#1
It was unclear to me what they meant by thwarted. Was he captured or was he denied entry. I might have missed that.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
12/08/2011 6:16 Comments ||
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#2
Trying to enter Mexico under an assumed name. Might as well try to steal David Blaine's watch while he's at it. The hubris of the Qaddafi family is astounding.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/08/2011 21:49 Comments ||
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[Dawn] Egypt's military rulers said Wednesday the next parliament will not be representative enough to independently oversee the drafting of a new constitution, and they will appoint a council to guide the process and protect it from the influence of religious bad turbans.
Egypt just completed the initial stage of the first elections since Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... 's ouster in February, with Islamist groups seizing an overwhelming majority. In theory, the new parliament will be entrusted with forming a 100-member constituent assembly to write the new constitution.
However, there's more than one way to stuff a chicken... liberals and the military are now concerned that religious bully boyz will exert too much influence over the process.
"The parliament is not representing all sectors of society," said Gen. Mukhtar Mulla, a member of the ruling military council that took power when Mubarak was ousted in a popular uprising. He said the constitution must be representative of all of Egypt, and not just of the parliamentary majority.
"We are in the early stages of democracy," he said. "This is not out of mistrust of the parliament. What we are seeing is free and fair elections ... but it certainly doesn't represent all sectors of society."
The Moslem Brüderbund, an Islamic fundamentalist group that was the best known and organized party competing in the elections, came in first with 37 per cent of the vote in the first round, according to partial official results. The Al-Nour party, ultraconservative Islamists known as Salafis, took second with about 24 per cent. That gives the two leading Islamist blocks more than 60 per cent combined, even though they might not form an alliance.
Asked whether the new council is an attempt to limit the influence of the hard-line Salafis, who won a quarter of the vote, Mulla said: "Absolutely. Not the (military council). The Egyptian people won't allow this to happen." The Salafis want to impose strict Islamic law, or Shariah, in Egypt.
The elections dealt a serious blow to the youthful, liberal activists that drove the uprising against Mubarak. Many of them have complained that the elections were held too hurriedly, and they did not have ample time to organize parties and campaigns.
The military's advisory body will be made up of members of political parties, intellectuals and presidential hopefuls, as well as artists and members of syndicates, Mulla said.
It is not clear how the new council will negotiate with the parliament the guidelines for choosing the constituent assembly. But when the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces in the past floated the idea that it would name 80 of the 100 members of constituent assembly and tried to enshrine in the constitution a political role for itself in the future, it caused a backlash from both Islamists and liberals.
A strong showing by Islamists in the elections could boost their popular mandate to fight the military's plan.
Mulla said the new council will coordinate with the parliament and the Cabinet to ensure that that the constituent assembly drafting the constitution is representative of all religions, professions, and political parties.
He said the new parliament cannot be compared to the U.S. Congress.
"We still have instability in Egypt. We have economic and security problems. The conditions are different," he said. "When the parliament is in stable, pH balanced conditions, it can elect and choose whatever it wants. For now, all sectors of society must participate in constructing the new constitution."
Mulla said the council won't dictate who will be part of the constituent assembly, suggesting an agreement would be reached to ensure the assembly is representative.
"I think no one will object to this demand. There will be standards agreed upon by all the Egyptian people," Mulla said.
A member of the Moslem Brüderbund, Sobhi Saleh, said the military or its advisory council can't enforce such guidelines on the parliament.
"We reject any attempt to have a mandate over the will of people. We can accept these guidelines only if these were for guidance and not obligatory," said Saleh, a lawyer.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/08/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
MacArthur did okay in Japan, but, I doubt that this outcome will be quite as rosy.
[Bangla Daily Star] The International Crimes Tribunal yesterday recorded the first witness' deposition narrating how Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... leader Delwar Hossain Sayeedi ...Islamic orator and politician. He was a former Member of Parliament in the National Assembly of Bangladesh from 1996 to 2008, and is one of the most prominent leaders of the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami... and other collaborators helped the Pak occupation forces to commit atrocities and crimes against humanity in 1971.
