Walk a mile, Mushy !

Would I actually expect Musharraf to admit he gives comfort to the enemy? Wouldn't be my first reaction.

Musharraf rejects Karzai claim on Mulla Omar
[2007-04-14 4:14:11 PM GMT]
WASHINGTON: President General Pervez Musharraf has said that Pakistan is pursuing a correct strategy to fight the menace of terrorism and strongly rejected Afghan president's allegation that Taliban leader Mullah Omar is hiding in Quetta.
"Even if we are succeeding 20 percent, 30 percent, 40 percent, the direction is correct, end goal is correct, strategy is correct," he told American CBS news channel, while forcefully defending Pakistan's counter-terrorism efforts.
Responding to a question he dismissed as "absolute non-sense" Afghan President Karzai's allegation that Mulla Omar is hiding in Quetta. President Musharraf said the Taliban leader is somewhere in south of Afghanistan.
The President said, "He (Mullah Omar) is in south of Afghanistan somewhere -- he is not in Pakistan, although President Karzai and everyone keeps saying he is in Quetta - absolute non-sense, absolute total non-sense-- he has never been in Pakistan - they are trying to make a scapegoat of Pakistan and we don't like that at all."

But, allas, the India balance of power. Nukes, Mushy. A man that faces threats of assination can clearly understand the balance of power extended in support of the Karzai government.

Musharraf lashes out at Karzai (Caution, as always with India sites, mulltiple pop ups with link)

WASHINGTON/ ISLAMABAD/ SYDNEY: Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf has hit out at his Afghan counterpart, saying he is "very angry" at criticism of Pakistani progress in fighting cross-border terrorism in a continuing war of words between the two South Asian neighbours. He has also ruled out "absolutely and totally" any US-Pak joint military operations, saying that "the whole population of Pakistan will rise against it." "Pakistan is being maligned by the West ... unfairly" in criticism that it is not doing enough to root out terrorists on its soil and to help crush the Taliban in Afghanistan. He blamed the criticism on a "total lack of understanding of the environment and reality by President (Hamid) Karzai himself." Asked if he was "angry" with Karzai, he replied: "Yes, indeed. Very angry."

If anyone wants to know how stupid this mess is because of the threat of USA OCCUPATION under Bush, which is what Musharraf fears more than anything else under these circumstances INCLUDING the occupation of al Qaeda, ask the Brits.

Operation Fingel : On patrol and at work

Musharraf rules out Pak-US joint action against terrorists

I swear the fiscal support Rumsfeld started of Musharraf of Pakistan in gaining 'air space' after September 11, 2001 is a treasonist act against the USA. Pakistan has sold out to China munition suppliers in attempt to 'conquer' Kashmir. The very last place on Earth we needed to escalate violence in hopes of stabilizing Afghanistan was Kashmir. Did Musharraf 'back off' his push to domination? No. Why should he when he gets pats on the back from Rummy? Then the Taliban took refuge in Pakistan to regroup and reenter Afghanistan.

Like.

What was that?

And then there is the still 'at large' Osama bin Laden. Hm. I bet it's a tough climb up that mountain to stop an old ally, huh, Mushy?

Why do I find elections in Pakistan vital to returning benevolent government under Butto? Go figure, huh?

Musharraf rules out Pak-US joint action against terrorists

WASHINGTON: President General Pervez Musharraf has rejected "absolutely and totally" the prospect of a joint US-Pakistan military operation to pursue retreating insurgents inside Pakistan.
"The whole population of Pakistan will rise against it," he told CBS news channel in an interview.
Musharraf hit out at his Afghan counterpart, saying he was "very angry" at criticism of Pakistani progress in fighting cross-border terrorism.
"Pakistan is being maligned by the West unfairly" in criticism that it is not doing enough to root out terrorists on its soil and to help crush the Taliban movement in Afghanistan, he said.
Musharraf said the criticism on a "total lack of understanding of the environment and reality by President Hamid Karzai himself."
Asked if he was "angry" with Afghanistan’s US-backed leader, he replied: "Yes, indeed. Very angry."
Musharraf dismissed as "absolute nonsense" a claim by Karzai that the wanted Taliban leader Mullah Omar a close ally of Al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden was hiding out in Pakistan.
Musharraf said on Thursday that tribesmen in the South Waziristan tribal area had killed 300 foreign militants of the Al-Qaeda network, with help from the Pakistani military.
But he rejected "absolutely and totally" the prospect of a joint US-Pakistan military operation to pursue retreating insurgents inside Pakistan.
"The whole population of Pakistan will rise against it," he added.

