I have always been fascinated with the kind grunt work involved with fund raising. What would it have to have taken for a young person to give up their time and effort into advocating a cause, a campaign, a fight? Canvassing for a Relevant Truth. I found that appealing. Well my original relevant truth is, anti-climatically, less of a cause and more of a necessity as I have been charged by my own pursuit of paying for my University fees over the course of this summer. This isn't voluntary work you see, I will get paid for raising money. A solid £8 an hour. A good strong oval number, which will help with the fees and well, let me confide, it beats working as a clerk or a retail drone for hours on end for that nameless, faceless, omniscient shape of a figure we call 'The Man', doesn't it?

To be honest I know nothing about fund raising. Nothing at all. This is a first time gig, I am a rookie raiser. Which adds to the excitement I suppose. Will it be a disaster? Will I take to it like a duck to water? To be honest I am optimistic. Why? Because I can speak. I can speak with clarity and conscience about causes, issues and fights. And in any case, I would rather be talking about IMF sanctions in Haiti or about Chinese human rights violations in Darfur than about madam's skinny jeans ensemble or which aisle the baby wipes is at, because, I'm sorry 'The Man', I simply don't give a shit about such irrelevance. So there you go. Give me leaflet and a message and send me on my way, for there is a nobility in this grassroots activism stuff.

Or am I being naive? This could all end in tears, a daft foray into the mean street of London. This isn't after all, the white picket fence capital, the people I will likely meet will not be as kindly and wholesome as I would hope to expect. The Kennedy's don't live in Kilburn. So I will head out, walk the streets, knock on doors, engage with the unkempt masses with only my wits and non-invasive manner as my tools of trade. Over the course of the next couple of weeks I will report back on my findings on the true state of the apathy of our nation. My chosen charity? Amnesty International. I wonder how many humans I will help protect by the time I'm done. A quest is it? Or a graft? In any case it will be an experience, and we shall see.

He summed up one of the strongest arguments for the war very succinctly:

There was a sense that Saddam was breaking out of the containment strategy that the U.N. had put in place, and we were going to have a fight with him. We didn't want it to be at the time and place of his choosing.

Video 2 of the interview is the most substantive:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=168544&title=douglas-feith-uncut-pt.-2

Today Jaipur is under curfew as a precautionary measure. There will be enquiries and assessments. In the midst of all the tragedy 1 question came up time and again – why Jaipur? Personally, I think it is the dumbest question I have ever heard. Why Jaipur? Jaipur – doesn’t that provide an answer in itself? It is probably the most important tourist destination in India. Whoever lands in India goes to the city. Well, almost.

All such places are potential targets. What do people think? That the gentle neighbourhood terrorist will give such places a go-by? That they will be busy targeting Bombay (I as a rule will never write it as Mumbai; thank you Thackeray’s) Delhi and other Metros?

Common sense dictates that emerging cities become tomorrow’s targets. Why the surprise? What have we done? We don’t have a history of communal violence, we are peaceful, we are simple…such self-pity is playing into the terrorist’s hands.

We all are under threat. I spoke to my father in the morning today. He ordered me to not board the crowded Bombay local trains, avoid the buses; to take the auto or cab and to stay away from all crowds. I said yes to all, all the time wondering how childish he was being. Loving no doubt, but as the rules were being laid down I realized immediately that no one and nothing is safe. We are susceptible to attacks everywhere – at a bus stop, in an auto, outside a mall, at the temple. We are all possible victims of collateral damage.

Metros, small towns, villages, nothing is safe. I sound like a doomsday theorist, but it is true. They can strike anywhere. Does hate argue with pity? Does it share the bed with sympathy, reason, love, and understanding? No. We are numbers, statistics - the more the merrier, helpless the better.

It’s a wonder we are all living…with so many weapons and so many stupid brains to use them. So salute, this might be the last. Carpe diem, for who knows…

]]> http://sfcmac.wordpress.com/?p=573 Wed, 14 May 2008 12:37:27 +0000 sfcmac http://sfcmac.wordpress.com/?p=573 Remember this?

November 18, 2007 -- FBI fraudster Nada Nadim Prouty not only used a sham marriage to get jobs with access to secret terrorist intelligence - her current husband is a State Department employee who has held sensitive posts in Middle Eastern embassies, The Post has learned.

......She also confessed to sneaking into government databases for secret information on her sister and brother-in-law, both linked to the Middle East terror group Hezbollah.

Link: http://sfcmac.wordpress.com/2007/11/19/fbi-cia-now-taking-terrorist-applicants/

 

Well, a judge appointed by Jimmy Carter (figures) gave the little colaborator a slap on the wrist:

A federal judge lavished praise Tuesday on an illegal alien who infiltrated the FBI and the CIA before her fraudulent marriage was discovered.

U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn revoked the citizenship of Nada Nadim Prouty and fined her $750. He criticized the government for the way it publicized Prouty's case and the media for the way they reported it.

"You have rendered extraordinary services to the United States as an agent of the FBI and an employee of the CIA," Cohn told Prouty. "At no time did you compromise any investigation from improper behavior or inappropriate conduct."

So, passing classified infomation to Hezbollah is not 'inappropriate conduct'??