Prosecution witness and freedom fighter Mahabubul Alam Hawlader of Pirojpur completed his deposition yesterday while witness and freedom fighter Ruhul Amin Nabin of the same district began giving his deposition to the court recollecting the events that took place 40 years ago.
Hawlader, who was 20 years old in 1971, worked as a spy for the freedom fighters.
He narrated how Sayeedi spearheaded groups of collaborators to loot over 60 houses and shops, and how he ordered the killing of Bisha Bali, a Hindu resident of Umedpur village of Pirojpur.
Sayeedi, now 71 years old, stood in the dock at the back of the courtroom during the five-and-a-half-hour proceedings, with an hour's break.
He is the first among the seven accused of war crimes during the Liberation War with 20 specific charges were brought against him on October 3. A total of 68 prosecution witnesses are supposed to give their depositions in the case.
Hawlader, who introduced himself as a businessman, was not allowed to reveal his address for security reasons.
He identified Sayeedi and said he knows Sayeedi. "During the war, I was serving as a freedom fighter in the Sundarbans freedom fighters' camp. My responsibility was to be a spy and collect confidential information for the freedom fighters," he said.
According to Hawlader, Major Ziauddin Ahmed and AKM Awal of the Sub-Sector-9 assigned him to be a spy.
"Throughout Pirojpur, the collaborators and peace committee members committed rapes, arsons, and murdered many innocent people and members of the Hindu community," he told the court. "They also handed many women over to the Pak occupation forces so that they could be raped.
"As a spy, I observed all these criminal activities and delivered the information to the Sundarbans freedom fighters' camp."
"During the war of liberation in 1971, I remained at my home," Hawlader told the court.
He recollected the historic speech of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on March 7, 1971, and how people from all walks of life prepared for war.
Many went to India for training. Many received guerrilla training inside the country. They collected weapons from their localities and formed resistance against the occupation forces, he said.
"With no solution in sight, the Pak forces formed an anti-liberation force, comprised of collaborators, called the Peace Committee with Ghulam Azam, Gulzar AKM Yousuf and Khan Mohammad Afzal of Pirojpur among others," he added.
Members of the peace committee directed Jamaat-e-Islami members in different parts of the country to form local peace committees and kill freedom fighters and Liberation War supporters in their areas.
The Parer Haat peace committee of Pirojpur was formed this way.
Hawlader identified Sayeedi, Sekandar Ali Shikder, Danesh Ali Majumder, Mohammad Salehuddin, Mawlana Azhar Ali Talukder, Mohsin, Abdul Karim, Habibur Rahman Munshi, Sobhan Mawlana and Hakim Kari among others as members of the peace committee of Parer Haat.
Most of the members were from local madrasas and anti-liberation organizations, he said.
As Sayeedi joined student politics while studying in alim class at Pirojpur's Shashina Madrasa, the madrasa authorities suspended him, he added.
According to Hawlader, Pak occupational forces came to Pirojpur in the first week of May, 1971.
"On the morning of May 7, I was outside the house and heard that the occupation forces are coming to Parer Haat. And the Parer Haat peace committee members were waiting at the rickshaw stand to greet them," he said.
"I went to Parer Haat and hid myself near the rickshaw stand. I saw 52 Mighty Pak Army men arrive on 26 rickshaws and members of the peace committee greeted them," he added. Sayeedi, fluent in Urdu, spoke to Captain Ezaz, a captain of the occupation forces.
The collaborators then guided the Pak forces inside Parer Haat bazaar.
"They showed Captain Ezaz the shops and homes of Hindus and Awami League activists supporting the Liberation War," said Hawlader, "Captain Ezaz than ordered his forces to raid those [shops and houses]."
After the raid had started, Hawlader saw the situation getting worse and he distanced himself from the spot.
According to Hawlader, he later came to learn that some 30 to 35 shops and homes were looted in the raid.