In the front line of Putin's secret war

The Professor Thorolf Rafto Memorial Prize for 2005 is awarded to the Chechnyan lawyer and human rights advocate Ms Lidia Yusupova, in recognition of her brave and unrelenting efforts to document human rights violations and act as a spokeswoman for the forgotten victims of the war in Chechnya. Ms Yusupova struggles to defend human dignity in a chaotic war situation and in a context where the working conditions and security of human rights advocates and journalists are increasingly compromised.

This is among my dearest desires. The level of decent is so loud by the Chechnyan populous that is spands now generations and we have the makings of still another Ireland. It cannot be understated that the attacks in Beslan is not of a benevolent culture or an icon of international stability any country can accept.

I view the relationship between Chechnya and Russia, no different than the relationship of Westernized Chinese cultures such as Taiwan and China. One Russia policy. One China policy. The longer the struggle exists in decension among states of a sovereign authority the longer the suffering of the people within that sovereignty.

Currently there are forces outside of Russia in the way of Oligarchs with a claim to exile status requiring protection of other countries, attempting to undermine the stability of Russia in the name of promoting democratic processes. These same men were the powers that attempted to start coupes among themselves including arming themselves with fighter jets within the sovereignty of Russia. I don't think so. They aren't interested in promoting the best interest of Russians and have proven to be corrupt. Those voices do not lend stability to regions such as Chechnya. They fuel decension and cause human death and suffering.

It is the place of USA Peacekeepers to offer Russia assistance in stabilization of areas such as Beslan and the Caucusus Mountains without also offering threat to Russian sovereignty. Through foreign policy that includes mutual nuclear disarmament, cultural exchanges and exploration of mutually beneficial business ventures the USA could lend expertise to fighting crime in places such as Moscow itself.

Bringing the Russian culture and it's people to a venue of benevolence and safety will disarm any attempt to promote nuclear capacity by other countries of either Superpower. Currently Bush's USA is arming India and Russia is lending assistance with Iran. Neither ideas are good ones, except the 'technology' of nuclear energy can provide relief from the deadly damages of carbon based fossil fuels. Russia's approach as a provider and monitor of nuclear fuel rods is a far more benevolent concept than anything Bush has put forward. The enforcement of same will require international inspector vigilance and reporting.

Rather than withholding expertise to allow Moscow high crime levels and even encourage destabilization of places such as the Caucasus Mountains in 'hope' that Russia will implode even further has only bolstered the desires of the Russia Duma to keep influence of a President that enjoys very high approval ratings by the people of Russia.

Through mutual interest in peace the USA and Russia might even find the will to seek each other out when adversity presents itself under destabilizing pressure from terrorists.

I remind.

Russia was the first nation at our side after the al Qaeda attacks of September 11, 2001. They were on the ground in Afghanistan with medical field hospitals to treat any wounded USA military affected by an attempted al Qaeda attack.

Russia is an ally. Not an enemy. Never was, has no desire to be.

The people of Beslan and Chechnya deserve the best the two Superpowers have to offer to bring their suffering in decension to an end. The last place the USA belongs is promoting democracy through dangerous priorities of violence. The 'best' effort The West made in good example would be the demonstrations in The Ukraine that brought forth 'the truth' and the justice that accompanied the truth with a change in leadership. Russia was resistant and to some extent still is but that is in reaction to an aggressive administration in the USA with goals of destabilizing Russia further while carelessly disregarding the cultural enjoyment of the Russian people.

The benevolent relationship between the USA and Russia cannot be understated when one realizes we could never have defeated Hilter's War Machine without them. The Russians will always be a valued friend that likes to feel it's way to changes in social paradyms through measured steps of confidence.

Lebanon marks anniversary of civil war's start in sparsely attended service

Celebrations of liberation from terrorist networks that elevate the populous in their victory is mandatory and a place for USA Peacekeepers. When civilians are this successful it cannot be understated. All those that have perished before they can mark an anniversary of overcoming adversity of infiltration have a place within that celebration and live forever in the memory of their countrymen. But, it has to be right and correct for the people of that nation, not a propaganda campaign that will eventually be undone by 'the truth.' An example of such a dramatic return of 'the truth' is the overthrow of the Shah of Iran and the return of a minority religious lineage intended to promote the survival of the Shia.

