Wahhabi Terrorists Martyr 2 Pakistani Shia Muslims

According to reports, active terrorist groups in Pakistan shot martyred 2 innocent Shia Muslims, namely Haji Hussain Ali in Quetta, and Hasan Mohsin in Karachi Yesterday.

Quetta: Excommunicator Terrorists open fire, Haji Hussain Ali martyred

According to the reports we received, Saudi-backed Wahhabi terrorists targeted a Shia Muslim named Haji Hussain in the locality of Gunjaan Abad, Quetta on Sarkolar road. Haji Hussain embraced martyrdom following the attack.

According to the details, Haji Hussain Ali S/O Sultan Ali was targeted by the Wahhabi terrorists on his shop which is located on Sarkolar road, which is named Sakhi Autos.

After the attack, the terrorists succeeded in fleeing away where as the area has been filled with FC and Police officials. Martyr Haji Hussain is shifted to CMH Hospital, from where he would be later shifted to Nichari Imambargah.

Karachi: Terrorists open fire, Trusty of Jamia Imamia Hasan Mohsin martyred

According to reports, excommunicator Wahhabi terrorists opened fire and targeted a Shia Muslim Hasan Mohsin which resulted in his martyrdom.

According to the details, activists of Sipah-e-Sahaba targeted the 60 year old Syed Hasan Mohsin Naqvi S/O Syed Mohsin Ali Naqvi in the locality of Nazimabad No. 2, outside Jamia Imamia.

Martyr Hasan Mohsin Naqvi was the trusty of Jamia Imamia, who was later shifted to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where according to the doctors, the terrorists had shot 3 bullets on his head which resulted in an immediate death. Last reports state that martyr is being shifted to Rizvia Imambargah. In the last two days, 3 Shias have been martyred in Quetta and Karachi by the Saudi-backed armed terrorists in Pakistan.

Kuwait Courts Confirm Saudi Takeover with Verdict Defending Sources of Wahhabi Pseudo-Religion

[Blind Kuwaiti lawyer sucks-up to Saudi dictatorship, by defending spiritual blindness of Wahhabis, resulting in one-year jail sentence for the accused.  Old fart lawyer sues two Kuwaiti Shiite lawyers for criticizing /defaming the extremist ideology of two Wahhabi superstars, the late Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Baz (former Saudi grand mufti) and Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahab (the 18th century source of the aberrant pseudo-religious ideology) and for daring to point-out that Wahhabi “Islam” is the source of most “Islamist” terrorism in the current era.  More absolute proof of a Saudi takeover of Kuwait and Bahrain governments should not be needed than this Saudi dominance of the Kuwaiti legal system.]

Kuwaiti lawyer Mufrih Ghareeb Al-Mitairi

Khaled Al-Shatti

Kuwait lawyer appeals sentence for ‘Sunni Islam insults’

Prominent Shiite lawyer files appeal against one-year jail sentence he was given on charges of insulting Sunni Islam.

KUWAIT CITY – A prominent Kuwaiti Shiite lawyer and parliamentary candidate filed an appeal on Tuesday against a one-year jail sentence he was given on charges of insulting Sunni Islam, he said.

Khaled Al-Shatti, who is running for parliament in elections on Saturday, said a court had sentenced him on Monday over statements deemed insulting to Sunnis.

“The sentence was issued with immediate effect. I can be arrested and sent to jail any time now,” Shatti said by phone.

Mansour Haider, the publisher of the news website on which Shatti’s alleged insults appeared and son of a wealthy Shiite businessman, was handed a similar sentence, Shatti said.

Shatti’s comments in March last year allegedly criticised former Saudi religious leader Abdul Aziz bin Baz and Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdul Wahhab, the founder of the strict Wahhabi school of Sunni Islam.

Shatti categorically denied the charges, saying he had previously been cleared of them by Kuwaiti courts on two separate occasions.

“I did not make the statements… the verdict was surprising to me since I am not supposed to be tried again on the same charges after I was cleared twice,” he said.

The statements were attributed to Shatti at the height of sectarian tensions between Shiites and the country’s Sunni majority over a crackdown on Shiite dissent in the neighbouring Gulf state of Bahrain.

Kuwaitis sued for denouncing Saudi scholars

 

RIYADH: Kuwaiti lawyer Mufrih Ghareeb Al-Mitairi has filed a lawsuit at the office of the prosecutor general in Kuwait against two of his compatriots, a businessman and a lawyer, for defaming the late Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Baz (the Saudi grand mufti for most of the 1990s) and Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahab (the 18th century Islamic scholar) linking their Islamic ideologies to terrorism, the local Arabic daily Al-Eqtisadiah reported Thursday.

Al-Mitairi said Abdullah Bin Baz, the son of the late sheikh, has retained him and asked him to file the lawsuit and to see that justice is done.
Speaking to the newspaper by telephone from Kuwait, Al-Mitairi said the lawsuit he filed Tuesday against Kuwaiti lawyer Khaled Al-Shatti and businessman Mahmoud Haidar was accepted and the two would appear before court. He said that Shatti leveled false allegations against Sheikh Bin Baz and Sheikh Abdul Wahab when talking to the Al-Adalah satellite channel on March 22. He said the electronic media owned by Haidar also carried Shatti’s statements.
“Shatti and Haidar not only verbally attacked the two Saudi Sheikhs but also accused their dawa (guidance) method of encouraging terrorism,” Al-Mitairi said.
He said he filed the complaint according to the Kuwaiti law on audio-visual media. He is now asking the court to punish the two defendants for moral and material damages they have done not only to the two Saudi sheikhs but to millions of Muslims who respect and cherish them.
‘We have started extensive moves from the moment Shatti uttered his false accusations against Sheikh Bin Baz and Sheikh Abdul Wahab which were strongly denounced in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia,” he said.
“The case is a an example of the misuse of press freedom,” he said welcoming all Muslim lawyers who would be interested to join him in his attempt to bring these two to justice.
He said he had asked for civil compensation and for public apology from the two defendants not only to the sons and inheritors of Sheikh Bin Baz but to the entire Muslim nation.
Al-Mitairi said Shatti’s false allegations against the two renowned Saudi sheikhs could spread dissension and sedition in Muslim society and ignite sectarian disputes.
He said the campaign by Shatti and Haidar against the two Saudi religious symbols emanated from their anger against the intervention of the Arabian Peninsula Shield Forces in Bahrain under the security cooperation among GCC countries.
According to Al-Mitairi, punishments in such cases are usually fines and imprisonment or both. “It is enough for us if the two defendants were accused for the wrongdoing,” he said. He expected the Kuwaiti government to make laws to protect the Muslim scholars and the religious symbols from attack and public criticism in media.
A number of Kuwaiti writers, columnists and media men have strongly denounced the false allegations against the two Saudi religious symbols and called for bringing the attackers to justice.

He Must Have Called Him “Fat Pig”

Qatari poet handed life sentence for ‘incitement to overthrow the government’

A court in Qatar, which has backed uprisings elsewhere in the Arab world, has sentenced a poet to life in prison for incitement to overthrow the government and criticising the ruling emir.

In his poetry, Muhammad Ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami praised the Arab Spring revolts that have toppled dictators in four Arab countries since early last year and criticised Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani.

Mr Ajami, 36, who was not present in court, has been jailed in solitary confinement for almost a year during which he has not seen his family, according to his lawyer Nagib al-Naimi.

“This is a tremendous miscarriage of justice,” Mr Naimi told Reuters after the verdict, adding that he would appeal.

Mr Ajami faced charges of “inciting the overthrow of the ruling regime”, which carries the death penalty. Qatar’s penal code provides sentences of five years in prison for criticising the country’s ruler.

Qatar, a close ally of the United States and major oil and gas producer in the Gulf with a large American military base, has escaped the unrest engulfing other parts of the Arab world.

Doha finances and hosts the pan-Arab satellite TV network al-Jazeera, which has assiduously covered the Arab revolts, though it gave scant coverage to an uprising last year in neighbouring Bahrain – ruled by a related Gulf Arab monarchy.

The Qatari government has backed the armed revolt in Syria, a successful NATO-backed armed uprising in Libya, and street protests that ousted rulers in Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen.

But freedom of expression is tightly controlled in the small Gulf state, with self-censorship prevalent among national newspapers and other media outlets. Qatar has no organised political opposition.

In October, Human Rights Watch criticised what it said was a double standard on freedom of expression in Qatar and urged the emir not to approve a draft media law penalising criticism of the Gulf emirate and its neighbours.

Syrian Terrorists Lose All Internet

Nationwide Internet blackout in Syria

(AP) – 10 minutes ago

BEIRUT (AP) — Two US-based Internet-monitoring companies say Syria has shut off the Internet nationwide.

Activists in Syria reached Thursday by satellite telephone confirmed the unprecedented blackout, which comes amid intense fighting in the capital, Damascus.

Renesys, a U.S.-based network security firm that studies Internet disruptions, says Syria effectively disappeared from the Internet at 12:26 p.m. local time.

Akamai Technologies Inc., another U.S-based company that distributes content on the Internet, also confirmed a complete outage for Syria.

Syria has partially cut Internet connections during the 20-month uprising assault [edit] against President Bashar Assad but a nationwide shutdown is unprecedented.

Another Alleged Suicide Attack Upon Wana’s Ghost, Mullah Nazir

[Nazir has probably survived more American attempts upon his life than any other Pakistani militant (SEE: ‘Maulvi Nazir’ among 17 killed in Taliban infighting).]

Mullah Nazir injured in Wana suicide blast

Zahir Shah Sherazi

PESHAWAR: Taliban leader Mullah Nazir was injured in a suicide attack in the South Waziristan tribal region’s Wana area on Thursday, his spokesman Amir Nawaz told Dawn.com.

Nazir was injured as a suicide bomber carrying explosives in a hand-cart struck a vehicle carrying members his group in Wana’s Rustam Bazaar.

Nazir, who was not in the vehicle at the time but was in the area, was slightly injured in his right leg, his spokesman said.

Moreover, five people were killed and eight others were injured in the blast that struck the vehicle.

Three vehicles and eight shops were also destroyed in the attack that appeared to have been an attempt of Nazir’s life.

The bomber was between 10 to 15 years of age, local administration officials told Dawn.com.

Nazir is a pro-government and anti-US Taliban commander who has repeatedly been targeted by US drones.

While at odds with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Nazir is accused of harbouring militants who stage attacks across the border on coalition troops in Afghanistan.

Nazir is also said to have been instrumental in defeating Uzbek fighters in the Ahmedzai Wazir area of South Waziristan.

Latest Malta Murder Again At St Paul’s Bay–Hungarian Woman Stabbed 40 Times

[On the Google Map below, nearly every pin represents a murder or unsolved death on the Island of Malta.  Beginning with the Aug. 23, 2010 unsolved murder of Russian strategic analyst, Alexander Pikayev, then spreading outward from there, there have been multiple unsolved deaths (mostly stabbings) on Malta’s north shore (SEE:  The Obscenity of Humanitarian Warfare).  Most, or many of these murders have involved excessive multiple stabbings, or other bizarre behavior (dozens of bites on the victim).  One bizarre similar incident occurred when 18 year old Hungarian girl, Agnes Revesz, allegedly disappeared in the same area in July, only to be reported as found and refusing to leave the older Hungarian man that she had taken up with.  Could be that he is the same guy doing all of them and finally found a “keeper,” with this latest teenage cutie.]

 Yvette Gajda

St Paul’s Bay murder – woman suffered 40 blows

Children in apartment as argument raged

A woman who was found dead in an apartment in St Paul’s Bay appears to have suffered some 40 stab wounds.

The grim discovery was made late in the morning on Tuesday in Triq Efesu. Her long-time partner suffered nine blows. Both are Hungarian.

According to initial reports, Yvette Gajda, 38  was stabbed with a pair of scissors and died on the spot.

The man’s condition was described as critical.

The woman, 38, was the mother of two girls, aged 17 and five, who were in the apartment at the time of the stabbing along with another Hungarian woman. The man is the younger child’s father.

Neighbours said they had heard the couple quarrelling between 9 and 10am. The police were informed at 11.15am and immediately went to the couple’s apartment.

Magistrate Edwina Grima is holding an inquiry. Policemen from the forensics unit are examining the apartment and collecting evidence.

Will American Troops Commit Genocide Against American Citizens?

by Dave Hodges –  thecommonsenseshow.com

History Speaks — Will America Listen? (Part Three)

READ: Part One / Part Two

Anyone knows, who has half of an eye open, that American citizens are soon to become an endangered species under our present lunatic President. Everyone should know that all of our constitutional protections against an out-of-control globalist puppet regime are melting away right before our very eyes. Everyone knows that Obama, under the NDAA, has the legal authority to “disappear” all political opponents without so much as a trace. Everyone knows that American economy was driven over the fiscal cliff in 2008 when Congress permitted the bankers to plunder our tax revenues and, today, we are just waiting for the official eulogy that the American economy is dead and the real “hunger games” are about to commence. Everyone knows that when the Obama puppet masters in the Zionist Federal Reserve are done plundering what is left of our pensions, our social security, our private property and our 401k’s, that the economy will be collapsed once and for all. And then, what will the American people do? They will do what any generation of Americans would do, they will take to the streets in attempt to rid themselves of the corrupt banker controlled government which has ruined this country. Sadly, this last ditch desperate attempt at regaining our lost liberties will not have a happy ending.

Picture, if you will, the veterans groups marching on Washington DC. Imagine bus loads of citizens following the veterans groups which will demand an end to a tyrannical government. Obama will make a formal declaration of martial law. Americans, desperate for food, water and the means to make a living will seek open confrontations with the present administration and this will commence the darkest days in American, and perhaps, even world history.

Will American troops follow the genocidal orders surely to be delivered by Obama? Will they begin to secretly arrest perceived dissidents? Will the military follow orders to shoot to kill American citizens who will be desperately looking for their next meal? With FEMA’s performance following Katrina and now Sandy, will there even be a next meal? Don’t hold your breath.

When the irresistible force meets the immovable object, what will happen? Will American troops fire, when ordered, upon their American brothers and sisters? There are two possible answers to this question. First, it is a known fact that the military is programmed in boot camp to follow orders like a bunch of Pavlovian conditioned dogs who are well trained in the art of unquestionably carrying out the orders of their superiors without hesitation. From a military training perspective, there can be little doubt that American soldiers will not only fire upon American protestors, but most will do so without the slightest amount of hesitation or conscience. However, the field of psychology provides an even more accurate view of why we can expect the American military to do in the coming desperate times. Not only will our military fire upon us, their fellow citizens, but they will also willingly participate in the round up of dissidents, and the extermination of these dissidents in what has become known FEMA Camps, which will surely accompany the coming martial law. Folks, NORTHCOM has been training for this since the 1990′s.

Before I address the psychological reasons on why the coming American genocide is almost upon us and it will receive the enthusiastic support from active duty military personnel, let’s examine the fiction set forth by a group known as Oath Keepers.

Some our citizens are deluded into a false sense of security by the group known as Oath Keepers.  It is a well-intentioned effort to remind both law enforcement and the military to uphold the Constitution and to disobey unlawful orders which would bring harm to American citizens. Under the this false sense of security, many in the American public really believe that American troops will not fire upon American citizens in the impending civil disobedience which is sure to follow Obama’s Sovietization of the United States. The Oath Keepers have all but assured the American public that both law enforcement and the military will refuse to obey unlawful orders to commit genocide against protesting Americans. Anyone who believes this fiction is self-delusional. As you will see in the following paragraphs, history has already answered the question as to whether anything beyond a small minority will actually resist committing atrocities against the American people.

The world of psychological research provides the definitive answer to whether we should fear our military in the coming storm ahead in the form of a phenomenon called groupthink. Groupthink is often described as a decision-making process whereby the group members go along with what they believe is the consensus. Groupthink has also been used to describe individual acquiescence to authority even when the authority has limited power to enforce compliance. Groupthink often causes groups to make hasty, irrational decisions, where individual doubts are set aside, for fear of upsetting the group’s leadership and balance.

Just how far will people go to please authority figures and subsequently do what they know to be immoral? The first known laboratory test for groupthink occurred in 1963 by Yale professor, Stanley Milgram. Subjects for this landmark study were recruited for the Yale study through newspaper ads and direct mail. The participants were men between the ages of 20 and 50, from all educational backgrounds, ranging from an elementary school dropout to participants with doctoral degrees.

Milgram wanted to determine what percentage of people would willingly administer enough progressive electric shocks which would result in death simply based on the orders of a perceived authority figure (i.e., the experimenter).

There were three participants in the experiment:

1. The Teacher was the real subject in the experiment. Their role was to administer shocks for each wrong answer provided by the learner. How far would they go, was the true subject of the experiment.  Would they actually kill a person for failing to provide the correct answer on a word pair test? Would they mindlessly follow the orders of the experimenter to continue with the abuse, regardless of the results and obvious harm being perpetrated upon the pretend victim in the experiment?

2. The second participant, the Learner, was actually a plant in the experiment. The Learner would sit in an adjacent room and pretend to be shocked for each wrong answer that they would purposely give. Eventually, they would cry out for help and beg the Teacher to stop administering the electric shocks. Their cries included pleas of mercy that were often based on an unknown level of self-expressed cardiac distress that they were pretending to experience.

3. The Experimenter was a stern looking fellow who carried a clipboard, wore a lab coat, and would urge the Teacher to continue regardless of the make believe pleas of the Learner.

The “Teachers” were told by the experimenter that they would be participating in an experiment to test the effects of punishment on learning. However, as has already been stated, this was not the goal of the experiment.

The “Teacher” was given a list of word pairs which was used to teach the Learner. The Learner was actually a confederate, or a plant, in the experiment. The Teacher would then read the first word of each pair and read four possible answers. The Learner would deliberately press the wrong button to indicate his response. Since the answer was incorrect, the Learner would receive an electric shock, with the voltage progressively increasing with each wrong answer. Therefore, the
subjects believed that for each wrong answer, the Learner was receiving an ever increasing level of actual shocks which would eventually result in death.

In reality, there were no shocks. After the confederate (i.e., Learner) was separated from the subject, the confederate set up a tape recorder integrated with the electro-shock generator, which played pre-recorded sounds of pain and distress for each successive level of shock. After a number of voltage level increases, the Learner would bang on the wall which divided him from the subject (teacher). After several instances of banging on the wall and complaining about his heart condition, the learner provided no further responses to questions and no further complaints. The fate of the Learner was left to the imagination of the teacher. The silence was met with the command to continue with the experiment. Although the Learner was not being harmed, the Teacher believed that they were administering progressively dangerous shocks. From the instrumentation panel, the Teacher could clearly see that their shocks were approaching the level of lethality. Was the Teacher being forced to capitulate and continue with the experiment? Quite the contrary was true, the prompts to continue administering shock were encouraged by minimal prompts and absolutely no threats were offered by the Experimenter.

If at any time the subject hesitated or expressed a desire to discontinue the experiment, the subject was given a planned and verbatim succession of verbal prompts by the experimenter:

1. “Please continue.”

2. “The experiment requires that you continue.”

3. “It is absolutely essential that you continue. ”

4. “You have no other choice, you must go on.”

If the Teacher still wished to stop after having listened to four successive verbal prompts, the experiment was discontinued. Otherwise, the experiment was terminated after the subject had administered the lethal 450-volt shock three times in succession.

Milgram expected that less than one percent would actually administer a fatal electric shock. The actual results were so stunning that he decided to film the results on the final day, fearing that nobody would believe his results. And what were the results? Despite expressing some measure of discomfort and the minimal use pressure, in Milgram’s first set of experiments, 65% (26 out of 40) of the subjects administered the experiment’s final and hypothetically fatal 450-volt shock. Amazingly,no participant steadfastly refused to give further shocks before the 300-volt level!

Milgram’s results were confirmed when Dr. Thomas Blass performed a meta-analysis on the results of repeated performances of the experiment. Blass found that the percentage of participants who were willing to administer fatal voltages remains remarkably constant, between 61% and 66%.

The results of Milgram’s and Blass’ work are stunning in their final conclusion which demonstrated that almost two-thirds of all Americans will mindlessly follow the commands of a “perceived” authority figure even when the authority figure has no real power over the people. Is this why our military continues to serve a despot who does not hesitate to throw away their lives or anyone else under his charge such as Ambassador Stevens?

To achieve political success, every authoritarian regime requires a high level of voluntary cooperation (i.e., groupthink) from its citizenry. Cooperation can be coerced as many times, in dictatorial regimes, cooperation is obtained as a result of extreme intimidation by carrying out a relatively small number of exceptionally harsh punishments in order to serve as a warning to the masses. However, there are not enough police, inspectors, auditors, etc. to control a populace in which the majority would fail to comply with the status quo. Then why do we continue to follow leaders who have abandoned the Constitution and the welfare of our people long ago? Is America a prisoner to the groupthink phenomena? What about gross ignorance as a contributor to America’s capitulation to such bad leadership? Can anything be done?  Now that we have had the confirmation of FEMA Camps, are you concerned about the propensity for the American people to follow directions right to the planned extermination of Americans as planned by the globalists?

I wholeheartedly support and applaud the efforts of the Oath Keepers. However, when one considers the conditioned response training of the military and the propensity for even nonmilitary personnel to blindly follow orders, through the process of group think, I think Oath Keepers may only be able to exert a very minimal effect on the overall outcome as it pertains to the American troops committing genocide against the American people.

Part 4 will examine what options Americans, who steadfastly refuse to accept the tyrannical government that we are increasingly being exposed to, have at their disposal to combat the coming American genocidal holocaust.

 

France, Austria, and Spain Come-Out for Palestinian Vote–(US Has Corrected British Backsliding–UPDATED)

“William Hague says UK may abstain in Palestinian UN vote”

[It seems that every European ally of the US, except for the Zionist entity (and their German slaves) and the United States itself, are coming-out to support the Palestinian vote at the UN–France and Austria, Britain and Spain.]

France backs Palestinians in statehood bid

France has become the first major European country to back the Palestinian drive for statehood at the UN.

Austria reportedly also plans to support the proposal and claims it will be joined by more than half of the EU’s 27 member states. The vote is due later this week.

France is a permanent member of the UN security council and has backed an upgrade in status for Palestine for decades.

“It is a question of political coherence,” Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told the lower house of parliament. He added that immediate and unconditional negotiations are the only way that a Palestinian state can emerge.

Israel and the United States oppose the move.

“I think that the great majority of nations will vote with us. We tried very hard to win the largest number of European countries to vote in favor” said Palestinian Ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour.

Upgraded status would mean the opportunity to participate in debates in the General Assembly and to join UN agencies, as well as the International Criminal Court.

Israel has promised unilateral action if the Palestinians challenge its actions in the ICC.

Muslim Brotherhood–Making Lists, Rounding-Up Anti-Islamist Activists

An Egyptian protester kicks a tear gas canister during clashes with Egytptian riot police in Tahrir square on 25 November n Cairo. (AFP PHOTO/STRINGER)An Egyptian protester kicks a tear gas canister during clashes with Egytptian riot police in Tahrir square on 25 November n Cairo. (AFP PHOTO/STRINGER)vv

rounding up activists

Daily News Egypt

Activists allegedly handed over to the police

 

The Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR) has claimed that members of the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) are rounding up people and handing them over to the security forces. It is alleged that they are targeting people they believe to have been involved in attacking Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) headquarters.