"The items looted during the raid were distributed under the leadership of Sayeedi," he told the court. During the raid, the Pak forces found approximately 20kg of gold (22 sher) in an iron safe buried under the shop of Makhan Saha, who was a big businessman in Parer Haat, Hawlader said.
Sayeedi personally had led the raid at Makhan Saha's store, located in the northern side of Parer Haat, he claimed.
"After finding so much gold in one room, Captain Ezaz named it Shonar Parer Haat [golden parer haat]," he added.
The looted items were taken to Sayeedi's father-in-law's house in the same area. "The collaborators created a fund with the looted goods and the gold, which totalled to around Tk 15 lakh [at that time]," said Hawlader, adding that Sayeedi himself traded the looted goods.
"He used the money to make buildings and other assets in Khulna and Dhaka," said Hawlader.
While Sekandar Shikder and Danesh Ali Mollah were the leaders of collaborators, Sayeedi, being fluent in Urdu, had managed to build a close tie with Captain Ezaz, he said.
On June 2, Hawlader decamped with a group of freedom fighters as he heard that the collaborators were coming to get them.
Later that day, he came to learn that the collaborators led by Danesh, Sekandar, Sayeedi, Momin Hawlader, Hakim Kari and Habibur Rahman Munshi had attacked a Hindu-majority area near Umedpur village.
There they looted some 25 houses including those of Chitya Ranjan Talukder, Jahur Talukder, Bisha Bali, Shukur Ali and Anil Mandal.
According to Hawlader, the collaborators also tied ailing Bisha Bali to a coconut tree and beat him up. "Sayeedi then ordered the collaborators to shoot Bisha Bali. One collaborator shot him dead."
Recounting the events of the day, Hawlader said after the Pakistain army had sprayed the area with bullets, he along with a group of people hid inside a nearby jungle.
"Some people of the peace committee and the Razakar Bahini went to my home around noon that day. They put pressure on my bother Abdul Mazid and tortured him as he refused to tell them the whereabouts of freedom fighters and the Awami League men," he said.
"They entered the house, looted 10 tolas of gold ornaments, Tk 20,000 from an almirah and looted two tolas of gold from my mother's room, and vandalised furniture costing around Tk 30,000. They damaged our valuables worth around Tk 3 lakh."
"I seek trial of the people who committed crimes against humanity, war crimes, and killed lakhs of people during the Liberation War in 1971," he told the court concluding his around two-hour-long testimony.
Before Hawlader began his deposition, the three judges' panel headed by its Chairman Justice Nizamul Huq, rejected two petitions filed by Sayeedi.
One was filed seeking adjournment of the depositions while the other for necessary copies of some documents from the prosecution.
The tribunal ordered the defence to submit a list of their witnesses and documents before it by December 14.
In response to another petition submitted by the defence counsels, the tribunal said the superintendent of police will decide whether they (defence lawyers) would be given police protection when they visit places of offences allegedly committed by Sayeedi.
After Hawlader's deposition, Mizanul Islam, a counsel for Sayeedi, started cross-examining him yesterday. He asked the witness whether there is any evidence in the court that was seized by the Sherlocks from him.
Hawlader replied in the negative.
The lawyers for Sayeedi told the court that they were not prepared to cross examine Hawlader and that they want to start cross-examination of the witness on December 11.
The court then fixed December 11 for Hawlader's cross examination. After Hawlader, second prosecution witness Nabin began his deposition. He is scheduled to resume his testimony today.
Nabin, who was 21 then, said he heard over the radio and television that the International Crimes Tribunal was formed in Bangladesh and that the investigation team of the tribunal would probe the crimes committed during the Liberation War.
"I submitted a compliant to the tribunal chief on July 20 last year seeking justice against the war crimes and this is my statement," he said.
Nabin said the Pak occupation forces formed peace committee, Razakar, Al Shams and Al Badr militia forces with the help of some agents and leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
12/08/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Welcome to Karachi, Pole guys...enjoy the diversity, just as we do. From TX, can bonus you some Mexican cartel border war, if you still want more nightlife.