By Scheherezade Faramarzi
ASSOCIATED PRESS
11:47 a.m. April 13, 2007

BEIRUT, Lebanon – The bullet-scarred bus sat rusting in the spring rain, on display for all to see what triggered Lebanon's 15-year civil war.
Christian gunmen ambushed the bus as it carried Palestinians on April 13, 1975, sparking reprisals that spiraled into warfare between Lebanon's Christians and Muslims, killing 150,000 people.
On Friday's anniversary of the war's start, the bus became the centerpiece of a commemoration ceremony. Someone had scribbled “No to civil war,” on a white board hung amid photos of the death and destruction. “I love Lebanon,” another contributor wrote.
Lebanon is as divided today as it was 32 years ago. Threats of another civil war loom over this small Mediterranean nation, home to 18 religious sects. The country has been paralyzed since November by a power struggle pitting Western-backed Prime Minister Fuad Saniora, who is supported by many Sunni Muslims, against the opposition, led by pro-Iranian Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah.

Upholding international standards of peace and benevolence is not only mandated when the USA commits Peacekeepers to such efforts but only serves to stabilize the international venue of authority. An international authority that needs to be unshakeable in it's resolve to peace and nuclear disarmament with enforcement of The Non-Proliferation Treaty. There have been dearly few examples of failed international stabilizing efforts by the United Nations. Even the much maligned Iraq Oil for Food Program proved to be a substantial effort in the success of disarming a despot and genocidist that Saddam Hussein had proven to be.

Most First World countries have lent esteem to processes of trials and punishment rather than retribution through violence such as al Qaeda claims to be as a liberation tool. The appreciation of First World processes comes when a society can claim benevolence from such efforts achieved by Peacekeepers 'on the street.'

Top UN lawyer to push for Hariri tribunal on Lebanon visit

[JURIST] UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon [official profile] announced [statement] Friday that he is dispatching UN Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs Nicholas Michel [official profile] to assist the Lebanese government and "the country's other political leaders to end their political impasse and set up a special tribunal as soon as possible" to bring the suspected plotters behind the high-profile assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri [JURIST news archive]. In February, the UN and Lebanon reached an agreement to establish the international Hariri tribunal [JURIST news archive], however, its implementation has been delayed in Lebanon's deeply fragmented parliament. Lebanon's pro-Syrian parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri [official profile] of the mostly Shi'a Amal Movement [party website, in Arabic] has refused to convene parliament, preventing the ratification of the agreement.

Somali insurgents, government troops exchange fire in capital; 2 civilians killed

Here again the dynamics of dissension is so prevasive to the area that providing Peacekeeping is a monumental task. That dissension has been nurtured under the guise of religious precept for decades under al Qaeda.

Dismantling terrorist networks require a clear delineation between their 'religious clout' and the 'correct' demeanor of the devout. As with any culture in pursuit of 'spiritual' perfection benevolence through nonviolence has to be undeniably an aspect to it's esteem. A society will not reach for such 'elevated' goals without having it's needs met to clean water, air and the right to survive and thrive. When people realize they can live in peace without struggling for basic necessities, the 'character' of those people change and goals such as education of their children overtake priorities that lead to child labor.

Somalia: Fighting Threatens Peace Efforts in Mogadishu

UN Integrated Regional Information Networks
April 12, 2007
Posted to the web April 12, 2007
Nairobi
The fighting that broke out in the Somali capital of Mogadishu on Wednesday, prompting more people to flee their homes, has cast a cloud over anticipated reconciliation talks between various political groups.
Many of the families that fled the latest fighting came from areas that were previously unaffected by clashes between Ethiopian-backed government forces and insurgents.
"There was fighting early Wednesday morning and later in the afternoon at Fagah and Jamhuriya areas [north Mogadishu] but the area is quiet today [Thursday]," said one resident. The fighting, he added, erupted when government forces tried to take over a prominent hotel in the area.
Salad Ali Jeele, the Somali deputy defense minister, said the government forces fought back after being attacked. "We were only defending our positions," he told IRIN on Thursday.
Eye witnesses said families in Sii Sii and Arjantiina suburbs, who had not had to leave their homes, began to leave for fear that the fighting would spread to their area. "These are areas where people stayed and now they are also displaced," a local journalist said.

