Part of this might be true, but I strongly doubt that most of it is true. Although I admit that I want to believe the allegations, if only to watch Elanor Holmes-Norton (DC's Congresswoman) get fired up with righteous indignation.
Heh.
Friday, April 29, 2005
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Zarqawi
the new Bin Laden
His recently found computer is a trove of info, including global recruitment attempts and recent contact with Zawahiri.
Zarqawi's gotten away from us at least three times now. Who will get whom first?
His recently found computer is a trove of info, including global recruitment attempts and recent contact with Zawahiri.
Zarqawi's gotten away from us at least three times now. Who will get whom first?
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Syrian Intelligence
Still in Lebanon
U.N. member states and the Lebanese opposition have told the United Nations that Syrian military intelligence has taken up new positions "in the south of Beirut and elsewhere, and has been using headquarters of parties affiliated with the government of Syria as well as privately rented apartments for their purposes," said a report Annan made to the Security Council and released yesterday.
Syrian intelligence is also deployed in Palestinian refugee camps and communities, some of which have suddenly grown larger, U.S. officials and Western diplomats said.
Syria's intelligence network has been its chief means of influencing Lebanese political and economic life for almost three decades. About 5,000 Syrian intelligence operatives were deployed in Lebanon, U.S. and European officials said.
The Lebanese government told the United Nations that the withdrawal is complicated by family ties and a network of informers among Lebanese citizens, the U.N. report notes.
"In the many years the Syrians have been there, they've inserted themselves pretty deeply in Lebanon, including in intermarriage," said a senior State Department official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the subject. "They've abandoned their headquarters, but they're still integrated in Lebanese society in a way that can be difficult to detect. So even though their formal presence is over, there is still a significant residual presence we need to look at."
I don't believe for a minute that Syria would give up its hard won influence in a country that it believes [and was, historically,] to be part of itself. Almost 30 years of cultivating assets will not disappear overnight.
U.N. member states and the Lebanese opposition have told the United Nations that Syrian military intelligence has taken up new positions "in the south of Beirut and elsewhere, and has been using headquarters of parties affiliated with the government of Syria as well as privately rented apartments for their purposes," said a report Annan made to the Security Council and released yesterday.
Syrian intelligence is also deployed in Palestinian refugee camps and communities, some of which have suddenly grown larger, U.S. officials and Western diplomats said.
Syria's intelligence network has been its chief means of influencing Lebanese political and economic life for almost three decades. About 5,000 Syrian intelligence operatives were deployed in Lebanon, U.S. and European officials said.
The Lebanese government told the United Nations that the withdrawal is complicated by family ties and a network of informers among Lebanese citizens, the U.N. report notes.
"In the many years the Syrians have been there, they've inserted themselves pretty deeply in Lebanon, including in intermarriage," said a senior State Department official, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the subject. "They've abandoned their headquarters, but they're still integrated in Lebanese society in a way that can be difficult to detect. So even though their formal presence is over, there is still a significant residual presence we need to look at."
I don't believe for a minute that Syria would give up its hard won influence in a country that it believes [and was, historically,] to be part of itself. Almost 30 years of cultivating assets will not disappear overnight.
Monday, April 25, 2005
Dean's Message of Hope
Howard Dean, the paragon of lefty optimism, is on the stump to get the Democrats back in the White House. Here are some of his comments.
Dean has suggested that they [Republicans] are "evil." That they are "corrupt." He called them "brain-dead" during a stop in Toronto -- and while the Terri Schiavo case was still in the news. He has tagged Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) as a "liar." Last week, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that he mimicked a "drug-snorting Rush Limbaugh" at
an event there.
Dean has suggested that they [Republicans] are "evil." That they are "corrupt." He called them "brain-dead" during a stop in Toronto -- and while the Terri Schiavo case was still in the news. He has tagged Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) as a "liar." Last week, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that he mimicked a "drug-snorting Rush Limbaugh" at
an event there.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
Bolton
I'm not certain where I stand on this guy. It's not that the allegations that he intimidates his subordinates into following whatever he says -- even when they know better -- don't bother me. But is this behaviour constant or are we dealing with an isolated incident? If he really is a royal ass to his staff, would that necessarily make him a bad appointee to the UN? Crappy bosses exist in most industries. Do we implement 360 degree reviews before high profile jobs can be filled?
On a bad day with some bosses I would agree with that assertion, but on most days that standard seems too high. More on this later.
On a bad day with some bosses I would agree with that assertion, but on most days that standard seems too high. More on this later.
Friday, April 15, 2005
Fake Protests
The New York Times > International > Asia Pacific > China Is Pushing and Scripting Anti-Japanese Protests:
"Enraged about Japan's tendentious textbooks and territorial disputes in the East China Sea, Sun Wei, a college junior, joined thousands of Chinese in a rare legal protest march on the streets of Beijing last weekend.
Yet the police herded protesters into tight groups, let them take turns throwing rocks, then told them they had 'vented their anger' long enough and bused them back to campus.
'It was partly a real protest and partly a political show,' Mr. Sun said in an interview this week. 'I felt a little like a puppet.'"
Well, Mr. Sun, you should feel like a puppet. You are being used. It's fairly common across the globe (even in the US, but normally restricted to anti-war protests put together by the US arm of Commie International for easily swayed college students), but especially in the Mid-East. Remember the pro and anti-Syrian rallies in Beirut? Same dog.
Anyway, this article is worth reading, if only to get a sense of how deep the anti-Japanese feelings are in Asia. What this feeling means to US policy is a related matter, but one which must be discussed later because I'm running out the door now...
