Archive for category Terrorism

just scratching the surface

Mar 18

Posted by A. Peasant in 9-11, Bush/Cheney, CIA, Corruption & Crime, Military, NWO, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Surveillance, Terrorism | No Comments

Spirit of Iridium

squarecompass1

1. Russia to buy into Iridium communications system

Evgeniya Chaykovskaya

US satellites could help far-flung Russians talk to each other - but some fear national security could be compromised.

Phoning family in far-flung regions could be going global, amid reports that an advisory panel is set to recommend Russia signs up to an American satellite system to improve communications in the far north.

An analytical note seen by RBC Daily says of the four available services - including Russia’s own Gonets - Iridium is the only system with full coverage of the country, including the Arctic and the northern seaways.

Iridium’s network of 66 satellites makes it the largest of its type - but its rumoured connections with the Pentagon have alarmed some in Russia.

Yury Zaitsev, acting academic advisor to the Academy of Engineering Science, warned RBC Daily that all info on Iridium goes through a control centre in the USA - potentially giving them access to strategically important data from some of Russia’s most remote and unprotected border regions.

These distant settlements rely on satellites for phone and internet services because the population is too small and landline or mobile links are too expensive to set up.

The most likely clients are oil and energy companies and ship owners, and Iridium is apparently ready to open a gateway to Russia. But they would have to pass 51 per cent of its local subsidiary into Russian control.

One year ago there were also discussions about using Iridium in Russia, but no deal was reached. At the moment thousands of subscribers are using the service even though it is illegal.

source: moscow times

2. one year ago: cryptogon report on Iridium, a network apparently used for intelligence ops:

So, an Iridium satellite just happened to collide with a defunct Russian military satellite…

You’re about to learn how the sausage gets made, and, before we begin, you should know that it’s not pretty.

I don’t know the whole story about Iridium, but it has got to be one of the spookiest tales of them all.

In November 1998, Motorola activated the Iridium communications network, a constellation of low-earth orbit satellites that provides wireless telecom and data services to any location on the planet. The cost to build the system? About $5 billion. By August 1999, unable to sign up enough customers—because of extremely high handset costs and per minute usage fees—Iridium was facing bankruptcy.

(If you know of a more complete account of what happened next, please let me know about it.)

Iridium executive Dan Colussy put together a group of “private investors” to buy the Iridium system.

According to Iridium:

In December 2000, a group of private investors led by Dan Colussy organized Iridium Satellite LLC. Iridium Satellite LLC acquired the operating assets of the bankrupt Iridium LLC including the satellite constellation, the terrestrial network, Iridium real property and intellectual capital.

How much did this group of private investors pay for the system that cost about $5 billion to build?

$25 million. That’s a discount of about 99.5% off the build cost.

Who were those private investors who just happened to be at the right place at the right time? I’ll be buggered if I know, but someone, somewhere probably knows.

But guess what happened next.

…..snip….to DOD press release from 2000:

Since the Navy has a requirement more than twice as large as the current capability, the Department of Defense needs the capacity Iridium uniquely offers small unit operations in areas without satellite constellation coverage or during periods when various assets are being used in other contingencies. Special Forces operations, combat search and rescue activities and polar communications will also be enhanced. Iridium will provide a unique resource to enhance DoD mobile satellite communications requirements.

keep going….it gets much worse…..:

In an odd twist, the new Iridium is 24% owned by an investment firm controlled by Prince Khalid bin Abdullah bin Abdulrahman of Saudi Arabia.

The prince used to own a minority chunk of the old Iridium in partnership with the Saudi Binladen Group, the company run by Osama bin Laden’s family.

state sponsored plots in India

Mar 9

Posted by A. Peasant in CIA, Children, Corruption & Crime, Identities, India, Israel, Mumbai, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Terrorism | No Comments

1. Kasab trial: as predicted, prosecution blames Pakistan, specifically that Pak Army sponsored Mumbai attacks — state sponsored — that means PAKISTAN, not any other states like maybe India or Israel or the US or the UK.

The 26/11 trial took a new turn on Tuesday with the prosecution stating that Pakistan Army was involved in the Mumbai terror attacks and a serving Major General had supervised their training in LeT camps across the border.

“The conspiracy of the 26/11 attack was hatched on Pakistan soil…It was a classic case of state-sponsored terrorism”, Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said in his final arguments which began in a high-security court at Central Prison here.

Attired in white kurta and pyjama, 22-year-old Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving Pakistani gunman, was seen in the dock covering his face with a handkerchief most of the time. Two other accused, Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed, sat besides him on a bench.

Nikam said Kasab and the nine other slain terrorists had undergone military and intelligence training in Pakistan given by activists of terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and supervised by certain officers of the Pakistan Army….Kasab, he said, was a well trained commando and had also been imparted intelligence training to mislead the court. He had taken U-turns a number of times by making confessions and later retracting them, Nikam said. Alleging that the LeT and the Army were hand-in glove, the prosecution said a deliberate attempt was made by the conspirators to conceal Pakistan’s involvement in the attack.

more @ express india

Kasab has also said that he was framed by the Israelis, and RAW, and interrogated by David Headley, alleged CIA agent. Also note that Ansari’s attorney was assassinated a few weeks before the trial started.

2. more “Pakistani” terror, sailing from Colombo, Sri Lanka, ? “intelligence” sounds the alert leading to big display of police state in Mumbai harbor

On Friday, a red alert was sounded in and around the Mumbai harbour after a central intelligence agency provided fresh inputs that a mystery ship could be heading towards Mumbai from the Colombo harbour

The intelligence points to an attack on warships in the harbour. A group of trained marine commandos has been assigned to carry out the strike.

Coast Guard sources said five patrol vessels had sailed out of Mumbai harbour on the same day to track down the vessel and all ships have been put on high alert. Officially, the Coast Guard have chosen to remain tight-lipped. Its spokesperson, Commandant A Malhotra, refused to furnish details of the alert.

Officials said the ship could be carrying arms for Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives, at the behest of Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence. There is a possibility that the crew could pull off a high seas transfer of arms and ammunition.

Coast Guard air stations at Dabolim in Goa and the Union Territory of Daman, about 200 km north of Mumbai, have also been put on alert. Sorties are being flown to assist ships in locating the mystery ship.

The alert follows another sounded in January this year on the heels of another group of trained Pakistani marine commandos planning to strike defencep establishments in and around Mumbai.

This was followed by joint patrolling by the Mumbai police, Coast Guard, Navy, Customs and port officials.

All naval and Coast Guard ships have been placed on high alert and security has been beefed up around defence establishments and ships off Mumbai harbour.

Naval commandos have been deployed round the clock on battleships in docks and entry to defence areas has been restricted to visitors.

source

3. body of 9 year old girl found in police housing colony

The body of a nine-year-old girl was on Sunday discovered on the terrace of a building in the police housing colony in northeast Mumbai, police said.

As the news spread, hundreds of angry city residents from nearby areas marched to the police station in Nehru Nagar and held protests, demanding action against the culprits.

The victim, Anjali Jaiswal, was reported missing after 7.30 pm on Saturday by her family. She was a Class 4 student and lived in a nearby slum.

Her body was discovered by the daughter of an assistant police inspector when she went to hang clothes to dry on the terrace around 10.30 am on Sunday. This created a sensation in the area and several hundred irate residents marched to the police station.