Death toll from Algiers bombing rises to 33

Algeria is a prime example of failed USA policy. The country defines civil war as exactly what is seen here. It is what goes on in places like Lebanon. It is what goes on in Iraq. The countries witnessing this level of unrest within it's populations don't desire it, but, are burdened by it because of the escalation of war by the USA.

The terrorists that perpetrated this attack did so to shake the confidence in the Algier government knowing full well the fears of old civil wars would haunt the populous. This is what happened to the Afghanistan government before the USA retaliation of October 1991. Afghanistan had a king and President Karzai is no stranger to the people of that country. When domestic bliss is overtaken by fear; the terrorists have won. They then seek anarchy to provide a venue for infiltration of 'al Qaeda' among the impoverished whom are most at risk for believing their government lacks benevolence toward them.

Algeria fears return to "nightmare" of 1990s war

By William Maclean
ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerians angered by the worst bombings in years voiced fears on Thursday that the North African oil exporting country may return to the political bloodshed of the 1990s.
"We thought the days of terror were over. I am still shocked. I am afraid," said Mohamed Rabhi, a young student drinking a coffee in a central Algiers street.
Interior Minister Nourredine Yazid Zerhouni said the suicide blasts that killed 33 in the capital on Wednesday may have been designed to disrupt May 17 parliamentary polls and torpedo efforts to put a definite end to years of political violence.

The strike here by al Qaeda is no different than the strikes in Afghanistan or Iraq or Madrid or London. They are busy places of commerce intended to hit at the heart of economic success of these countries. The World Trade Towers were a pinnacle of success for al Qaeda. September 11, 2001 was planned so brilliantly sadistic that it would use the very emergency number of the country - 911 - as the date of the attack. Al Qaeda must be defeated and dismantled. The only way to achieve that is to work with countries to solve their problems that facilitate hate and terrorist networks.

The men that performed this bombing 'targeted' the 'culture' and not just the assets or land. The success of terrorist networks is to undermine the confidence of people in their government to the point whereby they turn toward terrorist organizations to resolve the issue of adverse government when in fact they were the enemy the entire time.

If USA Peacekeepers were immediately offered to help threatened governments 'at risk' for destabilization when such an attack occurs the 'attack' would be a short lived success while stabilization of culture and government icons were shored up and intelligence gathered.

You see, this attack was at a USA target. The people of Algiers no more deserves this than we do but it serves to act against the 'idea' that the USA is actually a benevolent entity. It is the obligation of the USA to assist government that fall victim to al Qaeda remain stable especially when the USA is the target.

Peacekeeper forces accompanied with foreign aid packages that create better cultural security for the nation is a global priority that will be respected and welcome. It will defeat al Qaede because no more will tolerance of poor economies or impoverishment be allowed to exist. USA Peacekeepers demand respect for peace and the benevolence of and toward the people that fall under that peace.

Bomb blast hits Algiers
The bomb exploded on a busy shopping street
By North Africa correspondent David Bamford
A bomb has exploded in the busy commercial centre of the Algerian capital, Algiers, injuring 34 people, five of them seriously.
It is the first such attack in the city for two years.
The bomb went off in the late morning in the crowded Casbah district of Algiers.
Some eyewitness reports suggest that moments before a passer-by dropped a large parcel in front of a confectionery store and it was this parcel that exploded.
Street sellers, shop-owners and people out shopping were all hit.
More than 30 people were taken to hospital - some have had to have their legs amputated and five are reported to be in serious condition.
Resuming dialogue
The Casbah was once a frequent target for similar bloody incidents, blamed on Islamist militants, but there has been no such attack in Algiers for the last two years.

When the USA is engaged in active dialogue with countries now classified as 'giving comfort to the enemy' that 'false dogma' quickly falls away and what results are allies that come to the aid of countries that have fallen under al Qaeda viciousness. Recently, Speaker Pelosi met with President Basher al-Assad. The result is a Syrian President that respects established government while willing to speak out for the stability of the region. President Assad's words of reassurance is more important in such tragedy than any American elected or appointed government official could ever be.

Allies. Not enemies is the domaine of Peacekeeping. Vital to it's success. Peacekeepers under the direction of foreign leaders lend to a government's clout and stability.

