The Pakistani do not want or need our military. Close the borders to Afghanistan and proceed in containing the Taliban and al Qaeda. Seek to destroy Bin Laden's haven while starving him and closing the borders between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Bring the troops home now!
Malik seeks Ulema helpStresses consensus against terror (click title to entry - thank you)
Staff Reporter
Karachi—Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Sunday said that there is need of consensus against terrorism, adding that no religion allows to kill innocent children.
He was talking to media after meeting with religious scholars Mufti Rafi Usmani and Mufti Taqi Usmani at Dar-ul-Uloom Korangi. The minister exchanged views with Ulema on terrorism and recent suicide attacks.
Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan was also present on the occasion.
Rehman Malik was of view that people need guidance of Ulema. After terrorist activities in Rawalpindi it has cleared that terrorists are not only enemy of Pakistan but also of the Muslims, he stated.On the occasion, Mufti Taqi Usmani said that they discussed openly with Interior Minister on every angle.
INP adds: Interior Minister Rehman Malik has said that people indulging in acts of terrorism are enemies of Pakistan and Islam and would be eliminated from the country. He was talking to media here after visiting Darul Uloom, Korangi on Sunday. The Minister was accompanied by Governor Sindh Dr Ishrat ul Ibad Khan, held detailed meeting with the management of the Darul Uloom, went around different section of the Jamia and met students. Rehman Malik, who is seeking backing of Ulema and Mushaikh to root out the menace of terrorism, said that the Government would benefit from the suggestions made by the Ulema to combat terrorism.
He said Religious, political and military leadership are in consensus to defeat terrorism....
Sunday, December 06, 2009
Bush is still in office, Gates needs to resign.
Erdoğan cold toward sending combat troops to Afghanistan (click here)
07 December 2009, Monday
EKREM DUMANLI ANKARA
WASHINGTON D.C
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has expressed unwillingness to sending combat troops to Afghanistan in the wake of US President Barack Obama’s call on NATO allies to beef up troop numbers.
The prime minister was, however, warm to training the Afghan army. “We can open a center for training Afghan soldiers in Afghanistan. We can train one Afghan battalion in Turkey and another in Afghanistan. If Afghanistan calls for training its police officers, our police departments are ready,” Erdoğan stated. His remarks came during a question and answer session with Turkish journalists on Sunday during his flight to the US....
In less than a week, the Neocons in the nation and Bush's former Secretary have turned a surge and hand over to the Afghans into a forever war.
I don't think so.
Congress needs to deny funding and troops for an escalation in the war in Afghanistan ! The wars conducted under the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Gates White House are severely in question and we have no moral obligation or right to stay another day !
Unless. Of course. Obama wants to join them!
U.S. officials are stressing an eventual drawdown of American troops will be done gradually and in a manner that allows Afghan forces to assume security responsibilities
Iraq war inquiry sees fingers pointed at US (click here)
Friday, 4 December 2009
By Peter Biles
BBC world affairs correspondent
The Iraq inquiry has produced another week of compelling evidence.
We are beginning to understand how and why Iraq ended up in such a parlous state after the 2003 invasion.
A number of witnesses have pointed a finger of blame at the United States for the chaos that ensued.
Sir David Manning, Tony Blair's former foreign policy adviser, set the tone with a withering attack on the Americans for their post-war planning.
"The assumption that the Americans would have a coherent plan which would be implemented after the war, obviously proved to be unfounded," he said.
On the setting-up of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in 2003, Sir David said: "The perception I had is that ambassador Paul Bremer arrived with pretty much the Americanised plenipotentiary power."
What followed was the controversial decision to disband the Iraqi army and carry out a purge of Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath Party....
Gates is a liar. Bin Laden is still alive !
Bin Laden 'seen in Afghanistan in early 2009' (click here)
20:45 GMT, Friday, 4 December 2009
By Orla Guerin
BBC News, Islamabad
A Taliban detainee in Pakistan claims to have information about Osama Bin Laden's whereabouts in January or February of this year.
