Like two snowmen trapped immobile in winter's grip, NATO-led forces and the Taliban-led insurgency eye each other icily, watching and waiting for the thaw that will allow them to renew what both believe could be the decisive battle for control of Afghanistan.
"Like two snowmen"? Who the hell wrote this? Burl Ives?
There must have been some magick left
In that old silk turban
They say
'Cuz when they wrapped it 'round his head
He blew up.
As soon as the snow starts to melt within a few months, Afghanistan will be locked in a titanic battle that will initially be centered along the key artery running across the south of the country from Herat in the west, through Kandahar and on to the capital Kabul in the east. This will become the highway to hell, or, if the Taliban win, the highway to the paradise on Earth that they promise for the country.
Don't need reason, don't need rhyme,
Ain't nothin' i'd rather do.
goin' down, jihad time.
my friends are gonna be there too.
i'm on a highway to hell....
With the onset of winter last year, both sides had time to reconsider their positions, especially in view of the Taliban's most successful spring offensive since being ousted in 2001. About 4,000 people died last year, a fourfold increase over the previous year.
I'm still trying to figure how that was their "most successful" spring offensive, since most of the 4000 corpses where Talibs. And I'd also wager the majority of that 4000 were Paks.
Coalition still refuses to release Talibunny body counts, but the best estimate I can find is that 3500 of those 4000 were 'insurgents'. Total coalition casualties for 2006 were 191.
In southwestern Afghanistan, the Taliban emerged powerful and confident, both on the political and military fronts, clearly no longer the timid rats hiding in mountain holes from where they would come out randomly and try to bite their enemies.
Powerful and confident enough to engage coalition forces to the tune of 4,000 of their own sent to paradise. Boy howdy that's powerful!
All the same, the Taliban failed to force the withdrawal of any of the 31,000 North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops in the country, something the alliance calls "a failure". The Taliban response is that last year was just a "warm-up". This year will be for real, they say.
Posted by: Steve ||
01/24/2007 08:06 ||
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#1
This all changed last year in the southwest when the Taliban, after being rejected by the masses, were asked down from the mountains to join in with the population. This provided the Taliban with essential grassroots support and logistics.
Really? Asked down from the mountains by whom, pray tell? 'Twas the masses, apparently, that had rejected them, and surely 'tis the masses who are the population below the mountains. Why on earth would rejectionist masses/population provide grassroots support and logistics?
It appears the writer marinated a bit too long in the Marxist/Leninist/Maoist view of history. A pity -- he would have been slightly more effective as a creative writing lecturer at a Pakistani university.
#6
WIth all the action-packed adjectives used, I am really surprised that this tome didn't start out:
"It was a dark and stormy night. Suddenly a pirate ship appeared on the horizon..." ( Sorry, Snoopy)
The US faces a Soviet-style humiliation in Afghanistan, a fugitive Afghan warlord claimed in a video message while taunting Pakistan for aiding US-led counter-terrorism operations. In the video, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar accused Washington of fomenting conflict among Afghan ethnic groups on a scale comparable with the strife in Iraq. Everyone knows the American aggressors are faced with defeat in every part of the country. They were unable to achieve their goals They are preparing to leave like the Soviet troops.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/24/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
They are preparing to leave like the Soviet troops
#2
Hmmm...capitalizing on over $1 billion US aid per year, while enjoying a UN subsidized presense of a couple of million Afghan refugees, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan operates a secret, dirty war against US troops. Naw...I must be dreaming.
#4
whatever else the Pakis are doing, they aint running Stingers, etc over the border. Ya want to know how different the current situation is from what the Sovs faced, you need details on what the Sovs faced. Let me again recommend reading "Charlie Wilson's War" (soon to be a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts)
#7
It was a bit of both. However it was Ishamel Khan and Ahmad Shah Massoud (both would later fight the Taliban) who did nearly all the work. Hekmatyar spent much more time fighting Massoud (and having his ass handled) than the Soviets.
#9
As I recall, when the Sovs went to choppers, they were really cutting down the mooj and winning. Stingers changed that. The CIA gave the Stingers to the ISI who gave them to the Afghans who took them back to the 'stan and used them to glorious effect. I don't recall if the ISI gave them mainly to the pushtuns (taliban) or Massood (Tajik/Uzbek) got some too. I think Massood got some because he was very effective.
(SomaliNet) Yemen has officially reopened its embassy in Mogadishu, the Somalia capital on Tuesday as the interim government welcomed the move as example for other countries to follow. Yemen's ambassador to Somalia, Ahmad Hamid Omer told reporters in the capital the aim of reopening the embassy in Mogadishu was to support the Somali interim government and people "to make peace and stability".
Hussein Mohamed Aideed, the deputy prime minister and interior minister, and other government officials have attended a ceremony of reopening the Yemeni embassy. Mr. Aideed welcomed the Yemenis move to reopen its embassy in Mogadishu as positive step towards peace in the region. This indicates that Mogadishu is peaceful and all world embassies could be reopened, he said.
Yemen became the first Arab nation to open its diplomatic office in Somalia since the collapse of former regime of Siad Bare in 1991. Most nations closed their embassies in Mogadishu during the past decade when the Horn of Africa country descended into anarchy following the toppling of President Siad Barre in a 1991 revolt. The interim government entered Mogadishu after Ethiopian troops late last December drove out Islamists who had controlled the city and much of the country since June.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/24/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
whew! finally getting back to normal.
things are going to be ok now.
(SomaliNet) The Transitional Federal Government Tuesday denounced the European Unions condition before the fund for Somalia as undesirable, government official said. Abdirahman Dinari, the government spokesman said the government could not accept conditions in which the European Union said it would not help finance the Somali transitional government unless it reaches out to the defeated Union of Islamists and other parties for peace and a unity government.
Dinari told reporters in Mogadishu his government was very disappointed with the conditional outcome of the EU meeting in Brussels for Somalia. The federal government expected that EU would take positive roles in aiding Somalia government without provisos, he said. We are telling the European Union that the Somali government could do without the conditional aid, and the EUs stance towards helping the country is a violation to the sovereignty of Somalia.