President al-Assad Condemns the Terrorist Bombings in Algiers and Casablanca

Damascus,(SANA)-
President Bashar al-Assad has condemned the terrorist bombings in the Algerian capital, Algiers, and in Casablanca , Morocco.
President Bashar al-Assad on Thursday sent a cable to Moroccan King, Mohammed VI , condemning the bombings that had taken place in Morocco , expressing heartfelt condolences to the king , families of the victims ,and to the brotherly people of Morocco.
President al-Assad also sent a cable to Algerian President , Abdul-Aziz Boutaflika , condemning these terrorist acts , and expressing on behalf of the Syrian people and on his behalf, heartfelt condolences , stressing Syria's stance by Algeria and Morocco in the face of all evils.
A.N.Idelbi

The blog will finish it's focus tomorrow morning.

Thank you for your interest.

Have a good night.

Do we dare leave them alone?

Click link above

Since early 2002, IFDC has been undertaking a USAID-funded Developing Agri-Input Markets in Nigeria (DAIMINA) project. This project is being conducted in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (FMARD). Project activities include dialogue on policy reforms and regulations, private sector capacity building in agricultural input marketing, and strengthening of market information services.

Private sector capacity building was initiated in 20 selected markets in Kano and Oyo states and was later extended to another 20 markets in Bauchi and Abuja.The efforts of DAIMINA have resulted in the development of a strong input supply chain, revision and amendment of fertilizer and seed laws, and strengthening of the market information services. A significant improvement in input supply and fertilizer retail prices has shown a downward trend through competitive business practices of trained agricultural input dealers.

....As a market-friendly alternative to direct subsidy, IFDC—in collaboration with FAO’s Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) Special Programme on Food Security Project (SPFS)—launched the fertilizer voucher scheme in May 2004 in seven SPFS sites. Initial response is encouraging and shows potential for expansion.

Where the USA has been successful, we need to reflect on the quality of life we have brought the citizens of other countries, being very, very careful to raise standards of environmental safety. It is surprising to me that Nigeria is an ally to the USA at all. Big Oil has killed citizens and destroyed villages through false incentives to the country's national military. It was only a few months ago when citizens kidnapped company personnel believed to cause harm to Nigerians, their ecosystems and their river, esturary and ocean food supplies.

Efforts like this need to accompanied by Peacekeepers that insure justice is practiced while defeating corporate corruption leading to the deaths of citizens. In this instance, fertilizers are a fine start as well as improved farming practices accompanied by microinvestment, however, are we sure the species of produce aren't adverse to the ecosystems of Africa, adverse to water run off with potential water quality issues and practices whereby fertilizers lead to salination of land and soil erosion. If measures are overlooked to protect 'the truth' these citizens have in these measures we will be 'set back' in our diplomacy rather than advanced and then everyone loses while suspision and superstitions return.

Challenges to established and benevolent leadership exists within the defintion of threat as trust slips away and the international community questions it's previous decisions when USA policy was benevolent and correct. The turmoil that mistrust breeds has to end. In all relationships the highest of standards including environmental laws and child labor has to be upheld. As investors to the stability of a global community there should be every effort to safeguard international relationships at all levels.

The advancement of democracy cannot coexist with corruption.

Violence on the eve of Nigerian elections

Tensions flared in Nigeria today, a day before key national elections, after unidentified gunmen shot dead a hardline Muslim scholar and government critic while he was at prayer in a mosque in the northern city of Kano.
It was not immediately clear if the assassination was linked to tomorrow’s first round of general elections in the vast African country or was the result of a feud between rival sects in the largely Islamic north who have differed bitterly over attempts to impose Sharia law.
Gunmen who burst into the mosque mowed down Sheikh Jafar Adam, a Wahhabi cleric, and two other members of the congregation, police said. Witnesses said the Saudi-educated cleric was shot five times at close range at the Dorayi Central Mosque and died of his wounds before reaching hospital. He was buried today.
The death came as President Olusegun Obasanjo warned the government would “deal firmly” with acts of fraud and violence in the elections. The polls have been dogged for months by bitter infighting and accusations of attempts to organise vote rigging.

Boost for landmine clearance - Bosnia. Peacekeeping has helped give people a fighting chance.

A remotely controlled Panther armored mine-clearing vehicle leads a column of armored vehicles down a road near McGovern Base, in Bosnia-Herzegovina on May 16, 1996.

You might recognize this focus as the one Princess Diana made when she bravely walked into a mine field. She practiced diplomacy to the fears of all that watched. The mission continues today and people are alive that would not have been otherwise. If the USA had done it's job in Aghanistan and handled Iraq through the World Courts rather than oil invasion, the efforts here would have been finished or far better established than today. When the USA walks away from peace efforts through the deployment of Peacekeepers while stretching NATO thin, it prolongs the peace process and people die as a result.


