Friday - February 04, 2011
Worldwide Shakeup
Pakistan dissolves cabinet, downsizes top government
Tens of thousands hit the streets in Yemen, another thugocratic country.
Hundreds of thousands protest in Cairo demanding a new government.
Opposition leader in Uganda threatens to go all Egyptian on yo ass if elections seem rigged.
other thoughts on the situation:
All Arab leaders seek to justify their power, usually either by relying on Islamic law or by using anti-Israel and anti-Western ideology as a pretext to force unity against the outside world and confer political legitimacy. Thus the king of Saudi Arabia calls himself “the defender of Islam’s two holy cities,” while the King of Jordan, on whom Israel dubiously conferred the status of “the guardian of Al-Aqsa,” uses this title to claim legitimacy and to repulse the Muslim Brotherhood, which threatens him. The king of Morocco terms himself one leg of the holy triad of “Allah, homeland, king.”
And secular leaders like Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, the Assads in Syria, Saddam Hussein in Iraq, Muammar Gadhafi in Libya, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia, Abdelaziz Bouteflika in Algeria or Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen, none of whom were genuinely elected, rely on the tradition of “revolution” - that is, the forcible seizure of power - or on hatred of Israel to extract a semblance of support from the people for their warped regimes, which would never stand the test of free elections.
Added to all this are the peace agreements that Egypt and Jordan forged with Israel and the American umbrella that shelters all these illegitimate regimes. Both factors increase hatred of the regime among the masses, who, nourished by Islam, are readily disposed to accept the promises of blood, sweat and tears spouted by preachers who have waited in the wings for their moment of opportunity.
U.S. President George W. Bush was correct to view democratization as the antidote to all these ailments. But President Barack Obama - like Jimmy Carter before him, who supported the shah of Iran and called him an “island of stability,” then turned his back on him and threw him away like a squeezed lemon - erred when he did not have a word to say about democracy to Mubarak, Saleh, Ben Ali and their colleagues. Obama even pledged support for the Arab world in a speech delivered in corrupt Cairo, which was perched atop a volcano about to blow, then hastened to abandon the regimes the moment the flames erupted. His secretary of state behaved the same way.
And here was me, thinking that entire nations were too big to throw under the bus. Guess not. Jimmah II, in spades.
I want to hold onto the thin reed of hope that this sudden avalanche of uprisings is a huge international movement for freedom and a worldwide call for honest government. It’s a thin hope, but if it’s true, and it’s a universal flash mob movement, how come there aren’t millions protesting in Chicago?
Posted by Drew458
on 02/04/2011 at 10:11 AM
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Permalink • Wednesday - February 02, 2011
Not Too Sharp Today
Two interesting stories floating around on the net these past few days, both involving knives. I’ve been trying to find some common thread that they have so I can join them together, but I can’t come up with much more than the Ma Kelly Theory of Universal Commonality:
Mary-Margaret Catharine Dineen: [opens her door] What do you want? Get out of here.
Ma Kelly: I got to talk to you.
Mary-Margaret Catharine Dineen: We don’t have nothing to say to each other.
Ma Kelly: We got plenty to say to each other. We got a lot in common.
Mary-Margaret Catharine Dineen: Yeah, what?
Ma Kelly: We both scrub floors. We’re both swell lookers. And neither one of us is Chinese.
Mary-Margaret Catharine Dineen: Oh, well in that case, come on in ...
So here goes.
In Story 1, Political Correctness turns itself inside out to respect any religion other than Judaism or Christianity, and thus a Detroit area school rules that a Sikh kid can carry a knife in school, because the knife is question is a Kirpan, which is a dagger with symbolic significance to the Sikh faith.
A Detroit-area district says it’s allowing Sikh students to wear a small, religious dagger to school, MyFoxDetroit.com reports.
The decision by the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools reverses a ban put in place in December after a fourth-grader at a Canton Township elementary school was found with a dull, 3- to 5-inch kirpan.
The kirpan represents a commitment to fight evil in the Sikh tradition. The dagger is a religious symbol that baptized Sikh males are expected to carry.
The principal initially let the boy keep the kirpan, but the school board instituted a ban because of parental concerns and conflicts with the district’s rules against bringing weapons to school.
This situation has come up many many times in schools all over the world. Sometimes a middle ground can be reached, wherein the kirpan is welded to it’s metal sheath so that the knife can’t be drawn; sometimes a small jewelry charm that only looks like a sheathed blade can be worn. Sometimes the child has to leave the school because the parents and the Sikh community are unbending and stand by their rights:
July 2005 - Plano, Texas, USA - A 16 year old Sikh school girl has rejected her school’s decision to allow her to wear her Kirpan only if it is welded shut to the sheath. Fortunately for her, she will not have to face the consequences of the school’s ruling because she has been selected to complete her schooling at the University of North Texas, under a prestigious academic programme run by the Texas Academy of Mathematics and Sciences (TAMS).