His claims cannot be verified, but a leading American expert says his account should be investigated.
The detainee claims to have met Osama Bin Laden numerous times before 9/11.
He claims that in January or February he met a trusted contact who had seen Bin Laden about 15 to 20 days earlier in Afghanistan.
"In 2009, in January or February I met this friend of mine. He said he had come from meeting Sheikh Osama, and he could arrange for me to meet him," he said.
"He helps al-Qaeda people coming from other countries to get to the sheikh, so he can advise them on whatever they are planning for Europe or other places.
"The sheikh doesn't stay in any one place. That guy came from Ghazni, so I think that's where the sheikh was."...
'Dead wrong' (click here)
Eighteen months before the Senate report, the Silberman-Robb commission - set up by President Bush in early 2004 - had reported in no uncertain terms that US intelligence had been "dead wrong" in judging that Iraq had been developing WMD before the invasion.
Led by retired judge Laurence Silberman, the report was highly critical of intelligence failings, but it had attracted criticism from Mr Bush's opponents who had wanted it to report back before the November 2004 presidential election.
While it was not conceived as a backward-looking inquiry into the Iraq war, one of the most high-profile investigations of the conflict was the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group.
Set up by Congress in March 2006, the 10-member panel was tasked with assessing the situation on the ground in Iraq and coming up with recommendations.
It met or spoke to more than 170 individuals, including Iraq's leaders, President Bush, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, ambassadors and other senior officials, analysts and media representatives from among Iraq's neighbours and the US.
In December 2006 it concluded the situation in Iraq was "grave and deteriorating" - strongly urging a pull back of US forces once the situation allowed.
Meanwhile, within the US Congress itself, hundreds of witnesses have testified at scores of hearings on Iraq in recent years....
07 December 2009, Monday
EKREM DUMANLI ANKARA
WASHINGTON D.C
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has expressed unwillingness to sending combat troops to Afghanistan in the wake of US President Barack Obama’s call on NATO allies to beef up troop numbers.
The prime minister was, however, warm to training the Afghan army. “We can open a center for training Afghan soldiers in Afghanistan. We can train one Afghan battalion in Turkey and another in Afghanistan. If Afghanistan calls for training its police officers, our police departments are ready,” Erdoğan stated. His remarks came during a question and answer session with Turkish journalists on Sunday during his flight to the US....
In less than a week, the Neocons in the nation and Bush's former Secretary have turned a surge and hand over to the Afghans into a forever war.
I don't think so.
Congress needs to deny funding and troops for an escalation in the war in Afghanistan ! The wars conducted under the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld/Gates White House are severely in question and we have no moral obligation or right to stay another day !
Unless. Of course. Obama wants to join them!
U.S. officials are stressing an eventual drawdown of American troops will be done gradually and in a manner that allows Afghan forces to assume security responsibilities
Iraq war inquiry sees fingers pointed at US (click here)
Friday, 4 December 2009
By Peter Biles
BBC world affairs correspondent
The Iraq inquiry has produced another week of compelling evidence.
We are beginning to understand how and why Iraq ended up in such a parlous state after the 2003 invasion.
A number of witnesses have pointed a finger of blame at the United States for the chaos that ensued.
Sir David Manning, Tony Blair's former foreign policy adviser, set the tone with a withering attack on the Americans for their post-war planning.
"The assumption that the Americans would have a coherent plan which would be implemented after the war, obviously proved to be unfounded," he said.
On the setting-up of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in 2003, Sir David said: "The perception I had is that ambassador Paul Bremer arrived with pretty much the Americanised plenipotentiary power."
What followed was the controversial decision to disband the Iraqi army and carry out a purge of Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath Party....
Gates is a liar. Bin Laden is still alive !
Bin Laden 'seen in Afghanistan in early 2009' (click here)
20:45 GMT, Friday, 4 December 2009
By Orla Guerin
BBC News, Islamabad
A Taliban detainee in Pakistan claims to have information about Osama Bin Laden's whereabouts in January or February of this year.
