INSURGENTS attacked a car in the northern Iraq city of Mosul today, killing three people who appeared to be foreigners and their Iraqi driver and cutting off the head of one of the victims, witnesses said. The white, American-made sedan was attacked by insurgents firing assault rifles as it drove through western Mosul, witnesses said. After the attack it was set on fire. A photographer for Reuters saw four bodies lying on the street close to the blazing vehicle, three of them apparently foreigners.
Witnesses said one of the men appeared to be Turkish and two others looked European. One of them had been beheaded. Two of the men looked to be in their 20s and 30s and were dressed in jeans and windbreaker tops. A fourth person, apparently an Arab, could be seen lying near the burning wreckage, his body partly consumed by flames.
Witnesses said one of the foreigners was briefly taken hostage by the insurgents. When he tried to flee they decapitated him, leaving the head lying in a pool of blood near his body on the street. A crowd quickly gathered around the bodies and the burning wreckage. The identities of the victims was not clear, but the witnesses said they were carrying small automatic weapons. The attackers seized the weapons before setting the car alight. Passports were also found on the victims, but they were thrown into the burning vehicle, the witnesses said. The US military could not immediately be reached for comment.
Mosul, in Iraq's far north near the Turkish border, has experienced a surge in violence since the middle of last month when groups of guerrillas overran a dozen police stations, looted them of weapons and then burned or blew them up.
There have been nearly daily attacks against US and Iraqi security forces in the city since then and US troops have stepped up operations to try to restore order. Since November 10, when the uprising began, more than 150 bodies have been found abandoned on the streets of the city, many of them members of the Iraqi National Guard and other security forces, but also many civilians. It is not clear who is behind the killings or what the motive is, though some appear to be due to ethnic tensions between Arabs and Kurds.
Posted by: tipper ||
12/17/2004
9:58:55 AM ||
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#1
American foreigners? Chechen foreigners? Libyans? Yemeni? Mongols?
A U.S. military spokesman said troops had recovered three male bodies in western Mosul at around 6 p.m., but they appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent.
"All three died of gunshot wounds. None of the three were decapitated," he said. "A fourth body was not discovered."
Was the Reuters eyewitness fabricating his account (not impossible at all)? If not, what happened to the decapitated body and why would an armed foreigner allow himself to be taken hostage after all that has happened?
If the original account is a fabrication, what is the motive behind it? Obscuring bad news for pro-terror forces might be one. Note that the other three bodies were apparently not mutilated, completely atypical for Islamofascists.
Conclusion: It is possible that the 3 (or 4) dead men were terrorists or tools and that this was a hit by Kurdish or government plain clothesmen, or pro-government vigilantes. We shall see.
QUEENSLAND police have stepped up their hunt for Russian fugitive Oleg Kouzmine, requesting international assistance to find the man wanted in connection with the Gold Coast murder of a former KGB colonel.
The police moves to get an Interpol red notice come as a Russian-American businessman, Igor Solonkovich, has revealed his dealings with Mr Kouzmine led to him being wrongly accused of being a mafia standover man and charged with extortion.
Mr Solonkovich, who runs a successful export business in New York State, says the episode in which he hunted down 40-year-old Mr Kouzmine, alleged to have fled Russia with about $1million of other people's money, almost ruined his business and his life.
Speaking exclusively to the The Weekend Australian from New York, Mr Solonkovich said although charges had been dropped, he wanted to clear his name in Australia once and for all.
A warrant is out for the arrest of Mr Kouzmine in connection with the 2000 slaying of Geunnadi Bernovski. Mr Kouzmine, his business partner, left the country shortly after the shooting.
"We were trying to go through Interpol and the Russian police," Mr Solonkovich said.
Posted by: tipper ||
12/17/2004
9:50:22 AM ||
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The head of Egypt's Coptic Church has holed himself up in a desert monastery to protest the arrest of Christians demonstrating against a reported attempt to forcibly convert a priest's wife to Islam. Pope Shenuda III withdrew 10 days ago to the Anba Bishoy monastery, a fourth century retreat in the Wadi Natrun depression west of Cairo, his office told AFP Thursday.
"I am so angry about what has happened that I shall now go hide!"
The pope's whereabouts had been unknown since he cancelled two successive weekly meetings at Cairo's Saint Mark's Cathedral. "He told us last Saturday that he would return when he feels his mind is at peace," the patriarch's office said.
Other church sources said the cleric had vowed not to resume his normal duties until the authorities released all 37 Copts who were detained during December 8 clashes with security forces in the capital.
Worshippers took to the streets outside the cathedral as rumours spread that Wafaa Constantine, wife of a Coptic priest in a town north of Cairo, had been abducted and forced to convert to Islam by her civil service boss with the complicity of police. A state-owned weekly, Al-Musawar, had charged that the 48-year-old woman wanted to convert but had been prevented by her family.
But the pope's office said Wafaa Constantine had returned to her church on Tuesday and been accepted back into the congregation. "The patriarch granted her his mercy and assured her that she remained in the church," it said.
Egyptian law gives the Coptic Church authority to vet all conversions to Islam to ensure they were not made under duress.
Working well, isn't it?
Posted by: tipper ||
12/17/2004
9:46:26 AM ||
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#1
Let's see: Christian cleric perceives possible injustice in the present, protests by self without violence. Muslim cleric perceives possible injustice, present or past, more often than not calls for mass killing/jihad by followers.
#4
Alec, I'll try this: "What is an anger management problem?" No? How about "what is chronic bloodlust on the part of the Muslim"?
Whatever the answer, since both Copts and Muslims in Africa seem to like cutting off pieces of women's genitals, we can be sure at least that she will be "trim and clean" for her new 'owner'.
#5
Is that a Copt thing too? I'm MUCH less sympathetic now
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/17/2004 17:19
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That was the case for some Copt sects as late as the 1980s. As I understand it, Copts don't cut off everything-like they do in other places in Africa-they just cut off the 'fun' part. So with those Copts at least you don't have to cut your wife open to have sex.
An Iraq war veteran who was part of the original invasion force went public yesterday with allegations that Sen. John McCain snubbed the troops when he visited the front lines during the early days of the occupation - while noting that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld routinely met with GIs during repeated visits to the war zone.
Identified only by his first name, Iraq GI Dan described the McCain visit during an unsolicited call to Sean Hannity's ABC Radio Network broadcast - saying he was upset that the Arizona Republican was accusing Rumsfeld of being oblivious to the concerns of troops on the ground.
"I had to let you know about this because I really don't think too many people know," the GI caller told Hannity. "McCain comes over and we do this whole big reception thing. It's 140-something degrees out. Soldiers are standing at attention outside, waiting for this guy to come."
The Iraq vet said that when McCain finally arrived, he "[didn't] say a single word to any of the soldiers."
Instead, said GI Dan, McCain spent "about five minutes at our safehouse there. And then he leaves - he didn't talk to a single soldier that was actually there. ... He didn't ask a single one of us anything."
The Iraq GI said it's much different when Rumsfeld visits Iraq.
"Every time [he] has gone over there - whether it's Afghanistan, Iraq, wherever - he's always made a point of talking to as many soldiers as he can; from a private, a low-ranking soldier, all the way up [the chain of command]."
he queries he receives from Iranian Muslims about converting to Judaism say less about the lure of the Jewish faith, Menashe Amir believes, than about the abysmal situation in the land of the ayatollahs.
"The main reason they ask about conversion is that they want to get out of Iran, and it has become more difficult to obtain visas to Europe and elsewhere," said Mr. Amir, longtime director of the Iran desk of the Israel Broadcasting Authority.
"They believe that if they convert to Judaism, they can receive refuge in Israel."
Mr. Amir has received dozens of queries about conversion in recent years, mostly through a weekly call-in program for Iranian listeners he conducts from Jerusalem. Callers dial a number in Europe and are rerouted automatically to the Jerusalem studio.
Many openly criticize the regime in Tehran, and some even give their names. There have been no reports of the government hunting them down.
"The regime apparently sees this as a way to let off steam," said Mr. Amir.
The Islamic regime in Tehran is so oppressive, he said, that it has made Islam hateful to many Iranians. "Some convert to Christianity, despite the fact that it could cost them their lives if it was discovered. A few think about converting to Judaism."
The Jewish community in Iran — which numbers 23,000, compared to 80,000 before the 1979 revolution — retains its vitality. There are 11 synagogues in the capital, Tehran, four in Shiraz and several in other towns.
"The Jews are doing all right economically, and their educational institutions function," said Mr. Amir.
They avoid contact with Israel or international Jewish organizations, but maintains ties, with the tacit approval of Tehran, with the large Iranian Jewish communities in Britain and the United States.
Mr. Amir and his team closely monitor Iran's pulse via Iranian radio and TV broadcasts, the press, the Internet and "other sources" and broadcast a daily 35-minute news program in Farsi to an audience estimated at up to 2 million Iranians.
Revolutionary governments grow stale and eventually alienate the populace. This is what Mr. Amir believes has happened in Iran. "It's clear that the regime has reached a dead end after 25 years," said the Tehran native.
"The country has become much poorer. The population has grown from 37 million to 67 million. They need to provide 800,000 new jobs each year, but can't. Unemployment is 15 percent. Poverty is spreading and many women turn to prostitution. Senior clerics in their Friday sermons speak out against the cost of living.
"When I ask callers why there has been no uprising, they say the regime is brutal and people are afraid. They point out that without American intervention, neither Afghanistan nor Iraq would have been freed from oppressive regimes."
There is no leadership around which the various opposition groups have been able to rally, he said, and there is little cooperation among the dissidents.
Mr. Amir believes the Iranian people would welcome an American intervention "with open arms." However, he believes that the Iranian regime is ready to collapse, even without foreign military intervention.
"If America invested in encouraging opposition groups inside and outside Iran, it would not need to send in a single soldier," he declared. If such an effort were made, he thinks, the results could be felt during the term of the second Bush administration.
As for "the Iranian bomb," dissidents want it as much as the regime, Mr. Amir said, although they would not like to see the ayatollahs get their hands on it. "Iran is a nation without a natural ally, and it always feels threatened by outside forces. Every Iranian wants the [atomic] bomb. They want deterrence."
Posted by: tipper ||
12/17/2004
9:39:28 AM ||
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NEARLY half of all Americans believe the US government should restrict the civil liberties of Muslim Americans, according to a nationwide poll.
The survey conducted by Cornell University also found that Republicans and people who described themselves as highly religious were more apt to support curtailing Muslims' civil liberties than Democrats or people who are less religious.
Researchers also found that respondents who paid more attention to television news were more likely to fear terrorist attacks and support limiting the rights of Muslim Americans.
The survey found 44 per cent favoured at least some restrictions on the civil liberties of Muslim Americans. Forty-eight per cent said liberties should not be restricted in any way.
The survey showed 27 per cent of respondents supported requiring all Muslim Americans to register where they lived with the federal government. Twenty-two per cent favoured racial profiling to identify potential terrorist threats. And 29 per cent thought undercover agents should infiltrate Muslim civic and volunteer organisations to keep checks on their activities and fundraising.
"It's sad news. It's disturbing news. But it's not unpredictable," said Mahdi Bray, executive director of the Muslim American Society. "The nation is at war, even if it's not a traditional war. We just have to remain vigilant and continue to interface."
Cornell student researchers questioned 715 people in the nationwide telephone poll. The margin of error was 3.6 percentage points.
James Shanahan, an associate professor of communications who helped organise the survey, said the results indicate "the need for continued dialogue about issues of civil liberties" in a time of war.
While researchers said they were not surprised by the overall level of support for curtailing civil liberties, they were startled by the correlation with religion and exposure to television news.
"We need to explore why these two very important channels of discourse may nurture fear rather than understanding," Shanahan said.
According to the survey, 37 per cent believe a terrorist attack in the United States is still likely within the next 12 months. In a similar poll conducted by Cornell in November 2002, that number stood at 90 per cent.
Jimmy Walter has spent more than $3 million promoting a conspiracy theory the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States were "an inside job" and he is offering more cash to anyone who proves him wrong.
The millionaire activist is so convinced of a government cover-up he is offering a $100,000 reward to any engineering student who can prove the World Trade Center buildings crashed the way the government says. "Of course, we expect no winners," Walter, 57, heir to an $11 million fortune from his father's home building business, said in a telephone interview from California on Wednesday.
He said a panel of like-minded fools expert engineers would judge submissions from the students.
Next month, he also launches a nationwide contest seeking alternative theories from college and high school students about why New York's World Trade Center collapsed. The contest offers $10,000 to the best alternative theory, with 100 runner-up awards of $1,000. Winners will be chosen next June.
The World Trade Center's twin towers were destroyed after hijackers slammed two commercial airliners into them. The attack in New York killed 2,749 people.
That statements sorta works against him, doesn't it?
Various official investigations give no credence to Walter's theory. A Sept. 11 commission spokesman did not return calls seeking comment.
Walter insists there had to be explosives planted in the twin towers to cause them to fall as they did, and also rejects the official explanation for the damage done at the Pentagon. "We have all the proof," said Walter, citing videotapes and testimony from witnesses. "It wasn't 19 screw-ups from Saudi Arabia who couldn't pass flight school who defeated the United States with a set of box cutters," he said. He dismissed the official Sept. 11 commission report, saying, "I don't trust any of these 'facts.'"
Walter has spent millions of dollars to bolster support for his case, running full-page ads in The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker and Newsweek, as well as alternative newspapers and 30-second TV spots.
Perhaps he should buy some BlogAds? Okay, a lot of BlogAds?
He points to a Zogby poll he commissioned last summer that showed 66 percent of New Yorkers wanted the 9/11 investigation reopened.
Walter has spent about 30 percent of his net worth on his efforts.
Keep spending, Walter, I see a natural end to this.
"I am a patriot fighting the real traitors who are destroying our democracy. I resent it when they call me delusional," he said.
"Who do they think they are, calling me nuts?"
Posted by: tipper ||
12/17/2004
9:36:34 AM ||
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#1
These guy sounds like he knows where the Hologram projector was beaming from. Next he'll stumble to the fact that the holograms were just cover to hide the fact that the towers were teleported Antares 4.
#4
"The contest offers $10,000 to the best alternative theory..."
With all the talent we've got on this board we ought to go for it and give the money to Spirit of America. I'm guessing Mucky could come up with something totally unanticipated, and that.com could come up with ten theories in one post. I think at a minimum the winner will have to include the Trilateral Commission, the Carlyle Group, Halliburton, PETA, and the Mossad.
Posted by: Matt ||
12/17/2004 11:14
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Afghan troops stormed a notorious prison Friday in an assault aimed at ending a standoff sparked by a bloody escape attempt by four inmates once suspected of belonging to the al-Qaida terror organization. Explosions ripped through the area around the Pul-e Charkhi jail as troops — firing rocket propelled grenades and small arms — launched the assault just before nightfall. Soldiers reported the last holdouts in the prison were killed, bringing the day's death toll to four inmates and four guards.
The standoff began in the morning when four inmates — three Pakistanis and an Iraqi — overpowered and killed a guard, then used his weapon to kill three other guards. Two of the inmates were killed. The other two remained holed up for 10 hours, taking pot shots at the hundreds of security personnel ringing the jail, keeping them from reaching three wounded soldiers trapped inside the complex. Soldiers said the last two were killed in the evening assault. But gunfire continued to ring out from the jail. One soldier involved in the fighting emerged and told reporters that the rebellion had been put down and that those involved in the jailbreak had been killed. Another soldier who called himself Zabullah later came out, still panting, and told reporters: "We killed them," but gunfire soon erupted again.
"Nothing to worry about. Just getting them a little deader."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2004
9:26:00 AM ||
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#1
Has there ever been a prison anywhere that wasn't "notorious"?
#2
Why are the reporters hanging out just outside the prison? Shouldn't they be at least, say, 100m away, just to reduce the chance of being hit by stray bullets or shrapnel, or bowled over by escaping prisoners carrying grenade launchers?
Saddam Hussein's defense minister, who surrendered to American forces last year, will appear alongside another notorious general — known as Chemical Ali — when investigative trials open next week, an official said Friday. Gen. Sultan Hashim Ahmad, who gave himself up in September 2003 at a coalition military base in the northern city of Mosul, will be among the first two to face the hearings, which interim Iraqi Prime Minister Prime Minister Ayad Allawi announced will commence next week.
An Iraqi government official said on Thursday that Saddam's notorious former right-hand man, Ali Hassan al-Majid — known as Chemical Ali for his use of chemical weapons — would head the list of 11 top regime members to appear at the initial investigative court hearings. "Chemical Ali and Sultan will be the first to face the hearings," the official, who is familiar with the proceedings, told The Associated Press. Ahmad was No. 27 on America's list of 55 most-wanted regime figures. He surrendered on Sept. 19, 2003, to Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, who was then the commander of the 101st Airborne Brigade. Ahmad is in U.S. military custody at an undisclosed location in Baghdad. During the 1991 Gulf War, Ahmad, then a lieutenant general, served as deputy chief of staff. He headed the Iraqi delegation at cease-fire talks.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2004
9:23:13 AM ||
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This is a pathetic joke. Anyone who is commonly known as Chemical Ali should be summarily executed by a firing squad comprised of equal numbers of Kurds and Iranians. This monster should not be allowed to soil the legal process. For war crimes/genocide cases like Chemical Ali, he should have one day to plead his case/beg for his life before a tribunal. At the end of the day the tribinals' judgement should be pronounced and the next morning the firing squad should execute the monster if he has failed to prove his innocence. Forget about this Western crap about innocent until proven guilty. These are monsters who masterminded/gave orders for others to commit heinous crimes against mankind. Milosevic has been running circles around the well paid scholarly looking justices at the World Court, and the way things are going I'd bet he's going to have the charges dismissed. It's unfair to the victims' families to force them to wait and wait and have them see devils like Chemical Ali and Saddam Hussein have teams of lawyers run mack trucks through the loopholes in our Western style legal process and be eating filet mignon while sleeping on Tempeurpedic mattresses in their air conditioned jails.
The extent of an apparent plot to poison Viktor Yushchenko, Ukraine's opposition leader, and then cover up the evidence now reaches across Europe.
Yushchenko, who said he was poisoned with dioxin at a dinner with Ukraine's secret police, was found to have ingested 6,000 times the level of dioxin healthy people have, the Financial Times reported Friday.
Soon after Yushchenko first claimed he had been poisoned, President Leonid Kuchma's son-in-law engaged a French public relations team to initiate a media campaign, centered on a Vienna clinic, calculated to disparage the poisoning accusations, the newspaper said.
Yffic Nouvellon of EuroRSCG and his public relations team arranged a press conference where Lothar Wicke, general manager of Vienna's Rudolfinerhaus Clinic, contradicted Yushchenko's poisoning allegations.
Nouvellon also contacted international media offering "evidence" Yushchenko had not been poisoned. When asked during the media campaign, Nouvellon denied any connections to Kuchma's family.
The clinic's president has since cut its ties to Nouvellon and EuroRSCG and confirmed that Yushchenko was poisoned with the most powerful form of dioxin, TCDD, notorious from its use by U.S. forces in the Vietnam War in the defoliant Agent Orange, Sky News said.
A Mexican man killed his lover in a drunken, drugged fight then cooked the man's body in tomato and onion sauce and ate it over three days.
Police found Gumaro de Dios Arias grilling rotting human flesh for his breakfast, including part of a heart, when they raided a shack he lived in near the Caribbean beach resort of Playa del Carmen, a police chief said on Wednesday.
"He was preparing stews. There was a grill where he was cooking part of the heart and bits he had cut off the body. It was terrible, terrible," said local police chief Martin Estrada, who was among a dozen police who raided the shack.
Arias told police the victim, a young man, arrived at his cardboard hut in a wasteland area with a mutual friend who then left the two of them drinking and taking drugs.
The pair had sex and afterward a fight broke out during which he killed the man with blows to the head, police said.
Police arrested Arias, 25, on Tuesday after a tip off. "They said there was a person eating a person," Estrada said.
"We found him lying on a folding bed and to one side was the corpse which had been torn apart and which it seems he had been eating for three days," he told Reuters.
The corpse, which had its back ripped open and its innards pulled out, was missing various parts, like a thigh, he said.
New Zealand's top military unit, the Special Air Service, has been honoured by US President George W. Bush for its involvement in the war in Afghanistan.
The New Zealand Government last night confirmed that the secretive SAS unit received a unit citation and a personal commendation for its commander, Lieutenant Colonel Peter Kelly, from the United States.
The Government has been tight-lipped about SAS involvement in the conflict.
Defence Force press officer Commander Sandy McKie last night confirmed that President Bush presented the citation to the SAS. She said Colonel Kelly received it in San Diego.
Helen Clark's spokesman, Mike Munro, said the Defence Force told the Prime Minister's office about the award a week ago. He did not know whether she planned to make a public announcement.
The LawFuel.com website reported that President Bush gave the award on December 7 in recognition of the SAS contribution to the American-led war in Afghanistan.
LawFuel, an independent international news service for lawyers run from New Zealand, said the unit citation was given by President Bush to members of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force, consisting of units from the United States, New Zealand, Canada, Denmark, Germany and Norway.
Helen Clark said in March that an SAS unit would carry out direct action and long-range reconnaissance missions during a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan.
She said in the first week of April that up to 50 SAS troops had gone to Afghanistan.
The Prime Minister has consistently refused to reveal the scope of SAS activity in Afghanistan. But documents leaked from Defence Force headquarters in May said the troops would take part in combat missions under the control of American forces.
Their activities would include quick strikes and other small-scale offensive operations. They would also engage in raids, ambushes, direct assaults, attacks from the air, ground or sea, guide "precision weaponry", and conduct independent sabotage and "anti-ship" operations.
The SAS troops would help American forces to assess enemy activities, secure data on particular areas and engage in post-strike reconnaissance.
A little more information about the SAS unit came when two of its soldiers were wounded in Afghanistan in June during a pre-dawn raid with other forces. A unit commander revealed that the forces were operating on their own in and were "a long, long way from the normal conventional forces".
Mr Munro said it was unlikely President Bush's award would result in more information being revealed.
National Party defence spokesman John Carter said he did not know about the award, but it came as no surprise.
"They are outstanding individuals who have done us proud," he said. It was great that another country had recognised their contribution.
The Green Party's defence spokesman, Keith Locke, said the award put the Government in an embarrassing position. It highlighted New Zealand's involvement in a "dirty war" fought alongside American troops.
#1
Let's see - a nation's head of state commits ground troops to the service of an ally. These troops perform exceptionally well, well enough to earn a Presidential Unit Citation. Local Greens are then embarrassed by this. What asshats.
#2
Gromky,
It's even worse. The citation is for actions in AFGHANISTAN!,the base for Al-Q. Afghanistan is the country where even the French and Germans sent troops. And the local Greens call it a "dirty war". Sheeesh.
Posted by: Stephen ||
12/17/2004 21:56
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#3
It's easy to be sanctimonious when you know any enemy would have to go through the US and Australia to get to you.
Losers.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
12/17/2004 22:52
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#4
This is a dirty war only if one accepts Islamo-fascist propaganda at face value, which in turn requires full acceptance of the mind-numbingly hypocritical standards behind it.
This removes any doubt that the Greens are sympathetic to international terrorism and hope to profit from its success.
They are the enemy.
THE search mechanism used by the Kazaa file-sharing network could contain malicious code, the Federal Court heard yesterday.
I tried Kazaa once. I regard it as malicious code.
Counsel for the record companies, John Nicholas SC, said in recent years there had been a spate of viruses and other "sinister" applications and code transferred via the internet. Under cross-examination by Mr Nicholas, expert witness KPMG forensic director Rodney McKemmish agreed it was possible the Kazaa file-search mechanism could contain malicious code. "But the running of code is a separate issue," Mr McKemmish said. Kazaa is the world's most popular internet file-sharing software. It allows users to swap digital music files over the internet. But the record companies that license the music claim Kazaa is the world's biggest music piracy system. They are suing Sharman Networks, which develops and distributes the software, for copyright infringement.
I have nothing against peer-to-peer file sharing, and the music companies are fighting a losing battle against it. But Kazaa in itself was (presumably still is) a dirty program, chock full of spyware, adware, and who knows what else. I download my music — mostly 20s and 30s jazz that nobody seems to like but me — from newsgroups.
Posted by: God Save The World ||
12/17/2004
9:06:05 PM ||
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#1
When I first got pest patrol, I ran it and found almost 500 nasty little spyware adwre etc files buried in it. Limewire was better: only about 200. Was I ever pleased.
Posted by: Weird Al ||
12/17/2004 7:24
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#2
I use Spybot, AdAware and the new Yahoo anti-spyware programs. Run them all at least once a week, if one doesn't find a spy, the others do.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/17/2004 8:33
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#3
There's another thing that Kazaa does. Y'know that click-through thingy that Amazon has where, if you buy a book via a link on someone's page, that person gets a kickback or some such? Kazaa changes the link so that Kazaa is listed as the referring party, no matter who referred you to the site.
#5
#4 And I have some great swampland in Florida I can let you have real cheap. Set up something like pest patrol and clean out it's memory. Then log onto the Kazaa, Limeware sites, etc. Check pest patrol. Instant spyware from their home pages. (Limewire assured me they didn't have any either. Grokster is at least honest. When you go to their home site, they tell you what's going to happen).