Police declined to reveal further details and the victim’s body, which bore some injury marks, has been sent for an autopsy to Rajawadi Hospital.

An official of the Nehru Nagar police station said a special team had been formed to probe the case.

The victim’s family, however, took strong exception to the police directly sending her body for an autopsy before informing them.

There are around a dozen buildings in the colony housing police personnel from different parts of Mumbai.

source

not for nothing

Mar 9

Posted by A. Peasant in Corruption & Crime, Drug Trafficking, Human Trafficking, Latin America, Paraguay, TBA, Terrorism | No Comments

A curious story from Paraguay…

Belgian Couple Murdered in Paraguay

ASUNCION – A Belgian couple was shot to death at their farm in Piribebuy, located 55 kilometers (34 miles) east of Asuncion, when they resisted a robbery attempt by four men, Paraguayan police said on Thursday.

Jacques Pierre F.G. Graulle and his wife, Thoelen Marcelle Roberte Henriette, who owned the Don Juan farm, were killed Wednesday night.

The farm is located on one of the roads that leads to Piribebuy, a town in Central province.

A foreign citizen, who was not identified by police, told investigators she was dining with the couple when four armed men wearing ski masks entered the farmhouse.

Graulle fired at the assailants with his firearm, killing one of the men and wounding another, who fled from the scene with the other two men, the eyewitness said.

Graulle’s body was found on the floor with several gunshot wounds, while his wife was dead in a chair and the assailant’s body was on the floor, police said.

No word what the “robbers” wanted. No word on the identity of the foreign citizen, and why she was not harmed by the “robbers.” No word on what kind of farming is going on there outside of Piribebuy…..

No stories in the Belgium papers either about the death of their compatriots. Nothing to see here.

^^^^^^^

Last month I wrote about the Tri-Border Area, where Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina meet.

organized crime paradise

Lots of organized crime and human trafficking takes place in this area.

Paraguay (click to enlarge, source)

The capital of Paraguay, Asuncion, is opposite to the TBA, on the Argentina border, and Paraguay is less than 200 miles across at that point. And there’s a Pan American Highway running along that exact route. How convenient is that?!

Pirebebuy lies 34 miles east of Asuncion, 5 miles south of the Pan American Highway. It’s on that little road between Caacupe and Paraguari (if you enlarge the map). Lots of lush green countryside. Off the beaten path, but not too far off the path. In the middle of nowhere, but on a route to somewhere.

^^^^^^^

It appears that Paraguay had a long-standing corruption problem as reported in 2002, at least according to Transparency International, a Berlin-based watchdog group.

“In Paraguay, corruption remains systematic,” the annual report said in giving Paraguay a score of 1.7 out of 10, worse than all but Nigeria and Bangladesh. (Finland received the highest score, with 9.5. The United States was 16th with 7.7.)

…Half the country’s retailers do not pay value added tax on the goods they sell and the government only collects around 35 percent of the taxes it is owed, according to experts. Of those that do file returns, 93 percent cheat in some way, according to one recent study.

The government, prompted by local groups and international institutions such as the World Bank, last year charged a joint parliamentary-civilian commission with changing the culture of graft. Focusing on customs, public-works contracts, and the judiciary – the three main areas where corruption is worst – the commission hopes to identify more offenders and more forcefully punish them.

It appears that Paraguay still had a corruption problem in 2006.

The U.S. Embassy in Paraguay said in its annual report, published Wednesday, that Paraguay suffered from police corruption and an inefficient justice system, both of which had a hand in helping drug trafficking. Benitez responded that the only well founded accusation made by the U.S. embassy in Paraguay had been that against former narcotics division chief Aristides Cabral, who was currently in jail. The U.S. report also detailed international cooperation in the world-wide fight against illegal drugs, and identified Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and Paraguay as being trafficking routes and money laundering locations.

And as of last year… still a problem.

On January 12th [2009], Martin Ocampos Paez, the director of Paraguay’s Hugua Nandu FM community radio station, was assassinated at his home in the city of Concepcion. The crime raised a red flag for activists concerned with Paraguay’s ongoing battle with large-scale corruption, not to mention those monitoring press freedom. More specifically, members of Paraguay’s journalists union have speculated that Paez’s death was linked to comments he had made regarding ties between high-level Paraguayan politicians and illegal drug trafficking.

^^^^^^^

There are approximately 5 million people in Paraguay.
Ninety-five percent of the people in Paraguay are Roman Catholic.
Of the remaining five percent, most of those are Protestant.
About 70,000 people are Mormons.
About 1,000 are Jews, one of the most isolated groups of Jews in the world.

The great majority of Jews live in the capital, Asuncion.

The Paraguayan community is publicly represented by the Consejo Representativo Israelita de Paraguay. There are at least ten other Jewish organizations, including WIZO, B’nai B’rith, and several youth movements. There are three synagogues: one Ashkenazi, one Sephardi, and one affiliated with Chabad that distributes kosher food to the community. These institutions function without a rabbi. The community maintains a Jewish school, the Colegio Integral Estado de Israel, which provides both primary and secondary education for the majority of Jewish children. There is a Jewish museum with a Holocaust memorial in Asuncion.
Israel
Israel and Paraguay maintain full diplomatic relations.

(http://www.haruth.com/JewsParaguay.html)

The young rabbi of Asuncion Chabad, Levi Feigelstock, was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina. His wife is from London. (http://www.gelfmagazine.com/archives/sabbath_in_asuncin.php)

The Chabad rabbis are not so different from the thousands of Mormons who arrive in all corners of the globe to spread the Good Word: They are young and energetic, having been specially groomed for their commission to a place they likely have never heard of and that requires a worrying number of inoculations.

^^^^^^^

Lots of people feel they have commissions in Paraguay, evidently. Three Jesuits arrived in Asuncion, Paraguay in 1588. They came from Brazil and began to proselytize the Guarani Indians who lived in the area. Some tourists visit Paraguay to visit the many Jesuit ruins.

The Jesús and Trinidad Jesuit Ruins are located in Itapúa Department, Paraguay, and are religious mission that are sill preserved and that were founded by the Jesuit missioners during the colonization of South America in the XVII century.

These religious missions were created in 1609 and developed for 150 years. Both Jesuit missions were declared Historical Patrimony of Humankind by the UNESCO in 1993.

The Jesuit Missions of Paraguay are considered some of the most impressive creations of the religious work of the Jesuit, and are testimony of the historical richness of the country.

main altar of Jesus de Tavarangue

^^^^^^^

Returning to the human trafficking taking place in the TBA, all easily within driving distance on the Pan American Highway…

…Many of those trafficked through the triple frontier are destined for the illegal labour market in Brazil or Argentina. The trade in babies for adoption is also widely reported. But a large proportion end up as sex workers. Many end up in brothels across the region, although a high number are destined for the triple frontier’s own thriving sex industry.

Children are particularly vulnerable to human traffickers. Charities working with at-risk children in the border region estimate that as many as 3,500 young people could be involved. “Many girls are trafficked via the pique. It’s all highly organised”, explains Marcelina Antunez, director of Luz de Infancia, a children’s care centre in the Argentine town of Puerto Iguazú.