His claims cannot be verified, but a leading American expert says his account should be investigated.
The detainee claims to have met Osama Bin Laden numerous times before 9/11.
He claims that in January or February he met a trusted contact who had seen Bin Laden about 15 to 20 days earlier in Afghanistan.
"In 2009, in January or February I met this friend of mine. He said he had come from meeting Sheikh Osama, and he could arrange for me to meet him," he said.
"He helps al-Qaeda people coming from other countries to get to the sheikh, so he can advise them on whatever they are planning for Europe or other places.
"The sheikh doesn't stay in any one place. That guy came from Ghazni, so I think that's where the sheikh was."...
'Dead wrong' (click here)
Eighteen months before the Senate report, the Silberman-Robb commission - set up by President Bush in early 2004 - had reported in no uncertain terms that US intelligence had been "dead wrong" in judging that Iraq had been developing WMD before the invasion.
Led by retired judge Laurence Silberman, the report was highly critical of intelligence failings, but it had attracted criticism from Mr Bush's opponents who had wanted it to report back before the November 2004 presidential election.
While it was not conceived as a backward-looking inquiry into the Iraq war, one of the most high-profile investigations of the conflict was the Baker-Hamilton Iraq Study Group.
Set up by Congress in March 2006, the 10-member panel was tasked with assessing the situation on the ground in Iraq and coming up with recommendations.
It met or spoke to more than 170 individuals, including Iraq's leaders, President Bush, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, ambassadors and other senior officials, analysts and media representatives from among Iraq's neighbours and the US.
In December 2006 it concluded the situation in Iraq was "grave and deteriorating" - strongly urging a pull back of US forces once the situation allowed.
Meanwhile, within the US Congress itself, hundreds of witnesses have testified at scores of hearings on Iraq in recent years....
An ABC/Washington Post Poll showed that 50% of voters that are voting next year are 'looking around.'
In looking at several demographic polls this is the general concesus for Democrats:
"Solidly Democratic Races"
Wisconsin, Hawaii and Massachusetts
"Likely Democratic"
New York, California and North Dakota
"Leans Democratic"
Nevada, Arkansas and Colorado
"Toss Up States" - Color indicates 'favored'
Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Pennsylvania
Ohio, New Hampshire, Missouri, Kentucky, Florida
"Leans Republican"
Louisiana and North Carolina
"Likely Republican"
Iowa, Texas and Georgia
"Considered Solidly Republican"
Arizona, Kansas, South Dakota and South Carolina
The solidly Republican states aren't completely solid, in 2008 Arizona didn't vote as strongly for Kyl as they usually do and South Carolina has a wayward Governor. The point is a Democrat from any state has a good chance at winning their seats next year. The party and their grassroots need to get out the vote in the same effort as 2008. We can win and we can win with a good majority if we remain dedicated to bringing America back from the brink.
"Oh, yes we can."
Class Act - I would like to address the amendment to the health care bill that was defeated.
This is going to sound very insulting and I don't hate the elderly as someday I would be one, but, to put unnecessary burden on my children is not the plan I see for my life. Providing 'Home Care' for every aging American is unattainable and will bankrupt Medicare very quickly.
The Amendment to the Senate Health Care Bill has an abbreviation called "Class Act." I don't believe it is a 'class act,' I think it is elitist. The idea behind our new health care reform measure is to make American healthier at every age. I don't like the idea of warehousing human beings and that is why many years ago there was legislation that strongly regulated extended care facilities and focused on quality of life. It is those regulations we need to review for bolstering and it our society's priorities in wellness at all ages we need to address.
This is the United States of American, NOT the Waldorf Towers. We are primarily Middle Class folks OR at least should be and there is every indication the direction of the country under the leadership of President Obama and the majority Democrats are putting us back on a sustainable Middle Class path. I really wish we all weren't trying to be millionaires or billionaires, I find it quite disgusting actually. It sets us up for immoral values that ultimately deprives others of their quality of life in some socio-economic levels.
