Somalia: Private pirate fighters? Blackwater says it's ready

EagleSpeak: Somalia: Private pirate fighters? Blackwater says it's ready: "Somalia: Private pirate fighters? Blackwater says it's ready

Reported as Blackwater offering to protect ships from pirates near Somalia:

'We have the capability to assist' shipping companies, said Bill Mathews, Blackwater executive vice president. He and other company leaders are former Navy SEALs. Ship security 'is kind of what we did for a living' before joining Blackwater, he said.

Blackwater is offering the MV MacArthur, a 183-foot vessel with a crew of 14 and a helicopter pad, as an escort for ships through the Gulf of Aden. The helicopters and MacArthur won't be armed, although workers will carry guns, Mathews said.

The company will need a State Department license to sell its services to a foreign government or business, said Anne Tyrrell, a Blackwater spokeswoman."

The Smallest Minority has a funny!

Way too funny to miss! I wish I could down load it or link it here, so enjoy this guys link to the video.

The Smallest Minority: "Watch, Wallet, Gun. . .

And I thought the 'Denny Crane for President' clip was the best!

But I believe this is better."

Terrorism drill takes aim at foreign animal diseases

Terrorism drill takes aim at foreign animal diseases | Philadelphia Daily News | 10/16/2008: "Terrorism came to Philadelphia and Chester County yesterday.

Or at least authorities acted like it had.

In an exercise that was more than a year in planning, the FBI and other law-enforcement agencies said, they conducted an 'agroterrorism' test to see how the region might react to introduction of a 'foreign animal disease' in livestock.

The test was deemed a success.

'The whole objective is to learn how to minimize the impact of a potential or actual outbreak,' said Jerri Williams, an FBI spokeswoman. 'So, it was pretty successful.'

The daylong test was conducted by the FBI's Philadelphia division, in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Regional Task Force."

Neither Snow, Nor Rain, Nor Anthrax...

Now the the Government is planning to have any Anthrax meds delivered by the mail, I have to wonder how they think that will work. It seems logical, but there are also a few things that seem weird about it. Like, will the postal workers want to go into a contaminated area to deliver medicine? Many will, because they are good loyal American workers who love our country and will work to save our people. Thanks guys!

I hope we don't need your services, but I am glad you will help.

Op-Ed Contributor - Neither Snow, Nor Rain, Nor Anthrax... - NYTimes.com: "IMPORTANT planning for responding to a future anthrax attack has quietly been under way since the last attacks seven years ago. A key part of this effort has been figuring out how best to deliver prophylactic antibiotics quickly to the people living in the city that is attacked.

This is at least as difficult and complicated as it might seem. First, an attack must be detected, either by one of the BioWatch air monitors that have been placed in many cities or by finding symptoms of anthrax poisoning in a victim. Either way, this can take at least 12 to 30 hours. Next, an adequate supply of antibiotics must be sent from the Strategic National Stockpile (held at 12 sites around the country) to the affected city, ideally within 12 hours.

Finally, the city must get the drugs out to its population. This third step is potentially the most time-consuming of all. But it can be speeded up — and made twice as effective in preventing deaths — by strategically involving the United States Postal Service and by greatly increasing the amount of medicine initially sent out to the affected city."

A Vote For Obama is a Vote For Civility

A Vote For Obama is a Vote For Civility


A Special Guest Commentary for Undecided Voters
by Those Two Smirking Hipster Assholes in 'Sarah Palin is a C---' t shirts



Hi undecided voters! Yes, we know what you're probably thinking: "hey, it's those two smirking hipster assholes in the 'Sarah Palin Is a C---' t shirts." We also realize that you probably find our brand of narcissistic street theater loathsome and tedious. In fact, we're pretty sure that after eight years of putting up with our shit, you're just about fed up with the screeching tantrums, and inane Bush-is-Hitler art installations, and incessant firehose of profane hate-vomit. Who wouldn't? No rational human being could be blamed for wanting us to just shut the fuck up, finish our bottled water, and go away. Luckily, there's an easy way you can make that happen: vote for Barack Obama.