Prouty's only real crime, Cohn said, was a sham marriage when she was 19 years old. It's understandable she did not want to return to war-torn Lebanon at the time, he said.

The sham marriage was a precursor for entrance into the military and subsequently, access to classified information. That's high treason.

Prouty, born in Lebanon, gained U.S. citizenship through a sham marriage, joined the FBI's Washington field office as a special agent in 1999, and joined the CIA in 2003, according to court records.

Prouty admitted that while an FBI agent, she went into a computer system without authorization in 2003 and obtained information about the Detroit FBI's investigation of Hezbollah, which the U.S. considers a terrorist organization. She also did name searches of FBI files for (her fugitive brother-in-law) Talal Chahine, herself, and her sister, Elfat El Aouar, Chahine's wife.

This is a real sidesplitter:

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Chadwell told Cohn the government did not object to the judge not sending Prouty to prison.
However, "this case should be taken very seriously," Chadwell told the judge.

You don't object to the lack of prison time, yet you think it should be taken seriously?
What are you going to do? Just bend her dog tags and send her packing?

I don't get it. This bitch conned her way into a trusted position that's supposed to protect the nation's secrets, and used it to betray the country.

Looks like the government took it about as 'seriously' as the braindead judge.

Cohn signed an order to deport Prouty but simultaneously signed a second order withholding the deportation. She will be able to stay in the U.S. but not work or travel outside the country without special permission.

Link: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080513/METRO/805130445/1410/METRO01

 

Just great. She can stay here but she won't be able to leave without permission.
What a punishment. What a fucking joke.

over 150 people died as 8 blasts ripped through Jaipur.

what makes humans hurt other humans? what triggers violence?what causes so much of hate ? what do you think we can do?

is it that someone hurt their love?or is it just that like in the above story,money has become more important that human life? imagine if we become more advanced and have more weapons of destruction,will we cause our own end? how can we stop it?

The university administration claims that the blood tests are a political move and an attempt to give it a black name by an organisation trying to arm-twist PU into submission. The varsity authorities also argue that water available at the campus is lab-tested and has been found fit for human consumption, and as such the students’ ill health cannot be blamed on what they eat and drink on campus. This claim may be correct. But the university would do well to arrange for the vaccination of all students against hepatitis B, the only variety for which vaccine is available. In fact all universities in the country should follow suit. After all, if schools are considered the best place to give children anti-polio drops, why can’t colleges and universities become a convenient venue for administering anti-hepatitis vaccines?
The Dawn

His greatest challenge, however, will come from within. The Sindh police, like its counterparts elsewhere in the country, is set in its ways and arresting decades of degeneration is a mammoth and unenviable task. But it is time someone cracked the whip and we hope Mr Suddle will succeed where those who preceded him failed. No one expects a complete transformation and any headway made in tackling police corruption, inefficiency and apathy would be laudable. According to the PPO there will be “zero tolerance” for corruption, the performance of police officers will be reviewed on a weekly basis, and external (read political) pressure will have no bearing on transfers, postings and promotions. Ten thousand new recruits a year have been promised but a larger force with the same work ethic — for which poor pay is partially responsible — will serve no purpose whatsoever. The PPO will also need to take cognizance of how the local government system has changed the situation on the ground, with area notables even more powerful now because of their political clout. Then there is VIP and guard duty which is a major drain on resources. How can there be any justification for thousands of policemen protecting only the influential? Mr Suddle has apparently set up a special section under his supervision that will hear public complaints, but he would also do well to streamline and publicise the workings of the provincial Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission. Clearly, the new PPO will need all the help he can muster.
The Dawn

The CIA has received secret presidential approval to mount a covert "black" operation to destabilize the Iranian government, current and former officials in the intelligence community tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com.

The sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, say President Bush has signed a "nonlethal presidential finding" that puts into motion a CIA plan that reportedly includes a coordinated campaign of propaganda, disinformation and manipulation of Iran's currency and international financial transactions.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/05/bush_authorizes.html#comments

The story mentions near the end the US encouragement of the Jundullah:

As earlier reported on the Blotter on ABCNews.com, the United States has supported and encouraged an Iranian militant group, Jundullah, that has conducted deadly raids inside Iran from bases on the rugged Iran-Pakistan-Afghanistan "tri-border region."

U.S. officials deny any "direct funding" of Jundullah groups but say the leader of Jundullah was in regular contact with U.S. officials.

American intelligence sources say Jundullah has received money and weapons through the Afghanistan and Pakistan military and Pakistan's intelligence service. Pakistan has officially denied any connection.

A report broadcast on Iranian TV last Sunday said Iranian authorities had captured 10 men crossing the border with $500,000 in cash along with "maps of sensitive areas" and "modern spy equipment."

We know that such clandestine operations against Iran have been a popular notion among many in Bush's administration before as was reported by ABC back in 2003.  The Pentagon fancied the idea of using the MEK or Mujahedeen E Khalq terrorist organization:

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is advocating a massive covert action program to overthrow Iran's ruling ayatollahs as the only way to stop the country's nuclear weapons ambitions, senior State Department and Pentagon officials told ABCNEWS.