#1
The president says he still has faith in the attorney general. If Holder, however, cannot foster a culture of accountability within his own department, President Obama would be wise to reassess the public interest.
Sen. Susan Collins on Wednesday blasted the Defense Department for classifying the Fort Hood massacre as workplace violence and suggested political correctness is being placed above the security of the nation's Armed Forces at home. So would getting blown up in Afghanistan be classified as "workplace violence" too? I'm so confused.
During a joint session of the Senate and House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday, the Maine Republican referenced a letter from the Defense Department depicting the Fort Hood shootings as workplace violence. She criticized the Obama administration for failing to identify the threat as radical Islam. Go ahead. Click on the link if you want to raise your blood pressure even further.
#1
It is important to the Obama Admin's self image that the Nov 09 Ft Hood massacre and the June 09 Little Rock killing not be considered terrorism. This is so the Obama team can pretend that they have not allowed attacks on the US.
The fallback position used by the dept of Justice is that those events were domestic terrorism (so they don't have to mention the word 'islam')
Posted by: Lord Garth ||
12/08/2011 7:32 Comments ||
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#2
Work Place Violence according to the White House: 1) The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor...our military was at work and so were the Japanese. 2) JFK assassination, both Kennedy and Oswald were at work, 3) 9/11, the 3000 citizens were at work and so were the 19
Posted by: David Copperfield ||
12/08/2011 8:26 Comments ||
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#3
It's classed as "workplace violence" so that preventing or dealing with the aftermath of future massacres of this type can be dealt with using different sources of funding. For example, funds used to deal with anger-management, diversity-awareness, domestic violence, post-deployment stress (at least under pre-deployment auspices)- I did mention diversity awareness, right - and other such funding that deals with making the armed forces aware of its mosaic, multicultural, multi-gender composition and ultimately endowing it with a cultural environment indistinguishable from any Fortune 500 company.
Dealing with massacres of this type as "workplace violence" also removes the responsibility from a military leadership already dealing with such vital and pressing issues as working up for yet another deployment with a portion of their troops medically unfit/pregnant/on terminal leave, cutting their operating/training budgets, plastic recycling, child care, ensuring proper quotas during promotion/selection, and scheduling various monthly/weekly/daily cultural events. It places the issue squarely in the hands of medical professionals, social workers, diversity-awareness educators and legal professionals, who are more than willing to take up the challenge of the expending the extended and redirected use of funding.
#7
Babylon 5 had an episode far in the future where "goodfacts" were presented, as opposed to (IIRC) "realfacts".
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/08/2011 13:24 Comments ||
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#8
I'm not sure "workplace violence" is that terrible a classification. Yes Islamic Jihadism was his motivator but still there was every indication this guy was going to go nuts and nobody followed up on it. They brushed it under the rug. The FBI, CIA, NSA and military intelligence couldn't have been expected to have spotted it when the only evidence of anything wrong was fitness reports and the like that really covered up or ignored the problem.
However they need to classify it to make sure it doesn't happen again. And although I agree the political motivations for this were probably to be able to campaign on not having allowed any terrorist attacks I don't think anyone here feels Obama really could have done anything to have prevented this. It was an institutional PC thought train that didn't appear overnight, it was drilled into everyone over years by the military and the culture at large.
#12
I've read that, or something very similar before. He went nuts and radical islam gave direction to his insanity. He should not have survived the day. Having said that a number of folks let his growing nuttiness pass in the name of political correctness and if classifying this as workplace violence is what it takes to get people taking it seriously *before hand* so be it.
US federal appeals court upholds convictions of Holy Land Foundation leaders for funneling money and supplies to Hamas. A US federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld the convictions of five leaders of an Islamic charity on charges of funneling money and supplies to Hamas, which the United States designates as a terrorist group.