Malek Adly, a lawyer for ECESR said, “the MB are making lists and taking people from the street.” He reported that MB members have been moving in large groups and forcibly taking people to the central security forces, who transfer them to the police to be arrested.

Adly said “the people who are picked up are charged with attacking MB members, the police or the FJP buildings.” He added, “the ECESR have sent legal assistance to help these people and we have been successful in securing their release.”

Hundreds of thousands converge on Tahrir, demand Morsy rescind his declaration

Hundreds of thousands converge on Tahrir

Luiz Sanchez

Protesters demand Morsy rescind his declaration

 

Protesters flocked to Tahrir Square on Tuesday, as several marches converged. A stage was set up on which people led chants and gave speeches while a near-continuous stream of marches and unaffiliated protesters flooded the square.

Overnight clashes around the square had largely died down by the morning. A field doctor, Tamer El-Nahas said there were many cases of injuries overnight. “Today [Tuesday] has been relatively quiet,” he said, speculating that there would not be any significant clash between security forces and protesters, so long as there were thousands of people present.

A member of Al-Dostour party said that he and his party demanded President Mohamed Morsy withdraw his controversial constitutional declaration, “which is tantamount to a dictatorship,” he said.

“How can we call him President when he has the power of a dictator,” said Om Mena, a protester. “We demand he withdraws the decree immediately,” she continued.

By 4pm several marches were still converging in the square. The Wafd party march approached the square brandishing their flags, but quickly lowered them at the request of the podium speakers who called for only Egyptian flags to be raised in the square.

“[Gamal Abdel] Nasser had warned us,” a chant led by the farmers’ union march began. “Do not trust the [Muslim] Brotherhood.”

Speakers on the stage led chants against the president, calling for the downfall of the regime.

The atmosphere in Tahrir was calm, and security forces were nowhere to be seen. “They are behind the walls,” a 14 year old protester with a Guy Fawkes mask said.

By 5 pm, numbers in Tahrir had swelled to tens of thousands, and on the arrival of the largest marches from Shubra, Zamalek and Mustafa Mahmoud Square, Tahrir protesters numbers was estimated to be hundreds of thousands. Lawyers, judges and journalists are among those who are protesting the president’s decision.

The Muslim Brotherhood said via their Twitter account that the “low protester turnout today [Tuesday] indicates a lack of support among Egyptians,” but nevertheless supports peaceful protests and strong opposition.

The social isolation of Ikhwan

 

Sara Abou Bakr

The Muslim Brotherhood announced a few days ago that they will protest on Tuesday in support of Morsy’s latest decree in Abdeen Square. Residents of Abdeen area hung up a banner reading, “Ikhwan not welcome.” The Brotherhood moved the protest to the vicinity of Cairo University.

The students on social media outlets promised them a “special welcome” and advised them to relocate their protest to Giza Zoo (right next to the university) warning that even the animals will chase them away, which lead of course to a torrent on typical Egyptian jokes.

On Monday night an official announcement was made; the Brotherhood will not protest that day to avoid bloodshed.

The Brotherhood has not fully got it yet, but they are currently being socially isolated by the people not the power of the law.  It is the first step towards becoming a social leper. Exaggeration? Let’s examine the facts.

Following Morsy’s latest constitutional declaration giving himself demi-God powers, political groups convened last Thursday announcing the formation of a front to fight the “monopoly” of Ikhwan over Egypt promising not to allow another dictatorship to rule the country. The groups were formed of socialists, seculars, liberals, moderates and even Mubarak supporters leached themselves to the initiative.

Al-Nour party, most prominent Salafi group in Egypt, protested the declaration because of the unlimited powers Morsy bequeaths upon himself and criticising the way Morsy sacked the prosecutor general, corrupt as he is, as it violates the sanctity of judicial law.

Judges have called for a national strike two days ago and some NGOs estimate the court strikes to be nearing 70% all over Egypt against a decree deemed to weaken judiciary powers.

The press syndicate held its annual meeting two days ago, refusing the decree with reporters throwing out their “elected” Ikhwan representative out of the meeting, calling for the downfall of Morsy, joining Tahrir sit-in, and threatening a general strike.

Thinkers and writers have flooded local papers with columns threatening the beginning of tyranny with reference to Adolf Hilter’s rise to power through democratic elections and Iran’s Al-Khomeini who took over the country after a revolution, forming his revolutionary guard and executing and imprisoning his critics.

Independent workers unions urged workers to join the current Tahrir sit-in, objecting the decree as well as the newest Labour Act Morsy issued decried by many labor organisations and civil societies mainly as it does not allow disabled workers to retain their union membership and allowing the current minister—a Muslim Brotherhood labour leader—to appoint union board members among other catastrophic results.

The United States, Morsy’s current best friend following the Gaza-Israel ceasefire, has raised its eyebrows in worry over the declaration. Hillary Clinton on the phone with Egyptian foreign minister told him the United States wants to see “the constitutional process move forward in a way that does not overly concentrate power in one set of hands” and expressed her worry over “competing demonstrations.”

Away from politicians and their games, are the protesters who have taken over Tahrir since 19 November. My biggest surprise was their age, mostly under 18 with vengeance combined with adolescent  hormones leading to a volatile mix that won’t give up unless their demands are met. They do not fear death or injury. They play with tear gas canisters as they would a ball. They welcome gunshots not caring about the results.

Most of those whom I have spoken to either buried a friend in 25 January  2011 revolution and its following battles, or lost a loved one in the Port Said football match massacre. Their demand is the same: fair trials of those who killed their loved ones. They do not care about elections, politics or the judiciary system.

Morsy has become another Mubarak in their young minds with killers vindicated in courts, continuous torture cases by the police, a poverty spike that is affecting them on daily basis and the unfulfilled promise of the revolution of “a better life for all,” which was why people outset Mubarak in the first place.

On Monday, Egyptians buried two boys; 17 year-old Gaber Sahah, “Jika” to his friends, shot in the face and 15 year-old Islam Massoud, bludgeoned till death. Jika was a Baradei-supporter and 6 April activist while Massoud belonged to the Muslim Brotherhood. The funerals ran simultaneously in Cairo and Damanhur. Both mothers were taped having a nervous breakdown. Jika’s father and Massoud’s brother accused Morsy and “his brotherhood” of killing their children.

Historians assure that Egypt has never quite suffered a civil war.

In three months of Morsy’s rule, Egyptians are facing-off on the streets.

Now the Brotherhood has two options; either Morsy takes back his decree, which would mean his loss to the pressure of civil groups and the street or he insists on it causing more street clashes and more blood that in turn can lead to three different scenarios; the ousting of Morsy, the Brotherhood fortifying their first step to a tyrannical rule or a much-feared military intervention.

Their promise of a “renaissance” project has turned into a promise of a civil war.

As tens of thousands fill Tahrir square Tuesday afternoon as I am writing these words, the credibility of Ikhwan is dwindling by the second and their social isolation may soon follow.

Bahrain protests against Saudi Union project

Bahrain protests against Union project

Bahrain was in protest demonstrations on the Union project with Saudi Arabia(Al-Jazeera)

 

Tens of thousands of Bahrainis today outside the capital Manama to protest what they called the pursuit of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to includeBahrain , after the announcement of the project a union between the two countries during the summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council  Monday in Riyadh.

The Deputy Secretary General of the  opposition National Accord Association Khalil Ibrahim Al-Marzouq of the island “The three hundred thousand BD came out to express their attachment to the stability of Bahrain,” and added that the draft Union aims to break up national unity and popular escape from the benefits. ”

He expressed his conviction that the project came after the inability of the authorities in Bahrain for the suppression of popular protests.

In contrast, Deputy Secretary General of the Association of National Forum Nasser residue of the island that “the Union is not a fad but is passed by the idea three decades,” and added “we have not heard the idea of ​​annexation of Bahrain by Saudi Arabia only current sectarian.”

Fadala described what being sectarian bias because it coincided with the exit of “groups حرضتها Iran.” He said that “the danger to the Gulf states comes from Iran, which wants to being singled Bahrain.”

The leaders of the six Gulf Cooperation Council met in Riyadh on Monday to discuss the king’s call Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz  to unify the GCC countries, but they failed to agree on further integration schemes.

It is scheduled to resume talks in this regard later this year.

The witness Bahrain protests over a year ago demanding political reform and democracy.

Saudi Arabia fears that extends the unrest in Bahrain to the Shiites who are in its eastern region, the oil-producing.

The growing tension between Iran and the Gulf Arab states in recent months. Arab leaders have accused Tehran of fomenting the Shiite-led protests in Bahrain, a charge Iran denies and denies Bahraini protesters.

Iran considered that the Union project is the demise of the Kingdom of Bahrain due to the lack of consistency in the economic and military capacity and the number of people between the two countries.

The Days In Jordan: the Monarchy In the Balance

source

November 16, 2012 Valeria Ruggiu

Jordan days is the channel that is broadcasting the live streaming of the protests. Jordan is enjoying his days of anger. Almost two years after ‘protests began on 14 November saw explode in the streets around the country so impetuous and uncontrolled. The budget for the second day of protests is two people, including a security officer and a protester who tried to break into a public office. Many wounded, tear gas and vandalism.What Jordan is experiencing at this time is urban warfare. From north to south the protests have expanded like wildfire: Tafileh, Shobak, Maan, Aqaba, Irbid, Salt, Zarqa, Russeifa, the Jordan Valley and Amman. The capital is unexpectedly blocked by angry protesters who wander without a specific destination, trying to prevent the blocks from the police patrolling the streets.

It’s not just that. People began to gather in the street shortly after the government’s announcement of the suspension of subsidies on fuel that, in fact, lead to a rise in its price from 15 to 53.8 percent, depending on whether we are talking about gasoline, diesel , kerosene and domestic gas. The move was made ​​in the context of different operations austerity that aim to save the Kingdom on the brink of a financial crisis. The government of Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour, recently appointed, is the fifth appointed by the King in the 23 months of protests in the country. A practice that seems to no longer having a palliative effect against the popular discontent and might not be enough this time to calm the riots. Even the reform movements that have shown in recent months have called for calm people, distancing himself from the violent outbursts.

The slogans shouted by the demonstrators have changed target: not only al-Islah al-Sha’b yurid Nidham butalso yasqut yasqut-Abdallah. No longer just the reform of the regime, but the fall of Abdallah. This like many others with similar meanings are an important sign for the country. The taboo of the King, incriticabile, he fell dead. The children express their anger and identify the cause of their problems in the figure of the king’s reforms are not enough. Seek revolution.
The long wave of so-called Arab Spring has perhaps reached the Jordan? But what does this mean for the country? What are the possible scenarios in case the situation fell within the normal range as has happened in recent months? The country is protesting it, but not everything. Many, again, defend the King and do not see the need for a violent upheaval to change things. Of course, now that the King change strategy change because the government no longer needed. It is too late to take up the situation in a peaceful manner? Twenty-three months, the people waited for the arrival of government after government reforms take effect. There was the reform of the Constitution, there was a reform of the electoral law, anti-corruption measures, but none of them seems to have deeply affected the real problems. Was definitely not easy even engage in the discussions that led to these reforms because the first Jordanian society and its governance structures are heavily influenced, if not shaped, by tribalism that produces corruption, the pervasive presence of the secret services and the Jordanian identity problem. Key pillars of society does not easily collapsible.

The King has in front of him a few roads. The most desirable would be a revocation of the operation that affects the fuel in order to calm the markets. This, however, could only be guaranteed if an externalrefill the state coffers. Then there would be no choice but to meet the people’s will begin a real process of effective reforms. On the other hand, the second option would be the use of strong-arm tactics, martial law on the model of a black November. But this would lead the country into civil war and it would be unthinkable at the international level, with the Syrian crisis in place, losing valuable ally Jordan. Although the second seems unthinkable, the first involves a second phase, however, problematic. Reforming Jordan really mean it going to affect the tribal links that have always constituted the basis of society and public affairs from the time of its birth as a modern state. The basis of tribal loyalty, upon which the Jordanian monarchy would be put to the test if they were put in question the privileges that govern it. The problem of identity, the source component Palestinian majority in the country, is a source of instability and potential conflict civil. Is currently challenged state sovereignty, as it did in the sixties by the fedayyin Palestinians and culminated in 1970 with the Black September, but it is an indelible memory in the history of the country.

Cards in play are many and an important player like Jordan in the Middle East chessboard can not risk making the wrong move. It is hoped, therefore, that the fuse broke out these days do not surrender the country into chaos, but that the King take a step back and, in honor of the birthday of his father Hussein, transform his kingdom into a parliamentary monarchy on the model UK. A revolution from above.

 

Valeria Ruggiu is research associate in the Program “Middle East” dell’IsAG.

The EU Face Sent To Frighten Central Asian Dictators Into America’s Arms

[Maybe sending the dictators a goofy-looking diplomat is a psychological ploy to gain a sympathetic advantage, while diplomatic attempts are made to frighten people over an “impending” (imaginary) Taliban invasion.]

 source

On Central Asian Tour, Ashton Emphasizes ‘Shared Security Challenges’

By RFE/RL

Last updated (GMT/UTC): 27.11.2012 12:32

European Union foreign-policy chief Catherine Ashton is in the Kyrgyz capital, the first stop of a tour of Central Asia.

At a news conference in Bishkek, Ashton said the European Union and Central Asia face “shared security challenges.”

“In this region, we face increasing and new challenges,” Ashton said. “We talked about the developments of Afghanistan and the importance of the future of that country. We share a common aim in promoting a secure Afghanistan and the prosperous region as a whole. I know that to make sure that we can jointly tackle each challenge, we agreed to strengthen our cooperation in the security area and to have a regular high-level security dialogue.”

Ashton was speaking at a joint news conference with Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Erlan Abdyldaev.

Earlier, she chaired an EU-Central Asia ministerial meeting.

The gathering brought together the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan, as well as the deputy foreign ministers of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Ashton said the sides “agreed that we should step up our cooperation to strengthen our economic relations and work to develop full potential of our trade and investment relations.”

She said the issues of democratization, human rights, and development of civil society were also touched upon during the talks.

Noting that Kyrgyzstan had received “substantial aid” from the European Union, Abdyldaev emphasized the importance of strong relations with Brussels.

“I would like to stress that since the independence of Kyrgyzstan, the European Union has always been and remains one of the main targets of our foreign policy,” Abdyldaev said.

“We enjoy very close, good, and fruitful relations on the political, economic, and cultural levels. Our common agenda is very broad and covers multiple questions, including the issues of democratization and the rule of law.”

During her visit, Ashton also held talks with Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev.

She is to travel to Uzbekistan on November 28 before heading to Tajikistan and Kazakhstan.

 

 

Anti-Police State Protest Broken-Up In Riyadh

 source

Saudi Arabian Police Disperse Prisoner-Protest Group in Riyadh

By Glen Carey

Saudi Arabian police dispersed a small group of people today in Riyadh calling for the release of prisoners.

“A group of individuals and family members gathered in front of the Human Rights Commission,” Mohammed al-Qahtani, a democracy advocate, said by phone from Riyadh. “They called for the release of political detainees.”

Images posted on Twitter accounts showed police surrounding a group of people in front of the government-run human rights organization and two Saudi women holding a sign saying “The People Want the Liberation of the Prisons.” Police closed a section of King Fahd Road today in front of the human rights office.

Saudi Arabia has remained unscathed by the popular uprisings in the Arab world that led to the toppling of leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen. King Abdullah spent an additional 224 billion riyals ($60 billion) last year to create jobs, build homes and increase salaries for members of the armed forces.

The public affairs office of the Saudi Interior Ministry declined to comment.

To contact the reporter on this story: Glen Carey in Riyadh at gcarey8@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at barden@bloomberg.net

Egypt’s Top Islamist Openly Discusses Assassinations of Liberals

[Just getting warmed-up.]

Leftist political Abol-Ezz El-Hariri injured in his face after being attacked by a group of unknown assailants whom he accused of being hired by the Muslim Brotherhood (Photo: Ahram)

Egypt’s top Islamist expects assassination of liberal figures

Nageh Ibrahim, the ideologue of the Gamaa al-Islamiya, said his expectation “was based on an analysis of the political situation not on information.” (Photo via Nageh Ibrahim’s Facebook page)

By AL ARABIYA

A senior member of Egypt’s former militant Islamist group al-Gamaa al-Islamiya has warned that liberal politicians and intellectuals who oppose President Mohammed Mursi’s latest constitutional declaration could face a campaign of targeted assassinations starting from December.

Nageh Ibrahim, the ideologue of the Gamaa al-Islamiya, which took up arms against ousted president Hosni Mubarak’s regime in the 1980s, told Al Arabiya that his expectation “was based on an analysis of the political situation not on information.”

He said recent escalation of violence in different parts of the country, including successive attacks on security forces in Sinai, attacks on Muslim Brotherhood offices and on mosques, point to a possible bloody reaction against liberals.

Ibrahim first made his statement in an interview with the London-based Asharq al-Awsat, saying targeted assassinations against prominent liberals would be a “natural reaction” to violence and mistrust, and political polarization in Egypt.

And while he supported President Mursi’s latest decrees to consolidate his powers by making his decisions irrevocable by the judiciary, Ibrahim called for the president to include more civil and liberal figures in his government and take their demands into consideration when making decisions.

“Had the president included representatives of the civil powers in the new government, he would not have had so many enemies,” Ibrahim said.

“This has to be done before Egypt becomes divided, not only politically but possibly geographically as well.”

He warned that if Mursi backtracks on his decisions, the country would plunge further into turmoil.

But his statement on the assassination of liberals drew sharp criticism from his colleague Essam Derbala who is chairman of al-Gamaa al-Islamiya’s Advisory Council and member of the group’s political wing Construction and Development Party.

Derbala described Ibrahim’s statements as “irresponsible” and not representative of the group’s or the party’s opinion.

“This is a very bad timing for issuing such statements,” Derbala was quoted as saying by the Egyptian newspaper al-Mesryoon. “This would promote divisions in the Egyptian society and spread fear of Islamist groups.”

Derbala expressed his doubts that Ibrahim issued those warnings based on factual information and saw them more as mere speculations.

“These are just speculations that reflect his own point of view, but are not official especially that he does not hold any positions now in the group.”

Tarek al-Zomor, leading member of the group, also played down Ibrahim’s statements as mere speculations.

“All the changes in Egypt are made in a peaceful way,” he said. “This is the path Egypt has taken since the January 25 Revolution.”

Geo Journalist Fakes Bomb Attempt To Rectify Image Among Local Terrorists

Images from Saudi Gazette

[It doesn’t look like half a kilo of plastic explosive.]

[Mr. Mir claims that a bomb was found by his observant neighbor, beneath his car.   Now, the ever accommodating Pakistani Taliban have taken responsibility for the image-rehabilitating alleged “bomb” (SEE:  TTP accepts responsibility of attack bid on Hamid Mir).  This is meant to partially undo the damage done to Mir’s reputation, as well as Hakeemullah Mehsud’s rep,  in the Islamist community, caused by the revelation of the taped conversation, allegedly with Hakeemullah Mehsud.  In the tape, Mir is heard telling Mehsud to treat Khalid Khawaja and “Col. Imam” as CIA spies, immediately before both of them were murdered in N. Waziristan.  The malicious claims made on those tapes, that Khalid Khawaja was CIA, were logically completely refuted by Khalid Khwaja’s petitioning of the Lahore High Court to block deportation to the CIA of arrested Taliban leader Mullah Baradar, but the Mehsud Taliban do not understand Logic.

Now, a new paradigm is needed, one which requires the specialized lying skills of Mir and others like him.  The infamous taped conversation and English transcript are included below this report.]

Hamid Mir escapes car explosion

ISLAMABAD – Hamid Mir, a renowned Pakistani journalist, remained unhurt as bid to explode his car foiled.
According to police, the senior anchorperson of Geo News remained safe as the explosives were detected by his neighbor’s driver in a suspicious package planted beneath his car. On receiving the information, the bomb disposal squad arrived at the point and defused the bomb.
According to the anchorperson, he returned home after visiting a photo copying shop when his neighbor’s driver detected the bomb being planted under his vehicle. The bomb squad was quick enough to reach the spot and dismantle the bomb within half hour, stated Hamid Mir.
According to IG Islamabad, the bomb weighed around half kilogram and was fitted in a tin box attached to the journalist’s car.

Transcript of Hamid Mir’s conversation

Hamid Mir: Many bombings are being carried out.

Unidentified man: Let’s see. There will be more of them. There are some in the pipeline. What do they (government) say about the operation in Orakzai? Will they stop it or not?

HM: No, they say it would not be stopped, rather they say they will also start an operation in North Waziristan and 40,000 troops will leave in a couple of days.

UM: In North Waziristan?

HM: Yes.

UM: Do you have any report on Khalid Khawaja etc.

HM: They say Khalid Khawaja Saab is in custody of one Azam Afridi in Darrakhel.

UM: Yes, yes Tariq Afridi (correcting HM).

HM: They are in Tariq Afridi’s custody.

UM: OK.

HM: Yes.

UM: So, are they men of the government or ISI?

HM: Who?

UM: These, Khalid Khawaja and Colonel Imam.

HM: Khalid Khawaja, according to my opinion, is not an ISI man, rather he is a CIA agent, an American CIA agent and he has links with the Taliban leadership.

UM: Yes, he met with Hakimullah and others when he came here last time.

HM: I personally know that Khalid Khawaja has links not only with CIA but he is also a front man of Mansoor Ijaz who belongs to a very big international network of Qadiyanis. Once he came to me along with Mansoor, who had a briefcase with him, and Khalid Saab told me that Mansoor is a key representative of the US government, so arrange his meeting with Syed Salahuddin, who is a mujahideen leader, and he along with him would resolve the Kashmir issue.

UM: All right.

HM: But I asked him what charm or magic lamp does he posses for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute. He said he had links with the Indian government and (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee Jee, which surprised me. I didn’t arrange the meeting, but I asked Mr Salahuddin who said Khalid Khawaja is sending messages that you should directly talk to India and the US on the issue and exclude Pakistan from it.

UM: All right, all right.

HM: After that, Mansoor Ijaz also asked me: Are you with us or not? I said, “I am not with you.” Then he conspired against me and got me sacked from the Daily Ausaf when I was its editor. So, I think Khalid Khawaja not only has links with the CIA but he is also an agent of the Qadiyanis, and I am very sad that he used to go to the Tribal Areas and meet leaders there.

UM: But now, I think, the Taliban have caught him and have demanded $10 million for the journalist.

HM: Do you know what part his (Khalid Khawaja’s) wife played in Lal Masjid?

UM: No, but it was something negative.

HM: It was that Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi Saab – may Allah bless him with a place in heavens. What he told me in his last days was, do you know that he did not completely agree with Maulana Aziz.

UM: Yes, yes.

HM: Mr Abdul Rashid Ghazi wanted to save the students inside the mosque and for that he showed flexibility and said, “I am ready to surrender on the condition that those who are with me will not be arrested and will be released.” But Khalid Khawaja’s wife was pressurised so much by Ume Hassaan that Maulana Abdul Aziz, without asking his brother, came out in a burqa, and Khalid Khawaja was involved in it (call disconnected).