Dinari said the Somali government endorses reconciliations but it can not accept to be told whom the government has to reconcile with. The EU aid and development Commissioner Louis Michel warned that the country might slide back to civil war, citing the recent insurgent attacks at the presidential palace in Mogadishu. A broad-based government "is the only way to politically stabilize Somalia, therefore I have established a clear link between financing the stabilization force and the opening to dialogue and reconciliation process," The EU financial aid for the African peacekeepers to Somalia.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/24/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
WOW! Between the Etheopieans and the Somalis, there may still be a bit of a spark of hope....
In non-diplo-speak, it probably sounded like: FOAD!
#2
Actually, these guys should learn a thing or two from the Paelos, promise with their lips to honor the conditions, take the money, then go back on their word.
#1
Funny how the only slaves any ever cares to bitch about were the ones freed first by the Royal Navy and then by the Union army. A "thank you" note would be nice, btw.
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Ethiopian troops whose military strength was crucial to helping Somalia's government drive out a radical Islamic militia began withdrawing Tuesday, raising fears of a power vacuum unless peacekeepers arrive soon in this chaotic nation. Ethiopia's government spokesman, Zemedkun Tekle, confirmed Tuesday's pullout but gave no details.
Islamic Courts to regroup and return in 5 .. 4 .. 3 ..
Somali government spokesman Abdirahman Dinari said Ethiopia helped chase out the Council of Islamic Courts militia, which had taken over the capital and much of southern Somalia. But it was time for the neighboring forces to leave. "As of today, the Ethiopian troops have started to withdraw from Somalia. We are grateful that they played an important role in the restoration of law and order in the country," Dinari said.
Nearly 200 people gathered at the former National University in Mogadishu, cheering as the Ethiopians moved out on trucks and tanks. "Leave us alone and let us solve our problems," the crowd chanted.
Sure, have at it.
Many Somalis were angered by the presence of Ethiopian forces. Somalia, a Muslim country, and Ethiopia, which has a large Christian population and an almost as large Muslim population, fought a brutal war in 1977. "I am very happy the Ethiopians are leaving because it will end clashes in which civilians are the victims," said Ilmi Shardi Mahad, a resident of Mogadishu's Hurwa district, considered a hotbed of support for the Islamists.
The Islamic council has played on the traditional Somali-Ethiopian rivalry, saying the group would launch an Iraq-style guerrilla war on Ethiopian troops here. "The withdrawal of Ethiopia will be the end of our ongoing insurgency," said Sheik Ahmed Muumin, a member of the Islamic council who contacted The Associated Press by telephone on Tuesday.
But it was not clear whether his views represented those of the Islamic leadership, which is largely fleeing in hiding in Yemen.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/24/2007 00:00 ||
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More than 1,000 Yemeni men went to Iraq to fight jihad during 2003 to 2006, most of them during 2006, and around 150 were killed, a local newspaper reported on Monday.
The Al Tajamo weekly paper said that 70 to 75 per cent of the men went to Iraq from Yemen while the remainder went there from other countries. Most of them were young, under 20, and were influenced by extremist religious discourse.
The Al Hekma Charitable Association which is based in Aden, Sanaa and Abyan helped the young men go to Iraq for jihad, the paper said. The Al Hekma association has denied the claim.
The paper said also that at least two of the men had been recently handed over to the Yemeni government from Egypt and Syria where they were arrested.
The paper mentioned the name of one of them, Wadee Al Dawlah, 25, and said the other was from the Bait Al Ramah family, and that both were from Jaar, Abyan province, south of the country. The families of the two men are waiting for the release of their sons despite them being handed to Yemen three months ago, according to the paper. The security authorities declined to comment on the report which it said was based on sources close to the men's families and also on security sources.
#1
1000+ crossed the border with great enthusiasm, 150 were killed, 2 arrested and sent home. So where are the rest? Oh, right, simple arithmetic isn't in the Koran. Silly of me.
#2
So, is Yemen up for some kind of jihad participation award ? Why don't we test our new steel ball launcher on Yemen ?
We can call it the Allan-be-pissed crashing steel balls award.
#6
We really need to return to the moon, and stay this time. It wouldn't be that difficult to erect a magnetic launch rail aimed at Earth. With a little inertial guidance, a nice 500m3 rock could be guided to a smack-down anywhere, while the launcher is all but unasailable. Smack on into Riyadh when the "royals" are in residence, and watch the jihad rate halve. Hit Qom, and see it drop even more. Smack Damascus, and watch hezbollah, hamas, and fatah crumble into dust. Watch the UN seethe and whine and prove its impotence to the entire world. I can't see any drawbacks...
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/24/2007 22:54 Comments ||
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China's Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held talks by telephone about the North Korean nuclear issue and China-US ties, the ministry said. The call took place Tuesday evening Beijing time amid a flurry of diplomatic exchanges aimed at resuming international talks on dismantling Pyongyang's nuclear programs.
A brief statement posted on the ministry's Web site said the two exchanged views on "China-US strategic cooperative relations and the Korean peninsula nuclear issue." It gave no details. It did not say whether Li and Rice discussed Beijing's recent anti-satellite missile, which has alarmed the US and other countries.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/24/2007 00:00 ||
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BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - Britain, Poland, Germany, Italy and other EU nations knew about secret CIA flights over Europe and the abduction of terror suspects by U.S. agents, according to a report approved by a special committee of the European Parliament on Tuesday.
The report, the conclusion of a yearlong investigation into CIA activities in Europe, also accused EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and other high-ranking officials of failing to fully cooperate with the probe. It also called for unspecified sanctions against member states found to have violated EU human rights principles.
Sanctions that can't be enforced.
But, in a crucial amendment pushed through by the conservatives who opposed the document, the report said there is no evidence that CIA secret prisons were based in Poland - an allegation that prompted the investigation in November 2005.
The report, drafted by Italian Socialist Giovanni Fava, was backed by Socialists and Liberals; center-right deputies rejected it as ideological, biased and inaccurate. It was also criticized by some of the 13 EU nations implicated, including Germany and Ireland. "Instead of highlighting ways in which extraordinary rendition could be prevented in the future, the report indulges in political point-scoring," said Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern.