THE fight to rid former war zones of landmines will be stepped up when a Burwell firm expands.
Special armoured tractors, produced in the village by Armtrac, are in use around the world but the business has outgrown the farm buildings it now uses.
East Cambridgeshire councillors have approved plans for a new factory on several acres of land at Reach Road, Burwell.
There will be a test area next to the factory on set-aside farmland.
Corena Barrie, who runs the business in partnership with Stephen Brown, said up to four modified tractors, fitted with armour plating and a front "flail" to detonate mines, were produced each year.
But the company, which also produces agricultural harvesting machines, is hoping to double production.
Their machines are being used to clear mines in Iraq, Jordan, Angola, Sri Lanka, Bosnia and Croatia.
It is estimated there are up to 70 million landmines in more than 90 countries, killing or injuring a civilian every 30 minutes, or 18,000 people a year.

http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/newmarket/2007/04/12/805ad4a1-003b-4ccc-8c34-e65046d7516f.lpf

FEAR IN THE VALLEY - A non-fiction account of the conflict in Kashmir

One of the most volitle areas of the Afghanistan region is Kashmir. How is the NATO and British forces suppose to stop 'the base' of Osama bin Laden with areas of chronic war serving as a destabilizing forces where terrorists can find 'safe habor?'

Kashmir serves as 'the sore spot' between two nuclear nations, Pakistan and India.

Mufti optimistic about 3rd Kashmir routable conference

Srinagar, April 14 (NAK): Hoping that the third Kashmir roundtable conference, to be held in by the end of this month, would be result oriented, chief patron of Peoples Democratic Party Mufti Muhammad Sayeed today urged New Delhi to strengthen general masses instead of relying on security forces in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing a public rally at Lolab in border district of Kupwara, the former chief minister said that the central government should take measures to empower the people politically and economically as they are the biggest custodians of the state's interests.

Sayeed was of the opinion that fast-changing ground realities in the sub-continent necessitate initiation of concrete measures for peaceful and ultimate settlement of the Kashmir issue as the cost of not doing so would be colossal for the region.

An active State Department and Peacekeeper force is vital to these people. They have to feel a sense of well being under the governments they exist before terrorist networks are viewed as destructive to their best interests.

Sri Lankan military, Tamil rebels clash in north, 30 reportedly killed

Indonesia and the islands of the Indo-Pacific are among the largest Muslim populations on Earth. It is vital to the security of the USA that all efforts to improve the lives of the people there are met with support for the sovereign Indonesian government. Known terrorists have been known to strike in Bali. Where is the USA Peacekeepers in this region? Nowhere. Why? Because Bush's policies of 'overwhelming force' are viewed as a direct threat to the soveriegnty of these OPEC nations.

The USA military was allowed in the region for a limited engagement after the tsunami which is well documented on this blog. But, they were required to leave to ensure the sovereignty of the nations remained intact without occupation.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Clashes between Sri Lankan soldiers and Tamil rebels in the island's north have killed about 30 people, the two sides said Wednesday.
The clashes broke out a day earlier near the frontier separating government- and guerrilla-held areas in northern Sri Lanka -- violence that each side accused the other of instigating.
A military spokesman, Lt. Col. Upali Rajapakse, said unprovoked rebel mortar fire killed a soldier at a checkpoint, forcing the army to respond with its own artillery and mortar fire that left at least 20 insurgents dead.
"The figure may be more, but this is what we have from our intelligence sources," Rajapakse said.
Tamil rebels countered that their fighters had ambushed soldiers making a push through jungle into rebel territory, killing eight to 10 troops.

One of the aspects of terrorist strongholds that plays well with citizens of countries is that their government is curel. As a result they will stage episodes of attacks and attribute them to the government.

Violent Start
14 April 2007 13:37:23

Five including child shot by Tamil Tigers as Sri Lanka marks New Year: military

COLOMBO, April 14, 2007 (AFP) - Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels shot dead five people in eastern Sri Lanka on Saturday, the military said, as the country marked the traditional New Year and the president appealed for national unity.