Driving the trade is the flood of foreign tourists who come to visit the world famous Iguazú waterfalls. Much of the demand for prostitution is casual. Yet the region also attracts a hardened group of sex tourists.

And furthermore…

Immigration officer Emilio Osses, who oversees one of the Argentine checkpoints in the area, said that contrary to popular belief, this is not the worst trafficking hotspot on Argentina’s border. He says that this tri-border area is heavily controlled — saturated with officers from at least eight local, federal and international agencies, including lots of CIA agents.

Busy busy busy.

*******

Let’s recap. Paraguay is a landlocked country in South America with a population of about five million people. On the eastern border it connects to the infamous TBA, known organized crime paradise and home to many terrorists and criminals, including, allegedly, al qaeda operatives.

At the same time, it’s a beautiful tourist destination, including, allegedly, for a hardened group of sex tourists.

Also, oddly enough (cough), there’s nothing to worry about because it’s an area crawling with officers from various local, federal and international agencies, including the CIA.

Meanwhile, surprising us no end, practically inconceivable, a thriving corridor of drug trafficking and human trafficking takes place, visible from hotel pools, including children and women as sex slaves being marched through the jungle. Pretty much right in the open.

The Pan American Highway cuts across Paraguay from the TBA to the capital, Asuncion. Asuncion is the home of most of the country’s Jewish population, who account for 0.0002 of the total population. Despite their small numbers, they are impressively organized with Sephardic, Ashkenazi and Chabad resources, a Jewish museum and Holocaust memorial.

And for good measure, the Jesuits kicked it all off 400+ years ago by converting the natives to Catholicism.

Have I forgotten anyone? Oh yes, the Mormons. They got in the action in the late 1980s.

*******

“The Jesuits’ goal was the destruction of the Protestant Reformation leading to a return of one pope sitting in judgment on all mankind. The Rothschilds goal was to control the wealth of the planet. And the Frankist vision was the destruction of Jewish ethics to be replaced by a religion based on the exact opposite of God’s intentions. When these factions blended, a bloody war against humanity, with the Jews on the front lines, erupted and it is reaching its very pinnacle at this moment.” source

the link between climate change (ie: weather modification) and violence

Mar 8

Posted by A. Peasant in Africa, Global Warming, Nigeria, Philippines, Terrorism | No Comments

1. barbaric night killings in Jos, Nigeria blamed on Fulani herdsmen

Less than two months after hudreds of people lost their lives in two days of ethno-religious crises in Jos, Plateau State, another 500 have been reported killed in a night raid on Dogon Nahowa village, Jos South local government area, yesterday. Another source said over 200 were kiled. Both figures could not be confirmed last night. The villagers said their attackers were Fulani herdsmen who swooped on them while they slept.

Reports from the village said the attack, which lasted all of two hours, began at about midnight, and the victims were completely unprepared for the fury of the marauders. The intense gunfire and wild use of cutlasses and other metallic weapons left little chance for the victims who were hacked down and burnt as they attempted to escape the massacre.

A resident of the village, Peter Jang told Reuters news agency that, “The shooting was just meant to bring people from their houses and then when people came out they started cutting them with machetes.” As at press time, fear and suspicion has spread throughout the city of Jos, and anxious residents mostly kept to their homes, especially when reports spread that the mood in Mangu Local Government in central Plateau was tense. The attackers were said to have departed the scene of their mayhem unscathed; arriving and departing with such speed that neither the villagers nor the police could mobilise fast enough to stop their escape.

more @ next

2. police arrest 93, recover weapons

“The Police arrested 93 person and they are in two categories,” the statement said.

“The police arrested 19 Fulani’s with sophisticated weapons in Anjuri village in Jos east Local Government Area,” it added.

According to the statement, the 19 Fulanis’ said they were on a revenge mission with the weapons.

“We also arrested 74 people from Mangu area of the state, with different weapons,” the police said.

Weapons recovered includes, four double barrel guns, two locally made double barrel, five AK 47, 5 mm ammunition, 34 live cartridge and many local made charms, the statement said.

more @ chinaview

3. about Fulani tribe –
The Fulani people call themselves Fulve* (Pullo, in singuler).They were originally nomadic herders, traders and farming people living throughout West Africa. Today the majority of fulani people live urban centers. While their origins are disputed, Arab writers recorded their existence over 1000 years ago. However experts believe that they originated from a region that occupied the present day Northern Senegal. Over the centuries, they migrated with their cattle to occupy vast areas in the Sahel and Savannah regions of West Africa and evolved into many subgroups with a variety of designations including Fulve, Jelgove, Gurma, Gorgave, Fellata, Fula, Fulakunda, Bororos, Wodaabe, Peul, Pulaar, Halpulaar, Liptaako, Toucouleur, and Tukolor. Presently, they live in communities throughout much of the West-Africa, from Senegal to Cameroon and as far east as Sudan and Ethiopia.The fulani range covers an area larger than continental United States and western Europe.
Historically, the Fulani played a significant role in the rise and fall of ancient African empires such as Ghana, Mali, Songhai and the Mossi states.

They greatly contributed to the spread of Islam throughout Western Africa. More recently, slavery and colonialism dispersed Fulani throughout the Middle East, the Americas and Europe. American history books are full of individuals of Fulani origin who have distinguished themselves in North and South America and the Caribbean.

Fulve have rich traditions and fascinating way of life. They have had a significant social, religious and political impact in West Africa. As minorities in most of the West African countries where they reside, the Fulani are steadily mixing with local dominant cultures. The phenomenon of local integration, combined with the impact of colonization and westernization, has slowly eroded the Fulani language and traditions.

If nothing is done to maintain their culture and language, the Fulani will simply vanish in a few generations. Without an awareness of the unique richness and formidable contribution of the Fulani traditions and without a serious effort to conserve and sustain the Fulani heritage, their culture may be lost forever. It is increasingly important to preserve this ancient culture. Jamtan.Com will explore the history, traditions and many aspects of Fulani culture to promote a better understanding of the Fulani people.

source

DESPITE A HISTORY OF CONFLICT WITH FARMERS, WHY WOULD THE FULANI PEOPLE START COMMITTING HEINOUS MIDNIGHT RAIDS MURDERING WOMEN AND CHILDREN?

ARE THE FULANI REALLY TO BLAME FOR THIS VIOLENCE? OR ARE THEY JUST A CONVENIENT SCAPEGOAT?

HOW DID THE FULANI GET IN AND OUT OF JOS SO QUICKLY? WITH THEIR HUMVEES?

4. a month ago: Nigeria: dry season forces Fulani to migrate

The prevailing dry season has forced Fulani herdsmen who are currently moving down south of the country with their herds, searching for greener grazing fields.

Nasarawa State , a major route, is currently witnessing groups of herders moving through to the greener fields of Southern Nigeria . The movement began earlier in the year, but it has heightened in the last two weeks, with unending herds of cattle trudging with luggage of their owners on the backs. A major part of the luggage, according to further observation, is the mat with which the cow boys use in sleeping in the open.

The movement is observed mostly around communities lying along the Jos-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi Road which links Nasarawa with Kaduna and Benue States .

Our correspondent observed that the Fulani cow boys move alongside their women who are seeing with large calabashes or other containers with boiled milk called Nono, selling as they move along.

