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Locked on 05/01/2007 8:56:34 PM PDT by Admin Moderator, reason:
New thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1826963/posts |
Posted on 04/01/2007 6:46:34 PM PDT by nwctwx
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Thanks to Abu Afak for the ping to this post:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1817903/posts?page=21#21
UPDATE:
“Duo accused of crime spree”
By TIFFANY MAYER
Local News - Sunday, April 15, 2007 Updated @ 9:11:31 PM
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Upon further investigation police said both suspects were connected to a rash of crimes during the past few months, including heists at Vasko Rexall Pharmacy in Welland and Meadows IDA pharmacy in Niagara Falls, and the break-in and arson of Simpson’s store. Police said the pair has also been linked to a break-in at Seaway Trailers in Welland, where a U-Haul truck was stolen.”
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Theresa Pitre, 24, of Niagara Falls, has been charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of stolen property, arson, obstructing police and two counts of break, enter and theft.
Dariusz Ribisz, 25, also of Niagara Falls, has been charged with dangerous driving, obstructing police, possession of a controlled substance, possession of stolen property, arson and two counts each of robbery and break, enter and theft.
Police continue to investigate and anticipate additional arrests.”
tmayer@stcatharinesstandard.ca
ON THE NET...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=trains
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=train
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=trainstation
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=trainterminal
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“Mock emergency to close train station”
April 16, 2007 - 2:40PM
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Authorities will stage a mock emergency at Melbourne’s Parliament Station tonight to test security on the city’s public transport system.
Victorian Transport Minister Lynne Kosky said the drill at the underground station was the fourth in a series of exercises aimed at preparing for security threats.
“This is really to test our security capacity,” she told reporters.
“It’s to make sure that should anything ever happen, and we hope that it doesn’t, in the rail system, that we’ll be absolutely prepared and all of the emergency services are working together.”
The operation, named Exercise Windsor, was not being staged in response to any specific threat but was part of Project Trident, which focuses on key Victorian infrastructure, Ms Kosky said.”
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2007/s07040068.htm
ASSIST News Service (ANS) - PO Box 609, Lake Forest, CA 92609-0609 USA
Visit our web site at: www.assistnews.net — E-mail: danjuma1@aol.com
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Radical Islamists are fighting “vice” by torching CDs
By Sheraz Khurram Khan
Special Correspondent for ASSIST News Service in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN (ANS) — As if nothing else was rotten in the State of Pakistan the radical Islamists have started squandering their energies to rid the country of music shops and video centers. The Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan barred women from pursuing education, pressured them to wear burqa (veil) and forced men to grow beards. The Afghans as well as the international community saw the dos and don’ts list issued by the Taliban as an anathema.
Their (Taliban) obsession with enforcing the hard-line version of Islam resulted in their isolation from the international community and caused their fall. Besides, the people of Afghanistan at large alienated themselves from the repressive Taliban regime.
It seems as if the fanatic Islamists in Pakistan have not drawn any lesson from the Taliban’s failure to enforce Islamic laws in Afghanistan by sheer force. The liberal forces at home that are already sick of the hard-line religious forces of course have not welcomed their current drive against perceived obscenity and immorality. A shopkeeper has reportedly set to fire his CDs in Bara Kahu area near capital Islamabad on Saturday, April 14. Least mindful of how such acts reinforce the image of radical Islam, the Islamists must have seen the reduction of pile of CDs to ashes as a success. Any sane mind would interpret the act as egregiously unreasonable as it cannot guarantee any good except an addition to the pollution.
The closure of music and video shops will deprive people of an inexpensive source of recreation. Do they already have access to a variety of recreation sources? Of course not! In this grim backdrop why rob them of easing their tense nerves after a busy day at work or on weekends? Liquor is banned in Pakistan still people who cannot help consuming it get access to it. Likewise, even if all the CDs in the country are torched and the music and video shops are closed the music fans will always find a way to get them. Only a shift in consumers’ disposition toward a certain commodity could keep them from buying it.
One may argue why the Islamists have singled out the Music and Video CDs? A sizable number of moderate and enlightened Pakistanis are concerned about widespread availability of militant CDs wherein the unscrupulous religious elements preach hate and provoke their followers to wage Jihad. If seen in its entirety it is the menace of religious intolerance and sectarianism that needs to be addressed on a war-footing basis. The drive against militant literature and CDs of course cannot be expected to come from the perpetrators of religious intolerance. If the moderate forces had echoed the need for setting to fire the militant CDs the self-appointed pundits of Islam would have provoked a “religious storm” in the country. They would have categorically termed the initiative as “un-Islamic” and many would have branded the forces seeking elimination of the militant CDs as arch-enemies of Islam. Let’s assume that the government let the Islamists go ahead with their manifest agenda of purging the society of the music and video centers.