UM: Assalam-o-Alaikum!

HM: Yes,

UM: The call got disconnected.

HM: Ok.

UM: So, what were you saying about his wife?

HM: Yes, I was telling you that his wife pressurised him so much that Ghazi Saab said, “She says we have to fight, just fight for martyrdom.” After that Mr Khalid Khawaja came out of the mosque and his wife also fled, Khalid Khawaja’s wife.

UM: Yes, we heard that she had fled after that.

HM: Yes, she ran away and then Maulana Abdul Aziz also came out in the burqa.

UM: I think, he insisted for that.

HM: Yes, he had done all this. After that Maulana Abdul Aziz was arrested and Mr Abdul Rashid Ghazi telephoned me and said, “Now, I don’t have any option. Now, my family and ulema have been defamed as my brother was arrested in a burqa and presented on Pakistan Television. This is a large stain which can only be removed with my blood.” So, he lived up to his words and sacrificed. So, Khalid Khawaja and his wife, anyone may know or not, they will have to answer before Allah Almighty.

UM: He, recently, came here and met my companions. He was saying, “You can work in Pakistan as we say, if you want to. I can arrange your ‘setting’ with an admiral in Mianwali. So, you should not burn US containers in Pakistan, you can rob them and sell them to a person recommended by us.” He was saying, “We would provide you everything for carrying out activities in Pakistan.”

HM: Do whatever you want to with the containers, burn them or rob them, I have nothing to do with it. But ask him what relationship he has with Mansoor Ijaz and William Casey? William Casey was the chief of CIA.

UM: Right, right.

HM: He (Khawaja) himself has confessed in front me that he had links with William Casey. Ok! Leave William, ask him about the Qadiyanis, because I personally believe that Qadiyanis are worse than infidels, what kind of links does he have with Qadiyanis? What relationship does he have with Mansoor Ijaz? Why does he use his money? Why does he go everywhere with him when he comes to Pakistan? Why does he bring him to the mujahideen?

UM: Yes, he has a son in al Qaeda.

HM: Yes, his son would also be a spy like him.

UM: Yes, I talked to the shaikhs about him. They said they were keeping him on the sidelines.

HM: His biggest betrayal to me was that there was a mujahid, Abdul Rehman Al Canady.

UM: Yes, there was one Canady.

HM: He was martyred in North Waziristan. He came to me with Canady’s wife and a daughter, saying Canady’s son, Karim, is at Rawalpindi’s CMH and is injured and the army had arrested him. He asked me to arrange a meeting between the injured and his mother. I said this is very difficult for me and I can’t do this because already they are all against me. But, he said all that you need to do is to arrange a meeting between a mother and her son. So, I arranged it with a lot of difficulties and sent the woman to Rawalpindi CMH, but when she reached there she took a camera out of her burqa and asked her son to record a message that he is innocent, has no links with anyone and has been kept here illegally. She was arrested there because a nurse saw her and seized the camera from her. But I was held responsible for all of it as they told me that I had sent this woman. It was revealed after her arrest that the woman had a Canadian passport and had visited Canada two months ago. After that I faced a lot of difficulties. The Canadian government released the woman and her daughter and then she went back to Canada. In Toronto, she held a press conference and admitted that she worked for the CIA. Now Khalid Khawaja has a long beard and his wife wears a full veil so people like us, who are involved in worldly affairs and have committed sins, believe that if we will help them, we might be forgotten for our sins. When these kinds of people betray us, we lose confidence on the religion itself.

UM: Absolutely, neither we are wrong nor is the army, but people like him have created the difficulties.

HM: However, if he is somewhere, ask him at least that you used the name of Abdul Rehman Canady, you worked with Mansoor Ijaz, you have worked William Casey. And there is one Javaid Ibrahim Piracha, who has a very big seminary in Kohat.

UM: Yes, yes.

HM: You all know the services of Piracha Saab. So, he fraudulently invited Piracha Saab in Islamabad and told him he wanted to arrange his meeting with a prominent personality. He took him to the US deputy foreign minister at Serena Hotel and said, “He is Mr Piracha and he can arrange your talks with the al Qaeda and Taliban.” Piracha Saab is a well-educated person. I observed that he was betrayed and came out of the room and escaped from there. Then he called me and said, “You were right about him (Khalid Khawaja).”

UM: Right, right. He went to him last time.

HM: Yes, Piracha Saab told me about that. He said, “He came to me and Col Imam was also here and told Col Imam that don’t go anywhere with this guy.” He (Piracha) said, “What can I do if he comes here and I can’t force him out of my house, but you don’t go anywhere with him.” Mr Piracha said Col Imam didn’t want to go with Khalid Khawaja, but he forced him to go with him.

UM: Right, maybe to use as human shield. But Shah Abdul Aziz, that MNA of Kirk, is supporting him a lot. He was meeting everyone here and asking for his release.

HM: He would have fooled Shah Abdul Aziz.

UM: Yes, he was asking people to release him and said you may keep the journalist, whose ransom will be paid to you by him.

HM: Ok! His release depends on them who have kept him, but convey them these three questions that what is your link with Mansoor Ijaz, whose father fled with the atomic secrets of Pakistan. Mansoor Ijaz’s father was an atomic scientist and he fled to the US with the atomic secrets of Pakistan. Once he (Ijaz) offered Benazir Bhutto a quid pro quo deal in 1995 that all the debts of the country will be forgiven, if she recognised Israel. That means he was also an agent of Israel.

UM: Yes, he used to ask my companions to work in Pakistan “as we say”. Actually, the killings of brigadiers in Rawalpindi might have been arranged by him, I think.

HM: It might be possible, but I have been watching this guy for the last 13 or 14 years and he is a suspected man.

UM: OK. Inshallah, I will meet Hakimullah in two or three days and talk to him about all this.

HM: All right

UM: Thank you so much.

HM: Assalam-o-Alaikum!

UM: Assalam-o-Alaikum!

Saudi King Abdullah Reported To Be “Clinically Dead” In Pakistan’s THE NATION

[SEE:  Saudis Issuing String of Lies About King Abdullah’s Minor “Ligament Tightening” Back Surgery]

Saudi King reported ‘clinically dead’

Monitoring/agencies

RIYADH – Saudi King, Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, has been in a state of ‘clinical death’ for the past two days, reported Albawaba News quoting Arabic newspaper Asharq Alawsat on Monday.A report by the paper claimed that medical staff in Saudi Arabia have confirmed that the King’s basic organs are no longer working. According to the source, ‘The fate of the king will be determined within three to four days.’ The news seemingly contradicts reports from the Saudi Royal Court, which publicly announced that the eleven hour operation had been a success. According to state news agency, SPA, the monarch, believed to be in his late 80s, was in hospital for surgery to tighten a ligament in his back. News of the King’s ‘clinical death’ has raised questions over who will be his successor. Meanwhile, Saudi Crown Prince Salman ‘reassured’ Saudis during a cabinet meeting on Monday about King Abdullah’s health, more than a week after the monarch had surgery, state news agency SPA reported.The king, believed to be in his late 80s, was admitted for surgery on November 16 and an announcement from the Royal Court said he had undergone a successful back operation that took 11 hours.Saudi stability is of global concern. The key US ally holds more than a fifth of world petroleum reserves and is the birthplace of Islam, where millions of Muslims flock to perform the annual Haj.“His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz reassured everybody about the health of King Abdullah,” SPA said without giving any details or saying when the king might be released from hospital.The Saudi stock market, which was on a downward trend throughout the day, reversed course and the index closed up 0.4 per cent.Top royals have repeatedly visited King Abdullah at the Riyadh hospital since the operation, SPA said on Saturday, but no photographs of the monarch have been released.The crown has passed down a line of sons of the kingdom’s founder King Abdulaziz Ibn Saud, who died in 1953.Abdullah – who took power in 2005- named his brother Prince Salman, 13 years his junior, heir apparent in June after the death of Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz. Salman deputises for the king while he is away and has chaired both this week and last week’s cabinet meetings.

 

Institute of Wahhabi Tolerance To Promote Interfaith Dialogue and Moderation?

INAUGURATION CEREMONY

The 26th November, 2012 marks the date of the official opening of the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Vienna.

Saudis preach interfaith in Vienna to cries of hypocrisy

By TOM HENEGHAN
The road to reform in Saudi Arabia is long and winding. In the restricted field of religion, the path is so circuitous that part of it even runs through Austria.

 

Yesterday, a pioneering Saudi-backed centre for worldwide interfaith dialogue opened in a baroque palace on Vienna’s elegant Ringstrasse boulevard. Riyadh paid for the building and will foot the centre’s budget for the first three years.

Such largesse from a country often ranked as one of the most religiously repressive has stirred suspicion and protest in Vienna. But the centre has unexpected supporters, most notably in Israel. Rabbi David Rosen, the Jewish member of the centre’s multi-faith board of directors, says it presents an opportunity the world’s religions cannot let pass.

“This is the first multifaith initiative from a Muslim source, and not just any source, but from the very hardcore heartland of Islam,” said Rosen, international director of interreligious affairs of the American Jewish Committee.

The new head of the centre said other faiths would play into the hands of Saudi hardliners if they refused to join before Riyadh made changes such as letting Christian churches open there.

“There are 1,000 extremists just waiting to hear that,” said Faisal bin Abdulrahman bin Muaammar, a former Saudi vice-minister of education. “The only way to deal with this is dialogue,” he said.

Considered a reformer, King Abdullah, believed to be about 89, has been slowly trying to get his kingdom used to the idea of co-operating with other faiths.

Although named the King Abdullah International Centre for Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue (Kaiciid), bin Muaammar stressed it is not a Saudi entity.

“This is an international institution,” he said. “About 70 per cent of the world’s religions are on its board. The centre will be a neutral place to exchange ideas.”

The centre plans initial work in three fields. Its “Image of the Other” programme will have experts study how other faiths are portrayed in their media and education.

A fellowship programme will bring young leaders from all religions together to study selected issues and learn how each faith deals with them.

A programme with UNICEF will involve religious leaders in Africa in efforts to support health projects for children.

Austrian media have given the centre a frosty welcome, some going so far as to portray it as a front to spread radical Islam in the Alpine republic, and several opposition politicians have repeatedly criticised the government for supporting it.

Alev Korun, a Green Party deputy in the Austrian parliament, said Riyadh’s ban on practising other religions beside Islam in Saudi Arabia “stands in amazingly crass contradiction to the dialogue the king wants to have here”.

She said the centre would give undue prominence to Saudi Arabia’s strict Wahhabi tradition, a minority sect that had already undermined a more moderate interpretation of Islam in Bosnia.

“Sarajevo is not far from Vienna,” she said, adding that Saudi Arabia had financed the building of Wahhabi mosques there.

Saudi human rights activists also asked why Riyadh should promote interreligious dialogue in Vienna while relations even with its Shi’ite and Ismaili Muslim minorities were strained.

Anglo-Saxon Troops Should Leave Afghanistan

By ORIENTAL REVIEW

Negotiations began last week in Kabul between Afghanistan and the USA on a security agreement regarding the terms for the presence of American troops in the country following the official withdraw of the foreign contingent in 2014. Evidently, the peacekeeper’s Nobel Laurels already played their role during the second presidential campaign and it is now a case of completely revising President Obama’s declarations in 2009 regarding “a new American strategy in Afghanistan“.

According to Alexander Knyazev, regional programmes coordinator for the Russian Institute of Oriental Studies, who recently gave an interview to the Russian news agency IA REX, the continued presence of foreign troops in Afghanistan will become a destabilising factor for the security of  Eurasia.

Today, the ORIENTAL REVIEW republishes extracts from this interview:

IА REX: What is so special about Afghanistan that it has already “broken the teeth” of three empires: British, Soviet and American?

Saying that Afghanistan has never been defeated is in the realm of myth-making. The British won two wars until they were defeated in the Third Anglo-Afghan war in 1919.

The Soviet Union did not lose the war in Afghanistan, there was a political decision to withdraw the troops and so the troops were withdrawn. The decision was a betrayal to the Afghan government who, incidentally, remained in power for another three years without any support from the USSR. In 1988, with the consent of Mikhail Gorbachev, the then Soviet Minister of Foreign Affairs Eduard Shevardnadze (later the president of the newly-independent Georgia – OR) signed an agreement in Geneva, in accordance with which the USSR stopped all help to President Najibullah’s government. At the same time, the help being given to anti-government forces by the USA as well as European and Arabic countries immediately grew tenfold, if not a hundredfold.

I will refrain from saying anything about the Americans for the time being, since their goal is not to win on a purely military level, they have other objectives in mind.

IА REX: Why is America holding on to this region so resolutely, despite their military losses and the damage it has caused to their image? What have been the real achievements of the Afghan campaign?

Most importantly, American forces are in Afghanistan and a puppet government is sitting in Kabul, so whatever the outcome over the next few years, America’s military bases will remain in Afghanistan and a number of neighbouring countries.

That is really why the campaign was begun in the first place; the “struggle with international terrorism” in Afghanistan is yet more fruit of modern-day political myth-making. There is absolutely no link between the events that took place in New York on 11 September 2011, the Taliban and Afghanistan.

It is a grand spectacle far removed from the producers of Broadway musicals… There are a number of examples in modern and contemporary American history where hundreds and thousands of people are sacrificed, including their own people, for the purposes of America’s foreign policy. The reality is that the USA became a military power in the Middle East and Central Asia, in the sphere of Iran’s, China’s and Russia’s vital interests. That is the main thing. Losses are secondary, whether military or to America’s image.

IА REX: In your opinion, what is the best solution for Afghanistan?

Just the negotiation process with one universal condition: the preservation of the country’s territorial integrity, the inviolability of its borders. There is a danger that one of America’s scenario’s for the region is changing its political geography. Afghanistan is a multi-ethnic country, but the country is not easily divided along ethnic lines. Any attempts would lead to the ethnic communities who live in neighbouring countries becoming involved in the redistribution conflict.

Considering the differences in regional development, Afghanistan would suit a government model in which a strong centre is combined with regions that are independent in many of their functions. Something like the American model, perhaps. But by no means along ethnic lines

For settlement in Afghanistan, it is extremely important to take the religious factor into account. It is possible to meet people in the larger cities who have a relatively secular outlook, but on the whole, the role of Islam in the country, along with its function bearers – the Ulama, remains just as great today as it was in previous phases of history. The social class of the traditional Muslim medieval intelligentsia played and still plays a much more important role in the life of the country than the secular intelligentsia. For many centuries, the Islamic clergy has occupied an important position in Afghan society and is essentially the major consolidating factor. The tradition of the clergy’s involvement in political life (and the obligatory presence of the religious component in political ideology as dominant) was established during the Anglo-Afghan wars and has gradually laid the foundations for the kind of fundamentalism where the bearers later turn into a powerful and wonderfully-organised political force extremely quickly and easily. The Sunni Islamic elite are the main factor conducive to real power potential.

Religious leaders are the force capable of mobilising successful resistance to any central government. This became apparent, in fact, during attempts to introduce into Afghan society both socialist ideas in the 1980s and the democratic experiments of the last decade. A dialogue is needed with the clergy, and only with the condition mentioned above will the dialogue be a successful and nationwide one.

IА REX:  What should the international community do to reduce the risk of terrorist and drug threats coming out of Afghanistan today?

The “international community” is a fiction. There are powers or centres of power that are interested in the presence of these kinds of threats; there are countries whose national security is being threatened. I would include the Anglo-Saxon community in the former, the Establishment of which has already publicly declared an interest in reducing the planet’s population. For the USA, for instance, drugs from Afghanistan are not a systemic problem, their export to the USA is of a one-off nature, they are isolated incidents. For Russia, countries of the region and Europe, however, it is actually one of the most serious threats to their security and existence.

In Europe, the main centres for the distribution of Afghan opiates are American air bases in Germany, Italy, Kosovo and Spain. Of these, the main centre is the Bondsteel base in Kosovo. Kosovo was only created in order to create problems for Europe, but the Europeans have deteriorated so much mentally that they apparently do not want to see this or understand it.

External help for settlement in Afghanistan can only be provided by those with an unbiased interest: Russia, Iran, Pakistan, China, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and possibly India, onto which many of the threats from Afghanistan are projected.

It is only possible to guarantee stability in Afghanistan by negotiating and finding the necessary compromises. Painstaking negotiation work with the leaders of every community is needed without exception. It needs to be understood that the Taliban is a conglomeration of many different groups.

A full withdrawal of Anglo-Saxon troops from the country needs to be achieved, ways to block external intervention need to be found and an inter-Afghan negotiation mechanism based on the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, for example, needs to be created.

IА REX:  Afghanistan is rich in minerals. It has enormous reserves of copper, for example. Is there any chance of refocusing the economy from the production of opiates, for example, to mining?

The answer to that question follows directly from what I have just said. Yes, there are a great number of minerals, including one of the largest copper deposits in the world at Aynak in Afghanistan’s Logar province, which is what you are referring to. In 2007, the Chinese state company China Metallurgical Corporation won a bid to mine the copper deposit. The economy needs to stabilise, however. In the meantime, the Chinese are able to spend a minuscule amount of time on the development of this project.

At present, Chinese companies are working on oil and gas fields in the north, particularly in the Jowzjan province.  But I do not think that any of the most important projects will be carried out without at least some degree of stability having been achieved first. If companies from China, Russia and Iran are going to be working in Afghanistan, they will face direct opposition from the Anglo-Saxons by way of the separate Taliban groups they are in control of…

As for the drugs, one should not start with Afghanistan, but with its transit. The price of heroin, starting from the plantation where the raw opium is cultivated and ending with the consumers in Europe, increases a hundredfold.

The Afghan farmer makes a matter of pennies from this production process, but those further along the chain earn millions and billions and simply do not allow the farmers to give up production. Opium is a guaranteed sale – the buyers go to the fields themselves. For the farmers, there is a credit system.

By way of example, for the harvesting of wheat or sesame from a hectare of land, the farmer would not receive the same as he would earn from that same hectare if it was opium, although neither is very much. So what should be done with the harvest? Who, in a country at war, is going to travel through the fields and gather in that kind of produce? When it comes to opium, however, they travel and they gather it in.

It is an enormous international corporation which involves not only the law-enforcement agencies of whole countries, but also the heads of a number of states. So far, the greatest chances of dealing with at least its transit have been demonstrated by Iran. This has even been recognised by the UN, where the Iranian government has few friends. For any activities associated with drugs there is the death penalty. I am convinced that this is more than humane when you think of the results of these activities for a great number of other people…

Bahrain’s push for rights hailed–Except for the 31 Who Officially, Have No Rights

[SEE: Bahrain wins UN praise… for facilitating anti-Syrian aggression by Jordan.] Bahrain’s push for rights hailed

CAIRO: Bahrain was yesterday hailed for its human rights initiatives and its keenness to honour its national and international commitments.This came as Arab League Secretary-General Dr Nabil Al Arabi received Minister of State for Human Rights Affairs Dr Salah Ali at the league headquarters in Cairo. He stressed the League’s support and highlighted efforts of His Majesty King Hamad and the government to fast-track reform and implement initiatives to bolster unity. Both sides also discussed the King’s proposal to set up an Arab human rights tribunal, included in his speech on November 24 last year. Dr Al Arabi praised the proposal and said the court would be civilisational milestone to contribute to Arab countries’ efforts to support and encourage respect for human rights. Technical aspects related to the setting up of the court will be discussed on December 18. Dr Ali said the initiative would contribute to supporting human rights issues in the Arab world and confirmed Bahrain’s keenness to back all efforts to promote human rights. Progress in implementation of Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry recommendations and the outcome of the kingdom’s Universal Periodic Review during the UN Human Rights Council’s 21st session in Geneva were also reviewed. They also discussed Bahrain’s first report to the League on implementation of the Arab Charter on Human Rights. Discussion on a report by Arab Human Rights Committee will be held next January. Bahrain’s Ambassador to Egypt and Permanent Representative to the League Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa attended.

Amnesty International Makes Saudi Denial of Bahraini Human Rights Possible

[Another “masterpiece” by another “defender of human rights,” which leads readers away from the truth—Bahrain would have NO human rights problems were it not for the foreign forces (Saudi, Jordanian, possibly even Pakistani) currently helping the Al-Khalifa family abuse them.  The word “Saudi” is not even found in the entire article. 

Neo-liberal NGO facades like Amnesty and a hundred other pretend defenders of human rights are the keys to denying those very same rights.  If it weren’t for these Zionist-dominated organizations, feeding lies and half-truths to other Zionist-dominated Western news media, then it might be possible to effectively crusade for those rights for every member of the human family, NOT JUST for our fat cousins. 

As it is, the Crusader forces are content to entertain the masses with pretend (“simulated”) wars, while deceiving them about those wars, in order to overwhelm their ability to reason.  The Bahrain revolution would already be over, if there were no acceptable double-standard in international relations, which accepts one aberrant behavior as the norm within the Zionist/+Saudi realm, and another for the rest of the human race.  Eliminate this double-standard and freedom of expression would be blossoming in Bahrain, freeing all minds from their Zionist chains all over the Middle East (SEE:  Zionism is murder and lies).  Until everyone, everywhere, recognizes that we live in a liars’ world, dominated by pathological liars, then there will be no Freedom for anyone.]

Bahrain: Litmus test for EU human rights

Nicolas Beger

Over the past couple of years, Bahrain’s international image has been transformed from that of a small, quiet Gulf kingdom into a very different kind of country. Today it suffers from deepening human rights abuses. State-sponsored violence oppresses people who express views which conflict with those of the Al-Khalifa family.

But while several other Arab states became international pariahs for their egregious human rights violations, Bahrain appears largely to have dodged international, including European Union, censure. Why is this?

Perhaps it has something to do with the island kingdom’s relatively small size. However, having a modest population in no way negates the damage to human rights caused by the Bahraini authorities’ increasingly brutal approach to popular demands. It’s important that we don’t apply different standards to different countries. Amnesty International regards all human rights abuse equally, wherever it occurs. Are torture or the deaths of unarmed protestors at the hands of Bahraini troops any less abhorrent than the killing of civilians in other, more populous, countries? Early last month, the Bahraini authorities, citing security concerns, revoked the citizenship of 31 people for causing ”damage to state security”. With the recent first anniversary of the report by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI), it’s becoming clear that the authorities have no intention of listening seriously to the protesters. Whatever promise the Commission may have represented last November, when it accused the authorities of gross human rights violations, has now faded, despite the King’s personal assurance of accountability.

The Government of Bahrain expressed its intention to honour BICI’s findings at Universal Periodic Review (UPR) sessions in May and September this year, ahead of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. But this now appears to be a shallow promise. Little of substance has since been achieved on either human rights or democracy in Bahrain. It may now seem obvious that undertakings like those made at the UPR were a ploy to reassure an increasingly uncomfortable international community, but one can only wonder why the global audience has allowed itself to be appeased so easily.

It’s hard to ignore the distinctly muted EU response to events in Bahrain. As recently as August, Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron met the King of Bahrain in Downing Street to discuss opportunities for British business in the kingdom. Only in passing did he mention the need to implement the BICI recommendations. Catherine Ashton, head of EU external affairs, has merely urged “all sections of Bahraini society to contribute to dialogue and national reconciliation in a peaceful and constructive manner.” Should we be surprised when such mealy-mouthed representations fail to galvanise the authorities into delivering convincing reforms?  Indeed, far from showing any improvement, we see systematic violations of basic human rights in Bahrain, including a ban on all protests and the imprisonment of anyone who tweets messages of opposition to the King. For the most part these have met with resounding silence from the EU.