Think about it. With Barack Obama in office, assholes like us will fade into a distant unpleasant memory. Don't get us wrong, we'll still be hanging around, probably as junior staffers in some federal arts agency. But you have our word on it -- we'll be practically invisible. No more C-word t shirts, no more intersection blockades, no more vandalism until the next election cycle. Nosirree, we'll be timid and well-behaved and quiet as church mice, working away on grant proposals. We think you will also be pleased to know that under Obama, negative news stories and the steady flow of shitty anti-American war movies will virtually disappear overnight.

We know what you're thinking -- "that sounds awesome, but what about the angry right wingers? Won't they suddenly start storming congressional hearings and vandalizing military recruiting stations? Won't they start producing Obama assassination fantasy plays at the local college?" Don't worry, as members of the incoming Administration, we will identify any potential troublemakers and prosecute them to the full extent of President Obama's new civility laws. And with the re-establishment of the Fairness Doctrine, you won't have to worry about accidentally tuning into right wing hate radio.

But it's a democracy, so by all means feel free to vote for McCain. But don't forget what we're capable of. Do you really think we'll give it a rest? Do you really think we've pegged our ugly-o-meter? Hey, friend-o, you ain't seen nothin' yet. With the kind of free time we've got, you'd be totally amazed at the kind of crap we can come up with. If you think the Bush stuff was disturbing, wait 'til you see our four year Palin Plan. It won't let up, because frankly, we enjoy this sort of thing. Dude, we get freakin' college credit for it. And it won't just be us -- it'll be the media, the blogs, Hollywood, that asshole at work who's always emailing you Bush monkey photoshops.

Do you really want that on your conscience? The choice is all up to you. Four more relentless 120-decibel years of us pelting Bristol and Trig with bags of feces -- or the sweet, intoxicating tranquility that awaits under an Obama Administration. We're sure you'll agree that a couple thou in new taxes is a small price for that kind of peace of mind. So remember when you go to the polls this November: a vote for Obama is a vote for civility.

And by the way, sorry for being such assholes. As the computer guys say: it's not a bug, it's a feature.

Psychological Profiling

Something to think about for the cops and others who have to work with others who might be unstable, ie, teachers, therapists, hookers, bloggers...

I home this makes you think.

Psychological Profiling: On the Street at Officer.com: "Psychological Profiling
An interactive case study

Posted: Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Updated: October 14th, 2008 09:52 PM GMT-05:00

MICHAEL WASILEWSKI & ALTHEA OLSON, LCSW
Human Factor Contributors



Recently "Tom" became hostile and defensive with me when I made the statement "Marriage is the hardest work we ever do." He was very adamant - angry even - in his reply, "No, life is the hardest work we ever do!" His statement has stayed with me because this was not a minor disagreement in his mind, but I had challenged the core of his belief system. He could not believe that anyone would have a different opinion and in hearing this began to unravel. During the conversation I witnessed a downward mood swing that sunk into the depth of his being. Over the next thirty minutes I witnessed instability in his mood that was uncomfortable and unpleasant to watch in reaction to an ordinary and innocent statement. Tom became depressed, confrontational, irritable, and his thought process appeared irrational.

Now, understand that while this happened in a non-law enforcement context, you know Tom, as well. You respond to his fights, mediate his conflicts, listen to his complaints and, frankly, take him into custody when his irrationality crosses the law. Tom is as familiar to cops as he is to therapists.

The reason Tom became offensive when his belief "life is hard" was challenged is because he is stuck in a victim mode. He believes life circumstances have control over him rather than seeing he has choices over his behaviors and moods that can create happiness. He is egotistical in thinking that life is only ghastly for him and he cannot conceptualize others go through similar experiences but choose different results. Tom lacks the needed skill of empathy to understand and recognize the pain of others except to manipulate them to his own advantage. He does this to inflict emotional pain onto someone else in a way that they will either pity him into acceptance or become so outraged they leave.

Another reason Tom felt challenged is he believes his belief system gives him the right to blame others when he feels emotionally uncomfortable and restless. He internalizes his discomfort as others attacking him, instead of recognizing that everyone has times of low self-esteem. As a result, Tom is looking for someone to give him self-esteem or to fulfill him. He is trying to find someone to fill a deep, dark endless void that has existed since childhood. It makes him feel unloved, defective, and discarded. Tom knows emotionally healthy people do not have this void and believes if he can only find someone to love him, it would go away. It exists because in the first two years of his life, he did not experience a loving nurturing caretaker. The irony is Tom cannot accept love when it is given; instead he begins a self-destructive cycle that pushes that person away.