I am not saying those that have accumulated wealth should rid themselves of it, this is the country of opportunity and if their good fortune has brought them opportunity then it should be so. But, a strong Middle Class is the pride of the USA and it needs to maintain that value to insure the productivity of our country. There is a lot of pride to working a job and doing it right. There is a lot of pride to being part of a union that produces good products. It is true 'Amerikana' I am referring to.
A strong Middle Class IS the place where opportunity happens. It is the 'step' that is attainable for the poor. It is the place where possibility occurs and it is the place where small businesses find growth and opportunity. It is where the illiterate find education and opportunity. It is where every child is an equal. A strong Middle Class builds the wealth of this nation in a collective way that supplies our Federal and State governments and sustains our military. It is important and should be a place of pride to this country.
It is the health of the Middle Class that our National Health Care Reform Legislation is putting priority. It is ironing out the rough spots, bringing equity to the people that corporate CEOs have no interest in treating equal and it is addressing 'what is possible' and 'what is not.'The best idea that can come from this reform measure for 'aging' citizens is to stay healthy. Stay active. Stay involved. We know it is where the best quality of life occurs and it is where all Americans should strive to be. Being wheelchair bound should be avoided at any measure and for those that are, they might say how wonderful it would be to walk again.
We are coming into the age of 'The Baby Boomers.' There is no way this country can put a home health care professional at the bedside of every American as they become disabled or home bound. It is not possible. It is far better, as well, for people to be communal in settings where they have privacy and yet have interaction.
A recent experience with an aunt proved how much she needed to be cared for in a facility that provided her dignity for being able to manage and not be a burden to her family.
If I may?
She was married and a career woman for most of her life. She took a trip abroad about ten years ago and over a short period of time found herself ill with diagnosis after diagnosis. She deteriorated, became wheelchair and oxygen dependant. She lived at home with her husband, a retired State Policeman. He passed away at the age of 81. We loved him and her dearly and she still is a joy to all of us.
She lived in the house where she married and brought home her children. The backyard has a gate that lead to the home of her oldest daughter, married with children. One would think it the prefect 'set up' for aging parents. Right?
Two days after her husband was buried she called her children to her kitchen where they all enjoyed a meal together. A son, the oldest of the three and two daughters all brought 'pot luck' while the in-laws were home with the grandchildren that still might be living at home. Mind you, the oldest daughter frequented the house during the day and was sure her mother was doing well.
My aunt broke the news. She wanted to live in a facility where she could be alone and cared for by people that would see to her illness as well as her happiness. Her children, of course, fussed a bit, but reliquished control to her request. Within three days, her children toured several facilities nearby, brought all the information to her and when they decided on two, the staff social worker scame to see her at her home. She made the final decision.
Everyday she wakes to caregivers that assist her with her daily routine. She is seen when she needs to be seen by physicians or their assitants and she has medications brought to her regularly. The house is still there and furnished. I suspect it will be that way for a good long while. But, my aunt is happy. She telephones her siblings and those she call friends and she is visited frequently.
The point is that she feels pride in being able to have privacy while being cared for. She states her health is better and she never has any issues with her care that isn't addressed within short periods of time. She doesn't miss her family in the way most might think. She has 'her world' of her making and she allows them in to be family with no burdens and rare complaints.
It is basically a happy ending, except, we would love for her not to be ill at all. But, given her priorities in life and seeking privacy it provides a point of underastanding to be able to have a place in this country, with her family and feel she is important to many people that touch her life everyday.
The future of this country depends on 'fiscal stability' and strong, health people. It depends on caregiving that works for everyone and not just those that can afford it. Wheelchairs need to become obsolete and not because we as a country can't provide them, but, because they simply aren't necessary.
We have worked hard to stop people from smoking, drinking too much and now we need to fight the legacy of indulgence in food and 'being a couch potato' for an economy within reach of a telephone or 'net connection.' We need to return to activity and wellness and seek to live a high quality of life for as long as we can.
If the greatest country in the world can't achieve the highest standard of living for its people then we are making the worst statement about democracy we can make.
