Threat Matrix: January 2007

Adding to posts no. 1580, 1581:

ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1761584/posts?page=1580#1580
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1761584/posts?page=1581#1581

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=41960&archive=true

Sunni town searched for disguised attackers
"Four SUVs used by insurgents in raid found with American uniforms, body armor"

By Joseph Giordono, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Tuesday, January 23, 2007

PERSECUTION.ORG
http://www.persecution.org

http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/defense/
http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/iraq/

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/01/20070126.html

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 26, 2007

President Bush Congratulates General Petraeus on Senate Confirmation, Discusses Way Forward in Iraq
The Oval Office

President's Remarks

In Focus: Renewal in Iraq
In Focus: Defense

10:20 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: I just had a full briefing with General David Petraeus about the way forward in Iraq. I want to thank the Secretary, and General Pace, National Security Advisor, for joining this discussion. Congratulations.

GENERAL PETRAEUS: Thank you, sir.

THE PRESIDENT: The Senate confirmed this good man without a dissenting vote. I appreciate the quick action of the United States Senate. I appreciate them giving General David Petraeus a fair hearing, and I appreciate the vote. My instructions to the General is, get over to the zone as quickly as possible and implement a plan that we believe will yield our goals.

I thank the General and his family. I particularly want to thank your family for supporting you and supporting our nation. One of the amazing things about our country is that we've got military folks who volunteer to go into a tough zone to protect the American people from future harm, and they've got families who stand by them. Whether you be a general or a private in the military, there is a U.S. -- there's a family member saying, I love you and I support you.

And so, General, I congratulate you and I congratulate the volunteers and their families for making the hard decisions necessary to protect its people from a grave danger. And you're going into an important battle in this war on terror, and I give you my full support, and wish you Godspeed.

GENERAL PETRAEUS: Thank you, Mr. President. If I could thank the Senate, as well, thank my family, and above all thank those great soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and civilians who are out there on the front lines of the global war on terror.

THE PRESIDENT: All right. I'll answer a couple of questions. Jennifer.

Q Thank you, sir. The other night in your State of the Union address, you asked Congress to give your plan a chance. But lawmakers, Democrats and Republicans, didn't really miss a step in starting to turn out resolutions against that plan. Why do you think it's okay to go ahead without their support?

THE PRESIDENT: One of the things I've found in Congress is that most people recognize that failure would be a disaster for the United States. And in that I'm the decision maker, I had to come up with a way forward that precluded disaster. In other words, I had to think about what's likely to work.

And so I worked with our military and I worked with Secretary Gates to come up with a plan that is likely to succeed. And the implementor of that plan is going to be General Petraeus. And my call to the Congress is, is that I know there is skepticism and pessimism, and that they are -- some are condemning a plan before it's even had a chance to work. And they have an obligation and a serious responsibility, therefore, to put up their own plan as to what would work.

I've listened a lot to members of Congress. I've listened carefully to their suggestions. I have picked the plan that I think is most likely to succeed, because I understand, like many in Congress understand, success is very important for the security of the country.

Let's see -- Steven.

Q This policy of going after the Iranians inside Iraq, are you concerned that that could be a provocative act in the region?

THE PRESIDENT: I made it very clear, as did the Secretary, that our policy is going to be to protect our troops in Iraq. It makes sense that if somebody is trying to harm our troops, or stop us from achieving our goal, or killing innocent citizens in Iraq, that we will stop them. That's an obligation we all have, is to protect our folks and achieve our goal.

Now some are trying to say that because we're enforcing -- helping ourselves in Iraq by stopping outside influence from killing our soldiers or hurting Iraqi people that we want to expand this beyond the borders -- that's a presumption that simply is not accurate. We believe that we can solve our problems with Iran diplomatically, and are working to do that. As a matter of fact, we're making pretty good progress on that front. As you know, the Iranians, for example, think they want to have a nuclear weapon. And we've convinced other nations to join us to send a clear message, through the United Nations, that that's unacceptable behavior.

And so, yes, we're going to continue to protect ourselves in Iraq, and at the same time, work to solve our problems with Iran diplomatically. And I believe we can succeed. The choice is the Iranian government's choice. And one of the things that the Iranian government has done, is they've begun to isolate their nation to the harm of the Iranian people. And the Iranian people are proud people, and they've got a great history and a great tradition.

Our struggle is not with the Iranian people. As a matter of fact, we want them to flourish, and we want their economy to be strong. And we want their mothers to be able to raise their children in a hopeful society. My problem is with a government that takes actions that end up isolating their people and ends up denying the Iranian people their true place in the world. And so we'll work diplomatically, and I believe we can solve our problems peacefully.

Thank you all very much.

