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Threat Matrix- Daily Terror Thread (4):
New York Post ^ | February 24, 2004 | By NILES LATHEM

Posted on 02/24/2004 3:19:05 AM PST by Revel

Edited on 05/26/2004 5:19:43 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]

February 24, 2004 -- WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has dispatched the elite commando force that hunted down Saddam Hussein to Afghanistan for a new operation aimed at getting Osama bin Laden, officials said yesterday. Military sources confirmed that members of the shadowy Task Force 121, the unit that conducted the high-tech search for Saddam and his henchmen, have recently begun operating in the remote mountainous region along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border where bin Laden and key al Qaeda and Taliban fugitives are believed to be hiding. The Task Force is made up of highly trained Delta and SEAL commandos, as well as CIA paramilitary operators. It operates outside normal military channels.


(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: binladen; hammerandanvil; terror; threat; threatmatrix
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
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White House-CIA Leak Records Sought

Fri Mar 5, 6:25 PM ET

By DEB RIECHMANN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - A federal grand jury probing the leak of a CIA officer's identity has subpoenaed records of phone calls made from Air Force One the week before the name of the officer was published in a newspaper column, the White House said Friday.

After receiving the subpoenas in late January, the White House counsel's office sent a letter to staff members "urging everyone to comply fully with the request," press secretary Scott McClellan said.

"We have provided the Department of Justice investigators with much of the information and we are continuing to provide them with additional information to comply fully with the request," McClellan told reporters in Crawford, Texas, where President Bush is spending the weekend.

The grand jury met again Friday in Washington with prosecutors, including U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald of Chicago, who was appointed to oversee the case.

Asked whether any White House staff member had claimed Fifth Amendment rights and refused to testify during sessions with the grand jury, McClellan replied: "I have no knowledge of anyone invoking their legal right against self-incrimination. I have checked with the White House counsel's office and they have no knowledge of anyone invoking their legal right against self-incrimination."

McClellan would not say how many subpoenas had been issued.

The Long Island, N.Y., newspaper Newsday, which first reported details of the subpoenas on Friday, said three were issued. In addition to the Air Force One records, the subpoenas sought the July records of an internal task force called the White House Iraq Group, which was created to publicize the threat of Saddam Hussein.

In addition, the grand jury wanted the transcript of a White House spokesman's press briefing about Nigeria; a list of who attended a July 16 White House reception in honor of former President Ford's 90th birthday, and records of White House contacts with more than two dozen journalists and news organizations.

The subpoenas were issued to the White House on Jan. 22. The grand jury is attempting to find out if a federal law was violated that prohibits the intentional disclosure of the identity of an undercover agent by officials with security clearances.

Some critics have speculated that officials in the Bush administration had told reporters the name of the CIA officer, Valerie Plame, to discredit her husband, former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, and his criticism of the administration's Iraq policy.

Two of the subpoenas are focused on July White House events, contacts and records around the time of a July 14 column by syndicated columnist Robert Novak that said senior administration officials told him Plame was a CIA officer.

A third subpoena is a repeat of a Justice Department document request to the White House that sought records about staff contacts with Novak and two Newsday reporters, Knut Royce and Timothy Phelps. The subpoena added records for contacts with journalists from The Washington Post, Time magazine, NBC's "Meet the Press," MSNBC's "Hardball," and The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Associated Press.

2,821 posted on 03/05/2004 7:36:29 PM PST by TexKat (Just because you did not see it or read it, that does not mean it did or did not happen.)
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To: Calpernia; MamaDearest; knak; JustPiper; Cindy
There is something about this little arrogant weird smiling Shite I just cannot stand.

Iraq's Chalabi Says 'Blame CIA, Not Me' About WMD

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Iraqi Governing Council member Ahmed Chalabi says he is tired of being blamed for misleading the United States about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and points the finger instead at the CIA in an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes" to be aired on Sunday.

Chalabi, who heads the Iraqi National Congress exile group and has close ties to the Bush administration, says the CIA should have done a better job analyzing information received from defectors he steered their way.

"This is a ridiculous situation," says Chalabi, who still maintains that weapons of mass destruction will be found in Iraq.

Chalabi said the CIA knew defectors can be biased and that even the press was saying "'defectors have an ax to grind, don't believe them."'

"Now you're telling me that despite all this public evidence, the United States government took our word without checking out the people?" Chalabi said incredulously .

"Intelligence people who are supposed to do a better job for their country and their government did not do such a good job."