Priyanka Kaur says, ‘ This matter is not closed. I ask every Sikh child who is faced with my situation to defend their right to practise their religion, which includes the right to wear the Kirpan and other articles of faith,’ said Priyanka Kaur.
...
Kultaran Singh, who not only stood by his daughter’s resolve but was also actively involved in negotiating with the school, said: ‘We need to practice Sikhi to the Max, as per the teachings of the Gurus and the spirit and word of the Reht Maryada. We need to stand behind our children and anyone who wishes to defend their religious rights and fight all the way at any level’.
In this day and age of Zero Tolerance idiocy, where children are kicked out of school for pointing their fingers or making stick figure drawings of guns or soldiers, it is a) quite refreshing to see one group argue successfully for their right to wear actual weapons for religious reasons, and b) the largest dollop of uni-directional PC bullshit I’ve seen in ages, since Jewish or Christian kids can get suspended for wearing any kind of their own religious accoutrements, from rosary beads to crosses and stars of David, and God help them if they even shoot spitballs in class.
It is a mistake to think of Sikhs as Hindus or as Muslims. They are neither. The Sikh religion started in the 1600s in the Punjab region of India, which is in the northwest part of the country in the foothills of the Himalayas and along the border with what is now Pakistan. Up in those mountains, just a hundred or so miles to the east lies Nepal, the fabled land from whence come the Gurkha warriors, and that gives me a segue to Story #2, today’s lesson which proves yet again that these are the last people you ever ever want to mess with. Oh, and that going about armed in a “well regulated” fashion is always a good thing.
POKHARA, Jan 13: Gorkha soldiers have long been known the world over for their valor and these khukuri-wielding warriors winning the British many a battle have become folklore.
A retired Indian Gorkha soldier recently revisited those glory days when he thwarted 40 robbers, killing three of them and injuring eight others, with his khukuri during a train journey. He is in line to receive three gallantry awards from the Indian government.
...
Shrestha, who was in the Maurya Express to Gorakhpur from Ranchi on September 2 while returning home following voluntary retirement from the Indian army--saved the girl who was going to be raped by the robbers in front of her hapless parents, and in doing so won plaudits from everybody.
...
The band of about 40 robbers, some of whom were travelling as passengers, stopped the train in the Chittaranjan jungles in West Bengal around midnight.“They started snatching jewelry, cell phones, cash, laptops and other belongings from the passengers,” Shrestha recalled. The soldier had somehow remained a silent spectator amidst the melee, but not for long. He had had enough when the robbers stripped an 18-year-old girl sitting next to him and tried to rape her right in front of her parents. He then took out his khukuri and took on the robbers.
“The girl cried for help, saying ´You are a soldier, please save a sister´,” Shrestha recalled. “I prevented her from being raped, thinking of her as my own sister,” he added. He took one of the robbers under control and then started to attack the others. He said the rest of the robbers fled after he killed three of them with his khukuri and injured eight others.
...
He did such a nice job that his regiment un-retired him, gave him a promotion, and a bag of cash containing 50,000 rupees. The Indian government plans to give him a pile of cash too, as do the parents of the girl he saved.
He still finds it hard to believe that he took on 40 armed robbers alone. “They may have feared that more of my army friends were traveling with me and fled after fighting me for around 20 minutes,” he explained.
Posted by Drew458
on 02/02/2011 at 01:23 PM
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Permalink • Friday - January 28, 2011
Cairo Capitulates?
Breaking News:
By JPOST.COM STAFF
01/29/2011 00:44 [ 5:44pm Eastern Time ]Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak made his first public statement since anti-government protests began four days ago. He said he is aware of the problems faced by Egyptian people, called for order and announced that the government will be replaced on Saturday.
Mubarak said that the Egyptian people’s goals cannot be achieved through violence or chaos, they can only be achieved by national dialogue and concerted efforts.
“In my capacity as president of the republic, I always stressed and continue to reiterate that sovereignty belongs to the people.” However, he continued, “There is a fine line separating freedom from chaos.”
He said that he has been monitoring the protests and the demands of the people, adding that he “regrets the innocent casualties and victims,” both civilians and policemen.
However, the Egyptian president warned that “our plans to combat unemployment and provide more educational services, healthcare and housing, will remain conditional on our efforts to maintain Egypt’s security.”
That ought to hold things down for a few hours I would think. Let’s see what happens.
Or maybe not. Turns out that “a new government” merely means “a new cabinet”, with good old Mubarak still in charge! Meet the new boss, same as the old boss!
[Updated 5:31 p.m. (0031 in Egypt)] Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak says he has asked the government to resign, and that he will appoint a new government Saturday. He gave no indication that he would step down or leave the country.