END 10:26 A.M. EST

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/01/20070126-2.html

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 26, 2007

International Day of Commemoration In Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, 2007

On the second International Day of Commemoration, we remember and mourn the victims of the Holocaust.

Sixty-two years after the liberation of Auschwitz, we must continue to educate ourselves about the lessons of the Holocaust, and honor those whose lives were taken as a result of a racist ideology that embraced a national policy of violent hatred and bigotry. It is also our responsibility to honor the survivors and those courageous souls who refused to be bystanders, and instead risked their lives to try and save the Nazis' intended victims.

Remembering the victims, heroes, and lessons of the Holocaust is particularly important today as Holocaust denial continues, urged on by the Iranian regime, which perversely seeks to call into question the historical fact of the Nazis' campaign of mass murder. We must continue to condemn the resurgence of anti-Semitism, that same virulent intolerance that led to the Holocaust, and we must combat bigotry and hatred in all their forms, in America and abroad.

May God bless the memory of the victims of the Holocaust. And may we never forget.

placemark

Depends on the stevia-manufacturer and strength. I have used it for years with no aftertaste to speak of.

ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hamas

http://www.jihadwatch.org/cgi-bin/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=Hamas

http://www.memri.org/bin/search/search.cgi?nocpp=1&p%3Ats_udav=0&sort-method=3&Match=0&Terms=Hamas&Realm=All

http://www.memritv.org/Search.asp?ACT=S5&P1=157

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http://www.palestine-info.info
http://www.palestine-info.info/ar/
http://www.palestine-info.info/Ar/DataFiles/Contents/Files/gallery/2006/designs06/picuu77y.jpg

http://www.palestine-info.info/ar/default.aspx?xyz=U6Qq7k%2bcOd87MDI46m9rUxJEpMO%2bi1s7p%2fKRGSgQccqx7tHQPobDkKeS6rOkLk0ab%2fYy6voBXPuUUbNhELQHHyarQsQTWErXJFYsl96DagAhA7FoOnRwrd%2fWrnEP7KUmp4Kfqcsm69s%3d

http://www.palestine-info.info/ar/DataFiles/Cache/TempImgs/2007/1/Images_News_2007_Jan_18_852852852_300_0.jpg

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http://off-topic.internet-haganah.com/archives/000770.htm

January 27, 2007

"The first salvos were fired online...

...and then, after making their intentions clear, Hamas blew up the al-Arabiya TV office in Gaza"

Posted on 27 January 2007 @ 20:42 GMT

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ON THE NET...

http://internet-haganah.com/harchives/005883.html

21 January 2007
"Hamas vs. al-Arabiyyah"

http://internet-haganah.org/hmedia/21jan07/hms_v_arabiyya.jpg

http://internet-haganah.org/hmedia/21jan07/al-arabiyya_vs_hamas/post1.html

http://internet-haganah.org/hmedia/21jan07/al-arabiyya_vs_hamas/post2.html

http://internet-haganah.org/hmedia/21jan07/al-arabiyya_vs_hamas/post3.html

http://internet-haganah.org/hmedia/21jan07/al-arabiyya_vs_hamas/post3_files/Images_News_2007_Jan_18_852852852_300_0.jpg

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http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20070122%5cACQRTT200701221631RTTRADERUSEQUITY_1088.htm&

"Explosion Damages Al-Arabiya Television's Office In Gaza City"

(RTTNews) -

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Hamas-led Palestinian government denied any involvement of the Islamist group in the blasts and condemned the attack. Palestinian government spokesman Ghazi Hamad of Hamas denounced the bombing. "Despite the disagreement between us and Al-Arabiya, we reject this method and we consider it unacceptable. I have urged the Interior Minister to find out who is responsible," he said."

Taking a look at events AROUND THE 'NET Today:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1774785/posts?page=20#20

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20070127/capt.43729200a303481c981695277f46a7b5.iraq_protest_dckw108.jpg?x=304&y=345&sig=MSyMSDm81H0v3cjuosISfg--

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1774776/posts

Fonda role again draws heat
Boston Globe ^ | January 27, 2007 | By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff

Posted on 01/27/2007 1:16:54 PM PST by Jim Robinson
Edited on 01/27/2007 1:20:33 PM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]

WASHINGTON -- Actress and long time peace activist Jane Fonda, a favorite target of right-wing attacks since the 1970s for her high-profile opposition to the Vietnam War, will rejoin the ranks of the antiwar movement today at a major rally in Washington.

The return to the spotlight for the Hollywood star derisively known as "Hanoi Jane" for going to North Vietnam at the height of the war, was seen by some activists and chroniclers of the antiwar movement as politically risky. They said her presence could be distracting in a rally that organizers hope can capitalize on congressional opposition to President Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq.