Democracy is not about indulgence. It is about living long and happy and healthy with dignity and self determination.
We need to be that country. Seeking indulgences of elitist priorities isn't what the USA is about and I feel we have been on the right and best path for a long time, we need to continue.
US House passes bill to ban the importation of Nuclear Waste from outside the USA
This is a picture from the Taipei Times of the waste awaiting transfer in Italy. Countries should first exploit every opportunity for 'Alternative/Renewable Energy.' The idea is to replace as much as possible of these forms of dangerous fuels including fossil fuels.
Bill HR 515 - click here for the roll call vote (click here). Republicans are the majority of those that opposed the vote and they are recorded in red and those in green didn't vote. Having an economy that puts 'peril' in our society is not an economy at all.
Considering this only became an issue in April of 2009 for the NRC, I think the House, in committee and otherwise, acted very quickly.
Gordon foreign waste ban passes committee vote (click title to entry - thank you)
Posted: Thursday, November 19, 2009 3:36 pm
WASHINGTON – The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee Thursday approved Congressman Bart Gordon’s bipartisan legislation to ban the importation of foreign radioactive waste. Gordon’s bill, the Radioactive Import Deterrence (RID) Act, H.R. 515, would prevent foreign-generated radioactive waste from being processed in Tennessee and disposed in the U.S.
“We’re the only nation in the world that accepts the nuclear waste of other countries for disposal and incurs the responsibility of monitoring it for generations to come,” said Gordon. “I am pleased my colleagues on the Committee recognized the importance of stopping this practice and approved this bipartisan legislation. Today’s vote brings the RID Act one step closer to becoming law.”
Currently, a permit is pending with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to import 20,000 tons of Italian low-level radioactive waste for disposal in the United States. This would be the largest importation ever of foreign-generated radioactive waste. Permits to import and dispose radioactive waste from Mexico and Brazil are also pending. If these permits are approved, the nuclear waste shipments would be sent to Tennessee for processing and later disposed in Utah....
The material is put in plastic buckets and then wrapped in plastic bags in case there is a spill from the bucket while humans work with the darn stuff. It is then placed in metal barrels. That's safe? Not in my lifetime.
In April of 2009, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) received a request from Italy to accept 20,000 tons of nuclear waste into Utah after it was first processed in Tennessee. The NRC had no mechanism to say no. They didn't have the authority to regulate imported waste when received by a processing facility in the USA.
If it was allowed, the waste would be coming my ship to ports in the USA and transported by truck to Tennesee and then to Utah.
The Democratic held majority in the House passed legislation on December 2, 2009 to stop any nuclear waste from entering the USA. 112 House Representatives voted against the bill and favored the importation of such waste and another 13 abstained from the vote. So, basically, 125 House Representatives didn't care about the dangers of such materials coming into our ports and across our roads. That is a significant issue to look at when they seek office again.
Yucca Mountain
Bill HR 515 - click here for the roll call vote (click here). Republicans are the majority of those that opposed the vote and they are recorded in red and those in green didn't vote. Having an economy that puts 'peril' in our society is not an economy at all.
Considering this only became an issue in April of 2009 for the NRC, I think the House, in committee and otherwise, acted very quickly.
Gordon foreign waste ban passes committee vote (click title to entry - thank you)
Posted: Thursday, November 19, 2009 3:36 pm
WASHINGTON – The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee Thursday approved Congressman Bart Gordon’s bipartisan legislation to ban the importation of foreign radioactive waste. Gordon’s bill, the Radioactive Import Deterrence (RID) Act, H.R. 515, would prevent foreign-generated radioactive waste from being processed in Tennessee and disposed in the U.S.
“We’re the only nation in the world that accepts the nuclear waste of other countries for disposal and incurs the responsibility of monitoring it for generations to come,” said Gordon. “I am pleased my colleagues on the Committee recognized the importance of stopping this practice and approved this bipartisan legislation. Today’s vote brings the RID Act one step closer to becoming law.”