In looking into Tom's relationship history there are a string of broken, enmeshed, and destructive relationships in his family of origin, past girlfriends, and close friends. Growing up his Mother was abusive towards Tom and emotionally dependent on him all at the same time. His Father was distant and emotionally weak. In talking with him a theme is revealed of people being viewed as "all good" or "all bad." He experiences the world in very concrete terms; everything is black or white. This way of thinking creates a world of chaos much like the Tasmanian Devil. It is a whirlwind of highs and lows that eventually wears people into exhaustion so they leave. However, when they start to leave, he expresses emotional dependence on them which may confuse someone into staying. The relationship becomes entangled as each person loses their identity which is also known as enmeshment. Tom also has a history of splitting people against one another in order to maintain control and a feeling of self-worth. Another trait you may find in Tom is a history of non-lethal suicide attempts when a relationship is on the verge of obliteration. It is the ultimate manipulation in gaining control and dependence. He does this because he fears abandonment.

The biggest reason Tom became angry at the statement "marriage is the hardest work we ever do" is that he did not want to be held responsible for his words and actions towards his wife. In his closest relationship, he needs to live life unfiltered and uncensored. Being held accountable for his inappropriate anger and mood swings triggers a string of self-deprecating thoughts inside his head that are never ending except when he turns his anger onto someone else. However, when his wife is about to walk away because she has had enough, Tom knows how to make her stay by expressing how he could never live without her. This is a continuous cycle as Tom repeatedly tests her love for him. In an attempt to fill his emotional void he provokes fights with his wife by jumping her boundaries physically and emotionally. He needs to know whether she will come back to him or abandon him like everyone else. Even his excessive encounters with the police due to his impulsive and abusive behaviors do not drive her away.

Tom was also angry since he knew he could not maintain a healthy relationship because of his mood swings, anger, self-absorption, and victim beliefs. He knew he needed to deflect the attention away from his behavior choices and onto how life has mistreated him, so that his wife would excuse the nasty harsh words he says to her every day. He would rather point out how his wife has failed him than to say I am sorry. For this person, life is going to be hard because his basic relationship skills are destructive and he will continue to encounter hardships in most environments where relationships are a key element to success.

We know you have a lot of personal and practical experience with Tom. You have encountered him often. Tom has a Personality Disorder at the root of his chaos. What we would love for you to do is to take a stab in the comment section below as to your experiences with Tom and, if you feel adventurous, what personality disorder you believe Tom has and why. Is he Antisocial, Borderline, Histrionic, Narcissistic, or Dependent Personality Disorder as classified by diagnostic criteria in the DSM-IV? Our next article goes live later this month on the 29th. In that article we will present our argument to Tom's diagnosis and Mike will describe the types of calls you would most likely encounter him on, and give practical tips on how to best respond.



Althea Olson, LCSW has been in private practice at Central Professional Group in Joliet, IL since 1996. She has a Master of Social Work degree from Aurora University. She provides individual, couples, and group psychotherapy for adolescents, adults, & geriatrics. She is also trained in Critical Incident Stress Management and is a certified divorce mediator. Once word got out her husband is a police officer, law enforcement agencies began to refer to her. Althea can be reached at her office at 815/725-6511.

Mike Wasilewski, MSW has been a Naperville, IL police officer since 1996. He holds a Master of Social Work degree from Aurora University and serves on the department's Crisis Intervention Team and Domestic Violence Team. Together, Mike & Althea, who have been married since 1994, provide unique training programs for police officers and therapists. "

Idaho Mother Gets 10-Year Sentence After Boyfriend Impregnates 9-Year-Old Daughter

This pervert deserves to be chained to a mountain top and allowed to die slowly of exposure. Sick!

Is it a stereotype to ask if either adult in this story is a citizen? Can we deport these sick freaks?