Posted by: Weird Al ||
12/17/2004 14:56
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#6
Back in my day, we didn't have any sissy Windows or Icons. All we had were 1's and 0's. AND SOMETIMES, WE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE 1's! I ran an entire network for a year using nothing but 0's. And we LIKED it!
#7
did you wear an onion on your belt (which was the fashion at the time), Grandpa?
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/17/2004 17:15
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#8
I remember that onion, the whole clan lusted after it that winter. It was the same winter we made it to spring with one rasher of bacon and CPM running the windmill.
Found via the FreepersPlease delete if this is a repost.
Q On the 278th, can you repeat this? At the time the question was asked, the planted question, the unit had 784 of its 804 vehicles armored?
GEN. SPEAKES: Here is the overall solution that you see. And what we've had to do is -- the theater had to take care of 830 total vehicles. So this shows you the calculus that was used. Up north in Iraq, they drew 119 up-armored humvees from what we call stay-behind equipment. That is equipment from a force that was already up there. We went ahead and applied 38 add-on armor kits to piece of equipment they deployed over on a ship. They also had down in Kuwait 214 stay- behind equipment pieces that were add-on armor kits. And then over here they had 459 pieces of equipment that were given level-three protection. And so when you put all this together, that comes up with 830.
Q At the time of the question -- summarize this, now -- that unit that the kid was complaining about was mostly armored?
GEN. SPEAKES: Yes. In other words, we completed all the armoring within 24 hours of the time the question was asked.
Q So it's possible that -- from these numbers -- it's possible that he had a vehicle that had not been armored that was slated to be armored or that had not been armored that was not supposed to be armored, that would be carried on a heavy truck?
GEN. SPEAKES: Both were very possible. And very frankly, if you live out at one of those camps, the level of chaos and confusion as you're going through the final stages of getting a unit ready to go north -- to me the fact that every soldier in that unit didn't have a picture of this is not surprising. This operation took place over about four different locations, widely separated in various locations across Kuwait. And then, of course, he may not have even understood that a part of the solution was waiting for them up in Iraq because the stay-behind equipment that was up in Iraq that had already been add-on armored was never seen by the soldier until he or she got up north and actually drew it in Iraq. And so it's a complex picture. And the bottom line is right now it was successful. We accomplished the missions that General Schoomaker gave us, and it's frankly something that's very, very important that we continue to do.
Q If he hadn't asked that question, would the up-armoring have been accomplished within 24 hours?
GEN. SPEAKES: Yes. This was already an existing program. Remember that when I began this presentation we talked about General Schoomaker in his testimony in front of the HASC in November -- made it real clear. He said all vehicles operating north of the berm will be up-armored, and what that meant in common-sense language is you don't leave Kuwait without either an up-armor or an add-on armor solution. And we understood that, and most importantly the theater did. And so we were in constant dialogue, ensuring that we provided everything that was required to make this happen. And this didn't happen just for the 278th. In other words, the 256th, which was the Army Guard brigade directly in front of it, had the same identical solution; and although different numbers of vehicles, approximately the same solution in terms of percentage of fill.
Posted by: Heysenbergwashere ||
12/17/2004
8:32:27 AM ||
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United States diplomats in Baghdad say they are working to free an American hostage seized in the Iraqi capital seven weeks ago, saying they believed the man, whom they named as Roy Hallums, was still alive. "We believe he's alive. We're working on that assumption," an embassy spokesman said, for the first time confirming the name of the American snatched in a raid on the premises of a Saudi-owned catering company on November 1. Gunmen took Mr Hallums, along with a Filipino, a Nepali and three Iraqis after they stormed a villa belonging to the Riyadh-based Saudi Arabian Trading and Contracting Company. The four others were quickly released but Mr Hallums and Filipino Roberto Tarongoy are still being apparently held, the Philippines Government says, for ransom.
Philippine officials said last month that ransoms totalling about $US20 million were demanded for Mr Tarongoy and the American. Several Americans have been among dozens of foreigners and thousands of Iraqis to fall prey to kidnappers since the US invasion of Iraq last year. Some have been killed by insurgents demanding US troops leave, while many other kidnappings appear to have financial motives.
Posted by: God Save The World ||
12/17/2004
8:22:34 PM ||
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See what technology hath wrought! What American Cultural Influence really means to the world. I'm afraid I couldn't figure out where to file this, Mods, please move as you think appropriate. Thanks!
It's not Home Front, but it's certainly Culture Wars.
From the WSJ. Subscription req'd,so I give the article in full.
We see where a curator at France's Pompidou Center says his museum is opening a branch in Hong Kong, because "U.S. culture is too strong" there, and "we need to have a presence in Asia to counterbalance the American influence." With the Pompidou Center?
"American influence" is the great white whale of the 21st century, and Jacques Chirac is the Ahab chasing her with a three-masted schooner. Along for the ride is a crew that includes Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, Vladimir Putin, North Korea's Kim Jong-Il, Kofi Annan, the Saudi royal family, Robert Mugabe, the state committee of Communist China and various others who have ordained themselves leaders for life. At night, seated around the rum keg, they talk about how they have to stop American political power, the Marines or Hollywood.
The world is lucky these despots and demagogues are breaking their harpoons on this hopeless quest. Because all around them their own populations are grabbing the one American export no one can stop: raw technology. Communications technologies, most of them developed in American laboratories (often by engineers who voted for John Kerry), have finally begun to affect an historic shift in the relationship between governments and the governed. The governed are starting to win.
That statue in the square was the "Goddess of Democracy", and if there was any real justice, we'd build one and put it in a park on an island in San Francisco bay. It'd be as tall as the Statue of Liberty and would face west.
In 2004, in Ukraine's Independence Square, they had cell phones. Using the phones' SMS messaging technology, demonstrators sent messages to meet to 10 or so friends, who'd each SMS the message to 10 more friends, and so on. It's called "smart-mobbing."
Meanwhile, community Web sites in Ukraine would post the numbers of tents on the square where medical help was needed, or the sites would recruit people with specific TV skills needed at Channel 5, the lone independent TV station. The Ukrainian Supreme Court's historic Dec. 3 decision, declaring the election a fraud, was streamed on the Internet live from a Kiev courtroom and watched real time in London, New York, Washington and Toronto, sent out on e-mail distribution lists so the next steps could be discussed by the reform network and put in motion within an hour.
Until recently, one-party or no-party governments had a standing list of answers for people with a different notion: a) we don't care what you think; b) shut up; c) we kill you. There's no sure cure for c, but Plans a and b are becoming obsolete. Once impervious political authorities must now face the possibility of having their information monopoly hammered by an array of mostly American-engineered technology -- smart cell phones, communication satellites, e-mail, Web logs (or "blogs") and a seemingly endless stream of information-sharing programs whose arcane names (RSS, Atom) hide their great power. The mass-market power of the older media -- radio, TV, print -- is also being integrated with the precision targeting of new technologies.
This past weekend, a few hundred of the people creating and driving these things gathered at a conference organized by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School. It included individuals who are proselytizing the new communications technologies to Iran, China, Iraq, South Korea, Malaysia, India, Western Africa and even the U.S. military (individual GIs are running an estimated 100 Web logs).
Isaac Mao, a Chinese entrepreneur who runs a blog-hosting service, reported that in two years the number of personal, Chinese-language Web logs has grown from 1,000 to 600,000. Many are run by English speakers, who import, translate and distribute material from outside China.
Anyone want to guess the third-most used language on the Web, behind English and Chinese? Farsi. Iran now has about 75,000 individual Web logs. That's because a young, Toronto-based Iranian journalist who publishes as Hoder created tools in Farsi to make it possible. Only 10% of the Iranian blogs could be called political; most discuss music, movies, poetry and Iranian or Western culture. "Iran's most interesting political conversations take place in taxis," said Hoder.
There's more coming. Developers from California at the conference introduced the first Arabic-language blogging tool. Created with support from Spirit of America, it will be used now in Iraq. The Fadhil brothers of Iraqthemodel.com plan to assemble 25 Internet journalists to report the Jan. 30 election. This effort will be patterned after Ohmynews.com, the influential South Korean Web newspaper.
China uses up to 40,000 bureaucrats to police its explosion of blogs. We'll no doubt find out how many anti-Web divisions Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has. (One provocateur at the conference plausibly suggested the greatest opportunities for these technologies lie with one of the world's most monopolized precincts -- local U.S. politics.) In Africa, by contrast, the best political communication occurs outside cyberspace, on talk-radio. The most interesting is Ghana's JoyFM (it maintains a lively Web site of Ghanaian news at myjoyonline.com).
There is no need to oversell the power of these technologies. What happened in Ukraine won't happen in Cairo next month. But unless Hosni Mubarak and Vladimir Putin can come up with a way to shut down every engineer and programmer in America who is inventing new ways to output/input ideas and tweaking the ones we already have, they've got a problem.
Their problem -- and the promise here -- is that this stuff is moving the world's people, and fast, toward the one American product that governing elites really need to fear: free speech. Some at the Berkman conference worried this still isn't enough to "change things." Jeff Jarvis, one of this movement's most intelligent thinkers set them straight: "This is not about causes or organizing people. It's about us creating these tools and then simply having faith in people who use them elsewhere to do good."
Even the Pompidou Center won't stop that.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/17/2004
7:33:56 AM ||
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#1
"American influence" is the great white whale of the 21st century...
From the Wall Street Journal. Req's registration. Posted in full. DeVillepain hopes to control flood of jihad-supporting funds from abroad (read Saudi Arabia, among others), but this conflicts with the government's desire to generate business with those countries, a difficult dilemma.
Money is the oil of ideological warfare. With fortunes, one can buy and corrupt the souls of the faithful. Like other Western societies, France is discovering that it lets cash gush uncontrolled into its mosques and charities at its own peril.
So last week Interior Minister Dominique de Villepin announced the creation of a state-supervised "Foundation for Islam in France." By next April, this institution will manage financial contributions from Muslims abroad. The European Court of Justice forbids EU countries from blocking the flow of donations, wherever they come from. The idea here is not to stop the money from getting to France from the Muslim world, but to better regulate it -- to separate the wheat from the chaff, distinguish support for legitimate educational and religious causes from support for jihad.
For too long, radicals in the Middle East and beyond have been able to spread their views in a free and open Europe. Islamist groups hand out poisonous gifts to Muslim associations that, often penniless, accept them without asking too many questions. The problem is that those who hand out the money end up with control of Muslim organizations and mosques in France.
Until now, the French state had handled cases one by one. By coincidence, two advisers to the interior minister had an appointment at the Saudi Embassy in Paris on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, to discuss support given by the Al-Haramein Foundation to a Paris mosque. Since then, the U.S. has blacklisted Al-Haramein for its links to al Qaeda. That's good tactics, but not much of a strategy.
* * *
France has recognized the challenge posed by violent Muslim fundamentalists in at home since a series of terrorist attacks in Paris in the mid-1990s. Now Spain, after the Madrid train bombings, and the Netherlands, after last month's murder of Theo van Gogh, are also moving more seriously against this threat. But why do all these European countries meet difficulties in putting in place their ambitious plans? Simply put, the fight against the Islamists often comes into direct conflict with other government priorities.
Let's take the example of Saudi Arabia and France. For nearly a decade, Paris has been negotiating a â¬7 billion contract with Riyadh to provide the kingdom with border-protection services. French authorities are clearly wary of spitting on such a market and the jobs that would come with it by seeming to be overly critical of foreign sponsors of domestic Muslim groups. No senior French politician will ever criticize King Fahd or Crown Prince Abdullah for allowing stoning in Saudi Arabia. In fact, in October 2002, then-Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy -- a politician to whom a great future has been promised -- received with great honors the general secretary of the Islamic World League, Abdullah al-Turki, a supporter of the fundamentalist Wahhabi strain of Islam that holds Western values in contempt and whose dream is to introduce Sharia law to the heart of Europe.
In most EU countries, foreign policy seems to set the agenda for interior security policy. The idea of a "French Islam," constantly put forward by the government, is a vast masquerade. Though it would be absurd and criminal to regard French Muslims as some sort of a fifth column, it remains a problem that every Muslim institution in France has links with foreign powers, and, more often than not, tight ones. France has believed for too long that it could let the countries of origin keep their emigrant communities under their control. At the headquarters of Muslim organizations in France, businessmen, diplomats and secret agents from the Middle East and North Africa -- where most French Arabs hail from -- are omnipresent.
The other large group, the National Federation of Muslims in France (FNMF), which won the most votes in the 2003 election held in mosques for the new French Muslim council, is intimately linked to Morocco. Agents of His Majesty in Rabat try to play the puppet masters, as people familiar with that organization have noticed. Recently, the president of the federation, sent by France to Iraq to help with the ultimately unsuccessful attempt to free two French journalists taken hostage there, committed the mistake of visiting a hotel in Doha to kiss the forehead of Abassi Madani, the founder of the Algerian Islamic Front of Salvation, the ultra-radical movement. To the government in Algiers, it seemed as if this Frenchman of Moroccan origin, one of the most important representatives of "French Islam," had somehow wished to irritate them and show favor to Rabat.
* * *
More "moderate" federations are no different. The government in Ankara runs and holds the purse strings for the Turkish-Islamic Union of Theological Affairs (DITIB), the main organization for Muslim Turks in France.
At the Paris Mosque, the oldest and most venerable institution of Islam in France, Algeria remains the lord of the land. The Algerian regime achieved a sort of associative "coup" when it took over the place in 1982. "We are at home here," the former French colony's religion minister said back in 1989. Since 2003, the mosque's rector, Dalil Boubakeur, has presided over the council that represents Islam in France. But until a few years ago, a colonel from the Algerian military security services was writing, or at least controlling, some of his speeches.
This is the reason it is so difficult for France to cut off the pipelines of shadowy money from the Arab world. The creation of the foundation is merely another half-measure by a government only half-committed to fight this menace. By wishing to avoid any quarrel, successive governments have allowed a threat to the Republic to grow unchallenged on its own territory. Dominique de Villepin's entourage insists that foreign countries are interested in the foundation he is planning. And delegates from the French state will sit on its administration board. But it will take a constant and flawless will to prevent France from being contaminated yet again by the disease of Islamism. Placebos aren't enough to eradicate epidemics.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/17/2004
7:21:53 AM ||
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*scoff* This all sounds very nice - but considering the players, I'm guessing this is just amother way for them to get a nice cut from that Large Pool Of Money(TM) flowing in.
Brussels leaders name a date for final talks on admitting the European Union's first Muslim member.
Advocates of the European Union as a fully fledged superpower have predicted that the addition of Turkey's military would make it a true global player.
Ankara's forces are greater than those of France and Britain combined, with 514,000 men under arms and 380,000 in reserve, plus a robust air force with American fighters.
A NATO official described the forces as "very experienced and well-trained", after years of battles against Kurdish guerillas.
EU leaders reached a historic agreement this week to offer Turkey negotiations, starting in October next year, to join the bloc. But they insisted that Ankara must act towards recognising Cyprus by then.
If the negotiation succeeded, Turkey would become the first Muslim member of the 25-nation European Union and one of the largest. Europe's borders would be expanded to Iraq and Syria.
If it failed, another way would be sought to anchor the mostly Muslim NATO ally, viewed by Washington and others as a key Western ally, to Europe. "Tonight the European Union has opened its door to Turkey," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told an EU news conference on Thursday.
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Earlier, the Turkish Prime Minister had indicated that he would all but recognise Cyprus. "It will be resolved tomorrow," Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after talks with Greek Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis. Mr Erdogan hinted that Turkey was prepared to sign a protocol extending Ankara's customs union to cover all EU states, thereby indirectly recognising the status of the island.
The Turkish Government knows that its chances of joining improved dramatically when the EU launched its defence and foreign policy drive with the 1999 Amsterdam Treaty. The new geopolitical calculations turned Turkey from likely burden to potential asset almost overnight.
Turkey is regarded as central to the EU's drive for global status, given Europe's lack of brawn.
British EURO MP Charles Tannock said Turkey's size and military strength were keys to why so many Euro MPs backed its entry. "They see Turkey as being so useful for the anti-American, anti-Israel agenda that they are willing to sweep all the allegations of human rights abuses under the carpet," he said.
#2
"They see Turkey as being so useful for the anti-American, anti-Israel agenda that they are willing to sweep all the allegations of human rights abuses under the carpet"
I thought that Bush and Blair also supported Turkey's entry into the European Union? Is that also because of Bush's and Blair's anti-American and anti-Israel agenda?
#6
Because you've got more than two brain cells, mucky? ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/17/2004 20:44
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#7
Valentine> "Aris are ya having a problem with reading comprehension skills? "
I think my comprehension skills are better than yours on this subject -- unless you think there's a magical reason why MEPs would have a different view on the effects of Turkey's membership than Prime Ministers would.
Think of it reasonably. Among the countries that most object to Turkey's entry are France, Germany, Austria, and until recently Greece (and Greece's objections were waived for tactical reasons, not because the Greek establishment really wants Turkey in). Among the countries that most support it are the United Kingdom and the United States.
Does that seem consistent to you with Charles Tannock claim that it's anti-Americanism and anti-Israel politics that have made so many MEPs back Turkey's entry? Wouldn't you then expect to see the most anti-American nations offer the most support, and the most pro-American nations offer the least support?
#8
I think it's hilarious that what the FrankenReich(tm) is saying to Turkey boils down to: "We only want you so far as we can use you. We don't like you, but you have what we want to use, with you paying for it, so we don't have to. How's about we let you halfway in if we can use your army to do what we want to do?"It's like the big kids sneering at the little kid who owns the ball, bat and gloves.
#9
Could be the Euros just appreciate the way the Turks backstabbed the US by keeping the 4th ID floating around with nothing to do during the Iraq invasion. Also, they could be hoping that with a little encouragement, the Turks might actually be dumb enough to try and invade northern Iraq in the spring under the guise of sending 20,000 troops to protect Turkish interests.
#10
RWV> No offense, but if we suffered so much from anti-USA obsession then we'd be intentionally disobeying Bush's recent stated desire to see Turkey get membership in the Union.
Once again, you can't have it both ways. You can't say that all those MEPs are so willing to see Turkey enter because of anti-Americanism, and yet ignore that Turkey's entry is exactly what Bush urged for (inappropriately IMO but that's a different issue).
In my experience most far-left anti-US people see Turkey as an American Trojan horse in the Union, and would therefore vote *against* its entry.
#11
This is one of the more ridiculous articles, and threads, I've seen on Rantburg. Turkey is a member of the US-dominated western military alliance, NATO. The US strongly supports Turkish membership in the European political and economic union. So now we have anti-American euro-idiots claiming that the entry of America's military ally, Turkey, into the political union will help that union's members stand up militarily to their American military ally.
Copenhagen. Denmark's best-known tourist attraction, the Little Mermaid statue, was given a traditional Muslim robe on Thursday in apparent protest over Turkey's possible EU membership.
"Turkey in the EU?" read a sign hung around the statue, covered from head to foot in the black burqa worn by many devout Muslim women, Danish broadcaster DR News reported.
In Denmark, 49 per cent are against opening talks with the mainly Muslim state, according to a Gallup opinion poll.
The bronze statue of a naked mermaid sitting on a rock on the seafront in Copenhagen is based on a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale.
No one has claimed responsibility for the burqa protest.
The game is nothing. THIS defines Medal of Honor:
Sgt. Raphael Peralta, 25, has already been posthumously awarded the Purple Heart for actions in Fallujah, where he threw himself onto a grenade to save the lives of fellow Marines, according to The Army Times. Peralta regularly volunteered for assault teams that were more dangerous than his assignment would have been otherwise. On the day that he died, Peralta was acting as part of a team that entered a suspected safe house in northern Fallujah. Friends of Peralta's say he should be remembered as nothing less than a hero.
"There is no other description that I can give about him, other than to say he always gave his best," one Marine said. "To us Marines, the honor, courage and commitment that we give out there -- that he gave out there -- is what makes us keep going."
"We call football players heroes, we call soccer players heroes," said Moreno Ruiz. "They're not real heroes. The real heroes are men like him; men who are lying 6 feet under for their country."
As everyone here knows, I'm not a military person, but after reading his story (courtesy LGF) I think he deserves the MoH. And a Marine amphibious assault ship named after him.
Posted by: Edward Yee ||
12/17/2004
5:59:42 PM ||
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#1
Self-sacrifice just doesn't reach the astoundingly high bar for MoH. MoH seems to be given for almost superhuman expressions of bravery and accomplishment. There are other commendations that reflect the great prestige of his actions, and they command high respect, and it would not slight him in the least to be awarded one of these. A worthy hour can be spent looking at the stories at the official MoH site:
http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/moh1.htm
#2
No more heroes?
On the morning of Nov. 15, 2004, the men of 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines awoke before sunrise and continued what they had been doing for seven days previously -- cleansing the city of Fallujah of terrorists house by house.
At the fourth house they encountered that morning, the Marines kicked in the door and "cleared" the front rooms, but then noticed a locked door off to the side that required inspection. Peralta threw open the closed door, but behind it were three terrorists with AK-47s. Peralta was hit in the head and chest with multiple shots at close range.
Peralta's fellow Marines had to step over his body to continue the shootout with the terrorists. As the firefight raged on, a "yellow, foreign-made, oval-shaped grenade," as Lance Cpl. Travis Kaemmerer described it, rolled into the room where they were all standing and came to a stop near Peralta's body.
But Sgt. Rafael Peralta wasn't dead -- yet. This young immigrant of 25 years, who enlisted in the Marines when he received his green card, who volunteered for the front line duty in Fallujah, had one last act of heroism in him.
Peralta was the polar opposite of Paredes, the petty officer who turned his back on his shipmates and mocked his commander in chief. Peralta was proud to serve his adopted country. In his parent's home, on his bedroom walls hung only three items -- a copy of the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights and his boot camp graduation certificate. Before he set out for Fallujah, he wrote to his 14-year-old brother, "Be proud of me, bro ... and be proud of being an American."
Not only can Rafael's family be proud of him, but his fellow Marines are alive because of him. As Peralta lay near death on the floor of a Fallujah terrorist hideout, he spotted the yellow grenade that had rolled next to his near-lifeless body. Once detonated, it would take out the rest of Peralta's squad. To save his fellow Marines, Peralta reached out, grabbed the grenade and tucked it under his abdomen, where it exploded.
"Most of the Marines in the house were in the immediate area of the grenade," Kaemmerer said. "We will never forget the second chance at life that Sgt. Peralta gave us."
Unfortunately, unlike Paredes, Peralta will get little media coverage. He is unlikely to have books written about him or movies made about his extraordinarily selfless sacrifice. But he is likely to receive the Medal of Honor. And that Medal of Honor is likely to be displayed next to the only items that hung on his bedroom wall -- the Constitution, Bill of Rights and his Boot Camp graduation certificate.
Yes, Virginia, there are still heroes in America, and Sgt. Rafael Peralta was one of them. It's just too bad the media can't recognize them.
Posted by: ed ||
12/17/2004 12:27
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Ed, thank you...that was wonderful. I agree that the Medal of Honor is fitting in this case. Yes, some of the accords of previous recipients may be more lengthy, but I think Sgt. Peralta's sacrifice earns a spot next to them.
#4
Once again the demonstrations of bravery, skill and determination are disregarded by the MSM. However, because of the power of the blogosphere, talk radio, FOX and a few other outlets, the American people that want to know can know about the wonrderful men. I am so fiercely proud of them I cannot express it effectively. If you see a soldier in your holiday travels, buy them a drink. Don't let them pay for dinner. Tell them thanks and that we are all praying for their safe return.
A Mexican man killed his lover in a drunken, drugged fight then cooked the man's body in tomato and onion sauce and ate it over three days.
"Y'want fries with him?"
Police found Gumaro de Dios Arias grilling rotting human flesh for his breakfast, including part of a heart, when they raided a shack he lived in near the Caribbean beach resort of Playa del Carmen, a police chief said on Wednesday. "He was preparing stews. There was a grill where he was cooking part of the heart and bits he had cut off the body. It was terrible, terrible," said local police chief Martin Estrada, who was among a dozen police who raided the shack. Arias told police the victim, a young man, arrived at his cardboard hut in a wasteland area with a mutual friend who then left the two of them drinking and taking drugs. The pair had sex and afterward a fight broke out during which he killed the man with blows to the head, police said. Police arrested Arias, 25, on Tuesday after a tip off. "They said there was a person eating a person," Estrada said. "We found him lying on a folding bed and to one side was the corpse which had been torn apart and which it seems he had been eating for three days," he told Reuters. The corpse, which had its back ripped open and its innards pulled out, was missing various parts, like a thigh, he said.
#2
Ick. Rotting flesh does not make for good shishkabobs. That's why the rest of us refrigerate our murdered friends. Or even enemies: remember the head our guys found on one of their raids not so long ago?
#4
If you run out of drunken friends (and you very well might), there is always "turista, el otro carne blanco." All those fat Quebecois snowbirds in speedos better watch out.
Australian spy agency ASIO'S controversial powers to detain and question suspected terrorists will be re-examined by a parliamentary committee. Parliament passed the new counter-terrorism powers in July last year. In the first 12 months, ASIO used them only three times to hold people for questioning, with the longest interrogation taking 42 hours and 36 minutes. The chairman of the parliamentary committee overseeing ASIO, David Jull, says that is no big surprise. "It's not as though it's a continual flow of people being rounded up and questioned," he said. "They can only be brought in for questioning with a warrant and the agencies have to have pretty substantial reasons to be able to detain a person for questioning. "They are very strict powers. The governing of those powers is also very strict." But Mr Jull says it is important to consider if there have been any problems or complaints, and whether the governing legislation could be improved. He says the committee will hold public hearings and will report by the end of next year.
