News from the Long War, Thread 4

Various | 4/15/07 | Knitting a Conundrum and Others

[Knitting A Conundrum]

Thread 4



Since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, our nation has fought a global war against violent extremists who use terrorism as their weapon of choice, and who seek to destroy our free way of life. Our enemies seek weapons of mass destruction and, if they are successful, will likely attempt to use them in their conflict with free people everywhere. Currently, the struggle is centered in Iraq and Afghanistan, but we will need to be prepared and arranged to successfully defend our nation and its interests around the globe for years to come. DOD

Our enemies include all the Muslims who dream of knocking Western Civilization off its perch atop humanity’s dung heap. Islam is fractured into any number of sects, tribes and ethnic groups, but the dream of destroying us cuts across all the fault lines. Islamic terrorists are merely the tip of a very large spear.

J. Peter Mulhern, the American Thinker, September 18

The determination behind that fight is real, the hatred is real, and the excuses for doing this are very real in the minds of those who have decided to walk that path. We can respond in two ways: Try to ignore or negotiate with people who do not want to negotiate in good faith, because what they want is our destruction, or to stand up against the darkness of those who see all of us, our way of life, our culture and our aspirations as something worth eliminating.

Either: "And God willing, with the force of God behind it, we shall soon experience a world without the United States and Zionism," Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Or: "With vigilance, determination, courage, we will defeat the enemies of freedom, and we will leave behind a more peaceful world for our children and our grandchildren." GW Bush.

Here's where I will post news and info about the Long War. Let me know if you're interested.

Thread 1

Thread 2

Thread 3

[Uncle Ike]

” Do we have any idea who might succeed him if this is actually as serious as it sounds? “

I think there’s a son who, if memories of impressions are remotely accurate, leans towards the radical-islam persuasion — which makes this not-good-news....

Good morning, Bahbah!!

[WorkerbeeCitizen]

Poll Shows Support for Strengthening UN By Monisha Bansal CNSNews.com Staff Writer May 14, 2007 (CNSNews.com) - The majority of the world's population has a favorable opinion of the United Nations and thinks the international body should be strengthened, according to a new survey by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and WorldPublicOpinion.org. Calling it a "very warm rating," Steven Kull, editor of WorldPublicOpinion.org, said the results of the 18-nation survey conducted between June 2006 and March 2007 suggests that "people around the world are more open to multilateral action than their governments."

http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=/Nation/archive/200705/NAT20070514a.html

The UN is heavily influenced by Islam. So this bears watching. The implication that thee UN standing army could/would be used against us in the region and even here at home.

[WorkerbeeCitizen]

Morning BB, Thanx for the kind words.

I've been getting up and going to work in the morning for almost 40yrs - I just don't know how not to.

[Uncle Ike]

” The majority of the world’s population has a favorable opinion of the United Nations and thinks the international body should be strengthened, “

Proof positive that the ‘majority of the world’s population’ is abysmally stupid...

(By the way, nobody asked *me*....)

[WorkerbeeCitizen]

The founding fathers knew better.

It kinda reminds me of people voting themselves a larger portion of the largess of other nations.

[WorkerbeeCitizen]

PS

I think your right.

[Bahbah]

They were interviewed by telephone and in person in China, India, the United States, Russia, France, Thailand, Ukraine, Poland, Iran, Mexico, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Argentina, Peru, Armenia and Israel, as well as the Palestinian territories.

China, the Palestinian territories...bwahahahah.

[Uncle Ike]

Did you just hear Kilmeade mix-up the two stories about the abduction of the 3 GIs in Iraq and the death of the Taliban leader in Afghanistan?

The dolt seems to think that the search for the GI’s in Iraq will somehow lead to the capture of Bin Laden in Pakistan...

Sheeesh — with this level of reporting, it’s no wonder the American Public doesn’t understand what’s going on

[Bahbah]

No, I did not hear that. And he may have the highest IQ of the bunch. How depressing.

[Bahbah]

Ah, now here is something we can get behind.

Iran Demands UN Headquarters Moved From US

Iran wants the UN out of the US.
Fars News reported:

A prominent Iranian lawmaker stressed that the Untied States is not a proper host for the United Nations Organization and called on all member states to demand a transfer of the UN headquarters from New York.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an open session of the Islamic Consultative Assembly here on Sunday, chairman of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaoddin Boroujerdi said, “As the articles of association of the UN state that the United Nations’ permanent headquarters is located in New York, transfer of the headquarters requires rectification of the said articles of association.”