FOXNews.com - Idaho Mother Gets 10-Year Sentence After Boyfriend Impregnates 9-Year-Old Daughter - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News: "An eastern Idaho woman whose boyfriend impregnated her 9-year-old daughter has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Isabel Chasarez, 27, must serve at least one year in prison before she is eligible for parole, 7th District Judge Brent Moss ordered Tuesday at the sentencing hearing.

Chasarez pleaded guilty in August to failing to provide proper prenatal care for her daughter.

Her 38-year-old boyfriend, Guadalupe Gutierrez-Juarez, pleaded guilty to rape in September. He is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 28 and faces life in prison.

The girl became pregnant at age 9, sometime between Aug. 1 and Sept. 30 2007, authorities say, and gave birth in April."

5 more Afghan scholars missing from UW

Marco...
Marco...

Hello...?

Trained Taliban fighters disguised as students loose in the Rockys? Will the Neo-Nazis take care of them for us?

Local News | 5 more Afghan scholars missing from UW | Seattle Times Newspaper: "Five visiting Afghan scholars have been reported missing by the University of Washington after failing to show up to scheduled training sessions at the university over the past week.

The five scholars — part of a group of 38 from Kabul University — may have simply decided to "disappear into the fabric of American society" given the situation in Afghanistan, said UW spokesman Norm Arkans. In all, seven Afghan scholars have vanished from the UW this year. Two scholars from an initial spring group of 15 may have fled to Canada.

Still, faculty organizers say the Afghan program, which is aimed at enabling civil servants to rebuild their country, should continue.

The latest missing students, all men aged 30 and younger, were visiting the UW as part of a three-month program sponsored by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). They were supposed to be working on master's degrees. By disappearing, the students aren't breaking any laws but are violating the terms of their student visas, Arkans said.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was told about the five missing students last week and is actively investigating the case, said spokeswoman Lorie Dankers.

All the students speak good English and have at least a bachelor's degree — and in some cases, a master's — said Sanjeev Khagram, a UW associate professor of public affairs and international studies who led the first group of students.

Many of the students hold prominent government positions dealing with schooling, water, infrastructure and other vital programs, while others work for agencies such as the United Nations."

US troops kill No. 2 leader of al-Qaida in Iraq

Hurray! I love the smell of dead terrorist in the morning!

Too bad he was not captured and questioned, but we have to take what we can get.

US troops kill No. 2 leader of al-Qaida in Iraq - Yahoo! News: "American troops acting on a tip killed the No. 2 leader of al-Qaida in Iraq — a Moroccan known for his ability to recruit and motivate foreign fighters — in a raid in the northern city of Mosul, the U.S. military said Wednesday.

The military statement described the man, known as Abu Qaswarah, as a charismatic leader who had trained in Afghanistan and managed to rally al-Qaida followers in Iraq despite U.S. and Iraqi security gains.

Rear Adm. Patrick Driscoll, a U.S. spokesman in Baghdad, also said the military suspected that Iranian agents were trying to bribe Iraqi politicians to oppose negotiations over a security pact that would extend the presence of American troops in Iraq.

But, he said, the military had no reason to believe Iraqi politicians had taken the Iranians up on the offers."

Michelle Obama Lashes Out at "White Racists"

Mrs Obama vanished for a little while, but she is back to stir up the African vote. Not that they can vote in the US elections.

But stirring up the vote apparently means attacking the white racists who run America and telling the blacks that they are not allowed to vote for anyone not vetted by her and her husband. Naturally, black Americans have to be one voting block that votes for whoever the Democrat Party orders them to vote for. Do the Americans of Black African descent really belong to the Dems when it was the Dems who fought to keep them as slaves? That just cracks me up!

Gateway Pundit: African Press: Michelle Obama Lashes Out at "White Racists": "Reportedly, Michelle Obama held a phone conversation with the African Press International and blasted the organization for spreading rumors to to 'damage a black man’s name.' She also condemned the 'white racists' who were bringing up issues on Obama's citizenship.
African Press International reported:

...
When API told her that our online news media was only relaying what the American Bloggers and other media outlets had discovered through their investigations, Mrs Obama was angered and she came out loud with the following: “African press International is supposed to support Africans and African-American view,” and she went to state that, “it is strange that API has chosen to support the racists against my husband. There is no shame in being adopted by a step father. All dirt has been thrown onto my husband’s face and yet he loves this country. My husband and I know that there is no law that will stop him from becoming the president, just because some American white racists are bringing up the issue of my husband’s adoption by His step father. The important thing here is where my husband’s heart is at the moment. I can tell the American people that My husband loves this country and his adoption never changed his love for this country. He was born in Hawaii, yes, and that gives him all the right to be an American citizen even though he was adopted by a foreigner; says Michelle Obama on telefon to API.”
..."