The proposal, which would include covert sponsorship of a group currently deemed terrorist by the U.S. government, is not new, and has not won favor with enough top officials to be acted upon.

But sources say it is a viable option that is getting a new look as the administration ramps up its rhetoric against Iran, and it is likely to be one of the top items on the agenda as high-level U.S. policymakers meet today to discuss how to deal with the Islamic republic.

The Pentagon's proposal includes using all available points of pressure on the Iranian regime, including backing armed Iranian dissidents and employing the services of the Mujahedeen e Khalq, a group currently branded as terrorist by the United States.

The MEK, which had been primarily supported by Iraq and was responsible for numerous attacks inside Iran, agreed after the Iraq war to a truce with U.S. forces.

The Pentagon specifically set aside a proposal to reconstitute the MEK under a different banner and promote their armed incursions into Iran, much as the MEK had been doing under Saddam. As the State Department insisted, and the White House concurred, the MEK has been disarmed but their forces are still in place and their weapons are in storage.

The State Department argument was that MEK is on the terrorist list and any failure to disarm it would be an act of hypocrisy, which was the same line taken by the Iranians in confidential meetings that have been ongoing in Geneva, until the United States recently cut them off.

The office of Doug Feith, undersecretary for policy at the Department of Defense, argued that the MEK has not targeted Americans since the 1970s, which is true, and was only put on the terrorist list by the Clinton administration as a gesture to improve relations with Iran.

The Pentagon argues that the MEK is disciplined, well-trained, and an effective lever against the ayatollahs, and could be renamed and placed under American clandestine guidance.

For the moment, this proposal is blocked, but will be revisited as part of the greater proposal to institute massive covert action against the ayatollahs.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0530-03.htm

Of course we cannot forget about the strong assertions made by Scott Ritter that the CIA is strongly and very secretly supporting the violent terrorist covert actions of the Mujahedeen E Khalq in Iran:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8425484120815762419

As Raw Story has reported in the past, the US has circumvented the proper channels and has simply had MEK swear off their name and swear allegiance to democracy, and is then using them for violent covert action in within Iran:

“We disarmed [the MEK] of major weapons but not small arms. [Secretary of Defense Donald] Rumsfeld was pushing to use them as a military special ops team, but policy infighting between their camp and Condi, but she was able to fight them off for a while,” said the intelligence official. According to still another intelligence source, the policy infighting ended last year when Donald Rumsfeld, under pressure from Vice President Cheney, came up with a plan to “convert” the MEK by having them simply quit their organization.

“These guys are nuts,” this intelligence source said. “Cambone and those guys made MEK members swear an oath to Democracy and resign from the MEK and then our guys incorporated them into their unit and trained them.”

Stephen Cambone is the Undersecretary of Defense Intelligence. His office did not return calls for comment.

According to all three intelligence sources, military and intelligence officials alike were alarmed that instead of securing a known terrorist organization, which has been responsible for acts of terror against Iranian targets and individuals all over the world – including US civilian and military casualties – Rumsfeld under instructions from Cheney, began using the group on special ops missions into Iran to pave the way for a potential Iran strike.

“They are doing whatever they want, no oversight at all,” one intelligence source said.

Indeed, Saddam Hussein himself had used the MEK for acts of terror against non-Sunni Muslims and had assigned domestic security detail to the MEK as a way of policing dissent among his own people. It was under the guidance of MEK ‘policing’ that Iraqi citizens who were not Sunni were routinely tortured, attacked and arrested.

Although the specifics of what the MEK is being used for remain unclear, a UN official close to the Security Council explained that the newly renamed MEK soldiers are being run instead of military advance teams, committing acts of violence in hopes of staging an insurgency of the Iranian Sunni population.

“We are already at war,” the UN official told RAW STORY.

Asked how long the MEK agents have been active in the region under the guidance of the US military civilian leadership, the UN official explained that the clandestine war had been going on for roughly a year and included unmanned drones run jointly by several agencies.

In a stunning repeat of pre-war Iraq activities, the Bush administration continues to publicly call for action and pursue diplomatic solutions to allegations that Iran is bomb-ready. Behind the scenes, however, the administration is already well underway and engaged in ground operations in Iran.

http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/US_outsourcing_special_operations_intelligence_gathering_0413.html

Therefore, we can hardly blame Iran for blaming the recent terrorist bombing of a mosque inside Iran (killing 14 people and wounding many others) on the USA via it's support of the terrorist group the Monarchists, a group the CIA has supported in its activities against Iran for a while now.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080508/wl_mideast_afp/iranunrest

'Horror unfolds on Jaipur streets'
'Terror Tuesday: Morning gory in Jaipur'
'Terror strikes the pink city '
These are few of the headlines on popular news websites and newspapers on wednesday morning.

How long will this act continue?
How long will terrorism prevail?
Aren't we peace lovers?
How are we going to act on this?
There can be many more questions but the only way to overcome is by standing together for the cause.

The Jaipur incident is an example of terrorists trying to create disharmony and communal split in INDIA.
Let us not fight among ourselves and aid in their purpose.
Always believe in unity .Together we can curb terrorism totally.
Do not blame people of a particular sect because of the fanaticism of a few.
The terrorist groups are a minority.
Let us join together , with no communal rivalry , and fight for a peaceful INDIA.