While proof was next to non-existent thin on proof, the committee said information came from secret documents and confidential sources, including records of meetings between EU, NATO and senior U.S. State Department officials and dozens of hours of testimony by individuals who said they were kidnapped by U.S. agents in Europe and transferred to secret prisons.
It also obtained information from Eurocontrol, the EU's air safety agency, according to which more than 1,200 undeclared CIA flights entered European airspace since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
"We have uncovered serious breaches of human rights. We recognize the need to combat terrorism but this can only be done using legal methods," said Wolfgang Kreissl-Doerfler, a Socialist member of the committee.
But members of the European People's Party, the largest political grouping in the European Parliament, argued that much of the report was based on hearsay. "The report is full of phrases like 'we believe' or 'we think' - that's unacceptable. It did not come up with anything we would not have known, but it did manage to split the assembly according to who's pro-American and who's anti-American," said Italian conservative Jas Gawronski.
And split exactly as expected.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/24/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
...May I respectfully sugest to the EU Special Committee that they FOAD. EU nations have destroyed private property belonging to international organizations which they didn't like (Can you say Rainbow Warrior , France? Of COURSE you can.) kidnapped international terrorists (ask Carlos Iliych Ramirez, AKA The Jackal how he ended up in prison)and executed a few without legal sanctions (look at how the leadership of the old Red Army faction in Germany all managed to commit suicide despite being on 24/7 watch).
Hypocritical bastards.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/24/2007 9:20 Comments ||
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Eighteen House Republicans have urged the Justice Department to proceed with a polygraph test for Samuel R. Berger, the former national security adviser who agreed to take the test as part of a plea of guilty of stealing documents from the National Archives. "This may be the only way for anyone to know whether Mr. Berger denied the 9/11 commission and the public the complete account of the Clinton administration's actions or inactions during the lead-up to the terrorist attacks on the United States," the congressmen said in their letter to Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales.
The congressmen – led by Rep. Thomas M. Davis III of Virginia – said a prompt lie-detector test is needed to determine the extent of Mr. Berger's thievery, especially because the former Clinton administration adviser reviewed original documents for which there were no copies or inventory. Other signers of the letter are Reps. Duncan Hunter, Darrell Issa and Brian Bilbray of California, John L. Mica of Florida, F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. of Wisconsin, Dan Burton and Mark Souder of Indiana, Christopher Shays of Connecticut, John M. McHugh of New York, Chris Cannon of Utah, John J. "Jimmy" Duncan Jr. of Tennessee, Michael R. Turner of Ohio, Kenny Marchant of Texas, Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia, Patrick T. McHenry and Virginia Foxx of North Carolina and Bill Sali of Idaho.
Mr. Davis, former chairman and now ranking Republican on the House Government Reform Committee, released a report by his staff on Jan. 9, saying a Justice Department investigation of Mr. Berger's admitted document theft was "remarkably incurious." The report said the theft compromised national security "much more than originally disclosed" and resulted in "incomplete and misleading" information to the September 11 commission. It said Mr. Berger was willing to go to "extraordinary lengths to compromise national security, apparently for his own convenience."
In October, Mr. Davis led an effort to hold hearings to determine whether any documents were "destroyed, removed or were missing" after visits by Mr. Berger to the Archives. He said the full extent of Mr. Berger's document removal "can never be known" and the Justice Department could not assure the September 11 commission that it received all the documents to which Mr. Berger had access.
Mr. Davis said that during sentencing, Mr. Berger agreed to a polygraph examination as part of a plea deal, but Justice never administered the test, according to two Justice officials closely connected to the case -- John Dion, chief of the counterespionage section, and Bruce Swartz, deputy assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division.
He said Mr. Berger assured the commission that it received all the documents it sought but that some of the papers Mr. Berger examined were originals for which there were no copies or inventory. He said there is no way to know whether Mr. Berger returned all of those documents.
Lanny Breuer, Mr. Berger's attorney, has said the matter was thoroughly investigated by the Justice Department for more than two years and effectively closed for more than a year. He said the report's conclusions were based on "pure conjecture." "Sandy Berger made a mistake. But he has admitted that mistake, fully cooperated with the government's investigation, paid his debt to society, and moved on.org. It's time for the new congressional minority to do the same."
Justice Department spokes-man Bryan Sierra has said the department "has no evidence that Sandy Berger's actions deprived the 9/11 commission of documents, and we stand by our investigation of this matter."
Mr. Berger pleaded guilty in April 2005 to a misdemeanor charge of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material, including documents outlining the government's knowledge of terrorist threats to the United States. Fined $50,000 and barred from access to classified material until the next administration comes in for three years, he faced a year in prison and a $100,000 fine, but his plea deal reduced the fine and kept him out of prison.
#2
Fined $50,000 and barred from access to classified material until the next administration comes in for three years, he faced a year in prison and a $100,000 fine, but his plea deal reduced the fine and kept him out of prison.
Nothing like being held without bail in solitary confinement for 278 days like Wen Ho Lee for mishandling documents. However, he was just the target of a Clinton-Berger witch hunt during the 'Chinese are getting American secrets' scare.
One set of rules for thee and another set of rules for me - a liberal mantra.
#3
Can we combine the lie detector with the water board ?
And, if and when Berger mentions Clinton, bring him in for a dunk or two. Oops, I forgot, Willy's a complete pussy, one dunk will suffice.
#4
Woulda been nice if they did this while they still had control of Congress. Hell, might have helped them control Congress if they'd shown the least bit of spine in going after a traitor.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
01/24/2007 10:53 Comments ||
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#5
RC, could it be that spine is a result of moral strength ?
#6
However, he was just the target of a Clinton-Berger witch hunt during the 'Chinese are getting American secrets' scare.
You mean, the Chinese aren't getting our secrets? It was all a big joke, then? Who knew.
Posted by: Chuck Darwin ||
01/24/2007 17:05 Comments ||
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#7
Nothing like being held without bail in solitary confinement for 278 days like Wen Ho Lee for mishandling documents. However, he was just the target of a Clinton-Berger witch hunt during the 'Chinese are getting American secrets' scare.
The Clintonistas feared that Lee was moving in on their military secrets for campaign donation business.