One of them who stopped to speak to Daily Trust along Lafi-Makurdi Road said moving down south at this time of the year is a yearly practice, explaining that “so that our cattle can graze upon fresh fields.” He said up north, the fields are dry by this time, forcing them into the migration to Southern Nigeria .

A grazing route that will run through four neighbouring states - Nasarawa, Plateau, Benue and Ebonyi is on the way for Fulani herders as part of federal government’s efforts to tackle the incessant conflicts between the herders and farmers.

source

5. February 17th: Fulani herdsman “reported” and “suspected” of violence. the Fulani have some cows go missing, and they now want to retaliate against the people they believe took their cows.

Jos — Report of silent reprisal attacks in parts of Plateau State is growing by the day as some Fulani herdsmen are reported to have unleashed violent havoc on a Berom tribe village, in Riyom Local Government of the state with one person feared killed.

Also, farms produce worth millions of naira were destroyed in the Jol village last weekend, following a retaliatory attack suspected to have been carried out by the Fulani herdsmen.

…Also speaking on the development, the chairman of the Council Development Area, Mr Samuel Iliya said since the Fulani people gave them an ultimatum over the missing of their cows in the area they were having a sleepless nights over fear of retaliation by the herdsmen in the area.

more here

6. February 12th: menace of Fulani herdsmen is a worry in Upper West — THIS IS LINKED BACK TO CLIMATE AS THE FARMERS AND THE FULANI BOTH STRIVE TO SURVIVE WITH A WATER SHORTAGE. THE DESTRUCTION IS BLAMED ON THE FULANI, BUT ARE THE FULANI MESSING WITH THE WEATHER? OR IS THAT SOMEONE ELSE?

Gwollu (U/W), Feb. 12, GNA - In the Upper West Region there is no community, village or settlement where people are not campaigning for the expulsion of Fulani herdsmen and their cattle from the Region.

Women and children are worried because they are leading a “Mickey Mouse” freedom class of life. Their social and economic activities have been curtailed. None of them can go to the bush to fetch vegetables, pick sheanuts, baobab fruits or dawadawa fruits for home consumption. The small boys can not also go for rats and other fruits that are of nutritional value to them.

Farmers are crying loud, they can no longer leave their foodstuffs in the farms. Their yams, cassava and millet that are left on their farm huts are broken into by herdsmen for their cattle to feed on. Yam and cassava mounds are destroyed and those who sow their yam seedlings get them eaten up by the cattle.

Water sources are drying up. Economic trees such as the shea have their branches slashed and the leaves used as fodder. All ant hills in the bush are eaten up by these cattle. The Fulanis add salt to water and pour it on the ant hills for the cattle to eat. Hunting has come to a halt in many of the communities in the Region.

Rape and defilement are high, threat to kill and killing farmers is equally high in the communities. Indeed the people have now become social and economic refugees on their own land, all in the good name of the Ghanaian hospitality and the Great ECOWAS Conventions.

In some of the communities one does not need to go to another community by following the old roads. There are now many paths created by these cattle leading to all communities in the Sissala West, Sissala East and Wa East Districts. The environment is completely destroyed and farmers now have to travel long distances this time round to their farms.

Madam Florence Zaato, Vice Chairperson of the Sissala Union, expressed worry about the huge environmental degradation caused by Fulani herdsmen and their cattle to the land at the annual general meeting of the union at Tumu recently.

She urged District Assemblies and Traditional Authorities to collaborate and get them out of the area to save the land for their children. She expressed unhappiness about their involvement in rape and armed robbery.

The South Sissala Tertiary Youth Association also appealed to the Chiefs of the South Sissala area and the Wa East District Assembly to expel all Fulani herdsmen from the area for degrading the land and making it unproductive.

Mr Timothy Nbenaba, President of the Association, explained that the decision to call for the expulsion of the Fulani herdsmen is to avert any future clash between the farmers in the area and the herdsmen that may consequently lead to loss of lives.

He said last year there were clashes leading to the payment of compensation by the herdsmen as a result of losses incurred by the farmers through the invasion of their farms by the herdsmen and their cattle.

At Gwollu the District Chief Executive of Sissala West, Mr Robert B. Wavei appealed to the youth to compel their chiefs and all those who had settled Fulani herdsmen and their cattle in the communities to let the herdsmen go.

He said it is disheartening for some chiefs to accept cattle from the herdsmen and to keep them in their communities and slaughter the animals to entertain their visitors.

A prominent farmer, who wants to remain anonymous, said the North would soon become a desert if the Fulani herdsmen and their cattle are not expelled.

He asked the Government to be bold to say no to the Fulani herdsmen to save the people from virtual bondage.

“After all, the Fulani herdsmen have somewhere to go but our people have nowhere to go when the land is destroyed,” he said.

He said the District Assemblies should not use revenue mobilisation as an excuse to harbour the herdsmen and close their eyes to the huge destruction that they are causing to the environment.

“The land belongs to the people and they must not be made to feel as slaves on their on land,” he said.

GNA

SOURCE

7. In the Philippines: El Nino drying up farms

MANILA, Philippines—Intense heat is drying up farmlands, reservoirs and waterways all over the country, and farmers are scrambling to find ways to cope and survive.

The abnormal signs of El Niño, a weather phenomenon referring to the warmer-than-normal sea-surface temperature in the Pacific Ocean that results in drought in Asia and Australia, and wet winters in the United States, are exacting their toll in the Philippines, according to agriculture officials.

With the lack of rainfall and irrigation

water, Filipino farmers are keeping a closer watch over their fields so that whatever available water is used wisely.

Huge clumps of light-brown soil have appeared in the corn fields of Cagayan Valley and Pangasinan, while rice paddies have turned barren in Isabela, Bulacan, Pangasinan, Ilocos Norte, Camarines Sur, Negros, Davao del Sur and other provinces.

The desert-like images have prompted some farmers to stop planting to cut losses.

more @ inquirer

blow-up envoy

Mar 2

Posted by A. Peasant in 9-11, Afghanistan, CIA, Central Asia, Diplomats, Identities, Iran, Israel, Military, Pakistan, Terrorism, The West | No Comments

Richard Holbrooke is a Zionist Jew with a long track record of supporting Jewish causes.

As US Ambassador to the United Nations, he worked to secure Israel’s membership in the UN’s Western European and Others regional group, which ended Israel’s historic exclusion from regional deliberations and permitted election to leadership positions in UN sub-bodies. The Israeli government officially thanked Holbrooke for this favor.
Holbrooke secured consultative status at the UN for the Zionist women’s organization, Hadassah. This allowed Hadassah to be recognized as a NGO and give expert advice to the UN.
Under the Carter administration, following through on genocidal Kissinger policies, Holbrooke authorized arms shipments to the Indonesian government during a supposed blockade, and Indonesian government forces used these weapons to brutally suppress the Timorese.
As vice chairman at Credit Suisse First Boston, affiliated with a Swiss bank facing a class-action lawsuit to settle Holocaust-era claims, Holbrooke urged Switzerland to return assets to Holocaust victims.
The Jewish community widely praised Holbrooke for his role in ending the Bosnian war. The ADL and the World Jewish Congress gave him awards.

As Richard Holbrooke, US Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, accepted his latest assignment on January 22, 2009 from the hands of the foreign policy establishment that made him rich and famous, he boldly and graciously projected the same establishment’s crimes onto the designated scapegoat.