Chalabi, who was born into a prominent Iraqi family but spent 45 years outside Iraq before returning in April, denies coaching defectors, something the CIA believe he's done for years, according to a former CIA analyst interviewed on the show.

The analyst, Ken Pollack, who now works for the Saban Center for Middle East Policy and for CNN, said the Bush administration used the information to label Iraq an imminent threat.

Pollack said they were looking "to simply confirm a preconceived notion of an extremely threatening Iraq ... on the cusp of acquiring the most advanced ... dangerous weapons."

Pollack blames senior U.S. officials, not Chalabi.

"This is one of those ... 'fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me,"' said Pollack. "Chalabi has a track record. We knew this guy wasn't telling us the truth."

A defiant Chalabi said he was eager to further defend himself.

"I want to be asked to testify in the United States Senate in the Intelligence Committee. I want to do this in an open session," he says.

2,822 posted on 03/05/2004 7:50:31 PM PST by TexKat (Just because you did not see it or read it, that does not mean it did or did not happen.)
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Four British Soldiers Injured in Iraq

Fri Mar 5, 7:41 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - Four British soldiers were injured when they came under attack on Friday while patrolling a village in southeast Iraq, the Ministry of Defense said.

"We can confirm that UK patrols came under fire while patrolling the village of Qal at Sahil in the Maysan province," a ministry spokesman said.

"The patrol returned fire after receiving fire from heavy machineguns and a rocket-propelled grenade," the spokesman said, adding the injured soldiers were from the First Battalion of the Light Infantry.

The four soldiers, whom the spokesman declined to identify, were admitted to the Shaibah military hospital near Basra where they were being treated for "non-life-threatening injuries," the spokesman said.

The British sector in the southeast corner of Iraq has been relatively quiet for the past few months. In June 2003 six British military policemen were killed in an attack in Majar al-Kabir.

2,823 posted on 03/05/2004 7:57:55 PM PST by TexKat (Just because you did not see it or read it, that does not mean it did or did not happen.)
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Experts: Russia Helped Iraq With Missiles

Fri Mar 5, 7:18 PM ET

By JOHN J. LUMPKIN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Weapons-hunters in Iraq have found evidence that experts from Russia and other countries helped with Iraq's missile programs, but it is unclear whether those countries' governments played any role, U.S. officials said Friday.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Bush administration will compile information it has obtained and eventually present it to those countries. In addition to Russia, officials found signs that experts from Ukraine, Serbia and Belarus may have been involved.

It may be that the alleged assistance came from companies or individuals who came to Iraq without the knowledge or sanction of their home governments, the officials said.

Still, any such assistance would violate the prewar U.N. sanctions that prohibited foreign weapons aid to deposed President Saddam Hussein's Iraq, the officials said. They provided no details on what was discovered or the nature of the technical help.

The information found in Iraq was first reported Friday in The New York Times.

Of all the prewar intelligence assessments regarding Iraq's illicit weapons programs, so far the predictions regarding long-range missile efforts have found the most validation.

"Since the war we have found an aggressive Iraqi missile program concealed from the international community," CIA Director George J. Tenet said in a speech last month.

Previously, officials had said Iraq's missile dealings primarily involved North Korea. Last year, then-chief weapons hunter David Kay said Pyongyang and Baghdad had negotiated for the sale of missile technology.

It appears that North Korea kept an Iraqi down payment of $10 million but never delivered any parts from its No Dong class of ballistic missiles, Kay said.

According to Tenet, Iraq had advanced design work for a liquid-propellant missile with ranges of up to 620 miles and was working on other kinds of missiles. Since the 1991 Gulf War, Iraq has been prohibited from having missiles with ranges longer than 93 miles.

2,824 posted on 03/05/2004 8:08:18 PM PST by TexKat (Just because you did not see it or read it, that does not mean it did or did not happen.)
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To: thecabal
" "Tolerance" and getting us to accept all of these other cultures is just another way to run the USA into the ground."

Good post! The public education system has taken this tolerance of the absurd to a new level with it's indoctrination.
2,825 posted on 03/05/2004 8:08:22 PM PST by Domestic Church (AMDG...)
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To: Velveeta
Bookmarking post 2701
2,826 posted on 03/05/2004 8:10:39 PM PST by Domestic Church (AMDG...)
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Afghan Leader Plays Down Bin Laden Hunt

Fri Mar 5,10:42 AM ET

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER, Associated Press Writer

KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghanistan's foreign minister sought Friday to play down reports of a heightened campaign to capture Osama bin Laden and said there had been no intelligence breakthroughs about the al-Qaida leader's location.