Let us win peace...

Another, City.

Another, series of Blasts.

Once more Hundreds of innocent men, women and children lost their lives.

Once more ‘mutilated’ bodies are strewn on roads, who were living human beings just couples of seconds before blasts. Some body’s Father/ Mother/Husband/Wife/Daughter/ Son. Once more these ‘bodies’ are now merely statistics.

Once more same ‘mundane’ routine.

Once more ‘Dirty Harry’ of Sonia brigade, MoS Home Affairs, In charge internal security, Sri Prakash Jaiswal, visiting victims in hospital.

Once again Prime Minion Man Mohan Singh mumbling same old shock and offering insincere sympathy to victims and their families.

Once again ‘Walking Zombie’ Home Minister caught UN aware.

Once again ‘BaliDaan Moorti’ Signora Sonia Maino Gandhi expressing her totally phony concern.

Once again MSM preaching us to stay calm and maintain communal harmony, as if Hindus start rioting every time their Mandirs are attacked. Umpteenth time now, Hindu Mandirs are attacked with impunity give me one instance when Hindus rioted? Just like the Religion of Peace’s followers did after attack on Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad.

Once again Secularists and Islam apologists are out of woods to tell us, how the religions of Peace’s followers are misguided youth! How they are alienated! How they must be brought in the main stream!

Once again more concession for them.

Once again Muslim Appeasement in full gear.

Once again More Bomb Blasts.

Once again another city.

Once again more Humans turned in mere ‘statistics’.

Once again the SAME AS ABOVE.

Once again the Prudent Indian writing the same above.

Once again, then again, then again ….

When will it stop?

Who will stop it?

How long we will be ‘mere spectators’?

How long before you or me or our near and dear ones will not be another victim of this unending spiral of terror?

How many more bomb blasts to take place, before we wake up?

How many more innocent lives to be lost, before we get angry?

Yes, get angry now before you too are 'NOBODY' but a mere figure in the ever increasing list of innocent victims. Refuse please, to be sacrificed at the altar of some 'perverse' and misplaced 'secularism'.

Very Angry,

PI.

My friend Yossarin is equally angry. He has some much question to ask

Euskizofrenia pil-pilean...

No group has admitted planting the bombs

A curfew has been imposed in the old city in Jaipur in western India after a series of bomb blasts killed at least 60 and left more than 150 wounded.

The bombs went off near historic monuments in the crowded old city on Tuesday evening.

The head of state police said it was a terrorist attack. The police has detained some people for questioning.

Jaipur, in Rajasthan, is a popular tourist destination about 260km (160 miles) from the Indian capital, Delhi.

No group has admitted planting bombs in Jaipur. It is not yet clear what the motive for attacking the city might be.

Most people in Jaipur are Hindus but the city has a large Muslim minority. Correspondents say it has no history of religious violence.

There have been sporadic bomb attacks around India in recent years. The police have had little success in bringing prosecutions.

The curfew began at 0900 (0300 GMT) on Wednesday and is expected to last till the evening.

The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Jaipur says that the old city is completely deserted apart from journalists and policemen moving around.

Crowded markets

People were milling on the streets and there was some traffic the morning after the blast. The police were seen asking people to leave the area and return homes.

Jaipur deals with aftermath

The bustling old city has been cordoned off by the police for investigation. Its shops will remain closed on Wednesday.

Security has been stepped up at airports and railway stations across the country, officials said.

Up to seven blasts were heard in the heart of Jaipur, capital of Rajasthan state, starting at around 1915 local time (1345 GMT) on Tuesday.

Each came a few minutes apart and eyewitnesses spoke of panic and then a stampede in the crowded old walled city.

Television pictures showed scenes of twisted debris and pools of blood on the streets.

RECENT BOMB ATTACKS August 2007: Bombs in open-air auditorium and restaurant in Hyderabad kill more than 40 May 2007: Bomb in historic Hyderabad mosque kills 14 February 2007: Twin blasts on train travelling from Delhi to Pakistan kills at least 66 people near Panipat July 2006: More than 160 killed by seven bombs on train network in Mumbai March 2006: Bombs at Hindu temple and railway station in Varanasi kill 15 October 2005: Three blasts in Delhi kill 62 In pictures: Jaipur bombings

"I heard a deafening noise and I thought it was a [gas] cylinder blast," Hemanth Modi said.

"There was smoke and I could not find my son. Then I found him," he told NDTV news channel.

"According to the information I have received 60 people have died and 150 have been injured," said Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje.

A BBC correspondent at the main hospital in Jaipur says doctors there say they have counted 45 bodies brought to them.

Medical authorities have appealed for blood donations for the injured.

Police reinforcements have been deployed in the city to maintain order.

Seven bombs were placed in cars or shops, including in several markets, police said. An eighth was defused.

One exploded close to Jaipur's most famous landmark, the historic Hawa Mahal, or palace of winds.

"It's a terror attack. There was no [intelligence] report of this," police director general AS Gill told reporters.

"The way it has been done, the attempt was to cause the maximum damage to human life," he added.