Considering that the UN is in charge of grave affairs, any transfer of the headquarters should be carried out through a consensus of the member states and rectification of the articles of association, he said.

The legislator said that the plan for the transfer of the UN permanent headquarters from the US should be viewed as a political position taken (by Iran) against the measures adopted by the White House leaders.

“The US has proved that it does not deserve to host the United Nations member states,” he underlined.

Link: http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2007/05/iran-demands-un-headquarters-moved-from.html

[Uncle Ike]

” Ah, now here is something we can get behind. “

It’s got my vote!!

[WorkerbeeCitizen]

Yes. Please transfer UN headquarters from the US - to say Sudan. Hey I know, I’ll bet Russia would welcome the UN.

[Uncle Ike]

OOPS!!!!!

Have you seen any nuclear material?
Nature ^ | 8 May 2007 | Geoff Brumfiel

Posted on 05/14/2007 6:30:22 AM CDT by BlackVeil

A Pakistani public information campaign about what to do if you stumble across stray radioactive material is raising hairs on the necks of Western arms control experts.

The ads, which appeared last week in several Urdu-language newspapers, featured the large, yellow radiation symbol and a warning to report any lost or misplaced isotopes.

“As public education campaigns go, it’s unique,” says Jeffrey Lewis, director of nuclear strategy and nonproliferation at the New America Foundation in Washington, DC. Lewis says he was “shocked” to hear of the announcements.

Pakistan has never lost nuclear material per se, but it has a poor track record of protecting its nuclear technology. The father of its nuclear weapons programme, A.Q. Khan, is notorious for having sold the nation’s secrets on the black market. Last week, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based think tank, released a report suggesting that Khan had been involved in selling nuclear secrets to Iran, in addition to North Korea and Libya.

Pakistan’s Nuclear Regulatory Authority played down the significance of the ads. “No radioactive source has been stolen, lost or missed,” spokesman Zaheer Ayub Baig told news@nature.com via e-mail. Baig says that the newspaper ads were simply meant to warn citizens about old medical and industrial sources that may have been lost before the founding of the nation a half-century ago. He adds that in coming weeks, advertisements will also appear in regional and English-language papers.

Lost radioactive materials, often called “orphan sources,” can pose a risk to public health. In 1987, an abandoned canister of caesium-137 found in a Brazilian scrap yard led to the contamination of over 244 people. And the problem is not confined to the developing world. In March, a container of yellowcake uranium turned up in a Los Angeles area pawn shop. Yellowcake is not considered dangerous, but the store owner nevertheless called authorities.

Lewis says that the cultural stigma surrounding radiation in the West, and the relative infrequency with which sources are lost, makes the need for such advertising campaigns largely unnecessary. In Pakistan, he imagines, it might well make sense to place such an ad. But given the country’s difficult history, it doesn’t inspire confidence, he says. “It’s having to do it in the first place that’s suspicious.”

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1833174/posts

[Knitting A Conundrum]

14:35 Outgoing PA Interior Minister slams Abbas, Haniyeh for not supporting him (AP)
14:11 Jordan`s king warns visiting U.S. VP Cheney time running out for Arab peace plan (AP)
14:08 Striking students renew talks with PMO over possible tuition hike (Israel Radio)
13:52 Livni: Military action in Gaza would only bolster PA extremists (Israel Radio)
13:11 PM: Bomb shelters in north will be repaired in coming months (Israel Radio)
13:05 EU external relations chief: EU must do more to encourage the new PA gov`t (Reuters)
12:35 Hamas-Fatah fighting reported in Gaza City; no word on casualties (AP)
12:34 Palestinian Interior Minister Hani Kawasmeh resigns (Haaretz)
12:15 PM: Damaged bomb shelters in north to be repaired within months (Israel Radio)
11:39 Livni: Israel`s existence as Jewish state hinges on two-state solution (Israel Radio)
11:34 AG permits Haim Ramon to return to public service after completing sentence (Haaretz)
11:09 ADL study conducted in five EU countries finds rising anti-Semitic attitudes (Haaretz)
10:44 Iran vows `severe` response to U.S. attack (Reuters)
10:35 Israel Lands Administration cancels alleged Jewish-only land sale tenders (Haaretz)
09:54 8-year-old Acre boy seriously injured when attacked by dog (Haaretz)
09:17 Fatah sources: Unity government with Hamas could collapse within days (Reuters)

[Uncle Ike]

Speaking of Pakistan -—

Troops told to shoot rioters as death toll mounts in Karachi
belfast telegraph ^ | 5/14/07 | y Rachel Shields

Posted on 05/14/2007 6:52:28 AM CDT by Flavius

Pakistan’s government authorised paramilitary troops to shoot anyone involved in serious violence yesterday as the crisis triggered by the dismissal of Pakistan’s top judge took an ominous and bloody turn.

