Saving poker face

BBC News / Saturday, 30 July 2005

Uzbekistan has reportedly given the US six months to move out of a key base used for operations in Afghanistan.

The notice to leave Karshi-Khanabad air base, known as K2, was given to the US embassy in the Uzbek capital on Friday.

A Pentagon spokesman said the US was "evaluating the note to see exactly what it means".

Hmm.. how about, "Get the f*ck out of our country. Pronto.", comprende?

The playing field for the casual observer

alicublog:

Friday, July 29, 2005
...BUT NOT FOR THEE. 4:30 pm: Michelle Malkin has some fun with saggy nude protestors in Berkeley.

5:13 pm: Michelle Malkin is against "pathetic leftist attacks on conservatives' physical appearance."

Given how often this sort of thing happens nowadays, I'm surprised that I can still notice. As one of my commenters recently remarked, "Does the word 'hypocrite' even exist anymore?"

I like this stuff. Easy to understand. You're fat, I'm not. You're smart, I ain't.

Don't sleep on the latest release

Madkane:

War? What War?
By Madeleine Begun Kane

The war on terror's going bad,
So what's a Prez to do?
He simply calls it something else.
The "struggle" has debuted.

Bush starts a war without a plan.
A needless war, to boot.
And when it fails, his course is clear:
Just name it something cute.

Dub's PR folks work overtime.
Their mission's crystal-clear:
To alter views with words, not deeds.
Orwellian days are here.

Instead of Bush disinfo moves,
The truth would be quite nice.
But honesty we'll never hear
From Bush or Condi Rice.

Add to shopping cart

US soldier dies in Taliban attack:

KABUL, July 24: A US soldier was killed and another wounded in an attack by suspected Taliban guerillas in southern Afghanistan on Sunday, the latest American casualties in a surge of militant violence ahead of September elections.


Freedom isn't free.

Makin' shit up

A neat little post from Tim Dunlop over at the road to surfdom:

In other words, three of the leading figures in committing their countries to war specifically ruled out getting rid of Saddam as their justification. In other words, they were quite willing to leave Saddam in power.

The truth is, no-one who opposed the war thought that we "should leave Saddam in power," as McKewan says.

To counter the shills, this fact needs to be repeated, constantly.

As thick as two short planks

So.. this is the wonderful stoicism we are currently reading about?

Police said initially he was connected to bomb blasts around the capital the previous day, but said overnight that was not the case.

Officers were concerned by the fact the man was wearing a thick coat on a warm day - prompting fears he might be concealing explosives - and shouted for him to stop when he entered Stockwell station.
according to a witness was eventually cornered on a stationary train, where a plain-clothes officer fired five shots into his head at close range.

Police said overnight that the man had been subsequently found to be unconnected to the bom
He fled, and bings, describing his death as "a tragedy".

A lot of cops seem to be bearers of little intellect. 'Giant-brains' as my Dad would call folks such as this.

5 shots.

Good work, team. Feelin' safe with you fools runnin' about with your pants around your ankles.

Transmogrify this

alicublog:

"When Bush mentions democracy," one such commenter says, "liberals friends of mine just roll their eyes because, I'm sad to say, they have ceased believing in it." Many of us would suggest an alternate reason, of course -- and maybe that feeds the perception of cliquishness: There's a lot of eye-rolling at this site, and some people are not comfortable with that sort of dismissive attitude -- especially if they identify themselves so strongly with democracy, freedom, etc., that when they are mocked they imagine those things are being mocked as well, or perhaps exclusively.

Looks like the crazy extremists (from the right, this time) are trying to re-define themselves. Likely because now they're looking exactly like the bunch of wackos most of us have always known they were.

Strikin' matches in a fireworks factory

Syria says US forces fired on troops:

"Syria ... needs to take steps to go after those ... elements that may be operating on their territory and they need to play a helpful role with their neighbours," said White House spokesman Scott McClellan.

You tell 'em, Scotty!

The war on crystal balls

June Report Led Britain to Lower Its Terror Alert:

On the day after the attacks, for example, Home Secretary Charles Clarke was asked about the lowered threat assessment on BBC radio, and replied, "Obviously, it was wrong." Mr. Clarke said the threat level had already been increased, adding, "The fact is, we need to try to get this right."

