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Thread 11 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1159172/posts?page=1 |
Posted on 06/10/2004 2:28:29 PM PDT by JustPiper
Picture credit: TheCabal
"I will never cower before any master nor bend to any threat"
U.S. Charges Australian Linked to al-Qaida
WASHINGTON - An Australian held at the Navy's prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will face a military tribunal for allegedly training and fighting alongside members of al-Qaida in Afghanistan (news - web sites), the Pentagon (news - web sites) announced Thursday.
We are the "Stotters" who make ourselves aware of the enemy who wishes to do us harm
(Excerpt) Read more at story.news.yahoo.com ...
Now, while Iran and the AQ's are ratcheting up the heat..here comes yet another issue (No wonder almost every carrier we have is deployed...)
TAIWAN-CHINA update
17 June 2004 1106
US asked to beef up Taiwan's defence under one-China policy review
WASHINGTON: The US government was asked on Wednesday to beef up Taiwan's defence against possible attack from China as Congress debated an independent report seeking a revamp of Washington's one-China policy.
The bipartisan US-China Economic and Security Review Commission proposed on Tuesday that Washington reform its policies towards Beijing on economy and security, including the one-China policy which dictates relations with Taiwan.
Members of the commission testified on Wednesday before the powerful House Armed Services Committee, urging the government to consider stepping up military aid to Taiwan to counter China's defence build-up against the island.
Commission member Carolyn Bartholomew said the call for a fresh assessment of US cross-Strait policy was made against the backdrop of China's "ratcheting up its military modernization program aimed at Taiwan" amid growing frictions between China and Taiwan.
"Everybody keeps talking about maintaining the status quo in cross-Strait relations but the status quo actually keeps changing," she said, pointing out that the one-China policy was outdated as it was crafted 25 years ago when China was not a military and economic power.
Under the policy, the United States acknowledges Beijing's position that Taiwan is part of China but is bound by law to provide weapons to help Taiwan defend itself if its security is threatened.
Roger Robinson, commission chairman, referred to "changing realities on the ground" that required the US government to consider, among other things, reviewing its defence assistance to Taiwan.
Nearly 500 Chinese missiles are said to be aimed at Taiwan.
"Are they maintaining a proper level of balance with this new offensive force structure by Beijing? The answer to that, in our view, is: No," he said to a question from Democratic Representative Solomon Ortiz.
Robinson said that amid China's military buildup, the "prospects for miscalculation are so evident and so debilitating if they should occur and chances of American blood becoming emeshed in this kind of conflict are so high.
"We simply can't stand on the sidelines and see any sort of downward spiral in the cross-strait relations," he warned.
China has repeatedly threatened to invade Taiwan should the island declare formal independence.
The two sides split in 1949 at the end of a civil war but Beijing regards the island as part of its territory.
Cross-strait tension has been escalating since pro-independence Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian took office in 2000 and since his re-election in March this year.
The 12-member commission had also expressed concern over China's alleged proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and related technology.
"Numerous examples of such proliferation from China continue" despite Beijing's claim that it was actually halting the problem, Bartholomew said.
She cited "serious allegations" that nuclear-powered North Korea used Chinese facilities as transshipment points for exports of North Korean weapons of mass destruction to third countries.
Bartholomew said China was "not exerting its considerable leverage on North Korea" even though it hosted multilateral talks to resolve the nuclear crisis in the Korean peninsula.
Curt Weldon, a Republican party representative, said the government should be strict in imposing sanctions against China for violation of arms control agreements. (SNIP)
"Trade can help advance US national security interests but it can also endanger them if it proliferates dangerous technology or undermines our strategic independence," Duncan Hunter, the Armed Services Committee chairman, warned. - AFP
(LINK)
Wonderful summation milkncookies. One to print and keep.
Hence the relevance on TM for postings on celestial info., quakes and other odd events. Those who wish to destroy us, have shown their ability throughout history, to utilize these events as their "Go signal". Their entire lives revolve around the phase of the moon.