When I refer to 'scare', I'm referring to the hype that Clinton & Co engaged in with the case. Notice any other arrests promoted with as much enthusiasm by a White House cabal, around the issue of Chinese spying, who leaked more on Lee than was ever done in the so called outing of a CIA employee? They needed a scapegoat. Lee filled their bill for the political stage until it melted down to just mishandling of docs. And Lee was handling the docs in a manner that many other non-Chinese at Los Alamos were doing and apparently, still doing. The people, supposedly, in charge at Los Alamos are still having problems with accountability.
#2
They were behaving according to their ROE, and thus their orders. They should be commended for what had to be a superhuman effort not to disobey orders and respond to this flagrant violation of US soil. Our venom and the subject of our fury should be the politicos: to the ones who formulated the ROE, AND to the ones who questioned the Guardsmen's actions INSTEAD of their fellow politicos who created the ROE.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/24/2007 8:09 Comments ||
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#5
St. Ptah has spoken! And, thusly, it is!
Posted by: BA ||
01/24/2007 10:06 Comments ||
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#6
So, did our asshole president mention the border fence last night ?
I didn't listen. But I did find that he missed a great, GREAT chance to belittle the democrats who sat on their hands after mention of victory in Iraq.
My speech....The war on terror is multifaceted. From our borders, to the phone conversations of Islamic radicals, to the war zones, to a variety of locations experiencing terrorism, back to America in the form of comfort and support offered by the media and legal counsels. We must fight and win on all fronts. We must win back the media, the New York Times, CNN, and others. We must win the loyalty of all of our politicians, and all of our citizens to defeat terrorism. We must define the enemy and take the fight to them. We must smash al Qaeda, smash the Taliban, smash Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, even CAIR. And to do so, we must not allow the ACLU or the Washington Post to stand in our way. We must win the war in Afghanistan, and win the war in Iraq.
Then, as no democrat stood and cheered, the potus should have pointed to them, and said, 'This is what I'm talking about. Our enemies are delighted when we show a divided America. We MUST stand united behind our soldiers, or give up being the America we all grew up in. Which is it ? Win or lose ?
Here's the link for those of you who missed it, and a convenient post for discussion.
This war is more than a clash of arms it is a decisive ideological struggle, and the security of our Nation is in the balance. To prevail, we must remove the conditions that inspire blind hatred, and drove 19 men to get onto airplanes and come to kill us. What every terrorist fears most is human freedom societies where men and women make their own choices, answer to their own conscience, and live by their hopes instead of their resentments. Free people are not drawn to violent and malignant ideologies and most will choose a better way when they are given a chance. So we advance our own security interests by helping moderates, reformers, and brave voices for democracy. The great question of our day is whether America will help men and women in the Middle East to build free societies and share in the rights of all humanity. And I say, for the sake of our own security ... we must.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/24/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
I watched it, I liked it. GW did a good job of speechifying. Pelosi looked like she was chewing a mouthful of worms.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/24/2007 0:44 Comments ||
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#4
"Pelosi looked like she was chewing a mouthful of worms."
I thought it looked more like crow.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/24/2007 0:46 Comments ||
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#5
IMO it was good. I wished he'd do a weekly fire side chat to the country in order to combat all the b.s. the media throws out. More personal stories about all the good stuff going on as many service folks can attest to. Plus, I'd love just once for him or Tony Snow to call out some journo-prick or paper by name and sarcastically whip them ala Dennis Miller style for reporting or editorializing some half-truth about iraq.
#6
sorry missed it, the demoCraps tried hiring me to raise money from Americans during the speechafyin.
Here or abroad they said, anywhere and everywhere there's money, man these demoCrap variety are lower than snake shit, can ya imagine the gaul, they expect me to giver them my hard earned ill got gains! sheech! anyone of dem are definately worser than all of us bank workers put together!
#7
Good speach, well-delivered. Nice shot of Queen Hillary with a scowl on her face at on of W's suggestions.
I see the Dem's response was prepared in advance, so it wasn't really a 'response', was it. Just another excuse to pontificate.
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/24/2007 6:22 Comments ||
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#8
So, did our president mention the border fence last night ?
I didn't listen. But I did find that he missed a great, GREAT chance to belittle the democrats who sat on their hands after mention of victory in Iraq.
My speech....The war on terror is multifaceted. From our borders, to the phone conversations of Islamic radicals, to the war zones, to a variety of locations experiencing terrorism, back to America in the form of comfort and support offered by the media and legal counsels. We must fight and win on all fronts. We must win back the media, the New York Times, CNN, and others. We must win the loyalty of all of our politicians, and all of our citizens to defeat terrorism. We must define the enemy and take the fight to them. We must smash al Qaeda, smash the Taliban, smash Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, even CAIR. And to do so, we must not allow the ACLU or the Washington Post to stand in our way. We must win the war in Afghanistan, and win the war in Iraq.
Then, as no democrat stood and cheered, the POTUS should have pointed to them, and said, 'This is what I'm talking about. Our enemies are delighted when we show a divided America. We MUST stand united behind our soldiers, or give up being the America we all grew up in. Which is it ? Win or lose ?
Democrats blistered President George W. Bush's war policy Tuesday night, challenging him to redeem the nation's credibility and his own with an immediate shift toward a diplomatic end to the bloody conflict in Iraq. "The president took us into this war recklessly," the Democrats' chosen messenger, Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia, said in his prepared response to Bush's State of the Union address Tuesday night. "We are now, as a nation, held hostage to the predictable - and predicted - disarray that has followed."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/24/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
LAVROZOV says CHINA has a covert agenda to eliminate 3.0Bilyuhn of the earth's population. among others. Iff earth's popul is circa 6.1B-plus, which 3.0B +/- do the Dems wanna be on, Living halve or dead halve???
#2
Are we ATTACKATREATING, or are we RETREATTACKING??? Making it absolutely clear to the Amer people [pointing finger] and D ***ng it don't youse forget it!
#4
Worse than pathetic: it's sick, destructive, and outright treasonous.
I think we have precisely ZERO chance of prevailing in this conflict with Islam so long as the Democratic Party is allowed to continue undermining our efforts. Or any other conflict, for that matter.
And the enemy knows that.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
01/24/2007 6:58 Comments ||
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#5
Off topic but to Dave D. I can't post comments to the O Club. Is something wrong?