Will it stop the Islamists from declaring some other area as a “threat” to Islam? Given the stake of the hard-line religious forces have in seeing Islamic Laws enforced in the country the chances of it happening are very remote. The country’s internet cafés, educational institutions offering co-education, TV channels, western food outlets, people wearing western dresses or anything seen by them as clashing with the version of Islam they espouse to will come under fire.
The scourge of immorality can be struck out from the society by reforming people’s behavior, attitude and thinking. If common sense had prevailed with the so-called champions of Islam they would have requested social scientists to try to reform the attitude of people through education. The Islamists could have made them attend classes by renowned social scientists on the genesis of vice; the way it is tearing apart the social fabric of society, and the necessary remedial measures to uproot it. It does not take any stretch of imagination to understand as to why the Islamists did not adopt the right approach. Would it not take them out of the public eye? Who will they exhort to wage Jihad (holy war) when their vulnerable target would be in safe hands? It would obviously take them more efforts and time to transform them into suicide bombers. One argues has the six party religious alliance in the North Western Frontier Province of Pakistan been able to stamp out vice from the province after launching its much-touted campaign against ‘immorality’? Did people become more righteous than they were before the launch of the drive that saw removal of billboards and banning of cinemas?
Why is it that the Islamists have to poke their nose in areas where they are not authorized? The Police and the law enforcement agencies are supposed to tackle vice and not an army of fiery clerics. Last month, when the management of a religious school in the capital Islamabad got to know about the women accused of being prostitutes why did they put up a shameful show of force that involved the forcible entry of the ‘enforcers of Islam’ into the home of the accused, the ransacking of the place, the humiliating drag the victims suffered from their home to the religious school where they were imprisoned? Instead of assuming the role of ‘Religious Police Force’ they should have reported the matter to the police.
Pakistan Cricket Team’s spokesman Mr. P. J. Mir’s recent statement after country’s humiliating defeat by Ireland and its subsequent elimination from the World Cup is worrying since he reportedly said that the players’ fixation was on preaching which affected their performance.
The Islamists see observation of Kite Flying Festival in spring called Basant as un-Islamic. They believe Pakistanis should stop welcoming the advent of spring by flying kites because it is a Hindu Sport. Tomorrow they may start preaching people to distance themselves from the game of Cricket on the grounds that it originated from England, a predominantly Christian country.
Instead of misguiding people in the name of Islam it would be better if the hard-line religious forces think of something constructive. Their tendency to take law into their hands in a bid to enforce their interpretation of Islam has not and will not work. They should better learn to win the hearts and minds of people rather than pushing ahead with their militant agenda. They must accept the stark reality that it is because of their hardened stance visa-a-vis Islamization that reinforces the notion of radical Islam. It is high time they started preaching love than hate.
The writer is a freelance journalist based in Pakistan.
** You may republish this story with proper attribution.
Note: The following news brief is a quote:
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=21726
15 April 2007
Second journalist in three months murdered
Reporters Without Borders expressed shock today at the “brutal murder” of the correspondent of the weekly paper Haïti Progrès, Johnson Edouard, in the northwestern city of Gonaïves on 12 April.
“He may have been killed because of his work, the press freedom organisation said, noting that “Haiti is still one of the most dangerous countries for journalists in the Americas.” Edouard was also a local official of the Fanmi Lavalas party.
Gunmen broke into his home while he was sleeping and shot him in the head and chest before escaping through a window. A party official said he had been “executed” and claimed it was “not an isolated crime.”
Freelance photographer Jean-Rémy Badiau was shot dead at his home in Martissant, a southern suburb of the capital, Port-au-Prince, on 19 January after taking pictures of gang members.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=iran
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=venezuela
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Note: The following news biref is a quote:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3388333,00.html
Venezuela’s Chavez backs Iran in nuclear dispute
Published: 04.16.07, 00:05 / Israel News
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez defended Iran’s “legitimate right” to develop nuclear power for peaceful energy uses, warning the US not to attack Iran. “We demand that the North American empire respect the Iranian people and the peoples of the world,” said Chavez Sunday on his program “Hello President.”