Posted by: God Save The World ||
12/17/2004
5:41:19 PM ||
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BANGKOK : Islamic militants were planning large-scale attacks in Bangkok and southern Thai provinces in January to mark the first anniversary of a violent separatist insurgency, a security source said. The attacks would be staged in the five southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, Songkhla and Satun, as well as the capital Bangkok in order to promote the struggle for an independent Muslim state in the south of the predominantly Buddhist kingdom, he said.
"According to their plan the large-scale attacks, by means of remote control bombs in five provinces and Bangkok, would be prolonged and severe, as they have stockpiled lots of ammunition," the security source, assigned to work on southern violence, told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"The reason why they have to stage attacks in Bangkok is to prevent the central government from sending additional troops to the south," he added. The attacks were expected after the new year to mark the first anniversary of a bold January 4 raid by masked assailants on a military base in Narathiwat, he said.
The raid saw the assailants kill four soldiers and steal hundreds of assault rifles, while militants believed to be linked to the same movement torched about 20 state schools in the south on the same night. The event was widely seen as re-kindling a sporadic separatist insurgency that has rumbled for decades in the south, parts of which were an independent kingdom before being annexed by Thailand in 1902. Some 560 people have died in the violence this year.
The state Supreme Court will hear the appeal of a woman who thinks 90 days in jail is too harsh a penalty for having sex with a dog.
Eeeeewwwwww!
Ramon Anglemeyer was charged after her arrest in January of 2003 when Lincoln police seized videotapes at the home of John Ways Jr. The tapes showed Anglemeyer having sex with a canine.
"Want some dog biscuits, little fellah?"
The high court will hear oral arguments in the case on January 5th.
I just squirted coffee out my nose...
Ways owned a strip club until he was sentenced to six years in a federal pen for possessing an explosive device. On appeal, Anglemeyer says her conviction was based on her association with Ways, rather than evidence presented against her. She received the maximum sentence: 90 days and a $500 fine. When sentencing Anglemeyer, Lancaster County Judge Gale Pokorny said she and Ways had made similar tapes involving animals and other woman. He concluded that Ways and Anglemeyer were part of a pornography business.
Holmes! Brilliant! What led you to that conclusion?
#1
The Cornhuskers must get frisky during the winter.
Posted by: Capt America ||
12/17/2004 2:46
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A man in New Hampshire was briefly arrested for having sex with a beached whale but was soon released when police identified the "victim" as my ex-wife (aka Jabba the Slutt).
#6
Colonial barfly #1: I say, what has become of old Nigel?
Colonial barfly #2: Gone native, living upcountry in a tree with a baboon, last I heard.
#1: A baboon you say? Male or female?
#2: Why male, of course. Nothing queer about old Nigel, you know!
#8
A dog, a strip club owner, and an explosive device. Something tells me that this situation was maybe a six-pack shy of becoming a Homeland Security issue.
#9
"A dog, a strip club owner, and an explosive device....." Well, if anyone involved said "Here, hold my beer and watch this!", there could have been Darwin Award potential, for sure.
Indonesian police said Friday they had found two separate collections of bombs as they imposed a major alert following foreign warnings of an impending terror strike. The discovery came as police were being deployed across Indonesia in a huge security operation after Australia said terrorists may be plotting to strike in the run up to Christmas, specifically naming the Hilton hotel chain. Britain and the United States have also warned that their citizens in Indonesia over Christmas and the New Year faced a "heightened risk" of attack. New Zealand has cautioned against non-essential travel to the country.
National police chief Da'i Bachtiar told reporters that nine tubes of explosives were found Friday on a bus in West Java, a heavily-populated area thought to be a major recruiting ground for Islamic extremists. "These are home-made bombs. We are trying to find out who carried them," Bachtiar said. News reports also said police in Riau province on Sumatra island on Wednesday had found four similar suspected bombs and literature on the Jemaah Islamiyah regional extremist group. Jemaah Islamiyah is blamed for the October 2002 Bali bombings in which 202 people, including 88 Australians, were killed; an attack on the Jakarta Marriott hotel last year which killed 12; and the Australian embassy bombing. Two men accused of key roles in the attacks, Malaysians Azahari Husin and Noordin Mohammad Top, have eluded authorities for the past two years and police say they remain dangerous as they try to recruit followers for further attacks. Bachtiar said information from Islamic militants held for the Australian embassy bombing, in which 11 people died, indicated that a new strike could be timed to coincide with major holidays such as Christmas and the New Year. The police chief said security had been boosted at churches, shopping malls and hotels in the run-up to the festive season, with three quarters of the police force's 250,000 personnel on standby.
More Canadians, especially young people, are sitting in church pews these days, says Reginald Bibby, one of Canada's best-known pollsters on religion. And all the groups from Protestant, to Roman Catholic, to non-traditional are showing "important signs of new life." Attendance is up by as much as "four or five percentage points" since the late 1990s, says the University of Lethbridge sociologist who has just published a new book, Restless Churches, in which he argues his case through a blizzard of statistics. Lots of people are hurting, struggling to find meaning and worried about their kids, said Bibby. "People are saying, 'Well you know, jeez, I'd like my kids to turn out OK.' " If they can find meaning in a church, "that makes people feel good about the organization." In a survey Bibby completed in 2003, 26% of Canadians said they attended religious services about once a week, up 5% from a similar poll in 2000.
THE Lord of the Rings character Gollum was paranoid and had a split personality but this was because he probably suffered from vitamin deficiency, anaemia, hyperthyroidism and a metabolic disease called porphyria.
That is the conclusion of a group of British doctors who sift through Gollum's symptoms in a tongue-in-cheek diagnosis published tomorrow in the British Medical Journal.
"Gollum's diet is extremely limited, consisting only of raw fish. Vitamin B-12 deficiency may cause irritability, delusions and paranoia,'' they say.
"His reduced appetite and loss of hair and weight may be associated with iron deficiency anaemia. He is hypervigilant and does not seem to need much sleep.
"This, accompanied by his bulging eyes and weight loss, suggests hyperthyroidism. Gollum's dislike of sunlight may be induced to the photosensitivity of porphyria. Attacks may be induced by starvation and accompanied by paranoid psychosis.''
Porphyria is an inherited disease of the metabolic system.
The "study'', lead-authored by psychiatrist Elizabeth Sampson of the Royal Free and University College Medical School in London, describes Gollum as "a single, 587-year-old hobbit-like male of no fixed abode.
"He has presented with anti-social behaviour, increasing aggression and preoccupied with the 'one ring' ... He has no history of substance misuse, although like many young hobbits, he smoked 'pipe weed' in adolescence.''
The diagnosis concludes: "Gollum displays pervasive maladaptive behaviour that has been present since childhood with a persistent disease course.
"His odd interests and spiteful behaviour have led to difficulty in forming friendships and have caused distress to others. He fulfills seven of the nine criteria for schizoid personality disorder.''
In JRR Tolkien's trilogy - subsequently turned into a trio of Oscar-winning films by New Zealand director Peter Jackson - Gollum, a thin, pale, gangrel creature, is enslaved by a magic ring made by the evil Sauron.
In his desperation to retrieve it, his mind persistently fights between a "good'' personality, Smeagol, and a nasty one, Gollum.
#2
"Gollumâs diet is extremely limited, consisting only of raw fish. Vitamin B-12 deficiency may cause irritability, delusions and paranoia,ââ they say.
I will remind the doctors that it was only after the Ring made him mad did he take to dwelling in the dark places of the earth, living off raw fish (and the occasional unwary traveller).
A routine traffic stop turned into a drug bust when Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers found 610 pounds of marijuana stashed in four coffins. Authorities say Timothy Hynd and Robert Dean Harper were charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute before being released on Monday. The arrest occurred on Sunday, highway patrol spokesman Lt. Brandon Kopepasah said, after troopers stopped a truck traveling slightly above the speed limit near the rural city of Salisaw. The men consented to a search, and trained dogs "hit" on the cargo section of the truck, he said. "They unloaded 22 caskets," Kopepasah said. "You had to unload all those caskets and the very front caskets were loaded with marijuana." An attorney for one of the men said his client was unaware there was marijuana in the caskets and was only delivering them. "He didn't check inside the caskets for drugs -- would you?" attorney Donn Baker said.
#4
Most likely caskets were loaded by forklift. Unless it's delivery to a very small firm, the driver would not handle a load himself. They'll do a backround check and see if his prints are on the load.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/17/2004 8:22
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The father of a teenager taken by a shark while swimming at an Adelaide beach yesterday says the family does not advocate the killing of any sharks.
Doesn't Bill Murray have a movie coming out along that line?
Nick Peterson, 18, was killed by a shark at West Point beach while riding a surf board behind a boat. The South Australian Government has authorised police and wildlife officers to destroy the shark.
"They only want revenge. Hardly a valid reason for bumping off a living creature..."
His father, Philip Peterson, says the Government should instead electronically tag sharks known to inhabit metropolitan beaches. "We acknowledge that the sea is in fact the shark's domain and we don't, and I certainly personally don't, advocate the indiscriminate killing of any shark," he said. "In this case I gather it's a white pointer or white pointers but at the same time we would like to see funds provided to make our beach safer consistently without argument."
Come to think of it, killing all carnivorous creatures that come within range would seem to accomplish that. But I'm pretty old fashioned...
South Australian Acting Premier Kevin Foley says the Government believes the great white should be killed even though it is a protected species. He has also announced increased surveillance in the area and on the beach after the tragedy. Meanwhile, police have confirmed material found earlier today is not the remains of Mr Peterson.
Who is it? Maybe their kinfolk would like the perpetrator made into soup?
Sea Rescue Squadron searchers spotted a four-metre shark close to shore a few kilometres north at Grange. Police and fisheries officers have been given the authority to kill the white pointer which took Mr Peterson or any other large shark posing a threat to human life. The Opposition supports destroying dangerous sharks but Fisheries Department chief Will Zacharin says public safety, not vengeance, will guide them. "We're not on a hunt here, we're about beach safety and we'll be patrolling those areas to see if there are any large sharks onshore, if we have to respond we will," he said.
"So don't go takin' no revenge on them things!"
Police are warning anyone who is planning to hunt and kill the protected species themselves will face the full force of the law.
How about if they give the critters first bite?
The South Australian Opposition supports the Government's decision to authorise the destruction of the shark. Liberal Leader Rob Kerin has also urged the Government to maintain shark patrols during the summer. South Australian Conservation Council president Jane Corin says nothing will be achieved if the white pointer is hunted down. "If we keep killing the sharks, that species will be removed from our seas," she said. "It is a top predator and plays a major role in keeping the seas free from disease and injured animals. "It's not a course of action that any government should be advised to take."
Do you categorize surfers as "disease" or as "injured animals"?
Posted by: God Save The World ||
12/17/2004
4:21:12 AM ||
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#1
how convenient, just in time for that new movie coming out about killing the shark. I heard it stinks, BTW.
#2
I am rather dumbfounded by Mr. Peterson and Ms. Corin. They would not protect their children from becoming the prey of sharks. If they won't eliminate even this threat, how can their children and fellow citizens rely on them when human predators come for them?
Posted by: ed ||
12/17/2004 9:31
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#3
"weâll be patrolling those areas to see if there are any large sharks onshore, if we have to respond we will"
"Candygram"
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/17/2004 9:41
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#4
how can their children and fellow citizens rely on them when human predators come for them?
They can't, these types will be too busy trying to understand "why can't we just all get along?"
Posted by: Steve ||
12/17/2004 9:41
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#5
If they know which shark it is, kill it, because it knows the taste of man now, otherwise don't just kill a random shark for revenge.
#6
I'm with you, ed. I kinda had the same reaction when Reginald Denny got the crap beat out of him in LA and then sympathized with the people who did it.
1) If the shark cues into humans as an easy food source, problems will continue (as SS1654 said). Predators learn pretty quickly which "animals" provide the best feeding targets. If this is indeed the case, they can haul the shark into different waters, thereby preserving its beneficial ecological functions, OR they'll have to kill it to protect surfers and swimmers in that area.
2) Could've been just a one-time attack. Under normal conditions, sharks are the seas' garbage disposals and are needed just as carrion birds are on land. If it was an abberation, killing the shark would be pointless and stupid.
Here in Colorado the authorities usually always hunt down and kill mountain lions that prey on humans. If they don't, the lion "tags" humans as an easy food source. It's too bad, though, because often the lion is a nursing mother and their natural food sources have been so severely diminished by man's encroachment, they turn to what they can get. It ain't personal.
About sharks--they mostly go after anything that moves. Here's an idea: Maybe surfers should stay out of known shark infested waters? Ya can't clear the whole friggen coast line, ya know.
New Zealand Foreign Minister Phil Goff says Australia's plan to boost its maritime security appears to be within international laws. There had been some concern Australia might be offending countries in the region.
And we can't have that now, can we?
Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) says there has been a misunderstanding and Australia's new zone will go to the maximum of 1,000 nautical miles, only if there is no other border or jurisdiction. The spokesman says the zone will in no way impinge on New Zealand's sovereignty or other neighbouring states. Mr Goff says he is satisfied the plan does not impinge on New Zealand's sovereignty.
Earlier another minister in the Government expressed surprise Australian officials had not told New Zealand about the move to impose a 1,000 nautical mile security zone. Mr Goff says there is no issue since all countries are bound by the law of the sea. "I imagine Australia, like New Zealand, will continue to operate under that law and not outside of it," he said. The matter will be raised at talks between the countries foreign ministers this weekend.
The Federal Opposition says the Government has made a diplomatic blunder by failing to tell New Zealand about the planned maritime security zone. Labor's defence spokesman Robert McClelland says that shows the Government rushed the announcement in an attempt to appear tough on security issues. "Essentially what the announcement was yesterday was the establishment of a reporting zone, as opposed to a patrolling zone," he said.
"As New Zealand pointed out, if it was the latter, that is there was a proposal to patrol out to 1,000 nautical miles, then the Australian Navy would be patrolling the South Island of New Zealand, which is just complete and utter rubbish." Australia rushed to brief neighbours on the plan to create the maritime zone. This afternoon, Australia's Foreign Affairs Department announced it had briefed the New Zealand High Commission in Canberra.
Posted by: God Save The World ||
12/17/2004
4:18:28 AM ||
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"As New Zealand pointed out, if it was the latter, that is there was a proposal to patrol out to 1,000 nautical miles, then the Australian Navy would be patrolling the South Island of New Zealand, which is just complete and utter rubbish."
What is it with these free riding younger sibling colonies like New Zealand and Canada? They not only do far too little to defend themselves, let alone the free world, but then they have to shove their thumb in the eye of their responsible elder who carries the entire burden.
I used to think that they were just taking advantage of the situation and that when push came to shove they would show up with the finest fighting men in the world as they always have; albeit expecting us to provide their weapons and supplies. But now with jerks like Clark and Martin actively frustrating eforts to establish effective colective security, I'm begining to wonder.
I'm starting to wonder if it was such a good idea for the pig who built his house of bricks to have added the extra bedrooms.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
12/17/2004 9:30
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#6
New Zeland is a beacon to hippies, peace creeps and diptards round the world. They have plenty of room. I suggest they all imigrate. Then they can have a big happy island of love. They don't need an Army, Navy or Air Force. Everyone will love them and leave them alone. Ask their PM Clark. She will confirm this for you.
#7
New Zealand Herald:
"By MARTIN JOHNSTON and JULIET ROWAN
New Zealand's top military unit, the Special Air Service, has been honoured by US President George W. Bush for its involvement in the war in Afghanistan.
The New Zealand Government last night confirmed that the secretive SAS unit received a unit citation and a personal commendation for its commander, Lieutenant Colonel Peter Kelly, from the United States.
The Government has been tight-lipped about SAS involvement in the conflict.
Defence Force press officer Commander Sandy McKie last night confirmed that President Bush presented the citation to the SAS. She said Colonel Kelly received it in San Diego.
Helen Clark's spokesman, Mike Munro, said the Defence Force told the Prime Minister's office about the award a week ago. He did not know whether she planned to make a public announcement.
The LawFuel.com website reported that President Bush gave the award on December 7 in recognition of the SAS contribution to the American-led war in Afghanistan.
LawFuel, an independent international news service for lawyers run from New Zealand, said the unit citation was given by President Bush to members of the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force, consisting of units from the United States, New Zealand, Canada, Denmark, Germany and Norway.
Helen Clark said in March that an SAS unit would carry out direct action and long-range reconnaissance missions during a six-month tour of duty in Afghanistan.
She said in the first week of April that up to 50 SAS troops had gone to Afghanistan.
The Prime Minister has consistently refused to reveal the scope of SAS activity in Afghanistan. But documents leaked from Defence Force headquarters in May said the troops would take part in combat missions under the control of American forces.
Their activities would include quick strikes and other small-scale offensive operations. They would also engage in raids, ambushes, direct assaults, attacks from the air, ground or sea, guide "precision weaponry", and conduct independent sabotage and "anti-ship" operations.
The SAS troops would help American forces to assess enemy activities, secure data on particular areas and engage in post-strike reconnaissance.
A little more information about the SAS unit came when two of its soldiers were wounded in Afghanistan in June during a pre-dawn raid with other forces. A unit commander revealed that the forces were operating on their own in and were "a long, long way from the normal conventional forces".
Mr Munro said it was unlikely President Bush's award would result in more information being revealed.
National Party defence spokesman John Carter said he did not know about the award, but it came as no surprise.
"They are outstanding individuals who have done us proud," he said. It was great that another country had recognised their contribution. "
#8
LH - good example that within any sadsack leadership, some heroes remain. Good for W for recognizing them as well. A lot like the Canadian snipers, eh?
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/17/2004 16:56
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#9
For Radical Islam to do nothing ags CANADA would be a strong hint to any experienced Cold War analyst that something is up or is being planned for that nation, albeit is not absolute! Moreso if one believes, as I do, that Radical Islam is merely PC diversionist mercs for Leftism-Socialism-Communism, and iff and should something occur ags the USA-Canada/NORAM, Washington and Western civilization will need capable, strong Allies like Australia-NZ, et al. to WATCH ITS BACK. DAMN GOOD THING FOR THE WEST DUBYA ESTABLISHED NORTHERN COMMAND [NORCOM]!
Indonesia President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is expected to ask for an explanation over Australia's maritime security plan when he meets the Australian Defence Minister Robert Hill in Jakarta tonight. Indonesia has criticised the planned maritime security zone as intruding on jurisdiction of its own waters. After meeting Defence Minister Robert Hill yesterday, Indonesia Foreign Affairs Minister Hassan Wirajuda said Indonesia could not accept Canberra's plan as it contradicted Indonesia's absolute sovereignty over its own waters. Today Indonesia Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono concluded a meeting with his Australian counterpart by saying the maritime security matter would be raised by President Yudhoyono when he meets Mr Hill. Senator Hill has described the issue as one of communications with ships, rather than any intrusion into another nation's jurisdiction.
Australia's Defence Minister Robert Hill has defended Canberra's proposal for a new maritime zone, saying it was not an extension of jurisdiction but would give better protection to offshore oil rigs. "It is an extension of geography within which we would like to know the nature of ships that intend to either transit at Australian waters or intend to and in Australian ports," Mr Hill told reporters in Jakarta. "My understanding is that this is not in breach of any international law and Australia obviously is committed and intends to comply to all international law obligations," he said after meeting his Indonesian counterpart Juwono Sudarsono. Under the plan announced by Prime Minister John Howard on Wednesday, all ships travelling to Australia will be required to provide details on their journey and cargo if they enter the 1,000 nautical mile zone. Vessels coming within a 200 nautical mile limit of the Australian coast will also be required to give extra details on cargo, ports visited, location, course, speed and intended port of arrival. The move is similar to steps taken by the United States in dramatically raising standards of maritime security amid fears of extremist attacks on ships. Washington has called on its allies to introduce similar measures.
Posted by: God Save The World ||
12/17/2004
4:16:38 AM ||
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FOUR foreign inmates have overpowered a guard and taken his rifle, starting a shootout at Kabul's main prison that left at least six dead. The men - an Iraqi and three Pakistanis - used shaving razors to attack the guard who was leading them to morning prayers. They took his gun and stabbed him to death, Abdul Salam Bakhshi, head of the Pule Charki prison, said. Three other guards and two of the would-be escapees died in the ensuing gun battle. Two of the Pakistanis scavenged a second gun and remained holed up on the jail's war-damaged second floor, Mr Bakhski said. An armored personnel carrier was brought to the scene. The two dead inmates had been released from a jail in northern Afghanistan run by General Abdul Rashid Dostum, one of Afghanistan's most powerful warlords, then were arrested in Kabul for unspecified criminal offenses, Mr Bakhshi said. The jail is for those who have committed criminal offenses, and is unrelated to the US military detention facilities for captured Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters.
Posted by: God Save The World ||
12/17/2004
4:14:23 AM ||
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#1
used shaving razors to attack the guard who was leading them to morning prayers .
#2
where's Human Rights Watch? Dostum releases these animals, probably under NGO pressure and look what they did: more crimes and killing.
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/17/2004 9:49
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#3
Just shows that these guys are broken people and cannot be fixed. Memo for future ops: no prisoners even after interrogation. They give us no quarter, why should we?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/17/2004 21:30
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AN attack on Australian troops who are housed in Baghdad has left their building damaged but no troops hurt. Two rocket-propelled grenades were fired at the accommodation building of the Australian security attachment at 7.10am Baghdad time. One fell 50 metres wide, while the other hit the side of the Baghdad building. An Australian Defence Department spokeswoman said as far as they were aware, no-one was hurt. "We don't have details on whether they (the troops) were there or not," the spokeswoman told AAP. The 120 troops who stay in the building are from the 5/7 Royal Australian Regiment and the 2nd Cavalry Regiment, both based in Darwin. The same troops were attacked when a car bomb exploded in October, damaging three light armoured vehicles and injuring three soldiers. The attachment protects Australian diplomats and officials at the nearby Australian embassy. The spokeswoman said troop movements were a tactical secret but all possible measures were taken to keep troops safe. "Iraq is a dangerous place and our security attachment protects Australian diplomats and officials and we are continuing to monitor our force protection requirements to ensure that we are able to protect Australian troops in the safest possible way," the spokeswoman said. She said it was not clear whether Australian forces were targeted.
Posted by: God Save The World ||
12/17/2004
3:10:37 PM ||
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#1
Why? I thought they switched over to sacrificing humans.
Posted by: N Guard ||
12/17/2004 0:45
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Read the story, folks. Turn on that movie projector in your heads and let it roll... Having seen the results first-hand of sheep slaughter Muslim-style (no, not in Mecca on the hajj), I assure you the cleanup is, um, a substantial undertaking. I saw my first example on a beach. Picture walking a white sand beach... the gentle waves of the Persian Gulf lapping the shoreline... and stumbling across the remains of a ritual sheep slaughter from the night before. 30 feet of blood-red sand and the majority of the animal carcass left bloating in the sun, entrails all over. Indeed, it was clear evidence of higher beings at work... made my ancient red-man blood boil. It was a peach of a roadtrip.
The week long American offensive has led to the arrest of about three dozen terrorist suspects, and the killing of at least ten who resisted. Weapons, documents and communications equipment has been seized as well. The offensive has gotten the attention of both the Taliban and al Qaeda networks in Afghanistan, sending many terrorists running for new hiding places. The offensive mainly consists of hundreds of raids against suspected terrorist hideouts. It's Winter now, and men fleeing through mountain passes and valleys show up better to heat sensing vidcams. These devices are mounted on many UAVs that can constantly prowl the back country. Fugitives like to hide in the many caves found in Afghanistan's hills. But in the Winter, starting a fire in a cave just makes it easier for the heat sensors to spot you and bring a chopper full of American troops your way. The Taliban and al Qaeda know about the heat sensors, but they also know how to cope, to a point, with the Winter cold, out in the open and in caves. The Winter offensive is a bold move, and long planned. It will be several more weeks before it is known how successful it is. So far, the only friendly casualties have been four Afghan policemen killed by a roadside bomb.
Posted by: ed ||
12/17/2004
12:59:14 PM ||
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It will be several more weeks before it is known how successful it is.
sounds good so far..... the dreaded afghan winter⢠turned to work for us?
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/17/2004 13:55
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#2
The Taliban and al Qaeda know about the heat sensors, but they also know how to cope, to a point, with the Winter cold, out in the open and in caves.
heh. "Coping" ain't "enjoying". Have a nice long winter, jihadi a**holes.
#4
Warm up in your cave with a thermobaric heater, they're free!
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/17/2004 14:23
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#5
Don't worry about the campfires, boys. Body heat shows up just fine out in the open. Let's how long you can last with cold rations down in your holes.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/17/2004 15:49
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Hollywood has joined the war. Universal Pictures announced yesterday that it is to make The Battle for Falluja. To prove it is serious, it has enlisted Indiana Jones himself, actor Harrison Ford, to help defeat the insurgency.
Ohfergawdsake. Who's gonna play "Short Round"?