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
01/24/2007 9:30 Comments ||
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#6
Good gawd! I watched their response and I thought I'd puke. He (Webb) didn't want to respond point-by-point to Bush's issues.
The Donk's only two issues (according to him) are:
(1) the benefits of our economy are "distributed fairly,"
(2) Bush lied us into Iraq, and we must pull out soon.
Even had a bleeding heart picture of his dad (from WWII), and said he was a Marine, his son is a Marine, and his other son is Army, now in Iraq.
Jeebus, it makes me think of the billboard put up here in Metro Atlanta after Murtha mouthed off...."Sen. Murtha: You may cut and run from Iraq, but MARINES never do!"
Posted by: BA ||
01/24/2007 9:59 Comments ||
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#7
whoops, meant "are NOT distributed fairly"....
Posted by: BA ||
01/24/2007 10:00 Comments ||
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#8
The legions of the morons are once again carping loudly and slamming Bush. They don't have a plan of any kind themselves. Their worst fear is that they might have to do something someday. They are a pretty pathetic bunch along with their co-conspirators the MSM. FUCK EM ALL.
The US Defence Department has unveiled what it describes as a revolutionary heat-beaming weapon.
They say it could be used to control mobs or repel foes in conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan.
The so-called Active Denial System creates an intense burning sensation causing people to run for cover, but no lasting harm, officials said.
"This is a breakthrough technology that's going to give our forces a capability they don't now have," Theodore Barna, an assistant deputy undersecretary of defence for advanced systems and concepts, told Reuters.
"We expect the services to add it to their tool kit. And that could happen as early as 2010."
The weapon, mounted on a Humvee vehicle, uses a large rectangular dish antenna to direct an invisible beam toward a target.
It includes a high-voltage power unit and beam-generating equipment and is effective at more than 500 metres.
Existing counter-personnel systems designed not to kill - including bean bag munitions and rubber bullets - work at little more than "rock-throwing distances," said Marine Colonel Kirk Hymes, director of the Pentagon's Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate.
In increasingly complex military operations, the technology provided a much-needed alternative to just going from "shouting to shooting," said Hymes, who is responsible for the weapon's five-year, $US60 million ($A76.8 million) advanced development.
Variations of the system could help in peacetime and wartime missions, including crowd control and mob dispersal, checkpoint security and port protection, officials said.
It could also help in conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan.
Raytheon Co, which has worked to develop the technology, has built a prototype called Silent Guardian, that it hopes to sell in the United States and abroad in what could become a multibillion market.
The weapon was shown off publicly for the first time at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia, where it has been undergoing operational tests by the 820th Security Forces Group, which protects US Air Force assets.
The directorate invited reporters to be zapped as part of what its spokeswoman, Marine Major Sarah Fullwood, called an effort to "demystify" the technology at issue.
At a distance of several football fields, the sensation from the exposure was like a blast from a very hot oven, too painful to bear without scrambling for cover.
The burning sensation is achieved by high-power energy waves that heat the skin to 54 degrees Celsius. The pain ended as soon as the target jumped from the line of fire.
Documents given out during the demonstration said more than 10,000 people had been exposed to the weapon since testing began more than 12 years ago.
They said there had been no injuries requiring medical attention during the five-year advanced development program.
#3
The directorate invited reporters to be zapped as part of what its spokeswoman, Marine Major Sarah Fullwood, called an effort to "demystify" the technology at issue.
I'll bet the Major's eyes lit up when she was told to make that invitation.
Maybe they can park it down in front of the Boston Globe and offer the staff free rides...
#8
We've had heat weapons for years. Anybody who has worked the flight deck of a CV has been truned on by some sort of 'go-faster.' And a Phantom or Tomcat or Vigilante in tension just before the catshot at full 'burner is definitely tossing some BTUs around. Since we retired all the -14s, can we just mount the engines on the top of a duece and a half and drive around town? put it on a swivel and aim as needed. Of course you would need a tanker to follow and would need some damn good brakes unless you were testing the 'for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction' thingy.
Just sayin' is all......
#9
Nice, but can it cook soup/stews in a helmet???
FREEREPUBLIC > AVIATION NOW magz > USAF = USA has tech to take control of enemy missles, launchers, + Systems, anytime + almost anywhere. MEL GIBSON in PATRIOT > "Soon, soon" to Tavington.
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan (JUP) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) have vowed to continue their struggle for the restoration of democracy from the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal platform.
According to an official statement, MMA leader Qazi Hussain Ahmed met JUP leader Shah Muhammad Anas Noorani at Mansoora on Tuesday. Both leaders discussed the current political situation, and said the country was passing through a crucial period, therefore opposition parties should help each other in ending the rule of dictators. They also discussed plans for upcoming general elections, and agreed that a final decision on the MMAs election strategy and other related issues would be made at an upcoming meeting of the MMA supreme council.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/24/2007 00:00 ||
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ROME Iraqs foreign minister plans to host a meeting in Baghdad of neighbouring countries foreign ministers, he said, stressing it could help change how these countries view the strife-torn country. The meeting would mark an important turning point in these countries vision of the situation in Iraq, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said Tuesday, following talks with his Italian counterpart. He did not say when the meeting would happen or which countries would participate.
US officials say two of Iraqs neighbours, Iran and Syria, are supporting the insurgency, and American forces have twice detained Iranians in Iraq. Iraq, however, has recently been making overtures to its two large neighbours.
Italian Premier Romano Prodi has said that both Iran and Syria should be involved in talks if the region is to be stabilized. Foreign Minister Massimo DAlema reiterated in a joint news conference with Zebari that Iraqs stability can be achieved through an active participation by countries in the region to avoid Iraq being seen ... as a battlefield.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/24/2007 00:00 ||
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Palestinian factions on Tuesday said they were starting a new round of talks to form a unity government after months of internal bickering that has flared into violence between rivals Hamas and Fatah. The talks come on the heels of a meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah and Hamas' exiled leader, Khaled Mashaal, last weekend in Syria. The meeting ended without agreement.