Indian President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condemned the attacks and the prime minister appealed for calm.

Jaipur is an extremely popular stop on India's primary tourist circuit known as "The Golden Triangle", which takes in other historic sites of Rajasthan and the Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh state.

It is known as the Pink City, because of the colour of its forts, palaces and city walls.

On Tuesdays many devotees flock to a popular shrine in Jaipur's old city.

Send your pictures to yourpics@bbc.co.uk, text them to +44 7725 100 or you have a large file you can upload here.
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It's just also very apropo since I'm writing about cognitive dissonance nowadays, Zeitgeist describes the most prevalent dissonance experienced in our age: thoughts on religion, terrorism, and money.

Check out Zeitgeist under Image Therapy.

Everything you know is wrong.

THE CANDIDATES WE SUPPORT FOR OFFICE FOR THE MENDOCINO COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

PAULA DEETER *

The MENDOCINO MOUNT SUPPORTS Mendocino County Board of Supervisor candidate Paula Deeter because of her stance on MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENTS RIGHTSand since we know we can trust her, knowing she operates a Medical Marijuana Club in Fort Bragg.

UKIAH SATIVA MORRISON *

The MENDOCINO MOUNT SUPPORTS Mendocino County Board of Supervisor candidate Ukiah Sativa Morrison because of his stance on MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENTS RIGHTS

DOLLY BROWN *

The MENDOCINO MOUNT SUPPORTS Mendocino County Board of Supervisor candidate Dolly Brown because of her stance on MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENTS RIGHTS

ESTELLE PALLEY CLIFTON*

The MENDO MOUNT SUPPORTS Mendocino County Board of Supervisor candidate Estelle Palley Clifton because of her stance on MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENTS RIGHTS

POLITICAL CANDIDATES WE STRONGLY OPPOSE FOR THEIR VIEWS OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA PATIENTS RIGHTS, AS WELL AS THEIR VIEWS OF TURNING MENDOCINO'S PRIME INDUSTRIAL AND AGRICULTURE LAND INTO STRIP-MALLS!

MICHAEL DELBAR- WE STRONGLY OPPOSE!

JOHN MCCOWEN- WE STRONGLY OPPOSE!

KENDALL SMITH- WE STRONGLY OPPOSE!

A NO VOTE ON MEASURE B ENSURES THE FREEDOM AND LIBERTY OF ALL OF MENDOCINO COUNTY!

WE STRONGLY OPPOSE ANY ATTEMPT TO RECRIMINALIZE MARIJUANA IN MENDOCINO COUNTY!

VOTE NO ON MEASURE B!

If you want to know why its such a popular tourist site here's a picture of the Amber Palace taken from my hotel roof-top.

Kipling visited Jaipur in 1887. He describes his journey to the palace:

Rise very early in the morning, before the stars have gone out, and drive through the sleeping city till the pavement gives place to cactus and sand, and educational and enlightened institutions to mile upon mile of semi-decayed Hindu temples—brown and weather-beaten—running down to the shores of the great Man Sagar Lake, wherein are more ruined temples, palaces, and fragments of causeways. The water-birds have their home in the half-submerged arcades and the crocodile nuzzles the shafts of the pillars. It is a fitting prelude to the desolation of Amber.

In some ways Jaipur hasn't changed an awful lot; the crocodiles are still there and every now and then one eats a dhobi woman washing clothes in the lake. Of course now the city is gridlocked with cars and choking with pollution like the rest of north India.

We had trouble getting to the hotel on our first day in Jaipur; a sufi mystic was speaking at one of the mosques and the streets were teeming with worshippers. Many had come from the nearby city of Ajmer. The sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti is buried there and the city is one of the most important places on the subcontinent for muslims to study and worship.

I suspect the secret police in Ajmer are going to be very busy tonight.

This being the fundamental difference in the two parties’ attitude to the judges’ question, why did the PPP adopt the course it did? We believe the people would not be far wrong if they detected a demeaning duplicity on the PPP’s part throughout the negotiations. The Bhurban Declaration, signed on March 9, three weeks after the Feb 18 polls, was a blunder on the part of Mr Zardari and his party. Why did the party leadership agree to a 30-day deadline to restore the judges through a resolution when it had no intention of honouring it? Now, in addition to public concern over the fate of the deposed judges, the question agitating the people’s mind is about the survival of the grand coalition.

The PML-N has said it will quit the cabinet but will continue to support the PPP inside parliament. This is a positive decision, for a break-up of the coalition could do enormous harm to the already tottering economy. One cannot but despair that Ishaq Dar, who has been in the thick of negotiations with international financial institutions, may not remain finance minister for long. A change of horses in midstream could upset the planning he might have done to check the slide and give the inflation-squeezed people some relief in the budget. While the PPP will need to explain why it chose to renege on its promise, the irony of Nawaz Sharif gaining the moral high ground would not be lost on it. Had it not been for Benazir Bhutto’s insistence, the PML-N would have boycotted the polls and been as relevant today as Qazi Hussain Ahmed’s Jamaat-i-Islami and Imran Khan’s Tehrik-i-Insaf. The PPP will be well advised to try and save the coalition government in Punjab. For if that government collapses, the consequent instability and its impact on the economy is something the country can ill afford.
The Dawn

Here was a perfect opportunity to build support and target Hezbollah and their allies, a perfect opportunity to confront terrorism...and we do nothing aside from some feeble diplomatic whining? I can think of any number of strategies that would be better than the do nothing approach of the Bush administration.