[Updated 5:27 p.m. (0027 in Egypt)] President Hosni Mubarak said he is “on the side of the people” and vowed to take steps to guarantee the rights and freedom of Egyptians, develop job opportunities and to “stand by the poor.”
He said early Saturday he sees a fine line “between freedom and chaos” and that he would work to secure both freedom and security in Egypt.
“I assure you that I’m working for the people and giving freedom… as long as you’re respecting the law,” he said.
“I am absolutely on the side of the freedom of each citizen and at the same time I am on the side of the security of Egypt, and I would not let anything dangerous happen that would threaten the peace and the law and the future of the country.”
Protesters in the streets of Cairo are calling for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to leave, chanting in unison “we don’t want him.” The people in the streets represent all walks of life, from young people to families with children, CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen reports.
CAIRO—Embattled President Hosni Mubarak says he has asked his Cabinet to resign in his first appearance on television since protests erupted demanding his ouster.
He says he will press ahead with social, economic and political reforms. He calls anti-government protests part of plot to destabilize Egypt and destroy the legitimacy of his regime.
He is defending security forces’ crackdown on protesters.
Protesters have seized the streets of Cairo, battling police with stones and firebombs, burning down the ruling party headquarters, and defying a night curfew enforced by a military deployment. It is the peak of unrest posing the most dire threat to Mubarak in his three decades of authoritarian rule.
Hmm, if you’ve ever wondered what the sound was of a lead balloon going over, I’d suggest turning on the TV and listening in.
Posted by Drew458
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Permalink • Hey, Egypt Us!
Kemet, the black land, this very Egypt, going to hell in a hand basket AFAP. TV, radio, and internet shut down by Mubarak government. Bloggers trying to stay on top of situation. Some info getting out via stock exchange and international banking wires, perhaps some ham radio.
unintended hilarity on Malkin comment thread missed in all the excitement:
I’d do a [crickets chirping] but that would be a mute point to this moot point.
Anyway, try and stay abreast if you can. Most of the info is now in the Rinse/Repeat cycle, since the lid has been firmly put on things going on over there.
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/28/clashes-erupt-in-cairo-elbaradei-told-to-stay-put-cnn-camera-confiscated
http://michellemalkin.com/2011/01/28/uprising-in-egypt
The White House on Friday urged the Egyptian government to “immediately” address the “legitimate grievances” of protesters surging through the streets, saying it’s not too late for President Hosni Mubarak to respond to the unrest with needed political reforms.
“Their grievances have reached a boiling point, and they have to be addressed,” Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said.
Suggesting the administration is trying to keep an arm’s length from the turmoil engulfing one of its most important Middle East allies, Gibbs declared,” This will be solved by the Egyptian people.” He also said President Obama has not yet spoken with Mubarak, though the administration is closely monitoring developments.
But Gibbs described the situation as “fluid” and issued several stern warnings for the leadership in Cairo.
He repeatedly said the administration will review its “assistance posture” based on the events of the next few days—a reference to the $1.5 billion in U.S. aid that goes to Egypt. He urged both protesters and security forces to show restraint. And echoing comments earlier by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Gibbs urged the Egyptian government to “turn the Internet and social networking sites back on.”
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/01/28/state-department-egypt-unrest-deep-concern
I’m not sure what the US should be doing about this, so maybe for once it’s a good thing we’ve got a leader who is best at voting “present”.
Is Hosni Mubarak Barak Obama’s Mohammad Pahlavi? Are we seeing Jimmah 2.0? We all know what happened then, after Jimmah gave the Shah the Shiv - he got the Shove. And we got Ayatollah Assahola, and 444 days of malaise. The US has supported this Mubarak guy since Reagen, and we supported his predecessor Sadat right up until the islamists killed him. No, he isn’t Prince Charming. He’s a despot. That’s the choice you get in the Turd World, especially in islamic piss bucket cuntries like Egypt: you can have a despotic strongman, or you can have a despotic religious strongman. The more of this situation I see on TV, the less I am inclined to believe that peace, freedom, equality, financial reform, capitalism, or any kind of populist movement for positive opportunity has anything to do with it any more. This is an attempted takeover by the forces of darkness. And they will win.
UPDATE: Is it already a done deal? Reports of soldiers and police joining in with the protesters.
But there was little sign that Egypt was listening. Riot police fired endless of salvos of tear gas and rubber bullet fire over the course of the day. Plainclothes secret policemen dragged protesters out of the crowd, kicking and beating them as they were loaded into lorries and driven away.
Yet no matter how hard they tried, the crowds kept coming.
In one of many astonishing scenes on the streets, thousands of anti-government protesters wielding rocks, glass and sticks chased hundreds of riot police away from the main square in downtown Cairo. Several of the policemen stripped off their uniforms and badges and joined the demonstrators.
When the guys with guns turn against their own junta, it’s over. Rumors of talks of “transitional government”.