Counterterrorism Blog: France's War with Jihadis

This is the one thing about France that makes them great - they understand about the terrorists! The French live with active terrorists moving around the country trying to stir up enough trouble to kill all the French men and enslave the women. Just as Mohammad would. Just as Mohammad did to the tribes around him when he was a rising power.

Counterterrorism Blog: France's War with Jihadis: "France's war with the jihadis is more intense than most Americans or even most Europeans would imagine.
With French troops engaging the Taliban in Afghanistan often coming under attack, jihadist cells have started targeting France as well as French presence in the Sahel, the north African Sahara.
In a recent interview with Parisian daily Le Figaro, French Interior Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie, provided significant revelations.

During a recent lecture tour of Europe I had the opportunity to meet with French defense and counterterrorism officials as well as with legislators, particularly members of the French National Assembly serving on the Afghanistan's committee.

According to Alliot Marie members of a terrorist group in Central Asia have recently been arrested in Mulhouse, in the east of France, where they were apparently undergoing military training.

This shows that active jihadist cells are indeed deploying inside France as they are inside many other Western European countries. The minister said: 'I can tell you that 89 Islamic activists were arrested in France in 2007.'"

Islam: A Religion of Peace?: Part One

this is an excellent debate in two parts. If you read the first, you can easily find the link to the next part. This should make you think and give something to discuss.

Is Islam a Religion of Peace? If you want to argue, make sure you give proofs! Banal whining and insults do not make for a good argument! Who wants to go first?

Family Security Matters » Publications » Islam: A Religion of Peace?: Part One: "The following is a transcript of a debate sponsored by The Harbour League on the subject, “Islam: a Religion of Peace? Is Islamic Law (“Shariah”) Consistent With A Religion Of Peace – And The U.S. Constitution?” Eli Gold, president of The Harbour League, introduced the participants. Moderating was Mark Hyman; for the affirmative was Suhail Khan and presenting the negative was Frank Gaffney, president of the Center for Security Policy."

Syria establishes diplomatic ties with Lebanon

This is interesting. I have to wonder about the timing, however. Is it because of Hezballahs new strength? Now that the terrorists that Syria pays for are almost in power, there is less reason to invade and they can rule by proxy.

Any other thoughts?

Syria establishes diplomatic ties with Lebanon - Yahoo! News: "Relations between the Arab nations have been lopsided since the 1970s, when Syria sent its army into Lebanon and retained control there for nearly 30 years. Ties unraveled when former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri was killed in a 2005 car bombing that many Lebanese blame on Syria — a charge Syria denies.

Hariri's assassination triggered huge anti-Syrian street protests and Damascus caved to U.S.-led international pressure and withdrew its tens of thousands of troops from Lebanon a few months after the bombing.

But establishing diplomatic relations remained a pressing demand of the anti-Syrian majority in Lebanon's parliament, which saw Syria's refusal to do so as a refusal to recognize Lebanese sovereignty.

Some observers say Syria is more comfortable dealing with Lebanon now that its ally Hezbollah has gained veto power in a unity government that was formed in July. In May, Lebanon installed a president sympathetic to Syria.

Just a few months later in August, Lebanon and Syria agreed to establish ties and demarcate their contentious border. That landmark agreement marked a final break in Syria's longtime dominance over its smaller neighbor."

Spooky snap taken at aquarium

I love ghosts! Not the creepy evil kind, just the ones that wander around and need to get to where they are going in the afterlife. This is the cool kind. I bet that tourism to this aquarium is going to jump significantly!

Happy Halloween?

Spooky snap taken at aquarium | The Sun |News: "IT’S just what you’d expect to see in a snap from an aquarium. A shark, blue water — and a disembodied HUMAN HEAD.