There’s scant evidence that the EU is taking Bahrain’s human rights crisis seriously. Not only has Brussels so far failed to put any real pressure on the Bahraini Government, it seems determined to turn a blind eye, especially when trade deals are in prospect. But human rights abuses in small desert kingdoms deserve a full-size EU response. The EU’s new human rights strategy adopted in June committed the Union to defending human rights around the world more consistently and proactively. The people of Europe have every right to expect the EU to honour this policy. Bahrain is a litmus test.

Nicolas Beger, Director, Amnesty International European Institutions Office

Zionism is murder and lies

Israel’s recurrent massacres of Palestinians are largely made possible because no one in power has the courage to challenge Zionist lies

Khalid Amayreh

In addition to plain murder, Israel has been indulging in outright propaganda based on lies in the attempt to justify its genocidal killing spree in the Gaza Strip. In the final analysis, killing and lying go hand-in-hand.

A few years ago I spoke with an Israeli army spokeswoman, asking her how Israel could claim that it didn’t deliberately target Palestinian civilians when thousands of them were being killed, maimed and mutilated, often beyond recognition. With characteristic prevarication, the young woman answered: “We kill them knowingly but not deliberately.”

I asked what the difference was since killing knowingly is killing deliberately. Facing my persistent questions, the army spokeswoman eventually told me she was not an expert on linguistic sophistry, and that as far as she was concerned, the Israeli occupation army didn’t have an established policy of targeting innocent Palestinians.

The truth of the matter is that Israel does have a long established policy of targeting innocent civilians, whether in Gaza or the West Bank or South Lebanon.

License to kill

Israeli spokespersons claim that civilians are killed inadvertently or by mistake, while others fall as “collateral damage.”

But mistakes happen once, twice or 10 times. When “mistakes” occur numerous times and on every day and in every round of war, it means “mistakes” are an established policy pursued consciously.

In 2006, the Israeli air force reportedly dropped 2-3 million cluster bomblets on southern Lebanon. This huge number of deadly time bombs is enough, at least theoretically, to kill 2-3 million Lebanese children. This is half a holocaust by Zionist standards. Does Israel expect humanity to be so naïve to believe that this intended genocide of Lebanese civilians was planned and executed by mistake?

In reality, Zionists consider the rest of humanity too sheepish or gullible to discover their lies. This is why the bulk of Zionist rabbis believe in Jewish supremacy. Take, for example, Ovadia Yosef, the religious mentor of the Haredi Shas Party.

Two years ago, Yosef was quoted as saying during a Sabbath homily that Gentiles (non-Jews) are effectively donkeys that God created solely in order to serve Jews.

Yosef is not a demented or marginal rabbi. He is a former chief rabbi of Israel and has hundreds of thousands of loyal followers. Moreover, his party is a kingmaker within the Israeli political arena.

Reversing the truth

If murderous criminality is the modus operandi of Israel ‘s treatment of its Palestinian victims, lying is Israel’s shield against international condemnation.

Israel benefits from a huge network of Zionist-owned or Zionist-influenced media, extending from Sydney to California. These  mouthpieces of Zionist lies have a premier function to perform as far as Israel is concerned: to turn big lies into virtual truths glorified by thousands.

This week, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, a habitual and pathological liar, asked a German official the following: What would Germany do if its capital was hit with wave after wave of rockets?

Of course, the German minister didn’t have the courage to tell Netanyahu that Israel is founded on a pre-existing country, that its founders, including Zionist terrorists, destroyed Palestinian homes, obliterated Palestinian villages, murdered Palestinian children and expelled hundreds of thousands with no chance of return. This is the reason Palestinians fire rockets on Israeli towns and settlements.

Indeed, even if the German minister had the rectitude to challenge Netanyahu, he probably wouldn’t dare say what should be said lest he lose his job and be ejected from his party, or worse.

In truth, Zionist lies have a beginning but have no end. Zionists claim they didn’t expel the bulk of the Palestinian people from their ancestral homeland when Israel was established in 1948.

Listening to these obscene lies, a stranger who knows nothing about the conflict would probably think that the Palestinians left their homes because they got so bored that they needed an opportunity for recreational activities outside Palestine.

The Zionists also claim that they are only responding to Palestinian provocations, namely the firing of projectiles on Israeli towns and settlements.

Israeli spokespersons even dramatise these lies by asking Westerners how would they feel and react if their citizens were showered with thousands of rockets.

The truth, which much of the international media, including agenda setters such as CNN, the BBC, CBS along with The New York Times, The Washington Post, and even Le Monde, ignore is that these inaccurate projectiles are nearly innocuous and are absolutely no match for Israel’s state-of-the-art technology of death, such as F-15 and F-16 jets, Apache helicopters, unmanned predator drones, and laser-guided missiles fired from high altitudes on poor people’s homes, causing massacres and widespread destruction.

The world needs to know

The world needs to know the truth and stop being at the mercy of Zionist lies. So-called Palestinian missiles are the poor man’s weapon in the face of America and Israel’s most advanced arsenal.

Indeed, were these Palestinian rockets “real weapons,” they would enable Palestinians to protect their children who are slaughtered by the dozen per day. Indeed, a single bombing raid by an Israeli war plane, such as an F-15 or F-16, has more firepower and can inflict more damage and death than a thousand projectiles of the type fired from Gaza on Israel.

This is not propaganda. This is truth that is evident from the latest round of violence in Gaza. The Palestinians fired as many as 1100 “rockets” on Israel, leaving five Israelis dead and a few others injured.

In comparison, as many as 150 Palestinians were killed in little over a week, 90 per cent of them innocent civilians, including more than 30 babies and toddlers, with 1200 others — also mostly civilians — injured, many of them seriously. This is not to mention the destruction inflicted on the already bombed-out Gaza.

The Palestinians fire these projectiles because this is all they have to defend themselves and their children against a fascist enemy that is armed to the teeth and has the US government and Congress tightly under control.

The use of these so-called “missiles” is an expression of desperation and weakness on the Palestinians’ part. But it is also an expression of Palestinian determination to gain liberty from an evil entity that only understands the language of force.

Finally, the world should understand and internalise the historical fact that it was these terrorist thugs from Eastern Europe, such as Netanyahu and Barak, who invaded Palestine, terrorising and banishing its native people to the four winds. It is paramount to remember this fact everytime Israel claims it is only responding to Palestinian violence.

Besides, we should also understand what the American-English poet Auden said.

“I and the public know,

What all school children learn,

Those to whom evil is done,

Do evil in return”

The writer is a US-educated journalist living in the Israeli occupied West Bank.

“Fiscal Cliff” Not Really A Cliff, More of A Steep Slope

Fear not the fiscal cliff!

BRANDYWINE TO BROAD

Jan Ting
brandywinetobroad@whyy.org

 

The so-called “fiscal cliff” is the confluence of three separate legal events on January 1, 2013: expiration of a temporary payroll tax cut, expiration of the so-called “Bush” income and estate tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003, and mandatory spending cuts also known as “sequestration”.

Many commentators are expressing concern that unless Congress intervenes by January 1, the economy will suffer a serious setback. But I don’t think that’s the worst thing that could happen.

First, the expiration of the payroll tax cut is going to happen in any event. The payroll tax was lowered in 2011 and 2012 as a temporary economic stimulus. But there is bi-partisan agreement that the payroll tax should be restored to pre-2011 levels to adequately fund Social Security. No controversy here. Payroll taxes will increase in 2013.

The so-called “Bush tax cuts” of 2001 and 2003 were enacted as temporary responses to the economic recession triggered first by the collapse of the internet bubble and then the September 11 terrorist attacks. The Republican sponsors of those tax cuts agreed that they would expire at the end of 2010. As that deadline approached, and President Obama and congressional Republicans continued to argue over whose taxes should be allowed to go up, the President and his political adversaries agreed to extend the tax cuts for two more years, until the end of 2012.

President Obama campaigned on allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire for households earning $250,000 or more, but extending the tax cuts for households earning less than that amount. Republicans advocate making the tax cuts permanent for all taxpayers regardless of income, and also making permanent the elimination of the federal estate tax on decedent millionaires, which they call the “death tax”. Unless Congress acts, all the Bush tax cuts will expire on December 31, and both income and estate tax rates will be restored to the levels that applied before 2001.

As part of the 2011 agreement to increase the debt ceiling, Congress pledged to cut federal spending by $1.2 trillion over 10 years, with specific cuts to be determined by a joint select deficit-reduction “super committee”. To insure that the cuts would happen, Congress specified that if by the super committee failed to designate sufficient spending cuts, and Congress failed to take any superseding action by December 31, 2012, those $1.2 trillion cuts would happen automatically, spread equally between defense and non-defense spending. These automatic, across-the-board spending cuts have been labeled “sequestration”.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke coined the worrisome phrase “fiscal cliff” to describe the consequences if Congress fails to act by December 31, and the Bush tax cuts all expire, and sequestration spending cuts begin. But that’s not the worst scenario.

The worst scenario would be for Congress to extend all the Bush tax cuts and repeal its commitment to cut federal spending by $1.2 trillion over 10 years. That worst case scenario would mean growth of the federal government’s $1 trillion annual budget deficit would continue to accelerate, and the now $16 trillion national debt would continue to expand in excess of gross domestic product, the total value of all goods and services produced in the U.S.

The political reality is that it’s very difficult for elected officials who want to be re-elected to either cut spending or raise taxes. But cutting spending and raising taxes are both needed to reduce the deficit and slow the growth of the national debt. It is both irresponsible and dangerous for us to burden future generations of Americans with the obligation to pay for our accelerating current spending.

It would be nice if Democrats and Republicans could get together and reach agreement on exactly how to reduce spending and raise taxes. But in the current gridlocked political environment, that seems to be a fantasy.

Anyone who recognizes that should understand that the so-called fiscal cliff is not so bad. Allowing all the Bush tax cuts to expire will raise everyone’s taxes, but only to the levels that applied during President Clinton’s administration when the economy was strong and expanding. Sequestration is a blunt instrument to reduce federal spending, but there does not appear to be a better way. Does anyone seriously doubt that there is tremendous unnecessary spending and waste which can and should be cut from the federal budget?

There’s nothing irrevocable about the fiscal cliff. Congress could act any time before or after January 1, 2013, to fine tune the already mandated spending cuts and tax increases.

Republicans deserve both the credit and the blame for making the Bush tax cuts expire and requiring spending cuts as a condition for increasing the debt ceiling. President Obama should be willing to allow those events to happen if that’s the only way to address our growing deficit and national debt. He will be in a stronger position after January 1, to make a better and fairer deal than he could negotiate this year.

And if he can’t? Bring on the fiscal cliff!

Obama Wants To Keep Enough Troops To Serve the Empire, But Not Enough To Help Afghanistan

US aims to keep 10,000 troops in Afghanistan

WASHINGTON: The administration of President Barack Obama aims to keep around 10,000 US troops in Afghanistan after formal combat operations in that country end in 2014, The Wall Street Journal reported late Sunday.

Citing unnamed senior US officials, the newspaper said the plan was in line with recommendations presented by General John Allen, commander of US and international forces in Afghanistan, who has proposed a force between 6,000 and 15,000 US troops.

This force will conduct training and counterterrorism operations after the NATO mission in Afghanistan formally concludes at the end of 2014, the report said.

About 67,000 US troops are currently deployed in Afghanistan alongside 37,000 coalition troops and 337,000 local soldiers and police that make up the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).

The United States and Afghanistan launched crucial talks on November 15 on the status of US forces remaining in Afghanistan after the NATO withdrawal of combat troops in 2014.

The US has stressed that it is not seeking permanent bases in Afghanistan. It is also considered likely to shy away from a security guarantee, which would require it to come to the nation’s assistance against aggressors.

That, however, is seen as one of the targets of Afghan negotiators.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is said to be willing to accept a US troop presence post-2014 as long as his key demands are met.

According to the Journal, his main request is that American forces come under the jurisdiction of Afghan courts.

However, the paper said, some defense analysts outside of the US government believe that the training and counterterrorism mission would require a much larger US presence — perhaps as many as 30,000 troops.

The Fate of Our Internet Is Being Determined In Dubai

World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT-12)

ITU will convene the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 3-14 December 2012. This landmark conference will review the current International Telecommunication Regulations (ITRs), which serve as the binding global treaty designed to facilitate international interconnection and interoperability of information and communication services, as well as ensuring their efficiency and widespread public usefulness and availability.

More about WCIT-12

Web access battles brew before U.N. conference

An upcoming U.N. gathering in Dubai, shown above, on Internet oversight is raising alarms from a broad coalition of critics including the U.S. government, tech giants such as Google and rights groups.(Photo: Kamran Jebreili, AP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An upcoming U.N. gathering about Internet oversight is raising alarms from a broad coalition of critics, including the U.S., tech giants such as Google and rights groups, concerned that changes could lead to greater efforts to censor Web content and stifle innovation in cyberspace.

Among the issues on the agenda at next month’s meeting in Dubai are ideas to battle Internet spam and fraud. But also tucked into more than 1,300 proposals are potential hot-button items that opponents believe could be used by in places such as Iran and China to justify their crackdowns on bloggers and other Web restrictions.

Another likely battle when the meeting begins Dec. 3 is over European-backed suggestions to change the pay structure of the Web to force content providers — such as Google Inc., Facebook Inc. and others — to kick in an extra fee to reach users across borders.

It’s unclear what proposals will emerge from the 11-day meeting of the U.N.’s 193-nation International Telecommunications Union, or ITU. The preliminary jockeying highlights the tensions of the Internet age between what to regulate and what to leave alone. The outcome could affect billions of Internet users.

Some are unhappy with the structure of the conference itself.

“Engineers, companies and people that build and use the Web have no vote,” said Google in an online statement. “The billions of people around the globe that use the Internet, the experts that build and maintain it, should be included” in the decision-making process.

Others warn of dangers.

Simply opening the door to greater controls by the ITU raises concern among activists and others. They worry that countries with tightly controlled cyberspace such as China, Iran and Gulf Arab states will push for additions to the ITU’s treaty — such as national security monitoring — that could be used to give legitimacy both to their current efforts to monitor and restrict the Web and to possible future clampdowns.

“We can expect an Internet totally different to today’s open and global system,” said Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation, representing 175 million workers worldwide.

“Repressive governments will have a U.N. treaty which allows them to control freedom of expression, to monitor everything any targeted individual is saying on the Net, and to stop social movements and human rights defenders demanding respect for basic rights,” she cautioned.

The host United Arab Emirates, for example, sharply tightened Internet laws this month to give authorities wide powers to bring charges for offenses such as insulting the rulers or trying to organize street protests.

The ITU’s secretary-general, Hamadoun Toure, said in a May speech in Canada that he expected “a light-touch regulatory approach to emerge.”

The ITU says it has no interest in governing the Internet or restricting expression, but notes that it must update its communications treaty to incorporate the dramatic technological changes that have occurred since the last revisions in 1988. That was before the Internet in the public domain.

Among the topics to be discussed in Dubai: Internet security, combating fraud, preventing mobile phone “bill shock” with roaming charges and efforts to expand broadband infrastructures in developing countries.

“For every proposal, there is a counterproposal,” said ITU spokeswoman Sarah Parkes.

She noted that U.N. treaties such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights take precedence over any regulations ITU may adopt that could relate to freedom of expression.

“We will not support any effort to broaden the scope of the ITRs (International Telecommunications Regulations) to facilitate any censorship of content or blocking the free flow of information and ideas,” said Terry Kramer, a former technology industry executive who was given ambassador status to lead a powerhouse 123-member U.S. delegation to the World Conference on International Telecommunications.

The groups include representatives from Facebook, Microsoft Corp., Amazon.com Inc. and Google — which has been leading an aggressive online campaign to warn about the risks of increased Internet regulations from the meeting.

The international Internet Society, a group headquartered in Virginia and Switzerland that maintains the Internet core protocols, also claims any tighter U.N. controls could “interfere with the continued innovation and evolution of the telecommunications networks and the Internet.”

The American technology company envoys in Dubai also are expected to push back strongly against any sweeping revision in Internet charges. The proposal, led by the European Telecommunications Network Operators’ Association, would do away with the current system — called “net neutrality” — that now treats all Internet traffic equally, regardless of who is sending or receiving.

In its place, the European plan seeks to have content providers pay when their service is accessed across borders. The money raised, theoretically, could pay to expand broadband infrastructures in developing countries. Opponents, however, say companies such as Facebook could cut off access to countries where the extra charges are too burdensome.

Even the U.N.’s cultural agency, UNESCO, has raised concerns about proposals that are so broadly worded that they could be used to restrict freedom of expression under the guise of national security or fighting spam and Internet fraud.

 

Pharoah’s Forces Clobbering the Non-Believers In Him

Hillary Sends In A Syrian Oilman, Where the “Islamists” Have Failed

[(SEE:  Syrian rebels capture key oilfields  ; With Syria’s eastern oilfields in rebel hands, a brisk business in pirated crude grows).   This is obviously why Obama and Hillary felt that they needed an Oil Man in charge of the terrorist army (SEE:  The Detention of Mr.. Mouaz Al-Khatib).  (SEE:America’s “Islamists” Go Where Oilmen Fear to Tread ).]

AFPC (Al Furat Petroleum Company  

Shell stopped its activities in Syria

4/12/2011

Syrian oil represents less than 1% of global production

Financial Times newspaper said the British company Royal Dutch Shell’s global oil will stop its activities in Syria after the European Union placed three companies Syrian government to deal with it on the black list.

The newspaper said that the move represents a major blow to the Syrian government as it will lead to a reduction in the country’s oil production.

The Syrian oil less than 1% of global daily production, but generates a vital part of the government’s revenue.

The paper quoted company officials as saying that Shell will abide by thesanctions .

It also quoted officials in the oil industry that the other European oil companies including Total and Gulf Sands Petroleum will follow the example of Shell.

The Gulf Sands Petroleum it will abide by all the sanctions imposed on Syria.

The Shell and Total of the largest foreign companies investing in the oil refining industry in Syria. Among other companies China National Petroleum Corporation and Indian Oil Corporation for oil and gas but will not Ttathera penalties.

The Financial Times pointed out that there are informal discussions taking place in Brussels between EU officials to impose new sanctions may include this time Syrian financial institutions that escaped from the first round because of opposition from Cyprus, which has close ties with Syria because of its geographical proximity.

The European Union imposed the first batch of sanctions on Syria in September / last September and led to force Syria to cut its oil production to 250 thousand barrels per day from 380 thousand in the month that followed.

The newspaper quoted traders as saying that Damascus has failed to find new customers for its oil and difficulty of trying to import petroleum products such as diesel.

She said that the recent European sanctions will make it difficult for Syria to get duplicate products.

The sanctions included Syrian Sterol company, which imports products from global markets. Although Syria producer of oil refineries is not enough domestic consumption and therefore imports diesel and liquefied petroleum gas from the Middle East.

Source: Financial Times

Saudis Issuing String of Lies About King Abdullah’s Minor “Ligament Tightening” Back Surgery

[SEE: US-puppet Saudi King Abdullah in Intensive Care Unit: Report ;  Saudi royals, officials visit king in hospital after surgery ]

“Reports said the operation lasted for about 14 hours.”

[Reported as Arthroscopic surgery to tighten a ligament in the upper back, the procedure could NOT have taken fourteen hours, but if it somehow did, then the 89 year-old overweight chain-smoking,  monarch could not possibly have survived the surgery and the prolonged recovery period.  I say this from personal experience, having undergone a much more severe non-arthroscopic “posterier arthrodesis” procedure recently, which took 8 hours.  I am 59, and my doctors were hesitant to put any healthy person my age through 8 hours of such grueling  surgery, which is also one of the procedures that the fat King has had, according to Saudi Tweeter Mujtahidd.

I have also had a ligament tightening procedure done, which lasted only a couple of hours.  Believe me, if that old fart was really face-down on a table, with tubes running into nearly every orifice, for 14 hours, he wouldn’t have survived the surgery; it is even less likely that he would have gotten over the anesthesia recovery.  (SEE:  Saudi monarch suffered from serious problems in the anesthesia after the operation Aljrajah).]

Saudi king undergoes back surgery

Islam Times – Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz has underg

one a back surgery in a hospital in the capital city of Riyadh.

Ailing Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz

The surgery aimed at correcting “a ligamentary slackening in the upper back” began on Saturday and ended at dawn on Sunday.

Reports said the operation lasted for about 14 hours, with many believing that the long operation would have dangerous consequences on the elderly monarch’s health. Reports also casted doubts on initial claims by the Saudi regime that the operation was successful.

“A surgery was performed on the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, at the National Guard’s King Abdulaziz Medical City in Riyadh on Saturday,” the royal court said in a statement on Sunday. “And thanks be to God it was successful.”

The 89-year-old king’s health has declined over the past few years, and he has been hospitalized several times.

In October 2011, Abdullah underwent similar operation to tighten ligaments around his third vertebra.

In 2010, he had two rounds of back surgery in the United States after suffering a herniated disc.

Saudi Arabia has been facing political turmoil over the past months with several members of the monarchy being engaged in a power struggle.

The kingdom’s western allies, including the United States, have voiced concern over the presence of instability in the country.

Advanced age and failing health as well as the deaths of the king’s half-brothers have raised worries about the future of the oil-rich country in the face of the ongoing domestic anti-regime demonstrations.

Saudi Grand Mufti warns Gulf public against unrest

Palestinian Ambassador Prefers Full Zionist Invasion Over “Zionist-Lite” Hamas

Palestinian ambassador tells Israeli counterpart: Hamas must go

Palestinian from Gaza tells Israeli that the offices destroyed by IDF operation are not important. ‘The real offices are the mosques which are connected to a widespread network of tunnels. Everything happens underground.’

By Barak Ravid

Hamas leader Khaled Meshal, right, with Hamas’ Gaza leader Ismail Haniyeh, speaks to the media.Photo by Reuters

As the Israel Air Force continued to pulverize Gaza and Hamas fired rockets at the south of Israel last Monday, an Israeli ambassador telephoned his Palestinian counterpart. Both officials have served for several years in the capital of the same major country. The Israeli ambassador was calling to ask after the welfare of the Palestinian ambassador’s family, who lives in Gaza.

The Israeli ambassador, an experienced and admired diplomat, heard that the Palestinian ambassador was confused, depressed, and frustrated over the situation in Gaza and the behavior of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and his colleagues in Arab countries. “Not one of the 19 Arab ambassadors stationed here called to ask how I’m doing or if everything’s all right,” the Palestinian ambassador told the Israeli.

The Israeli ambassador quickly sent a telegram to the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem reporting the conversation in great detail. The telegram reached me. I will provide its contents here, with small omissions in order to protect the Palestinian ambassador and his family.

