The Saloon dot net

Hezbollah denies involvement in Israel rocket attack

Roland, the Gunslinger — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:44:12 -0500

"Lebanon denounces and condemns the firing of rockets (in to northern Israel) and the retaliatory action and believes that such action is in violation of UN Security Council resolution 1701," Siniora said in a statement.

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Propaganda Wars and YouTube: Hamas video posted describing Israeli attack on Gaza UN school; Israel counters that Hamas was using the building to fire mortar bombs at them

Roland, the Gunslinger — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:39:33 -0500

Al Jazeera's report of an Israeli attack on a UN school in Gaza

Israel version of the event: Hamas was firing mortar rockets from the "school", making it a legitimate target

Thank goodness for the Internet. -Roland

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Carter: Israel/Hamas latest rhubarb "an unnecessary war"

Roland, the Gunslinger — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 05:00:49 -0500

From Washington Post: After visiting Sderot last April and seeing the serious psychological damage caused by the rockets that had fallen in that area, my wife, Rosalynn, and I declared their launching from Gaza to be inexcusable and an act of terrorism. Although casualties were rare (three deaths in seven years)...We knew that the 1.5 million inhabitants of Gaza were being starved, as the U.N. special rapporteur on the right to food had found that acute malnutrition in Gaza was on the same scale as in the poorest nations in the southern Sahara, with more than half of all Palestinian families eating only one meal a day.

Palestinian leaders from Gaza were noncommittal on all issues, claiming that rockets were the only way to respond to their imprisonment and to dramatize their humanitarian plight. The top Hamas leaders in Damascus, however, agreed to consider a cease-fire in Gaza only, provided Israel would not attack Gaza and would permit normal humanitarian supplies to be delivered to Palestinian citizens.

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New blast at British Columbia pipeline

Roland, the Gunslinger — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:24:25 -0500

Vancouver - Another explosion has targeted an EnCana natural gas facility in northeastern British Columbia. RCMP say EnCana gas line workers discovered a partially destroyed metering shed on Sunday at a wellhead near the community of Tomslake. Police say this appears to be a deliberate attack, similar to three other blasts in October...The explosions were preceded by a letter that called oil and gas companies, and EnCana in particular, ''terrorists'' and demanded an immediate halt to operations

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Sarkozy tackles France's car burners

Roland, the Gunslinger — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 19:22:35 -0500

President Nicolas Sarkozy vowed to crack down on France's car burning after more than 1,100 vehicles went up in flames overnight on New Year's Eve. Sarkozy said he had asked authorities to be "uncompromising" with vehicle arsonists and said those caught burning other people's cars should lose their own licences until the damage had been paid for. "There is no reason why honest people should have to pay the consequences of the behaviour of delinquents,"

(This is "getting tough" with criminals in France? Taking away their drivers license? Not jail? -Roland)

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Americans Closely Divided Over Israel’s Gaza Attacks

Roland, the Gunslinger — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 18:45:42 -0500

Americans, while far more sympathetic to Israel than the Palestinians, are closely divided over whether the Jewish state should be taking military action against militants in the Gaza Strip...Sixty-two percent (62%) of Republicans back Israel’s decision to take military action against the Palestinians, but only half as many Democrats (31%) agree. A majority of Democrats (55%) say Israel should have tried to find a diplomatic solution first

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Don't Tell Media Attacks On Israel Increased Since Hamas Elected

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Video: IDF takes out Hamas vehicle being loaded to transport missiles

Roland, the Gunslinger — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 21:11:26 -0500

Israeli Air Force Strikes Rockets in Transit 28 Dec. 2008

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Australia may take former Guantanamo Bay inmates

Roland, the Gunslinger — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 12:08:04 -0500

As the Greens warned the Prime Minister he faced a political backlash if he accepted detainees held in the US military jail at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, a spokesman for Mr Rudd confirmed US authorities had approached Australia and other countries about resettling the detainees.

"Australia, along with a number of other countries, has been approached to consider resettling detainees from Guantanamo Bay," the Prime Minister's spokesman said.

"Any determination for an individual to come to Australia would be made on a case-by-case basis.

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Suzanna Gratia-Hupp Explains Real Purpose of Second Amendment

Roland, the Gunslinger — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 11:51:07 -0500

This lady has a lot to say on the subject, but her final statement says it all.