Seven more people were killed yesterday, bringing the death toll from a weekend of violence to 41. President Pervez Musharraf suspended the judge, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, in March but he has since become a focus for protesters trying to end military rule.

(Excerpt) Read more at belfasttelegraph.co.uk ...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1833180/posts

[Unrepentant VN Vet]

Quiet morning, but after having half of Grandma’s outfit here on Saturday along with four of the grandkids (the other three couldn’t make it, so they’re coming out Memorial Day), it would be a quiet morning for me if the Yellowstone caldera blew up.

Grandkids are a kick in the butt.

[unionblue83]

4 killed in second day of bloodbath in Karachi
Monday May 14, 2007 (0117 PST)

KARACHI: Relatives of the people who were killed in the firing by unknown assailants on Saturday, burn tyres on Habib Bank Road, Nazimabad.

KARACHI: The city of lights witnessed another bloodbath on Sunday as at least four more persons were killed and scores others injured raising the death toll in the riots to 40 in two days.
Police have also arrested fifty people for riot in the provincial metropolis and Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ibbad has given all out authority to Sindh Rangers to control the situation. The Rangers can also open fire on mobs to control the situation.

Governor Sindh made it clear that no one would be allowed to disturb the peace of the city at any cost.

More at link: http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?178070

[Bahbah]

Anbar Sitrep from an NCO
Posted By Blackfive
Thought I’d share this situation report from a pal in Anbar. This is the truth from the ground from the men who do the fighting:

...Our morale for killing the enemy is high, but to a man everyone is thoroughly disgusted with the US and all of the stupid things that people are saying about the war. Even watching commercials on TV here makes you upset when you see just how frivolous it all is. You really have to come here to understand just how well things are going at least here in Anbar. AQIZ is getting rolled up left and right and our attacks right now are averaging less than 2 per week in the entire AO! The ones that they do pull off are incredibly weak and all I see on FNC [Blackfive: Fox News Channel] is spot reps of a vbied someplace in the country. I know there are hot areas, but I read all the intel reports and we are creaming these fools.

[armor unit] is an army unit here [Blackfive Note: Oh HELL YEAH! ARMOR!] and they just got done f@#king up AQIZ in [redacted] big time. They swept through the joint and just slayed fools. We are having trouble figuring out where to go right now because everybody is getting rolled and the locals are ratting them out constantly. I’m serious, it is dead out here. That could change, but the people here are not having it anymore. The biggest problem in Ramadi is no electricity. It’s getting hot out so that is going to suck for the people in a month or so. Apparently the way the grid is setup makes it difficult to fix but hopefully someone is working on it. Not my department...

Somebody tell Congress how we’re doing (Reid and Pelosi want to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory).

Link: http://www.blackfive.net/main/2007/05/anbar_sitrep_fr.html

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

A name

On Sunday, the Islamic State of Iraq claimed that it had captured U.S soldiers in the deadly attack in the Sunni area, which is known as the “triangle of death” and is an Al Qaeda stronghold.

If the claim proves true, it would mark one of the most brazen attacks by the Islamic State of Iraq, a coalition of eight insurgent groups, including Al Qaeda in Iraq.

About 4,000 U.S. troops backed by aircraft, intelligence units and Iraqi forces have been scouring the farming area around Mahmoudiya and the nearby town of Youssifiyah for three days, as the military promised to make every effort available to find the missing soldiers.

On Monday, U.S. military spokesman Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, IV said: “At this time, we believe they (the three soldiers) were abducted by terrorists belonging to al Qaida or an affiliated group, and this assessment is based on highly credible intelligence information.”

Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, another U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, pointed out earlier Monday that the terror network also had claimed responsibility for killing two U.S. soldiers whose mutilated bodies were found in the same area last year.

Late last month, the group named a 10-member “Cabinet” complete with a “war minister,” an apparent attempt to present the Sunni coalition as an alternative to the U.S.-backed Shiite-led administration of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

The family of Army Sgt. 1st Class James David Connell Jr., 40, of Lake City, Tenn., said he was among one of the four soldiers killed in the attack near Mahmoudiya.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,272060,00.html
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We still don’t know what unit...

[unionblue83]

Thanks for the update. Things going well, I trust? These are the best news updates from the Theater.