Arabic media sources on Friday night reported that Egyptian authorities are holding talks to establish a “transitional government,” following a series of protests against President Hosni Mubarak’s regime.
Meanwhile, the head of the Egyptian opposition Wafd party said Egypt needs a period of transitional rule, new parliamentary elections and amendments to the constitution limiting presidential terms, Reuters reported.
Has Mubarak already fled the country?
3 private jets leave Cairo airport under heavy security; Egypt parliament speaker to make major announcement - NBC
It could be some rich folks running away at the last minute. Doesn’t have to be the Boss Man.
Other bits:
One thing I learned while working retail was to always rotate your stock! Egyptian protesters not stopped by out of code US made teargas.
Posted by Drew458
on 01/28/2011 at 04:29 PM
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Permalink • Saturday - January 22, 2011
Stolen Phunny
borrowed from Theo’s, who borrowed from somebody else ....
KEITH OLBERMAN HAS BEEN FIRED. Guess his boss is now the Worst Person In The World Today. Bye bye Keith. Try not to bruise yourself on the padded walls of the mental asylum. More links at Insty. I don’t watch this clown. Wasn’t he pulled off the air a few weeks ago? I thought he was done then. He must have snuck back in somehow.
You knew this one was coming eventually ...
Posted by Drew458
on 01/22/2011 at 09:55 AM
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Permalink • Monday - January 17, 2011
Last Words
Links from Rich K. I know I shouldn’t encourage him, but these are pretty good reads. Just kidding Rich; good work here!
Read it and weep, you lefty bastards:
There is grown-up work to do now. Liberals ran up the federal credit card, destroyed the American medical system and undermined the rule of law — which is the foundation of capitalism — with a bunch of unconstitutional fiats from the president and his bureaucracy.
Blame Bush!! Yeah, but this is the best dose of Teh Awesome to come along in a long time!
Of course the Times buries the truth half-way down its long story on Stuxnet computer worm, instantly saying that when Obama found out about it he made the program speed up. But no matter. It’s a confession from the New York Times, which is not prone to confessions. In fact, it was the New York Times that denied the Iranian nuclear threat for years and years during Bush’s tenure. It is the New York Times that published and promoted the plainly false National Intelligence Estimate of 2006, dumped by the intelligence bureaucracy to undermine George W. Bush. The left as represented by the NYT and WaPo, the Guardian and Der Spiegel, has a lot on its tiny little conscience.
I saw a TV news report on Iran’s nuke program this evening. They are screwed. Their centrifuges are burned out. They don’t dare start their computers. And the worm has spread outside the project. War by digital means, with no direct loss of life. And it looks like they lost this battle big time.
The only thing Green about Obama’s Green Energy Programs is our tax money going out the door and down the drain. Looks like another solar plant is shutting down, with the jobs moving to China. Gee, way to go Mr. One.
How else have the Democrats been trying to change our power industry? The old-fashioned way: changing the rules of the game (as noted above) and then using our tax dollars to enrich green schemers. The grand champion of spending boosts by Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress has been a 1,014% boost in spending for the “Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Program.” Then there is something called the Green Jobs Labor Fund—which did not even exist prior to 2009 and has received hundreds of millions of dollars.
But wait...there is more.
Much of the stimulus money also went toward funding green schemes, and one of the major beneficiaries have been solar power promoters. These are, in the words of Washington Post columnist Robert Samuelson, “pipe dreams.” Many of the promoters and hucksters behind these “ventures” have chummy relationships with Democrats—as will be covered below.
How are these solar dreams playing out? As nightmares, at least for taxpayers.
Posted by Drew458
on 01/17/2011 at 10:00 PM
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Permalink • Unrest Continues In Tunisia
Tunisia, Northern Africa: Hundreds of people rallied in central Tunis on Monday to demand the abolition of ousted president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s ruling RDC party as police fired volleys of tear gas to break up the protest.
“We don’t want anyone from the old party in the new government. That includes the prime minister,” one protester told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Prime Minister Mohammed Ghannouchi was a close ally of Ben Ali and held talks with opposition parties on Sunday to form a national unity government that is due to be unveiled on Monday.
The opposition said members of the previous government are set to stay on.
Any public gatherings are banned under a state of emergency declared by Ben Ali on Friday just before he resigned and fled to Saudi Arabia.
Riot police fired tear gas and water cannons in an attempt to disperse the rally and prevent protesters from marching on the headquarters of the RDC, the Constitutional Democratic Rally.
“With our blood and our soul we are ready to sacrifice ourselves for the martyrs,” they chanted, referring to the dozens reported killed in a wave of protests that led to Ben Ali’s downfall after 23 years in power.
There was another rally in Sidi Bouzid, a city in central Tunisia that was at the heart of the protests that erupted against Ben Ali’s regime mid-December. Demonstrators there chanted: “Bread and water and no RDC!”