The Palestinian ambassador said that if Israel expanded the operation in Gaza, it must work to overthrow Hamas, instead of stopping in the middle, as it did in Operation Cast Lead in 2008. “If there should be a ground operation in Gaza, this time he expects to see [Hamas prime minister] Ismail Haniyeh and [high-ranking Hamas leader] Mahmoud al-Zahar in their underwear, as he put it,” the Israeli ambassador wrote, quoting his Palestinian colleague. “Otherwise, there is no sense in another operation, as big as it may be.”

Later on in the telegram, the Israeli ambassador repeated some harsh statements that the Palestinian ambassador had made against Hamas. “The Hamas offices that were destroyed are not important. The real offices are the mosques, which are connected to a widespread network of tunnels. Everything happens underground,” the Palestinian ambassador said. “Hamas has no regrets over the destruction in Gaza. On the contrary. Hamas gets a great deal of economic and political benefit from the terrible destruction because of the large donations that will come from the world and the political image of the organization that stands on the front line against Israel.”

The Palestinian continued his verbal attack on Hamas and the Arab world. “The call to open the Rafah border crossing is nothing but lip service,” he said. “Hamas has no problem with it being closed – that only adds to the profit Hamas makes from the tunnels…. The Arab world leans more in Hamas’ direction these days, and Egypt takes the lead in that. The Egyptian prime minister’s visit to Gaza would never have taken place in Mubarak’s time…. The Arabs’ pilgrimage to Gaza focuses attention exclusively on Hamas, which is accumulating points among the Palestinian public and in the Arab world.”

After venting his anger against Hamas, the Palestinian ambassador turned his criticism on the man who had appointed him to the position: Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. He claimed that Abbas and his advisers believe that the military operation in Gaza is a conspiracy to sabotage the Palestinian action in the United Nations.

This is how the Israeli ambassador described the Palestinian ambassador’s statements in his telegram to the Foreign Ministry: “Abu Mazen never troubled to bring the residents of Gaza close to him. He does not like Gaza, and if he could get rid of it, he would be happy to do so. Therefore, he is in no hurry to visit Gaza to show leadership and presence. The reason has nothing to do with security. He could have arranged such a visit with a foreign leader, thus making an unequivocal statement that Gaza is part of the future Palestinian state. Currently, this is not sufficiently clear, and time is working against the Palestinian Authority and its chairman. One way or another, Abu Mazen’s time is more or less up. The problem is who will replace him.”

Even the Sub-Mainstream Media Understands That Morsi Is Israel’s Man

Islamist Mohammed Morsi emerges as Israel’s protector

From:AP 

The skies are quiet over Gaza with Hamas and Israel agreeing to a ceasefire, for now, reports Middle East correspondent John Lyons.

THE Gaza ceasefire deal marks a startling trajectory for Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi: an Islamist leader who refuses to talk to Israelis or even say the country’s name mediated for it and finally turned himself into the Jewish state’s de facto protector.

The accord, reached yesterday, inserts Egypt to an unprecedented degree into the conflict between Israel and Hamas, establishing it as the arbiter ensuring that militant rocket fire into Israel stops and that Israel allows the opening of the long-blockaded Gaza Strip and stops attacks against Hamas.

Mr Morsi emerged as a major regional player, winning the trust of the US and Israel, which once worried over the Islamist’s rise.

“I want to thank President Morsi for his personal leadership to de-escalate the situation in Gaza and end the violence,” US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said at a Cairo press conference announcing the deal.

After Israel launched its assault on Gaza last week, aimed at stopping militant rocket fire, Mr Morsi’s palace in a Cairo suburb became the Middle East’s diplomacy central. He held talks with Turkey’s Prime Minister and the emir of Qatar, Germany’s Foreign Minister and a host of top Arab officials to get them behind his mediation. An Israeli envoy flew secretly into Cairo for talks with Egyptian security officials, though Mr Morsi did not meet or speak directly with any Israelis.

NATO Activating Land Command In Izmir, Turkey–Patriot Missile Deployment On Syrian Border Under Consideration

NATO Allied Land Command activating next week in Turkey

By JOHN VANDIVER

Stars and Stripes

Lt. Gen. Frederick Hodges, seated, visits Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum in the Netherlands in November 2012. Hodges is the commander of NATO’s new Land Forces Command, which will activate Friday in Izmir, Turkey.

COURTESY NATO

STUTTGART, Germany — A new NATO land command headquarters, restructured to streamline costs and decision making, will be activated next week in Turkey as the new home for planning how infantrymen from the 28-nation alliance fight together.

As the war in Afghanistan winds down, one of the prime focuses of NATO Allied Land Command will be harnessing that war fighting experience to ensure that the alliance doesn’t lose the lessons learned, said the American Army officer commanding the new headquarters in Izmir, Turkey.

Coming off more than a decade at war, the level of “interoperability” among NATO members is at an all-time high, Lt. Gen. Frederick “Ben” Hodges, said.

“My job will be to maintain that level of interoperability,” Hodges said. “You’ve got to retain this experience, and a lot of that resides in the noncommissioned officer corps.”

Following an activation ceremony on Friday in Izmir, Allied Land Command headquarters will formally assume the responsibilities of Force Command Heidelberg, Germany, and Force Command Madrid, Spain, which are being deactivated as part of NATO’s transformation. A similar merger of Air Command headquarters formerly in Turkey with one in Germany is taking place at Ramstein Air Base.

The Allied Land Command is responsible for ensuring readiness of NATO forces, conducting land operations and synchronizing land force command and control.

Hodges said he intends to discuss with his alliance counterparts ways to bolster the role of the enlisted force in their respective militaries and emphasize the advantages of putting “more and more responsibility on NCOs.”

While the U.S., Germany and the United Kingdom have a long tradition of well-developed NCO corps, not all allied militaries have a history of pushing significant decision making power onto the enlisted ranks.

Another area of focus for Hodges is lobbying for a U.S. policy change that currently limits tours in Izmir to one-year unaccompanied missions for U.S. personnel. To ensure the U.S. can attract the best troops to the command, tours in Izmir should become accompanied and extended like other alliance members’ tours, according to Hodges.

“The current policy hurts our effectiveness,” said Hodges. “I think it marginalizes the American contribution to some extent.”

After long separations from family during more than a decade of war fighting, some troops also could opt against enduring another separation for an assignment in Izmir, Hodges said.

As a result, “all that experience isn’t taken advantage of,” Hodges said. “And frankly it is hard to explain to other countries.”

The proposal is currently being considered by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Hodges said.

Meanwhile, Hodges said he hopes to develop an exercise that would bring together allies in a rugged environment to test their logistical and communication abilities.

For NATO reaction forces to be effective, “we’re going to have to ramp up some of our training,” he said.

While NATO may not have the resources to bring back something on the massive scale of the Cold War-era Reforger exercise, ground troops would benefit from getting together for a major logistics event, Hodges said. “You’ve got to apply rigor to truly test logistics.”

The transformation of NATO’s Land Command is just one part of a 2011 NATO decision designed to streamline the alliance’s overall command structure. Once fully implemented, it will result in a 30 percent reduction in manpower, taking Allied Command Operations from 13,000 personnel to about 8,800, according to NATO.

The new Land Command will have about 350 people, down from roughly 800, Hodges said.

Establishing the headquarters in Turkey — home to NATO’s second largest military, makes good strategic sense, Hodges said.

“Turkey’s location from a geographic standpoint — adjacent to the Middle East, nearly adjacent to Russia — it’s an important location,” Hodges said. “It sends a signal not only to Turkey and the rest of the alliance. It sends a signal to the other neighbors.”

vandiverj@estripes.osd.mil

Anti-Pharoah, Anti-Zionist Protests Merge and Build Throughout Egypt

[SEE:  Al-Jazeera offices in Tahrir Square firebombed, gutted ]

Protests Spread Through Egypt’s Cities

Activists angered by President Morsi’s decision to give himself new powers continue to protest and clash with his supporters.

Opponents of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi have continued their protest in Cairo’s Tahrir Square overnight over fears of a new dictatorship.

Activists are angered by the President’s decision to grant himself near-absolute power, but Mr Morsi says the powers will allow him to deal with “threats to the revolution”.

Hundreds of people have joined the sit-in protest in Tahrir Square, the scene of the violent clashes during the overthrow of the former president, Hosni Mubarak.

It comes after violent clashes broke out in cities across Egypt.

A protester cheers as items ransacked from an office of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party burn in Alexandria.

In Alexandria, Egypt’s second largest city, protesters stormed the headquarters of Mr Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood party throwing chairs and books into the street and setting them on fire.

The Daily News Egypt reported injuries in cities across the country as violent clashes broke out between protesters and Mr Morsi’s supporters, who according to reports on Twitter, were being bussed in to counter the dissenters.

Hundreds gathered outside the Muslim Brotherhood’s offices in Port Said, pelting it with stones and attempting to storm the building.

There were reports the Muslim Brotherhood’s offices in Suez and Ismailiya had also been set on fire.

Mr Morsi addressed his supporters at a rally outside the presidential palace telling them he would press forward and that he was on the path to “freedom and democracy”.

Supporters and opponents of the president clash in Alexandria.

He said: “No one can stop our march forward … I am performing my duty to please God and the nation and I take decisions after I consult with everyone.”

He said that the new powers were designed to stop “weevils” from the former Mubarak regime blocking progress.

Under the new powers assumed by Mr Morsi, none of his laws or decrees can be cancelled, powers have been removed from the judiciary and he can take any measures necessary to safeguard national security.

The move has come as a blow to the pro-democracy movement that formed before Mubarak was ousted and they raise questions about the gains made in last year’s uprising.

Opposition forces have denounced the declaration as a “coup”.

Mohamed ElBaradei (centre) says the powers are a blow to the revolution

They accused Mr Morsi, an Islamist, of “monopolising all three branches of government” and of overseeing “the total execution of the independence of the judiciary”.

The United Nations Human Rights Commissioner, Navi Pillay, said that Mr Morsi’s move raised serious issues.

Her spokesman, Robert Colville, told a news briefing at the UN in Geneva: “We are very concerned about the possible huge ramifications of this declaration on human rights and the rule of law in Egypt.”

The EU has also issued a warning. “It is of utmost importance that democratic process be completed in accordance with the commitments undertaken by the Egyptian leadership,” a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, said in a statement.

Nobel laureate and former UN atomic energy agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei had earlier lashed out at the declaration, which would effectively put the president above judicial oversight.

“Morsi usurped all state powers and appointed himself Egypt’s new pharaoh. A major blow to the revolution that could have dire consequences,” Mr ElBaradei wrote on his Twitter account.

The head of the influential Judge’s Club, Ahmed al Zind, told a news conference that the judges would hold an emergency meeting on Saturday to decide on their next step, promising “actions, not words”.

Syria Kurds unite against rebels

Photo: AFP

Kurdish fighters have agreed to join forces in a standoff with hundreds of Islamist rebels in northeastern Syria, an activist opposed to President Bashar al-Assad said on Friday.

This decision was taken after a series of clashes between Kurds and Islamists of the opposition Syrian Free Army (SSA) in the Kurdish city of Ras Al Ain which is on the border with Turkey.

The agreement sets the stage for an expanded conflict in the area between Islamist rebels opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Syrian Kurdish forces.

The two councils are the main Kurdish organizations active in Syria.

On July 11, the Kurdish National Council, which comprises several Syrian Kurdish parties, met in Iraq with the People’s Council of Western Kurdistan, which is close to the PYD.

At the meeting they decided to form the Supreme Kurdish Council.

Kurds make up about 10% of Syria’s population. For years they accused Damascus of discriminatory policies and the suppression of their national movement. However, they have not participated in the confrontation with the regime of Bashar al-Assad.

Voice of Russia, RIA, Al-Arabiya

“it is the primacy of politics, not religion, that determines the actions of Iran”

–    There is, however, an opinion  that it is the politics of Shiite expansionism that forms the basis of the regime in Tehran. Do you think that the regime would be ready to abandon it in a new geopolitical environment?

This is certainly an age-old question, and since the Islamic Revolution in Iran a tremendous amount of literature has been devoted to it: what components dominate the Tehran regime – political or religious? However, we have repeatedly witnessed how sober and pragmatic Iranian politicians can act when it comes to objective interests. Recall the rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia during the presidency of Khatami, when it served its economic interests.

Initially, I believed that it is the primacy of politics, not religion, that determines the actions of Iran. Scratch any mullah and you will find an Iranian nationalist. And if you look at the performances and the foreign policy of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in recent months, with its nationalist emphasis, trying to save his own position by hook or by crook, it is once again clear that Iran’s policy is of a very nationalist colour, despite the religious shell. So I can say that Iran instrumentalises Shia Islam, but for its own political interests. Remember how quickly Iranians stopped their religious demonstrations at the graves of the Imams in Medina, once they had established good relations with Saudi Arabia. As another example, the Iranians do not intervene in the situation in Bahrain, although their brothers in faith are also there, the Shiites, and the Shah of Iran dreamed of Bahrain, the Iranians believe Bahrain to be part of Iran. Because Iran is well aware that direct intervention in Bahrain is a red line that they cannot cross under the threat of nuclear attack by Israel. The situation is the same in the province of Al-Hasa, Saudi Arabia – Iranians do not really intervene there, despite the fact that it is a Shiite region. In other words, the religious components of the Iranian regime are immediately overshadowed when it starts to contradict political interests. So I do not subscribe to the theory of religious conflict in the region and the “Shiite crescent” that was mentioned by Jordan’s King Abdullah II. Religious components come below political interests.–Author: Interview by Orkhan Sattarov, head of European office of VK 

Zionist Stooges Set-Up Mohammed Morsi As Synthetic Muslim “Mahdi”–the Triumphant “Peacemaker”

[This is the Zionist Psyop that the Saudis, Bahrainis and the Pig of Qatar have set-up to further deceive the Muslim masses.  Look to the new “Pharoah” of Egypt to do the bidding of the Jews throughout “Eretz Yisrael” (SEE:  Arab “Leaders” Reveal Their True Zionist Loyalties In Deadly Gazan “Soap Opera” )

 MAKE NO MISTAKE, MORSI SERVES ISRAELI INTERESTS, NOT EGYPTIAN!]

With Gaza ceasefire, Egypt’s Morsi becomes a serious player

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas after eight days of shelling and devastation that led to the deaths of 162 Palestinians and 12 Israelis.
(Maya Alleruzzo /AP)

BESSMA MOMANI

The world’s eyes are now on Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi as he struggles to sustain what many consider an act of diplomatic acrobatics: stopping the violence in Israel and Palestine.

On Wednesday, Mr. Morsi brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas after eight days of shelling and devastation that led to the deaths of 162 Palestinians and six Israelis. That is quite a feat, considering that President Morsi has been on the job for six months, he was not the first choice of his political party, he does not have clear presidential prerogatives because the Egyptian constitution has yet to be ratified, and he is hampered by an Egyptian military that maintains an ominous and watchful eye on politics.

It is notable, then, that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised Mr. Morsi’s “personal leadership” in brokering this difficult ceasefire. Has President Morsi’s diplomatic adroitness broken the pessimistic bent found in some media outlets – some of which have referred to the period following the Arab Spring as an Islamist Winter?

Well, I think it should. Egypt’s brokering of this ceasefire should remind us of how an Islamist-led government can be an effective actor in Middle East relations. Egypt’s elected Muslim Brotherhood government has continued to respect its peace treaty with Israel, despite the pessimism of Mr. Morsi’s critics.

This is not to say that Egypt has continued its modus operandi in dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After all, in the midst of the onslaught on Gaza, Mr. Morsi sent his prime minister, Hesham Kandil, to the conflict’s ground zero to lend moral support to Hamas. In contrast, Egypt’s former president Hosni Mubarak would have turned the other way, hoping the Israelis would get the dirty job done quickly while paying lip service to the Palestinian people.

Cairo’s role in the ceasefire is not only as a broker and a guarantor. Egypt has also agreed to open its border crossings with Gaza to allow the trade of people, food and goods, to help relieve Israel’s economic and humanitarian siege. This will be welcomed by Mr. Morsi’s domestic and regional champions, who sympathize with the plight of Gazans.

Yet this is not without potential problems. Egypt will need to stop the transport of Iranian-made Fajr-5 rockets from Sudan through its territories and under the notorious Gaza border tunnels. Moreover, while there is wide public support in Egypt for lifting the siege on Gaza, there is also support for stopping the emboldened Sinai Bedouins from both attacking the Egyptian army, as they have done in recent months, and from smuggling illicit goods along the routes of the Sinai Peninsula.

In the 1950s, the populist government of Gamal Abdel Nasser served as the Arab Middle East’s de facto regional hegemon, and was arguably a trailblazer in relations with developing countries. Has Egypt returned to its past glory days of being the bona fide leader of the Arab world?

Well, don’t hold your breath. The truth is, Egypt has an enormous set of domestic problems to deal with, and both its people and government have little or no ambition to be a regional leader. It is still a poor country with rampant unemployment, high prices, high illiteracy, a stricken tourist sector that accounts for 25 per cent of the economy, and failing public infrastructure.

Historical circumstances have turned Turkey and Qatar into the new regional brokers, and President Morsi’s successes will not return Egypt to its Nasser days. Nevertheless, despite the death and destruction of the past eight days and the tenuous terms of the ceasefire, there is good reason to highlight the responsible actions of Egypt’s democratically elected Islamist president.

Bessma Momani is associate professor at the University of Waterloo and a senior fellow at The Centre for International Governance Innovation and at the Brookings Institution.

Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story, which has been corrected, gave an incorrect figure on the number of Israelis killed in the conflict.

The Neo-Liberal NGOs Running America’s Schools Teach That the Boston Tea Party Was “Terrorism”

[This is what remains of our American heritage of freedom-loving, dictator ass-kicking, mass-protesting and wrong-righting history, under the neo-liberal NGOs that have been given control over our kids in all 50 states, NOT JUST in Texas.  The international socialists have had control of our kids’ curriculum for a very long time (SEE:  The Deliberate Dumbing-Down of America).  Convince the kids that America has always been a terrorist nation and it will be easier to make them become good global citizens, with a better understanding of why we are where we are at now as a Nation–NEVER MIND all the good things that so many good people have tried to achieve in the past, before we became the global terrorist nation that we are today.  Before the Pentagon and their “Islamists” launched their perpetual “Persistent war,” there was a time when our inalienable rights were considered sacred.

The Boston Tea Party was the farthest thing from being a “terror attack,” in that it was the first in a long line of popular protests, centered on acts of public vandalism.  I doubt that CSCOPE has classified American flag-burning as acts of terrorism.  

Texas has obviously become just another “pussy state.”]

File photo of a mock Boston Tea Party demonstration. (credit: KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images)

Texas Schools Teaching Boston Tea Party As Terrorist Act

HOUSTON (CBS Houston) – The most historical instance of protesting against taxation without representation is now being taught in Texas schools as a terrorist act.

As recently as January of this year, the Texas Education Service Center Curriculum Collaborative included a lesson plan that depicted the Boston Tea Party, an event that helped ignite the American Revolution, as an act of terrorism. TheBlaze reports that in a lesson promoted on the TESCCC site as recently as January, a world history/social studies class plan depicted the Boston Tea Party as being anything but patriotic, causing many people to become upset with the lack of transparency and review for lessons.

“A local militia, believed to be a terrorist organization, attacked the property of private citizens today at our nation’s busiest port,” wrote the teachers in charge of organizing the curriculum about the Boston Tea Party. “Although no one was injured in the attack, a large quantity of merchandise, considered to be valuable to its owners and loathsome to the perpetrators, was destroyed. The terrorists, dressed in disguise and apparently intoxicated, were able to escape into the night with the help of local citizens who harbor these fugitives and conceal their identities from the authorities.

“It is believed that the terrorist attack was a response to the policies enacted by the occupying country’s government. Even stronger policies are anticipated by the local citizens.”

The controversial TESCCC lesson is a product of CSCOPE, a well known non-profit whose media centers that help teach the curriculum received $25 million in funding last year, according to TheBlaze. Supporters of the program indicate that the lesson hadn’t been taught in Texas schools since August 2010, but the lesson plan remained on CSCOPE’s website until at least January of this year.

The news of the curriculum in some Texas schools comes about a month shy of the 239^th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party.

Egypt protesters loot Muslim Brotherhood’s Alexandria office

Фото: EPA

Protesters angry at Egyptian President Mursi’s decree that granted him sweeping powers stormed the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood’s party in Alexandria on Friday, threw out books and chairs, and set them alight in the street, a witness said.

Near a major mosque in Egypt’s second city, Mursi supporters and opponents threw stones at each other, a witness said. Two cars nearby had glass smashed as the clashes moved away from the area.

Protesters put Muslim Brotherhood offices in Egypt on fire

Protesters set fire to Muslim Brotherhood offices in three Egyptian cities on Friday, state television reported, as rival rallies gathered nationwide a day after President Mohamed Morsi assumed sweeping powers.

The offices of the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the Muslim Brotherhood’s political arm, were torched in the canal cities of Suez, Ismailiya and Port Said, state television said.

An FJP official told AFP the party’s office was also stormed in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, where clashes broke out between rival demonstrators.

Voice of Russia, Reuters, AFP

Officials: Gas intentionally released into home in south side explosion, two in custody

David Gill

Indianapolis

Officials: Gas intentionally released into home in south side explosion, two in custody

Police have two people in custody for questioning following the deadly explosion on the city’s south side.Fox59 has confirmed Bob Leonard and David Gill are being questioned by police.

Southeast side explosion

Officials confirmed Tuesday that gas was intentionally released into a home at the center of the investigation. The resulting explosion killed two Richmond Hillresidents and injured seven others.Sources indicate to Fox59 News that the meter was in tact and data was recovered from it. The data revealed there was a surge of gas introduced into the house the day of the explosion.

Additionally, neighbors said they saw a white van that belonged to Mark Leonard, boyfriend of homeowner Moncy Shirley, pull up to the home the day of the explosion. Two unknown men were spotted walking quickly away from the home.One of the men who was taken into custody Tuesday was picked up in the 4100 block of Rybolt. The other man was taken into custody at Glen Highland Heights Trailer Park on Foltz Road. Fox59 has learned police are looking for a third person to bring into custody for questioning.Police conducted a search warrant at the home of one of the men taken in for questioning. Neighbors said police took golf clubs, gun shells and an artillery box.Monday, officials announced they were turning the investigation into a homicide investigation.

 

“Shirley and her then-husband John bought the house. When the two split in 2011, Shirley got the house. No one knows when Mark Leonard moved in, but we do know that Leonard has been a resident of Indiana Department of Corrections and the Marion County Jail. He has a criminal history dating back to the 1980s.”

“13 Investigates has learned Mark Leonard has an extensive criminal history, dating back to the 1980s. Police arrested him in 1992 for dealing marijuana. He was also convicted of theft, receiving stolen property and resisting law enforcement.

Leonard faced jail and prison time for serious felonies in 2002, including stalking and violating probation. In 2007, he made a plea deal on an intimidation charge.

In other developments Tuesday, Eyewitness News partners at The Indianapolis Star reported that a source close to the investigation believes that natural gas was intentionally released into the home on Fieldfare Way that is at the center of the investigation, and that a spark ignited the gas – possibly from a remote source.”