The organizers of the Texas-based Holy Land Foundation argued they were denied a fair trial in 2008 when the government used secret Israeli witnesses to testify against them. The organizers also raised a host of constitutional challenges to the evidence presented against them at trial.
The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals rejected those challenges, concluding that "while no trial is perfect," Holy Land and its leaders were fairly convicted. The court pointed to "voluminous evidence" that the foundation, which was started in the late 1980s, had long-running financial ties to Hamas.
Once the largest Muslim charity in the United States, Holy Land was closed by the administration of former President George W. Bush soon after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Holy Land argued that the millions of dollars it raised went to charities in the West Bank and Gaza known as zakat committees. Although those committees performed legitimate charitable functions, they were also Hamas social institutions, the court found.
Federal law makes it a crime to provide material aid and support to a designated terrorist organization like Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and does not recognize Israel's existence.
"By supporting such entities, the defendants facilitated Hamas' activity by furthering its popularity among Palestinians and by providing a funding resource. This, in turn, allowed Hamas to concentrate its efforts on violent activity," Judge Carolyn King wrote on behalf of the unanimous three-judge panel.
Federal prosecutors indicted the foundation and its leaders in 2004 for providing material support to a designated terrorist group.
While the first trial in 2007 ended in a mistrial, a federal jury convicted the five individuals in 2008 on charges that included money laundering, tax fraud and conspiracy. The charity organizers received prison sentences ranging from 15 to 65 years.
On appeal, the leaders argued the trial judge should not have allowed two Israeli witnesses to testify without revealing their real names. Pseudonyms prevented their lawyers from examining the witnesses' credentials and backgrounds, they contended.
"The Confrontation Clause of the US Constitution basically didn't apply to these experts," said Gregory Westfall, a lawyer for defendant Abdulrahman Odeh. He said his client would likely appeal and predicted the case would eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court.
Now if the Obama administration would only follow the strategy of Bush to close, expose & prosecute such charities (rather than slapping them on the wrists through closed-door settlements)...
Posted by: American Delight ||
12/08/2011 9:23 Comments ||
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JERUSALEM — Multiple eyewitnesses reported seeing Israeli military trucks in recent days transport and station large missiles at the periphery of Jerusalem and in locations inside the West Bank.
The descriptions of the projectiles are consistent with the Jewish stateÂ’s mid-to-long range Jericho ballistic missiles.
I call BS: there is no way the Israelis move their strategic missiles into populated areas, particularly areas populated by Paleos.
The missile movement, if confirmed, would be considered unusual.
It won't be. Few militaries are better than the Israelis in hiding their strategic weapons.
One of the eyewitnesses was a member of the Palestinian Authority security services.
There's a reliable source for a reporter...
He claimed to me that a large missile was stationed five days ago near Neve Yaacov, a Jewish neighborhood in northeast Jerusalem. That neighborhood is adjacent to several Palestinian-inhabited towns.
Four other eyewitnesses, Israeli and Palestinian, reported seeing similar sights during the past week – large missiles being transported by the Israeli military at the periphery of Jerusalem and in the West Bank.
Those might be anti-air missiles designed to protect Jerusalem.
Reached for comment, the spokespersonÂ’s unit of the Israel Defense Forces could not confirm the information, referring me instead to IsraelÂ’s national police. Mickey Rosenfeld, the national police spokesperson here, laughed at told me today he has no information on any such movements.
The PA security member, speaking on condition of anonymity, speculated the missiles were related to a possible Israeli offensive against Iran. He commented that such missiles were offensive in nature, and usually not meant to serve as defensive posture.
And who would know more about offensiveness than a PA security member?
While the possibility of an attack on Iran cannot be immediately discounted, there are several other scenarios that make some sense:
1) ItÂ’s possible such missile transport is part of an internal military drill or to test various locations for the future deployment of projectiles.
The drill, however, would not include test firings. Such testing is almost always conducted at a military base and usually involves one missile fired from one location. Any such test is difficult to keep under wraps.