It's too easy, you can't ever hope to stop it.

The Global school-yard

Colorado congressman says U.S. could retaliate against Islamic holy sites:

Rep. Tom Tancredo made his remarks Friday on WFLA-AM in Orlando, Fla. His spokesman stressed he was only speaking hypothetically.

What an excellent contribution. Thanks, champ.

A nonsense

But there is no reason to believe that Iraq could not have been dissuaded from using its (as it happens, non-existent) weapons of mass destruction by a policy of deterrence. Saddam Hussein was a vile and cruel tyrant, but he was not a suicidal fanatic and he did possess vulnerable fixed assets.

Hmm, makes you think.

The little empire that probably could not

Why Musharraf needs another crackdown:

There seems to be a near consensus in the Pakistani security apparatus that the Karzai government is bound to collapse.

Should that happen, Pakistani security analysts are certain that the US will turn to "moderate Taleban" to keep Afghanistan together.

Following their defeat by this mob, the Soviet Union collapsed.

Un-Australian import

Risks of abundant tolerance:

Birrell says Australia does not yet face the British problem of the propagation of radical Muslim ideas such as separate schools and sharia law. But he sees dangers in the advocacy by some among the Left in Australia of a form of multiculturalism that promotes diversity, plays down the importance of integration and is critical of the Australian heritage. "Where you have a highly flexible, open, permissive, even encouraging form of multiculturalism, you are setting the scene for the maintenance and even flourishing of doctrines which from the mainstream point of view are not healthy," says Birrell.

Here we go. The ol' "Our intolerance has made us a target? Hey, look over there!" trick.

How about we blame our Government's actions for once? With a view to taking responsibility for the suffering we cause and perhaps adjusting our approach. It takes two to tango. This supposed vacuum they suggest we exist is wilful ignorance.

The World is a mine-field, you have to watch where you step.

Associating the Left exclusively with nasty ol' tolerance (in this context, our enemy) is a nice touch, too. Special demagogue sale: two for the price of one.

Permanent reason to stay

Suicide bomber in fuel truck kills 60:

"Thank God, this morning ... three British soldiers were killed and at least three others were injured by exploding a package by their patrol in the Maysan province," the group, calling itself the Imam Hussein Brigades, said.

The statement was posted on a site used by the main Iraqi insurgent groups, including the al-Qaeda group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. But unlike those mainly Sunni groups, the name suggested it was a Shi'ite group. It said it also killed an Iraqi judge in the town of Nassiriya.

In a separate attack in northern Iraq, an explosive device killed an American soldier and wounded two others in Kirkuk province, the US military said in a statement.

12 Years to finish the 'job'. Hopefully MC da'Poet Dead-End Rummy is wrong about this known known, again.

"After the bomb I went over there and found my son's head. I could not find his body," said Mohsen Jassim of his 18-year-old son.

Better than Saddam, right? Give yourselves a big pat on the back. Dumb c*nts.

Land of xenophobes

Longest serving detainee free to walk:

The Immigration Minister, Amanda Vanstone, said today that the paperwork for Mr Qasim's visa had been finalised.

Seven years to complete the paperwork!?!

For f*cks sake. This Government (and due to being responsible for initiating the detention policy, the Labor party) are evil and twisted little megalomaniacal monkeys.

Howard, rot in hell. Ruddock and Vanstone, ditto.

Oh yeah, this dog whistle policy was for the xenophobic weaklings, so you're responsible, too.

Qasim is now too shattered to leave Glenside. You motherf*ckers happy, now?

Action causes...

How London brought terror on itself:

The radicalization of Britain's Muslim youth of Pakistani origin began in the mid-90s with the full knowledge and complicity of British and US intelligence agencies. At the behest of a US administration keen to aid the Bosnian mujahideen in their war against the Serbs, about 200 UK Pakistanis went to Pakistan for training by a jihadi organization, and then to Bosnia. With the London bombings of July 7, it appears that the chickens have come home to roost.

I blame Thatcher's poll tax.

Spreading freedom

The increase in fighting has raised concern that the Afghan war might be widening.