Bob Leonard, Indianapolis

Another Major Fire In Saudi Arabia

[Another major fire in Saudi Arabia, this one at Bugshan Hospital in Jedda.  As usual the Saudi dictatorship downplays the event in the controlled press, passing it off as something like a ceiling fire (by the Saudi photos below), even though it is also reported that there were multiple injuries.  The photo of the massive blaze below is from the Iranian FARS news agency.  Apparently, from the multiple fires and bombings throughout the Arabian Peninsula, the “royal kingdom” has been judged and sentenced to death by fire.]

 FARS

Wounding dozens in a fire in one of the hospitals in Jeddah

Tuesday 20/11/2012

Saudi sources reported injured dozens of people, today, Tuesday, due to a fire in a hospital in the city of Jeddah, amid reports that the cause of the fire bug in hospital conditioners.

The Saudi sources indicated that the civil defense teams begin now to extinguish the fire which broke out Bugshan Hospital located on Tahlia Street in Jeddah, where fumes rising not clear the causes of the accident.

As has been the transfer of a number of children from kindergarten to other hospitals, and wounded a civil defense during extinguishing the fire, which sources indicate that erupted because of a defect in the hospital conditioners.

The sources pointed out that there is no risk to the outpatient auditors, and light injuries and being treated in the emergency department, and there is no serious injury, while preliminary information indicated that 111 patients were evacuated and there were a number of patients in intensive care and put them safe.

For his part, the Close passage Jeddah by Tahlia Street service to enable firefighters and Red Crescent access to the accident site.

Fire at Bugshan Hospital

Saudi Gazette

Last Updated : Tuesday, November 20, 2012 4:10 PM

SG photo by Muhammad Al-Sulami

JEDDAH — A fire at Bugshan Hospital in Jeddah broke out this afternoon. Eight Civil Defense teams came to the scene to battle the blaze. — SG

29 Signs That The Elite Are Transforming Society Into A Total Domination Control Grid

Michael Snyder:

The elite want to tightly control almost everything that we do, say and think.  When most people think of “tyranny”, they think of thugs with guns and little dictators running around barking orders at everyone.  But that is not how the elite are accomplishing their goals these days.  They want us to actually believe that we have freedom and that we are choosing our own leaders, but in the background they are exerting “soft power” in a way that is absolutely ruthless.  They fund the political campaigns of our politicians, they own nearly all of the large corporations and financial institutions, they exert very tight control over the media and their agenda is being promoted through the education systems of virtually every nation on the planet.  What the elite are doing is not illegal.  In fact, they use the government and they use the law to accomplish their purposes.  That is one reason why the elite love big government.  For them, it is an instrument of control.  The larger the government is, the easier it is to watch, track, monitor and control the rest of us.  As you read this, a “total domination control grid” is being constructed all around us that is far beyond anything that George Orwell ever dreamed of.  This system is advancing on hundreds of different fronts, and it is getting tighter and more restrictive with each passing day.  We may think that we still have a certain degree of liberty, but if you start doing things that the system does not like, the system has a way of getting you back in line very quickly.  In the end, it is all about control.  There are many among the elite that actually believe that a tightly controlled society that is dominated by government institutions that they control is what is best for humanity.  Many of them honestly believe that society would descend into chaos without a strong hand guiding it.  Many of them truly are convinced that those that are “enlightened” are doing a noble thing by guiding humanity into the “bright future” that the elite are designing for them.  But of course the freedoms and the liberties of the common people must be greatly limited in order to get us to that “bright future”.  We are like cattle that need to be penned in for our own good.  This is how the elite actually think.  I spent many years being educated by them and rubbing shoulders with them.  They should not be trusted.  Once our liberties and freedoms are gone, they will be nearly impossible to get back.  And once the elite have total control, we will be faced with a tyranny unlike anything humanity has ever seen before.

The following are 29 signs that the elite are transforming society into a total domination control grid…

1. A new bill in the U.S. Senate would allow more than 20 different government agencies to read your email without a search warrant.

2. Next generation facial recognition cameras that can identify a person in less than a second and “send authorities all known intelligence about anyone who enters a camera’s field of vision” are being put up in southern California.

3. A highly sophisticated surveillance grid known as “Trapwire” is being installed in major cities and at “high value targets” all over the United States.  Unfortunately, most Americans do not even realize that it exists.

4. Police departments all over America are beginning to deploy unmanned surveillance drones in the skies over their cities.  But don’t think that a drone is not watching you just because you don’t live in a major city.  The truth is that the federal government has been using unmanned surveillance drones to spy on farmers in Iowa and Nebraska.  There could be a drone over your house right now and you might not ever know it.

5. Individual politicians know more about you than they ever have before. The amount of information that the Obama campaign has compiled on potential voters is absolutely frightening…

If you voted this election season, President Obama almost certainly has a file on you. His vast campaign database includes information on voters’ magazine subscriptions, car registrations, housing values and hunting licenses, along with scores estimating how likely they were to cast ballots for his reelection.

6. The UK is often five or ten years ahead of much of the rest of the world in implementing “Big Brother” police state measures.  Over there it is now against the law to insult someone with your speech.  If you say something that is “likely” to insult a Muslim or a homosexual you could end up being dragged in front of a judge.  It is only a matter of time before we see these kinds of laws all over the planet.

7. Could you imagine the government telling you what the temperature inside your own home can be?  A new law in Francewould do exactly that…

Heating a French home could soon require an income tax consultation or even a visit to the doctor under legislation to force conservation in the nation’s $46 billion household energy market.

A bill adopted by the lower house this month would set prices that homes pay based on wages, age and climate. Utilities Electricite de France and GDF Suez will use the data to reward consumers who cut power and natural gas usage and penalize those whom regulators decide are wasteful.

8. Control freak bureaucrats love to tell others how to run their lives.  For example, one man down in Orlando, Florida was recently ordered to rip out the vegetable garden that he was growing in his front yard.  Will we eventually get to the point where even the smallest details of our lives are micromanaged by the government?

9. Most Americans don’t realize this, but the DNA of almost every newborn baby in America is collected and stored by the government.  What plans do they have for all of this DNA?

10. All over America, schools are beginning to require students to carry IDs with RFID microchips in them wherever they go.  Fortunately, some students are fighting back…

The San Antonio sophomore who opposed microchipping student IDs that would track their every movement has inspired a groundswell of 300 students in her huge district who now refuse to wear the identification chips over religious, personal privacy, safety and civil liberties concerns. In addition, some 700 other people have signed petitions opposing the microchipping program.

11. There is more crossover between our education system and our law enforcement system than ever before.  An increasing number of schools in the United States have police officers roaming their hallways, and today there are more than 70,000 children behind bars in America.

12. When you rely on FEMA to take care of you, it can literally feel like you are in prison.  The following is a description of what life is like in one FEMA camp that was set up in New Jersey in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy…

“Sitting there last night you could see your breath,” displaced resident Brian Sotelo told the Asbury Park Press. “At (Pine Belt) the Red Cross made an announcement that they were sending us to permanent structures up here that had just been redone, that had washing machines and hot showers and steady electric, and they sent us to tent city. We got (expletived).”

Sotelo said Blackhawk helicopters patrol the skies “all day and night” and a black car with tinted windows surveys the camp while the government moves heavy equipment past the tents at night. According to the story, reporters aren’t even allowed in the fenced complex, where lines of displaced residents form outside portable toilets. Security guards are posted at every door, and residents can’t even use the toilet or shower without first presenting I.D.

“They treat us like we’re prisoners,” Ashley Sabol told Reuters. “It’s bad to say, but we honestly feel like we’re in a concentration camp.”

13. Your cell phone collects information about you wherever you go, and law enforcement authorities in the United States requested that cell phone data be turned over to them more than a million times in 2011 alone.

14. The federal government has created an iPhone app that is designed to encourage all of us to take photos of “suspicious activity” and report our neighbors to the authorities.

15. The U.S. government is increasingly using spyware to monitor the behavior of their employees while they are at work.

16. According to three NSA whistleblowers, the agency “has the capability to do individualized searches, similar to Google, for particular electronic communications in real time through such criteria as target addresses, locations, countries and phone numbers, as well as watch-listed names, keywords, and phrases in email.”

17. Private corporations are gathering every shred of information about you that they possible can. One of the largest companies involved in “mining our data” is known as Acxiom.  It turns out that Acxiom has compiled information on more than 190 million people in the United States alone…

The company fits into a category called database marketing. It started in 1969 as an outfit called Demographics Inc., using phone books and other notably low-tech tools, as well as one computer, to amass information on voters and consumers for direct marketing. Almost 40 years later, Acxiom has detailed entries for more than 190 million people and 126 million households in the U.S., and about 500 million active consumers worldwide. More than 23,000 servers in Conway, just north of Little Rock, collect and analyze more than 50 trillion data ‘transactions’ a year.

18. We are being trained to give up our privacy and our dignity in the name of “security”.  For example, what the TSA did recently to one woman who was dying of leukemia was absoutely shameful…

A dying woman says a a security pat-down at Sea-Tac Airport left her embarrassed in front of crowds of people.

Michelle Dunaj says screeners checked under bandages from recent surgeries and refused to give her a private search when she requested one.

19. According to one recent survey, nearly one-third of all Americans would be willing to submit to a “TSA body cavity search” in order to fly.

20. Law enforcement authorities all over the United States will soon be driving around in unmarked vehicles looking inside your cars and even under your clothes using the same backscatter technology currently being used by the TSA at U.S. airports…

American cops are set to join the US military in deploying American Science & Engineering’s Z Backscatter Vans, or mobile backscatter radiation x-rays. These are what TSA officials call “the amazing radioactive genital viewer,” now seen in airports around America, ionizing the private parts of children, the elderly, and you (yes you).

These pornoscannerwagons will look like regular anonymous vans, and will cruise America’s streets, indiscriminately peering through the cars (and clothes) of anyone in range of its mighty isotope-cannon. But don’t worry, it’s not a violation of privacy. As AS&E’s vice president of marketing Joe Reiss sez, “From a privacy standpoint, I’m hard-pressed to see what the concern or objection could be.”

21. A company known as BRS Labs has developed “pre-crime surveillance cameras” that supposedly can identify criminal activity before it happens.  These cameras are being installed at major transportation hubs all over San Francisco.

22. According to Gizmodo, the Department of Homeland Security will soon be using laser-based scanners that can scan your body, your clothes and your luggage from 164 feet away…

Within the next year or two, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will instantly know everything about your body, clothes, and luggage with a new laser-based molecular scanner fired from 164 feet (50 meters) away. From traces of drugs or gun powder on your clothes to what you had for breakfast to the adrenaline level in your body—agents will be able to get any information they want without even touching you.

And without you knowing it.

The technology is so incredibly effective that, in November 2011, its inventors were subcontracted by In-Q-Tel to work with the US Department of Homeland Security. In-Q-Tel is a company founded “in February 1999 by a group of private citizens at the request of the Director of the CIA and with the support of the U.S. Congress.” According to In-Q-Tel, they are the bridge between the Agency and new technology companies.

Their plan is to install this molecular-level scanning in airports and border crossings all across the United States.

23. A complex network of automated license plate readers carefully track the movements of millions of vehicles as they move in and out of Washington D.C. and the surrounding suburbs.  Most people do not even know that they are there.

24. The FBI is spending a billion dollars to develop a biometric identification system that will reportedly be far more sophisticated than anything that law enforcement in the United States has ever had before….

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has begun rolling out its new $1 billion biometric Next Generation Identification (NGI) system. In essence, NGI is a nationwide database of mugshots, iris scans, DNA records, voice samples, and other biometrics, that will help the FBI identify and catch criminals — but it is how this biometric data is captured, through a nationwide network of cameras and photo databases, that is raising the eyebrows of privacy advocates.

Until now, the FBI relied on IAFIS, a national fingerprint database that has long been due an overhaul. Over the last few months, the FBI has been pilot testing a facial recognition system — and soon, detectives will also be able to search the system for other biometrics such as DNA records and iris scans.

25. If the government decides that you are a “bad guy”, they can put you on a “no fly list” that will ban you from flying indefinitely.  This can be done to you at any time, without any notice, and you won’t be told that it has happened.  In fact, as one prepper discovered recently, you might only find out that you are on the list when you try to board a flight.

26. Those that revere individual liberty are now being labeled as “potential terrorists” in official U.S. government documents.

27. A National Guard whistleblower recently revealed that members of his unit were told that “doomsday preppers” will be treated as “terrorists” when civil unrest breaks out.

28. One family in Idaho recently had their home raided by a SWAT team because a computer identified them as “constitutionalists” after someone had phoned in and complained about a domestic disturbance at their address.

29. Today, the mainstream media in the United States is totally dominated by just six giant corporations.  Those corporations own television networks, cable channels, movie studios, newspapers, magazines, publishing houses, music labels and large numbers of popular websites.  The way that almost every American looks at the world is being constantly influenced by these media corporations every single day.

Please share this list with as many people as you can.  We desperately need to wake people up while there is still time.

Written By Michael Snyder

Michael has an undergraduate degree in Commerce from the University of Virginia and a law degree from the University of Florida law school.   He also has an LLM from the University of Florida law school. Michael has worked for some of the largest law firms in Washington D.C., but now is mostly focused on trying to make a difference in the world.

 

Russia Warns Against NATO Missiles on Syrian Border

Patriot missile launchers

© AFP/ BERND WUESTNECK

MOSCOW, November 22 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s Foreign Ministry cautioned Thursday against Turkey’s intention to deploy NATO Patriot missiles on its border with Syria.

“The militarization of the Turkish-Syrian border would be an alarming signal,” said ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich. “It would do nothing to foster stability in the region.”

“Our advice to our Turkish colleagues is to use their influence on the Syrian opposition to draw them closer to dialogue, instead of flexing their muscles and taking the situation down a dangerous path,” he added.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Wednesday that Turkey’s request to deploy the missiles would be considered soon. Ankara says the missile system is necessary to protect its border with conflict-torn Syria.

US Patriot surface-to-air missiles were last deployed to Turkey in 1991 and 2003, during the two Gulf Wars.

Turkey has opened fire several times in recent weeks across its border with Syria in retaliation for Syrian shelling, which killed five Turkish civilians in October. It has also provided shelter to refugees fleeing the violence in Syria and has been one of President Bashar al-Assad’s harshest critics during the almost 17-month revolt against his rule.

Tensions between Turkey and Syria flared dangerously this summer after Damascus shot down a Turkish fighter that had violated its airspace. Turkey threatened retaliation if there was any repeat of the incident, although it admitted the plane had mistakenly strayed slightly into Syria.

Lukashevich also denied Russian media reports that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was planning to meet on November 26 with the Syrian opposition.

The Syrian conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives since the start of an uprising against Assad in March 2011, according to various Syrian opposition groups.

Russia – along with China – has drawn heavy Western criticism for its refusal to sanction UN sanctions against Assad’s regime, Moscow sole remaining ally in the Arab world. Moscow said the proposed UN resolutions betrayed a pro-rebel bias and would do nothing to bring peace.

Putin vowed earlier this year not to allow a repeat of the “Libya scenario,” which saw the ouster and murder of long-time Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi after a NATO military campaign.

But Moscow has denied it is supporting Assad in the conflict and says it will respect the will of the “Syrian people.”

Pakistani Police Ineptitude or Complicity Forces Shia To Marshal Their Own Self-Defense Forces

Secretary General SUCP Allama Arif Hussain Wahidi

Shia leaders devise own security plan: Army sought for sensitive areas

Kalbe Ali

 

RAWALPINDI, Nov 22: While a large number of people attended the funeral prayers of those killed in the Wednesday attack on a procession here, the leadership of Shia community has decided to chalk out a more effective security plan for the remaining religious gatherings.

As the criticism on the police grew, the Shia Ulema Council demanded deployment of the army in sensitive areas.

The Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) said it had chalked out its own security plan. “Now it is clear that relying on the police for safety is an exercise in futility,” said Allama Amin Shaheedi, the secretary general of the MWM. “We have decided to mobilise our volunteers and give them enhanced responsibilities for the Muharram security.”

A member of the management committee at Jamia Sadiq Imambargah at G-9/4 added: “We have followed all the precautions and directives as suggested by the police.”

From outside, the imambargah looked encircled by a maze of iron bars and barbed wires. The management committee official acknowledged that last year many people, including women, had rejected a similar security plan for the worship place.

The heightened insecurity has also brought three main rival Shia parties closer. These are: the Shia Ulema Council, which is the reincarnation of the banned Tehrik-i-Jaferia led by Allama Sajid Naqvi; the MWM, mainly the breakaway faction of the old TJP, and its archrival TNFJ led by Allama Moosavi.

The senior leaders of all these three groups have agreed to cooperate on security matters and establish a large contingent of volunteers to keep a vigil during the processions.

In a meeting with Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, an adviser to the chief minister, the religious leaders said the best way to deal with the situation was to remain peaceful and promote sectarian harmony. They said terrorists wanted to pitch the followers of different schools of thought against each other.

The meeting was attended by Commissioner Imdadullah Bosal, DCO Saqib Zafar, CPO Azhar Hameed Khokhar, Allama Pir Syed Izhar Bukhari, Syed Hassan Raza Naqvi, Syed Shahzad Shah, Syed Anwar Shah, Syed Abdul Aziz Shah, Mehmudul Hassan Balakoti, Mazhar Ali, Malik Umar, Maulana Abdul Wahid Farooqi and Syed Qasim Shah.

“We will continue preaching peace and tolerance and this is the best way to combat the nefarious designs of extremists,” Maulana Abdul Farooqi told the meeting.

Raja Ashfaq Sarwar vowed to provide security to the processions in Rawalpindi by involving the military.

He said the list of those killed and injured in the attack was being sent to the chief minister to announce financial assistance for the affected families.

In another development, Imamia Students Ogranisation Rawalpindi criticised a statement by Punjab home minister Rana Sanaullah that the Muharram activities be limited to any boundary area only.

It said the government was trying to find a lame excuse to cover up its failure in providing security to the people.

Meanwhile, people from both the Shia and Sunni communities attended the funeral prayers of the victims at Dhoke Syedan. Four people from the Sunni community also lost their lives while attending the Wednesday night procession.

Wahhabi Terrorists Wage Open War On Shias In Pakistan

At least 23 Shias feared dead in Pakistan blasts

By Rezaul H Laskar

People run away after a second blast outside a Shiite mosque during a mourning congregation in Karachi, Pakistan on November 21. Two bombs exploded outside a Shiite mosque in the southern city of Karachi, killing scores of people and wounding others in a suicide attack, police official said. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)

 

Four terror attacks rocked Pakistan on Thursday, targetting the Shia community across the country, killing at least 14 people.  The Associated Press reports the death toll to be as high as 23.

The blasts took place outside Shia prayers halls in Karachi, Rawalpindi, Quetta and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province’s Bannu District, during the holiest month of the year for the sect.

A suicide bomber attacked a procession around midnight on Wednesday in Rawalpindi, said Deeba Shahnaz, a State rescue official.

At least 62 people were wounded by the blast, including six policemen. Eight of the dead and wounded were children, said Shahnaz.

Police tried to stop and search the bomber as he attempted to join the procession, but he ran past them and detonated his explosives, said senior police official Haseeb Shah. The attacker was also carrying grenades, some of which exploded, said Shah.

“I think the explosives combined with grenades caused the big loss,” said Shah.

Local TV footage showed the scene of the bombing littered with body parts and smeared with blood. Shiites beat their heads and chests in anguish.

“It was like the world was ending,” said one of the victims, Nasir Shah, describing the blast. He was being treated at a local hospital for wounds to his hands and legs.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Taliban set off two bombs within minutes outside a Shiite mosque in the southern city of Karachi, killing at least one person and wounding several others, senior police official Javed Odho said.

“We have a war of belief with Shiites,” Ahsan told sources by telephone from an undisclosed location. “They are blasphemers. We will continue attacking them.”

The first blast occurred when a suicide bomber’s explosives detonated when his motorcycle collided with an auto-rickshaw a short distance from the main gate of the Imambargah at Orangi Town.

Besides the suicide attacker, the auto-rickshaw driver was killed in the first blast. Police said they had collected the body parts of the suicide bomber.

About an hour later, an improvised explosive device (IED) planted near the same Imambargah was triggered by remote control as rescue workers and members of a bomb disposal were clearing the site of the first blast.

A large number of reporters and television cameramen were present at the time of the second blast.

Over 15 people, including media representatives, two children and security personnel, were injured in the attacks.

In Quetta, the capital of the restive Balochistan province, five persons, including three security personnel and a woman, were killed and 28 more injured when a security forces vehicle was hit by a powerful roadside bomb at Shahbaz town.

A bomb with about 15 kg of explosives was attached to a motorcycle and detonated by remote control as the security forces vehicle was passing the area, police said. The vehicle was escorting another vehicle carrying school children.

Nearly 10 security personnel were among the injured and some of them were in a serious condition, police said. Several buildings and vehicles in the neighbourhood were damaged.

In the third incident, militants gunned down four policemen, including a police station chief, at Bannu in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

The militants fired at a police vehicle that was on a routine patrol, killing the policemen instantly.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik told the media this evening that there were reports that terrorists intent on destabilising Karachi and Quetta could carry out more attacks on Friday.

He said the terrorists were likely to target Imambargahs and owners of shops around the prayer halls had been asked to close their outlets on Friday.

Pakistani Taliban spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan claimed responsibility for the attacks in Rawalpindi and Karachi.

(With AP/PTI inputs)

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal Is A Lying Tool of Zionist Monsters

[Israel achieved ALL OF ITS GOALS in setting-up their Muslim Brotherhood Egyptian stooge as a fake “peacemaker.”  Why is it the rest of us are so concerned with sparing the poor Palestinian people more needless suffering, whenever their elected leaders have them all lined-up for the next slaughter?

If Americans are “sheeple,” then what docile life-form is symbolic of the Palestinians–“hamsters,” “slugs,” maybe “Tribbles”?] 

Hamas Says ‘Israel Failed In Its Goals’ And Gives Iran Huge Thanks

Robert Johnson

Louai Beshara/Getty Images

Just hours into a tenuous ceasefire agreement Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said Israel failed to achieve its goals thanked Egypt and Iran for their support during the recent conflict. 

From AFP:

“After eight days, God stayed their hand from the people of Gaza, and they were compelled to submit to the conditions of the resistance,” Meshaal said. “Israel has failed in all its goals,” he told reporters in a Cairo hotel.

Meshaal also thanked ceasefire mediator Egypt, as well as Iran, which he said “had a role in arming” his Islamist movement during the conflict. “I would like to thank our dear Egypt, aided by the brave elected President Mohamed Morsi… Egypt acted responsibly and understood the demands of the resistance and the Palestinian people,” he said.

Meshaal went on to clarify his gratitude toward Iran was despite “Disagreements on the situation in Syria,” and warned Israel not to violate the ceasefire.

“If you commit, we will commit. If you do not commit, the rifles are in our hands,” he said.

India’s Failing Facade of “Democracy”

[SEE:  The Fascism Slowly Boiling Beneath India’s Failing Facade of “Democracy”]

We the proud police state

Rajesh Kalra

 

A few days ago, internet giant Google revealed that the Indian government has made the second largest number of requests (they say demand) for information about web users in the world. If it is any solace, the country that beat us in the number of requests is the United States. I don’t know whether there is a link or not, but we are increasingly becoming a state whose tolerance levels are worse than the authoritarian regimes that we scoff at.