H/T old friend, Keith!

Gratia-Hupp wiki

A Christmas Tale -- 1919

Roland, the Gunslinger — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 08:28:32 -0500

It's easy to complain in the midst of a stressful holiday season. But my family has a unique remedy: We remember one special Christmas in 1919 that gave us the freedom and liberty we enjoy today. This will be the 89th anniversary of the year my father celebrated Christmas Eve deep in the snow-laden woods of Russia as he fled the Communist takeover of his homeland.

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FBI Informant: Washington Post Censors Truth About Bill Ayers

Roland, the Gunslinger — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:12:06 -0500

From the AIM article: (Editor’s Note: This column by Larry D. Grathwohl, a former FBI informant in the Weather Underground, was written in response to Charles Lane’s December 11, 2008, Washington Post column, “The Unreal Bill Ayers: Three Decades After the Weather Underground’s End, He’s Still Justifying Its Means.” This Grathwohl column was rejected for publication by the Washington Post.)

I am Larry Grathwohl and have been acknowledged as the only person to infiltrate the Weather Underground as an informant for the FBI. I offer the following comments and observations regarding the article “The Unreal Bill Ayers” recently written by Charles Lane for the Washington Post.

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Times Public Editor Tries to Rationalize Paper’s Use of “Terrorist” Label

Roland, the Gunslinger — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 03:33:06 -0500

Hoyt also explains, “The Times does not call Hamas a terrorist organization, though it sponsors acts of terror against Israel,” because “Hamas was elected to govern Gaza.” And “it provides social services and operates charities, hospitals, and clinics.”

The National Socialists were elected to govern Germany. Does that mean the Holocaust wasn’t a crime against humanity? If Al-Qaeda ran hospitals and clinics, would that make it something other than a terrorist gang?

If you can’t call someone who kills a five-year-old girl to advance a political cause a terrorist, how do you describe them - as an overly enthusiastic partisan, a misguided freedom-fighter or an unfortunate individual who was driven to acts of desperation?

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AIG now offering 'sharia-compliant' insurance products

Roland, the Gunslinger — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 03:04:28 -0500

Takaful is similar to mutual insurance and cooperative risk sharing but there are key differences including a clear segregation of funds owned by participants and those owned by the insurance operations entity. Investments of funds are also restricted to avoid companies involved in entertainment, alcohol, pork and other elements prohibited by Islamic law.

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What Posse Comitatus? Army 'Strategic Shock' Report Says Troops May Be Needed To Quell U.S. Civil Unrest

Roland, the Gunslinger — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:31:14 -0500

Infowars.net: “The U.S. military expects to have 20,000 uniformed troops inside the United States by 2011 trained to help state and local officials respond to a nuclear terrorist attack or other domestic catastrophe, according to Pentagon officials,” reported the Washington Post last month.

In a September 8 Army Times article, Northcom announced that the first wave of the troop deployment, which was put in place on October 1st at Fort Stewart and at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, would be aimed at tackling “civil unrest and crowd control”.

After a controversy arose surrounding the admissions made in the Army Times article, Northcom retracted the claim but conceded that both lethal and non-lethal weaponry traditionally used in crowd control and riot situations would still be used in the field.

The increasing militarization of America is part of a long term agenda to abolish Constitutional rule and establish a "military form of government," following a large scale terror attack or similar disaster, as Tommy Franks, the former commander of the military’s Central Command, alluded to in a November 2003 Cigar Aficionado piece.

Franks outlined the scenario by which martial law would be put in place, saying, “It means the potential of a weapon of mass destruction and a terrorist, massive, casualty-producing event somewhere in the Western world – it may be in the United States of America – that causes our population to question our own Constitution and to begin to militarize our country in order to avoid a repeat of another mass, casualty-producing event. Which in fact, then begins to unravel the fabric of our Constitution. Two steps, very, very important.

In the short term, the domestic deployment of troops is likely aimed at combating likely civil unrest that will ensue after a complete economic collapse followed by a devastating period of hyperinflation.

This warning was again echoed a few days ago in a leaked internal memo from Citibank.

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Was Palin's Church Fire-bombed?