Bring them wrong

Data Shows Faster-Rising Death Toll Among Iraqi Civilians:

In response to questions from The New York Times, the ministry said that 8,175 Iraqis were killed by insurgents in the 10 months that ended May 31. The ministry did not give detailed figures for the months before August 2004, nor did it provide a breakdown of the figures, which do not include either Iraqi soldiers or civilians killed during American military operations.



Hmm, makes you think.. actually no it doesn't, does it? Who gives a f*ck about some crew dyin' "abroad"?

Fry the fat

Talking Points and Countering Disinformation on the Plame Affair:

TALKING POINT: President Bush is committed to upholding the honor and dignity of his office.
FACT: For the umpteenth time, false, false and false.

Easy questions to hard answers

Kurt Nimmo has a shot - Galloway Is Wrong About the London Attacks:

God bless George Galloway for standing up to the neocon troglodytes in the United States Congress, but I believe he has it wrong in regard to London. “I have no need to speculate about [the] authorship [of the London attacks],” Galloway told the Hansard House of Commons on 7th July.

Actions and Words

Howard apology crocodile tears: Alvarez lawyer:

"If they were serious about an apology, they would commit to an appropriate care package for Vivian so she can return to the country - otherwise it's just crocodile tears."

Howard is serious about power and the maintenance of it, little else.

RWDB gnash-fest

This post over at Troppo Armadillo People are not “vermin”, managed to stir up a heap of 'conspicuous indignation' which inspired comments like this:

Future JDAM victims, thanks Mike, or maybe "cluster bomb martyrs". How about "he who is helped to hell by hellfire"?
Posted by PB at July 11, 2005 11:29 PM (permalink)



The amount of hate in these guys, I can easily imagine them becoming killers.

But of course, in typical cowardly fashion they tap away on keyboards and jerk off while writing fantastic stories about missiles killing terrorists and making sure they get to bed early so they can get to their shitty IT job the next day.

'PB', you are a murder-mongering freak.

Get back to work, fool.

Traitor? What traitor?

Check this post from the 'blog-tracker' Unpartisan:

Monday, July 11 2005, 03:29 PM

White House Won't Comment on Rove, Leak For two years, the White House has insisted that presidential adviser Karl Rove had nothing to do with the leak of a CIA officer's identity. And President Bush said the leaker would be fired.

(17 hours ago) 37 News Stories, 85 Liberal Blogs, 23 Conservative Blogs

Check the number of conservative blogs posting on this issue.

Classic.

Told'ya!

400 Diggers to hunt Taliban:

UP to 400 Australian troops are expected to be deployed to southern Afghanistan to help the US stamp out a resurgence in violence led by Taliban and al-Qa'ida forces.

As I said before (Give it up Downer you gormless dolt.) when they were pretending that this decision had not been made, it was always going to happen.

PS - I try not to read Murdoch product, so I'm always not-so pleasantly surprised when I do. Check the language, 'hunt', 'stamp out'. Ra-rah, get 'em boys!

The Red Toad

Phillip Adams - Britain had this coming:

The PM tells the truth when he says he cannot promise that our cities are safe from terrorism. He tells the truth when he confirms that an attack on Australia within Australia is not only possible but probable. But he lies when he denies that it is his foreign policies that have made our lives more dangerous.

Mind reading

Allies unite against terror:

ISLAMIC extremists' attempt to break British resolve and force the Western allies out of Iraq and Afghanistan appears to have backfired, with a divided Europe galvanised yesterday after London's worst terrorist attack.

The message.

Whose?

Iraq contrast

Sat 9 Jul 2005 7:28 AM ET

BERLIN, July 9 (Reuters) - Germany wants to increase the number of its soldiers in Afghanistan by around a third, a Defence Ministry spokesman said on Saturday.

The Bundestag, or lower house of parliament, would be asked to approve a government request to extend the soldiers' mandate beyond Oct. 13 and make as many as 3,000 soldiers available, up from the current 2,200, the spokesman said.

Ant-war crowd are 'winning'

Juan Cole:

Reuters has picked up on a report that first appeared in The Guardian on July 6, that the British are planning to draw down from 8,000 to 9,000 troops in Iraq now to 2,000 to 3,000 by spring-summer of 2006. But it has gotten hold of a leaked memo from the British Ministry of Defense that reveals that the US plans to draw down its forces from 138,000 to 66,000 by July of 2006, as well. The Pentagon is expecting to be able to turn security duties in 14 of the 18 provinces over to the Iraqi government by then.