Emma Place, 21, took this eerie photo on her phone at Hull’s £53million attraction The Deep.

Boffins at the aquarium admit they are baffled by the appearance of the man’s face, which appears to be gawping up at a shark

Dentistry student Emma, of Doncaster, only spotted the ghoulish face when she arrived home.

She said: “My boyfriend said, ‘what’s that?’ I replied, ‘it’s a shark’.

Spooky

“He said, ‘no, the face.’ I was like, oh my God! It actually looks quite spooky.

“I’m easily freaked-out.”

Although Emma’s dad Alan, 48, was stood next to her in the glass tunnel, she insists he looks nothing like the man in the photo.

Bosses have spent hours searching CCTV footage, which confirmed the pair were the only ones inside the tunnel."

Mexican soldiers crossed clear line

This is not news, unfortunately. Those who pay attention to what happens at the border know that the Mexican Army crosses it with impunity and has even fired at US Border Patrol agents. What IS news is that it is making headlines. Will anything happen with it however? I doubt it.

Washington Times - Mexican soldiers crossed clear line: "The nation's border czar has concluded that Mexican soldiers who held a U.S. Border Patrol agent at gunpoint in August did so after bypassing a barbed-wire fence and other clearly visible barriers to cross into the United States, contradicting claims by the State Department and the Mexican government that the soldiers were simply lost.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner W. Ralph Basham, in a private letter to the National Border Patrol Council Local 2544 in Tucson, Ariz., described the Aug. 3 border incident as a 'potential lethal encounter involving four Mexican armed military soldiers north of the international boundary.'

'There is a barbed-wire fence and new tactical infrastructure within sight that marks the borderline where the incident took place,' Mr. Basham said. 'Our uniformed agent, in a marked Border Patrol vehicle, identified himself in both English and Spanish.'"

Did Iran Attempt a WMD Attack on Israel?

I was guessing that it was nukes AND chemical weapons, but this new information scares the snot out of me! What if this is true? Take this ship back to where it came from and blow it up. It is the only way to be safe!



BLACKFIVE: Did Iran Attempt a WMD Attack on Israel?: "Did Iran Attempt a WMD Attack on Israel?
Posted By COB6

Remember that Iranian ship that the Somali pirates seized? Yeah the same one where the pirates suddenly started experiencing blisters, hair loss and even death.

I speculated earlier that the reported symptoms were dangerously close to what one would expect from severe radiation poisoning. Apparently others are thinking the same thing:

Russian sources claim she was an enormous floating dirty bomb, intended to detonate after exiting the Suez Canal at the eastern end of the Mediterranean and in proximity to the coastal cities of Israel. The entire cargo of radioactive sand, obtained by Iran from China (the latter buys desperately needed oil from the former) and sealed in containers which, when the charges on the ship are set off after the crew took to boats, will be blasted high into the air where prevailing winds will push the highly dangerous and radioactive clout ashore.

Given the large number of deaths from the questing Somali pirates, it should be obvious that when the contents of the ship's locked cargo containers finally descended onto the land, the death toll would be enormous. The ship was nothing more nor less than the long-anticipated Iranian attack on Israel."

Security concerns a major issue for Latin America

The Communists are destabilizing the region and demanding that someone do something about it? This sounds backwards. It is time to finish off those Marxist scum once and for all.

If things are so great in Communist countries, why do they always want to blame their lack of interaction with other countries on their surplus of poverty? And then they invade those other countries! Why do they have to make up provocations like this? To invade and destabilize others?



http://www.miamiherald.com/americas_conference/story/712044.html

Violent crime and lack of security mechanisms have emerged as major concerns in Latin America and the Caribbean, regional leaders at the Americas Conference said Friday.

''Violent crimes going from kidnappings to executions have become front-page news in all the papers and broadcasts in the region,'' said Samuel Lewis Navarro, Panama's vice president and minister of foreign affairs. ``Today, in Panama, every poll made shows that security is among the first causes of concern of the population.''

At the session, ''Security in Latin America and the Caribbean,'' panelists argued that a strong police force is paramount for development, and that larger countries need to help smaller ones in their efforts to battle violent crime and criminal networks.

Haiti came up as an example of a country rife with insecurity, but that other nations suffered from more violent crime.