The United States has pledged a retooled and intensified offensive in the next few months to track top Taliban and al-Qaida figures along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The U.S. military in Afghanistan has said it is confident that bin Laden will be found this year.

Foreign Minister Abdullah took a more cautious tone.

"The missions now — I wouldn't say it is as very special as is mentioned in some corners," he said after a ceremony with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw inaugurating a higher-security British Embassy in the Afghan capital of Kabul.

The hunt "has been part of the efforts for the past two years, and it will continue," said Abdullah, who like many Afghans uses only one name.

Straw, speaking earlier to a news conference, declined to address questions about unconfirmed media reports of ongoing U.S. military sweeps in southern and southeastern Afghanistan.

Straw said only: "We would all like to see Osama bin Laden captured one way or the other."

Asked about any new intelligence, Abdullah said, "The intelligence continues — I wouldn't consider it a new thing."

U.S. military officials have said they are planning a spring offensive in Afghanistan in the hopes of capturing bin Laden, former Taliban leader Mullah Omar and their associates.

Officials have said they are shifting members of Task Force 121 from Iraq to Afghanistan, after the elite team's role in capturing Saddam in December.

Revised U.S. tactics would include settling U.S. forces in communities, in hopes of improving local intelligence-gathering, the Americans have said.

Pakistan officials have pledged intensified sweeps on their own side of the border. Pakistan officials have taken a harder line in the search in recent weeks, including prosecuting local chiefs who failed to produce demanded information on any terror suspects hiding in border areas.

2,827 posted on 03/05/2004 8:20:19 PM PST by TexKat (Just because you did not see it or read it, that does not mean it did or did not happen.)
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To: Revel; All
The following may be a bit tedious and tin foil for a chunk of our readership.

As near as I can decipher and summarize it--Kim is saying he's not clear on when God intended to start the 35 day period other than to match it somewhat to the period Bin Laden's 35 day threat applied to the USA. And, that there's some sort of benchmark or time hook related to Easter of this year.

And, given the recent news about the heavy pursuit of Bin Laden on both sides of the border, perhaps the timeline is more or less on . . . well, time.

However, for some of us, it may be a meaningful part of the puzzle. And, for others, it may be at least something worth some prayer in the over all threat matrix.

It is a follow-up to the prediction that some of us thought was a straightforward 35 days ending 16 Feb. It is certainly true that assumptions tend to attach themselves quickly to most prophetic statements--with significant hazard for the doing so. In any case, the following was an interesting read to me.

Qx




News Item#1 - High-tech snooping for bin Laden


WASHINGTON (CNN) --U.S. forces searching for al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden along the mountainous border between Pakistan and Afghanistan willl soon implement high-tech surveillance tactics in the region, enabling them to monitor the area 24 hours a day, seven days a week, CNN has learned.


It's believed that the constant surveillance of the border region and the "squeeze play" by U.S. and Pakistani forces surrounding the mountainous frontier will present the best chance ever to net the world's most-wanted terrorist.


Bin Laden has eluded capture since U.S. troops launched a search for him in late 2001.


Top administration officials believe bin Laden may begin to feel the heat from the troops now hunting him and might start to move.


"We are putting the pieces in place to throw the net over him," one official told CNN.


from: CNN.COM - High-tech snooping for bin Laden





Kim Clement Expounds on the Controversial 35-day Prophecy: "Osama bin Laden WILL be Uncovered"


I called just a few days ago and asked if Kim Clement had a response about his 35-day "prophecy" about Bin Laden where he prophesied him him coming out. (see the full transcript of the key phrases below or on our site at:

http://www.elijahlist.com/words/display_word.html?ID=1857)


The exact phrase was: "and I'm going to bring him (Bin Laden) out in 35 days..."


Was the prophecy right or wrong?


Let me illustrate with a story. In the mid 1980's, one of my first and very significant prophecies was " you are first fruits. Everything that happens to your friends and family will happen to you first." I assumed that mean that the clock started ticking, but I never asked. I just assumed. After many hard knocks of trying to "share" with my family and being rebuffed, I realized that God had His own way of doing things. About 10 years later, the first family member began to come around. Go figure. You mean the moment the prophecy is given the stop watch is not always "clicked?