Roland, the Gunslinger — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:25:27 -0500

Via Anchorage Daily News:Fire officials are investigating a suspicious blaze at one of the biggest churches in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. The pastor is estimating damage at more than $1 million.

No one was injured in the fire at the Wasilla Bible Church, which started late Friday. About a half dozen church members were in the building doing crafts when the fire began but were able to get out safely after the building’s fire alarm sounded, pastor Larry Kroon said.

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Who hoaxed a call to the Pakistani president, threatening retaliatory military action for the Mumbai attacks...and why?

Roland, the Gunslinger — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 01:01:29 -0500

The hoax caller threatened to take military action against Pakistan in response to the then ongoing Mumbai attacks, which India has since blamed on the Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), they said.

Mr Zardari responded by placing Pakistan's air force on high alert and telephoning Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State, to ask her to intervene.

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Washington Post: 20,000 More U.S. Troops To Be Deployed For “Domestic Security”

Roland, the Gunslinger — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 17:19:09 -0500

Section 1385 of the Posse Comitatus Act states, “Whoever, except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress, willfully uses any part of the Army or the Air Force as a posse comitatus or otherwise to execute the laws shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.”

Under the John Warner Defense Authorization Act, signed by President Bush on October 17, 2006, the law was changed to state, “The President may employ the armed forces to restore public order in any State of the United States the President determines hinders the execution of laws or deprives people of a right, privilege, immunity, or protection named in the Constitution and secured by law or opposes or obstructs the execution of the laws of the United States or impedes the course of justice under those laws.”

However, these changes were repealed in their entirety by HR 4986: National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, reverting back to the original state of the Insurrection Act of 1807. Despite this repeal, President Bush attached a signing statement saying that he did not feel bound by the repeal. It remains to be seen whether President elect Obama will reverse Bush’s signing statement.

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Jewish mother killed in Mumbai attacks 'was pregnant'... and her son, 2, may have been beaten by militants

Roland, the Gunslinger — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:31:24 -0500

The Jewish mother murdered in the brutal Mumbai terror attacks last week was six month pregnant, her father revealed today at her funeral.

And Rivkah Holtzberg's two-year-old son, Moshe, may have been beaten by the militants, reports have claimed.

His back was covered in bruises consistent with abuse, the chairman of Zaka, Israel's ultraorthodox recovery service, told Sky News.

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Psychotic terrorists in search of a grievance

Roland, the Gunslinger — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:59:35 -0500

So, why kill the rabbi? There is a branch of apologetics - which I take crudely to be the belief that the crime is the fault of the victim - that assumes a milder form, and which I'll call explanetics. So the explanatists view of the Mumbai massacres last week is that the cause lies in what concretely has been done to, or in the vicinity of, the young, cool-looking men with the grenades and the machineguns

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Mumbai: Deadly Media Euphemisms

Roland, the Gunslinger — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:31:41 -0500

THE international media have already morphed the horrific slaughter in Mumbai into the murky realm of euphemism and apologetics.

Al Jazeera and The Guardian label the terrorists "gunmen"; CNN calls them "militants." Some analysts identified the underlying cause as the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan. Psychological guru Deepak Chopra called it the result of "collateral damage" from the US war on terrorism and the Iraq war.

One cameraman who saw armed police refusing to open fire on the Mumbai terrorists lamented that he didn't have a gun instead of a camera. Yet what the world desperately needs today is not armed media, but reporters brave enough to tell the truth

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Mumbai terrorists were 'funded by cash raised in UK mosques'

Roland, the Gunslinger — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 22:52:27 -0500

A banned Islamic terrorist group funded with cash raised in British mosques is believed to be behind the Mumbai attacks.

Kashmiri separatists Lashkar-e-Taiba, ‘The Army of the Righteous’, which has strong links to Al Qaeda, is accused of previous terrorist outrages in India.

And intercepted telephone and radio communications before and during the latest attacks apparently suggest a link

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Tolerating intolerance

Roland, the Gunslinger — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 12:22:15 -0500

THE involvement of Britons among the terrorists responsible for the murders of more than 150 people in Mumbai last week signals another milestone in the march of multiculturalism and the failure of Western and democratised nations to deal with Islamists.

