' 32 BASES IN IRAQ IS WITHIN RANGE OF OUR MISSLES; + PENTAGON REPORT: IRAQ IS MORE QUIET BUT IRAN IS STILL A THREAT.
Israeli officials are deeply divided over their approach to the Gaza war and truce efforts, a leading Israeli newspaper has revealed.
Senior aides to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have lashed out at Defense Minister Ehud Barak's backing of Cairo's efforts to reach a ceasefire.
"Hamas senior officials see these images and hear these voices and draw encouragement from the notion that Israel is looking for a way out. We regret the irresponsibility of ministers leaking information regarding their own private initiatives - as high ranking as these ministers may be," the officials was quoted by The Jerusalem Post as saying ion Wednesday.
Reports have been circulated by the Israeli media that the Israeli Army would slow down its operation in the Gaza Strip and the step would be followed by a temporary truce including a halt to troops' movement in the costal sliver. According to the reports after the temporary truce Egypt and Israel would finalize an agreement "to stop smuggling" into the Gaza Strip. Such arrangement would include the deployment of US monitors. After the restoration of calm, Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza.
The speculations were fueled after Israeli defense ministry official Amos Gilad, who represents Tel Aviv in Egypt's truce talks, postponed his return.
Olmert's aides, however, expressed regret that news of the potential draft for a ceasefire had been leaked from "government ministers, of all sources."
"Announcements of this kind can only harm the progress of the operation and hinder achieving the goals the government has set for itself, and constitutes irresponsibility on a national level," they said.
However, in a statement published in response of the criticism, the Defense Ministry said Barak, "out of responsibility needed at a time of war, will not be dragged into inappropriate declarations."
Meanwhile, Pensioners Affairs Minister Rafi Eitan warned Olmert on Wednesday that if Operation Cast Lead did not pursue its initial goals, he would resign from the security cabinet. Eitan said he was right when he called for the postponement of the February 10 election when the operation started to prevent the politicization of the war. "Some of those who had led an impressive military and diplomatic campaign until the last few days have returned to function as politicians," Eitan wrote to Olmert. "I am warning you that the closer we get to the opening of the ballot boxes, the more intertwined politics will be in decisions about the operation."
Eitan said "time was running out to complete the operation" and that if Israel did not achieve its goals, the next Prime Minister would have to decide to return to Gaza within a few months.
Israel started Operation Cast Lead on December 27. After nearly three weeks, however, Israeli troops seem to be faced with a fierce resistance on the part of Palestinian fighters. The military operation has so far killed 1025 people, mostly supposedly civilians across the strip.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/15/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
THAI Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva on Wednesday rejected accusations by Amnesty International that security forces had engaged in 'systematic' torture in the country's insurgency-hit south. The rights group said in a report released on Tuesday that four people had died during torture by the army and police in the Muslim-majority south, where separatist violence has raged since 2004.
'I want to reassure you that it's not government policy and it was not carried out systematically. The Thai government does not support extra-judicial power,' he told reporters.
The Amnesty report said it had identified 34 cases of torture, adding that while Thai authorities officially condemned torture, the number of incidents meant they could not be dismissed as the work of a 'few errant subordinates'.
Mr Abhisit said he would investigate whether there were any extrajudicial practices by security forces combating the insurgency, but he also questioned the accuracy of the Amnesty report. He cited the case of an inquest last month - which ruled that a Muslim leader died after beatings by soldiers during interrogation - as being an example of how Thai authorities do not tolerate or cover up torture.
More than 3,500 people have been killed since separatist unrest erupted in early 2004 in southern Thailand. Tensions have simmered since Thailand annexed the mainly Malay sultanate in 1902. Mr Abhisit is due on Saturday to make his first visit to the south since coming to power in December, and he has already called for an increase in economic and cultural solutions to the unrest. 'We must win the hearts and the cooperation of the locals, otherwise we will merely stay with the same situation,' he said.
The army commander for the southern region, Lieutenant General Pichet Visaichorn, also rejected the report, saying that the army wanted to solve the unrest peacefully and by respecting human rights. 'Since October 1, 2008 there has been no report of irregular practice by the authorities,' he said in statement released Wednesday. 'If anyone is found guilty, they would be prosecuted both under army discipline and civilian law,' he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/15/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
BEIRUT (Reuters) - The commander of a U.N. peacekeeping force urged Lebanon and Israel to exercise restraint after at least three rockets were fired into northern Israel from Lebanon on Wednesday.