The film - Hollywood's first foray into the second Iraq conflict - is due to go into production next year and will be based on a yet-to-be-finished book, No True Glory: The Battle for Falluja by Bing West, a former marine, politician and now war correspondent. The movie and book take as their starting point the killing of four civilian contractors in Falluja and the ensuing decision to order an assault on the city by US marines. That first assault, which was abruptly stopped by the White House, was led by General Jim Mattis, who will be played by Ford. Six months later, shortly after the US presidential election, the marines attacked Falluja for a second time, successfully occupying the city. Almost 80 US marines were killed in the two assaults, while some sources have estimated that 800 Iraqis and insurgents died in the April assault on the city and a further 1,000 in November.
"I'm very disturbed about the direction American foreign policy is going," said Ford, according to the Australian Associated Press. Ford... noted U.S. post-war casualties have exceeded those during the actual conflict. "I think something needs to be done to help alleviate the conditions which have created a disenfranchised and angry faction in the Middle East," said the 62-year-old Ford.
But you'll take the money, and you'll look mock-heroic, won't you?
The film promises to depict the story from the point of view of US soldiers and politicians; it seems unlikely that the plight of the Iraqis will figure too prominently in Hollywood's take on the subject.
Hand me my violin...
Writing last week for the online journal Slate.com, West said: "If America needs a hard job done, the marines will do it, and they won't lose their humanity in the process or any sleep over pulling the trigger. Yes, they are 'the world's most lethal killing machine.' That's what America needs in battle."
"I don't think military intervention is the correct solution," he said. "I regret what we as a country have done so far."
Act and be damned.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/17/2004
12:56:52 AM ||
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"That first assault, which was abruptly stopped by the White House, was led by General Jim Mattis, who will be played by Ford."
I call bullshit. Total Bullshit. Another half-assed dizzy as a drunk blonde version of reality from Al Guradian's Editorial Wankers. The stop order came from the US, alright, because the Sunnis in the pre-Interim Gov't - a broad spectrum council of idjits - went apeshit and the MSM lapped it up with a spoon generating the usual clap-trap stories of genocidal mayhem. Remember? And the US acceeded to their wishes, despite the stupidity of it. We were apparently trying to generate at least some goodwill from the zipperheads then in positions of influence - IIRC a group that couldn't agree on diddley-squat, tried to torpedo the Constitution, and generally proved itself too factional to be worth warm spit. Basically, Allawi was the only good thing to come from it - and he was far better than we dared hope for, given the other aspects of their brief reign.
Spin removed, this was the sequence: 2004 Apr 6, U.S. Marines launched a major assault on the turbulent city of Fallujah.
2004 Apr 10, Iraqi government negotiators entered the besieged city of Fallujah...
2004 Apr 11, US forces and insurgents agreed to a cease-fire in Fallujah.
As for Bing West, I'll google him later to see if he's the real deal or unworthy to bask in the light of our people - I don't much like his quote at the end - it sounds theatrical and ham-handed. He is, after all, dealing with Hollyweird and that seems to send some people over the edge, if they aren't already.
#4
"The plight of the Iraqis" means the viewpoint of the terrorists and their shills at Al Guardian. This sympathetic euphemism implies that the Euro-bigots' neo-Goebbelist view is the only valid one for "thoughtful" people, something the primitively gullible masses of Eurabia define in terms of their adherence to the backward and fossilized 1970s media tropes that still prevail in that benighted region of the world.
In particular, this piece seeks to establish an equivalence between US views of the conflict and a Hollywood fantasy, eg Indiana Jones. This inference is reinforced by referring to Ford as though he actually is Indiana Jones, thereby connecting the latter character to the new movie and, in turn, making this equivalent to the non-Guardian view of the conflict.
The Euro-masses and Brit-bigot chatterati will buy this kind of idiocy and Goebbels style manipulation wholesale, and think themselves superior for doing so.
#8
There should be considerable accountability on the movie moguls getting this right, given the sacrifice of our soldiers, they better not screw it up.
Posted by: Capt America ||
12/17/2004 2:44
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#9
Ford is one of them all right, but he is not a complete idiotarian, especially by Hollyweird standards. He turned down the part of conspira-loon/crook Jim Garrison in the Oliver Stoned fantasy JFK for example.
The role went instead to Kevin Costner, one of several bad calls Costner made in wrecking what had been a promising career.
#10
The ray of hope here is that the book is by Bing West, a former Marine and a co-author of the The March Up, a book about the First Marine Division's campaign in March/April of last year. West is also the father of Owen West, who IIRC was a force recon Marine in the campaign and is himself an author (Sharkman Six, a novel about the Marines in Somalia.)
Now, what Hollywood will do with the material is another matter. I assume the fluffy bunnies and baby ducks will be computer generated, and that Sean Penn will play the doctor at the Fallujah hospital.
Posted by: Matt ||
12/17/2004 7:33
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#11
AC - You dont think that Hollywood gives a flying fark about our soldiers do you?
I'm willing to give it the benefit of a doubt since it is being writte by an ex-marine but I'll also look for children flying kites and direction by Mike Al-Moore (who hollywood considers an 'expert' on the Iraq war.....).
#12
Indy is getting a bit long in the tooth for such a role.
He's about the right age to play a General. You can see a current picture of Lt Gen James N. Mattis here. He's currently serving as Commanding General of the Marine Corp Combat Development Command.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/17/2004 9:58
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#13
Hollywood will probably conduct it with the same accuracy and success as they did Alexander The Great.
#16
Frank, LOL, and an Irish accent. Maybe they'll hire some Marines as consultants. "Here, Mr. Affleck, lemme show you a trick you can do with a K-Bar."
Posted by: Matt ||
12/17/2004 10:34
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#17
Re: that picture. Pardon me while I turn sixteen again.
Ohmigod he is SO. CUTE. squeeeEEEEal!
There. I'm back. Agree about the hair, Seafarious. I think he just suddenly had it all cut off one day, and then he wasn't nearly so hot. You must admit, for an actor, his anti-war statement is pretty calm and reasonable.
NEW DELHI - The technology used to run New Delhi's shiny new metro system is so advanced there is no possibility of a train wreck like those that afflict Indian Railways, the chief of the project claimed Thursday.
This from the country that can't maintain a MiG-21.
"The best insurance against accidents is technology itself," E. Sreedharan, managing director of Delhi Metro Rail Corp., said ahead of Sunday's opening of the first underground metro stretch by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. "We have the most advanced signalling and operational philosophy. There is no chance of any type of collision," Sreedharan told reporters.
I think I'll call a taxi. They're much safer.
His remarks come after 38 people died Tuesday in a head-on train collision in the north Indian state of Punjab because of a failure to coordinate traffic on a single railway line.
"If you make something idiot-proof, someone will build a better idiot."
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/17/2004
12:53:35 AM ||
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#1
Considering how many times this sort of thing has blown up in the face of the fool who says it, you'd think this guy would keep his yap shut, lol! Musta flunked History - or mebbe he went to a Madrassah or some equally pointless institution.
Reminds me of Famous Last Words... that aren't true. My favorite is Oscar Wilde's famous last words... that he didn't say: "Either this wallpaper goes, or I do!"
#2
I have met that better idiot guy.
Up to this point I haven't seen him about any trains. But this is India we are talking about.
I haven't been there. I have see pictures of wrecked train from India however. It's often SRO on the roof.
#5
Lol, AC. This image was from a terrific Something Awful photoshop-style contest, often a rather bizarre place to browse, to spoof CNN and its style of Terrorism reportage... You may get a kick out of it...
#8
Delhi smells alot , prolly best to travel underground :)
On a side note , an undergound in delhi provides extremists with a VERY target rich enviroment , I hope my Indian colleagues have thought long and hard about the security inmplications ...
#9
Having ridden in traffic in India, I can say that even if this magic train managed to never crash on its own, cars and trucks and guys on motorcycles carrying sheet glass (no joke) will find ways put themselves under its wheels.
I hope he salted those words well, he's going to eat them, probably soon.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
12/17/2004 10:26
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#10
Ah, its a subway. Didn't catch that. Still, not wise to say no chance of crashes. Like painting a bullseye on your head.
Posted by: Laurence of the Rats ||
12/17/2004 10:28
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#11
âWe have the most advanced signalling and operational philosophy. There is no chance of any type of collision,â Sreedharan told reporters.
#13
mojo: Vaishnabite banians, zaminders turned rajas, maharajas, babus wanted a suitable goddess to show off their riches; and the inevitable emergence of Duga Puja.
#16
That is quite enough of that, Mojo. Sit yourself down right now and behave yourself. Do not make go over there, or you will be very sorry, young man!
KATHMANDU - Nepal's military said at least 22 Maoist rebels died in clashes with soldiers in the kingdom's far west which is a guerrilla stronghold amid a new surge of violence. Military helicopters and troop reinforcements had been dispatched to the mountainous region to track down the guerrillas who are battling to topple the monarchy, an army official, who did not wish to be named, said.
The official said 17 rebels died in a clash with troops in Dailekh district while five others died in Lamjung district when the army responded to an attack by hundreds of insurgents against a communications tower. Both districts are in the west of the poverty-racked country where the Maoists, who model themselves on Peru's ruthless Shining Path guerrillas, have a heavy presence.
The army official said he had no word on the number of troop casualties. "The search for the Maoists is continuing by helicopter," the army official said. "The helicopters are needed because there are no modern roads in the region" about 400 kilometers (240 miles) from the ancient capital Kathmandu.
The latest violence came after rebels attacked a group of soldiers in western Nepal Wednesday. The army said 21 troops and an estimated 36 rebels died in that clash while the Maoists said more than two dozen soldiers and six rebels died. Wednesday's army losses were among the heaviest in months.
Thursday's clashes were accompanied by two bomb explosions, one on the outskirts of the capital Kathmandu and the other in the Parsa district in south Nepal. The blasts, one of which targeted a soap factory, the other a municipal government building, caused damage but no casualties.
Analysts see the attacks as an attempt by the Maoists to push the government to meet their demand for polls to be held for a constituent assembly that would draft a new constitution aimed ultimately at establishing a communist republic. "The Maoists are putting pressure on the government to meet their demands for constituent assembly elections as well planning an all-out assault on the army to mark the ninth anniversary of the start of their revolt," said Kapil Shrestha, who teaches political science at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/17/2004
12:51:24 AM ||
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Edited for brevity.
An Army trumpet player turned Green Beret was awarded yesterday with a Silver Star, the Army's third highest award for combat valor. Staff Sgt. Charles Good, of Altoona, Pa., was credited with exposing himself to enemy fire on the Syrian/Iraqi border to assist in getting a critically wounded comrade into a Humvee, then negotiating in Arabic a ride from an Iraqi man for them when the Humvee became crippled by enemy fire. The injured soldier, Sgt. First Class Joseph Briscoe, 37, of Liberty, Texas, whose right arm was blown off by a rocket-propelled grenade during the incident, was among those receiving a Bronze Star. The ceremony yesterday was dedicated to Staff Sgt. Aaron Holleyman, 26, the 5th Group Army medic who treated Briscoe at the base camp. Holleyman was killed Aug. 30 in Iraq when his vehicle was hit by a land mine.
Good joined the Army in 1989 as a trumpet player, and participated in the 1991 Gulf War. He made the switch to Special Forces 10 years into his career. "I really enjoyed my time in the band ... I just kind of tired of it. I just wanted to challenge myself," said Good, who is engaged and has a 10-year-old son. "I thought I could do this job. Or else I'd be asking myself the rest of my life if I could."
The 11 men who originally came under fire were members of the Special Operational Detachment Alpha 531. Their mission was to curtail foreign fighters who were infiltrating Iraq along the border in their assigned territory, and clear the area of insurgents. The Army provided the following account of what happened when their two-vehicle convoy drove into the hostile village of Sadah on Oct. 31, 2003:
The clash started when one vehicle was hit by a rocket propelled grenade that ricocheted off the roof of the vehicle. Eight members went after the assailants. At the same time, Good, Briscoe and a third soldier in a second vehicle provided security. It was then that Briscoe was hit. As Briscoe was loaded into the vehicle, Good provided cover fire. Because they had no radio communication, Good then drove the vehicle through small arms fire to tell the others they were going to the base camp. But before they could get there, the vehicle was disabled by small arms and machine gun fire. Good then negotiated with an Iraqi man in a dilapidated Toyota to drive them to the base camp. Good said he had been taught some Arabic during his training. Good said he was never worried that the Iraqi would hurt them. "We were still armed," Good said.
After dropping Briscoe off, Good returned to the fight with other comrades to assist those left behind. Those left, "fought in a street-by-street battle" and at times were outnumbered four to one, according to an Army chronology of events that day. The unit regrouped that night, then returned the next day to kill five more insurgents and capture 18 others, the Army said. Capt. David Diamond, 30, of Geneva, Ohio; Sgt. 1st Class Alan Knox, 44, of Reno, Nev.; Sgt. 1st Class Raymond Cook, 40, of Oak Hill, W.Va.; and Staff Sgt. Jason Bacon, 29, of Luther, Mich., were each among those who received Bronze Stars yesterday for valor during the incident.
Posted by: Dar ||
12/17/2004
12:50:51 PM ||
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Israeli tanks and bulldozers moved into the Khan Younis refugee camp in southern Gaza early Friday and began destroying buildings, residents said. No casualties were reported in light exchanges of fire. The Israeli military said the operation was intended to reduce the number of mortar and rocket attacks from the camp at nearby Jewish settlements. On Thursday, 11 Israeli soldiers were slightly wounded when a mortar shell exploded in a nearby army base. The military said in recent days, Palestinians have fired 30 rockets and mortars from the camp. Residents said soldiers ordered people to leave their homes in the neighborhood known as the Austrian Project. They said 18 tanks and bulldozers entered and started tearing down buildings, and more vehicles were lined up outside the camp.
Wonder if the ISM was anywhere to be found?
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/17/2004
12:49:05 AM ||
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#1
Will the Austrians sue now, because the construction they financed has been destroyed?
#2
I want a lemon yellow D-9 for Christmas with "Spirit of Rachel" painted on the side. Then when I have too much wine at Christmas dinner I'll drive it out on the yard, elevate the blade as far as it goes, climb up on top of it in my skivvies and scream "I'm king of the world!" until the neighbors call the cops.
It's the simple pleasures I live for.
Posted by: Dar ||
12/17/2004 10:23
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#3
when I have too much wine at Christmas dinner
"Honey, which wine goes better with pancakes, red or white?"
Posted by: Steve ||
12/17/2004 11:12
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#4
A sweet white, of course. A Tokay perhaps, or a semi-dry champagne, if you're feeling decadent. Anything dry would taste vinegary beside the syrup, and a red would overwhelm the delicate flavour of the flapjacks. *shit-eating grin*
Cuba responded Friday to U.S. diplomats' refusal to take down Christmas decorations by putting up a huge billboard in front of the U.S. Interest Section emblazoned with a swastika and showing photographs of Iraqi prisoners being abused by American soldiers. The billboard, put up overnight, had a large swastika in red and the word "fascists" covered with a "Made in the U.S.A." stamp. It sat prominently on the Malecon, Havana's coastal highway, facing the mission's offices.
"I'm Fidel Castro, and I approved this message."
The U.S. Interest Section, headed by chief James Cason, ignored a demand earlier this week to remove Christmas decorations that included a reference to dissidents jailed by Fidel Castro's government. The trimmings included a Santa Claus, candy canes and white lights wrapped around palm trees and a sign reading "75" a reference to 75 Cuban dissidents jailed last year. All of the decorations will stay up until after the holidays, the U.S. official reiterated Friday.
What's diplospeak for "Neener neener?"
Cuban Parliament Speaker Ricardo Alarcon called the sign "rubbish" this week, and said Cason seems "desperate to create problems." Cuba had warned the U.S. Interest Section to remove the decorations or face unspecified consequences.
"We hear your vacquero Presidente likes to play poker. Well, we'll see your mistletoe and raise you a Bush = Hitler billboard."
#2
Swastika? Yawn.
"Prisoner abuse"? Big double yawn.
Any way we can outline the "75" in neon? Maybe they'll come up with something better the second time.
WASHINGTON - The administration of US President George W. Bush will agree to write off Iraq's debts to Washington of 4.1 billion dollars, racked up during the regime of Saddam Hussein. US Secretary of State Colin Powell, Treasury Secretary John Snow and Iraq's Finance Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi, according to a State Department statement Thursday, will sign the debt write-off accord in Washington on Friday.
"The signing of the debt cancellation agreement is the bilateral agreement that implements the United States' part of the Paris Club debt-reduction agreement reached November 21, 2004," the statement said. "In fact the United States will go beyond the 80 percent reduction agreed at the Paris Club and forgive 100 percent of the 4.1 billion dollars Iraq owes the United States from the Saddam era," it said.
In late November, the Paris Club of 19 creditor countries, including the United States, Japan, Russia and EU nations, said its members had agreed to wipe out 80 percent of the money it is owed by Iraq over three years. Iraq owes the Paris Club nations some 40 billion dollars (30 billion euros), about one-third of the country's foreign debt.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/17/2004
12:46:38 AM ||
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#1
Ya gotta lead by example. Wonder if France, Germany, Russia, and China will do the same, heh. Nahhh, not to that tune, anyway. They'll offer some fraction of the "debt" Saddam racked up. Wish I could advise 'em on this, as I would make it very simple, indeed, lol! Just walk away from it and tell 'em all to piss up a rope.
A magistrate has ruled that portions of notes taken by Australian Federal Police (AFP) should not be disclosed to lawyers for a Sydney man facing terrorism-related charges.
The Federal Government requested Faheem Lodhi's legal team be stopped from having access to the material on grounds of national security. Arif Naharudin has been held without charge in a prison in Singapore since October 2002 and is expected to testify at Lodhi's committal hearing.
Sydney's Central Local Court has heard that the AFP interviewed him in May. A lawyer for the Federal Government has argued that some of the notes officers took during the interview should not be disclosed to the defence, neither in open nor closed court.
Lodhi's barrister said the reason why the notes prejudiced national security was not known. He suggested that the request was based on Australia's desire to maintain a friendly relationship with Singapore.
The magistrate upheld the request.
Posted by: God Save The World ||
12/17/2004
12:29:09 AM ||
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More info here
AN evangelical Christian ministry has been found to have vilified Islam during a seminar and in a newsletter which mocked the religion.
That would seem to be part of the mission now, wouldn't it.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) today blasted the Catch the Fire Ministries, its pastor Danny Nalliah and speaker Daniel Scot over the March 2002 seminar in Melbourne and several articles in the church's newsletter.
In a decision handed down today in a key test of Victoria's three-year-old racial and religious vilification laws, Judge Michael Higgins found in favour of the Islamic Council of Victoria, which took the action against Catch The Fire. Judge Higgins found that Catch the Fire and Pastor Scot had breached section eight of the Religious and Racial Tolerance Act.
The Aussies, the Canadians, the Brits ... something is rotten in the Anglophone states.
Also found in breach was church leader Pastor Nalliah, who was an unsuccessful senate candidate for the Family First party in this year's federal election. Judge Higgins will decide on penalties, which could include orders for an apology or damages, early next year.
Judge Higgins said the seminar run by the ministry, a newsletter on its website, and a website article written by an author identified as Richard all breached the Act. In a summary of reasons for his decision, Judge Higgins said Pastor Scot had throughout the seminar made fun of Muslim beliefs and conduct. "It was done, not in the context of a serious discussion of Muslims' religious beliefs," Judge Higgins said.
For that you have to come to Rantburg.
"It was presented in a way which is essentially hostile, demeaning and derogatory of all Muslim people, their God, Allah, the prophet Mohammed (PTUI) and in general Muslim religious beliefs and practices."
Judge Higgins said that, during the seminar, Pastor Scot had claimed that the Koran promoted violence, killing and looting and that Muslims were liars and demons.
Fred ... we're in deep trouble.
Pastor Scot also had said Muslims had a plan to overrun western democracy by violence and terror and wanted to turn Australia into an Islamic nation, and he exaggerated Muslim population numbers in Australia.
It was all the seething that caused him to mis-count.
"I find that Pastor Scot's conduct was not engaged in reasonably and in good faith for any genuine religious purpose or any purpose that is in the public interest," he said.
Judge Higgins said an article in the church's newsletter, written by Pastor Nalliah, incited fear and hatred of Muslims, as did a third article by a person identified as Richard, which claimed it was not possible to separate Islam from terrorism.
It's an honest mistake.
Victoria's Equal Opportunity Commission welcomed the decision on the case, which was the first to be heard by VCAT since the Racial and Religious Tolerance Act took effect at the start of 2002. "The decision is very significant in terms of showing how the Act operates in practice," said the commission's chief executive, Dr Helen Szoke. "It demonstrates exactly how we can censor peoples' beliefs where the line is drawn between legitimate public debate and behaviour that incites hatred."
Looks like the Thought Police have all the power they need. Time for them to crank up the Pre-Crime Squad.
A full reason for the decision is expected to be handed down in the next fortnight, including any penalties.
Yasser Soliman, president of the Islamic Council of Victoria, said it had been important to make a stand against vilification of Muslims in the community. "We also had the support of the Catholic Church, the interfaith community and the Uniting Church and the Jewish community" Mr Soliman said.
"And also the Masons, the Trilateral Commission, the Mossad, and those funny guys who were worshipping comets, whom we will kill later," he added.
"Because it was very important that we all stood together against vilification and understand that vilification is a tool used by extremists, and we must always condemn extremism and vilification.
As long as it's being done by kufirs.
"That was important, because left unaddressed, it was limiting the (Muslim) community's ability to be seen as average Australians.
"People were being demonised, (being denied) the ability to get jobs, to be friends, to be safe.
"We had to act upon it and felt it was important to have it determined by law."
Mr Soliman said he was saddened that the Islamic Council had to take legal action, but hoped the decision would help promote goodwill between different religions. He said he had told Pastor Nalliah that he would like to develop a better relationship with his church.
Pastor Nalliah said the decision was a blow for freedom of speech in Victoria. He said Catch the Fire would probably appeal to the High Court, depending on the final decision and penalties imposed by Judge Higgins. "Sadly, we've lost the right to speak as a nation, in a sense, as a result of this verdict," he said. "It's a loss for freedom of speech, not just for us, but for all Australians.
"Certainly it (the Act) goes too far."
Posted by: tipper ||
12/17/2004
12:19:21 AM ||
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#1
the Koran promoted violence, killing and looting
Well, it does.
And one of the first people they'll kill if they get into power is that judge, along with all the others.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/17/2004 1:08
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#2
Nyah, nyah! Yer prophet was a psychotic pedophile!
#3
He needs to take a page out of that other trial where they pastor(?) read directly from the Koran and the prosecuting atty asked the judge to make him stop.
#4
In some parts of the United States, there are laws against "interfering with the free exercise of religion."
In idiotarian-occupied regions, especially certain California jurisdictions, this is "liberally" interpreted to include picketing outside the various Houses of Superstition and even the direct mailing of critical material to adherents.
As in Australia, this censorship is enforced with the usual mind-boggling hypocrisy of the Left since practically anything short of lethal violence is still permissible if directed against Jews or Evangelicals.
#8
There is even a secret gang of Zionists conspirators right in Berkeley. They are hiding a bulldozer by disguising it as a VW bus, and plan to use it to plow under the next demonstration by the local chapter of Students in Solidarity with Bus-Bombers.
#9
wow! Talk about setting the bait for your own trap. In the chess game of life, this was a really stupid move for the Moslem extemists - and from what I've heard - even the average Mosque.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/17/2004 9:06
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#11
Atomic Conspiracy asked:
"Question for our Antipodal readers: Have any Islamo-fascist demogogues and Moon-cult Streicherists been prosecuted under this law?"
Amir Butler "executive director of the Australian Muslim Public Affairs Committee (AMPAC)" had this to say;
"At every major Islamic lecture I have attended since litigation began against Catch the Fire Ministries, there have been small groups of evangelical Christians - armed with notepads and pens - jotting down any comment that might later be used as evidence in the present case or presumably future cases. (The Islamic Council of Victoria is suing Catch the Fire under Victoria's Racial and Religious Tolerance Act 2001.)"
The state is going crazy over this.
Expect the present Labor Government to lose power over this, and only this legislation.
The lines are being drawn. What these idiots fail to realise is that the Christians are the majority. Any Laborite who listened to talk back radio today must be cacking their pants.
I think it's called "unintended consequences"
The government is running for cover. Wont help them.
#13
Tipper is right. There does seem to be an anti-PC backlash developing here in Oz. It looks like Labour will be kicked out here in Western Australia in the next state election (Feb). Also the evangelicals are organizing and while they are probably well under 5%, it makes them a potent constituency. Unintended consequences indeed.
Washington, DC, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- The number of annual military desertions is down to the lowest level since before 2001, according to the Pentagon. The Army said the number of new deserters in 2004 -- 2,376 -- was just half the number of those who deserted prior to Sept. 11, 2001. That number was 4,597.
The numbers of deserters has dropped annually since the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington. The fiscal year 2004 total number of Army deserters is the lowest since before 1998, according to Army data. Cumulatively, more than 6,000 service members from all branches have deserted the military since fiscal year 2003, when the war with Iraq began. About 3,500 military service members have deserted their jobs in the last 14 months.
"On average the number of soldiers, for example, who are classified as deserters is less than 1 percent, and the vast majority have committed some criminal act," said Pentagon spokesman Army Lt. Col. Joe Richard. "It's (generally) not for political or conscientious objector purposes. Any insinuation that large numbers of military service members have deserted in opposition to the war in Iraq when in fact desertion numbers for the Army are down since 9/11 is incredibly disingenuous."