Gunmen from the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ordered a family out of their home in Eravur and shot them dead, the military said, adding some of the victims were from a breakaway rebel faction.
Among those killed was a three-year-old boy, the military said.
The killings came as both the majority Sinhalese and the minority Tamil community marked their common New Year on Saturday.
President Mahinda Rajapakse in his New Year message appealed for unity in the ethnically-divided nation of 19.5 million people.
"The observance of New Year traditions and rituals leads to the unity of the nation," he said.
"We should all come together to observe the New Year traditions, irrespective of all differences."
The Tigers on Friday vowed to hit back against an advance by government troops in the east of Sri Lanka where a breakaway faction known as the "Karuna Group" is collaborating with security forces to attack the Tigers.

Borrowed infrastructure.

They are brilliant.

George Walker Bush stated, "Iraq is the central front of terror." It wouldn't seem to be the case. How is the USA to stop terrorist networks if the sovereign countries that have authority over them see a relationship with the USA as adverse greater than the very terrorist networks that plague it?


Tamil Tigers 'hijack' satellite
Correspondents in Washington
APRIL 13, 2007
TAMIL Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka have been illegally using a satellite of US giant Intelsat to beam their radio and television broadcasts overseas."We have been actively pursuing avenues to terminate the illegal usage of our satellite," said Nick Mitsis, the spokesman for Intelsat, the world's largest provider of fixed satellite services.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), fighting for independence in Sri Lanka's northern and eastern regions, has been blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by the United States since 1997.
Intelsat officials and technical experts met with Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the United States Bernard Goonetilleke on Tuesday to discuss steps Intelsat was taking "to address the unauthorised use of one of its satellites by the LTTE," an Intelsat statement said.
During the meeting, Intelsat's executive vice-president and general counsel Phillip Spector said: "Intelsat does not tolerate terrorists or others operating illegally on its satellites," the statement said.


Sri Lanka: Human rights is the issue, not cricket
The distortion in Sri Lanka of Amnesty International's campaign "Play by the Rules" is a ploy to distract attention from the increasingly desperate plight of hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankan people.

"We are concerned at abuses by all parties to the conflict -- civilians are killed, abducted and forcibly disappeared every day at the hands of government forces, Tamil Tigers, the Karuna faction and other armed groups," said Purna Sen, Asia Pacific Director at Amnesty International. "Let us be clear -- no side in this conflict has anything to be complacent about. On the contrary, all parties are breaching international law by failing to protect civilians."

Increasing abductions, illegal killings and child recruitment in Sri Lanka are all going on unchecked and victims do not receive justice. The intensified fighting over the last year has forced over 300,000 people to flee their homes. At least 1000 people have been forcibly disappeared since the beginning of 2006."

The situation in Sri Lanka has become so desperate for local people that urgent action is needed. Civilians desperately need better protection and a key goal of our campaign is to press for independent human rights monitors to investigate human rights abuses and identify the perpetrators, so they can be brought to justice," said Purna Sen.

..."Cricket is a great game and the Sri Lankan people are rightly proud of their ethnically diverse national cricket team, which symbolises the best of Sri Lanka," said Purna Sen. "But hundreds of thousands of people have had to flee the fighting to live in temporary shelter -- and so are not able to live in safety let alone watch cricket."

Bush and Cheney have no effective diplomacy. All they have is The Doctrine of Overwhelming Force, The Powell Doctrine.

The Powell Doctrine is a general's focus, not that of an Executive Branch.

In the winter of 1992/93 the view of the Former Secretary of State was inclusive of all peace process and not war.

Summary: The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff defines a new national military strategy aimed at accomplishing a range of missions far broader than America's armed forces have known before. Peacekeeping and humanitarian operations will loom larger. Called for is a flexible Base Force with capabilities to meet a host of far-flung threats to America's interests, rather than the single threat of communist power that guided military doctrine through the Cold War.

How quickly the Neocons forget how a directive of peace is vital to any 'end game' of a war. It is failed diplomacy that leads to war. Bush and Cheney ran oil wars and intend to do same if allowed to with Iran. The shouting match that is half a world apart is undermining to all initiative to defeat terrorists and their networks.

As a Secretary of State, Colin Powell never 'got it right' when it came to priorities of the Bush Administration. Powell was supposed to 'set the stage' for war. Instead, he bravely walked through the streets of Vietnam on his way to talks with it's current government. The Powell State Department never had a chance. The Powell Doctrine stands as a tribute to the strategies of generals, but, not statemen.