Then in 1990, I had a prophetic dream that the very legalistic denomination I had been raised in--- well the dream said, "The Spirit is going to fall on them" and I saw them being radically changed. Now about 14 years lateer, I am beginning to see some hopeful signs.


My point is that prophecy, if from God, is sure. Yes, prophets can and do miss it from time to time, as do pastors, teachers and evangelists. But many times, if not most times, a seasoned prophets has an "exact" word but the hearer makes many assumptions without even going back to re-reading the exact words of the prophecy.


Such is the case with Kim Clement's prophecy about "B*n Laden" (we have to spell it "B*n" so that sp*m filters don't delete this email) .


Now, read in his own words, a very mature response that should both encourage and train you.

Steve Shultz
THE ELIJAH LIST






*** Kim Clement responds to 35-day B*n Laden Questions regarding His prophecy ***


Kim Clement Expounds on the Controversial 35-day Prophecy: "Osama b*n Laden WILL be Uncovered"
by Kim Clement

web: www.kimclement.com


There has been an overwhelming interest in the prophecy regarding Osama b*n Laden and the thirty-five day period. I would like to bring clarity to any questions one may have in this regard.


Prophecy itself is not complete because of the element of the Human and Divine interaction. This means our dependency is always on God, who in His wisdom will only speak what He deems necessary for that moment. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:9 that we prophesy in part.


In 1 Peter 1:10-11, we see the prophets of old searching to find "what" or "what manner of time" the Spirit of Christ, who was in them, was indicating regarding the Glory that was to come.


1 Peter 1:11 - "What" in the Greek: In reference to the word "what," or "what manner of time". "What" expresses the time absolutely or what was to be the era of the revelation of Jesus Christ; what manner of time; what events and features should characterize the time of this event. The "or" implies that some of the prophets, if they could not as individuals discover the exact time, searched into its characteristic features and events. The Greek for "time" is the season, the epoch, the fit time in God's purposes.


Purposefully Hidden Prophecy


This scripture reveals that certain parts of prophecy are purposefully hidden. God will only unveil things according to His timing and purpose. A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Sometimes specifics that are missing in prophecy are being kept for a perfect moment of unveiling. God unfolds His picture of future events through a progression of "pieces of the puzzle."


God always requires faith and therefore He will always present His word in such a way as to produce faith. God never looks at your present request, but rather He speaks with your future in the present. This means He will always challenge your faith in order to prepare you for your next course of events.


In order to gain understanding regarding prophecy, we need to realize the limitations of the interpretive process. There are times when God specifically gives a time and day of exact fulfillment. Other times, however, He speaks as though it has happened; yet, in reality it is years away from fulfillment. Samuel, the great prophet, declared to Saul that now his kingdom would not continue. The reality of this declaration was the fact that it was only years later that this literally happened. In God's eyes, Saul had already lost his authority as king.


Misinterpreted Spiritual Knowledge


A good example of this is in Acts 21, where Paul finds himself with some disciples from Tyre who tell Paul through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem. These disciples interpreted the spiritual knowledge they were receiving, to mean that Paul should not go to Jerusalem.


Later on in the same chapter, a prophet named Agabus, came down from Judea, and declared to Paul through a prophetic enactment that he would be bound by hand and foot by the Jews at Jerusalem, and they would deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. Again, some different disciples from Caesarea try to convince Paul not to go to Jerusalem, based on what they had seen and heard when Agabus the prophet delivered the word of the Lord. Agabus did not say to Paul that he should not go to Jerusalem. In Acts 21:13, Paul makes a final statement by saying,


"What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus". So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, "The will of the Lord be done."


The 35-day Period Explained:


Our personal desires can sometimes cause the Word of the Lord to be interpreted incorrectly. I would therefore like to offer a few explanations regarding the thirty-five day period:


The prophecy referred to the declaration that was given by Osama b*n Laden about a thirty-five day period. This was a designated time period in which he had purposed for a catastrophic event to take place in the United States of America.


The word of the Lord that came forth referred to these thirty-five days in which God would reverse the planned events and begin to do something special for God's people and the United States of America. This period of time was linked to Easter and did not specify a particular day that the 35 days would commence.


Take note of the word. This utterance was first prophesied in Utica, New York on January 10 and then it continued in Miami, Florida on January 12.


UTICA, NEW YORK ­ JANUARY 10, 2004.
The Spirit says:


"al Qaeda shall be exposed shortly. There has been a threat that has come from them and there has been a threat spoken out by Osama b*n Laden that within 35 days the USA shall experience a catastrophic event. But even as I brought out the other rogue from the hole in the ground, in the same period that bin Laden predicted catastrophe against this nation, I shall bring him forth, I shall raise him out of his own hiding place, and I will bring him to a place of accountability."