That would be in reference to Brad Knickerbocker's story from yesterday
The CBS program "60 Minutes" on Dec. 8 reported on at least three deserters who fled to Canada because they did not want to fight in Iraq: Marine Pfc. Dan Felushko, Army soldiers Brandon Hughey, and Spc. Jeremy Hinzman. They will have to make their case to the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board to be allowed to stay. The Army convicted Staff Sgt. Camilo Mejia in May on charges he abandoned his unit in the middle of the war in Iraq. The Marine Corps charged Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun with desertion on Dec. 10. He went missing from his base in Fallujah in June and later turned up an apparent hostage of Iraqi insurgents. He eventually made it to Lebanon and was returned to the Marine Corps.
Calculating the number of Marines who have deserted is complicated, because the Marine Corps carries on its books those who have deserted in previous years, according to Richard. The Marines count 1,297 deserters in fiscal year 2004 and 1,236 in fiscal year 2003. Roughly 623 AWOL Marines were returned to Marine control in 2003.
The Army counts 2,520 deserters in fiscal year 1998; 2,966 in 1999; 3,949 in 2000; 4,597 in 2001; 4,483 in 2002; and 3,678 in 2003.
The Marines count 1,297 deserters in 2004; 1,236 in 2003; 1,136 in 2002; 1,603 in 2001; and 1,574 in 2000.
The Air Force had considerably lower numbers of deserters: four so far in fiscal year 2005; 50 in 2004; 56 in 2003; 88 in 2002; 62 in 2001; 46 in 2000 and 45 in 1999.
The Navy did not return its data at press time.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/17/2004
11:24:22 AM ||
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#2
This is such a nothing story. Whether it's 5500 or whether it's 4500 equals the same thing-a miniscule percentage of the military desert. What's more relevant to point out to the general public is that desertions since the beginning of time happen every year, with a slight upward movement during wartime. Every large business has employees leaving on short notice or with no notice, and a large organization like the military is no different. But now the left will see an opening and they will come back with "but, but the Navy has not released their desertion numbers because obviuosly those numbers are soooo high" and then the DOD has to follow up with new numbers which will be printed on page 26 of the life style section and before you know it the important points that desertions are a fact of life and represent a miniscule percentage is lost in the war of numbers.
#3
If you think about it, there is always a percentage of the general population who just don't want to work. Why would the military population be any different? In some ways you would think the desertion ratio would be higher since a good number of people do actually join the military for lack of other alternatives. I guess what I am getting at is this: Less than 1% of the military population deserts even though it is one of the most stressful, thankless jobs around. More people than that leave their jobs at McDonalds. I had a point in there some where, but lost it. I'm brain-fried due to a huge IT project. So I'll shut up now and just say this:
Thanks to all our Troops and to their Spouses and Families! You make us a proud.
#4
That number still seems high to me if the term "desertion" as defined by Article 85 of the UCMJ is applied. The person would have to INTEND to permanently absent himself from his unit or quit his unit with intent to avoid hazardous duty or important service.
#5
In my 24 years in the Air Force, I had one guy desert. He got a "Dear John" letter from his girl friend and cracked. Went home to his folks, problem was his folks now lived in Canada. After a couple of months of talking to him on the phone, he gave himself up. Since he was a first termer, he got booted for "unable to conform".
The story also points out that a lot of these deserters bailed because of "criminal acts", meaning they bugged out before they were arrested for some other crime. That kind of skews the numbers, I'd be interested to see the data of what percentage that was. I'll wager it's over 50%.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/17/2004 16:03
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THE deep-fried Mars bar ( US Milky Way), a nutritionist's nightmare that surfaced in Scotland about a decade ago, is now an established part of the Scottish culinary scene, according to a letter published in The Lancet.
Dipped in batter and then cooked in hot oil, the Mars bar is now on sale in more than a fifth of Scotland's 627 fish-and-chip shops, it says.
The average sale is 23 bars per shop per week, but some shops say they sell up to 200 a week, it records.
The deep-fried Mars bar first surfaced in news reports in 1995, reputedly originating in the eastern city of Aberdeen.
Promoters of Scottish tourism - aghast at this damage to their efforts to highlight Scotland's history, culture and landscape - joined with middle-class foodies in deriding the DFMB as media hype.
But this is untrue, say authors David Morrison and Mark Pettigrew of the Greater Glasgow NHS Board, who contend the snack is "deep and crisp and eaten."
"Scotland's deep-fried Mars bar is not just an urban myth," they say.
Health experts have condemned the deep-fried Mars bar as an artery-clogging catastrophe.
Scotland is already ranked as the country with the highest rate of chronic heart disease in Western Europe, a position that owes itself to cigarettes and alcohol as well as a poor diet and a love of sugary foods.
Critics should take heart, though.
The Mediterranean diet is penetrating into Scotland, "albeit in the form of deep-fried pizza," say Morrison and Pettigrew.
Pizza is one of several items that customers have asked shops to deep-fry, along with bananas, pineapple rings and creme eggs, a highly sweet confectionery.
The letter is published next Saturday's issue of the British medical weekly.
Posted by: tipper ||
12/17/2004
10:53:03 AM ||
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#1
I've always said that there's no food so delicious that it can't be made better by deep-frying. Leave it to the Scots to prove it! I see these things at the state fair every year, but so far I haven't had the stones to try one. The pizza has to be about trying to p*ss people off, though.
#2
I remember hearing last year, a feature on one of the NPR news and commentary shows about deep fried cheesecake. For your artery-clogging pleasure, pieces of cheesecake were frozen, and wrapped in a couple of layers of phyllo dough, and deep-friend. A chef who had come up with the idea did a demo for the reporter, who taste-tested it, and insisted that it was actually very, very good.
IN Washington this month, King Abdullah II of Jordan pleaded with his American hosts to postpone Iraq's first free election, scheduled for late January.
The king warned that Tehran has mobilized over a million Iranians to infiltrate Iraq and vote in the election, thus ensuring the victory of pro-Iranian candidates.
The claim is so bizarre that, had it come from a lesser person, it would not have merited attention. Recruiting, training and deploying over a million fake voters is no easy task. And the present Iranian government can't trust a million people in elections inside Iran, let alone in Iraq.
And where would one find a million Arabic-speaking Iranians who could talk and walk like Iraqis? It is enough for an Arabic-speaking Persian to open his mouth for everyone to know that he is not Iraqi. Grand Ayatollah Ali-Muhammad Sistani, the primus inter pares of Iraqi Shiite clerics, still retains his Persian accent despite having spent more than half a century in Najaf.
The king's claim, inspired by the Arab penchant for conspiracy theories, could be dismissed as fanciful. But Iran is determined to play a central role in shaping the future of Iraq, and will do all it can to affect the results of the election.
The reasons are not hard to divine.
Until 9/11, Iran was the only power interested in changing the regional status quo. It saw itself surrounded by enemies, notably Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq and the Taliban in Afghanistan. It also nurtured hopes of de-stabilizing the traditional Arab regimes that it regarded as moribund.
The Clinton administration had gone out of its way to forge a relationship with the Taliban, sending a succession of emissaries, including then-U.N. Ambassador Bill Richardson, to Kabul to sweet-talk Mullah Muhammad Omar into joining Washington in efforts to isolate Tehran. In 1998 and 1999, the Clintonites also tried to find a modus vivendi with Saddam.
But the 9/11 attacks persuaded Americans that the status quo they had cherished in the Middle East was a threat to their national security.
As far as destroying the Taliban regime and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein were concerned, Iran was on the U.S. side: The Americans were doing what the Iranians had prayed for. But when it comes to creating a new order in the region, Iran wishes to have its say.
Iran has accepted the new regime in Afghanistan for two reasons. First, the regime, by maintaining an Islamist appearance, does not cast itself as an ideological challenge to the Khomeinist system in Iran. Second, Iran has been allowed to retain a strong presence in Afghanistan, largely through the Hazara Shiite community, and to exert some influence at least as far as counterbalancing Pakistan is concerned.
The Iranian calculation is that America, thousands of miles away, is bound to one day wind up its military presence in Afghanistan. And that would open the way for a massive return of Iran, which will always be there as the region's principal power.
Iran uses a similar analysis in Iraq.
For Iran, the worst outcome of Iraq's crisis would be the emergence of a new regime based on Arab Sunnis with a pan-Arab, and thus anti-Persian, ideology. Given time, such a regime could claim the leadership of the Arab world and frustrate Iran's regional ambitions.
But the Arab Sunnis can only regain power by forcing the Americans into a precipitous withdrawal. This would be a disaster for Iran — so Iran does not want the United States to fail in Iraq.
Yet Iran does not want America to succeed easily. It wants to bleed the United States as much as possible en route to eventual success in Iraq. The cost of success should be so high as to make it impossible for the Bush administration, or its successors, to win popular support at home for any similar venture, for example, in targeting Iran itself.
So the Iranian strategy is to push the United States to the edge in Iraq, but no further. America should respond in kind.
The United States should acknowledge the fact that at this moment in Iraq, Iran is an objective tactical ally, insofar as it also opposes the revival of a Sunni-based pan-Arab regime. But the Americans should raise the political cost for Iran of a success that both seek.
While denying Iran a place at the high table, it is prudent for the United States to allow its regional rival a stool at another table at the banquet. The coming elections should be used to lock Iran into a policy of cautious support for a new, U.S.-shaped status quo.
The Irano-American rivalry has divided the new Iraqi elite into two camps.
In one camp are those who see Iran as Iraq's strategic enemy and hope to counter it with a discourse of pan-Arab nationalism. They deem the United States a tactical ally in helping Iraq rebuild a state, an army and a security service, leaving in place not a democracy but a "lite" version of Arab authoritarian rule.
In the other camp one finds those who are trying to stay in the good books of both Tehran and Washington. These people believe that the future Iraqi regime, which is bound to be dominated by the Shiite majority, would need Iranian support for years to counter plots by neighboring Arab states that fear both Shiism and democracy. Here the argument is that the U.S. attention span is short and that there is no guarantee that a future administration in Washington would remain as committed to Iraq as President Bush.
All this underlines the importance of the January election. The mullahs of Tehran would find it hard to bully a people-based government in Iraq. The beginning of democracy in Iraq is bound to encourage the democratic movement in predominantly Shiite Iran. The religious leadership in Najaf is already beginning to build a network of support throughout Iran and, given time, is certain to challenge the cult of Khomeini's personality, which is the basis of the Iranian regime's ideology.
The future Iraqi regime will be based on a coalition in which both pro-Iranian Shiite groups and pan-Arab elements will have a share. The best policy for the United States is to stand above the fray and to insist on only one thing: In a democratic Iraq, there is room for all, including its adversaries. E-ma
Posted by: tipper ||
12/17/2004
10:44:12 AM ||
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The Air Force has concluded that pilot error and a poorly designed aircraft control caused an F-16 pilot to fire rounds into a New Jersey elementary school, according to a report obtained Friday by The Associated Press. The pilot never intended to strafe the Little Egg Harbor Township Intermediate School, according to the report, which called the firing of the aircraft's gun an "unfortunate and unintentional mistake."
Ya think?
The pilot, Maj. Roberto Balzano of the 113th Wing of the District of Columbia National Guard, based at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland, was wearing night-vision goggles on the training mission Nov. 3 when the shooting occurred. Balzano, referred to in the report as the "mishap pilot," or MP, was verifying his aircraft position in relation to his intended target on the Warren Grove Gunnery Range in southern New Jersey. "This was accomplished by pulling the trigger, commanding the aircraft's targeting pod to emit a laser marker for orientation," the report said. "Unfortunately, the MP forgot that his aircraft's air-to-ground gun mode was selected and armed ready to fire. The MP immediately realized his error when the aircraft gun's discharged."
"Ah crap, there goes my career!"
Balzano has more than 2,000 hours of experience flying planes, 975 hours of which were in the F-16s.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/17/2004
10:40:04 AM ||
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#1
Well, on the bright side those kids will be telling this story to their grandchildren.
Posted by: Matt ||
12/17/2004 11:17
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Pilot Error, Poorly Designed Aircraft Control, Caused F-16 to Fire at NJ School
There's two solutions: either stress more training on the trigger's multi-mode capability, or change the control mechanism. I can't imagine finding fault to be both pilot error AND a puportedly poorly designed aircraft control.
#3
I can't imagine finding fault to be both pilot error AND a puportedly poorly designed aircraft control.
"The weapons control system is fool-proof. Unfortunately, we have yet to develop a system that is pilot-proof."
Posted by: Steve ||
12/17/2004 12:59
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There are nearly 4 thousand F-16s zipping around the world, they fire millions of 20mm practice rounds every year, and this has been going on since the 70s.
If this system is poorly designed, why haven't there been dozens; nay, hundreds; of incidents like this? It is a weapon of war, not a consumer product; the guy is a field grade officer, he is supposed to know what he is doing and how his equipment works.
While the West is basking in the tunes of Christmas carols, a different tune is being played by the two leading Jihadi TV channels, al Jazeera and al Manar. The radical Sunni al Jazeera, broadcasting from Qatar, the flagship of anti-Western Islamist propaganda, is funded and tolerated by the Qatari royal family, reportedly to the tune of $30 million a year. It has become the main conduit of Al Qaeda tapes to the Arab and Muslim world, suggesting an exclusive arrangement with the elusive jihadi leaders Usama bin Laden and Ayman Al Zawahiri.
Al Manar, a Shi'i satellite and cable operation out of Lebanon, belongs to Hizballah and funded by the Islamic Republic of Iran to the tune of $15 million a year, and is even more anti-American in its pitch. Both channels are available world wide, including the US, via satellite. Canadian cable operators are now offering al Jazeera and al Manar via easily obtained and cheap subscriptions.
Robert Spencer, Director of the NGO Jihad Watch says that al Jazeera provides foreign-based terrorists with a source of news, encouragement and instruction. It serves radical Muslims as a useful recruiting tool. For jihadist recruiters, al Jazeera is like an electronic madrassa beaming the teachings and perspective of radical Islam into the living rooms of Muslims around the world twenty four hours a day, Spencer says.
Since 9/11, the U.S. Government has expressed its concerns about al Jazeera's biased coverage to the Emir of Qatar. A State Department official told CNN that Secretary of State Colin Powell and the emir "had a frank exchange" on the issue and "there should have been no mistake of where we are coming from." Condoleezza Rice has also criticized the channel. No wonder: typical coverage would include the following pictures shown in quick succession: tiny bodies of Iraqi children supposedly killed by American bombs, woman in a chador sobbing, a giant American B-52 bomber, and fireballs lighting up the Baghdad night sky. One American observer in the Middle East calls al Jazeera "All Intifada, all the time."
Al Manar, however, makes al Jazeera look like PBS. A new study by Avi Jorisch, a former Pentagon Arab media and terrorism expert, published by the Washington Institute for Near East Studies, exposes this deadly media weapon wielded by Hizballah. "The United States is one of al-Manar's main targets. Hizballah views America as a terrorist state... Al Manar is used to further that perception, attempting to win the hearts and minds of Arab and Muslim viewers by waging a powerful public relations campaign against the 'Great Satan.'" writes Jorisch.
He quotes Sheikh Nasrallah, Hizbollah's Secretary General in a March 2002 speech,
"Today the main source of evil in this world, the main source of terrorism... the central threat to international peace and to the economic development... the main threat to the environment, the main source of ... killing and turmoil, and civil wars, and regional wars is the United States of America. The American political discourse is to terrorize the countries of the world. American is a beast in all meanings of the world. A beast that is hungry for power and blood."
Al Manar focuses much of its broadcasts on alleged American atrocities towards Native Americans, blacks, and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, while stating that U.S. "oppression" continues unabated. Al Manar brainwashes its audience, including its viewers in the U.S., that America's foreign policy is designed to "enslave the governments and people of the Middle East and their resources."
Ayatollah Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah, Hizbollah's spiritual leader, as well as Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the late Ayatollah Khomeini are often quoted on al Manar vilifying America, its leaders and its policies.
Al Manar constantly calls upon the "Arab masses" to "mobilize" and "resist" the U.S. presence in Iraq and elsewhere, while it glorifies murder-suicide bombings against civilians in Israel. While al Manar and Hizballah officials profess their neutrality towards the American people in interviews in English, Jorisch writes, the channel often quotes its leader Ayatollah Fadlallah's vitriol, "The instincts of American people are filled with hatred for Arabs and Muslims."
In fact, according to Hizballah, it is the U.S. and Israel which are "terrorist states" whereas "jihad, resistance, martyrdom... is actually removing terrorism. Humanity will not be blessed without removing America's type of terrorism...We have to continue our jihad in all different types in order to save humanity from the (American) terrorist thinking."
Little response has come to date from Washington to this 24/7 global brainwashing. Today, al Jazeera is launching its English language global satellite channel. Al Manar is broadcasting unabated, and its popularity is growing. Al Qaeda is recruiting hundreds, if not thousands, through chat rooms around the world. Jihadi websites are proliferating like poisonous mushrooms, in Arabic, English, French, Farsi, Urdu, Uzbek, and in the languages of the Indian subcontinent and East Asia. After 9/11 the CIA experienced an acute shortage of funds and lacked the qualified linguists who would be needed just to keep track of these spewing Niagaras of hatred. The battle of ideas has thus far been an American weak spot in the war on terror.
In the second Bush Administration it is imperative to go beyond the Radio Sawa and Al Hurra TV channel funded by the U.S Government to answer the jihadi propaganda. It was inconceivable that Der Sturmer, the propaganda sheet put out by Hitler's propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, would have been allowed to circulate unchallenged in the Allied countries during World War II. Today, it is simply self-defeating for the West to permit American, French and other Western satellites and cable systems to carry al Jazeera and al Manar.
The intelligence community has yet to develop a capable covert political action arm, which would launch or support liberal and pro-Western TV channels, radio stations and web sites to counter the media promoting radical Islamist hatred of either the Sunni and Shi'a brands.
The State Department has yet to develop a comprehensive strategy, which would demand U.S.-friendly Muslim regimes to bring government-funded mosques, school curricula, and university education into harmony with the rest of the planet -- multicultural and theologically messy.
On al Jazeera and al Manar, preachers and propagandists are still calling for to the death to the infidels. Somewhere, another ignorant 16 year old is being recruited by an al Qaeda operative in an on-line chat room, another "mother of shahid" is being given her thirty seconds of global glory in return for the willful death of her child and the murder of many others. It is time to stop the bloody charade of the global electronic jihad.
Posted by: tipper ||
12/17/2004
10:38:25 AM ||
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#1
While the West is basking in the tunes of Christmas carols, a different tune is being played by the two leading Jihadi TV channels, al Jazeera and al Manar.
Ain't nuthin' that a modified anti-radiation missile couldn't cure.
#2
No several anti-radiation missles if possible fired from internation air space. Don't leave any finger prints. Keep them guessing. Keep them in fear once you establish it. High Power TV transmitter don't grow on trees. Satelite uplinks don't either.
Three Irishmen convicted of training Marxist rebels in Colombia have fled the country, its Attorney General Luis Camilo Osorio told Reuters news agency. An appeal court on Thursday overturned earlier acquittals of Niall Connolly, Martin McCauley and James Monaghan and sentenced them to 17 years in jail. But the men had vanished while on bail and a nationwide hunt was launched following the appeal court decision. Mr Osorio said the authorities would try to establish where they had gone. "We know they left the country, but we will try to find out what country has received them in order to see that justice is done," he said. Interpol has been called in as the hunt for the men intensifies, it has been reported.
Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern earlier said that the appeal court decision had come as a surprise. "My initial reaction is surprise at the overturning of the verdict, given the complete exoneration in the lower court, and secondly, the severity of the sentence," he said. He added that Irish officials would contact the Colombian authorities about the case. The men, who had been accused of being IRA members, were found guilty in the April trial of travelling on false passports. They were acquitted of training Farc guerrillas, but the Colombian attorney general has now successfully appealed against that decision. A judge had ordered the men to remain in the country pending the appeal.
Sinn Fein assembly member Caitriona Ruane said she did not trust the claim by the Colombian authorities that the trio had left the country. Ms Ruane, who has long campaigned for the men's release, said she had no idea of they were but she intended to go to Colombia within days. "The last time I saw them was the night we took them out of jail in June," she said. Party President Gerry Adams has said the verdict was "outrageous" and a "grievous miscarriage of justice". However, hardline unionists said the affair proved Sinn Fein was "not fit" to share power in Northern Ireland. Ulster Unionist South Antrim MP David Burnside said: "It's time we accepted the proof that republican Sinn Fein leadership still have a terrorist threat, still are involved in widespread criminality throughout the whole of Ireland, have links with international terrorist organisations. "They are not fit to be in the government of Northern Ireland. It's time we moved on." DUP assembly member Ian Paisley Jr said the "decision has far wider ramifications than what's happening in the judicial system in Colombia". McCauley, 41, is from Lurgan in County Armagh, Monaghan, 58, is from County Donegal and Connolly, 38, is from Dublin. The three had been detained at Bogota's El Dorado airport in August 2001 as they were about to board a flight out of the country. Their arrest led to speculation that Irish republicans had formed links with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc). The main charge against them was that they had been teaching the rebels urban terrorism techniques. The Irishmen strenuously denied this, saying they were in the area to monitor the fledgling peace process as well as being eco-tourists.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/17/2004
10:32:58 AM ||
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Indonesian police seized a cache of bombs on a bus Friday, days after foreign governments warned that terrorists were preparing to launch fresh attacks in the country, the police chief said. Police arrested 15 passengers, including the driver of the public bus, which was stopped in the West Javanese town of Bandung. Three of the those detained were being questioned "intensively," said West Java detective chief Col. Ahmad Abdi.
"Ooch! Ouch! I dunno! I swear! Somebody left 'em there!"
"Mahmoud! The pliers, please!"
"There were two big bombs and seven small bombs," police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar told reporters after a Cabinet meeting. He gave no more details. Media reports described the bombs as primitive homemade devices. It appeared they were being transported in the bus and were not primed to go off. Earlier, Abdi said the find consisted of detonators and electrical wires in a box. The seizure, about 75 miles southeast of Jakarta, occurred after an anonymous tip, Abdi said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2004
10:27:18 AM ||
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Actually, he should be able to take some credit for it, but I think most of the electorate had forgotten about it by November 2nd...
Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi says his decision to abandon nuclear weapons helped President Bush get re-elected. In an interview airing Friday on Italy's RAI TV, Ghadafi said the U.S. presidential election was America's way of rewarding Tripoli for renouncing the nuclear program. "America was very worried that Libya might get a mass destruction weapon, so they were very happy about our decision," Gadhafi said on RAI's "La Storia Siamo Noi" ("History Is Us") news show, according to an English-language transcript provided by the broadcaster. "It has been a winning hand in the last election," he said. Gadhafi renounced the weapons program last year, a turnaround that ended Libya's international isolation. In turn, the United States lifted most of its commercial sanctions, as did the European Union. The EU also eased an arms embargo.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2004
10:25:27 AM ||
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President Bush later acknowledged that Gadhafi's decision helped, and said that by way of "thanks" he had decided NOT to squash Gadhafi like a bug.
Declaring 2005 a year of opportunity, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon held out the prospect of an independent state for the Palestinians if they stop violence and said he is ready to coordinate a Gaza pullout with them. Sharon's speech was strikingly optimistic, a sign of change in the post-Yasser Arafat era, but Palestinian leaders said it fell short of expectations.
Everything falls short of their expectations, doesn't it?
In Gaza, fighting continued. Israeli troops raided the Khan Younis refugee camp Friday after Palestinian mortar fire killed a Thai worker in a Jewish settlement and injured 17 people, including 11 soldiers, in the past week. Three Palestinians, including at least one gunman, were killed in Friday's army raid. Bulldozers began knocking down buildings, and hundreds of Palestinians fled their homes for fear the army would demolish them. Addressing an academic conference Thursday evening, Sharon said Arafat had been the main obstacle to peace and his death in November turned 2005 into a "year of great opportunity."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2004
10:23:54 AM ||
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..Prime Minister Ariel Sharon held out the prospect of an independent state for the Palestinians if they stop violence..
This is nothing new. Arafart or no Arafart, this was always what was understood to be the desired eventual result. And in keeping with their tradition, the Paleos' reaction is nothing new either.
#2
I hope our administration is pursuing the same strategy. If terrorist acts continue with impunity while we sit at the negotiations table with Palestinian leaders who just can't seem to choke out the words "Israel has a right to exist", we will have compromised ourselves greatly.
France and Germany continue to pressure the European Union to drop its arms embargo (enacted in 1989 to protest violent government suppression of a democracy movement that year.) France, in particular, sold China many high teach weapons systems in the 1980s, and now wants to sell replacements, and new stuff. China may already be getting military technology from European firms, as China is accustomed to getting stuff any way it can. For example, this week the United States demanded that the Israeli Minister of Defense be fired because Israel upgraded electronic gear, containing American technology, that it had sold to China in the 1990s. The U.S. allowed Israel to repair the equipment, but later found out that it had been upgraded. The U.S. is mad at Israel for improving Chinas air defense and electronic warfare systems. It's not just that many of the Israeli systems contain American technology the Chinese will steal, but because China's threats against Taiwan may one day have American pilots and sailors getting killed because of those systems. China has long tried to steal whatever military technology it could. Many nations are still willing to deal with China, knowing that they are dealing with thieves. The sales arrangements simply take into account the possibility of technology theft, and force the Chinese to pay a premium for their potential larceny. Russia, Israel, France, and even American firms, have done business this way. However, the Pentagon has no patience for this sort of thing, knowing that American troops will ultimately pay for these deals in blood.