A rally was also held in Regueb, a town near Sidi Bouzid.
Tunisia’s ‘Jasmine Revolution’ is still under way, with fighting in the capital today. The enraged Tunisians who took to the streets in December in revulsion at their corrupt, autocratic regime achieved their primary goal: The removal from power of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. But what sort of new order will emerge in the North African country, or whether it will be much different from the old one, has not yet been determined.
For a look at the power players there, click here.
Go on, take the money and run: Meanwhile, Mrs. Dictator seems to have skedaddled with the loot, big time!
Ben Ali’s wife picked up 1.5 tons of gold before fleeing
The wife of ousted Tunisian president Zine el- Abidine ben Ali collected 1.5 tons of gold from the central bank before fleeing the country, the French newspaper Le Monde reported Monday.
Leila Trabelsi visited the bank in Tunis and is thought to have taken the gold bars worth some 60 million dollars along when departing onboard a plane bound for Dubai, according to the report. The head of the bank had reportedly not wanted to hand over the gold at first, but after the 53-year-old contacted her husband telephonically, she was given the gold bars.
The 74-year-old longtime president had initially also resisted instructing the bank to do so, Le Monde said. Ben Ali’s second wife and her relatives have a reputation for being money and power hungry. The Trabelsi clan is regarded as corrupt and widely believed to be involved in racketeering.
After Ben Ali’s was ousted Friday, angry Tunisians looted the couple’s villa in a posh suburb of the capital Tunis. Imed Trabelsi, a businessman and nephew of the president’s wife who for many was a symbol of corruption, was stabbed to death.
Given today’s gold price of roughly $1360/Toz, and 1.5 Troy tons of gold being 3675 Troys pounds, each made up of 12 Troy ounces ... that’s $59,976,000 in bullion; nearly 59 cubic feet of gold; a block 46.6” inches on a side, nearly 2.2 cubic yards worth that weighs 1371.663 kilograms, about as much mass as a small car. That’s a lot of gold!
It’s always fun playing with Troy and Avoirdupois weights, just to remind myself that a pound of feathers weighs 1240 grains more than a pound of gold. But until today I did not know the common factor of these two measurement systems: one is wheat, the other is water. One cubic foot of pure cold water weighs 62.5 avoirdupois pounds; one cubic foot of wheat weighs 62.5 troy pounds. Which means that 1000 avoirdupois ounces weighs the same as 750 Troy ounces. So there ya go. The French came up with this in the year 732, so they didn’t really factor in the varying moisture level that wheat can have. Half an eon later the English adopted it, so now we’re stuck with it. Don’t go looking at how 8 gallons - 64lb - of sea water can be both a cubic foot and a bushel, since a bushel is about 1.24 cubic feet. But hey, back in 732 a bushel was a round basket a cubit across by a handslength deep. Which is irrational, and thus perfectly fwench.
So here’s Stephanie Abrams from the Weather Channel, looking good in pics and being inadvertently naughty in a short video clip. Hope you were watching this morning; she had that tight red cashmere sweater on again. Yum!
Posted by Drew458
on 01/17/2011 at 09:51 AM
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Permalink • Friday - January 14, 2011
The World Still Exists, Part III
When thinking of traveling to the Dominican Republic, many things come to mind – a tropical drink, sandy beaches, upscale, all-inclusive resorts.
And whales?
An often overlooked fact about the island of Hispaniola is the seasonal prominence of humpback whales off the coast of the Dominican Republic. Between the months of January and March, a portion of the humpback whale population migrates to the warm waters of the Caribbean to find their ideal mate, or give birth to the next generation of humpbacks.
The appropriately named animals play an interesting mating game in the waters of the Samana Bay. The male whales remain on the outskirts of the perimeter, aggressively pursuing the females with posturing and flashy aquatic moves. The available females stay on the inside of this show, waiting for their chosen mate and keeping the inner bay safe for the newly born calves.
Apart from the odd visual of nursing mothers huddling in the center, this particular mating ritual may be similar to what often occurs on land in typical tourist hotspots. Ecologically speaking, winter in the Caribbean sea is like Spring Break for the humpbacks.
Looks like Whales Just Wanna Have Fun!
But ... SAY WHAT??? I didn’t even know there was such a thing as Fox News LATINO. WTF?? What the hell is with these damn minorities? You don’t get to have no more Separate But Equal bullshit. It isn’t, so we don’t. None of us, you included. We don’t lay it down on you, and you don’t push it up on us. Fox News Latino? The mere existence of such a sub category of news is RAAAAAACIST. And pretty stupid too, since more than half the stories are written in English. Nothing wrong at all with categorizing news events by where they happen: the Far East, Africa, Down Under, South America, North of the Border, South of the Border. Whatever. And if you want to make a Spanish or French or Portuguese language edition of your news that’s fine. Those are the main languages spoken in the Western Hemisphere. I’m cool with that too. But don’t you DARE go and create a special sub branch of the news. Especially when specific “latino” stories include “New dinosaur species found in Argentina”. News is news, and of interest to all. If this sub genre thing is legitimate, then I demand Fox News Whitey, a code word access only venue that the blacks, browns, yellows, and rainbows can’t get at. That’s only fair. Except, gosh, it would be 90% of the news, wouldn’t it? TOO BAD.