"Enraged about Japan's tendentious textbooks and territorial disputes in the East China Sea, Sun Wei, a college junior, joined thousands of Chinese in a rare legal protest march on the streets of Beijing last weekend.
Yet the police herded protesters into tight groups, let them take turns throwing rocks, then told them they had 'vented their anger' long enough and bused them back to campus.
'It was partly a real protest and partly a political show,' Mr. Sun said in an interview this week. 'I felt a little like a puppet.'"
Well, Mr. Sun, you should feel like a puppet. You are being used. It's fairly common across the globe (even in the US, but normally restricted to anti-war protests put together by the US arm of Commie International for easily swayed college students), but especially in the Mid-East. Remember the pro and anti-Syrian rallies in Beirut? Same dog.
Anyway, this article is worth reading, if only to get a sense of how deep the anti-Japanese feelings are in Asia. What this feeling means to US policy is a related matter, but one which must be discussed later because I'm running out the door now...
Thursday, April 07, 2005
Thursday's Stories
ZANU-PF Joy
Mugabe, that fun-loving white supremist, is going to il Vaticano for the Pope's funeral. Since he is technically banned from visiting the EU (but not from visiting the Vatican), he can mingle among the boring heads of state who sought to contain him in his African Nirvana, regaling them with stories of his electoral success, his people's great love for him, and the 1200 pound crocodile he caught once with his bare hands. Really. What? You don't believe him? Are you a racist? A contemptable colonist sympathizer?!
Religious Studies Professors
In other news, CNN Headline news this morning had an interview with a religious studies professor from Hofstra university, whose name is Phyllis, I think, and is a specialist in Vatican history. Anyway, the show's host asked her innocently what the next steps in the Conclave will be and how PJP II's last testament will affect it, and the woman answers (no kidding): "well, there won't be any women there, that's for sure." The host, struggling to comprehend where that comment came from and also trying to steer the conversation on live TV back to the topic at hand says, "I know that you are also a women's studies professor. Thank you for your insight there. But I really want to get back to ...[now Phyllis interrupts again] As I said, there are no women there. In the early church women were deacons. They handled money. They were included in the Church's operations. Not now. Not anymore. [Back to Robin Meade]. Thanks so much, Phyllis."
The moral of this story: never bring a fem-bot religious studies professor on national TV without ascertaining her tendency to launchinto totally irrelevant political commentary.
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
C.I.A. Detentions
According to the NYT this morning,
The White House is maintaining extraordinary restrictions on information about the detention of high-level terror suspects, permitting only a small number of members of Congress to be briefed on how and where the prisoners are being held and interrogated, senior government officials say.
Some Democratic members of Congress say the restrictions are impeding effective oversight of the secret program, which is run by the Central Intelligence Agency and is believed to involve the detention of about three dozen senior Qaeda leaders at secret sites around the world.
Surely secrecy is precisely what is called for, no? Expanding knowledge of who is held where strikes me as silly, given the single-minded determination of his compatriots to free him, of the loonly Left to make a human-rights martyr out of him (and make sure that the temperature in his cell is between 75 and 80, that he not offended by any interregation techniques that are being used on him, etc), and of kooky righties to kill 'em all.
With CIA, it is an unfortunate fact that our lawmakers either don't believe that they will leak the information sooner, rather than later, or that they don't trust the CIA to do its job. In both cases, our nation is worse off. Good job, Democrats.
The White House is maintaining extraordinary restrictions on information about the detention of high-level terror suspects, permitting only a small number of members of Congress to be briefed on how and where the prisoners are being held and interrogated, senior government officials say.
Some Democratic members of Congress say the restrictions are impeding effective oversight of the secret program, which is run by the Central Intelligence Agency and is believed to involve the detention of about three dozen senior Qaeda leaders at secret sites around the world.
Surely secrecy is precisely what is called for, no? Expanding knowledge of who is held where strikes me as silly, given the single-minded determination of his compatriots to free him, of the loonly Left to make a human-rights martyr out of him (and make sure that the temperature in his cell is between 75 and 80, that he not offended by any interregation techniques that are being used on him, etc), and of kooky righties to kill 'em all.
With CIA, it is an unfortunate fact that our lawmakers either don't believe that they will leak the information sooner, rather than later, or that they don't trust the CIA to do its job. In both cases, our nation is worse off. Good job, Democrats.
Tuesday, April 05, 2005
Astounding
This article is wild. It is the logical end to so many lefty complaints about corporations and big business -- which is precisely the point of this guy's actions. Yet now lefties are running away from this guy (well, most of them). Odd that they do, given that he merely made manifest the rage inside so many misguided souls.
Read the article. It's worth it.
Read the article. It's worth it.
Monday, April 04, 2005
Rest in Peace
BBC NEWS | Africa | Israeli envoy dies of head wound
I knew Doron from my time living in Ethiopia. We lived in the same hotel. May he rest in peace.
I knew Doron from my time living in Ethiopia. We lived in the same hotel. May he rest in peace.
Sunday, April 03, 2005
USA will not exist in 2007: Qu'ran
The Holy Qu'ran apparently describes the end of the USA from multiple tsunami waves sometime in 2007.
The sad thing is that some people will honestly believe this. For the rest of us, this is just funny.
The sad thing is that some people will honestly believe this. For the rest of us, this is just funny.
Friday, April 01, 2005
Not a good week
For god's emissaries on Earth. First, Schiavo dies, then the Pope moves in the same direction and finally the Rev Falwell is taken to the hospital in critical condition.
And if you consider him to be an emissary, then you could add that Buchanan had salad dressing chucked on him at some school in Michigan.
Sheesh.
And if you consider him to be an emissary, then you could add that Buchanan had salad dressing chucked on him at some school in Michigan.
Sheesh.
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