Posted by: ed ||
12/17/2004
1:02:24 PM ||
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Pakistani authorities have announced a five million rupee ($83,000) reward for help in the arrest of a militant wanted for kidnapping two Chinese engineers. Ex-Guantanamo Bay detainee Abdullah Mehsud, 29, masterminded October's abduction in which one engineer died. The reward was announced after a meeting of military officials and Mehsud tribesmen in the South Waziristan region on Thursday. Pakistan began major operations against militants in the region in March. The reward announcement, made by the corps commander of North-West Frontier Province, Lt-Gen Safdar Hussain, coincided with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz's official visit to China.
Where he was reminded again how large the Chinese army is
Speaking of Mehsud, a senior military officer told the Reuters news agency on Friday: "The man has committed heinous crimes and needs to be brought to justice. We want him dead or alive." The abduction was highly embarrassing for Pakistan as China is a close ally and has a large army large investor. Pakistan vowed to track down Mehsud after one of the two hostages, who were working on a dam project in South Waziristan, died in a rescue attempt by Pakistani forces. Five kidnappers were killed. Mehsud directed the kidnapping from another location.
As any important holy warrior does
Analysts said the kidnapping was an attempt to secure the release of al-Qaeda militants held during army operations in South Waziristan. The one-legged Mehsud has since resisted any offer to give himself up to the authorities and has eluded a huge manhunt. Mehsud was freed from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in March
Posted by: Steve ||
12/17/2004
10:21:41 AM ||
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#1
Great! Winter's coming, the Paki army's tracking me, I got one leg, a towel on my head, and Cheech and Chong watching my back. Thanks a lot, Allah!
#3
To the BBC these guys are heroic resistance fighters against the US and the vast Zionist plot. This is a group of persons who think Bader-Meinhof, Carlos the Jackal are heros. Of course they will use the word militants.
I hope they kill this bastard and don't bother trying to bring him in.
Recruiters working for U.S. contractors are hiring former Colombian soldiers — and luring away active-duty ones — for security jobs in Iraq, according to a former army officer who met with the recruiters. Colombia is a member of President Bush's "coalition of the willing" in Iraq, although it hasn't sent any troops. Its troops instead are battling a 40-year-old Marxist insurgency with U.S. aid on its own turf. But now, instead of Colombian troops on the ground in Iraq, former Colombian soldiers are going as contractors — and earning up to $8,000 monthly.
That's some fairly heavy scratch...
Efforts have been made in several Latin American countries to recruit contractors for Iraq, but Colombia's conflict, pitting leftist rebels against right-wing paramilitaries, presents special complications. The recruitment drive here comes as the outlawed paramilitary groups are demobilizing. Suddenly the fighters — many of them former Colombian army soldiers — are finding themselves out of work after waging a dirty war of massacres and assassinations against rebels and their suspected collaborators.
They should feel right at home in Mosul and the Triange of Death. Send a few to Ramadi, too...
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2004
10:20:40 AM ||
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Paying $8000.00 a month to save American lives. Wiping out Columbia's most wanted and maybe taking a few Islamonazi's with them.
Priceless
There is much talk of post-election reorganization and rethinking among demoralized liberals, especially in matters of foreign policy. They could start by accepting that the demise of many of their cherished beliefs and institutions was not the fault of others. More often, the problems are fundamental flaws in their own thinking — such as the ends of good intentions justifying the means of expediency and untruth, and forced equality being a higher moral good than individual liberty and freedom. Whether we call such notions "political correctness" or "progressivism," the practice of privileging race, class, and gender over basic ethical considerations has earned the moralists of the Left not merely hypocrisy, but virtual incoherence.
Democratic leaders are never going to be trusted in matters of foreign policy unless they can convince Americans that they once more believe in American exceptionalism and are the proper co-custodians of values such as freedom and individual liberty. If in the 1950s rightists were criticized as cynical Cold Warriors who never met a right-wing thug they wouldn't support, as long as he mouthed a few anti-Soviet platitudes, then in the last two decades almost any thug from Latin America to the Middle East who professed concern for "the people" — from Castro and the Noriega Brothers to Yasser Arafat and the Iranian mullahs — was likely to earn a pass from the American and European cultural elite and media. To regain credibility, the Left must start to apply the same standard of moral outrage to a number of its favorite causes that it does to the United States government, the corporations, and the Christian Right. Here are a few places to start.
1. There really isn't a phenomenon like "Islamophobia" — at least no more than there was a "Germanophobia" in hating Hitler or "Russophobia" in detesting Stalinism. Any unfairness or rudeness that accrues from the "security profiling" of Middle Eastern young males is dwarfed by efforts of Islamic fascists themselves — here in the U.S., in the U.K., the Netherlands, France, Turkey, and Israel — to murder Westerners and blow up civilians. The real danger to thousands of innocents is not an occasional evangelical zealot or uncouth politician spouting off about Islam, but the deliberately orchestrated and very sick anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism that floods the airways worldwide, emanating from Iran, Lebanon, and Syria, to be sure, but also from our erstwhile "allies" in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.
So both here and abroad, the Western public believes that there is a double standard in the moral judgment of our left-leaning media, universities, and politicians — that we are not to supposed to ask how Christians are treated in Muslim societies, only how free Islamists in Western mosques are to damn their hosts; or that we are to think beheading, suicide murdering, and car bombing moral equivalents to the sexual humiliation and roguery of Abu Ghraib — apparently because the former involves post-colonial victims and the latter privileged, exploitive Americans. Most sane people, however, privately disagree, and distinguish between a civilian's head rolling on the ground and a snap shot of an American guard pointing at the genitalia of her terrorist ward.
Moreover, few of any note in the Arab Middle East speak out against the racial hatred of Jews. Almost no major Islamic religious figure castigates extreme Muslim clerics for their Dark-age misogyny, anti-Semitism, and venom against the West; and no Arab government admonishes its citizenry to look to itself for solutions rather than falling prey to conspiracy theories and ago-old superstitions. It would be as if the a state-subsidized Ku Klux Klan or the American Nazi party were to be tolerated for purportedly voicing the frustrations of poor working-class whites who "suffered" under a number of supposed grievances.
What is preached in the madrassas on the West Bank, in Pakistan, and throughout the Gulf is no different from the Nazi doctrine of racial hatred. What has changed, of course, is that unlike our grandfathers, we have lost the courage to speak out against it. In one of the strangest political transformations of our age, the fascist Islamic Right has grafted its cause onto that of the Left's boutique "multiculturalism," hoping to earn a pass for its hate by posing as the "other" and reaping the benefits of liberal guilt due to purported victimization. By any empirical standard, what various Palestinian cliques have done on the West Bank — suicide murdering, lynching without trial of their own people, teaching small children to hate and kill Jews — should have earned them all Hitlerian sobriquets rather than U.N. praise.
2. "Imperialism" and "hegemony" explain nothing about recent American intervention abroad — not when dictators such as Noriega, Milosevic, the Taliban, and Saddam Hussein were taken out by the U.S. military. There are no shahs and Your Excellencies in their places, but rather consensual governments whose only sin was that they came on the heels of American arms rather than U.N. collective snoozing. There really was no secret Afghan pipeline behind toppling the Taliban, nor a French-like oil concession to be had for the United States from the new Iraqi interim government. Many of Michael Moore's heroic "Minutemen" of the Sunni Triangle are hired killers — hooded fascists in the pay of ex-Baathists and Saddamites, along with Islamic terrorists and jihadists who hate the very idea of democracy in the heart of the Arab world. The collective cursus honorum of these Saddamite holdovers during the last two decades — gassing the Kurds, committing atrocities against the Iranians, looting and pillaging in Kuwait, launching missiles into Israel and Saudi Arabia, slaughtering Shiites and again Kurds, and assassinating Western and U.N. aid workers — rank right up there with the work of the SS and KGB.
Reformers like Allawi and Yawar of Iraq are not "puppets" but far better advocates of democratic reform than anyone else in the Arab world. Nor does "no blood for oil" mean anything when an increasingly small percentage of American-imported petroleum comes from the Gulf, and when an oil-hungry China — without much deference to liberal sensibilities — is driving up the world price, eyeing every well it can for future exploitation without regard for political or environmental niceties.
3. It won't do any longer to attribute American outrage over the U.N. to a vast right-wing conspiracy led by red-state senators and Fox News. All the standing ovations for Kofi Annan cannot hide the truth that the Oil-for-Food scandal exceeds Enron. Indeed, Ken Lay's malfeasance never involved the deaths of thousands, while cronies siphoned off food and supplies from a starving populace. The U.S. military does not tolerate mass rape and plunder among its troops, as is true of the U.N. peacekeepers throughout Africa. There can be no serious U.N. moral sense as long as illiberal regimes — a Syria, Iran, or Cuba — vote in the General Assembly and the Security Council stymies solutions out of concern for an autocratic China that swallowed Tibet. Millions were slaughtered in Cambodia, Rwanda, and Darfur while New York bureaucrats either condemned Israel or damned anyone who censured their own inaction and corruption. Rather than faulting those who fault the U.N., leftists should lament the betrayal of the spirit of the liberal U.N. Charter by regimes that are neither democratic nor liberal but who seek legitimacy solely on their ability to win concessions and sympathy from guilt-ridden Westerners.
4. So it is also time to take a hard look at the heroes and villains of Hollywood, liberal Democrats, and the Euro elites. Many are as obsessed with damning the senile dictator of Chile as they are with excusing the unelected President for Life Fidel Castro. But let us be frank. A murderous Pinochet probably killed fewer of his own than did a mass-murdering Castro, and left Chile in better shape than contemporary Cuba is in. And the former is long gone, while the latter is still long in power.
Similarly, Nobel Prizes increasingly go to either unsavory or unhinged characters. Yasser Arafat was a known killer and terrorist, not a global peacemaker. Wangari Maathai's public statements about AIDS are puerile and ipso facto would have eliminated any Westerner from consideration for anything. Rigoberta Menchu Tum herself was a half-truth, her story mostly a creation of a westernized academic publishing elite. Jimmy Carter's 2002 award was not predicated on his past work on housing for the poor, but his critically timed and calculated opposition to George W. Bush's effort to topple Saddam Hussein — as was confirmed by the receptive Nobel Committee itself. Recent winners Kofi Annan and Kim Dae-jung are now better known for having their own sons involved in influence-peddling and bribery while they oversaw bureaucrats who trafficked in millions with unsavory murderers like Kim Jong-Il and Saddam Hussein. In short, such an august prize has come a long way from Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King Jr. — and precisely because it has privileged leftist rhetoric over real morality.
If the moralizing Left wants to be taken seriously, it is going have to become serious about its own moral issues, since that is the professed currency of contemporary liberalism. Otherwise, the spiritual leaders who lecture us all on social justice, poverty, and truth will remain the money-speculator George Soros, the Reverend Jesse Jackson of dubious personal and professional ethics, and the mythographer Michael Moore. And we all know where that leadsâŠ
Posted by: tipper ||
12/17/2004
10:18:09 AM ||
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classic. The left grew up and became what they hated most.
Saudi security forces surrounded a Riyadh mosque and helicopters clattered overhead Friday amid calls by a London-based al-Qaeda mouthpiece Saudi dissident for demonstrations against the royal family, but worshippers dispersed peacefully after prayers. It was the second day that the security forces clamped down and that Saudis failed to respond in large numbers to the call for protests by Saad al-Fagih, head of the Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia.
Think they're ignoring him? Or is it just that they don't want to get their turbans dented?
A day earlier, police chased away a few people who responded to the call to protest. There were reports of several people arrested, but the government has not confirmed the arrests and has not commented on the protests. During Friday prayers, security forces closed off roads around Qasr al-Hukum Mosque in downtown Riyadh, located next to the city government headquarters and a courtyard where criminals are beheaded.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2004
10:17:49 AM ||
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I posted the text to the whole thing. Robert Jensen (rjensen@uts.cc.utexas.edu ) is a journalism professor at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also the author of "Citizens of the Empire: The Struggle to Claim Our Humanity." In an article written for The Austin American Statesman, Jensen recently claimed that "The United States has lost the war in Iraq, and that's a good thing." While Jensen was careful to say that the loss of American lives is not to be celebrated, he insulted our soldiers deeply by saying that their deaths "haven't protected Americans or brought freedom to Iraqis." Instead, he brushed off their service to our country as merely part of "a quest to extend the American empire." Jensen is awash in 60s proto-Marxian rhetoric and it sounds 40 plus years old...
In his article, Jensen proudly states, "I welcome the U.S. defeat." He also says "it's essential the American empire be defeated and dismantled." Why? Because, according to Jensen, "In Iraq, the Bush administration invaded not to liberate but to extend and deepen U.S. domination." He also says that the invasion of Iraq is "about control over the flow of oil and oil profits," though he concedes that it is not about outright ownership of Iraqi oil. According to Professor Jensen, "When we admit defeat and pull out - not if, but when - the fate of Iraqis depends in part on whether the United States (1) makes good on legal and moral obligations to pay reparations, and (2) allows international institutions to aid in creating a truly sovereign Iraq." According to Jensen, "we shouldn't expect politicians to do either without pressure. An anti-empire movement - the joining of antiwar forces with the movement to reject corporate globalization - must create that pressure." After reminding us that he is "glad for the U.S. military defeat in Iraq," Jensen says that we should pursue "the most courageous act of citizenship in the United States today: Pledging to dismantle the American empire."
When I was first sent a copy of Jensen's article, I was flabbergasted. I immediately tried to think of ways I could oppose the professor in his efforts to demoralize our troops and defeat our nation in a time of war. But, now, I've had a change of heart. As of today, I hereby announce the establishment of the new Robert Jensen Deportation Fund. Once the fund has enough money to buy Jensen a one-way ticket to Iraq, we can contact Iraqi insurgents to let them know he is on his way to help defeat our troops. WTF? No email? No website? Let's get on the stick, Adams. The Marines need the target practice.
Based upon my reading of Jensen's work, I can tell that he is a brave revolutionary warrior. There is no sense in keeping him here in the evil American Empire, seething with anger against our troops. We should do everything within our power to help him bravely face those troops in combat. After all, he is the one who says that we should be "courageous" and "dismantle the American empire." I look forward to seeing him face off against some of the Marines that he has tried to demoralize with his anti-American rhetoric. Good luck, Professor. One shot, one kill...
Who knows what will happen after Professor Jensen is deported to engage his enemies (the Americans) in combat in Iraq? I don't want him to die because, as Jensen says, the loss of American lives is not to be celebrated. If our Marines capture him, perhaps they could just dress him in a pink Burqua and send him across enemy lines for a lesson on tolerance and diversity in the Middle East. It is no laughing matter when we imagine the outrage Jensen's diatribe must bring to the hearts of the brave men and women who serve in Iraq. They risk their lives to preserve our constitutional rights. Sadly, some will die preserving a coward's perceived right to commit treason. Maybe he will go overseas where the rules don't apply the same as in the USA.
Posted by: badanov ||
12/17/2004
10:16:36 AM ||
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Dr. Jensen should have been giving the keynote at the Democratic Convention last year. It would have been more honest than JEdwards saying, "we will destroy the terrorists."
#2
when we imagine the outrage Jensenâs diatribe must bring to the hearts of the brave men and women who serve in Iraq.
Great rant, Bad, but to tell you the truth, I don't think the troops give a flying you-know-what about some bonehead college professor and his "I have all the surrender papers in order, sir." ramblings.
All the endorsement they needed came on the 2nd Tuesday of November.
#3
As much as I despise people like Jensen. In a democracy, everyone has a right to their opinion. However, he doesn't have a right to a secure cushy job in academia. Fire his a***.
#4
I am from Austin and I read the article. The comments from most of the citizens in the editorial section the next day blasted him. The only suppurtive comment was that at least we allow this kind of dissent here in the US.
Posted by: Bill ||
12/17/2004 17:05
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allowed, yes. Subsidized, no. Audit his class and expose him
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/17/2004 17:15
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Isn't Austin a liberal democrat bastion? This total peice of shit needs a butt pounding. He won't get one in Austin I guess. I am sorry people shouldn't feel free to say this shit even if they believe it. For sure they shouldn't be allowed to teach it to our kids without fearing some pain.
An enquiry into the deaths of 85 Muslim protesters in Thailand has concluded they were not killed deliberately, the head of the investigation has said.
The incident outraged locals in Thailand's troubled south because seven people were shot during clashes with police and 78 died in army trucks. But Pichet Soontornpipit said there was no evidence the deaths were intended. He was speaking after submitting the enquiry's report on the incident to Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Muslim leaders in the region had hoped the report would criticise the authorities for using excessive force during the 25 October incident, when police broke up a protest in Takbai, southern Narathiwat province.
Seething in 5..4..3..
Hundreds of protesters were then loaded into army trucks, where 78 died - mainly of suffocation.
In response to the wave of public criticism which followed, the government set up an independent human rights commission - headed by Mr Pichet - to investigate what had happened. While the commission's report has not yet been officially published, Mr Pichet's comments on Friday appeared to indicate the government would be largely absolved. Mr Thaksin, who faces a general election in February, has been under pressure to end a wave of violence in the south, where more than 500 people have been killed since January.
The nine-member panel (6 retired Buddhist officials and 3 Muslim scholars) found that the Takbai deaths were caused by the chaos which ensued because of the unexpected demonstration, Mr Pichet told Reuters news agency. The incident was "abrupt" and the transport of those arrested done "in haste", he added.
All the protesters shot at the scene were killed by bullets which had travelled a considerable distance, suggesting the police had - as they insisted - fired into the air rather than directly at the protesters, Mr Pichet said.
On the day the report was delivered to Mr Thaksin, four Islamic teachers - said to be "masterminds" of the recent violence - appeared in a Bangkok court. The four were arrested on Thursday, and charged with terrorism-related offences.
Interior Minister Bhokin Bhalakula told local news agency TNA that despite the arrests, the situation in the south remained volatile and there was no room for complacency. Mr Thaksin also warned that the insurgency would persist for some time, since many Thai men had received military training both at local Muslim schools and in Malaysia's Kelantan State. He also said a suspected separatist had recently fled to Malaysia.
"The sporadic violence will continue for some time because the movement has been brain washed and its young members have been receiving military training since 1993," Mr Thaksin is quoted as telling the Associated Press. Malaysia has repeatedly said it does not support the separatist movement in southern Thailand.
Posted by: Steve ||
12/17/2004
10:12:57 AM ||
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What did the Kurds gain from the IRAQ affairâŠâŠâŠ nothing. Unless embracing the colonization forces, and kisses on cheeks of the new colonization rulers, and the accuse with great treason, and allies with colonization. Whereas the Kurds situation did not change, but it became more worst at least from the moral and appearance points of view.
We expect that at such historical dramatical hours, it will be a rare historical chance for Kurds to graspit, similar to the chance of conquering Berlin City which was grasped by the Jews, defend of axis countries, and victory of Allies in the second world war. This should involve announcement of Kurd country, the historical hope for the suppressed Kurd nationâŠ..There is nothingâŠâŠ., the Kurds are nationals in the countries where they were found.
What is new ? what are the gains ? âŠâŠ..nothing. The Kurd is a Kurd a citizen from the second or third class in all countries of near east..
Do not let them deceive you by appointing Mr. Hoshyar Zibari as a Minister for Ministry of Foreign Affairs, regarding the recent situation of IRAQ , now a days lieutenant general Noureddin Mahmoud was a prime minister for IRAQ, also Mr. Ahmed Baban, both of them were Kurds. Also the ministers of public works, communications, interior justice, finance and defense were all Kurds.
The chief of staff of Iraqi army was given to Kurds for example: lieutenant general Bak Sidgi, lieutenant general Hussein Fawzi, lieutenant colonel Amen Zaki, even the percentage of Kurds in Iraqi country employees was 25% , where as it is 97% in Kurds area. The Kurds in their areas in Iraq had rural councils, district councils, municipal councils,âŠ.etc.
The Kurd language and Arabic language were official in some municipalities such as Al sulaimaniya .
Whereas the education language in the primary and intermediate stage is Kurd language in the Kurd zones, while the Arabic language is a second language in Iraq during the past sixties.
It was expected according to the dangerous event that the Kurd state will emerge to be the rescuer and the protective shade for the Kurds to save them from the suppression and suffering which they sustain during their miserable history.
We return to repeat the sad phrase which indicate the lost historical chances and grieve.
What is new? The Kurds are Iraqi citizens , and this is their previous situation.
What the Kurds gain from the disaster that destroys the whole IRAQ ?!
Who is bye and gambling and trading with the holy Kurd issue ?!
Who drinks the blood of more thousands of Kurds mortyrs ?
What is the benefit of the buyer and seller?!
This is the result after shedding of the holly Kurds bloods in revolutions of Obeidallah Al Nahri âŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠBadrkhan âŠâŠâŠâŠ.. BotanâŠâŠâŠ..AlnagshabandiâŠâŠâŠ.âŠ.shehabeddinâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠâŠ.sheikh saeed shakakâŠâŠâŠ..AlHafidâŠâŠ..âŠâŠâŠ..Ihsan Nuri âŠâŠâŠâŠ.Ahmed Al BarzaniâŠâŠâŠ.ReddaâŠâŠâŠMustafa Al Barzani.
If we are in front of a historical transformation moment⊠and pretending to liberate people from their suppressionsâŠâŠ..there is no suppressed nation more than the Kurd nationâŠâŠâŠ.why there is prejudice in our destiny issues, why there is no support for the Kurd nation and declaration for its independence and Unity, and withdrawal of swords directed towards it, and treating it as instead as a fraternal neighbor the Arab Nation , Persian and Turkish Nation who deceived the Kurds ?!
Who bargain with their holly issueâŠ. who sold them.
Posted by: tipper ||
12/17/2004
10:11:58 AM ||
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why there is no support for the Kurd nation and declaration for its independence and Unity, and withdrawal of swords directed towards it, and treating it as instead as a fraternal neighbor the Arab Nation , Persian and Turkish Nation who deceived the Kurds ?!
This is really hard to read, but is Gaddafi calling for a seperate Kurdish state?
Posted by: Steve ||
12/17/2004 11:09
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It is indeed difficult to read from this text, but AFAIK Qaddafi has indeed supported the idea of an independent Kurdistan in the past.
Interesting personal remembrance by a fellow who was General McAuliffe's aide. Registration required.
Text posted by request...
Vincent Vicari remembers the Battle of the Bulge.
On Dec. 16, 1944, the field phone rang in the command post of the 101st Airborne Division's artillery regiment near Reims, in eastern France, and a voice told him to wake his boss, Brig. Gen. Anthony McAuliffe, and have him report immediately to HQ. He recalls that as McAuliffe went out the door, he said, "Lieutenant, stay by that phone. Don't move." And he remembers the call an hour or so later, instructing him to alert all units to "get ready to move out, immediately." Those units would soon be spending Christmas fending off Adolf Hitler's last desperate attempt to turn the Allied tide that had been advancing since D-Day, six months earlier. The six-week battle to come would be the largest of the war in Western Europe.
It was an Army made up of mostly draftees and National Guardsmen, quite a different Army from today. Instead of Humvees, they had Jeeps; instead of Bradleys, they had trucks, all of them unarmored. That was when the infantry wasn't going by shoeleather express. And they were fighting off the Brutal European Winter. That was in the days before Global Warming, of course...
Whatever was brewing, 1st Lt. Vicari and the rest of his unit didn't welcome it. They were recovering from three months of combat in Operation Market Garden, the failed British-led invasion of Germany via Holland. "We were exhausted and we'd had no time to refurbish," Vicari says. "We had no winter equipment. We were still in the same torn uniforms, short of food, ammo and everything else."
Units weren't rotated to the States to rest and recuperate. When they were lucky, they were pulled off line and got reinforcements. I suppose there might have been somebody on the Home Front complaining — there were those who were on the other side, but the citizenry had the habit of beating them up. It didn't do any good to run off to Canada, because if you did you'd get drafted there, too.
But orders were orders. By midnight, the troops had gathered their gear and boarded hastily organized convoys of trucks, jeeps and other vehicles for a bone-numbing dash to the front.
I can't describe how cold those stinkin' jeeps were in winter. Most were open — without even the canvas covers. The damp cold would go through a field jacket and liner and fatigues and undershirt and woolies without pausing. My Dad tried to describe that to me. At the time, as a kid, I thought, "Yeah, that musta been tough." On winter exercises with 3rd Armored Division in the early 80s, I actually got the appreciate the actuality. I felt that cold right into my bones.
"Nobody knew where we were going," recalls Vicari, now 84 and living in Easton, Pa. "We had never heard of a place called Bastogne." Bastogne, Belgium, a market town where several roads converged, was critical to blocking the German advance. The troops also didn't know Allied intelligence had been fooled into concluding that a German code name, "Wacht am Rhein"--Watch on the Rhine--referred to a defensive buildup, not a surprise counteroffensive into Belgium.
There'd be congressional hearings about that today, with people sacked and all the politically wounded publicly shot...