"I wonder if the appearance of someone like Jane Fonda is going to pull attention away from other messages," said Rhys Williams, a University of Cincinnati sociologist who has chronicled American anti war movements. "If I were an organizer, I would worry how much her presence is going to be dominating the news cycle."

Though it's been decades since she posed atop a North Vietnamese anti aircraft gun, many Vietnam veterans are still angry . Fonda later apologized -- but didn't say she was sorry for fervently opposing the Vietnam War.

~~snip~~

"The enemies of this nation are feeling so emboldened that they are confident enough to bring Jane Fonda to a MEMORIAL for the United States Navy," the conservative website Freerepublic.com decried in an "urgent" post. Fonda "posed with our enemy [in North Vietnam] on an anti aircraft battery used to shoot down our Navy pilots."

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ON THE BLOGS:

http://hotair.com/archives/2007/01/27/kerry-rips-bush-in-front-of-former-iranian-president-at-davos/

"Kerry rips Bush in front of former Iranian president at Davos; Update: Video added"

posted at 1:24 pm on January 27, 2007 by Allahpundit
Send to a Friend | printer-friendly

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http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=24169_New_Anti-War_Slogan-_Just_Poop&only

Saturday, January 27, 2007
"New Anti-War Slogan: 'Just Poop'"

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http://michellemalkin.com/archives/006774.htm
"The moonbats are coming"
By Michelle Malkin · January 26, 2007 04:52 PM

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=pedophiles
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=pornography

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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1774694/posts

"Online porn, predators threaten children, teens"
OneNewsNow.com ^ | 1/27/07 | Ed Vitagliano

Posted on 01/27/2007 10:43:58 AM PST by wagglebee

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1774803/posts

"Debate: Robert Spencer vs. Dinesh D'Souza ('Lores Live', KRLA 870am this Sun Jan 28th at 7pm PST)"
Lores Live website ^ | Friday January 26th, 2007 | Lores Rizkalla

Posted on 01/27/2007 2:06:29 PM PST by ajolympian2004

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/014997.php

January 27, 2007

"'If they pay we kill them anyway'"

This story explains in microcosm why, contrary to what Dinesh D'Souza assumes, even cleaning up American pop culture will not end the jihad, which proceeds for reasons that spring from within Islam, and not as a reaction to outside outrages -- although those outrages are used as a pretext for recruitment purposes. Mutatis mutandis, after we become a decent, upright, moral people, the "traditional Muslims" of which D'Souza speaks won't become our allies. Their jihadist brethren will kill -- or subjugate -- us anyway.

"'If they pay we kill them anyway' - the kidnapper's story," from The Guardian, with thanks to Sr. Soph:

Fadhel is a slim, well-muscled 26-year-old Mahdi Army commander with a thin goatee beard and smoothed down hair that looks like a flat cap. One day last month he described how he and his men seized a group of three Sunni men suspected of killing his fellow Shia. "I followed the group for weeks and then one of them crossed the bridge to Karrada [a Shia district]. We first informed a nearby Iraqi army checkpoint that we were arresting terrorists then we attacked them and put them in the boots of the cars. We only have six to seven minutes when we grab someone - we have to act quickly, if he resists we shoot him."
In this case, he said, the men were taken to Sadr City, the Shia slum to the north-east of Baghdad, where they were interrogated by a "committee" which ordered their execution. "We ask the families of the terrorists for ransom money," said Fadhel. "And after they pay the ransom we kill them anyway."

Kidnapping in Baghdad these days is as much about economics as retribution or sectarian hatred. Another Shia man close to the Mahdi Army told me: "They kidnap 10 Sunnis, they get ransom on five, and kill them all, in each big kidnap operation they make at least $50 000, it's the best business in Baghdad."

[...]

Like many of their Sunni counterparts, the Mahdi commanders boast that they could wipe out the other sect and gain total control over Baghdad if the US left. "We control most of Baghdad, our main enemy is the Americans," said Fadhel. Then he paused for a second and continued: "Also we can't trust the other Shia factions. Imam Ali says 'God please protect me against my friends and I will take care of my enemies.'"

Posted by Robert at January 27, 2007 08:01 AM

Note: The following text (minus the graphic) is a quote:

http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005895.html

27 January 2007
Jund Allah promise attack on Jerusalem, soon
The following was posted to a forum on 24 January 2007. The site is representative of the genuine (i.e. Lebanon and West Bank) Palestinian jihadis of the al-Qaida variety.

The author says that the mujahedeen will soon attack Jerusalem, and refers to the supposed attackers as the Jund Allah. A quick and dirty analysis of this follows:

1. It is not clear that the author himself is Palestinian, and much of his other postings involve copying items from other forums.