Posted by Drew458
on 01/14/2011 at 11:34 AM
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Permalink • Wednesday - January 12, 2011
Lebanon Government Falls
Sorry. This must have been a misstatement from the newscaster. There has not been an assassination, however the government has collapsed. The Lebanese Prime Minister is actually meeting with President Obama right now.
[Updated at 11:13 a.m.] Lebanon’s unity government collapsed Wednesday after Minister of State Adnan Sayyed Hussein turned in his resignation, the 11th Cabinet member to do so.
[Posted at 10:26 a.m.] Members of the powerful Hezbollah movement and its allies resigned from Lebanon’s unity government Wednesday, raising fears of renewed political crisis in the region.
As the Lebanese government faced collapse, Prime Minister Saad Hariri was meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House.
But it does seem to be true that the fragile unity government has been broken by the allied-with-terrorists-ministers quitting. And they quit because of the investigation into the assassination of the previous PM, who was the father of the current PM. So much for unity, and I can see how a TV talking head could get it wrong.
Breaking: Unity Government In Lebanon Collapses
Formerly: Breaking News: the Prime Minister of Lebanon has been assassinated.
This comes on the heels of Hezbollah pulling out of the government in that country, in an attempt to topple the government:
Hizbullah resigns from Lebanese government
By ASSOCIATED PRESS JPOST.COM STAFF
01/12/2011 17:59Lebanese energy minister told a news conference that 10 ministers are pulling out of gov’t over Hariri tribunal deadlock.
BEIRUT— A Lebanese official says Hizbullah ministers and their allies have resigned from the Cabinet, bringing the government to the brink of collapse.Lebanese Energy Minister Jibran Bassil told a news conference Wednesday that 10 ministers are pulling out. They need just one more minister to resign in order to force the government to fall and an 11th minister could resign later in the day.
The ministers are stepping down from the 30-member Cabinet over tensions stemming from a UN-backed tribunal investigating the assassination of a former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri.
The ministers were planning to resign in the afternoon unless Western-backed Prime Minister Saad Hariri — the son of the slain leader — agrees to their demand to convene an urgent Cabinet meeting over the tribunal crisis, Health Minister Mohammed Jawad Khalifeh said on Hizbullah ‘s Al-Manar TV.
Hizbullah members are expected to be indicted by the Hariri tribunal, which will hand over its findings within “hours or days,” according to a Wednesday report in Lebanese newspaper An Nahar.
Hizbullah has denounced the tribunal as an “Israeli project” and urged Hariri to reject any findings by the court, which has not yet announced any indictments.
Saad’s father, Rafiq Hariri, was assassinated in 2005. He was also prime minister.
More details as this story breaks ...
CAUTION: THIS MAY ONLY BE RUMOR! But it does seem to be the case that the government in Lebanon is falling.
Lebanon’s national unity government has collapsed after Hezbollah ministers and their allies resigned over a U.N.-backed tribunal investigating the assassination of Former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
The state-run National News Agency announced Wednesday that 11 ministers were stepping down from the 30-member Cabinet headed by Western-backed Saad Hariri, the slain prime minister’s son.
Hezbollah needed the backing of more than a third of the ministers to bring down the government.
Posted by Drew458
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Permalink • Tuesday - January 11, 2011
look who’s on the bandwagon today …
I’m not gonna say anything about this guy. Already done that.
What a nerve. But not really. Just on the bandwagon.
Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, condemned the violent rhetoric against him by a number of US politicians and media commentators and demanded that those responsible face prosecution.
In a statement issued ahead of a court hearing in London on Tuesday, he drew parallels between the language used against him and WikiLeaks and accusations that similar rhetoric led to the shooting of Democratic congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona at the weekend.
“No organisation anywhere in the world is a more devoted advocate of free speech than WikiLeaks but when senior politicians and attention-seeking media commentators call for specific individuals or groups of people to be killed, they should be charged with incitement – to murder,”
-30-
I wonder if it could still be incitement if all anyone said was they wish he were dead. Could that also be incitement?
Posted by peiper
on 01/11/2011 at 12:58 PM
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Permalink • Tuesday - December 14, 2010
In Again, Out Again
Here again, gone?
UK gives bail to Julian Assange, the Wikileaks creep.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was granted bail Tuesday after a hearing at Westminster Magistrate’s Court in London.