Aided by heavy overcast that grounded Allied aircraft, 200,000 German troops and 600 tanks were surging westward through the rugged Ardennes, driving a wedge into American lines that on battle maps would become famous as "the Bulge." "We gamble everything," Gen. Gerd von Runstedt, Germany's commander in the west, had told his forces in Daily Order No. 54 on Dec. 16, according to Alex Kershaw's "The Longest Winter," a new book. Stretched thinly across the forested terrain were five U.S. Army divisions--outmanned, outgunned and mostly untested in battle. By contrast, The 101st Airborne, the "Screaming Eagles" had jumped into the dark behind enemy lines on D-Day and fought across France and Holland. They were seasoned veterans, but even their biggest weapons were no match for the German army's fearsome 70-ton Tiger tanks.
But they were at that time probably the best single division in the U.S. Army...
As the Americans rumbled through a bitterly cold predawn, they met their defeated comrades stumbling to the rear. "Whenever the convoy slowed, we jumped off the trucks to get their ammo, hand grenades and guns," Vicari says.
[Insert 2004-style comments about incompetence in the supply system here. Then ignore.]
By getting to Bastogne first, the Americans were able to block German movements in southern Belgium. But after a week of fighting, the paratroopers and their supporting forces found themselves surrounded. German artillery shelled the town. Snow and fog allowed only a few supply drops, and many parachutes drifted into German lines, delivering much-needed ammunition, food and medical supplies to the wrong side. "Some of the townspeople gave us white sheets to cover our uniforms in the snow," remembers Vicari. "It was so cold that GIs had to keep their rifles under their coats to keep them from freezing."
Elsewhere, other American units fought stubbornly to stop the German advance and prevent capture of fuel supplies, a prime German objective. Thousands of GIs were taken prisoner, however, and at Malmedy, Belgium, more than 80 were machine-gunned by Waffen SS soldiers in one of World War II's most notorious battlefield atrocities.
That's the same sort of thing we expect from our present enemy...
My godfather was one of those taken prisoner by the SS, he managed to get away somehow. Never talked about it, but till the day he died he would have nothing to do with anything German.
Meanwhile, English-speaking Germans in American uniforms had slipped through U.S. lines, hoping to create chaos. Some were caught and at least 18 were executed as spies.
We don't seem to do that anymore. Too bad...
At Bastogne, the 101st's paratroopers repulsed repeated attacks and were desperately low on ammunition. In the wintry darkness, American soldiers sang "Silent Night" and heard Germans singing "Stille Nacht," the same carol. On Dec. 22, four German couriers approached U.S. lines under a flag of truce, carrying a message "from the German commander to the American commander." Asserting that Bastogne was "encircled," the note gave McAuliffe, who was acting commander of the 101st in the absence of Maj. Gen. Maxwell Taylor, two hours to surrender or face "total annihilation."
What came next would be one of World War II's seminal moments. As Vicari, McAuliffe's personal aide, recalls it 60 years later, "General Mac read the note and said, `Aw, nuts.' Then he asked, `What should I tell them?"'
Lt. Col. Harry W.O. Kinnard, the division operations officer, said, "Why not tell them what you just said?"
"What did I just say?"
"You said, `nuts,"' Kinnard replied.
McAuliffe scribbled a reply: "To the German commander. Nuts! From the American commander." He handed the message to Lt. Col. Joseph Harper, who had escorted the couriers. To the Germans who didn't understand the Yankee colloquialism, Harper explained: "It means the same thing as `go to hell."'
Some have speculated that "nuts" might have been a sanitized version of what the tough paratroop general actually said. Not so, Vicari says. "General Mac was the only general I ever knew who did not use profane language," he says. "`Nuts' was part of his normal vocabulary."
The next day the weather cleared, enabling American P-47 Thunderbolts to attack enemy positions while cargo planes dropped supplies to Bastogne's defenders, who by then knew that Lt. Gen. George Patton's 4th Armored Division was fighting through German-held territory to relieve them. Asked how quickly he could get to Bastogne, Patton had assured skeptical superiors he could turn his tanks north toward Bastogne in 48 hours. He didn't tell them they were already on the way.
On the day after Christmas, Lt. Col. Creighton Abrams, commanding the 37th Tank Battalion and under orders to attack German positions in a nearby village, realized that the road to Bastogne was open. His first four Shermans roared into the battered town about 4 p.m. Vicari recalls Patton arriving soon after, war correspondents in tow. He pinned a Distinguished Service Cross on "General Mac." Bitter fighting continued across the front, but the Bulge was shrinking. The Germans began retreating, and by Jan. 28, the battle was over. The Allied toll included 8,600 Americans and 200 British killed. The Germans suffered 17,000 dead.
That would be almost nine years of operations with casualties at the current levels in Iraq.
War historians offer a mixed verdict: the Battle of the Bulge delayed the Allied timetable for victory in Europe by at least six weeks, but by depleting the best of Hitler's forces, it made the final push to Berlin less costly in the long run. Bastogne today is a tourist favorite that annually celebrates its famous survival. It has a Place McAuliffe and even a Rue Nuts.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/17/2004
1:01:06 AM ||
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Steve, would it be too much to ask you to post the text, or portions, of the article?
Posted by: Red Lief ||
12/17/2004 2:26
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Red Lief - You can get a temporary login here - just paste the URL into the box and let it look up a login for you. Sometimes it takes more than one to get in, but it will get you there. Save it for next time to run into one of these jerk sites, heh.
Hat Tip to tipper who shared this with us quite awhile back...
#3
I've heard that General McAuliffe's response to the Germans request for surrender wasn't actually "Nuts". His response was supposedly much more profane, and it was cleaned up for propaganda use.
Anyone out there have any info on that?
#5
According to a book I have titled "The Battle of the Bulge" what he actually said was, "The Germans want us to surrender? Aw, nuts." Then he said he didn't know what to say to them and someone in the room said, "Why don't you tell them what you just said. Nuts." This version was supposedly recounted by an aide who was in the in the room.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
12/17/2004 9:12
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Use of profanity, while not unknown, was far less common among members of that generation. Declining to use such language was seen as a matter of self control and discipline, qualities no longeer in vogue thanks to the baby boomers.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis ||
12/17/2004 9:32
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I heard a fantastic radio interview last night with a lieutenant in the Combat Engineers battallion at the Battle of the Bulge. Prior to the actual fighting, the CE's were in the Belgian forest near the Luxembourg border, cutting down trees and running them through the sawmill. The wood was being sent to Paris for whichever reason. At any rate, the Army was running three shifts, and the Belgians were horrified! that the Americans were working so hard, operating the mill 24 hours a day. Mon Dieu! they said, shaking their heads...
GAZA (Reuters) - A smuggling tunnel being dug by Palestinians on the Gaza-Egypt border collapsed on Friday and at least five people were trapped inside, witnesses in the Gaza frontier town of Rafah said. heh
Palestinian ambulances and rescue crews given clearance by Israeli forces rushed to the scene. Palestinian officials said earlier accounts that two men had been extracted from the tunnel were incorrect, citing poor communications in the area. communication nothing. they oughta worry more about their engineering.
"We are still digging, we cannot yet determine their fate," a security official said by telephone from Rafah. bet they'd trade those 72 virgins for one of those John Deere's about now -- the same John Deere's that ISM petitioned the company not to send to Israel
Militants have dug many tunnels from Egypt into Gaza to slip in arms but other tunnels have been used solely to smuggle contraband like cigarettes. It was unclear whether the tunnel that caved in had been burrowed by militants or traders. leave it to reuters to provide a hint of legitimacy somewhere in their copy.
The Israeli army maintains a security strip along Gaza's frontier with Egypt and has carried out numerous bloody raids into adjacent Rafah to root out suspected tunnels. But militants have kept digging them under the noses of troops. . . . and to make Israel out to be the bad guy
On Sunday, militants killed five soldiers by detonating 1,500 kg (3,310 pounds) of explosives in a tunnel burrowed under an army post in the corridor, a stretch of desert dunes. It was one of the most sophisticated attacks ever by Palestinian baby murderersterrorists militants against an Israeli military post near the volatile Rafah crossing to Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip. Another five soldiers were wounded in the attack, the deadliest against the Israeli army in seven months.
Posted by: PlanetDan ||
12/17/2004
10:03:28 AM ||
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#1
The Pali's should've had Becthel build them like up here in Boston. They'd leak, but not collapse. Bit pricey though. Maybe they could cut back on Suha's pig payments to cover it?
#2
about time for that seawater diversion canal.....
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/17/2004 10:34
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#3
Israel should periodically bring in piling drivers and randomly pound the heck out of the area. Cheaper than a canal.
Posted by: Tom ||
12/17/2004 10:39
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Not pile drivers, but drilling rigs. Set up a pipeline to deliver sea water, then drill small probe holes and fire up the pumps when a shaft is discovered. Pump in enough water at sufficient pressure, and the tunnel outlets on either side can be found easily.
On Sunday, militants killed five soldiers by detonating 1,500 kg (3,310 pounds) of explosives in a tunnel burrowed under an army post in the corridor, a stretch of desert dunes. It was one of the most sophisticated attacks ever by Palestinian militants against an Israeli military post near the volatile Rafah crossing to Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip.
Sophisticated, yes, but not worth the effort expended, and not likely to be repeated.
#5
As the tunnel collapsed around them, their ferverent prayers for the intercession of St. Rachel Corrie, patron of weapons-smuggling tunnels, went unanswered.
Posted by: Mike ||
12/17/2004 11:44
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I guess you could use seawater, but to me the problem seems analagous to the gopher problem I used to have in my back yard. I say "used to have" because a couple of canisters of aluminum phosphide took care of the situation for good. And I don't see why that wouldn't work here, too.
#9
Drill a hole,then truck in all the feces from Israels shithouses and dump it on the Paleostonians.Wait,that would actually improvethe smell in the tunnel.
Posted by: Me ||
12/17/2004 16:56
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phil b - I've worked with those, unfortunately the soils have to be saturated for the vibration to build up loss of cohesion and subsequent liquifaction, otherwise you're just looking for collapsing of shoddy tunnels via vibration, hence my canal comment [/Engineering geo-geek talk]
whatever works, I say....Underground tests of the Zionist nukes would do a better job, and scare the bejebus out of any thinking paleo/arab (however small that population may be)
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/17/2004 17:14
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I say, deal with 'em like you deal with gophers. Shovel in some calcium carbide in the entrances. Add water to taste. Delay action fuse to light it off. Cover entrance of tunnel. End of Paleo gopher problem.***Boomph***
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/17/2004 21:10
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A couple of problems with these various proposals, as seen from my semi-nontechnical perspective.
1. If you flood the tunnels with sea water, won't that salinize the soil, much like the Romans salting the fields of their conquered enemies, so that nothing would grow there? There isn't so much fertile growing area in that part of the world that you'd want to screw up what's there.
2. The Israelis have modern plumbing, so no outhouse extracts available for dumping in tunnels.
3. Using canisters of aluminum phosphide or calcium carbide plus water requires knowledge of the location of the tunnels. The problem is that the Israelis don't.
4. Frank, I suspect you are right about the fluidizing soil problem. The only region where the soil has ever been saturated is in the Galilee, which was swamp for about 1000 years -- post-Rome and pre-Jewish swamp-draining settlers in the early part of the 20th century.
I guess that leaves Tom's suggestion of randomly pounding the ground in the hope of collapsing the tunnels underneath. Or maybe using the machine archeologists use to see where the best buried cities are.
Sorry, guys. I'd be happy if you would tell me where I went wrong in my quick analysis of the solutions offered. I admit I'm just a semi-nontechnical but enthusiastic amateur, and would be happy to be shown the error of my ways by someone who actually knows what he's talking about. ;-)
#1
is that their ideas about politics are not the product of rational thought and a concern for the common good. Their ideas are, very simply, the product of burning anger, a sense of perpetual hurt and victimhood. And that is why they have become so much like the left. The author is imputing motives to his opponents, which perpetuates the 'people who disagree with me are evil conspiracists' mindset. Politics should be a debate about outcomes and means to outcomes undertaken by well intentioned people. Once you lose that and go off into wacky conspiracies, you are lost to the debate.
--------
I [that is Robert Spencer] have never been overly impressed with the moderation of the self-professed moderate Muslims at the website known as Muslim Wakeup...
However, Muslim Wakeup now has other troubles: the site has been hacked by jihadists... Here is their message... It is directed at the staff of Muslim Wakeup, and is headed "Murtad Wakeup"...[murtad (murtadim-plural) = apostate in arabic]. Then it continues:
[below is the beginning of the message Muslim Wakeup got from their brothers in faith]
we are sorry....MWU is recieving a PENALTY from the Islamic 0xChallenge Brigades!! Bismallah Ar Rahman Ar-aheem due to the continues violation by Muslim Wake Up website and its vile attack on Islam for a long period of time we at the Islamic 0xChallenge Brigades decided to deliever a powerful message to the people behind this website and so we started with an attack on MWU forum , all praise be to Allah the attack was successful...
Posted by: mhw ||
12/17/2004
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The site, before anyone asks, was running FreeBSD.
Hard to believe a web hosting company would have FreeBSD server open enough they could be hacked like that.
#2
FreeBSD 'ships' ( it is a free download ) without ANY firewall of ANY kind. You must recompile the kernal to get firewall protection of any kind at all.
Also, FreeBSD 'ships' without anything other than the basic operating system, no editors (except for vi and edit) no nothing. You must put a ton of work into the OS in order to get stuff like a web-server or an ftp server running.
Sounds to me like the folks hosting this site didn't do any of that. Sounds like they just installed FreeBSD, installed a web server, and away they went. They had it coming, IMHO, but of course, that doesn't excuse the hackers who did this.
#1
Excerpt from conclusion: "...liberals... need their moral superiority like oxygen, and they cannot have it cut off by mere facts."
Posted by: Tom ||
12/17/2004 11:42
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Americans politically redefine "morality" and "ethics". "Ethics" are seen as a politician obeying the law, and creating and enforcing laws based upon what society wants, within the self-imposed limits of the Constitution. Ethics is an objective thing. "Morality", however, is seen as subjective ethics, varying between religions, sects and philosophical belief systems. For this reason, Americans tend to be distrustful of those politicians who run on "morality" issues. What exactly do they represent? A secular, modernist, even agnostic belief system; a harsh, fundamentalist theocratic order; someone comfortably orthodox but agreeable with the coexistence of religion and government; or an atheist-Marxist, prudish and fanatical? Each of these can claim "morality", after a fashion, and with greater or lesser honesty; but if they claim to be "ethical", and are not accused of crimes or arrested, the assumption is that they *are* "ethical".
#1
*gag* This means Elvis will be dug up and dusted off for a new set of promo tours, TV specials, endorsements, coffee cups, commerative CD sets, dolls..... Elvis isn't dead, he's the undead. Next time be sure to put a stake in his heart.
Posted by: ed ||
12/17/2004
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I think that we should make it abundantly clear to the Saudis that the difference between them and the Taliban is that they are still in power. And that it would be a shame if they became just like the Taliban.
#1
Opposition to war is free speech; but no society that values its own survival can tolerate wartime desertion from its armed forces.
Deserters should be shot and the moonbat quislings who incite them thrown in jail.
#2
Check out today's updates at Citizen Smash.
The vile quislings not only counsel desertion, they will be desecrating hallowed ground when they hold their media-stunt rally on the old Fleet Landing in San Diego. This is the point from which WW2 sailors and soldiers left for their ships. For many thousands, it was the last time they ever stood on American soil. To say the least, Smash and his buds are pissed off, which is bad news for moonbats.
#3
Few remember it, but back in the 1960s, several anti-Vietnam War protests were really busted up by "hard hats", often construction workers, using a proud American tool, the axe-handle. This got very little play in the news, the MSM not wanting to discourage protests, but there were seldom protests in the same city afterwards. On a historical note, the use of axe-handles has a long American tradition, including being used on mobs of anarchists and communists.
You have it all wrong: deserters should be thrown in jail and the moonbat quislings who incited them should be shot.
In 1945, a prominent French writer was sentenced to death for treason. Immediately all French writers (even those who had been in the Resistance from the start) petitionned General de Gaulle to commute the sentence. But De Gaule answered: "Many poor guys have been driven into the Milice and in collaboration because of people like him who heated their heads. Them (the intellectuels) are not less but more responsible than your basic Milice man". And he signed the death sentence.
Note: The Milice was a force created by the Vichy government for hunting the Resistance. They helped the Germans in destroying the Maquis of the Vercors and perpetrated many crimes.
"â¢the system appeared to be of Russian or Eastern European origin."
then they said this
"There have been allegations in the past that senior UN officials were bugged during the run-up to the Iraq war by countries such as Britain and the United States."
No sense in that. It's an eastern device but the US and UK were to blame? Typical crap.
The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, has addressed an open message to leaders of various Bedouin tribes in the Palestinian lands occupied in 1948 appealing to them not to let their sons enroll in the Zionist criminal army.
"No, no! Don't do it!"
The message was addressed after Hamas got to know that soldiers serving with the Zionist army along the borders with Egypt were Palestinian Bedouins.
It's been going on 60 years. They hadn't noticed?
Israelis all look like to them. Especially the Ethiopian ones ...
It pointed out that those soldiers were obeying orders of their commanders to kill the Palestinian innocent children and women and to demolish houses. Hamas' message, a copy of which was made available to PIC, said, "We are all confidence that you are part and parcel of that blessed land Palestine". The message charged that Zionist occupiers came to divide between Palestinians but "we remain brothers in religion and of one country, and part and parcel of our Arab and Muslim Ummah. You were and continue to be supportive of our people under occupation. None can deny the Bedouins' bright image, who have maintained their Arab and Muslim identity despite decades of occupation and they group propagators, strugglers and detainees in Zionist occupation jails".
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2004
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"No. no, they must join the Islamist criminal army!"
#3
I thought the Pals always thought of the Bedouin as their equivalent of "white trash". Hmm.
How long before they notice that some of the Israelis kicking their ass are girls?
My inner Dewey Decimal System is sayin' they should be filed under "Turbans, Put-upon"...
The number of British Muslims who say they experience discrimination has nearly doubled in the past four years, according to a survey published on Thursday. Some 80 percent of the country's 1.8 million Muslims say they have been discriminated against because of their faith compared to 45 percent in 2000 and 35 percent in 1999, the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) said. Muslim men are now just as likely as women to experience prejudice - a significant change which the IHRC blamed on an increase in the number of police and security checks carried out on Muslim men since the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001.
They are more likely to kill people than Muslim women, or Lutherans of either sex...
White British Muslims report more discrimination than any other ethnic group, suggesting Britons are intolerant of apostates who convert to Islam.
Perhaps because they see them as joining the other side? People are waking up, y'know. You can only fool some of the people all the time...
"What's happened, post 9/11, is that some very deeply rooted prejudices - things that weren't articulated in the public realm - have found expression," Arzu Merali, one of the authors of the report, told Reuters. Eight percent of the 1,200 Muslims questioned in the survey said they experienced some sort of discrimination every day. Another 8 percent said it was a weekly problem, 8 percent described it as monthly and 55 percent said they had been discriminated against "on some occasions".
Posted by: Fred ||
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Survey the non-Muslims to see if they agree - surveying Muslims is a moronic idea - of course they'll seethe and lie their asses off - it's part and parcel of the indoctrination process in Islam.
What's the word, again, for lying to the stupid infidels to advance Islam?
#2
The IHRC - what a noble institution. They bang on relentlessly about Palestine, Gitmo, Iraq & domestic disrimination yet say nothing about women's rights/genital mutilation/honour killings. And the Beeb treat them as an authorative source. I falsely applied for a job there and mentioned that I was Jewish (I'm not) - did I get a reply? Did I fuck.
Posted by: Howard UK ||
12/17/2004 6:06
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"to advance Islam" means at the elimination of anything else, as verdicted by history and fully reinforced by the fierce demand of that Creed within its own 'scripture'. Who would welcome such a Barbarian subversion if they understand the full impact of that unthinkable implication?
Posted by: Wo ||
12/17/2004 6:10
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Not me, Wo, and certainly not my newly black belted daughters (yes, I admit it, I am inordinantly proud about what they achieved this week. I promise not to rave too much longer. Please forgive me, Fred, for wasting your bandwidth.)
#6
Well , when their religion stops being an arse and moves into the 21st century , then , I may give it some credibility , but as it stands I dont .
As regards the tripe Arzu Merali says âWhatâs happened, post 9/11, is that some very deeply rooted prejudices - things that werenât articulated in the public realm - have found expression,â
It aint us who have the very deeply rooted prejudices you fucking moron ...
Speaking for myself, I'm no more prejudice today then I was on September 12, 2001. My prejudice hasn't increased. It remains constant.
Posted by: Mark Z. ||
12/17/2004 7:40
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This so-called intolerance is perceived because they are not viewing it in the proper context. Middle Easterners should not try to judge us by their standards. It's all in my forthcoming book, "Occidentalism".
#10
The greatest current idiocy was that Blunkett attempt at odious appeasement by proposing British laws that protect Bigotry from criticism. No wonder he had to resign though for somewhat the wrong reason.
Posted by: Wo ||
12/17/2004 10:18
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#11
Does it ever end for these poor damn victimized, persecuted, misunderstood Muslims? Thank Allah, organizations like the Islamic Human Rights Commission are around to whine on their behalf.
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/17/2004 17:08
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The fat bastard at the fish and chips shop called me the son of a lying dog! He told me that I should take my Paki ass out of his shop and leave his country. All of this because I told him that his chips were soggy and his fish overpriced. Oh, and my son tried to walk out without paying last month. It is intolerable I tell you. This man is full of hate and clearly despises me because of am a faithful Muslim. I must complain to the IHRC!
Norway shut its embassy in Colombo on Thursday after receiving a letter containing an unidentified white powder, but officials said a string of previous such scares had proved harmless. "We have received some white power, so we've closed the embassy for today," an embassy spokeswoman said. "We do not know yet what it is," she added, saying tests were being conducted. "There are lots of (scares), so this is not the first time."
And I doubt greatly that it's anything. Anthrax isn't going to come up again for awhile...
The scare came as Norway's special peace envoy Erik Solheim was wrapping up his latest bid to jumpstart talks to seal permanent peace between Tamil Tiger rebels and the government after two decades of civil war. The hardline, Sinhalese nationalist coalition partner of President Chandrika Kumaratunga's government has protested vocally against Norway's mediation in Sri Lanka's peace process in recent months, and even wrote to Norway demanding it bow out. Canada closed down its mission in October when insect powder a visiting Buddhist monk had sprayed on his passport to ward off moths triggered an anthrax scare. The United States embassy in Colombo was shut briefly in August by an anthrax scare after it received a letter containing a suspicious powder, but tests proved negative.
Posted by: Fred ||
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A group of the Palestinian youths residing in Gaza city announced the establishment of "Life-makers" club as a positive response to the project of the Muslim propagator Amre Khaled aimed at revitalizing the youths' dormant energies in the field of the Islamic Da'wa (propagation).
Yup. That's what they need. More dawa. And maybe some deen...
The announcement came during the general conference held at the campus of the Islamic University in Gaza city amidst spiritual atmospheres, which was attended by a host of prominent Muslim scholars. During he conference, the co-founders affirmed that the Palestinian Ulama (religious scholars) are the club's intellectual and legitimate authority, and indicated that the new institution sought to consolidate the culture of sacrifice for the good of the society as one of the most important pillars of the Islamic propagation. For his part, Dr. Nassim Yassin, member of the Palestinian scholars' league, delivered a speech in which he asserted the league's financial and moral support for the club, and expressed his happiness towards what he termed as the high morale of the Palestinian youth.
Yassin... Yassin... Now, where have I heard that name before?
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Daâwa (propagation). Or maybe procreation. As in--"get out there and breed, the wimmin are lonely, and we're actualy running short of cannon fodder."
Posted by: N Guard ||
12/17/2004 0:43
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4 qa'was for a da'wa? Silly rabbit
Posted by: Capt America ||
12/17/2004 2:33
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Abbas's working theory is that the Palestinians needn't be violent, when by outbreeding the Israelis they'll eventually crowd them into the sea... driving, with its icky blood and stray limbs, will not be necessary.
The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) is considering staging a sit-in at rather an "extraordinary" place in Rawalpindi to protest President General Musharraf continuing in his army office, MMA leader Hafiz Hussain Ahmed told journalists at Lahore Press Club on Thursday.
I believe he's one of Qazi's sons...
But he would not elaborate what that extraordinary place could be. Asked if the army supported President Musharraf holding his army office, he said the MMA had given the army leeway through the 17th amendment but would now oppose the army's decision to support its general. He said the MMA supported the 17th amendment in the hope of resolving the uniform issue once and for all. "We allowed General Musharraf grace till December 31 only," he added. He said the Rawalpindi rally would be held according to schedule on December 19. "A lot rests on whether President Musharraf retains his army office or not. Our next move will come on December 30 or 31 in response to the president's decision," he added. He would not explain what the MMA's future course of action could be, saying it would remain a mystery. But he said the future plan of action would be finalised at the MMA's supreme council meeting in Islamabad on December 24. He rebuffed allegations that the MMA was the government's B team, saying it would not have contested elections for prime minister, speaker and deputy speaker if that was the case.
Posted by: Fred ||
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I've got an "extraodinary place".
It's in my pants.
Two Mehsud sub tribes' jirga on Thursday reached an agreement with the army, promising they will not shelter foreigners. The two jirgas, consisting of 56 men from the Shabikhel tribe and 26 from the Shimankhel tribe, held separate meetings with Lieutenant-General Safdar Hussain. A military source described the agreement as in important breakthrough in the hunt for militant Abdullah Mehsud who is believed hiding in the area of the two tribes.