Mr. President [Obama], Madame Secretary [Clinton], Mr. Vice President [Biden], you’ve asked me to deal with Afghanistan and Pakistan, two very distinct countries with extraordinarily different histories, and yet intertwined by geography, ethnicity, and the current drama. This is a very difficult assignment, as we all know. Nobody can say the war in Afghanistan has gone well. And yet, as we speak here today, American men and women and their coalition partners are fighting a very difficult struggle against a ruthless and determined enemy without any scruples at all, an enemy that is willing to behead women who dare to teach in a school to young girls, an enemy that has done some of the most odious things on earth.

And across the border, lurks a greater enemy still: the people who committed the atrocities of September 11^th, 2001.

^^^^^^^

On February 20, 2010, Holbrooke said that al Qaeda planned to infiltrate Central Asia and train militants there to destabilize the region. This al Qaeda menace would allegedly spread from Afghanistan, where they miraculously outwit coalition forces for years on end. Mr. Holbrooke says al Qaeda “trains international terrorists.” I’m guessing they provide things like passports, weapons, lodging, logistical support.

Stability in the vast resource-rich region sprawling between China, Russia and Afghanistan is crucial to the West as it lies on a new supply route for NATO-led operations in Afghanistan.

The region’s main home-grown extremist group, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), wants to topple Central Asia’s secular post-Soviet leaders and establish strict Islamic rule.

In Central Asia, according to security experts, the al Qaeda terrorists will assist the home grown terrorists to take advantage of the failed state opening. Failed states justify terrorism, right? People understand that hopelessness leads to radicalization, which leads to terrorism.

People also understand that terrorism justifies military expansion. We can’t allow terrorists to go around beheading people. Military expansion makes for “stability,” and stability is crucial to The West. Why? Because it allows the NATO operations in Afghanistan to continue. And these operations have been very effective in stopping terrorists…. oh wait…. actually…

Right around here official logic falls apart, since Afghanistan is really about controlling the incredibly lucrative illegal drug market. But of course, that can never be admitted. That’s why Holbrooke can talk about the ruthless and determined enemies with no scruples who commit heinous crimes and behead people and murdered Americans on 911 etc. with a straight face (him not the enemies, to be clear), as he gets a promotion.

US Special Inflatable Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan

24″ tall

^^^^^^^

So Holbrooke did a quickie tour of Central Asia around February 21st. It all seemed rather terse and rushed.

A reticent Richard Holbrooke completed a lightning tour of Central Asia on February 21, a trip designed to bolster regional support for NATO efforts in Afghanistan…The envoy was scheduled to travel to all five Central Asian capitals, though a trip to Ashgabat was cancelled at the last minute due to “scheduling conflicts,” said an American Embassy representative there. After Astana, Holbrooke traveled to Georgia to meet with President Mikhail Saakashvili…It was difficult to discern the substance of Holbrooke’s various meetings, as his availability to journalists was limited. A press briefing originally scheduled to be given February 19 in tandem with President Kurmanbek Bakiyev of Kyrgyzstan was cancelled at the last minute….No press availability was even scheduled for Holbrooke during the Tashkent-leg of his trip….During a terse public appearance in Dushanbe, Holbrooke warned of the continuing threat of Islamic terrorists to the region’s security.

And then we heard about Iran capturing the terrorist Rigi, exposing his connections to the CIA, on February 22nd.

Moslehi said Rigi had been arrested on board a plane flying between Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia and the Gulf Arab emirate of Dubai. Television pictures showed him being taken off a plane in handcuffs, accompanied by four masked men.

“We have clear documents proving that Rigi was in cooperation with American, Israeli and British intelligence services,” Press TV quoted the intelligence minister as saying.
“Dubai has a smeared hand in this scandal that shows the Zionist regime wants to turn the region into a safe haven for terrorists with the help of America and Europe,” Moslehi declared, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Which all makes Mr. Holbrooke look like a….what’s the word….a LIAR.

But wait there’s more.

According to Wayne Madsen (via There Are No Sunglasses):

With the entire highly-vaunted U.S. intelligence community at his disposal, Holbrooke and his State Department and CIA team were forced to resort to dealing with Bishkek-Manas airport officials when their Iranian-Baluchi Jundallah guerrillas leader failed to show up in Bishkek on the Kyrgyzstan aircraft from Dubai.

…In an interview on Iranian TV, Rigi saus he was flying to Bishkek to meet an “important” American. The reason for the clandestine meeting in Manas was that the American would be easily spotted if he met Rigi anywhere else. At the time of the planned meeting between Rigi and the “important” American, AF-PAK Special Envoy Holbrooke was on a meandering journey in central Asia and Afghanistan “without a fixed schedule.” Holbrooke was in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on February 19.

Iran conducted the charade with the Kyrgyzstan airline in order to keep Holbrooke waiting nervously at Manas. Iran had already captured their prize of Rigi when the ISI, possibly after Rigi’s departure from Kuwaiteh or after he crossed into Afghanistan, took him under their protection and put him on the charter jet flight to Bandar Abbas. Possibly, ISI was at Spin Boldak and Rigi mistakenly believed the watch team was working for the CIA, when, in fact, they were working for the ISI, which had promised to turn Rigi over to the Iranians.

…Holbrooke and his party become concerned when Kyrgyzstan 454 is late. When the flight arrives, Holbrooke is told Rigi is not on board the flight and that two men were taken off the plane at Bandar Abbas. Holbrooke, clearly embarrassed and angry, departs Kyrgyzstan knowing the Iranians have nabbed one of the CIA’s top assets in the military operations being planned against Iran. Holbrooke, one of the most powerful American Jewish Zionists in the Obama administration, has egg all over his face, courtesy of a well-planned Iranian intelligence operation.

That is rather amusing.

redefining hospitality

Feb 27

Posted by A. Peasant in CIA, Terrorism | No Comments

US to terrorists: Do you need anything…. passports…. guns…. a place to stay…. anything?

Read aangirfan.

Due to other pressing issues my blogging will be light for several more days, but there’s a lot going on so I will be back to it just as soon as possible.

Philippines

Feb 27

Posted by A. Peasant in Children, Clinton, Corruption & Crime, Human Trafficking, Identities, Military, Philippines, Southeast Asia, Terrorism | No Comments

some context for what’s happening in the Philippines:

1. US embassy officials met with MILF rebels, in their very camps, back in November, after they abducted the Irish priest Michael Sinnot. This was around the time that the tungsten gold bars story circulated. Hillary Clinton rushed to the Philippines. from Asia Times:

Despite the row over Sinnot’s kidnapping, senior US Embassy officials in Manila have held clandestine meetings with MILF leaders in their Maguindanao camp. The US Embassy has kept mum on the meetings, but on its website, the MILF confirmed in a statement that it had held talks with a visiting group of American diplomats led by the US Embassy charge d’affaires, Leslie Basset, on October 16. Lasting for two hours, the meeting “was warm and forthright”, the MILF said and quoted Basset as saying that the US was willing to play a role in the peace talks. “Helping attain and sustain peace, security and development in Mindanao is a priority concern of our government,” the MILF quoted Bassett as saying.

pretty cozy, huh?

2. as covered here earlier, a whistleblower testified to the US military having permanent structures, unmonitored by the Filipino government, in the Southern Philippines, in violation of the Philippine Constitution, and that the US military behaves with arrogance toward the Filipinos.