I'm sure the administration is just waiting on some buzzword-filled strategy dreamed up by some think-tank employee taking a crap (which, ironically, is what any such strategy usually ends up being) or another moron Secretary of Defense.

Those of you who have explored this blog of ours might have seen a few pictures of Juma and I in India. It just so happens that both of these pictures were taken in Rajasthan and that this one was actually taken in Jaipur, during Holi.

The locals there were friendly and felt no trepidation in dousing Juma and I with buckets of coloured sewer water. How could I forget? - we were both stained purple for a week!

oh yeah, and hopefully all those hippies we made fun of are alright too...

My favourite of these links is the Daily Kos one, just read this and laugh.

It thus emerged as a major power and a formidable challenger of existing Arabic powers that will decide the fate of the world, coordinated assassination of President Kennedy which unnaturally led to the hasty re-evaluation of American foreign policy for adjustion that align with the interests of Israeli state for total compatibility in irreversibly entangled alliance.

Jeb Bradley is running for New Hampshire's first district congressional seat. If he wins the Republican nomination he will be taking on incumbent moonbat Carol Shea-Porter in a rematch of the 2006 election. In this television ad he goes after said moonbat. Current New Hampshire polls have Jeb Bradley beating Carol Shea-Porter by about six points, while his primary opponent, John Stephen, loses to Shea-Porter.

Federal agencies, including the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Counter Terrorism Center, are telling their people not to describe Islamic extremists as "jihadists" or "mujahedeen," according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. Lingo like "Islamo-fascism" is out, too.

The reason: Such words may actually boost support for radicals among Arab and Muslim audiences by giving them a veneer of religious credibility or by causing offense to moderates.

For example, while Americans may understand "jihad" to mean "holy war," it is in fact a broader Islamic concept of the struggle to do good, says the guidance prepared for diplomats and other officials tasked with explaining the war on terror to the public. Similarly, "mujahedeen," which means those engaged in jihad, must be seen in its broader context.

U.S. officials may be "unintentionally portraying terrorists, who lack moral and religious legitimacy, as brave fighters, legitimate soldiers or spokesmen for ordinary Muslims," says a Homeland Security report. It's entitled "Terminology to Define the Terrorists: Recommendations from American Muslims."

It's been clear to smart people for a long time that using inappropriate language to describe the "Global War on Terror" can actually be counterproductive in fighting al-Qaeda. Richard Clarke was one of the first to make this argument publicly when he slammed President Clinton for legitimizing bin Laden by publicly talking about him. Now the Bush administration seems to have finally gotten that calling terrorists "jidadis," or "mujahedeen" can legitimize them, whereas calling them Islamo-fascists can not only offend Muslims but can give them credibility by portraying them as American enemies on par with Nazi Germany and Japan in World War II. The administration's take away seems pretty accurate:

"We must carefully avoid giving bin Laden and other al-Qaida leaders the legitimacy they crave, but do not possess, by characterizing them as religious figures, or in terms that may make them seem to be noble in the eyes of some," [the Homeland Security report] said.

But as much this rebranding makes sense, some Republicans aren't happy about it. Like Rick Santorum:

It's official: We're fighting . . . terrorists.

You can also call them violent extremists if you like, but never use jihadist or mujahedeen or Islamo-fascist to describe our enemy. These words are deemed pejorative and offensive, according to a recent Bush administration memorandum to federal employees whose jobs involve explaining our ongoing war to the public.

I didn't get the memo, but the headline on the Associated Press story caught my eye. Two years ago at the National Press Club I challenged the president to go on a communications offensive here at home to redefine the war. I argued that using the politically correct expression war on terror was not only objectively false, but also dangerously misleading.

"We are not fighting a war on terror," I said then, "any more than we fought a war on blitzkrieg in World War II."

Blitzkrieg, of course, was a tactic. So is terrorism. In World War II, we fought against German Nazism, Japanese Imperialism and Italian Fascism - militarist, totalitarian ideologies that governed these societies and motivated believers elsewhere to rally and spread these movements across the globe. Terrorism isn't a governing philosophy or organizing principle. It is simply a means to achieve an ideological end, in this case the spread of radical Islam.

I am sure Franklin Roosevelt's candid portrayal of our World War II enemies offended many Germans, Italians and Japanese. But did this motivate our own recent immigrants from enemy countries to oppose America and the war? A few perhaps, but thousands of these patriots who came here for liberty joined our armed forces or the effort on the home front and defended it. My father, an 18-year-old Italian immigrant when the war broke out, was one of them.

But isn't it accurate to say we are at war with terrorists? Yes, but misleading. We are not at war with Colombia's FARC, Rwanda's FDLR rebels, or Spain's Basque separatists. We are at war only with terrorists motivated by Islam who view themselves as true followers, as self-described holy warriors.