 

As if the arrest of a businessman, Ravi Srinivasan earlier this month for posting a tweet about the riches of our finance minister’s son was not enough, two young girls were arrested yesterday, one for posting and the other for, unbelievable but even more bizarre, liking a Facebook update, questioning why the entire city had to shut down for the funeral.

 

What are we turning into? A police state? What has happened to our tolerance? We are a nation that shouts from the rooftops about our great democratic credentials. Are these those credentials? And here we thought freedom of speech and expression was granted to us by our Constitution and law enforcers would do all to protect us from any violation of that. Instead, law is targeting the common people for expressing their freedom of speech.

 

Let me be forthright. Like anything else, there definitely needs to be some regulation on what goes where, for the fact is that this freedom has often been misused by some. But what has happened with Srinivasan and these two girls is beyond belief. It is absurd. And it looks worse when you realise that while the girls were arrested for doing nothing that seems in the realms of anti-national or fanning communal tension or libellous or anything like that, the vandals who ransacked the girl’s family’s hospital, were allowed to go scot-free till the media raised a hue and cry. Don’t these law enforcers see what damage they are causing to everything that is sane? Do they even think about the consequences of their actions?

 

Some lawyers I spoke to feel that the law itself is flawed for it allows itself to be misinterpreted/misused. With that in mind, I am even willing to give the benefit of the doubt to the lower-level police officers who enforce this law when a complaint comes in. However, one increasingly gets the feeling that the government uses the law selectively, targeting those who do not toe its line, as was the case with Srinivasan’s tweet. If you follow twitter, you would agree that there are far stronger, bolder and ‘damaging’ tweets that do the rounds and are retweeted, but the originators are left untouched because they have the clout that the common man doesn’t.

 

If the law is the problem, this government, that has a battery of lawyers in top positions, needs to address it. If they don’t, it is for they realise they would lose the only handle they have to browbeat the social media that is completely unshackled at the moment.

 

Dear Prime Minister, you waste no time in blaming the media and the anti-corruption movements for sullying the nation’s image overseas. But please believe me, it is these stupid actions that make us a laughing stock and at the same time make others wary of our intentions. Please ask all politicians (across the political spectrum) and ministers, who are masters at smart-alec comments to do sit together and find a solution.

 

As I said, the sector surely needs some regulation, but it cannot be such that they can be misinterpreted at will to harass the common man. Social media is a great tool for the spread of information. It empowers the common man like never before. It needs some checks, but it cannot be achieved by throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Follow Rajesh Kalra on Twitter

Another Irish Activist Charged for Agitating the Masses In Central Asia

[What is with Irish Socialists, can’t they leave anything alone?  Why is it that suddenly two different Irish activists make the news for meddling in Central Asia, Conor Prasad in Kyrgyzstan and Paul Murphy in Kazakhstan (SEE:  Busybody Irish Socialist MP Still Meddling In Kazakh Labor Disputes)?]

Irish researcher in Kyrgyzstan accused of fomenting unrest in ethnically riven town

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan – Security services in the Central Asian nation of Kyrgyzstan on Thursday accused an Irish researcher with a respected international think-tank of inciting tensions in the ethnically riven southern city of Osh.

The State Committee for National Security said that literature seized from Conor Prasad, who works for the International Crisis Group, contained material that could provoke public unrest. He was detained in Osh but has since been released and is now in the capital, Bishkek.

Southern Kyrgyzstan was ravaged in June 2010 by a wave of clashes between ethnic Kyrgyz and minority Uzbeks in the cities of Osh and Jalal-Abad in which at least 470 people were killed.

ICG spokesman Andrew Stroehlein said the accusations against Prasad were unfounded and that a complaint has been filed with the government.

Security services said in a statement that Prasad was engaged in collating information on the violation of rights of the Uzbek community in Osh. They did not specify what allegedly provocative material he had in his possession, but said he was urging Uzbeks to adopt an “active civic position.”

They added that they are still considering what action to take against Prasad.

Although the bulk of those killed in 2010 were Uzbeks, it is also Uzbeks who have faced the most criminal prosecutions related to the unrest.

New York-based Human Rights Watch said in October that flawed investigations and trials have undermined efforts at reconciliation.

Kyrgyz authorities remain intensely sensitive over the events in the south and routinely hamper advocacy work by international organizations working in the area.

ICG, which has been present in Kyrgyzstan for more than a decade, draws its funding from Western governments and charitable donors. It compiles reports on security and humanitarian hotspots.

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/Irish+researcher+Kyrgyzstan+accused+fomenting+unrest/7594464/story.html#ixzz2CyO3oiXK

If the Pakistani Taliban Really Do Want Ajmal Kasab’s Body, Then Maybe Our Leaders Don’t Always Lie

[India has nothing to fear from the Pakistani Taliban, or from their Punjabi sister organization, Lashkar i-Jhangvi, since it is probably true that both organizations either work for India, or are run by India-compromised leadership (SEE:  The Real War –vs– The Illusions).  I would say with 99% certainty that both Hakeemullah and before him, Baitullah Mehsud were Indian agents, who had led elements of the TTP on terror attacks upon fellow Muslims, as well as attacking the Pak Army.  Hakeemullah and his lieutenent Wali-ur Rehman may have their own “jihad” against the Pakistani government, but they never attack Afghanistan or the American forces.  Why is that?

If it turns-out that the TTP are serious in their threats to carry-on Ajmal’s Mumbai jihad then that would imply that the group really is dominated by the LeT, as last year’s Pakistani psyop tried to imply with the staged “killing” of LeT boss Ilyas Kashmiri by an American drone in S. Waziristan (SEE:  The CIA/ISI Soap Opera In South Waziristan).  But then, such a turnaround would sure scuttle a lot of theories.] 

Pakistani Taliban demand return of Mumbai terrorist’s body

Group threatens revenge against India unless body of executed Mohammad Ajmal Kasab is given to familyback

• Associated Press in Peshawar

Mohammad Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving gunman from the 2008 Mumbai attacks, was executed by India. Photograph: Reuters

The Pakistani Taliban have threatened revenge unless India returns the body of a Pakistani man executed for his role in the 2008 Mumbai attacksthat killed 166 people.

Spokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan demanded that Mohammad Ajmal Kasab’s body be given back to his family or handed over to the Taliban.

“If his body is not given to us or his family, we will, God willing, carry on his mission,” Ahsan told The Associated Press by telephone from an undisclosed location. “We will take revenge for his murder.”

India secretly hanged Kasab on Wednesday and buried his body at the jail in the city of Pune where he was executed.

Indian external affairs minister Salman Khurshid said on Wednesday that the government would consider any request from the Pakistani government or Kasab’s family to hand over his body, but no such request had been received.

Kasab was the lone surviving gunman from the three-day attack in Mumbai, India’s financial capital, which targeted two luxury hotels, a Jewish centre, a tourist restaurant and a crowded train station.

The nine other gunmen were killed during the siege.

The attackers entered Mumbai by boat on 26 November, 2008, carrying cellphones, grenades and automatic weapons. Their rampage through the city was broadcast live on television, transfixing the nation and the world.

It severely damaged relations between Pakistan and India, nuclear-armed neighbours who have fought three major wars against each other.

After Kasab was captured, an Indian judge sentenced him to death in May 2010 for waging war against India, murder and terrorism, among other charges. Kasab confessed that the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba was behind the Mumbai attack. The gunmen were in regular phone contact with handlers in Pakistan during the siege.

Indian officials accuse Pakistan’s intelligence agency of working with Lashkar-e-Taiba to plan the attack – an allegation Islamabad denies.

Lashkar-e-Taiba was formed with the help of Pakistani intelligence over two decades ago to put pressure on India over the disputed territory of Kashmir. Pakistan has since banned the group but has seemingly done little to crack down on the militants. Many analysts believe they still have state support.

Unlike Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pakistani Taliban have focused their fight against the Pakistani government, not India. The group has rarely spoken out about issues related to India, making its comments about Kasab unusual.

Ahsan, the Taliban spokesman, said the group was unsure whether Kasab was working on behalf of Pakistani intelligence, as the Indians claim, which would make him suspect in the eyes of the Taliban.

“If he was used by someone, then it was between him and God,” said Ahsan. “If he did all this to please God and was not used by someone, we will complete his mission.”

India offered no official comment on the Taliban’s threat. However, an Indian government official said it will be a test for the Pakistani government to see whether it will allow its soil to be used again for an attack on India.

India has complained that Pakistan is not doing enough to crack down on the militants responsible for the Mumbai attack. Seven people including Lashkar-e-Taiba’s chief military commander, Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi, are facing trial in Pakistan for suspected links to the attack. But the proceedings have moved very slowly.

Official from Russian Arms Mfg. Cited By Istanbul for “Illegal Arms Shipments” After Turkish Force Down of Syrian Air Plane

[I will be very curious to see whether the Kremlin manages to connect this murder to the Turkish secret police, in the major investigation which is sure to follow this tragedy.  Konstruktorskoye Buro Priborostroyeniye’s (KBP) deputy manager, 58-year-old Vyacheslav Trukhachev was murdered on the streets of Tula, near Moscow.  His company was recently in the news for being named as one of the suppliers of military spare parts which were allegedly seized by Turkish authorities from “Syrian Arab Airlines Airbus A320-200, registration YK-AKE performing flight RB-442 from Moscow Vnukovo (Russia) to Aleppo (Syria) with 37 people on board.”]

“The Russian press reported the intercepted plane carried electronic spare parts for Russian-made radar and anti-aircraft systems, used by the Syrian military. The KBP (Konstruktorskoye Buro Priborostroyenia), based in Tula south of Moscow, was specifically mentioned as a possible source of the confiscated cargo. The KBP has been supplying Pantsir 1S anti-aircraft systems to Syria as well as guided long-range Kornet anti-tank missiles (Kommersant, October 13).”–Jamestown Found.

Official at Russian supplier of arms to Syria assassinated

 

The deputy manager of a Russian defense equipment factory that exports goods to Syria has been assassinated in Tula close to Moscow.

Konstruktorskoye Buro Priborostroyeniye’s (KBP) deputy manager, 58-year-old Vyacheslav Trukhachev, was shot dead on one of the biggest streets in Tula.

Police have launched an investigation while his colleagues have called the event unexpected and mysterious.

KBP is one of the main defense industry producers of short- and medium-range arms in Russia.

Unidentified material seized by Turkish authorities from a Damascus-bound jet forced to land in Ankara on Oct. 10 was produced in the factory.  Turkey forced down the passenger Syrian jet, which was en route from Moscow to the Syrian capital, on suspicion that it was carrying military material.

Hurriyet Daily News

The Fascism Slowly Boiling Beneath India’s Failing Facade of “Democracy”

[SEE:  Gujarat riots: Indian SC orders inquiry against Modi ;  31 Convicted In Gujarat Riots Case for Burning 33 Muslims Alive ;  Hindu extremist leader Bal Thackeray dies in India ]

The siren call of fascism

Jawed Naqvi

IT seemed like a bizarre train of thought at first but in hindsight perhaps an agreeable one, that as Bal Thackeray lay dying in a Mumbai hospital I was comparing renowned singers Lata Mangeshkar and Noorjehan in my mind.

Here was an Indian star that I thought no end of, one who symbolised the warm, calming hug her people badly needed after their bruising tryst with foreign rule and an even more lacerating struggle to win freedom.

That was Lata Mangeshkar. She could switch from a gentle morning pick-me-up in a Marathi ‘Bhoopali’ to a more nuanced love expressed in Persianised Urdu, linking two diverse strands of free India’s cultural mix. She could dredge out Ghalib’s soul with a purist’s diction and sway with Shakeel’s rustic verse in an eastern UP dialect for Dhanno in Ganga Jamuna with the gentlest inflection of her vocal cords.

Perhaps she was a born polyglot, I would think with admiration. How else could she deliver Iqbal’s Kabhi aehaqeeqat e muntazar with the swirl of a dervish?

‘When I bowed my forehead in supplication/the earth itself pleaded with me: /Your heart is riveted to an icon of stone/Why do you waste your time in namaaz?’

I have leaned on Iqbal’s complex lines, which Lata sang with uncluttered ease only to illustrate the romance she engendered in the halcyon days that came with independence.

Lata Mangeshkar and Mohammad Rafi: what a team they made for a newly freed people. Their duets, so popular in Pakistan, in a sense defied the idea of Pakistan itself with their true notes. In some ways the duo single-handedly undid the communal damage that came with the partition, not just in India but in Pakistan too, where she remained a household favourite at the head of other great singers.

Then something snapped last week. In her moment of personal trauma, Lata Mangeshkar bared her heart. She revealed she felt orphaned by Bal Thackeray’s passing away, but she didn’t stop there.

She went on to describe the Shiv Sena chief as a “Hindu hriday samraat”, a ruler of Hindu hearts. We knew that it was how many of his admirers, his less intellectually gifted followers, shall we say, saw him.

People who knew her claimed that Lata Mangeshkar donated a sum of her earnings to the Shiv Sena. But all this was seen as a tithe decent folks often pay after 1992-1993 to keep nuisance at bay. But now she revealed she may have been a devout bhakta of Thackeray, the self-proclaimed fascist whose adulation of Hitler only matched his love for Nathuram Godse, Gandhi’s assassin.

Let’s leave alone his hatred of Muslims and of Pakistan. I thought a majority of people Thackeray hatedwere Hindus. They were Hindu Gujaratis, Hindu Biharis or their cousins from Uttar Pradesh, Hindu Tamils and others from South India, communists, Brahmins.

They were all Hindu, if they must be given that identity at all, but they were all targeted albeit selectively in different stages of the rise of the Shiv Sena. In one stroke Lata Mangeshkar had disowned millions of her ardent fans.

I am not even broaching Thackeray’s documented role in the demolition of the Babri Masjid. Did the singing diva of India, decorated with the country’s highest civilian honour, agree with the Ayodhya sacrilege? And did she get to read the Justice Shri Krishna Commission report on the anti-Muslim pogroms in Mumbai that followed the outrage in Ram’s birthplace? The killings, according to the report, were carried out by Thackeray’s foot soldiers, that she admires, in 1992-93. Is that what made her proud of the ruler of Hindu hearts?

Lata Mangeshkar has said she learnt some of the tricks of playback singing from listening to Noorjehan. They had a lot in common, including an army of followers that remained loyal to each, often to the exclusion of the other. They also sang for their armies, the real fighting ones.

And yet, as far as I can tell, Noorjehan would never have wooed religious fundamentalists, much less those who earn their keep from fomenting ill-will towards India. She wouldn’t have been a darling of Faiz if she had.

Thackeray of course had bigger fish to fry than playing The Godfather to his favourite admirer. He was a creature of India’s emerging consensus and that is the scarier part. It was his ability to cut across the political redlines, which anointed him as a more successful fascist than his other rightwing rivals have been shown to be.

Consider the grovelling and fawning news channels. And look at the grief writ on movie star Amitabh Bachchan’s face at Sunday’s funeral, or take corporate czar Anil Ambani who looked one of the most bereaved in the mêlée of Mumbai’s elite.

Both of them support the rightwing claimant to India’s top job, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, and both have political associations that shore up the supposedly secular government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The fact is that Thackeray fulfilled corporate India’s need to suspend democracy if the going got tough and this would be done by a national consensus. He represented a militant, aggressive pro-market quest of the Indian state, one that can only be placated by bludgeoning its own people.

Every party needs to outdo the other in the bloody act. Lata Mangeshkar would appear to be a misfit in the gory denouement of India that Thackeray’s Shiv Sena revelled in. Else she could allow herself to beguile her fans with the siren call of fascism.

The writer is Dawn’s correspondent in Delhi.
jawednaqvi@dawn.com

Caspian Hydrocarbon Production Inhibited By Lack of On-Site Drilling Rigs

[Probably more than any other factor, it is the near impossibility of getting various types of oil and gas drilling rigs into the Caspian which will inhibit mass-production there for many years.]

Lock width is 17.8 metres.

Caspian oil exploration held back by rig shortages

Clare Nuttall in Astana November 22, 2012Rig shortages are already delaying drilling in the Caspian Sea, a trend that could intensify as drilling increases over the next decade. But because the Caspian is isolated from international waters, national oil companies are having to invest in their own rig production to alleviate shortages. Between 2012 and 2020, drilling activity in the Caspian is expected to increase by 39%, with at least 217 wells to be drilled, compared with 156 in the previous eight years, according to a new report from the consultancy Wood Mackenzie. The Caspian’s combination of deep and extremely shallow waters requires all types of units including ultra-shallow water barges, conventional jack-ups and deeper water semi-submersibles. A rig shortage has already led to drilling delays. “In Kazakhstan, for example, the state company KazMunaiGas has an ambitious exploration programme for the Caspian Sea, which for several reasons, including the slow process of licensing the blocks and finding partners to help drilling in the Caspian, has barely started,” Matthew Shaw, senior analyst at Wood Mackenzie, tells bne. “Against the background of the slow pace of negotiations, has been the fact that there have been very few rigs available in the last few years, so there has been no rush to sign contracts.” The report points out that faced with an acute shortage of rigs, “a number of new units have been commissioned and more are planned.” However, the Caspian is a closed market, unlike the fluid market for rigs on international waters. “When drilling in any other part of the world, whether it’s the North Sea, the Gulf of Mexico or South East Asia, it’s possible to bring in rigs very easily – albeit at a cost – from another part of the world,” Shaw points out. However, it’s far more difficult and expensive to transport new rigs to the Caspian. “The isolated rig market can lead to large fluctuations in day rates as units move in and out of work. Overall well costs remain high owing to the expense (and long lead times) of importing materials and equipment,” the report says. Rigs can be transported to the Caspian from the Mediterranean through the Bosporus Straits into the Black Sea and then along the Don river, the Volga-Don canal and the Volga into the Caspian Sea at Astrakhan. However, they have to be cut into pieces to fit under the Bosporus bridges and along the Volga-Don canal, which considerably adds to the cost of transportation. Until recently, the only rig-building yard in the region was at Astrakhan, but both Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have recently started production. Kazakhstan’s KazMunaiGas has sought to address the problem by persuading international companies negotiating for the rights to exploration blocks to help it build rigs. The first Kazakh rig was built with the help of the Korean consortium exploring the Zhambyl block, and KazMunaiGas now has a second rig under construction.

[link for larger image]

[link for larger image]

Police Grab 2400 lbs. of Weed from “Zeta” Franchise In Louisville, KY

Police link Metro drug raid to violent Mexican cartel

By Charles Gazaway – email

Horacio D. Magana (Source: LMDC)

 Rauda Rangel-Maritzein (Source: LMDC)

Evelia Macias-Farias (Source: LMDC)

Elias Vazquez-Garcia (Source: LMDC)

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) – Four people are under arrest on drug charges and over 2,400 pounds of marijuana are off the streets after an eight month investigation which police say was connected to a drug cartel in Mexico known for violence.

According to Dwight Mitchell, a Louisville Metro Police spokesperson, the arrests came after multiple search warrants were served early Wednesday at two Okolona homes – one in the 6300 block of Hackberry Way and a second in the 10100 block of Winding River Way.

Mitchell said the four arrested – Horacio D. Magana, 22, Maritzein R. Rangel, 20, Evelia Macias-Farias, 39, and Elias Vazquez-Garcia, 40 – are charged with trafficking in marijuana over five pounds and engaging in an organized criminal syndicate.

During a press conference Wednesday morning, police linked the four people charged to the violent Zeta drug cartel.

In addition to the marijuana seized, Mitchell said officers also confiscated approximately $1.06 million in cash.

Copyright 2012 WAVE News. All rights reserved.

US Dist. Judge Dismisses Larry Silverstein’s Lawsuit Against United Airlines for Building 7

[Thought that he would get away with it again, didn’t he?]

UPDATE 1-United not liable for alleged 9/11 security lapse-judge

Reuters 

By Jonathan Stempel and Basil Katz

NEW YORK, Nov 21 (Reuters) – United Airlines bears no

responsibility for suspected security lapses at a Maine airport,
which allowed hijackers to board the American Airlines plane
that crashed into one of the World Trade Center towers on Sept.
11, 2001, a federal judge ruled.

U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein granted a request by
United and its parent United Continental Holdings Inc on
Wednesday to dismiss negligence claims brought by Larry
Silverstein, the leaseholder of the World Trade Center property.

Lawyers for United and Silverstein weren’t immediately
available for comment.

The decision concerned the destruction of 7 World Trade
Center, which collapsed hours after being pierced by debris from
the crash of AMR Corp’s American Airlines Flight 11
into 1 World Trade Center.

Two of the hijackers on Flight 11, Mohammed Atta and Abdul
Aziz al Omari, had begun their trip to New York at the Portland
International Jetport. There, they boarded a flight by US
Airways carrier Colgan Air to Boston’s Logan Airport, from where
they connected onto the American plane.

Silverstein argued that because United was among the
carriers that operated Portland’s only security checkpoint, it
was legally responsible for the screening of all passengers, and
had missed a “clear chance” to prevent the hijacking.

The judge, however, found that Chicago-based United owed no
duty of care to Silverstein’s 7 World Trade Co LP, which had
leased Tower 7.

“It was not within United’s range of apprehension that
terrorists would slip through the (Portland) security screening
checkpoint, fly to Logan, proceed through another air carrier’s
security screening and board that air carrier’s flight, hijack
the flight and crash it into 1 World Trade Center, let alone
that 1 World Trade Center would therefore collapse and cause
Tower 7 to collapse,” he wrote.

Hellerstein has presided over almost all U.S. litigation
over the Sept. 11 attacks.

The case is World Trade Center Properties LLC et al v.
American Airlines Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Southern
District of New York, No. 08-03722.

Copyright © 2012, Reuters

Turkey Makes Official Request for Patriot Missiles from NATO, Allegedly To “De-Escalate the Crisis”

[Time to carve-out that Syrian “no-fly zone”?]

Turkey asks NATO to deploy Patriot missiles, citing threats from Syria crisis

Ivan Watson

Istanbul, Turkey (CNN) — In a potential escalation of the Syrian conflict, Turkey asked NATO on Wednesday for Patriot missiles to bolster its air defenses against its southern neighbor.

A letter to NATO included the “formal request” that the alliance send “air defense elements,” according to a Turkish government statement that cited “the threats and risks posed by the continuing crisis in Syria to our national security.”

The statement added that the NATO Council would convene “shortly” to consider the matter.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in a Twitter post that the request would be considered without delay.

In a statement on Wednesday, Rasmussen said the letter from Turkey requested Patriot missiles that would “contribute to the de-escalation of the crisis along NATO’s south-eastern border” and serve as “a concrete demonstration of alliance solidarity and resolve.”

Rasmussen’s statement said three NATO countries have available Patriot missiles — Germany, the Netherlands and the United States — and it would be up to them to decide if they can deploy them and for how long.

A NATO team will visit Turkey next week to survey possible deployment sites for the Patriot missiles, Rasmussen’s statement said.

Sources told CNN that Germany would be the likely source for a deployment. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday that any decision involving her country would need the approval of Parliament.

In Turkey, Foreign Ministry spokesman Selcuk Unal said NATO forces under the command of the alliance would come to Turkey as part of the missile deployment. He noted that NATO-supplied Patriot missiles previously were deployed in Turkey in 1991 and 2003.