Earlier this month, the IDF did test fire a long-range ballistic missile, believed to be a Jericho III, at the countryÂ’s Palmachim Air & Space test center. IsraelÂ’s Ministry of Defense confirmed the test was successful, indicating the purpose of the launch was the testing of a new advanced propulsion system.
Jericho IIIÂ’s are believed to be guided by radar and reportedly give Israel nuclear strike capabilities within the entire Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia and almost all parts of North America, as well as within large parts of South America and North Oceania.
2) Any missile placement could be related to the unstable situation in Syria, including fears of a future NATO military campaign there that could have ramifications for Israel, such as firing of missiles into the Jewish state by Syria or Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad warned in an interview with a U.K. newspaper earlier this month that foreign intervention in Syria would cause an “earthquake” across the region and create another Afghanistan, while directly threatening the Jewish state.
Assad reportedly made similar comments in a meeting in early October with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmad Davutoglu.
He was quoted stating, “If a crazy measure is taken against Damascus, I will need not more than six hours to transfer hundreds of rockets and missiles to the Golan Heights to fire them at Tel Aviv.”
Assad also reportedly warned that “all these events will happen in three hours, but in the second three hours, Iran will attack the U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf and the U.S. and European interests will be targeted simultaneously.”
And in the third three hours, both Damascus and Tehran glow in the dark...
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/08/2011 08:46 ||
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#1
The Jericho's are nuclear, right? They don't have a conventional warhead option do they? Quick glance at Wikipedia (for what that's worth) doesn't mention one.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
12/08/2011 10:25 Comments ||
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#2
And yes, moving these anywhere near population would be silly, if only for the phone call targeting aspect.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
12/08/2011 10:27 Comments ||
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#3
Wasn't there a related story about germany loaning isreal a radar setup, so one could be repaired?
#4
Seems to be a standard ME strategy, locate weapons that might be targeted in high-value civilian agencies. An air assault to take out the Jerico will probably have collateral damage to the neighborhood.
Can the missile payload be discharged without launch?
#5
The radar loan was for the Patriot anti-air/anti-missile system, not for Jericho. I doubt the Germans would help the Israelis with a nuclear-tipped offensive missile.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/08/2011 12:21 Comments ||
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#6
The only movement I expect from Israeli missles is that they go up....and then they come down at the appropriate points.
#7
This is actually likely. The Jericho installation has been heavily targeted for attack, though likely from Syria, with Russian weapons, instead of directly from Iran, as a preemptive attack before they launch on the rest of Israel.
So dispersing missiles is the same strategy as the US used with its MX missiles, but closer to what the Soviets did with their truck mounted equivalents. The disadvantage is that this class of missile has a limited range.
Importantly, Israel is upgrading from its Jericho II missiles, which are likely the ones being moved, to Jericho III missiles, which are probably too large to launch except from a launch site. JII's can carry a 1MT nuke, so they still pack a hell of a wallop.
#8
This seemed highly unlikely at first read but then I decided it was a brilliant defensive move and very calculated. Putting nukes into the West Bank would protect them and having multiple eyewitnesses makes sure the entire ME knows it. And it would take the Israelis a lot less than 3 hours-- Assad would never know what hit him. However, Dinnerjacket has agents worldwide that worry me more and retaliation could be anywhere, including US.
#11
Just having this story in the press reduces the potential value in a Muslim first strike as they would not know how much of the Israeli missiles would be put out of action.
Securing these things all over the place though would be hard to do. So, if true or not, it is clear that the game is afoot as it were.
#12
For the last 5 years, reports of pending IDF attacks on Iran have flowed. IT never happened under GWB; BHO is even more reluctant to pre-empt the inevitable placement of nuclear tipped ICBMs aimed at the US homeland. There might be some credible intelligence viz Hizbollah release of some of the 20,000 missiles that they hold in Lebanon. In Israel's last infantry advance, they lost 29 of their best tanks. The next war will involve WMD. And the sooner the better in my opinion.