“The only country that has developed atomic bombs and dropped them on entire peoples is the North American empire... They don’t have the morality to be giving anybody lessons,” he said. A military attack on Iran “would be madness,” Chavez added. “The consequences would be terrible.” (AP)
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http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,266061,00.html
(AP)
“Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Calls Reconciliation With the U.S. ‘Impossible’”
Saturday, April 14, 2007
CARACAS, Venezuela —
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “Chavez also said that the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were “a gift for (President) Bush” because they enabled him to wage war.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1603333/posts?page=33#33
Thanks to bd476 for the ping to this thread.
Note: The following post is a quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1817993/posts
A World Wide Web of terrorist plotting
Los Angeles Times ^ | April 16, 2007 | Sebastian Rotella, Times Staff Writer
Posted on 04/16/2007 12:25:32 AM PDT by bd476
The Internet has become a virtual operations center replacing the Al Qaeda bases in Afghanistan and Bosnia.
SARAJEVO, BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA — They never met face to face, but the two young zealots became brother warriors in the new land of jihad: the Internet.
Investigators say their bond made them central figures in a terrorism network that spanned eight countries, involved more than 30 suspects and hatched plots in Washington, Toronto, London and Sarajevo.
Maximus was the online moniker of Mirsad Bektasevic, a lanky Bosnian refugee with a dark stare and a hunger for action. At 18, he returned from Sweden to this war-scarred city, where he assembled an arsenal for a suicide attack and filmed a “martyrdom” video.
Irhabi007 was Younis Tsouli, a Moroccan living in London with his diplomat father, investigators say. Hunched day and night over his computer, the diminutive 22-year-old allegedly served as a pioneering cyber-operative for Al Qaeda, oversaw Bektasevic’s mission and was at the hub of other plots.
Their case shows that the Internet has become a virtual training camp and operations center replacing the Al Qaeda bases in Afghanistan and Bosnia that produced a legion of fighters, formed them into cells and launched them at targets.
The soldiers of this looser network were more technologically and culturally agile than the grim fanatics who executed attacks in the past, according to trial evidence, court documents and interviews with investigators, defense lawyers, family and friends. They spoke more English than Arabic and listened to the rap of Kanye West along with the harangues of Abu Musab Zarqawi...
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
33 posted on 04/16/2007 12:40:32 AM PDT by Cindy
PERSECUTION.ORG
http://www.persecution.org
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_1161.html
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today, Mon Apr 16 2007 00:47:51 GMT-0700.
Worldwide Caution
April 10, 2007
RECAP:
stepping back in time...
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://internet-haganah.com/harchives/002201.html
22 June 2004
The value of paying attention...
jewishworldreview.com:
Shlomit was driving on a main highway in Israel, on her way to a town inside the green line, to visit her married daughter and grandchildren. She found herself behind a large garbage truck, but, not being in a hurry and preferring not to pass on a busy road, she drove contentedly along behind him, listening to a CD of Devora Gila, a religious female Joan Baez-type singer. The yellow license plate on the truck in front of her indicated that it was owned by an Israeli. The cars of Palestinian drivers living under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority have white or green plates. There are, however, Arab-owned vehicles with yellow plates those belonging to Arab residents of East Jerusalem.
Shlomit noticed that other cars were flying by them, but a car with white plates remained steadfastly behind her. She was sandwiched between the two.
After a while, the garbage truck pulled over to the side of the road and Shlomit passed it. Something made her glance up at her rear view mirror, and she saw that the Palestinian car was also pulling over. Shlomit saw the driver get out and hand a small package to the driver of the garbage truck.
This, she thought the transfer of something from a white-plate to a yellow-plate driver was a little odd.
So Shlomit, being a good citizen, upon reaching a roadblock several miles up the road, told the story to a soldier manning the post.
“Would you mind sticking around for a few minutes?” he asked.
“No problem,” said Shlomit and settled down with a cup of coffee kindly offered by the young man in the bulletproof vest and helmet.
A few minutes later the garbage truck rolled into the roadblock lane. Having yellow plates, it should have passed through fairly easily. But the soldiers, tipped off by Shlomit, examined his cab even more carefully than usual. They found the little package and opened it.
It contained explosives. My friend Shlomit probably saved some lives that day.
Posted on 22 June 2004 @ 14:57
placemark
BLACKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Virginia Tech says a gunman killed at
least 21 students and injured 21 before the shooter was killed.
Thank you JellyJam.
Note to everyone who aren’t familiar with police procedures. It is not uncommon to run people’s name at the scene. Just because you hear someone’s name being run — does not make them a suspect. FYI.