"Yeah. We're pretty sure he's hiding in there. That's where all the gunfire's coming from."
"A good start has been made to flush out both local and foreign militants from the area," said the source who asked not to be named. Five most wanted Wazir militants surrendered to the army on November 12 and a ceasefire took place two days after, and peace has been restored since. The two tribes pledged to cooperate with the army and the government in the war on terror. The Peshawar corps commander said the army held tribesmen in the highest esteem and wanted to provide them with opportunities for development.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Ejaz Shafi, a central leader of the Pakistan Muslim League (N), died late Thursday night. He was 60. He leaves behind his wife, two sons and two daughters. He suddenly felt unwell about 10:30pm. He was rushed to Aga Khan Hospital where he died about 11:30pm. He was suffering from diabetes. His Namaz-e-Janaza will be offered after Juma prayers at Masjid Al-Hambra in the vicinity of Tipu Sultan Road near his house.
Wonder if this is natural causes, or more of Perv's mending of fences?
Posted by: Fred ||
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The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) will devise a mode of anti-uniform agitation in its supreme council meeting on December 24. The movement will be stronger if Gen Musharraf does not relinquish his uniform, said Qazi Hussain Ahmad, president of the MMA and Jamaat-e-Islami chief, on Thursday while addressing a press conference at Mansoora. He said Gen Musharraf would cease to be the president after December 31 and urged the opposition parties to cooperate in ousting the current government. He said the MMA had invited the Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy to attend the MMA public meetings. Qazi said the results of the Malakand by-election proved that MMA's public support was solid. He accused the ruling Pakistan Muslim League of attempting to rig the polls in NA-35 Malakand, placing 3,000 state officials and harassing returning officer through intelligence officials and the Chief Election Commissioner.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Perv gives in on the uniform demand, shows up in a pink tutu:
The UN General Assembly on Thursday unanimously adopted a resolution sponsored by Pakistan. The resolution called for the promotion of religious and cultural understanding, harmony and cooperation in the light of President Pervez Musharraf's concept of enlightened moderation. President Musharraf floated the idea of enlightened moderation in his speech to the 58th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
"Bartender! Warm milk for everyone!"
Twenty other countries, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cape Verde, China, Costa Rica, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Morocco, Panama, Timor Leste, Sudan, Tajikistan, Togo and Tunisia co-sponsored the resolution along with Pakistan. The resolution reaffirms the solemn commitment of all states to human rights and freedom according to the charter of the United Nations. The resolution calls on the US secretary general to publish material related to the resolution and discuss the topic at the next session of the General Assembly.
Posted by: Fred ||
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If I escaped a few murder attempts, I too would be pursuing "enlightened moderation." But let's first moderate Binny and the Doc.
Posted by: Capt America ||
12/17/2004 2:53
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Pervez Musharraf. Let me see.
A president for life of Pakistan who came to power by overthrowing the democratically elected goverment. Sponsor of Kashmiri terrorism the extent of which makes Paleosimians look like pikers, under whose rule Pakistan makes nuclear weapons technology available to Iran [have I forgoten something], calls for tolerance. Groovy.
#3
"Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Cape Verde, China, Costa Rica, Djibouti, Ecuador, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Morocco, Panama, Timor Leste, Sudan, Tajikistan, Togo and Tunisia co-sponsored the resolution along with Pakistan."Now ain't that a buncha tolerant, harmonious people!
Turkey will be an Islamic "Trojan Horse" inside the European Union if it is allowed to join the bloc, to the advantage of Al Qaeda terror chief Osama bin Laden and other extremists, Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi said in an interview with Italian radio reported on Thursday. "The Islamic world, including Islamic extremists up to bin Laden, is rejoicing at Turkey's entry. It is their Trojan horse," Qaddafi was quoted as saying by the daily La Repubblica in extracts from the RAI interview published before its broadcast. Qaddafi said he had not opposed Turkey's EU membership but warned of its possible consequences. "I say only that there will be consequences from the entry of this Trojan horse," he added, without elaborating.
Posted by: Fred ||
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ROFL!!! Torpedoed by Khadaffy hisownself, lol! Gul shoulda bought off all the mouthy Mo' guys, heh. Especially those that wear funny hats... I'm tellin' ya, those Hat Guyz need to be watched very very closely...
#4
Wow--maybe there's something therapeutic about being surrounded by hot bodyguard babes that lets clear thinking and logic take root. Good on ya, Mo'!
Posted by: Dar ||
12/17/2004 10:17
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Hey EU when MO MO starts towing the mark against Islamonazi's you may want to back off the hooka-pipe. Turkey's a problem just like the rest of the hairnets.
#7
trtying to bait me into an Aris thread, Kalle? LOL
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/17/2004 17:48
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At the Helsinki European Council, Greece sold its longstanding objections over Turkey's entry, with Cyprus's admission into the Union as the price.
I think it was a deal VERY well made, especially since Greek objections weren't needed when French ones will do ever so nicely.
Not to mention that if it wasn't for that lying crook, Tassos Papadopoulos, we'd also have gotten a reunified Cyprus in the deal -- but I guess that was the Cypriots' choice.
#9
I'm still not sure I understand the purpose of Turkey in the EU. I get the distinct impression that the EU is meant to be a superstate on a federal pattern, somewhat like the US model. But a country is more than just a system of common regulations. Sooner or later it is necessary to make some sacrifices for the common good, and you need to have some sense of a common bond. This can be a common tribal identity, common "race," common shared history or language, common religion, or common 'secular' culture (emphasis on CULT in culture) or some combination. Japan unites around a common race and shared history, the US united around a common secular culture and eventually a shared history. I'm not sure just how united India is.
If the EU were simply a grand trading zone, there'd be nothing odd about adding Turkey. But I'm not quite sure how far even the existing states share the same culture, let alone Turkey, which doesn't have an even remotely similar religious tradition. And religion is a fundamental component of culture.
The EU is an interesting experiment; trying to create a country out of a voluntary empire. By comparison creating the US was a peice of cake--we started off with relatively little history of internal conflict, similar versions of the same religion, and a pretty widely accepted secular mission. And even so we suffered from a little set-to about 140 years ago.
A little thought-experiment: would a Danish citizen feel threatened by a bandit attack in Turkey, and be willing to help stop them? Would a Turk feel threatened by an IRA bombing in London?
Posted by: James ||
12/17/2004 23:45
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Two people were killed and four wounded in an ambush near Solay Khan Saraey in Southern Waziristan on Wednesday night. They were returning to Tank from Sarokai after voting in the local body elections when armed assailants, hiding in a graveyard, opened indiscriminate firing on their vehicle. Gul Wali Khan and Safeer Khan died instantly. Others including Abdullah, Nadimeen, Rustam Khan and Hamzaullah Khan, who sustained serious injuries, were shifted to Mission Hospital in Tank. Two passengers were reported to be in critical condition.
How's it feel to be a part of the background noise of ceaseless violence in the Land of the Pure?
You might be from Waziristan if...your hometown is named "Tank."
Looks like someone had a beef with the Khan Klan, survivors will no doubt swear Dire Revenge
Posted by: Fred ||
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Saddam Hussein met with a lawyer on Thursday for the first time since he was arrested a year ago, his defence team said. "The interview lasted for more than four hours. The president seems in good health, much better compared to his first appearance before the court," Saddam's Amman-based legal team said in a statement. Saddam Hussein will be the last of 12 leaders from the toppled regime to go on trial "long after" next month's elections, Iraq's justice minister told a Swiss newspaper in an article published on Thursday. In addition, Barzan Ibrahim Hassan al-Tikriti, presidential adviser and also half-brother of Saddam, would be the second to face justice after Ali Hassan al-Majid, said Justice Minister Malek Dohan al-Hassan.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
I like the picture.
Where is it from?
Posted by: N Guard ||
12/17/2004 0:39
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Google Images is your friend. I did a search on "lawyer." Fred swiped it for the RB liberry.
Trial began in Sudan on Thursday for 78 men, including members of the leading Islamist opposition Popular Congress party and former military officers, accused of plotting to overthrow the government. The men were arrested for involvement in what the government said was an attempted coup in September. They were charged with provoking war against the state, terrorism, undermining the constitutional system and possessing weapons. The defendants face the death penalty if convicted. Judge Al-Amin al-Tayeb read the charges to 72 men, including five retired members of the armed forces, who sat behind bars in the court room. Six of the men are being tried in absentia.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Police arrested two suspected militants and seized explosives from their hideout on Thursday. The men belonged to the outlawed Sipah-e-Muhammad group, said Gul Hameed Summoon, a deputy inspector general of police in Karachi. He identified the two as Sabir Ali and another who used the single name Zafar. Police seized nine kilogrammes of explosives during the raid in central Karachi, he said. The group has been blamed for a number of attacks on majority Sunni Muslims in Pakistan and was banned in August 2001.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Prob'ly need 'em to take on the Paleostinian Naval Police...
The Zionist navy is to purchase two German "Dolphin" submarines at a cost of around 700 million dollars that would join three others of the same make already operating in the Zionist navy. A Zionist navy official said that the deal to be concluded by spring of next year would open new commercial horizons with Europe. A German expert had said that the three German subs earlier bought by Tel Aviv were upgraded to enable them carry long-range missiles with nuclear warheads. He noted that the Zionist navy also has three American "C-Wolf" submarines with powerful missile force. Meanwhile, the enemy radio said that "Israel" had signed an arms deal with an undisclosed European country to the tune of 40 million dollars. The broadcast said that the deal stipulated selling Zionist-made long-range artillery to that country. The Zionist entity is the fifth largest arms exporter in the world after the USA, EU, Russia and Japan.
Posted by: Fred ||
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"C-Wolf"
ROFL!!! Morons.
And they used "Zionist" 6 times. Bucking for a spot in the KCNA Spew Sweeps, methinks.
#2
Great catch Fred - a laugh a minute with this one! (my only regret is the friggin domain is associated with my country).
Let's take it in order;
1) Extensive use of the word 'Zionist' - check
2) Long-range missiles with nuclear warheads - we already knew about these guys (you listening Iran?)
3) Never heard of a 'C-Wolf' submarine. They might mean Sea Wolf submarines (US state of the art hunter killer - about 2-3 billion dollars a piece. Oh my gawd, they named one after Jimmah!!), but there's no way the US is going to sell them one of those.
4) Clandestine dealings with EU countries - check
5) Spittle factor - minor. Unusual for a Paleo 'press release'.
Seems the missile on a Dolphin is a Harpoon. It's got a range of 60-150 miles and a warhead of 488 pounds (I guess a nuke could be made that size - thinking of the 'Davy Crockett' man portable nuke from the 50's here).
Another good site, with plenty of pictures, on the Dolphin where it's mentioned it could use the very definitely nuclear capable Popeye (great name!) missile, which has a range of 1500 kilometres.
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
12/17/2004 2:16
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#3
The claim of Israel possesing "C-Wolf" (presumably Seawolf) class submarines is of course the kind of Big Lie that Eurabian propagandists now routinely insert into their material, usually in the midst of a mass of undisputed factual material to lend it credibility.
They learned this technique from American lefty academics, who have developed the "incidentally inserted lie" to an art form in recent years.
I find examples every day.
Today's is a claim by a lefty histori-liar at U-Texas that the Boeing XB-15 was widely used by fascist forces in the Spanish Civil War of the 30s. This demonizing tidbit is included as a note in a bibliography, and becomes part of the intellectual background noise of anyone who sees it. (In fact, US arms sales were embargoed during that period and only one XB-15 was built, ever. It stayed firmly in US hands until it was scrapped in 1945.)
#5
Tony, 488 pounds is not unusually small for a nuclear warhead at all. The W-80used on US cruise missiles weighs around 280 pounds and could easily be incorporated into the Harpoon system (though there is no evidence of this being done). It is a thermonuclear device with a variable yield up to 200 kilotons.
The weight of the standard warheads for the Minuteman and Trident is apparently still classified but is unlikely to be much, if any, higher than that of the W-80.
#6
Like any other good-size sub, the Dolphins have prodigious range. Armed with Popeye, they would allow the Israelis to hit Islamo-fascist targets in any part of the world.
#8
TW
The link provided by Tony gives a range of 8000 miles. From Elath on the Red Sea, this is enough to reach Pakistan in the east or as far south as Mozambique and Madagascar. From the Med, it could reach Europe as far north as Denmark or the west coast of Africa as far as Dakar.
Beyond that, refuelling at sea is not a difficult proposition for these vessels and would not necessarily require a tanker or other large vessel. There is also the strong possibility of overseas refuelling facilities being secretly arranged. A clandestine refuelling in the Indian Ocean (not hard to arrange at all) would easily bring Malaysia and Indonesia within reach. A one way transit with a stop in the friendly Phillipines would bring the western Pacific into the envelope.
So, yes, I think the whole world is within reach, or at least the relevant parts of it.
#9
Iron-Lion-Zion !!! couldnt resist !
Dunno why the paloes are screaming this one , they cant even fight on land , and most of em are scared of the water . Doubt they actually have a navy worth putting outto sea except for a few rubber dinghys and a speedboat or two .
#10
The Paleos are probably just trying to strengthen French support by conjuring up visions of sinister Zionist U-boats lurking just off St. Nazaire and prepared to lob missiles into the 4th Arrondisement at a moment's notice (could be true for all I know).
Posted by: Dar ||
12/17/2004 10:25
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C-minus. Very disappointing propaganda. Insufficient mention of fire. Writer seems unwilling to completely let go of reality. Put more passion in your work.
They need to work out an intern program with the North Koreans. Learn from the best!
#15
Actually, as the American experience at Pearl Harbour proved : no, you can "sink" a ship in dry dock. It is just a lot easier to recover than one sunk in the open ocean.
#17
The Israelis have a long history of buying German submarines, so this is no surprise. Their first subs were former NAZI Type-XXII boats from WW II. Remember, too, that Israel doesn't have to buy missiles from others. They have a very efficient missile development program. As for "Seawolf", the same designation was used on an advanced Tang class of US WWII submarines, so the information could be correct.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/17/2004 19:49
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#18
I think those were Zee Wolf Unterseeboots.
I think they are slightly modified with missle tubes and the addition of a Zionist deat ray⢠in dry docks in the secret Zionist naval base in India.
As for "Seawolf", the same designation was used on an advanced Tang class of US WWII submarines, so the information could be correct.
Baloney. The Tang class was post-World War 2. An earlier Tang (SS-306 of the Balao class) had been commissioned on 15 October, 1943 and was lost in the Formosa Strait just over a year later.
The previous Seawolf (SSN-575) was the second US nuclear submarine, after the Nautilus. It was a class of one. It was decommissioned in 1987 and scrapped in 1997. Before that, the name was used on SS-197 of the Sargo class, launched in 1939 and lost in the Pacific around 3 October, 1944 (probably to fratricide).
Israel's first submarines were of the British "S" class from World War 2, Tanin and Rahav (ex HMS Springer and Sanguine, respectively). The S was a pre-war design and had no connection to the Type XXI. The next three Israeli subs were ex-British T-class boats, also of pre-war design and wartime construction. (One of these, INS Dakar, [ex-Totem] was lost with 69 men during its delivery voyage in 1968 and re-discovered just a few years ago).
The first German designed submarines used by Israel were the 3 Gal class, built at Vickers in the UK for the IDF in the 70s. This is a 1960s design (Type 206A) and quite different from the XXI.
The three Dolphin class currently in use are of recent German design and construction.
#22
The instructions didn't indicate that was a bad idea apperently :P
Sanity would indicate otherwise however one would think.
Batteries + sea water = bad
LAHORE: A middle aged man died on Thursday evening when he was smoking hashish and dancing at the shrine of Turt Murad Shah in Lawrence Gardens. Habibur Rehman of Gujrat suddenly fell down and fainted. He was taken to the hospital where doctors pronounced him dead. The body was sent for an autopsy.
"Well, Dr. Quincy? What do you think?"
"I think God struck him dead, Sam."
Posted by: Fred ||
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He didn't pay attention when his munchy time alarm went off. When this happens, the tragic result is hypoglycemic Dervishes lose their Whirl. Nothing left for the spin cycle... I guess he needed an MSM reporter to show up before he died, not after. So sad.
Ukrainian presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych has cautioned the international community and foreign political leaders against moves that may split the country's political elite.
A bit late for that, isn't it? Shoulda thought about that before you poisoned anybody...
Yanukovych's statement, which, among other issues, suggests a number of ways to pull the country out of its political crisis, was circulated by his election headquarters on Thursday. "Frankly speaking, I am very surprised by the short-sighted position of European nations that are continuing to apply here, in Europe, their sophisticated political technologies based on methods typical of totalitarian sects. It is like setting fire to your neighbor's barn that shares a wall with your house," he said
Posted by: Fred ||
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It is like setting fire to your neighborâs barn that shares a wall with your house," he said
A roadside bomb killed four Afghan policemen and wounded two on Thursday in the southern province of Khost, a senior police official said. Khost is one of the main centres of activity of Taliban guerrillas fighting a three-year-old insurgency against government and US-led forces. "A remote control bomb blast in Ismail Khail Mandozai district killed four people and wounded two," said Khost Deputy Police Chief Colonel Mohammad Zaman Khan. A district chief was among the wounded, he added. On Monday, security forces in Khost asked for support from US forces against a militant nest, and seven rebels were killed by US artillery fire. US and Afghan security forces have detained at least 27 suspected militants since Saturday, half of them in Kandahar, another southern province.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Customs staff seized 73 kilograms of heroin worth Rs 730 million in the international market in a consignment of bedsheets and pillow covers bound for the United Arab Emirates on Thursday. "The cartons of textile goods weighed more than they should have. When we checked the 292 cartons, we found 73 kilograms of good quality heroin in 295 packets concealed in pillow covers and bedsheets," Dr Mumtaz Ali Raza, an assistant collector, told Daily Times.
He said that the consignment was booked for export by the Multan office of Venus Continental, through the Multan-based Post Management Services (Clearance Agency). Nazim Salim, a customs official, said the consignment was from Garments Made Ups. He said the drugs were seized at around 6:30pm before it could be loaded on to a Dubai-bound flight due to leave at around 10:30 pm. The matter has been referred to Anti Narcotics Force (ANF) for investigation, he added.
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When we checked the 292 cartons, we found 73 kilograms of good quality heroin in 295 packets concealed in pillow covers and bedsheets,â Dr Mumtaz Ali Raza, an assistant collector, told Daily Times.
Raza went on to say that the heroin was "really, REALLY good sh*t, man."
Pakistan Muslim League candidate, Salim Saifullah Khan, on Thursday refused to accept the result of the NA-35 by-poll, a result that saw him lose to Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) nominee Syed Bakhtiar Mani. "I do not accept the results of the Wednesday polls that were rigged by the MMA provincial government," Salim Saifullah told a news conference in Batkhela.
At least they didn't poison him...
No dioxin left over after they were done with Yush ...
Sirajul Haq, NWFP senior minister, rejected the allegations. According to an unofficial result, the MMA has won the seat. Mani won 33,744 votes with Salim Saifullah gaining 19,946. Engineer Humayun Khan, Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarian (PPPP), secured 17,268 votes and came third. Unlike the PML, the PPPP conceded defeat, claiming they upheld democratic traditions. "We accept the defeat as we believe in democracy," Najmuddin Khan, PPPP provincial secretary, told reporters.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Three Palestinian militants were killed in the southern Gaza Strip after attacking an Israeli army position and an army convoy, according to a revised toll on Thursday from medical sources. Hassan al-Bania, 20, of Islamic Jihad, and Ashraf Ballusha, 19, of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed offshoot of the mainstream Fatah faction, were killed late on Wednesday after they attacked an army position near the Kissufim crossing on the border with Israel, the two groups said. Mohammad Al-Aawaj, 26, from the Abu Rish faction, linked to Fatah, was killed shortly after by Israeli troops after firing on an Israeli army convoy, according to medical sources.
G'bye, boyz! Give our regards to Yasser!
Posted by: Fred ||
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Zionist occupation authorities have banished a Palestinian detainee, who was held under administrative detention, from his hometown of Al-Khalil to Ramallah for two years.
"No, no! Not Ramallah!"
Count yer blessings, Ezze, it could have been Mauritania.
The occupation authorities set a condition for the release of Ezzeddin Dovesh, 36, after 28 months of administrative detention namely not to get out of Ramallah for two years. Dovesh, who moved to Ramallah along with his wife and four children, said that he could not even reach a village near Ramallah to visit relatives. He said that the Zionist prisons authority offered to set him free ten months ago on condition that he would be deported to any Arab or foreign country but he preferred to remain in jail rather than leave his country.
Posted by: Fred ||
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London-based Asharq al-Awsat newspaper said it would temporarily shut its office in the Iraqi capital Baghdad as of Thursday after receiving threats. The pan-Arab daily said armed men calling themselves the mujahideen (holy fighters) threatened on Monday to blow up the office if the newspaper did not publish a story within one week about a militant who had allegedly led battles in Falluja. "Asharq al-Awsat does not respond to threats or publish news under threat of arms ... The decision to close the office was taken to protect the safety of our journalists," it said in its latest edition, adding that its coverage of Iraq would continue.
Good for them. It's good to see they're not willing to be shoved around by gunnies...
The Saudi-owned daily said the gunmen had taken one of its journalists from his house to their car to issue the threat and ask for the article on Omar Hadeed, who the daily said has been reported to be the deputy of al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
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A Pakistani man was sentenced to 12 years in jail by an Australian court on Thursday for smuggling hundreds of would-be asylum seekers to Australia. Hasan Ayoub, 34, sent two boatloads of people to Australia's Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean in March and April 2001. Each had paid a passage fee of up to $12,000, the court heard. Ayoub was convicted in the Western Australian District Court in November on two counts of people smuggling.
Posted by: Fred ||
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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.
Afghan troops stormed a notorious prison Friday in an assault aimed at ending a standoff sparked by a bloody escape attempt by four inmates once suspected of belonging to the al-Qaida terror organization. Explosions ripped through the area around the 
THE search mechanism used by the Kazaa file-sharing network could contain malicious code, the Federal Court heard yesterday.
A routine traffic stop turned into a drug bust when Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers found 610 pounds of marijuana stashed in four coffins. Authorities say Timothy Hynd and Robert Dean Harper were charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute before being released on Monday. The arrest occurred on Sunday, highway patrol spokesman Lt. Brandon Kopepasah said, after troopers stopped a truck traveling slightly above the speed limit near the rural city of Salisaw. The men consented to a search, and trained dogs "hit" on the cargo section of the truck, he said. "They unloaded 22 caskets," Kopepasah said. "You had to unload all those caskets and the very front caskets were loaded with marijuana." An attorney for one of the men said his client was unaware there was marijuana in the caskets and was only delivering them. "He didn't check inside the caskets for drugs -- would you?" attorney Donn Baker said.
The father of a teenager taken by a shark while swimming at an Adelaide beach yesterday says the family does not advocate the killing of any sharks. 
Hollywood has joined the war. Universal Pictures announced yesterday that it is to make The Battle for Falluja. To prove it is serious, it has enlisted Indiana Jones himself, actor 
Pakistani authorities have announced a five million rupee ($83,000) reward for help in the arrest of a militant wanted for kidnapping two Chinese engineers. Ex-Guantanamo Bay detainee 
The 
Saddam Hussein met with a lawyer on Thursday for the first time since he was arrested a year ago, his defence team said. "The interview lasted for more than four hours. The president seems in good health, much better compared to his first appearance before the court," Saddam's Amman-based legal team said in a statement. Saddam Hussein will be the last of 12 leaders from the toppled regime to go on trial "long after" next month's elections, Iraq's justice minister told a Swiss newspaper in an article published on Thursday. In addition, Barzan Ibrahim Hassan al-Tikriti, presidential adviser and also half-brother of Saddam, would be the second to face justice after Ali Hassan al-Majid, said Justice Minister Malek Dohan al-Hassan.
Trial began in Sudan on Thursday for 78 men, including members of the leading Islamist opposition Popular Congress party and former military officers, accused of plotting to overthrow the government. The men were arrested for involvement in what the government said was an attempted coup in September. They were charged with provoking war against the state, terrorism, undermining the constitutional system and possessing weapons. The defendants face the death penalty if convicted. Judge Al-Amin al-Tayeb read the charges to 72 men, including five retired members of the armed forces, who sat behind bars in the court room. Six of the men are being tried in absentia.
Police arrested two suspected militants and seized explosives from their hideout on Thursday. The men belonged to the outlawed 
A roadside bomb killed four Afghan policemen and wounded two on Thursday in the southern province of Khost, a senior police official said. Khost is one of the main centres of activity of Taliban guerrillas fighting a three-year-old insurgency against government and US-led forces. "A remote control bomb blast in Ismail Khail Mandozai district killed four people and wounded two," said Khost Deputy Police Chief Colonel Mohammad Zaman Khan. A district chief was among the wounded, he added. On Monday, security forces in Khost asked for support from US forces against a militant nest, and seven rebels were killed by US artillery fire. US and Afghan security forces have detained at least 27 suspected militants since Saturday, half of them in Kandahar, another southern province.
Three Palestinian militants were killed in the southern Gaza Strip after attacking an Israeli army position and an army convoy, according to a revised toll on Thursday from medical sources. 