In the mosques of London, leaders like Anjem Choudary, right-hand man to the hate-filled cleric Omar Bakri, were praising the killers, saying any Britons or Americans among the dead were targeted legitimately because they should not have gone to India....From the shores of Somalia to the cells of Guantanamo, the West is in confused retreat, its politicians too concerned about appearing to be in breach of international civil rights covenants than they are about the safety of their citizens.

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IBD: The Spread Of Nihilism's Bloody Stain

Roland, the Gunslinger — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 11:49:07 -0500

War On Terror: The terrorist assault on Mumbai is the latest clash between civilization and nihilism. From the Somali pirates to the Taliban, this is what the world would be like without America. Mumbai (formerly Bombay) now joins London, Madrid, Bali, Casablanca, Baghdad, Fallujah, Washington, D.C., New York and a field in Pennsylvania as battlefields in the war on terror. The motives and the identity of the perpetrators are not clear, but they don't really...

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Why Did the Bush State Department Forbid the Use of the Word 'Jihad' Last April?

Roland, the Gunslinger — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 18:44:29 -0500

Times Reports Two British MPs Demanding To Know if Intelligence Was Notified Beforehand of US Attack on Brit Al Qaeda Member

Roland, the Gunslinger — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 23:26:44 -0500

Britain's intelligence services appear to have been kept in the dark about Saturday's US missile attack on a house in northwest Pakistan that reportedly killed Rashid Rauf, a top British al-Qaeda suspect.

Although his death will take a few days to be confirmed officially, the strike by a Predator drone, armed with Hellfire missiles and precision-guided bombs, was the first time that the US had targeted a British suspect hiding in the lawless North Waziristan region of Pakistan.

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Habeas corpus hearings could set terrorists free inside the U.S.

Roland, the Gunslinger — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:55:58 -0500

Last June in Boumediene v. Bush, the Supreme Court ruled for the first time in our history that aliens captured and held as enemy combatants abroad (in this case, at the Guantanamo Bay military base) had a constitutional right to challenge their detentions by filing petitions for habeas corpus in federal court. The Court recognized that its holding was unprecedented. Yet it said that it was not deciding how such proceedings should be conducted, or even what the government must show to prevail.

Yesterday, the federal district court in Washington concluded the first such habeas proceeding for six detainees. It held that the government had established a basis for holding only one of them as an enemy combatant. The court acknowledged that the evidence the detainees were planning to travel to Afghanistan to join the fight was perfectly appropriate for use as intelligence (the purpose for which it was collected) -- but that such evidence was not sufficient to carry the government's burden of proving in court that the detainees were enemy combatants.

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Federal Judge Orders Release of 5 Terror Suspects Held at Guantanamo Bay Prison

Roland, the Gunslinger — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 22:10:32 -0500

A federal judge ordered the release of five Algerian terror suspects held without charges at Guantanamo Bay prison for almost seven years.

In the first civilian court ruling for terror suspects challenging their detention, U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon said Thursday that the five men could not be held indefinitely as enemy combatants

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Pentagon Hit by Unprecedented Cyber Attack

Roland, the Gunslinger — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:54:29 -0500

The Pentagon has suffered from a cyber attack so alarming that it has taken the unprecedented step of banning the use of external hardware devices, such as flash drives and DVD's, FOX News has learned. The attack came in the form of a global virus or worm that is spreading rapidly throughout a number of military networks.

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Murtha seeks immunity from suit

Roland, the Gunslinger — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 11:56:30 -0500

A Marine who sued U.S. Rep. John Murtha for defamation urged a federal appeals court Tuesday to order the Johnstown Democrat to testify under oath in the case. An attorney for Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich told the court that he needs Murtha’s deposition to determine how often the congressman made the claim that Marines in Iraq engaged in “cold-blooded murder and war crimes” in the slayings of civilians in Haditha

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Michael Yon: In Time of War

Roland, the Gunslinger — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:29:16 -0500

Whatever else, Mr. President-elect, this is no time to go wobbly. It is important to note that some top British and U.S. commanders believe that we can make a “success” out of Afghanistan. We’ve learned a few things over the past seven years. We’ve truly got a “dream-team” of military commanders with great in-theater experience, to advise and guide the next phase. They saved Iraq. Use them well, Sir.

(H/T to Pedro)

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