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POPSRon Paul Slams Cheney: US ‘Doing Exactly What Bin Laden Planned’ CNN November 1, 2004: "We are continuing this policy in bleeding America to the point of bankruptcy. Allah willing, and nothing is too great for Allah," bin Laden said in the transcript. He also said al Qaeda has found it "easy for us to provoke and bait this administration." "All that we have to do is to send two mujahedeen to the furthest point east to raise a piece of cloth on which is written al Qaeda, in order to make generals race there to cause America to suffer human, economic and political losses without their achieving anything of note other than some benefits for their private corporations," bin Laden said. "And it all shows that the real loser is you," he said. "It is the American people and their economy." http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/11/01/binladen.tape/
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POPSIreland imposes new blasphemy law I'm reposting this far and wide. I wonder if they realize that this goes both ways. Now you'll have Xtians and Muslims and Buddhists and Catholics all being given a fine, because they all blaspheme each other! LOL Priceless!! All we have to do is get all atheists to shush up for just a little while, and watch the hilarity ensue! Then when they're all bankrupt from fines (and most likely jail time for not being able to pay those fines, eventually), THEN us atheists can rise up and call them ALL on being the biggest idiots to walk the Earth!
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POPSWhere will the drones go in 2010? Perhaps more important, they can, to steal a Star Trek line, boldly go where no man has gone before. Since the first drone assassination attack of the Global War on Terror -- in Yemen in 2002 -- in which several men, reputedly al-Qaeda militants, were incinerated inside a car, drones have been taking war into new territory. They have already struck in Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and possibly Somalia. As the first robot terminators of our age, they symbolize the loosing of American war-making powers from the oversight of Congress and the American people. In principle, they have made borders (hence national sovereignty) increasingly insignificant as assassination attacks can be launched 24/7 against those we deem our enemies, on the basis of unknown intelligence or evidence.
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POPSUS Tightens Security for US-Bound Air Passengers traveled to Yemen to train with Al-Qaeda. He boarded the flight at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport after flying in from Lagos, Nigeria. Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria are currently the only four countries deemed by the State Department to be state sponsors of terrorism. But a senior administration official told the Politico daily that all passengers from other countries of interests “such as Nigeria, Pakistan and Yemen will receive full body pat-down and physical inspection of property.” “These are changes that weren’t widely in place for all carriers or countries on 12/24,” the official told Politico, quoted on its website. Such screening “could also include explosive detection technology or advanced imaging technology where it’s available.”
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POPSAncestral Whales May Have Given Birth on Land "This intermediate species may have spent most of its time in the water, coming onto land to rest, mate, and give birth. A second, even more complete Maiacetus fossil was found nearby; it appears to be a male, slightly larger."
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POPS US Refuses To Allow Monitoring Of WMD “I knew that I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today -- my own government. For the sake of those boys, for the sake of this government, for the sake of hundreds of thousands trembling under our violence, I cannot be silent.” – Martin Luther King in his speech: Beyond Vietnam: A time to break silence
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POPSPakistani court orders noses of spurned men to be cut off Pakistan's legal system has Islamic elements that sometimes lead to orders for harsh punishments, but the sentences are often overturned and rarely carried out. Serious crimes are often referred to anti-terrorism courts in Pakistan because they move faster. Violence against women, especially attacks by spurned lovers, also occurs frequently in this impoverished South Asian nation. The men have seven days to appeal, Ahmed said.
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POPSVote at the General Assembly; Resolution Condemning “Defamation of Religion"
of a radical Islamist ideology.” The text “recognizes that, in the context of the fight against terrorism, defamation of religions and incitement to religious hatred in general become aggravating factors that contribute to the denial of fundamental rights and freedoms of members of target groups,” and expresses “deep concern” that “Islam is frequently and wrongly associated with human rights violations and terrorism.” “Today’s resolution comes at the same time as an Algerian-chaired UN committee in Geneva is seeking to amend the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, by adopting a protocol that would conflate the existing post-war prohibitions on racism with the Islamist agenda of silencing religious dissent,” said Neuer. “A full measure of the perils of today’s resolution must account not only for intimidation of Western writers and cartoonists, but the growing international legitimization of medieval anti-blasphemy laws"in countries like Pakistan, Egypt
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POPSThe NEXT BIG THING for 2010
· Neo-Survivalism: A new breed of survivalist is devising ingenious stratagems to beat the crumbling system. And, they’re not all heading for the hills with AK-47’s and pork & beans. · Not Welcome Here: Fueled by fear and resentment, a global anti-immigration trend will gather force and serve as a major plank in building a new political party in the US. · TB or Not TB: With two-thirds of Americans Too Big (TB) for their own good (and everyone else’s), 2010 will mark the outbreak of a “War on Fat,” providing a ton of business opportunities. · Mothers of Invention: Taking off with the speed of the Internet revolution, “Technology for the Poor” will be a major trend in 2010, providing products and services for newly downscaled Western consumers and impoverished consumers everywhere. · Not Made In China: A “Buy Local,” “My Country First” protectionist backlash will deliver a big “No” to unrestrained globalism and open solid niches for local and domestic manufacturers. · The
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POPSMumbai suspect is US double agent, India claims Indian officials are desperate to question Headley but have been frustrated by American refusals to grant them access. A team of Indian investigators travelled to Washington shortly after Headley was arrested in October but soon returned after their American counterparts told them they would not be able to meet him. They want to question him about the Mumbai attacks involved Pakistan's ISI intelligence agency in any way and the role of Indian extremists in providing logistical support. American officials say that under US law they cannot force any person in their custody to give evidence to foreign agencies. But Indian intelligence officers have questioned why Washington is not doing more to help their own inquiry
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POPS Heck of A Job, Barack (feel the gestalt shifting?) And the Copenhagen talks are in shambles, even though the world loves us now that Bush is out: China and U.S. Hit Strident Impasse at Climate Talks "Strident"? Yike. Down a bit, Obama met with some bankers to rail at them; three biggies skipped the flogging op, blaming fog. Obama Presses Biggest Banks to Lend More. Quite a batch of headlines. The grim (heroic!?!) story of Lieberman holding health care hostage is at the bottom: Lieberman Gets Ex-Party to Shift on Health Plan Feel the gestalt shifting. Posted by Tom Maguire on December 15, 2009
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POPSWalls and Barriers Around the World Amazing what human folly drives us to do. I'm sure that there are lots of rationales for having them, but the real reason is that we are failing to live up to our much-vaunted sapiency.
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