''Is Haiti the next Afghanistan?,'' asked Gerardo Le Chevallier, a United Nations official in Haiti on the panel. ``I believe that it is a little exaggerated -- Haiti is one of the safer countries in the Caribbean, as far as violent deaths and kidnapping.''

One panelist said organized crime can best be tackled when more developed countries pitch in to help smaller ones.

''It's not only an act of solidarity,'' said Le Chevallier, director of political affairs and planning in the United Nations, ``but an act of moral responsibility.''

Russian Forces Begin to Shut Georgia Checkpoints

The Soviets refuse to give up their conquests from the violent and dangerous Georgian barbarians. Why should they? Can anyone stand up to them?

Russian Forces Begin to Shut Georgia Checkpoints - NYTimes.com: "Russian peacekeeping forces dismantled one checkpoint and were at work removing several others on Sunday, five days before a deadline for Russian troops to withdraw from buffer zones outside the separatist enclaves of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The activity came two days after an explosion in Tskhinvali, the South Ossetian capital, killed eight Russian soldiers and three Ossetian civilians, threatening to disrupt the schedule for withdrawal.

Georgian authorities said the moves were signs that Russia would meet the deadline.

“They have probably decided to continue with the withdrawal,” said Shota Utiashvili, a senior official for Georgia’s Interior Ministry. “We expect by the 10th, it will be over.”

A peace deal brokered by President Nicolas Sarkozy of France set Oct. 10, this Friday, as the deadline for Russian troops to yield the buffer zones to Georgia. European Union monitors have been carrying out patrols in the buffer zones since last Wednesday in preparation for the transfer."

Iran Cracks Down On Hezbollah

Leadership: Iran Cracks Down On Hezbollah: "Iran Cracks Down On Hezbollah

October 13, 2008: Iran has taken tighter control over Hezbollah, a Lebanese organization it founded, armed and heavily influenced for over a quarter century. In Lebanon, Hezbollah is still fuming over the killing, last February of their number two guy, Imad Mughniyeh, in Syria. He was killed by a car bomb in Damascus. This was embarrassing for Syria, a police state with a long reputation for getting along with terrorists. Israel was blamed, although there were plenty of other suspects (Saudi Arabia, Lebanese, even Iraqis and Iran). But now a replacement for Mughniyeh has been revealed. It's Mohammad Rida Zahidi, a senior officer in one of the many secret police organizations that keep Iranians in line. Zahidi's most recent assignment was to run the security organization that protected senior government officials. A decade ago, he served as a senior official in the Iranian embassy in Lebanon.

Zahidi will take over the late Mughniyeh's chores of coordinating operations between Hezbollah and Syria. That's a critical job, as most Hezbollah weapons, and much else, comes across the Syrian border into Lebanon. Mughniyeh was considered the number two man in Hezbollah. But while Mughniyeh was Lebanese, Zahidi is an Iranian. It's believed that the Iranians want Hezbollah to calm down and not engage in risky behavior (like the 2006 war with Israel, which Hezbollah declared a victory, but wasn't, and Iran knows it.)

In an attempt to get some revenge for Mughniyeh's death, Hezbollah has threatened to make attacks against Israeli targets outside of Israel. This has not been done much in the past because Hezbollah relied on fund raising and recruiting among Moslems (especially Shia) living outside the Middle East (especially in the West). But in the past few years, Western counter-terror efforts have cracked down on both of these activities anyway. So there is real fear that the furor over Mughniyeh's death will encourage Hezbollah to branch out into international terrorism. The downside of this is increased international efforts against Hezbollah. Logic, however, does not always play with Hezbollah, or the Islamic radicals in the Iranian government who provide money and weapons for the Lebanese based Hezbollah. Then again, the Iranian Islamic radicals are on the defensive at home, where Iranians are increasingly angry over how the religious dictatorship has mismanaged the economy, and stepped up use of religious police to enforce rules on how people are supposed to live (no entertainment, dress codes for young men and women, press censorship, etc). Going international with their terrorism would be a big mistake for Hezbollah, but they just might do it. Unless their new number 2 guy, the Iranian secret policeman Zahidi, stops them.
"

Another Iraqi Christian murdered in Mosul

I can understand this being ignored. No one cares about Muslims killing Christians in the name of Allah. Except those who have hearts.