Israel expected to object to May presidential, parliamentary elections taking place in East Jerusalem; Senior Palestinian source accuses Hamas of trying to torpedo election.
Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, will only agree to hold presidential and parliamentary elections next May if voting takes place in East Jerusalem and Hamas is allowed to participate, Haaretz has learned - a condition to which Israel will almost certainly object.
Since Israel considers East Jerusalem to be an integral part of Israel, the answer is almost certainly 'no'...
This puts Hamas and Fatah's agreement to hold elections in the West Bank and Gazoo in a different light. A senior Paleostinian source told Haaretz that Hamas had set the condition in an effort to torpedo the elections and thus avoid the risk of being forced out of power in the Gazoo Strip. Hamas, however, is expected to blame Israel for blocking the democratic process, so that international pressure to allow them to run will be brought to bear, as it was before the parliamentary elections in January 2006. The Paleostinian Authority is also expected to press for Hamas participation to embarrass the Israeli government.
The agreement to hold the election was reached two weeks ago in Cairo by Hamas political bureau chief Khaled Meshal and PA President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... in a meeting held as part of the two factions' reconciliation efforts.
Israel is expected to object to any Hamas activity in the eastern part of the capital. The Israeli government will also be subject to public pressure to reject Hamas' participation in elections altogether, after Hamas won the 2006 elections by a large majority and also came out ahead in the regional elections in East Jerusalem.
Both Hamas and the PA are aware there is only a slim chance that an Israeli government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will allow Hamas to run, which is why many participating in the reconciliation talks don't believe the elections will take place.
A senior Israeli source said that the government isn't likely to allow voting in East Jerusalem if Hamas participates, but added that it would be difficult to prevent Hamas' participation in West Bank voting, let alone in Gazoo.
As part of its reconciliation demands, Hamas also wants Egypt to open an embassy in the Gazoo Strip, where it has had no official presence since the Hamas takeover of the Strip in 2007.
In less than two weeks, representatives of all the Paleostinian groups will meet in Cairo for several days of talks, at the end of which the leaders will meet to set a date for elections. It isn't yet clear whether a new transitional government, headed by someone agreeable to both Hamas and Fatah, will be established.
You know, Iran has a lot of sand and angled sand dunes.
Was this thing designed to land autonomously if it lost contact? It should not have been.
Was this thing designed with a completely separate self-destruction circuit for use over places like Iran? Maybe even a mechanically based dead-man's switch? It should have been.
Did they toss up some mini-EMP weapon to take it out? They might have.
Is this whole thing some brilliantly concealed ruse by the CIA? Let's hope so.
#2
The drone would be beyond the Iranians engineering comprehension but not their new best buddy, China. Bet there is some serious quid pro quo going on which no doubt, would be causing consternation in the Pentagon.
#3
I see the drone, but something just doesn't look right about it. Maybe the color on it, maybe some of the angles. It really looks like some giant Mold-kit from high-school. Maybe it is the drone though?
Posted by: Charles ||
12/08/2011 16:56 Comments ||
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#4
I hope someone just forgot to push the self destruct button and is waiting for the right time.
[An Nahar] The United States said Wednesday that Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Leveler of Latakia... was either disconnected from reality or "crazy" after he argued he was not responsible for killing thousands of protesters.
State Department front man Mark Toner reiterated the U.S. view that Assad has lost legitimacy and should step down after the Syrian leader said in a rare interview that "only a crazy person" would kill his own people.
"It either says that he's completely lost any power that he had within Syria, that he's simply a tool or that he's completely disconnected with reality," Toner told news hounds.
"It's either disconnection, disregard or, as he said, crazy. I don't know," Toner said.
"What we insist is that he has lost all credibility in the eyes of his people and needs to step down," he said.
Toner challenged the Syrian strongman to allow in international monitors to verify his assertions. The Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... , which has suspended Syria, has been pushing to send in observers.
"Just taking at face value his denial that there's anything going on there," Toner said, "why not let international monitors, human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... monitors -- which is what the vaporous Arab League is proposing -- into Syria as well as international media and allow them to report transparently on what's happening there?"