16 Military Attaches to Observe Sino-British Maritime Exercises
www.chinaview.cn 2004-06-17 21:22:19 QINGDAO, June 17 (Xinhuanet) -- China will, for the first time, invite 16 military attaches in China from 15 countries' naval forces to observe the Sino-British maritime exercises scheduled for Saturday , Chinese Defense Ministry sources said here Thursday.
The guided missile destroyer HMS Exeter and replenishment ship RFA Grey of the British Royal Navy arrived in Qingdao Thursday morning for a four-day visit to the east China city, and a joint military exercise will be executed involving HMS Exeter and China's guided missile destroyer Harbin and replenishment ship Hongze Lake.
The exercises will include search and rescue operations as wellas helicopter tactic maneuvers, and the two sides will be directed respectively by Zhang Panhong, chief of the general staff of the North Sea Fleet of the Chinese navy, and David Snelson, who commands the British navy fleet.
The Chinese navy had maritime exercises with the Pakistan and Indian navy forces in Shanghai last year and with the French navy in Qingdao in March this year. No military attache of a third country was invited to observe these joint exercises.
A Chinese naval officer said inviting the foreign military attaches to observe Sino-British joint maritime exercises shows the new concept of China's military diplomacy against the backdrop of military reform with Chinese characteristics. Enditem Link to Full Article
Judging from my Freepmail and other posts, the meteor detractors are conspicuously few in number. Points to consider:
1) If the recent meteor phenomena are within the range of normal occurrences, or a short-lived cluster, the reports will soon die out and the issue will become moot.
2) If the reports indicate a significant increase in meteorites (impacted meteors), and the activity is sustained, we all want to be apprised of it, WOT or not.
3) As others have commented, celestial occurrences of all kinds are of great significance to Islam (religion and culture). To filter out this aspect of their sociology would be like doing a report on transportation but leaving out trains and planes. Celestial events have provided a scheduling or synchronizing mechanism for earthly events in the past. Read any translated Islamic literature whatsoever if you need to be convinced of their obsession with the sky.
4) Perhaps one of the reasons for the deterioration of the thread, in your opinion, is that hard information on terrorism and terrorists is pretty sparse, if you exclude the ME. Much of what there is is recycled or pure speculation. If the availability of real info improves, the thread will naturally move back in that direction.
More on China-Taiwan from Newsmax:
U.S. at War With Beijing, Reports Cite China as #1 Threat
Charles R. Smith
Thursday, June 17, 2004
The U.S. government has cited China as the number one threat to global security for the second time in less than a month.
Both the Pentagon and the Commission on U.S-China Economic and Security Review cited Beijing as a major threat to U.S. national security.
The two reports noted the growing military capability of China combined with its predatory economic policy is aimed directly at the United States.
The latest report released by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission was approved by a "unanimous vote of all eleven Commissioners." According to the Commission China's co-operation on international security matters is "un-satisfactory."
The Commission examined in depth the extent of ongoing co-operation between China and the United States on traditional national security matters, most particularly China's assistance in re-solving the North Korea nuclear weapons crisis.
(snip)
According to the report, China is deliberately using economic warfare against America to seek a "competitive advantage over U.S. manufacturers."
"Economic fundamentals suggest that the Chinese yuan is undervalued, with a growing consensus of economists estimating the level of undervaluation to be anywhere from fifteen to forty percent.
The Chinese government persistently intervenes in the foreign exchange market to keep its exchange rate pegged at 8.28 yuan per dollar, and through these actions appears to be manipulating its currency valuation," states the report.
The Commission also noted that China is violating its pledges to the World Trade Organization and that U.S. investors may actually be investing in the PLA military expansion.
(snip).
Weapons for Oil
The Commission report also noted that China continues to proliferate advanced weapons to many of its client states including North Korea, Pakistan, and Iran. In addition, China now appears to be willing to trade weapons for oil.