“It’s not as if they are going to come tomorrow to be deployed,” Unal said, calling the move a precautionary measure that will deter escalation along the Syrian border.

International and Turkish media reported earlier this month that Turkey planned to ask NATO to station Patriot missiles along the border with Syria, but Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan denied it at the time.

Conflicting narratives in eastern Afghanistan

Cyril Almeida and Hasan Khan

Afghanistan – AFP (File Photo)

JALALABAD: About 130km by road from Peshawar, the largest city in eastern Afghanistan is a scaled-down version of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa capital minus its upscale neighbourhoods.

Pashtun-dominated, chaotic, dusty and a regional hub of trade and commerce, the hustle and bustle of Jalalabad is an important indicator of stability in Afghanistan’s east.

A glance at a map explains why: Nangarhar province, of which Jalalabad city is the capital, is squeezed between Kunar to the north, Paktia and Khost to the south, and Kabul to the west.

As a barometer of stability in eastern Afghanistan, Jalalabad appears to be doing fairly well. A phased transition has seen
Afghan forces take over much of the responsibility for security in Nangarhar province from US forces.

The most obvious danger today on the smooth, two-lane main road from Torkham to Jalalabad is Afghan drivers, who drive at high speed and regard overtaking as an old-fashioned duel.

“The security situation has improved a lot,” said Fazal Hadi Muslimyar, chairman of the Afghan Senate and a native of Jalalabad, citing the relative stability Afghan forces have maintained in eastern Afghanistan in areas handed over to their control by foreign troops.

The chairman of the Mishrano Jirga, the Afghan term for senate, was also upbeat about the future, arguing that the Afghan forces are developing the capacity to ensure that eastern Afghanistan will not fall to the Taliban once international forces wind down their combat operations.

But the optimism of government officials was quickly challenged by locals, who travel without the luxury of security escorts and bullet-proof vehicles.

According to Ali Shah, a Nangarhar resident, the apparent security on the Torkham-Jalalabad road is deceptive, “They (the Taliban) live in nearby villages. As the sun sets, they turn up on the road and attack.”

Shah pointed to government vehicles racing towards Jalalabad at dusk and said the occupants were mostly officials working at Torkham or in nearby districts of Nangarhar: “They want to arrive in Jalalabad and pass the trouble spots before darkness arrives.”

Shah argued that support for the Taliban had grown because of a combination of changing Taliban tactics and continuing governmental failures: “The Taliban don’t disturb the local people now. And the government is so corrupt and unresponsive to people’s needs that anti-government feelings have grown.”

Another Nangarhar resident who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he works for an international organisation claimed that most of Nangarhar’s rural districts are under the virtual control of the Taliban.

“The government’s writ is restricted to their offices only,” the resident said.

Pessimism on reconciliation

In the murky world of contacts between the Afghan government and the Taliban, details can be difficult to pin down. But in Jalalabad, several government officials were adamant that the lines of communication are open and often used.

“Contacts have been established at various levels,” said Muslimyar, adding that meetings between government officials and Taliban leaders have taken place both inside Afghanistan and abroad.

Other senior government leaders speaking on the condition of anonymity claimed that several Taliban commanders travel abroad regularly to meet Afghan and American officials.

The recent Haj in Saudi Arabia provided convenient cover for the latest round of meetings. An Afghan leader speaking on the condition of anonymity described a “chance interaction” with senior Taliban leaders in Masjid-i-Nabvi, Medina, that went on for several hours and during which the Taliban insurgency and the government’s peace efforts came under discussion.

The official named two of the Taliban leaders present at the meeting: the former Information and Culture Minister Ameer Khan Muttaqqi and a senior military commander, Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir. Once a prisoner in Guantanamo Bay, Zakir is believed to be the current deputy to Mullah Omar, a position previously held by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar until his arrest in Karachi.

According to Sher Alam Amlawal, a Jalalabad-based analyst, “(Zakir) is one of the top three Taliban military commanders and is currently leading the insurgents’ operations in the southern provinces of Afghanistan.”

Describing the talks in Medina with Muttaqqi and Zakir, among others, the Afghan official suggested that the Taliban seemed inclined to fight on. “What I gathered from their discussion is they are not ready to negotiate peace at the moment,” the official said, adding that Zakir, the military commander, took a tougher line compared to Muttaqqi, an experienced politician.

The Afghan official’s pessimism about reconciliation was reinforced by the Taliban leaders’ claim that they are determined to eliminate several jihadi commanders from the Soviet era who are part of the Afghan government today.

The Taliban leaders at the Medina meeting were particularly incensed with one such official in Kabul – whose name has been withheld at the request of the Afghan official describing the talks– blaming him for giving a speech against the Taliban that, the Taliban alleged, led to the desertion of several dozen suicide bombers from a training camp.

Hope lingers on

Between the real, though uneven, gains of the past decade and the uncertainty over the future, hope fluctuates wildly in this eastern city – as do the reasons for hope.

At Nangarhar University, on the outskirts of Jalalabad, the chancellor, Dr Sabir Momand, outlined his reasons for optimism.

“All Afghans, including the Taliban and the mujahideen, are tired of fighting,” Dr Momand said, arguing that war-weariness was a huge motivation for peace and that once foreign troops departed, the Taliban would not necessarily want to keep fighting.

The chancellor continued: “Taliban need to be accommodated in the power structure. They were ruling Afghanistan when dislodged by the international forces.”

Back in Jalalabad, in a unique street off the city’s main bazaar, a very different theory of hope was mooted. Turbaned Sikhs selling herbal medicines – the last few holdouts of a centuries’ old community that has gradually abandoned the city – argued that they were better off under the present political dispensation.

“The situation has improved a lot for the minorities,” said Iqbal Singh.

“Our children are going to school and we can do business freely.”

According to Singh, the main improvement over the years of warlordism and Taliban rule is that the iron-fisted rule of a single individual over an area had been replaced with a number of people the community can go to for assistance: government officials at various tiers and even parliamentarians.

Future stability, though, for Iqbal Singh depends on the continued presence of international troops in Afghanistan. And that’s why Singh and his fellow Sikhs in Jalalabad are wary of what may come next.

“We hear that (the international forces) are leaving by 2014 and fear that the Taliban will stage a comeback,” Singh said.

Gaza: What Strategy for the Resistance?

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal gestures as he talks about a prisoner swap between Hamas and Israel, at his office in Damascus on 11 October 2011. (Photo: Reuters – Hamas Office/Handout)

By: Ibrahim al-Amin

 

Why didn’t Khaled Meshal thank Syria, Iran, and Hezbollah for supporting the Gaza Strip and providing direct military aid to its resistance forces?

This question arose as soon as the Hamas political bureau chief ended his lengthy press conference in Cairo. Social media buzzed with criticism of Meshal, who repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar for standing by the people of Gaza, but neglected to mention the others. In response to a question, he was compelled to thank Iran for its support in recent years, but he made sure to affirm his differences with the country over the Syrian crisis.

The criticism peaked when Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah broached the question last night. He seemed to have been provoked by Meshal’s failure to mention the role of at least Iran and Syria, and quoted Quranic passages to deliver perhaps more than a mere rebuke. The two countries have, after all, spent tens of millions of dollars in their Gaza efforts, making significant sacrifices to develop the fighting capability – especially the missile capability – of the resistance.

This may be the first time such an issue has been publicly discussed. Its mere mention could be seen as an attempt to make the Palestinians feel obliged for assistance. Some might reply to Nasrallah: If you want us to thank Syria and Iran, that means you helped us out of your own self-interest.

Others will say that Iran and Syria’s support for the resistance in Palestine is not all it’s cracked up to be, and that the political and diplomatic backing it receives is more effective than military support.

The point will also be made, of course, that if Hamas was not currently at odds with Iran and Syria, it would not have been asked to show its gratitude.

All these points may be valid. It is indeed not right to demand gratitude or approval for something done for a sacred cause, let alone when it is done out of religious conviction. Nasrallah tried to circumvent this by citing a Quranic passage about God being generous to the grateful.

But it is also valid to ask why this discussion is taking place today.

 

Some might reply to Nasrallah: If you want us to thank Syria and Iran, that means you helped us out of your own self-interest.

The ongoing confrontation in the Gaza Strip makes it incumbent to set differences aside and seek out areas of agreement. There is also an obligation to be frank with the Palestinian resistance’s supporters throughout the Arab world. They need to be alerted that the inevitable cease-fire must not preclude the goals of the resistance. This makes it necessary to reiterate points which may embarrass those who think they support the resistance, but do not respect the real underpinnings of its support. 

None of this, of course, is as important as the continued commitment to the resistance. This has been proven in Lebanon and Palestine’s wars with the enemy. Nothing matters more than the mettle of the people in the occupied areas, especially in Palestine. They could carry out their resistance even if the whole world abandons them, and the mightiest power on earth cannot force resistance on people.

This leaves the matter of the resistance’s objectives, and the means of achieving those goals.

There is consensus today that the Israeli assault on Gaza failed because the resistance managed to muster a missile capability that enabled it to hit the enemy in ways that hurt. It is this capability that makes continuing the war undesirable from Israel’s point of view, and even that of the West. Alongside the resistance’s political will and its fighters’ skills, it played the decisive role in foiling the Israeli aggression.

This invites the question: What will the resistance forces’ next step be after the cease-fire?

Will they rebuild an improved military and missile capacity capable of deterring the enemy from repeating the aggression?

Or to bank this victory, will they seek a truce on grounds of rebuilding infrastructure and adopting the line of thinking that is prevalent in the region at present?

As the “forces of the Arab Spring” consolidate their rule in this country or the other, Palestine is just another agenda item that must wait.

Ibrahim al-Amin is editor-in-chief of Al-Akhbar.

The Unfolding of Saakashvili’s Worst Nightmare

A Georgian nightmare unfolds

Molly Corso in Tbilisi November 20, 2012 The growing number of arrests of former ruling party elites since the Georgian Dream coalition won the election on October 1 is leaving many to conclude that the incoming government is using its new powers to settle old political scores. And the return to Georgia and subsequent arrest of former defense minister Irakli Okruashvili on November 20 could prove the most dangerous for President Mikheil Saakashvili’s circle, as the testimony of the former close ally and top-ranking official of the previous regime is sure to lead to more arrests. The international pressure on the government to stop arresting former high ranking officials appears to have fallen on deaf ears. The arrest of Okruashvili, who is expected to go on trial on December 3 on charges of attempting to overthrow the government and extortion, follows fresh charges the day before against Brigadier General Giorgi Kalandadze, the former head of the Georgian Joint Chiefs of Staff, despite international pressure on the government to stop arresting former high-ranking officials. Kalandadze was charged with unlawful detainment, a crime that carries a life sentence. Former defense minister Bacho Akhalaia (who also once served as prison minister and minister of internal affairs) is currently facing similar charges. Philip Dimitrov, the EU’s Ambassador to Georgia, stressed at a press conference on November 20 it is “important that there is no impression that justice is linked with political causes.” But there is little indication that either Ivanishvili or his cabinet are heeding those concerns. The speed and volume of arrests have prompted wide speculation about which Saakashvili ally could be next. Both Data Akhalaia, the brother of Bacho Akhalaia, and Giorgi Baramidze, a former defense minister, have been named as the targets of new investigations. Over the past week, a dozen former officials from the internal affairs ministry – Georgia’s umbrella policing body – have been detained on charges ranging from abuse of power to using malware to spy and discredit the opposition. Allies of former prime minister Vano Merabishvili were included in the round-up, including Shota Khizanishvili, a deputy mayor of Tbilisi at the time of his arrest November 16 on charges of illegal surveillance, who served as a deputy minister under Merabishvili when he was the interior affairs minister. Eleven other former officials from policing structures – including the powerful Department of Constitutional Security (the successor to the KGB) – were also arrested on similar charges. The alleged crimes stem from allegations that the men planted malware in computers at the Georgian Dream headquarters to spy on the opposition prior to the elections. Charges released by the Prosecutor’s Office indicate that the surveillance was used to leak incriminating audio recordings to the media in the days before the October 1 parliamentary election. Other charges include deliberately destroying property at Cartu Bank, the Georgian bank founded by Ivanishvili that was the targeted by the Georgian government last year after Ivanishvili announced his plans to enter politics. Pot, kettle, black Saakashvili supporters and members of his United National Movement (UNM) have blasted the arrests as being politically motivated. Merabishvili, now the head of the UNM party, told journalists that his allies are being targeted as part of a special campaign to scare him and other former officials. “Bidzina Ivanishvili should have no hope that by such steps he will stir fear or anxiety among us. On the contrary, it will make us stronger.” Tbilisi Mayor Gigi Ugulava, another powerful figure in the UNM, has also spoken up against the arrests. After Khizanishvili was refused bail on November 18, Ugulava said the charges were “obviously” politically motivated. Justice Minister Tea Tsulukiani, however, defended the arrests, asserting that cases are being made based on crimes committed, not on political alliances. On November 19, she also hinted that investigations are underway that could lead to Ugulava’s arrest. Tsulukiani told journalists that “many questions” remain about Ugulava’s activities, but there is not enough evidence yet to arrest him. Ugulava, once considered the UNM’s likely candidate for president in the 2013 elections, is a strong Saakashvili ally and powerful figure in the party. He has served as the elected mayor of Tbilisi since 2010 so his position was not affected by Ivanishvili’s win at the October 1 polls. The efforts of the new government are not restricted to arrests: both the Justice Ministry and the new parliament are also working hard to meet pre-election promises to release prisoners. The prison ministry has released 300 prisoners it deemed were ready to return to society. In addition, on November 19 the human rights committee in the parliament, together with a working group of non-government organizations, proposed a list of 148 prisoners and Georgians in exile who would be exonerated as political prisoners. The list, which is not final, includes members of coalition political parties who were arrested over the past eight years on a variety of charges, as well as former parliament speaker Nino Burjanadze’s husband Badri Bitsadze who fled the country in 2011 after he implicated in accidental deaths during the May 26, 2011 protest.

India Hangs Only Surviving Mumbai Terrorist–Mohammed Ajmal Kasab Dead

Mohammed Ajmal Kasab is shown in Mumbai in this undated photo.(Photo: AP)

India hangs gunman from 2008 Mumbai attack

Erika Kinetz, AP

MUMBAI, India (AP) — India executed the lone surviving Pakistani gunman from the 2008 terror attack on Mumbai early Wednesday, providing Indians much-needed closure over the three-day rampage that shook the nation’s core and deepened enmity with neighbor Pakistan.

India blames a Pakistan-based militant organization for the attacks carried out by Mohammed Ajmal Kasab and his comrades that killed 166 people at a train station, a Jewish center and two luxury hotels in its financial capital. India accuses Pakistan’s intelligence agency of training, arming and sponsoring the attackers, allegations Pakistan denies.

Kasab, a Pakistani citizen, was hanged in secrecy at 7.30 a.m. at a jail in Pune, a city near Mumbai, after Indian President Pranab Mukherjee rejected his plea for mercy.

Indian authorities faced public pressure to quickly execute Kasab, and the government fast-tracked the appeal and execution process, which often can take years, or in some cases, decades.

Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said the home ministry sent Kasab’s mercy plea to Mukherjee on Oct. 16 and Mukherjee rejected it on Nov. 5.

“It was decided then that on 21st November at 7:30 in the morning he would be hanged. That procedure has been completed today,” Shinde said.

R.R. Patil, the home minister for the state of Maharashtra, where Mumbai is located, called the execution a tribute to “all innocent people and police officers who lost their lives in this heinous attack on our nation.”

India’s Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid said the Indian government had attempted to inform Pakistani officials of the impending execution, but a fax sent to Pakistan’s foreign office went unanswered. He said the government had also informed Kasab’s next of kin.

Ajmal Kasab, one of the accused gunmen, walks at the Chatrapathi Sivaji Terminal railway station in Mumbai on Nov. 26, 2008.(Photo: Sebastian D’souza, AP)

“We did what we were obliged to do,” Khurshid told reporters in New Delhi.

Kasab and nine other gunmen entered Mumbai by boat on Nov. 26, 2008. Carrying mobile phones, grenades and automatic weapons, the gunmen fanned out across the city, targeting multiple sites. The three-day attack was broadcast live on television, transfixing the nation and world.

A photo of the baby-faced Kasab striding through Mumbai’s main train station, an assault rifle in hand, quickly became the iconic image of the siege.

An Indian judge sentenced Kasab to death in May 2010 for waging war against India, murder and terrorism, among other charges. Kasab cried that day as he heard the sentence.

In his confession, Kasab said he was recruited by Lashkar-e-Taiba, a militant Pakistani organization, after he left a low-paying job as a shop assistant in search of greater fortune as a bandit. The attackers were in regular phone contact with handlers in Pakistan during the siege.

India blames Lashkar-e-Taiba for orchestrating the attacks, and alleges that Pakistan’s intelligence service was involved. The incident inflamed relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors, and India complains that Pakistan has failed to bring the masterminds of the attack to justice.

While news of the execution was widely cheered in India, the hanging offered only a partial catharsis for some of those scarred by the events of 26/11, as the attack is known here.

Some felt Kasab should have been hanged publicly. Others complained that India had spent too much time and money on the care and feeding of a vilified criminal.

Some in India said that for justice to be done the attack’s masterminds — not just its foot soldier — must be punished.

“This is an incomplete justice as the masterminds and main handlers of 26/11 are still absconding,” said Kavita Karkare, the widow of Hemant Karkare, the chief of Mumbai’s anti-terrorism squad who was killed while pursuing Kasab. “They should also be hanged.”

Mukesh Agarwal, who was shot in his right arm during the attack, called Kasab’s execution “the best possible gift” from the Indian government. But he said “instead of secretly hanging him, they government should have hanged him publicly.”

“I am sad and happy both,” said Sonu, an office clerk in New Delhi, who goes by one name. “Sad because I wonder what forced him do such things and happy because this will be a good example to all the terrorists in the future.”

___

Associated Press writer Aijaz Ansari in Mumbai and Chon Ngashangva in New Delhi contributed to this report.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Bahraini Security Forces Arrest Shia Preachers During Mourning for Imam Hussain (A)

Bahraini security forces arrested yesterday a number of Shia orators/preachers as they were addressing Bahrainis on the occasion of the day of Ashura…

 

 
(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) – Bahraini security forces arrested yesterday a number of Shia orators/preachers as they were addressing Bahrainis on the occasion of the day of Ashura – a religious Shia-Muslim holiday – The religious figures were arrested while honoring the death of Hussein – grandson to Prophet Mohammed, an extremely important figure in Islam.

The sources pointed out that among the detainees were — Kamel al-Hashimi, Sheikh Hassan Alaley, Sheikh Jaafar Alsaegh, and Ahmed Al Majid.  The voice of Manama – a local newspaper – couldn’t confirm the accuracy of the information at the time of printing.

Lawyer Abdullah Alshamlawy said via Twitter – social network – “Hashemi is undergoing an interrogation at the Budaiya police Centre, where he is being detained.” The news was denied later on by the authorities. Officials maintained they had no knowledge of Hashemi whereabouts.

Amal – the Association of Islamic Action issued a statement warning against the government’s practice, stressing such a blatant crackdown on religious figures in Bahrain were deeply disturbing and proof that the regime was willing to stoop to religious repression to assert its hold over the country. They called for immediate action as it said never before Bahrain witnessed such intense sectarian crackdown.

Amal confirmed that Shia preacher Kamel Alhashemi – west of Beni Jamra – was called in by the regime and detained for 48 hours. Preachers Alradud Alhaji Abba Dhar Al-Halwagi and Sheikh Hassan, Alhaj Jafar Al-Shamrook had been arrested.

Amal called for the immediate release of all prisoners of conscience, urging activists around the world to mobilize for Bahrain.

The Day of Ashura (Arabic: عاشوراء‎ ʻĀshūrā’; Persian: عاشورا; Turkish: Aşure Günü) is on the 10th day of Muharram in the Islamic calendar and marks the climax of the Mourning of Muharram.

It is commemorated by Shia Muslims as a day of mourning for the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad at the Battle of Karbala on 10 Muharram in the year 61 AH (October 10, 680 CE).

It Doesn’t Pay In the End To Spy On Your Neighbors for Israel–Hamas Executes Six Spies

Gaza conflict: Hamas militants kill 6 suspected informers for Israel: Reports

MOHAMMED SALEM/REUTERSPalestinian gunmen drag the body of a man suspected of working for Israel, in Gaza City on Tuesday. Palestinian gunmen shot dead six alleged collaborators in the Gaza Strip.

Karin Laub
The Associated Press

Masked gunmen publicly shot dead six suspected collaborators with Israel in a large Gaza City intersection Tuesday, witnesses said. An Associated Press reporter saw a mob surrounding five of the bloodied corpses shortly after the killing.

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Some in the crowd stomped and spit on the bodies. A sixth corpse was tied to a motorcycle and dragged through the streets as people screamed, “Spy! Spy!”

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The Hamas military wing, Izzedine al-Qassam, claimed responsibility in a large handwritten note attached to a nearby electricity pole. Hamas said the six were killed because they gave Israel information about fighters and rocket launching sites.

The killing came on the seventh day of an Israeli military offensive that has killed more than 120 Palestinians, both militants and civilians. Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes, targeting rocket launching sites, weapons caches and homes of Hamas activists, as Palestinians fired hundreds of rockets at Israel.

Israel relies on a network of local informers to identify its targets in Gaza.

The six were killed on Tuesday afternoon in Gaza City’s Sheik Radwan neighbourhood.

Witnesses said a van stopped in the intersection, and four masked men pushed the six suspected informers out of the vehicle. Salim Mahmoud, 18, said the gunmen ordered the six to lie face down in the street and then shot them dead. Another witness, 13-year-old Mokhmen al-Gazhali, said the informers were killed one by one, as he mimicked the sound of gunfire.

They said only a few people were in the street at first — most Gazans have been staying indoors because of the Israeli airstrikes — but the crowd quickly grew after the killings. Eventually several hundred men pushed and shoved to get a close look at the bodies, lying in a jumble on the ground. One man spit at the corpses, another kicked the head of one of the dead men.

“They should have been killed in a more brutal fashion so others don’t even think about working with the occupation (Israel),” said one of the bystanders, 24-year-old Ashraf Maher.

One body was then tied by a cable to the back of a motorcycle and dragged through the streets. A number of gunmen on motorcycles rode along as the body was pulled past a house of mourning for victims of an Israeli airstrike.

There is broad consensus among Palestinians that informers for Israel deserve harsh punishment, and it is rare to hear someone speak out against killings of alleged collaborators. Such public killings been carried out in the West Bank and Gaza since the first uprising against Israeli occupation in the late 1980s.

In Israel’s last major Gaza offensive four years ago, 17 suspected collaborators who fled after their prisons were hit in airstrikes were later shot dead in extra-judicial killings.

During the current offensive, Tuesday’s killings brought to eight the number of suspected informers being shot dead in public. On Friday, the body of one alleged informer was found in a garbage bin, and another was shot dead in the street. Hamas claimed responsibility for both killings.

Since seizing Gaza in 2007, Hamas has executed four informers by firing squad, and about a dozen more are on death row in Gaza.