DEBKAfile - Another Iraqi Christian murdered in Mosul: "A businessman gunned down in his shop Sunday was the 12th Christian killed in the northern Iraqi town of Mosul since Sept. 28 in the worst violence targeting this minority in five years. Prime minister Maliki has deployed 1,000 police to patrol the four largely Christian districts of Mosul and set up checkpoints at churches, as some 3,000 have fled the city. Three homes of Christians were blown up Saturday.

The Iraqi authorities have not named the hand behind the murders of Christians except as an “anti-government groups working with criminal gangs.” DEBKAfile’s sources believe the campaign is waged by local radical Sunnis working with al Qaeda cells, which are still present in Mosul despite US operations.

The US military has detained six suspected “anti-government fighters” in Mosul one of whom is in believed to be in contact with a “foreign terrorist.”

Chaldean Archbishop Louis Sako said: "We are the target of a campaign of liquidation,” and called on US forces to do more to protect Christians and other minorities.

The 800,000 Christians living in Iraq in 2003 have shrunk by a third as many fled the country, said Sako. In March, the body of the Chaldean archbishop of Mosul, Paul Faraj Rahho was found in a shallow grave in the city two weeks after he was abducted.

United Nations special representative to Iraq Staffan de Mistura is concerned by the spike in the violence targeting the Christian communities in recent days. The agency had provided help to 102 families and emergency assistance on Sunday to another 400, he said."

Rabbis and Sheiks set up joint forum to calm Acre

Those Eveel Joos! They wanted to have some quiet respect for their holiday and some innocent Pally who wanted to have a little fun. Why do the Joos always have to ruin the fun of the Pallys?

Naturally, the Peaceful and Fun Pallys held a Peace Rally in the devastated area(s) as soon as the Joos were finished looting the Arab shops, because they are the Religion of Peace and they Respect Other Religions. Especially the Jewish religion that they are descended from.

Right?

DEBKAfile - Rabbis and Sheiks set up joint forum to calm Acre: "A reinforced police contingent of 700 officers will remain in the northern Israeli town of Acre to keep the peace after four days of of Arab-Israeli clashes.

Dozens of arrests were made as Jewish and Arab youths pelted each other with stones. Three Arab apartments were torched and Jewish cars smashed. Mayor Lankry accused the police of being too soft in handling the violence in the town.

DEBKAfile reported earlier:

Israeli police have decided to play down the seriousness of the outbreak in the mixed northern town of Acre, which began with a noisy Arab motorist speeding through a Jewish street on Yom Kippur Eve, Oct. 8 and ended with an Arab mob screaming “Itbakh al Yahoud” (Slaughter the Jews)as they smashed and looted Jewish shops.

The ancient town of some 60,000 souls (of which one-third are Arabs) on Israel’s Mediterranean coast north of Haifa had settled down Wednesday night to pray and fast on the Jewish Day of Atonement, on which vehicular traffic customarily stops all over Israel, when a car driven by an Arab resident hurtled at high speed down a mostly-Jewish street on the eastern side of the town.

Witnesses reported that pedestrians fled in panic from its path. The driver refused requests to turn down his blaring radio, whereupon a group of Jewish youths smashed his car windows. He parked, ran into one of the houses and pelted the crowd outside with household objects and curses.

Fifteen minutes later, four more cars drove up packed with Arab youths. They careened around the predominantly Jewish neighborhood shouting “Allah is Great” and “Death to the Jews.” Meanwhile hundreds of young Arabs swarmed through Acre’s main thoroughfare, Ben-Ami Street, smashing and looting hundreds of Jewish shops. They overturned parked cars and knocked over traffic lights, Hebrew signboards and fences.

The police failed to intervene. In fact only half a dozen cops were on duty, none officers and none Jewish. After Yom Kippur was over, Thursday night, the police commissioner Dudi Cohen, ordered roadblocks set up to divide the mostly Jewish eastern side from the Arab western districts of the town (a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site for its rare antiquities)in the same way as he dismissed the earlier bulldozer attacks in Jerusalem as the work of lone individuals."