Pull the plug, drain the tub, then comes the hard part: scrubbing the dirty residue left behind.

Question?

The Impeachment Question:

More than four in 10 Americans, according to a recent Zogby poll, say that if President Bush did not tell the truth about his reasons for going to war with Iraq, Congress should consider holding him accountable through impeachment.

But you wouldn't know it from following the news. Only three mainstream outlets that I can find made even cursory mention of the poll last week when it came out.

Shattered vessels, left empty

The Secret Organization of al-Qaeda in Europe: A load of Hooey:

“I refuse to accept that the attack on London was anything less than a false-flag operation designed to enrage Western ‘civilization’ against the Middle East,” writes Matt Hutaff. “Why? Because there is no reason for ‘terrorist’ groups to attack England. As recently as this week, the Ministry of Defense announced that plans were being drafted that would pull British armed forces from the quagmires in Iraq and Afghanistan. With the British effectively admitting they’re throwing in the towel, the only motivation to stay could come from an attack that compels the forces to stay and fight ‘global terrorism.’ Think about it. The attack only benefits empires desperate to maintain a foothold in the Middle East without further eroding public opinion. Will Parliament shrug their shoulders and push their soldiers into longer tours of duty because of this? Obviously it’s too early to tell, but if that happens, insurgents and rebels will have lost more than they could have ever possibly gained in destroying part of the Underground.”

Hmmmm, makes you think.

Of course, f*cking of course!

Terrorist Attacks Prove War Supporters Right, Anti-War Invited To Renounce Support For Terrorism:

There can be no question these attacks prove that our bold resolve in taking the Total War Against Terror to the enemy needs to be bolder and more resolute. More domestic security measures need to be put in place. To do less would be to accept dhimmitude. To those ghouls and graverobbers who would use the tragedy to further their narrow partisan agenda, I say for shame! You've learned nothing at all from the previous attacks, have you? I used to be an anti-war leftist, but not any more. I realize now Bush and Blair were much wiser than I thought. I don't agree with them on everything, but this is an emergency! I bid thee farewell, oh Chomskyite absolutists and libertarian misanthropes. I urge you to renounce your support for terror. 9/11 should have changed everything for you, as it should have for me. Oh woe that I took for granted the civilization that nurtured and protected me. Those of you who still hold out will get no sympathy from me. To the families of the dead, I feel your pain. I saw what happened on teleivision and I, for one, have finally learned the lessons of 9/11. I will comfort you with increased support for the Total War Against Terror and seek to post regularly at Moonbat Central.

Tour de Galloway

Galloway Wary Of Staged Terror Attack As Pretext For Iran Invasion:

At the end of the show Alex Jones asked Galloway if he thought an invasion of Iran was on the horizon. Galloway was confident that massively opposed public opinion would stop an attack from taking place, unless a staged terror attack carried out by the military industrial complex and blamed on Iran was carried out.

JONES: "What do we do if the military-industrial complex carries out a terror attack to blame it on them?"

GALLOWAY: "Well that's another very real danger. There's no way we can legislate for that but we we must be on guard. We need a vigilant citizenry."

JONES: "Unbelievable."

GALLOWAY: "We need a vigilant citizenry that are wise to all the tricks that these monkeys are up to."

Hmmm makes you sh*t.

Via.

Obviously bleeding

Dr Menlo over at American Samizdat:

"These evildoers are the enemies of freedom, and we will hunt them down and get 'em"--just like Bush got Osama, right? Does this mean England will lead an invasion against another country that had nothing to with this morning's attacks?

Four blasts in London

An average day in Baghdad.

Got allies?

Juan Cole:

The British plan to draw down their forces in Iraq from the current 9,000 to 2,000 by next May. They soon plan to turn Maysan and Muthanna provinces over to the Iraqi government. In practice, this move will probably deliver the provinces to Shiite party paramilitaries such as the Badr Corps of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq and the Mahdi Army of Muqtada al-Sadr. (See the comments of a British reservist yesterday at Informed Comment by scrolling down.) The six southernmost Shiite provinces are probably not so insecure as to require a major British presence.