"China's growing energy needs, linked to its rapidly expanding economy, are creating economic and security concerns for the United States. China's energy security policies are driving it into bilateral arrangements that undermine multilateral efforts to stabilize oil supplies and prices, and in some cases may involve dangerous weapons transfers," stated the report.
"China has sought energy cooperation with countries of concern to the United States, including Iran and Sudan, which are inaccessible by U.S. and other western firms. Some analysts have voiced suspicions that China may have offered WMD-related transfers as a component of some of its energy deals," noted the Commission.
New Weapons
The Commission report also revealed that Russia has sold China a more advanced version of the deadly SUNBURN (3M83 Moskit) cruise missile. Nikolay Shcherbakov, adviser to the director general of the Altair Naval Scientific Research Institute of Electronic Engineering, is reported as saying that "we are supplying China with new-generation equipment. We have been allowed to supply MOSKIT supersonic antiship cruise missiles with twice the range - 240km instead of the existing 120."
The Commission also noted a growing concern that China would use nuclear weapons to attack and defeat U.S. forces in the event of a war over Taiwan.
"Recognizing the possible involvement of the U.S. military, the current scholarship on China's R & D finds that PRC strategists believe that a superior navy could be defeated through the disabling of its space-based systems, as for example, by exo-atmospheric detonation of a nuclear warhead to generate an electromagnetic pulse," stated the report.
In addition, the Commission noted that China is pursuing an advanced laser weapon for use against Taiwanese and U.S. forces.
"It has recently been reported that China has successfully developed a laser cannon with a range of more than one hundred kilometers and might have already deployed it in Fujian Province facing Taiwan."
Shooting War in 2005
The Commission's report painted a deadly and growing picture of the Chinese threat with a possible conflict only a year away.
(snip, snip, snip)
SURE. I think I forgot to post that link this week.
Yup. but with the GPS system down you couldn't easily fix your position to target anything...
While we peacefully shop at Wallyworld, we might want to remember that:
"China would use nuclear weapons to attack and defeat U.S. forces in the event of a war over Taiwan. "
"China is pursuing an advanced laser weapon for use against Taiwanese and U.S. forces."
"China has successfully developed a laser cannon with a range of more than one hundred kilometers and might have already deployed it in Fujian Province facing Taiwan"
"PRC strategists believe that a superior navy could be defeated through the disabling of its space-based systems, as for example, by exo-atmospheric detonation of a nuclear warhead to generate an electromagnetic pulse," stated the report."
Dumb questions from me to you:
(Thinking about the AQ navy)
How are nuclear missiles timed to explode?
Does the nuke detonate even if the missile lands in the wrong spot? I'm imagining- yes.
Judging from my Freepmail, there are a lot of people who feel the same as I do, but don't want to post publically out of fear of starting a flame war, which could result in the Thread being permanently banished to Chat, and because of the unwritten rule for this Thread that we're all supposed to be nice to each other, even as the Thread is being hijacked. You know my position. I'm not going to belabor the point. And I'll bet you a Freeper dollar that if the Thread keeps going in your direction, we'll be in Chat by the end of the month.
Great point.
Thanks.
Tunnel vision and tunnel sensibilities does
NOT
help us catch such potentially crucial cues and issues.
Dunno.
Impact fuse? Radar altimeter? GPS? Barometric altimeter? Timer?
Not a dumb question at all.
Russia, China, C. Asia in Security Pact
Thursday, June 17, 2004 · Last updated 9:56 a.m. PT By BURT HERMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- The presidents of China, Russia and four Central Asian nations met Thursday to breathe life into a security alliance and open an anti-terrorism center, part of efforts by Beijing and Moscow to counter the U.S. military presence in the region.......
How about we let China have Taiwan for looking the other way when Israel bombs Iran?
EXTREMELY WELL PUT, IMhO
Cuber. Big confidential nuke explosion. 6.1 impact on the Richter scale. Havana gone.
Just kidding - hadja going tho, din I?
Thanks.
Nope. It's where all our computer memory chips come from...
Very well-stated BearWash. If I could only be so succinct and to the point.
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