In her affidavit, Gadian also accused the US military of building permanent structures in different military camps in the country. She said US forces have established “permanent” and “continuous” presence in Zamboanga, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi in the south. She added that the Philippine military has no access to the camps built by the US soldiers in these areas since they are “fenced off by barbed wires and guarded by US Marines.” Gadian likewise said these structures are indications the US troops had no intention of leaving the country, which is a violation of the Philippine Constitution….The ex-Navy official also complained of the “arrogant” behavior of many US military officers toward Filipinos.

pretty suspicious, huh?

So taking official pronouncements at face value, here’s two stupid QUESTIONS… why doesn’t the MILF control it’s people, since the MILF has such a good relationship with the government… and what is the US military doing holed up illegally in the same area of the Philippines as the Abu Sayyaf?

3. NOW: over 10 dead in Abu-MILF raid on village

ZAMBOANGA CITY – (UPDATE 3) At least 11 people – including two children – were killed when suspected Moro rebels and Abu Sayyaf bandits stormed a village in Maluso, Basilan early Saturday, authorities said. The police corrected its initial report of 13 killed in the 5:45 a.m. attack staged by more or less 70 gunmen led by Puruji Indama in the village of Tubigan, Senior Superintendent Antonio Mendoza Jr., Basilan police chief, said by phone.

…Mendoza said the gunmen, including Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members, razed at least five houses during the attack. The attack on Tubigan came barely nine hours after authorities rescued the two Chinese nationals that Indama’s group had abducted in November, along with a local. The local, Marquez Singson, had been beheaded.

…Mendoza said the gunmen immediately fled to Barangay (village) Libug in Sumisip town after the attack and were being pursued by the police and elements of the Army and the Marines. Founded in the early 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden, the Abu Sayyaf is blamed for a series of bombings and kidnappings targeting foreign missionaries, Christians, and US military advisers based in the south.

They have also carried out the worst terror attacks in Philippine history such as the 2004 bombing of a passenger ferry in Manila Bay that killed more than 100 people. Indama was an obscure Abu Sayyaf commander who gained prominence after he and other Muslim militants attacked a military convoy, killing and mutilating 14 Marines in 2007. The military says fewer than 400 Abu Sayyaf members remain active in the islands of Basilan and Jolo, down from a peak of about 1,200 in 2002. Government forces recently scored a string of victories over the Abu Sayyaf in Jolo Island, south of Basilan, and last week captured a bomb-maker and killed top commander Albader Parad, and five of his men.

more @ inquirer

4. missionary recounts captivity

Held hostage for 376 days by the Islamic terrorist group Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines, Gracia Burnham doesn’t seem to tire of recounting the time she and her husband spent in the jungle with their kidnappers. It was the last year of her husband’s life. Burnham conducted a three-day lecture series this week at Southeastern Bible College, discussing mission work, terrorism and her personal experiences.

…The kidnapping happened May 27, 2001, less than four months before the 9/11 terrorist hijackings in the United States, and her captors considered themselves aligned with al-Qaeda, Burnham said. “A few were bent on jihad,” she said. Some others, including a 9-year-old boy and others recruited from villages against their will, may not have had much choice.

…Burnham returned to the Philippines in 2004 to testify against some of her former captors, under heavy security. Twenty-four of the captors, out of a group of about 80, are in a maximum-security prison in Manila, she said.

She got a call this month from the U.S. Office for Victims of Crime, informing her that another one had been apprehended on Feb. 18. Jumadail Arad, known to the Burnhams as “Hurayra,” had been their closest friend and kindest captor among the Abu Sayyaf, she said. Burnham remembers talking to her husband about how he would treat Hurayra if they escaped and he one day showed up at their door in Rose Hill, Kan. “I would invite him in, cook him a big meal and then call the FBI,” she recalls him saying.

…Abu Sayyaf leader Khadafi Abubakar Janjalani, one of Burnham’s captors, bragged of talking with Bin Laden by satellite phone, according to an Associated Press report. Burnham said her conversations with Abu Sayyaf leaders showed that they at least believed themselves to be part of a global effort, not a ragtag band of kidnappers. “People in America don’t understand,” she said. “Their basic goal is world domination.”

the passport caper

Feb 24

Posted by A. Peasant in CIA, Identities, Mossad, Terrorism, The West, UK, Unreality | No Comments

Remember a little while back how they told us that al qaeda was recruiting Western-looking women to do terrorist attacks?

Defne Bayrak anyone?

And shortly after that, several other stories pushed the idea along.

LONDON: Al-Qaida in Yemen has trained a group of woman suicide bombers with ‘non-Arab’ appearance to attack Western targets, including airliners and power stations, US officials have warned.

Details of the bombers emerged just hours after Britain raised the UK threat state to “severe” [naturally! timing is everything - ed.] amid fears that al-Qaida was planning a wave of attacks against western targets, ‘The Sunday Telegraph’ reported.

The woman suicide bombers, who may be travelling on Western passports, have been prepared for their missions by al-Qaida’s branch in Yemen responsible for the botched Christmas Day attempt to blow up a US airliner, it said.

Etc.

And see? Now we know that some of those three dozen American terrorists-in-training may have been women.

Well just so you know who looks to be training those “al qaeda” Western-looking female operatives: Mossad. No doubt with help from CIA, etc.

Six more British passports were used in the assassination of a Hamas commander in a Dubai hotel last month, police have claimed.

The revelation from Dubai today means that up to 12 British identities are believed to have been stolen or forged to carry out the hit, allegedly by Israel’s feared secret service, Mossad.

One of the six new British passports is in the name of a dark-haired woman calling herself Gabriella Barney. She appears to have been posing as the daughter of Michael Barney, named as one of the original 11 suspects.

Up to six women are now believed to have been part of the hit squad.

And then there’s this guy, a Hamas leader’s son who Israel supposedly flipped to make him one of their agents.

Or was it Scooby Doo? One can never tell these days.

Well anyway, that’s about the level of seriousness that people should take ANYTHING THEY SAY.

think tanks: where experts go to reverse engineer plans for world domination

Feb 23

Posted by A. Peasant in Iran, Israel, Military, Mind-fucking, Mossad, Nuclear Weapons, Sabbateans, Terrorism, Think Tanks, Turkey | No Comments

At think tanks, experts figure out how to get from point A to point B. First they decide on point B, and then they reverse engineer how to arrive there from point A. When insiders do this, they call it “brainstorming” or “war games” or “simulations.” When outsiders do this, they call it “terrorism.”

^^^^^^^

The exposure of military plots in Turkey has finally gained momentum, after several weeks. This morning we learn of over 50 arrests of current and retired military officers in connection with the alleged Ergenekon coup plots: Sledgehammer and Cage.

Former Naval Forces Adm. Özden Örnek kept detailed journals between 2000-2004 on some of the plans.

Naturally, some of the plotting came under cover of think tanks , including the General Staff’s Strategic Research and Study Center (SAREM), a foundation affiliated with the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK).

The Sledgehammer plan, revealed in January by a Turkish newspaper, was more than simply an outline of a plan to kill or injure various bureaucrats, journalists and the government. It included a plot to bomb one of ?stanbul’s largest mosques during Friday prayer and a subplot named Oraj (Thunderstorm) that called for the deliberate downing of a Turkish jet to trigger problems with Greece, which the conspirators hoped would give the army the upper hand in politics as the public would feel threatened by a foreign enemy.