Toner said there was "a clear campaign against peaceful protesters" and "accountability with that ultimately rests on Assad and his cronies."
White House front man Jay Carney earlier said that Assad's views were "not credible."
Assad said in an interview with ABC News that no government in the world would kill its people "unless it's led by a crazy person" and said he did not "own" the security forces carrying out the violence.
Assad said Syria's security forces belonged to "the government" and not him personally.
"I don't own them. I'm president. I don't own the country. So they are not my forces," he said.
On Tuesday, Toner sharply criticized Assad over the interview.
"I find it ludicrous that he is attempting to hide behind some sort of shell game but also some sort of claim that he doesn't exercise authority in his own country," Toner told news hounds.
"There's just no indication that he's doing anything other than cracking down in the most brutal fashion on a peaceful opposition movement," he said.
But the Syrian foreign ministry hit back, saying Damascus ...Capital of the last overtly fascist regime in the world... was astonished by Toner's comments which it said "distorted" the views expressed by Assad in the interview.
Foreign Ministry front man Jihad Maqdisi said: "We regret and express our astonishment at the remarks by U.S. State Department front man Mark Toner, who mocked the comments made by President Assad by distorting them."
He told a news conference that Assad had not been seeking to shirk his responsibilities as head of state by telling ABC News that Syrian security forces did not belong to him personally.
Activists say that more than 100 people have been killed in Syria since Saturday, and the United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... estimates that at least 4,000 have died since mid-March when anti-regime protests first erupted.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/08/2011 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
#1
IMO: these who think that Alawites can afford to give up, are the crazy ones---Sunis will butcher every single one of them. Also, I love popcorn.
#3
some sort of claim that he doesn't exercise authority in his own country
Yeah, that is what worries me. I think he really wanted to be a dentist. He is a puppet, always has been, and his arsenal is in the hands of Hizbollah. Assad is the least of our worries.
[An Nahar] An Iranian daily said Wednesday that Tehran may transfer to Syria and Hizbullah intelligence from a U.S. drone that was allegedly downed by Iranian armed forces.
The report came in the conservative Mellat newspaper as state radio said that the unmanned spy plane was deep inside Iran's airspace, flying over an eastern town famous for Persian carpets and saffron when it was downed.
The station said the stealth-version of the RQ-170 drone was detected by Iranian forces over the eastern town of Kashmar, some 225 kilometers from the border with Afghanistan.
It added that Iran will "soon" broadcast video footage of the downed drone.
But Iran's hardline Kayhan daily quoted an unnamed military expert as saying Iranian forces did not shoot down the drone.
The expert, though, said the Iranian military is capable of bringing it down in such a way that the "body of the plane and its parts remain intact."
Two U.S. officials confirmed to CNN on Tuesday that the drone was part of a CIA reconnaissance mission which involved both the intelligence community and military personnel stationed in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/08/2011 00:00 ||
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COMMANDER: You realise that very soon we will learn to penetrate the cloaking device you stole. SPOCK: Obviously. Military secrets are the most fleeting of all
#3
It is unfortunate the drone does not have a self destruct mechanism to prevent it from falling into the wrong hands, like the Chevy Volk does.
Every time I see the video, I hope that the drone vibrates, or has some red sweeping light come on, or some sort of animation to scare the djinn out their colons.
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.
[Dawn] Egypt's military rulers said Wednesday the next parliament will not be representative enough to independently oversee the drafting of a new constitution, and they will appoint a council to guide the process and protect it from the influence of religious
Sen. Susan Collins on Wednesday blasted the Defense Department for classifying the Fort Hood massacre as workplace violence and suggested political correctness is being placed above the security of the nation's Armed Forces at home.
JERUSALEM — Multiple eyewitnesses reported seeing Israeli military trucks in recent days transport and station large missiles at the periphery of Jerusalem and in locations inside the West Bank.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