But he's not done there. Not content to rail against guidelines aimed keeping us from offending Muslims and giving al-Qaeda credibility, Santorum decides to insult some Muslims.

Our government in this memo is teaching us a politically correct version of the truth. For example, it tells us that democracy and Islam are compatible. But Islam is less compatible with democracy than is Christianity. Jesus said, "Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's." There was from the beginning a recognition of two realms - the sacred and the secular. From Islam's inception there has been one realm. Islamic law (sharia) is the law of the government.

Santorum isn't the only one. Rep. Pete Hoekstra actually introduced legislation to ban the new guidelines.

His amendment aimed to end what he called 'McCarthyism in reverse" and "speech codes that encumber accurately describing the radical jihadist terrorists that attacked America."

Santorum says that we need to fight an ideological struggle.

This conflict, like all great conflicts, is not just a military struggle. It's an ideological struggle, as well. It must be fought in the hearts and minds of people at home and abroad. How can we win a battle of ideas if we don't have the will to set forth what the enemy truly believes? How can we convince Americans it's worth the long and great sacrifice to defend ourselves against this grave threat if we worry more about our image abroad than relating the real story at home?

Santorum's problem is that he thinks that Muslims hate us because we are a democracy. He refuses to even consider the possibility that al-Qaeda has any other reasons for disliking the United States. He talks about educating Americans about "the ideology and motivation of the enemy."

Yet he has no understanding of it himself. If he knew what he was talking about he'd know that al-Qaeda's focus on the United States dates only from the mid-90s when bin Laden's Afghan Arab organization of Soviet War veterans with Ayman al-Zawahiri's Egyptian organization what was forged in the run-up to and aftermath of the assassination of Anwar Sadat. Zawahiri's organization had traditionally focused on overthrowing what they considered the illegitimate Egyptian government.They shifted their focus to America because they argue that they have no chance of defeating their "near enemy," the Egyptian regime or any other the other Middle Eastern regimes they consider illegitimate, when those regimes were propped up by the "far enemy," the United States.

Instead he blathers on about Islam being incompatible with democracy. He doesn't realize that the term Islamo-Fascism can insult all adherents of Islam. He doesn't understand that calling al-Qaeda the mujahedeen and jihadists gives them credibility among the general population that can increase their recruiting. But then again, Santorum thought Iraq would be a good way to fight the war on terror. So perhaps, we shouldn't be surprised that he's this dumb.

Unfortunately, today Jaipur was hit by multiple bomb blasts and at least 60 are dead and over a hundred are wounded.

Before I visited India, I was told, among many other things, that it is a colorful country. It was in Jaipur that I remember first really understanding what that meant. Under bright blue skies on very hot summer days, I can still remember the women in their beautiful and striking saris walking throughout Jaipur's Old City, which tragically was the site of some of the attacks today.

The following list of massacres is by no means exclusive, but they reflect the nature of the Zionist occupation of Palestine and Lebanon and show that massacres and expulsions were not aberrations that happen in any war, but organized atrocities with only one aim, that is to have a Zionist state which is 'goyim rein'. A state built on bloody slaughters.

The Israeli Holocaust Against the Palestinians

Israeli Massacre In Gaza (Photo)

Israel kills Children in Gaza (Video)

Details and Numbers of Israeli Massacres

The King David Massacre
The Massacre at Baldat al-Shaikh
YEHIDA MASSACRE
KHISAS MASSACRE
QAZAZA MASSACRE
The Semiramis Hotel Massacre
The Massacre at Dair Yasin
NASER AL-DIN MASSACRE
THE TANTURA MASSACRE
BEIT DARAS MASSACRE
THE DAHMASH MOSQUE MASSACRE
DAWAYMA MASSACRE
HOULA MASSACRE
SHARAFAT MASSACRE
Salha Massacre
The Massacre at Qibya
KAFR QASEM MASSACRE
Khan Yunis Massacre
The Massacre in Gaza City
AL-SAMMOU' MASSACRE
Aitharoun Massacre
Kawnin Massacre
Hanin Massacre
Bint Jbeil Massacre
Abbasieh Massacre
Adloun Massacre
Saida Massacre
Fakhani Massacre
Beirut Massacre
Sabra And Shatila Massacre
Jibsheet Massacre
Sohmor Massacre
Seer Al Garbiah
Maaraka Massacres
Zrariah Massacre
Homeen Al-Tahta Massacre
Jibaa Massacre
Yohmor Massacre
Tiri massacre
Al-Naher Al-Bared Massacre
Ain Al-Hillwee Massacre
OYON QARA MASSACRE
Siddiqine Massacre
AL-AQSA MOSQUE MASSACRE
THE IBRAHIMI MOSQUE MASSACRE
THE JABALIA MASSACRE
Aramta Massacre
ERETZ CHECKPOINT MASSACRE
Deir Al-Zahrani Massacre
Nabatiyeh (school bus)  Massacre
Mnsuriah Massacre
The Sohmor Second Massacre
Nabatyaih Massacre
Qana Massacre
Trqumia Massacr
Janta Massacre
24 Of June 1999 Massacres
Western Bekaa villages Massacre