The Lebanese government condemned the attack, the second launched from Lebanon against Israel since it began its offensive in the Gaza Strip on December 27. Information Minister Tareq Mitri said it "gave Israel an excuse to harm the national interest."
The army deployed additional forces in the south to boost its "defensive capabilities," a military source said.
Labour Minister Mohammed Fneish, the Hezbollah minister in government, denied that the Lebanese political and military group had anything to do with the attack. "... we don't know who fired these rockets, we have nothing to do with it," Hezbollah's website quoted him as saying. "For the Israeli enemy to exploit this accident in order to use its aggression against Lebanon, that is something we condemn, reject and don't accept," he said, referring to Israel's response with artillery fire.
"Please don't stomp us!"
The group, which fought a 34-day war with Israel in 2006, denied any role in a similar attack last week. Israeli officials blamed smaller, armed Palestinian factions in Lebanon.
The Lebanese army and members of the U.N. peacekeeping force, known as UNIFIL, also deactivated three rockets rigged to launch an hour after they had been found, the army said.
UNIFIL commander Major General Claudio Graziano urged maximum restraint after the early morning rocket salvo. He was working with both Lebanon and Israel to maintain the cessation of hostilities, UNIFIL spokeswoman Yasmina Bouziane said in a statement. There had been no claims of responsibility for the rocket attack, she said.
Israel responded with two barrages of artillery fire. There were no reports of damage or injury caused by the Israeli shells, Bouziane said. The rockets fired from Lebanon landed in open areas and caused no damage or injuries, she added.
There have been no claims of responsibility for the January 8 rocket attack from Lebanon.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/15/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Just Arabs testing Israel's resolve---unless there is a strong response, they will gradually intensify.
3:49 PM UPDATE Givati units, in action in middle of Gaza City, were under fire from the UNRWA compound by RPG, Mortar and small arms fire and called in an artillery strike on the source of the attack. More news as it breaks. (Source Channel 10 News from Army Sources)
Secretary of State-designate Hillary Rodham Clinton said yesterday that the incoming Obama administration will seek to engage directly with Iran in an effort to persuade it to abandon its nuclear program and become "a constructive regional actor," underscoring a dramatic shift in U.S. foreign policy from the Bush administration.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/15/2009 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#5
What a pointless waste of time. The scary part is that they have to know this is all for show. And when Iran finally uses their nukes, they'll sit back and say, "well, we tried to talk to them and they wouldn't listen!"
#6
Roosevelt was a bad guy because he didn't engage directly with nazi Germany in an effort to persuade it to abandon its genocide program and become "a constructive regional actor"...
#8
ISRAELI MILITARY FORUM > HASHEMI RAFSANJANI: MANY PEOPLE INSIDE IRAN ARE READY TO WAGE JIHAD AGAINST ISRAEL SOON + IRAN CALLS UP/ACTIVATES ITS PROXIES.
Rafsanjani indics that the Paleos now have an NEW ANTI-TANK MISSLE CAPABLE OF HITTING IDF MBTS FROM A LONG DISTANCE, as oppos to 2002 when it could only be done up close???
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.
Evo Morales, the president of Bolivia, says he is breaking off ties with Israel in protest against its war in Gaza, which has left more than 1,000 Palestinians dead.
Venezuela has broken off diplomatic relations with Israel to protest its military offensive in Gaza.
ORLEANS, France (Reuters) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy pledged "zero tolerance" for anti-Semitic or anti-Muslim acts in France as a series of incidents apparently related to Israel's offensive in Gaza continued.
Barack Obama last night suggested it was no longer important to kill Osama bin Laden. 
India is considering moving the UNSC for extradition of Masood Azhar, chief of the banned Jaish-e-Muhammad, CNN-IBN reported on its website. Azhar was one of the individuals exchanged for passengers of a hijacked Indian Airlines flight that was taken to Kandahar in 1999. According to the channel, India is planning to approach the UNSC to get Azhar listed under its Resolution 1267, as it wants Pakistan to deport him to India.
WASHINGTON — Military commanders are drawing up plans for a faster withdrawal of American troops from Iraq in anticipation that President-elect Barack Obama will reject current proposals as too slow, Pentagon and military officials said Wednesday.
Secretary of State-designate Hillary Rodham Clinton said yesterday that the incoming Obama administration will seek to engage directly with Iran in an effort to persuade it to abandon its nuclear program and become "a constructive regional actor," underscoring a dramatic shift in U.S. foreign policy from the Bush administration.