The 39-year-old Australian handed himself over to London police last week to answer a European arrest warrant over alleged sex crimes in Sweden.
Assange is facing accusations of rape, sexual molestation and illegal use of force in separate incidents in August in Stockholm. He could be sentenced to two years in prison if convicted. His lawyers deny the allegations and have vowed to fight any attempts at extradition.
The magistrate agreed to grant bail Tuesday after Assange’s team of attorneys reported that Vaughan Smith, a former British army officer who founded London’s Frontline Club, had offered his mansion in Suffolk to Assange.
Smith will keep Assange “if not under house arrest, at least under mansion arrest,” said defense attorney Geoffrey Robinson. At that, Assange, dressed in a white shirt and a blue jacket and sitting in a glassed-in corner of the court with three security guards, smiled wryly.
The magistrate set bail at 200,000 pounds (about $315,000) plus two sureties of 20,000 pounds each (about $31,500). Assange’s passport must remain with police, and he will be monitored by a location tag.
The first headline to emerge from Julian Assange’s bail hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court was that the judge would allow journalists to tweet from inside the courtroom. As long as they were quiet.
The running commentary began—packed court, Bianca Jagger in the house, Assange with smart gray cropped hair, in the same suit he wore at his last hearing.
This is a hearing related to a sex abuse case, but the new media element was everywhere. Assange’s supporters, sympathetic “hacktivists” wreaked havoc in the past week, temporarily disabling websites of PayPal, Visa and Mastercard, after those companies put the squeeze on Wikileaks’ funding.
Many of them were outside the courthouse. There was a heavy police presence. And an enormous media presence.The Wikileaks founder has assembled a formidable legal team, including Geoffrey Roberston, a celebrity freedom of speech lawyer who worked with Salman Rushdie. His Swedish lawyer thinks they can put down the sex allegations. And that they were motivated by jealousy and disappointment.
Michael Moore offers to post bail for Julian Assange
“I support Julian, whom I see as a pioneer of free speech, transparent government and the digital revolution in journalism. His commitment to exposing the follies of government and business offers the greater society a chance to protect itself from these follies. Some aren’t just follies. Some are crimes. What do we do with someone who informs the authorities—and in this case it is the free people in a democracy who are the “authorities”—that a crime has been committed? Do we arrest HIM? Do we try to shut his mouth? Do we hound him, threaten him, track him down and hunt him as if HE is the criminal? He bravely informed the citizenry of what was being done in their name and with their tax monies. That is no crime. That is an act of patriotism. He should be thanked and honored, not abused and jailed.”
Oh brother. Not that any nation is charging this lowlife with espionage, oh no. He’s a “pioneer of free speech”, not a spy! The charges against him have nothing to do with that. And who knows, maybe they’ll bust him for that overdue library book he never returned to his college.
Why the hell can’t anybody just say this guy is a spy, and then shoot him? Where’s that Red with the umbrella and the radioactive needle when you need him? This is becoming the theater of the absurd more and more each day.
Posted by Drew458
on 12/14/2010 at 12:16 PM
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Permalink • Thursday - December 09, 2010
they care this much about school meals? when you care enuff to fight your very best. captions?
And here I thought the student protesters were over the top.
Captions anyone?
Can you imagine this in our senate or house over immigration? Or anything else.
I’m not sure this solves things but on the other hand ... might feel good to whack some bleeding heart supporter of the aclu and that ilk.
Drew’s Wed. post on immigrant bill and Wardmom’s comment as well of intense interest. I see here what immigration has become as well as something America hasn’t had to face yet on the same scale. And that’s ASYLUM! You may want to remember that word because my huge worry is that the USA may well end up with the same thing in time. So I can’t help but look at this photo and wonder if in some future time, this could be the USA over immigration but in the streets instead of a room full of senators.
Fight erupts in South Korean parliament over free school meals
A brawl has erupted in the South Korean parliament after an argument over the provision of free meals for students in public schools turned physical.
WHEN YOU CARE ENOUGH TO THROW YOUR BEST PUNCH
Posted by peiper
on 12/09/2010 at 10:06 AM
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Permalink • Monday - November 29, 2010
good way to start monday. wishing someone dead. actually, there are a few but this case !"£!!!)
I think between Drew and myself we could start our own damn health alert. Although he’s in worse shape with that cough.
I doubt anyone noticed but I was not here yesterday laid up with my own darn off to bed day. Fine today because I’m loaded on pain killers so I don’t give a darn.
But I’m also damn well PO’d again. I am really steamed and wish this jerk would just die, or get hit by a bus.
Someday Mr. Cable I will return to my home country. You may visit as who knows. Anything is possible. You might find yourself in my part of the country. You might be walking across the street and BAM! Oh gee. Really officer, I didn’t see the man. My foot slipped and hit the gas. Gosh. I am sorry. (snicker,snicker) Is he dead?