Despite claims of progress, hopes were dim that the new round of talks would lead to an agreement. The sides remain at odds over control of the Interior Ministry, which oversees security forces, and Abbas' demand that the platform of the government include recognition of Israel. Fatah has made joining a unity government conditional on Hamas recognizing former peace agreements, which would implicitly recognize Israel. Despite the sanctions, Hamas has rejected international calls to renounce violence and recognize the Jewish state.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/24/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Things should go swimmingly considering how they all subscribe to a religion of peace.
#3
Big news. The Russkies have been providing weapons and technical assistance from day one of our entry. This does their hearts good as it is belated payback for our meddling in Afghanland. It does their treasury a lot of good, because it turns Mullah oil into Russsian rubles as fast as you can blink. And, they hope it gives them a heads-up on how their systems perform against US assets. Won't help the Mullahs though because this attack will be non-defensible by these systems.
Israel and the United States will soon be destroyed, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday during a meeting with Syria's foreign minister, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) website said in a report. "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad assured that the United States and the Zionist regime of Israel will soon come to the end of their lives," the Iranian president was quoted as saying. "Sparking discord among Muslims, especially between the Shiites and Sunnis, is a plot hatched by the Zionists and the US for dominating regional nations and looting their resources," Ahmadinejad added, according to the report.
The Iranian president also directly tied events in Lebanon to a wider plan aimed at Israel's destruction. He called on "regional countries" to "support the Islamic resistance of the Lebanese people and strive to enhance solidarity and unity among the different Palestinian groups in a bid to pave the ground for the undermining of the Zionist regime whose demise is, of course, imminent."
Ahmadinejad has threatened the State of Israel with annihilation several times in recent months, and has recently added the US and Britain to the list of countries he says will be destroyed.
Syria's Foreign Minister, Wailed Mualem, accused the US of attempting to carry out a "massacre of Muslims" and of sowing "discord among Islamic faiths in the region." Mualem called on "regional states to pave the ground for the establishment of peace and tranquillity while preventing further genocide of the Muslims," the IRIB website said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/24/2007 09:30 ||
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#1
In the photo, his forehead is missing that all important laser dot.
#5
"Sparking discord among Muslims, especially between the Shiites and Sunnis, is a plot hatched by the Zionists and the US for dominating regional nations and looting their resources," Ahmadinejad added
haha sounds like HIS foreign policy to me *shrug*
In the immortal words of someone , somewhere : 'What a twat!'
North Korea is helping Iran to prepare an underground nuclear test similar to the one Pyongyang carried out last year. Under the terms of a new understanding between the two countries, the North Koreans have agreed to share all the data and information they received from their successful test last October with Teheran's nuclear scientists. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Kim Jong il; Iran and N Korea are said to be collaborating over a nuclear test
North Korea provoked an international outcry when it successfully fizzled fired a bomb at a secret underground location and anyone with half a brain Western intelligence officials are convinced that Iran is working on its own weapons programme. A senior European defence official told The Daily Telegraph that North Korea had invited a team of Iranian nuclear scientists to study the results of last October's underground test to assist Teheran's preparations to conduct its own possibly by the end of this year.
There were unconfirmed reports at the time of the Korean firing that an Iranian team was present. Iranian military advisers regularly visit North Korea to participate in missile tests. Now the long-standing military co-operation between the countries has been extended to nuclear issues.
As a result, senior western military officials are deeply concerned that the North Koreans' technical superiority will allow the Iranians to accelerate development of their own nuclear weapon. "The Iranians are working closely with the North Koreans to study the results of last year's North Korean nuclear bomb test," said the European defence official. "We have identified increased activity at all of Iran's nuclear facilities since the turn of the year," he said. "All the indications are that the Iranians are working hard to prepare for their own underground nuclear test."
The disclosure of the nuclear co-operation between North Korea and Iran comes as Teheran seems set on a collision course with the West over its nuclear programme, although it insists it is entirely peaceful. Both countries were named in President George W Bush's famous "axis of evil" State of the Union speech in 2002. The United Nations Security Council has unanimously authorised the imposition of "smart" sanctions against Iran. This is because of its refusal to suspend its uranium enrichment programme, which most Western intelligence agencies believe is part of a clandestine nuclear weapons programme.
France expressed concern yesterday over an Iranian decision to bar 38 UN nuclear inspectors from Iran, claiming that Teheran appeared to be singling out westerners from the inspection team.
Intelligence estimates vary about how long it could take Teheran to produce a nuclear warhead. But defence officials monitoring the growing co-operation between North Korea and Iran believe the Iranians could be in a position to test fire a low-grade device less than half a kiloton within 12 months. The precise location of the Iranian test site is unknown, but is likely to be located in a mountainous region where it is difficult for spy satellites to pick up any unusual activity. Teheran successfully concealed the existence of several key nuclear sites including the controversial Natanz uranium enrichment complex until their locations were disclosed by Iranian dissidents three years ago.
Western intelligence agencies have reported an increase in the number of North Korean and Iranian scientists travelling between the two countries. The increased co-operation on nuclear issues began last November when a team of Iranian nuclear scientists met their North Korean counterparts to study the technical and political implications of Pyongyang's nuclear test. The Iranians are reported to have been encouraged by the fact that no punitive action was taken against North Korea, despite the international outcry that greeted the underground firing. This has persuaded the Iranian regime to press ahead with its own nuclear programme with the aim of testing a low-grade device, which would be difficult for international inspectors to detect.
#3
Coughlin's article would be more compelling were it sourced with more than "senior experts and unconfirmed reports." Perhaps he's been hanging out with Sy Hersh? Still, his premise comes as little surprise.
#4
One interesting and underlying issue I see is that the West (loosely including Russia and China)are allowing this development to take place. It would imply that they are not concerned - worries from 'intelligence officials' aside. Our own 'black box' full of secret goodies must be pretty full.
TEHRAN, Iran The United States is incapable of inflicting "serious damage" on Iran, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday, as a US Navy carrier group steamed toward Iran in what Washington has termed a warning.
He uses the words 'incapable' and 'serious damage' in ways differently than we do.
Speaking in an interview with Iranian state television, Ahmadinejad said that Democrats "wise" Americans would not let U.S. President George W. Bush attack Iran. "They (U.S.) are not really in a position to carry out this action (of attacking Iran). I believe there are many wise people in the United States who would not let it happen," he said.