Now, if anyone can get a id on the suspect(s); please post it on this thread.
Thank you.
#
NOTE: Most of these are ongoing threads/updated web pages/articles:
http://news.google.com/nwshp?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&tab=wn&q=%22Virginia%20Tech%22
http://news.google.com/nwshp?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&tab=wn&q=%22Virginia+Tech%22&scoring=d
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1818131/posts
“Shots fired at Virginia Tech (AP: 31 dead, 21 wounded)”
http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/story.php?relyear=2007&itemno=248 ^
Posted on 04/16/2007 7:14:16 AM PDT by LexHoskin
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http://www3.thestar.com/cgi-bin/star_static.cgi?section=top&page=/Videos/070416_va_tech_cell.html
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http://filebox.vt.edu/users/news/Steger_statement_2007-04-16.mp3
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http://counterterrorismblog.org/2007/04/at_least_20_killed_in_two_shoo.php
“At Least 32 Killed in Two Shootings at Virginia Tech (updated)”
By Andrew Cochran
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http://michellemalkin.com/archives/007319.htm
“Carnage at Virginia Tech;
Readers point to campus ban on self-defense”
By Michelle Malkin · April 16, 2007 01:52 PM
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http://hotair.com/archives/2007/04/16/at-least-22-dead-28-wounded-in-shooting-at-virginia-tech/
“Report: At least 20 29 32 dead, 28 wounded in shooting at Virginia Tech; Update: Students weren’t told after first shooting?”
posted at 12:28 pm on April 16, 2007 by Allahpundit
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http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=25142_Mass_Murder_at_Virginia_Tech&only
Monday, April 16, 2007
“Mass Murder at Virginia Tech”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1741897/posts?page=308#308
Note: The following post is a quote:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1818330/posts
MAC OKs Penalties For (Muslim) Cabbies Who Refuse Fares (MN)
WCCO.com ^ | 4/16/07 | AP
Posted on 04/16/2007 2:06:51 PM PDT by ButThreeLeftsDo
The operator of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Monday approved tougher penalties for cabdrivers who refuse service to travelers carrying alcohol, as some Muslim drivers have done for religious reasons.
The Metropolitan Airports Commission voted to suspend a driver’s airport taxi license for 30 days for the first offense and revoke it for two years for a second offense. The new penalties take effect May 11.
Airport officials say more than 70 percent of the cabbies at the airport are Muslim, and many of them claim Islamic law prohibits them from giving rides to people carrying alcohol.
Under the old rules, a driver who refused to transport someone carrying alcohol would be told to go to the back of the taxicab line. Airport officials said that since January 2002, there have been more than 4,800 instances of a driver refusing service because a customer possessed, or was suspected of possessing, alcohol.
The dispute has been simmering for months.
One pilot program had drivers who wouldn’t transport alcohol display a different top light on their cab, but the public’s reaction was overwhelmingly negative and other taxi drivers who feared it would make travelers avoid taxis altogether.
On Monday, cab driver Abdinoor Dolal called the penalties punitive and asked commissioners to take a measured approach. Other drivers urged the commissioners to vote against the new penalties and consider compromises.
However, commissioners said the new penalties were needed to ensure customers get safe and reliable taxi service at the airport.
“Today’s action will strengthen compliance with our taxicab ordinance and ensure people who seek taxi service receive it,” said MAC Executive Director Jeff Hamiel in a news release.
308 posted on 04/16/2007 2:16:54 PM PDT by Cindy
For posterity:
The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives believe the gunman, described as a young Asian male, used two handguns in the shootings before taking his own life, sources tell CBS News. One official added that the gunman was “heavily armed and wearing a vest.”
http://cbs11tv.com/education/local_story_106164729.html
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/016089.php
(AKI)
April 16, 2007
“Philippines: 70,000 flee as Muslim leader declares jihad in Sulu province”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=thailand
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NOTE: The following text is a quote:
http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/016086.php
April 16, 2007
Buddhist killed, burned in Thai Muslim south
Jihad against 70 year-old Buddhist men. Thai Jihad Update, from Reuters:
An elderly Buddhist man was shot dead and his body set on fire in Thailand’s restive south of Narathiwat, police said on Monday.
Thongmee Mainman, 70, was attacked as he drove his motorbike home from a market in Narathiwat, one of three Muslim-majority southern provinces beset by a three-year separatist insurgency in which more than 2,000 people have been killed, they said.
Posted by Marisol at April 16, 2007 08:45 AM
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