Dumb enough to invade, but not THAT dumb.

Foreign death

US troops found dead in Afghanistan:

Two members of the US Navy's elite special forces branch - known as Seals - that were missing in the Kunar province have been found dead, a senior US defence official in Washington says.

Precision guided.

Fronter in fish-nets

Australia considers sending troops to Afghanistan:

"We'll be looking at that over the next few weeks, you'll just have to wait and see but obviously that is something we are looking at."

They've already decided to send them. All this "and the winner is.." envelope passing is just pure bullshit, geared to make them look like this decision isn't taken lightly.

Give it up Downer you gormless dolt.

Vizard: Crook

Door left open for Vizard return:

Mr Bracks praised Mr Vizard for the "excellent work" he had done in the past and said it was possible he could resume his roles on the boards of two government corporations if he avoided a ban from acting as a company director.

Vizard is another crook.

They locked up Rivkin, for good reason and HE wasn't even on the board of the companies of which shares he illegally traded.

Adler? Witless goose and a crook.

Vizard. Obviously not cunning enough to overcome his greed and flash as a rat with a gold-tooth. Never did like his style of 'comedy'.

Why is he going to stay out of jail? Mates on both sides of the political cartels.

And to rub salt in to the wounds and to increase Rivkin's revs as he spins away, they're going to let him back in to the fold and potentially allow him to abuse his position, again.

Corporate Governance is a f*cking sham.

Backflip to birdflip

Mr Bush told Britain's ITV television that global warming was "a significant, long-term issue that we've got to deal with".



"What'chu talkin' about, Dubya!?!"








Read the rest of the article and you won't be surprised. New technology.. bla blah.. way forward.. bla blah.. National security.. yakity smakity.. cleaner air..

The bombing

Afghans say 17 civilians dead in US air strike:

"Seventeen civilians died in the US bombing of the village," Kunar governor Assadullah Wafa told AFP. "There are a number of children and women among the victims but I don't have the exact figure right now."

The US military was not immediately available to comment on the casualty figures given by the provincial governor and earlier cancelled a regular news briefing scheduled for Monday.

US spokesman Colonel James Yonts said at the weekend that "all possible efforts are taken to prevent non-combatant injuries and deaths." But he did not exclude the possibility civilians had been struck in the bombing.

An unlucky shot, perhaps?

Rove is the traitor, of course

Pic thanks to Mykeru.

Social cynicism

Robert Corr:

The union rally in Perth on Thursday was truly inspiring. About twenty thousand people — “more than twice initial expectations” — gathered at the cultural centre to hear about the effects of Howard’s proposed industrial relations regime.

Which takes me to Andrew Bratlett's comment:

If you are hoping that Labor’s chances to win will improve, I don’t think Howard controlling the Senate is bad news at all. I agree with Mark that it actually offers some political opportunities for Labor, as well as for stronger community support for some social justice issues.

My comment: If the 'great white hope' of the Australian people is Labor, then we're in strife. Even while in opposition, Labor's policies are little different from the Liberals and they will do little to roll back any legislation brought in over the next couple of years. Labor will demonise the Libs for the changes and then use the legislation like demons if they ever get back into government again.

Saving grace

Billmon:

The summer before the invasion, I happened to catch Wolfowitz on C-Span telling a booing crowd of pro-Israeli demonstrators in Washington that the Palestinians are people too, and deserve their own state. I can't prove it, but I think he meant it.

Accepting that Palestinians are also human beings is not, I admit, much -- although God knows it's way too much for the gang over at Little Green Footballs. But accepting the right of the Palestinians to a state would definitely put Wolfie in a different category than the Doug Feith neocons, who see blocking a Palestinian state (overtly if possible; covertly if necessary) as a key part of their life's mission.

Evil or foolish?

Operation Remember Nine Slash One One

Envoy says US army killed his relative:

When the marines left the house about an hour later, the interpreter told the mother that her son had been shot and killed, Ambassador Sumaidaie said.

The family found the young al-Sumaidaie dead with a single bullet wound to the neck.

This is what you get when you don't receive an invading army with rose petals.

Innocent Iraqis deserve to die. Trust me on this. They need it. Its totally worth it, man. Tell your friends.