He's anticipating the Democratic Congress.
The president said that Washington had not stepped up its campaign against Tehran, despite the furor over Iran's uranium enrichment which saw the U.N. Security Council impose sanctions on the country last month. "U.S. rhetoric against Iran has not increased," Ahmadinejad said. "In 2003, they openly threatened to attack Iran. Now they have indirectly made such threats."
We usually don't rattle the scabbard as we draw our sword.
"They want to put us under pressure because they see the Iranian nation as an obstacle in the way of their goals in the region, but they are unable to do so," he said.
"Iran is not seeking confrontation with anybody," he told the interviewers in his office.
Other than the U.S., the U.N., the IAEA, the Gulf States, the Saoodis, the Zionists, the Afghans, ...
He appeared to be indifferent to the prospect of a U.S. military strike against Iran, which has been mooted as a response to its nuclear program. "The United States is unable to inflict serious damage on Iran," the president said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/24/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Maybe no 'serious damage', but that 'humorous damage' can be a real sumbitch.
#3
Lest we fergit, WORLDTRIBUNE article from June 2002 > RUSSIAN GNEERAL SAYS IRAN HAS NUCLEAR BOMB(S); plus YOUTUBE > Iranian General says Iran may use SHAHAB's for ANTI-CARRIER, ANTI-INFANTRY, + ANTI-US SPAWAR roles. ANTI-AIRFIELD roles by extens also included. SHAHABS > Iran = China is using missles as long-range Coastal Defense + Sea Defense Artillery agz the USN.
#10
Huh! In the late seventies, each US nuclear armed Sub was capable of destroying 160 Soviet cities. Now, given 30 years to update, what could 1 Sub do to Iran?
As for Ahmadman's "indifference" to US power: the moron thinks "angels" protect him. We'll see.
#11
Ahmadinejad: U.S. Incapable of Inflicting 'Serious Damage' on Iran
Defender-Scimitar and Times-Picayune
Fred refering to Mad-Mood Imadinnerjacket, "he doesn't consider being paved as serious damage".
%%%%%%%%%%%
It is axiomatic that Iran, Norks, China and Russia would love to sink some of our big ships, Carriers, Aegis Cruisers, Subs..
Just one would be almost unthinkable. Lets face it during relative peace at sea, our Navy's peace time ROE patrols near/or within shipping lanes, full up with shipping and aircraft, most friendly [non-hostile] but mixed within some unknowns ships/aircraft with hostile intentions make for riskier conditions, yes suited for sneak attacks even. Not dooom just hoping our forces at sea are ready to rock!
#12
Get ready for "Shock And Awe 2", my guess would be, not initially counting the 25 MOABs, Air Borne Laser Units, or Tactical bunkerbusting nukes;... 1000 cruise missiles! 25,000 to 50,000 JDAMs, 1000 Patriot defense missiles (600 already on the way), and a 72 hour established "no fly zone", should cause a little 'funk' from the Mullahs!!
#16
"The United States is unable to inflict serious damage on Iran," the president said.
"Unable" and "unwilling" are two different things.
If he really meant "unable", then of course he's dead wrong: we have the capability of turning Iran-- every square inch of it-- into a glowing puddle of radioactive slag within thirty minutes of making the decision to do so. And even with far less drastic means, we could easily send the entire country back to the Bronze Age for the next several hundred years with a few days or weeks of modest effort.
But if Ahmadinejad is referring to a lack of will, and not a lack of means, I'm afraid he's absolutely right.
The enemy is neither stupid nor ignorant, and when he looks at the absurd clusterfuck of America's politics, with the Democrats' indiscriminate opposition to EVERYTHING the President has done in this war, he simply must conclude-- probably rightly-- that America, overall, lacks the will to fight.
We've shown timidity in the face of aggression. This will not end well.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
01/24/2007 7:17 Comments ||
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#17
It is always the humorous damage that causes me to laugh!
Like using JDAMs to draw a big smiley face across one of their "elite" unit's bases?
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
01/24/2007 7:47 Comments ||
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#18
I pray believe there are many wise people in the United States who would not let it happen," he said.
#20
The United States is incapable of inflicting "serious damage" on Iran,
No. The Democratic Party is incapable of inflicting serious damage or even a mild tongue lashing of any consequences on Iran. That can be resolved in just 2 years. Just give them some more rope.
#22
From what a submariner told me, 2 Trident subs can turn Iran into "one nation under glass" and still have some left over for Syria. We have 12 of these subs.
The only thing that is keeping Iran alive is that Dinnerjacket is doing such a good job of inflicting Serious Damage to Iran all by himself.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
01/24/2007 10:39 Comments ||
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#23
Sometimes I think if Americans could actually spend some time with this guy and in all these Moslem countries they would quite easily and decisively dismiss the fanatic Mohammedan sects that are causing all the trouble in the world at present. A small group of ratty-ass guys with BIG guns and BIG plans really can cause a lot of problems. But they certainly aren't unstoppable--especially if the world at large, as prisoners of the MSM, quit legitimizing them as serious contenders for world power and instead just identify, separate, eliminate.
"A senior European defense official told The Daily Telegraph that North Korea had invited a team of Iranian nuclear scientists to study the results of last October's underground test to assist Teheran's preparations to conduct its own â possibly by the end of this year."
Under the terms of a new understanding between the two countries, the North Koreans have agreed to share all the data and information they received from their successful test last October with Teheran's nuclear scientists. ... There were unconfirmed reports at the time of the Korean firing that an Iranian team was present. Iranian military advisers regularly visit North Korea to participate in missile tests. ...
The disclosure of the nuclear co-operation between North Korea and Iran comes as Tehran seems set on a collision course with the West over its nuclear program, although it insists it is entirely peaceful.
#1
Wouldn't be surprised if one of the NorK tests was an Iranian bomb since I don't think the Iranians have been idle these last 5 years. Instead they have used the grace period to enrich uranium in undeclared complexes.
Posted by: ed ||
01/24/2007 12:33 Comments ||
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Such moonbattery by 3 of the 4 women there.
Watching Rosie is so distasteful, it reminded me of that song "Losing my Erection". I think that was the title.