Police said the operation yesterday was launched when the National Police Department’s criminal investigations department examined and verified the authenticity of documents regarding the Sledgehammer and Cage plans. The original documents were handed to the Ergenekon prosecutors by the Taraf daily, which exposed both plans.

^^^^^^^

In 2007, the director of SAREM and several other accused Turkish military people met with the Hudson Institute to “brainstorm.” The Hudson Institute is a very prestigious US think tank where very important and surely very well-paid experts work, in Washington DC and NY, to help devise policies and solve problems facing the world.

In the meeting, participants had discussed the outcomes of possible scenarios in Turkey, including increased terrorist attacks killing 50 people in ?stanbul and the assassination of the former head of the Constitutional Court, Tülay Tu?cu, by a suicide bomber. Sources confirmed that Gen. Tanyeri and military attaché Brig. Gen. Bertan Nogaylaro?lu participated in the meeting.

This is one of the scenarios discussed, my comments in green:

On June 18, a suicide bomber attacks a police station in Beyo?lu, Istanbul. Fifty, including police officers, tourists and shoppers, are dead and 200 are wounded. [who directs the suicide bomber?]
Rumors indicate that the PKK perpetrated the attack. [who starts the rumors?]
One day later, the Interior Ministry announces the attacker was trained in northern Iraq by the PKK. [false flag set, the attack could now be blamed on the desired party: PKK, according to people inside government?]
Chief of General Staff Gen. Büyükan?t says the terrorist PKK will continue carrying out attacks on big cities. [and how does he know what the PKK will do?]
He makes the call for an immediate military operation into northern Iraq. [one of the goals?]
The US State Department calls for calm. [working both sides, manipulating emotions?]
On June 23, Iran announces that the PKK attacked trucks carrying supplies to Syria inside its borders and alleges that the PKK was previously instructed by the US to carry out this attack. [which will be denied, and the media will spin it as paranoid?]
Fueled by the attack, the Tehran administration offers Turkey a joint military operation against the PKK. [taking the bait?]
On June 24, former chief justice of the Turkish Constitutional Court Tülay Tu?cu is assassinated. Tu?cu is taken to the hospital in critical condition and dies there the next day. [a week later, goosing the situation to the next level, and who directs the assassin?]
Preliminary investigations reveal that the bomb used in the assassination is the same type as the one detonated in Beyo?lu. [naturally, it's the same people?]
On June 25, the Interior Ministry and General Staff announce the involvement of the PKK in the incident. [as they well know, since it's really them?]
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo?an decides on a military operation in northern Iraq. [the desired reaction, drawing Turkey into the conflict?]
On June 29, the Turkish Army enters northern Iraq. The Baghdad administration strongly reacts to the operation. [escalation?]
The US State Department underlines the operation will undermine Turkey’s security, as the White House notes Turkey has the right to defend itself.” [whose favorite phrase?]

The end result of this scenario being that Turkey and Iran have now been drawn into northern Iraq, it all gets blamed on the PKK terrorists. Regrettable. Sure thing.

^^^^^^^

And here’s a war-game scenario about Israel attacking Iran reported on this week, from another US think tank: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/02/21/87061/war-game-shows-how-attacking-iran.html. The scenario shows how “unintended consequences can spin out of control.” The only trouble is the entire thing is based on false assumptions and innuendo.

With diplomacy failing and precious intelligence just received about two new secret Iranian nuclear facilities, Israel launches a pre-emptive strike against Tehran’s nuclear complex. The strike is successful, wiping out six of Iran’s key sites and setting back its suspected quest for a bomb by years.

Would honest diplomacy fail? Probably not. The Iranians haven’t started a war in a couple hundred years. So, bad assumption. Also, no actual evidence of Iran’s secret nuclear facilities has ever been put forth. None. Nothing but innuendo, and yet that did not stop the Saban Center for Mideast Policy, part of the Bookings Institution, to run a war-games scenario, which ends up in disaster. What a bummer for them.

Some members of the “Israeli” team nonetheless felt that setting back Iran’s nuclear program “was worth it, even given what was a pretty robust response,” said one participant. He asked that his name not be used, because under the game’s ground rules, participants are supposed to remain anonymous.

Yes, I bet they would like to remain anonymous, considering what they really seem to be doing. Considering that they considered it “worth it” to set back a nuclear program for which no evidence exists.

The Brookings war game was one of three simulations regarding Iran’s nuclear program conducted in December. The other two, at Harvard University and Tel Aviv University, reportedly found that neither sanctions nor threats dissuaded Tehran from its suspected nuclear weapons ambitions.

Again, the “suspected” ambitions don’t exist of course. But by never acknowledging that fact, Tehran can never be dissuaded from their imaginary ambitions, so that our experts may continue to justify all this fluffy frosting of lies as they try to reverse engineer some series of events that will result in point B: Israel’s continued hegemony over the world and a defeated Iran, hmm?

In the Brookings game, three teams of experts, including former senior U.S. officials, played the Israeli, Iranian and American leadership. They assembled in separate rooms at the think tank’s Washington headquarters. Israeli and U.S. “officials” communicated with each other, but not with the Iranians.

One of the simulation’s major findings was how aggressively the Iranians responded to the attack — more aggressively, some participants felt, than they would in real life — and how Washington and Tehran, lacking direct communication, misunderstood each other.

And no you may NOT know who got to “play” the Iranians or anyone else in this game, as these demented people plot — oh, I’m sorry, “brainstorm.” And look at all the comments. People will take this all very seriously when we should be pulling the rug right out from under their feet since the entire thing rests on LIES about Iran’s “suspected” nuclear program. Why are think tanks discussing a strike at all? What a diabolical waste of time. It appears they want to creates a reality out of thin air, for Israel. And if lots and lots of people have to die to make that happen, which they would, well, “so be it” seems to be the attitude from the people at the think tanks who consider the cost “worth it.”

^^^^^^^

No surprise really. Look at the man who founded the Hudson Institute, Herman Kohn. A few facts about this monster from Wikipedia:

Born in Bayonne, New Jersey, Kahn grew up in a Jewish family in the Bronx, then in Los Angeles following his parents’ divorce.
Like many of his colleagues at RAND, he had little personal experience of warfare.
Kahn’s major contributions were the several strategies he developed during the Cold War to contemplate “the unthinkable”, namely, nuclear warfare, by using applications of game theory….Whether hundreds of millions died or “merely” a few major cities were destroyed, Kahn argued, life would in fact go on.

1975, in Vancouver, Mr. Robyn Williams arranges a meeting with Kahn to discuss nuclear arms:

I had taken the trouble to write to Khan in advance at the Hudson Institute where he was based and received a courteous reply. …He opened the door, wearing only boxer shorts. With another man that would, perhaps, have been unremarkable. But Khan was immense and spectacularly hirsute. He repaired back to his made-up bed where he had obviously been sitting, eating grapes. He lifted a large bunch and nibbled them like Nero at a Roman banquet. To my great relief, I was not invited to share the feast.