War doesn't work against terrorist networks, it does however kill lots of innocent people that then seek out terrorists to end the killing. ie: Iraq

War is for defense of a nation against another nation's invading military. Terrorist networks aren't sovereign nations with established and wel financed militaries. They rely on common weaponry and suicide bombers. The Bush White House has misused the USA miliary for the purpose of illegal invasion into sovereign countries. The policies of this administration are illegal and designed to allow profeeters to benefit without purpose to the national security of the USA.

President Bush said, a plan to set an end date for the war gives "our enemies the victory they desperately want."

Al-Qaeda link to Algiers bombs

Ian Black and Hugh Macleod Oran

Algeria suffered its worst violence since its long civil war on Wednesday when terrorists affiliated to al-Qaeda claimed responsibility for twin bombings in the capital, Algiers, that killed up to 30 people and wounded more than 100 others.

Algerian Prime Minister Abdel-Aziz Belkhadem condemned what he called “cowardly and criminal attacks” after separate blasts at his own office in the centre of Algiers and shortly after at a police station.

“The whole block of the entrance to the prime minister’s office blew up,” said one eyewitness. Scores of ambulances converged on the residential neighbourhood while dazed survivors were led from the badly damaged six-storey building.

It's Saturday Night

American Pie by Don McLean

A long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance
And, maybe, they’d be happy for a while.

But february made me shiver
With every paper I’d deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldn’t take one more step.

I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride,
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died.

So bye-bye, miss american pie.
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

Did you write the book of love,
And do you have faith in God above,
If the Bible tells you so?
Do you believe in rock ’n roll,
Can music save your mortal soul,
And can you teach me how to dance real slow?

Well, I know that you’re in love with him
`cause I saw you dancin’ in the gym.
You both kicked off your shoes.
Man, I dig those rhythm and blues.

I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck,
But I knew I was out of luck
The day the music died.

I started singin’,"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

Now for ten years we’ve been on our own
And moss grows fat on a rollin’ stone,
But that’s not how it used to be.
When the jester sang for the king and queen,
In a coat he borrowed from james dean
And a voice that came from you and me,

Oh, and while the king was looking down,
The jester stole his thorny crown.
The courtroom was adjourned;
No verdict was returned.
And while lennon read a book of marx,
The quartet practiced in the park,
And we sang dirges in the dark
The day the music died.

We were singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

Helter skelter in a summer swelter.
The birds flew off with a fallout shelter,
Eight miles high and falling fast.
It landed foul on the grass.
The players tried for a forward pass,
With the jester on the sidelines in a cast.

Now the half-time air was sweet perfume
While the sergeants played a marching tune.
We all got up to dance,
Oh, but we never got the chance!
`cause the players tried to take the field;
The marching band refused to yield.
Do you recall what was revealed
The day the music died?

We started singing,"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

Oh, and there we were all in one place,
A generation lost in space
With no time left to start again.
So come on: jack be nimble, jack be quick!
Jack flash sat on a candlestick
Cause fire is the devil’s only friend.

Oh, and as I watched him on the stage
My hands were clenched in fists of rage.
No angel born in hell
Could break that satan’s spell.
And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite,
I saw satan laughing with delight
The day the music died

He was singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
And singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die."

I met a girl who sang the blues
And I asked her for some happy news,
But she just smiled and turned away.
I went down to the sacred store
Where I’d heard the music years before,
But the man there said the music wouldn’t play.

And in the streets: the children screamed,
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.
But not a word was spoken;
The church bells all were broken.
And the three men I admire most:
The father, son, and the holy ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died.

And they were singing,
"bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die.
"this’ll be the day that I die.

"They were singing,"
bye-bye, miss american pie."
Drove my chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
Them good old boys were drinkin’ whiskey and rye
Singin’, "this’ll be the day that I die."

Morning Papers "It's Origins"

The Rooster

"Okeydoke"

This is not a normal ice melt for the region

April 12, 2007

Winnepeg, Canada

When the temperature started to fall, the ice started to flow including everything caught in it's wake

April 12, 2007

Winnepeg, Canada

Photographer states :: The water level at Selkirk has dropped enough to allow the ice jam to start moving under the bridge.. There is a lot of trees and other debris in the ice.. As Lake Winnipeg is still frozen over, all this ice moving down river will cause problems with communities to the north.

April 12, 2007

Burbank, California

Photographer states :: The water level at Selkirk has dropped enough to allow the ice jam to start moving under the bridge.. There is a lot of trees and other debris in the ice.. As Lake Winnipeg is still frozen over, all this ice moving down river will cause problems with communities to the north.