Of all the stupid things said by leftists that weve showcased on this site, her point about Bushs alleged hypocrisy in honoring the New York subway hero while sending more troops to Iraq may be the very stupidest.
Come for the Rosie, stay for the Behar wondering who gave the commander-in-chief authority to continue an unpopular war.
Posted by: Mike ||
01/24/2007 16:15 Comments ||
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#6
Rosie the riveter strap-on should keep her puss shut
Posted by: Captain America ||
01/24/2007 16:46 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Star Jones was expected to bring in the African American demographic but didn't. Rosie will bring in the gay and ultra-lefty demographic and I'm guessing she's doing so in spades. Barbara Walters knows the show is a business.
#8
The Religion Of Peace will know how to keep Rosie quiet, when they introduce sharia in the US. I'm tempted to think it might be worth it just to shut her up.
Barbra Walters must desperate to keep her ratings up if all they seem to do is get Rosie to pick a fight with most about anyone (Trump, chinese people, whats-her-name-Kelly, etc....)
Sitting back and calling peoples disgusting names (which seems to be Rosie's sole job on the show) will get you attention - for a short time until everyone realizes your full of shit.
#13
when she loses that endorsement deal for Snap-On Tools, then I'll be happy
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/24/2007 21:12 Comments ||
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#14
The funny thing about "the view" is no matter how dumb a comment Rosie O'fatfuck or that wildebeast Behar utters from their rancid soup coolers the droolers in their studio audience will still applaud. Never mind the fact that neither aforementioned sideshow performer has any grasp of American history or the presidential powers as set forth in the U.S. Const.
I like Hasselbeck and Baba Wawa will chime in some real facts once in a while (like why the huxter really got impeached - it's about integrity not about the fat pig who gave him a hummer) but overall the show's a joke from what I've seen. Sadly, like John Stewart's show, so many ignorant doofusses tune in to them for their daily news fix - f'n scary. I can't believe I actually live in a society where people this stupid get paid to make incoherent outlandish statements - Hey Rosie O'Buffetjockey & Clownfriend Behar - it's called a federalist republic not a democracy you f*cking dumb shits. No wonder the Almighty made O'Saladdodger a butch, it was darn good thinkin' on his part not to let her reproduce naturally.
BTW - the new name for the view should be "The View: although we cannot substantiate with any facts or credible evidence any wild ass stupid thing we spew out of our cranial-anuses during this moonbat tupperware party in the 9th circle of hell"
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.
Like two snowmen trapped immobile in winter's grip, NATO-led forces and the Taliban-led insurgency eye each other icily, watching and waiting for the thaw that will allow them to renew what both believe could be the decisive battle for control of Afghanistan. 
The US faces a Soviet-style humiliation in Afghanistan, a fugitive Afghan warlord claimed in a video message while taunting Pakistan for aiding US-led counter-terrorism operations. In the video, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar accused Washington of fomenting conflict among Afghan ethnic groups on a scale comparable with the strife in Iraq. Everyone knows the American aggressors are faced with defeat in every part of the country. They were unable to achieve their goals
They are preparing to leave like the Soviet troops.
(SomaliNet) Yemen has officially reopened its embassy in Mogadishu, the Somalia capital on Tuesday as the interim government welcomed the move as example for other countries to follow. Yemen's ambassador to Somalia, Ahmad Hamid Omer told reporters in the capital the aim of reopening the embassy in Mogadishu was to support the Somali interim government and people "to make peace and stability". 
(SomaliNet) The Transitional Federal Government Tuesday denounced the European Unions condition before the fund for Somalia as undesirable, government official said. Abdirahman Dinari, the government spokesman said the government could not accept conditions in which the European Union said it would not help finance the Somali transitional government unless it reaches out to the defeated Union of Islamists and other parties for peace and a unity government. 
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - Ethiopian troops whose military strength was crucial to helping Somalia's government drive out a radical Islamic militia began withdrawing Tuesday, raising fears of a power vacuum unless peacekeepers arrive soon in this chaotic nation. Ethiopia's government spokesman, Zemedkun Tekle, confirmed Tuesday's pullout but gave no details.
More than 1,000 Yemeni men went to Iraq to fight jihad during 2003 to 2006, most of them during 2006, and around 150 were killed, a local newspaper reported on Monday.
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - Britain, Poland, Germany, Italy and other EU nations knew about secret CIA flights over Europe and the abduction of terror suspects by U.S. agents, according to a report approved by a special committee of the European Parliament on Tuesday.
This war is more than a clash of arms it is a decisive ideological struggle, and the security of our Nation is in the balance. To prevail, we must remove the conditions that inspire blind hatred, and drove 19 men to get onto airplanes and come to kill us. What every terrorist fears most is human freedom societies where men and women make their own choices, answer to their own conscience, and live by their hopes instead of their resentments. Free people are not drawn to violent and malignant ideologies and most will choose a better way when they are given a chance. So we advance our own security interests by helping moderates, reformers, and brave voices for democracy. The great question of our day is whether America will help men and women in the Middle East to build free societies and share in the rights of all humanity. And I say, for the sake of our own security ... we must.
ROME Iraqs foreign minister plans to host a meeting in Baghdad of neighbouring countries foreign ministers, he said, stressing it could help change how these countries view the strife-torn country. The meeting would mark an important turning point in these countries vision of the situation in Iraq, Foreign Minister 
Palestinian factions on Tuesday said they were starting a new round of talks to form a unity government after months of internal bickering that has flared into violence between rivals Hamas and Fatah. The talks come on the heels of a meeting between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah and Hamas' exiled leader, Khaled Mashaal, last weekend in Syria. The meeting ended without agreement. 
Israel and the United States will soon be destroyed, Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday during a meeting with Syria's foreign minister, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) website said in a report. "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
assured that the United States and the Zionist regime of Israel will soon come to the end of their lives," the Iranian president was quoted as saying. "Sparking discord among Muslims, especially between the Shiites and Sunnis, is a plot hatched by the Zionists and the US for dominating regional nations and looting their resources," Ahmadinejad added, according to the report. 
TEHRAN, Iran The United States is incapable of inflicting "serious damage" on Iran, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday, as a US Navy carrier group steamed toward Iran in what Washington has termed a warning.