Herman Kahn was a giant. He boldly confronted public issues with creativity and the conviction, in his case correct, that thought and analysis could help make ours a better world. ~ Donald Rumsfeld

^^^^^^^

Sources confirm that various Turkish military officials and civilian experts, the Hudson Institute’s Turkey expert Zeyno Baran, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani’s son Kubat Talabani, as well as Brig. Gen. Suha Tanyeri and military attaché Brig. Gen. Bertan Nogaylaro?lu participated in the meeting.

The invitation outlines the meeting sessions with headlines translated into Turkish as “Introduction,” “The Scenario,” “Questions” and “Wildcard.”

Potential Wildcards

A new set of clues indicates that the suicide terrorist who attacked the police station in Beyo?lu was trained by Hezbollah in a Syrian camp.
In a raid near Kandil Mountain, Turkish security forces confiscate two-year-old MOSSAD training manuals and videos showing Israeli agents side by side with the PKK militants.
A Peshmerga unit on patrol in northern Iraq panics and attacks a group of Turkish Special Forces. After the battle, it is revealed that one of the gunned-down Peshmerga is, in fact, an American soldier who was training the Kurdish militia. This soldier, however, was not authorized to be on patrol with the Peshmerga.

Well I guess they have to plan for everything, even maybe getting caught? Yes a few people on the front lines sometimes go “rogue,” it’s very regrettable. Tsk tsk. But you know, should any of these scenarios cooked up at think tanks ever go live, don’t expect any of those experts to be held accountable for the planning. That would just be a coincidence. In fact, you will probably see them paraded across teevee as even greater experts for having predicted what happened in advance.

Like this one: she’s a star.

Zeyno Baran, Hudson Institute

nice necklace

vultures in africa

Feb 22

Posted by A. Peasant in Africa, Angola, Bush/Cheney, China, Corruption & Crime, India, Iran, Media, Minerals, Nigeria, Oil, Psychopaths, Terrorism, UK | No Comments

1. China warns Zimbabwe: we are not ‘friends’ — pay back the money you owe us

Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara says the Chinese want all loans to be repaid before loosening its purse. According to the Mutambara the Chinese President Hu Jintao revealed to him during a brief meeting at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland that he considers Beijing relationship with Harare as ’business partners’ and not ’friends’.

The Chinese are quoted telling the Mr. Mutambara that: “We’ll not condemn you publicly but we’ll not give you cash”. And according to the Deputy Prime Minister, “unless we do the right thing the Chinese will not work with us.”

…The two countries have signed a series of agreements in infrastructure, tourism, energy and mining but the cooperation has largely not translated into an improved standard of living for ordinary Zimbabweans.

Zimbabwe has literally handed over control of most sectors of the economy to the Chinese during the past few years in return for short-term financial assistance to enable Mugabe’s government to ride one crisis after another.

more @ afrik.com

2. nice. about Mugabe…

Are the people of Zimbabwe really celebrating Robert Mugabe’s 86th Birthday? What is there to celebrate about this aberrant human form? Thirty years in power and nothing good to show for it. He is determined to cling on to power for the rest of his life despite embarrassingly losing an election to a more dignified and respectable opposition leader and refusing to hand over the reins of government. Mugabe is not only ruthless, he is incapable of showing remorse and lacks all human form of compassion. On close examination, it is possible that he has an inherent mental condition. Why? Because of all the abnormalities contained in his dispositions and behaviour. When the lust for power deprives anyone of a second thought faculty, you become your own victim. Because you lose control of your sanity as a result of your desperation to satisfy your ego-driven tendencies.

more @ newstime africa

3. Angola awards $340m deal to Daewoo Shipbuilding, S. Korea, to deliver 5 oil carriers to state-owned Sonangol (link)

mm hmm. Sonangol, Lev Leviev… see here: excitement always follows Lev Leviev, posted on January 28, 2010

1. Lev Leviev tied to Chinese intelligence, business interests in Angola — Sonagol

The suspicions were spelled out in a report recently compiled by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, which was established by Congress in 2000 in order to “monitor, investigate and submit to Congress an annual report on the national security implications of the bilateral trade and economic relationship between the United States and the People’s Republic of China, and to provide recommendations, where appropriate, to Congress for legislative and administrative action.” The report noted, among other things, that the group of Chinese corporations has business ties with Israeli businessman and diamond magnate Lev Leviev.

2. India, Angola agree to cooperation for hydrocarbon sector — there’s Sonagol again

Luanda (Angola), Jan 27: India and Angola on Wednesday said that the two countries will enter into Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide an overarching framework for cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector.

…During the meeting a MoU was signed between ONGC Videsh Ltd. (OVL) and the National Oil Company of Angola namely, Sonangol, for cooperation in the exploration sector.

4. Nigeria: Obasanjo, corrupt ex-Nigerian president, pays tribute to Tony Blair, war criminal and alleged pedophile, for helping Nigeria, Blair also meets Goodluck Jonathan kiss kiss hug hug

Abuja — Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, who is in Nigeria for the THISDAY’s Nigeria at 50, 2010 Awards, yesterday relived the diplomatic interactions that contributed to the success of their administrations.

Speaking at an Inter-faith Malaria Initiative organised by the Nigeria Inter-faith Action Association with funding support from Federal Government, World Bank, Centre for Inter-faith Action on Global Poverty and the Tony Blair Faith Foundation held at the Kuje Town Hall in Abuja, Obasanjo said the former British premier made a significant contribution to Nigeria’s exit from the Paris Club and other creditor nations.

Obasanjo, whose entry into the venue of the event elicited wild, nostalgic cheers from the audience, said while he travelled round the globe to get Nigeria off the Paris Club debt yoke, he received promises from world leaders which were not fruitful thus prompting his government to search for a facilitator and a member of the Group of Seven industrialised nations (G7) which they found in Mr. Blair.

He said the debt relief allowed the country to channel resources into the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) projects notably funds needed to fight infant mortality and morbidity occasioned by such diseases as malaria.

…Also yesterday, Blair visited Acting President Goodluck Jonathan at his Akinola Aguda residence, Presidential Villa, Abuja and commended him for holding the country together in the face of the daunting political leadership facing the country.

Blair also expressed concern about recent political developments in the country and thanked Jonathan for the skilful way he has handled the country.

more @ allafrica

5. George W Bush and Dear Condi also wish Goodluck Jonathan Good Luck i think he’s gonna need it

Nigeria’s Acting President, Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday evening in Abuja secured the support of the former President of the United States, George Bush who assured him of the world’s support in making his job a success. Mr. Bush and his entourage were in Nigeria for the ThisDay Nigeria at 50 awards….

“Terrorism is alien to Nigeria,” Mr Jonathan said. “Nigeria and US are strategic partners for global peace and development.” He also thanked the US government for its concern over the health of President Umaru Yar’Adua who is currently undergoing treatment in a Saudi hospital.

Mr Bush was accompanied on the trip by former US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice and US Ambassador to Nigeria, Robin Sanders. On the Nigerian side were the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ojo Maduekwe and his solid minerals counterpart, Diezeani Allison Maduekwe.

Twelfth Bough

i run my own damn think tank

Archive for category Terrorism

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state sponsored plots in India

not for nothing

the link between climate change (ie: weather modification) and violence

blow-up envoy

redefining hospitality

Philippines

the passport caper

think tanks: where experts go to reverse engineer plans for world domination

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