2. On the other hand, this promise of an attack on Jerusalem has not been seen elsewhere.

3. The author's Arabic appears genuine.

4. There was previously a Jund Allah in Lebanon, composed in part of Palestinian refugees.

5. There was a previous announcement from a Jund Allah group in the West Bank, but that group is a faction of Fatah/Shuhadaa al-Aqsa in Nablus, and there is no reason to think they are connected to this.

Posted on 27 January 2007 @ 16:21

Thank you for all those links Cindy. Things are not looking good in that neck of the woods.

You're welcome Oorang and I agree.

I got a message from my bank yesterday that TJ Max and Marshalls stoores were hacked and CC numbers were taken.

And I haven't charged there in over two years, but if you have you may want to check with your bank or CC Co.

ON THE NET...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hezbollah
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hizballah
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=hizbullah

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RECAP - QUOTE:

http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005894.html

27 January 2007
New Charges Possible in Hezbollah TV Case
New York Sun January 23, 2007:

Two New York men accused of trying to broadcast Hezbollah propaganda via satellite television could soon face additional criminal charges that they also streamed the programming over the Internet. Government prosecutors say Javed Iqbal and Saleh Elahwal conspired to do business with Hezbollah's Al Manar TV network, which was designated a global terrorist entity by the American government last March. Prosecutors said yesterday they were looking into what they said could be "additional criminal conduct of these defendants." "That could spawn a new raft of charges," an assistant U.S. attorney prosecuting the case, Stephen Miller, told federal Judge Richard Berman yesterday, adding, "We are not sure where that's going to lead us yet."

Posted on 27 January 2007 @ 16:17

Thanks for passing that along WCG.

Thanks West Coast Gal for the heads up.

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http://www.fox19.com/Global/story.asp?S=5957720&nav=0zHF

"Security Breach At Parent Company Of TJ Maxx, Marshall's Might Affect Customer's Information"
Jan 18, 2007 12:07 PM

ARTICLE SNIPPET: "The company has established a phone number (800) 903-1408) and web site (http://www.tjx.com ) that consumers can use for help in protecting their personal information."

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=iran

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http://www.internet-haganah.com/harchives/005892.html
"Just in case you wanted to know..."
27 January 2007

1200 students evacuated from Moscow University after blast
26.01.2007

MOSCOW -- 1200 students were evacuated from the dormitory building of the Moscow State University after the blast, which took place their at 04:53 hours Moscow time on Friday. Head of the Moscow emergency center Yevgeny Bobylev told Tass “three square meters of a wall have collapsed as a result of the explosion and window glass was broken from the tenth to the 14th floor”.

A spokesman of the Moscow police told Tass “it is too early to make conclusions what caused the blast – an explosive device of a certain chemical mixture” produced by students. Police said the blast occurred on the staircase between the 15th and 16th floors. As a result, a wall was damaged and smoke covered the area.

Last November a low-yield explosive went off in the dormitory of the Moscow State University main building overnight causing no injuries and inflicting minor damage.

http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=11190870&PageNum=0

Sokhumi Denies Radioactive Materials Smuggled via Abkhazia
2007-01-26

Georgia, Tbilisi - Abkhazia has never been used for smuggling radioactive materials from Russia into Georgia, the breakaway region’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on January 25, Apsnipress news agency reported.

The statement comes in a response to the Georgian Foreign Ministry’s allegation that “uncontrolled separatist territories in Georgia serve as a safe haven for illegal activities related to the proliferation of different components of Weapons of Mass Destruction.”

Georgia said it foiled an attempt to smuggle 100 grams of enriched uranium from Russia into Georgia via breakaway South Ossetia last year.

Secessionist authorities both in Abkhazia and South Ossetia described the allegation as an attempt to discredit Sokhumi and Tskhinvali. “We are concerned with regional security and we spare no effort to contribute to regional security,” Abkhaz Foreign Minister Sergey Shamba said.

http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=14512

15 killed, 30 hurt in Pakistan bombing
1/27/07

PESHAWAR, Pakistan - A suicide attacker detonated a bomb among police on guard near a Shiite Muslim mosque in this northwestern Pakistani city Saturday, killing at least 15 people and wounding more than 30, police said.

The attack came as Pakistan's minority Shiites started to commemorate their most important religious festival, Ashoura, often a target of sectarian violence. Paramilitary forces in armored vehicles were deployed to patrol Peshawar after the bombing.

The blast went off in a bazaar area about 200 yards from a mosque that was the starting point for the Shiite procession. It caused a power outage that left the city center in darkness, complicating rescue efforts.

Excerpted

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070127/ap_on_re_as/pakistan_bomb_explosion