No? Oh, can I try again?
Mr. Cable for Yanks who don’t know the shit, is a member of the Lib/Dems. Liberal Democrat Party. Those are the folks who always know what’s best for you and will be happy to do your thinking for you should you tire of the exercise. And even if you don’t.
Mr. Cable is the business secretary and finds it his bleeding business to try and stall and or influence the American practice of the Death Penalty. So ... in an effort to do just that ......
Human rights victory as Vince Cable imposes restrictions on export of ‘execution’ drug to U.S.
By Daily Mail Reporter
Tighter controls have been imposed on the export of a drug used in the execution of U.S. prisoners.
Business Secretary Vince Cable today announced the move in an apparent backtrack after earlier refusing to ban sodium thiopental being exported for such use in America.
The sedative is part of a three-drug cocktail used in lethal injections in the US. The States has a shortage of the substance and many states have halted or slowed the pace of lethal injections while searching for alternative sources of the drug.
Last month, Arizona Chief Deputy Attorney General Tim Nelson confirmed the state used sodium thiopental from Britain to execute an inmate.
The statement came during the course of judicial review proceedings of Mr Cable’s refusal earlier this month to use his powers under the Export Control Act to impose an immediate ban on the drug’s export for execution purposes.
Nathalie Lieven QC, appearing for two death row prisoners, Edmund Zagorski and Ralph Baze, had told Mr Justice Lloyd Jones at London’s High Court that Mr Cable’s initial decision was irrational and unlawful as state executions were a clear violation of fundamental human rights the UK sought to protect, and the Government had reaffirmed its commitment to the global abolition of the death penalty.
She said that there was a national shortage of the drug in the US and the UK was the only known source, and there were ‘strong grounds’ for fearing that sodium thiopental from the UK had already been used in lethal injections.
Unless an export ban was imposed, further supplies from the UK could be used to execute her clients and many other prisoners.
And my feelings are equal for any fuckin foreigner who thinks our business is theirs as well. And I’m damn well pissed off at my own country for being in such a dumb position. How do we let these things happen? I can’t think of any excuse. Why is this drug only available here and the USA apparently doesn’t have the formula? Why can’t we reverse engineer the recipe? Steal the damn thing if need be. Let em sue and be damned. Abolition of the DP? Fine. In your fracked up liberal to the extreme system where your idea of penalties is a softly,softly approach while whack jobs are out free stomping and stabbing people and getting penalties like, “community service.”
I guess added to everything else I’m a mite frustrated because I’m still here, and unlike a prisoner who counts the days to freedom, I haven’t yet reached the point where I can even start counting. Try that on for size. So I read this sort of thing and see it purely as other ppl sticking their unwanted nose into our back yard. And just for the official record. I hate it when I think my own country does that for whatever reason. Unless it’s in our national security interests.
Why isn’t our CIA or some other secret agency out there killing our enemies which include any politician of any country or any group of ppl or any organization who gets in our face? Why is that maggot who initially gave away documents to Wikileaks still breathing? I read that our people had been watching the shit who started it all for some time. And they let him live? Why?
Nuts!
Posted by peiper
on 11/29/2010 at 10:10 AM
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Permalink • Friday - November 26, 2010
girl burns koran …. girl gets busted by fuzz
So, what do you think? Was she right in what she did? Frankly I don’t know. I doubt it solved anything. However, why shouldn’t she have the right?
So far there haven’t been any demonstrations so I guess it’s past. Of course, with the student riots going on here in multiple cities, maybe this got lost.
Girl, 15, arrested for ‘burning Koran at school and posting footage on Facebook’By Daily Mail Reporter
Holy book: The 15-year-old girl was questioned and bailed by detectives after the alleged burning of the Koran
A teenage girl has been arrested on suspicion of inciting religious hatred after allegedly burning an English language version of the Koran - and then posting it on Facebook.The 15-year-old, who lives in the Sandwell area of Birmingham, West Mids, was filmed two weeks ago on her school premises burning the Islamic religious book.
Police have confirmed the video was reported to the school and has since been removed.A 14-year-old boy was arrested on Tuesday on suspicion of making threats. Both have been released on police bail.
This incident comes just two and a half months after six yobs were arrested after filming themselves dousing the Muslim holy book with fuel and setting it ablaze behind a pub in Tyneside.It is believed the young girl was allegedly filmed setting the booklet alight while other pupils watched on.
Two Facebook profiles have also been removed from the site.
Posted by peiper
on 11/26/2010 at 10:11 AM
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Oh, and here's some kind of visitor flag counter thingy. Hey, all the cool blogs have one, so I should too. The Visitors Online thingy up at the top doesn't count anything, but it looks neat. It had better, since I paid actual money for it.
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