Currently, a permit is pending with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to import 20,000 tons of Italian low-level radioactive waste for disposal in the United States. This would be the largest importation ever of foreign-generated radioactive waste. Permits to import and dispose radioactive waste from Mexico and Brazil are also pending. If these permits are approved, the nuclear waste shipments would be sent to Tennessee for processing and later disposed in Utah....
The material is put in plastic buckets and then wrapped in plastic bags in case there is a spill from the bucket while humans work with the darn stuff. It is then placed in metal barrels. That's safe? Not in my lifetime.
In April of 2009, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) received a request from Italy to accept 20,000 tons of nuclear waste into Utah after it was first processed in Tennessee. The NRC had no mechanism to say no. They didn't have the authority to regulate imported waste when received by a processing facility in the USA.
If it was allowed, the waste would be coming my ship to ports in the USA and transported by truck to Tennesee and then to Utah.
The Democratic held majority in the House passed legislation on December 2, 2009 to stop any nuclear waste from entering the USA. 112 House Representatives voted against the bill and favored the importation of such waste and another 13 abstained from the vote. So, basically, 125 House Representatives didn't care about the dangers of such materials coming into our ports and across our roads. That is a significant issue to look at when they seek office again.
Yucca Mountain
Bin Laden is death or in Somalia. Not likely to be in Somalia otherwise word would have been noted.
Probably cremated. Wasn't his son killed, not long ago? I sometimes entertain the thought of his being in Syria, but, that is probably more a 'taliban-like' element. Al Qaeda style bombing though. But, once one looks to Syria and Lebanon, then its Hamas and primarily Hezbollah, so the idea that Bin Laden is there and tolerated doesn't really make sense. They all have their own 'kings of violence.'
Pakistan has swept the tribal regions and he is not there. The President of Pakistan made that clear the other day.
We are used to 'remains' being evidence and that would give 'The West' peace of mind, but, in this case al Qaeda and Ayman al Zawahiri would do everything possible to hide his death.
Pakistan has swept the tribal regions and he is not there. The President of Pakistan made that clear the other day.
We are used to 'remains' being evidence and that would give 'The West' peace of mind, but, in this case al Qaeda and Ayman al Zawahiri would do everything possible to hide his death.
There is one thing that is true of the human body, it ages and when forced to live in primative conditions shortens its longevity. He's dead. One way of another we forced his death.
Explosion shakes Syrian security (click here)
A bus blast that killed three may allow Damascus to crack down, but it calls into question the effectiveness of its rule by force
The explosion that ripped through a bus of Iranian pilgrims in Damascus, killing at least three people, will send shock waves through Syria. Until recently Syrians were used to seeing such blasts on their television screens rather than on the streets of their own cities, which they considered a rare stable point in the Middle East.
The explosion will remind Syrians of a bomb attack last September and the assassination of Imad Mughniyah in 2008. All of this adds to a growing sense that Damascus is no longer immune from the carnage regularly seen in neighbouring Iraq and Lebanon....
I disagree with the premise that a member of al Qaeda is NOT a major player. I don't know they can be called anything else even when they carry no rank.
Bin Laden Son Reported Killed In Pakistan (click here)
by Mary Louise Kelly
July 22, 2009
U.S. officials believe Saad bin Laden — a son of Osama bin Laden — has been killed by an American missile in Pakistan.
Saad bin Laden reportedly spent years under house arrest in Iran before traveling last year to Pakistan, according to former National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell.
It's believed he was killed by Hellfire missiles fired from a U.S. Predator drone sometime this year.
A senior U.S. counterterrorism official tells NPR that without a body to conduct DNA tests on, it's hard to be completely sure. But he characterized U.S. spy agencies as being "80 to 85 percent" certain that Saad bin Laden is dead.
The U.S. counterterrorism official says Saad bin Laden wasn't important enough to target personally — that he was "in the wrong place at the wrong time."
He was active in al-Qaida, but was not a major player, the official said. He was believed to be in his late 20s....
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