مقدمة نشرة قناة المنار بتاريخ 13-05-2008م:ا

مهلاً يا شيخ سعد.
قليلاً من الرويةِ واحترامِ عقولِ اللبنانيينَ الذين ومنذُ زمنٍ لم يعودوا يقبلونَ ان يضحكَ احدٌ عليهم، او ان يخوِّفَهم بجورج بوش او بالمدمرةِ كول او بميشال سيسون او بسعود الفيصل، فما فاتَ قد فات.
نعم: التاريخُ لن يرحمَ حقاً، وهو سيبدأُ بالذينَ يحاولونَ تزويرَه. واليكَ الوقائعُ التالية:
اولاً، كلُ العالمِ يعرفُ انَ الذينَ يتحملونَ مسؤوليةَ الدمِ الذي اُهرقَ هُم الذين اتخذوا القراراتِ المظلمةَ التي ارادت النيلَ من المقاومة، والتي سارعَ فريقُكَ لارسالِها الى واشنطن ونيويورك اداءً لطقوسِ الطاعةِ للسيد الاميركي، ويعرفونَ انَ المقاومةَ اَنذرت واَمهلت ولكنكم لم تَتَّعظوا، ظناً منكم ان ما فعلتموهُ في عدوانِ تموزَ يمكنُ ان يتكررَ ويمرَّ مرورَ الكرام.

ثانياً، ليسَ من الذكاءِ الذي قلتَ ذاتَ يومٍ انكَ تريدُ ان تتملَّكَهُ سريعاً اَنْ تقولَ اِنَ اسرائيلَ غطَّت نقلَ المقاتلينَ من الجنوبِ الى الجبل، فهذا يُشبهُ قولَكَ السابقَ اِنَ سوريا اغتالت انطوان غانم رداً على الغارةِ الاسرائيليةِ عليها. واِذ نُحيلُكَ هنا الى ما يقولُه الاسرائيليونَ عمَّا يحصَلُ في لبنانَ وكيفَ انَ كلَ الجيشِ والاستخباراتِ الصهيونيينِ مستنفرينَ خوفاً من حزبِ الله والمعارضةِ الوطنية، فاِننا نسأل: هل كلامُك هو للتغطيةِ على الكثيرينَ من فريقِكَ ممن لهم باعٌ طويلٌ في العمالةِ لاسرائيل، او في خدمةِ مشروعِها، وصورُ اكرم شهيب معهم شاهدَتها بالتاكيد، وتعرفُ جيداً سمير جعجع دُرَّةَ تاجِ هؤلاءِ الذي تناسيتَهُ عمداً او خجلاً اليومَ في مؤتمركَ الصحافي، ودوري شمعون المتفاخرَ بانَ انطوان لحد منتسبٌ الى حزبِه. امَّا فرعُ المعلوماتِ المحسوبُ عليكَ ومروان حمادة المتصلُ بك دائماً فالجميعُ يعلمُ دورَهم البغيضَ في التجسسِ على المجاهدينَ وقيادتِهم ابانَ حربِ تموز.
ثالثاً، امَّا عن السلاحِ والمسلحين، واحتكارِ حصريةِ العِلمِ والتعلّمِ ونبذِ العنف، فانَ الصورةَ اصدقُ اِنباءً من الخُطَبِ السبعاوية والحمودية. فليست مجزرةُ حلبا الا عينةٌ مما ارتكبَتهُ ميليشياتُكَ بحقِ الذين سلَّموا اسلحتَهم وباتوا اسرَى لا يجوزُ في قوانينِ الحروبِ والشريعةِ الاسلاميةِ معاملتُهم الا بالحسنى، وهُم من طائفتكَ الكريمة، ولتهويلكَ بالفتنةِ المذهبيةِ التي تتوعدُ بها وهي ذَهبت الى غيرِ رجعة، والعربُ والمسلمونَ يعرفونَ انَ قوى المقاومةِ وفيها مِن كلِ الطوائفِ الكثيرونَ يواجهونَ قوَى الامركةِ والاسرلةِ وفيها ايضاًَ طوائفيونَ متعددون. وقد فضحَكم اليومَ سيدُكم جوج بوش بعدما خذلكَ اذ ساوى بين ايهود اولمرت وفؤادِك السنيورة لانَ ديمقراطيّتَكَ هي في مصلحةِ اسرائيل كما قالَ حرفياً.

لا يا شيخُ سعد للمرةِ الالفِ ما هكذا توردُ الابل، وهذا الكلامُ انتهى اوانُه الزمنُ تغيرَ كثيراً كثيراً كثيراً، وما فعلَه فريقُكَ باللبنانيينَ منذُ ثلاثِ سنواتٍ لا يُمحى والله بجرَّةِ قلم، وبعضٌ منهُ ما شاهدُه اللبنانيونَ من مشاهدَ مروعةٍ لمجزرةِ حلبا التي ارتكبَتْها عصاباتُ المستقبل بحقِ اعضاءٍ مدنيينَ في الحزبِ السوري القومي الاجتماعي من ابناءِ الطائفةِ الاسلاميةِ السُنيةِ الكريمة، ومع الاعتذار ايضا من اهالي الضحايا.ا

(في الصورة: مفتن عكّار أسامة الرفاعي)