NOTE: This speaks of three things that will happen verifying that in the 35-day period, the following would take place:


1. I shall bring him forth.
2. I shall raise him out of his own hiding place.
3. I will bring him to a place of accountability.


The prophecy continues:


"As a result, this Easter you shall say, 'Surely this is a time of resurrection for the USA.'


The Curse Reversed!


Therefore, the curse that he has placed upon this nation has been reversed and what Osama b*n Laden has predicted (35 days), I shall surely bring upon his head.


You will celebrate an Easter as never before for the resurrection shall come upon you, My people, as well."


Please note that God refers to Easter as the time of victory. Also, God had given me a clear word in the late 90's about the month of March and then again on November 27, 2003, I was instructed to prophesy about 3-11, March 11, 2004 in which the Spirit spoke of the beginning of a 10-year period of release and breakthr*ugh in the Kingdom of God, which would bring about various things. (You may see this on my website:

http://kimclement.com/)


ON JANUARY 12, TWO DAYS AFTER I PROPHESIED REGARDING OSAMA B*N LADEN, I CONTINUED THE UTTERANCE ON NATIONAL TELEVISION IN MIAMI.


Take note of the word:


Osama b*n Laden said that in 35 days America would be abolished (he was prophesying, predicting), wiped out because he has a plan for 35 days. The word of the Lord came to me and said, "You prophesy that the very thing that he said and predicted for this nation is reversed, and I'm going to bring him out in 35 days. There is a resurrection day coming over this Easter. This Easter will be one of the greatest Easters this nation has ever celebrated. Why? Because there will be a resurrection of the dead, spiritually speaking, of revelation that has died, of prophetic words that have died and been buried in the ground. This Easter, not only will I bring your greatest enemy out, but I will also bring about a severe judgment against the powers and principalities that have come against My servants and against My people. There shall be a judgment."


Not once did I say that the 35-day period would begin from January 10 or 12. It clearly says that as bin Laden put a time limit on his attack on the USA, God has placed that same time period upon him. However, there is a deadline and from what I can gather from the utterance, Easter is the time to celebrate this victory.


We do know from this word that the specific time period would be linked to March 11 and Easter. We also know that God has indicated that Osama b*n Laden will be uncovered.


In baited expectation, we look forward to the season ahead of us, anticipating the wonderful things that God has promised for both our personal lives, the nations of the earth, and specifically the United States of America.


by Kim Clement

web: www.kimclement.com




2,828 posted on 03/05/2004 8:35:01 PM PST by Quix (Choose this day whom U will serve: Shrillery & demonic goons or The King of Kings and Lord of Lords)
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Putin Gov't Packed With Former Spies

Fri Mar 5, 6:05 PM ET

By MARA D. BELLABY, Associated Press Writer

MOSCOW - When President Vladimir Putin announced his choice for the nation's No. 2 job, the Russian media seized on the mysterious, one-year gap in Mikhail Fradkov's resume that seemed to hint at a secret KGB background.

They weren't looking for a scandal, however.

They wanted to know if this portly career bureaucrat, who was approved as prime minister Friday by the Russian parliament, was really one of Putin's men — the former spies and military officers who swept in on his coattails more than four years ago and hold a quarter of the nation's top political jobs.

Putin, who is expected to easily win a second term in the March 14 election, has packed his government with "men with epaulettes." But whereas previously these men tended to focus on national security, now they hold decision-making jobs in practically every sector — from the economy to the courts to media oversight, said Olga Kryshtanovskaya, a sociologist who conducted a groundbreaking study of Russia's ruling elite.

They serve as regional envoys, Cabinet members, deputy ministers, presidential advisers and lawmakers. Some even retain their status as "active reserve officers," reporting to both their former spy agency bosses and their new department heads.

"With such big growth ... one has to ask why ... and what this means," Kryshtanovskaya said.

Critics say the rise of ex-service and military people known as "siloviki," who value loyalty and discipline and tolerate little dissent, has left the nation in the grip of authoritarianism, turning back the clock to Soviet times. They point to the crackdown on Russia's independent media, the weakening of parliament and opposition parties, strong nationalistic rhetoric and calls for the renationalization of natural resources as examples of siloviki influence.

Proponents, however, note that Soviet-era spies were highly educated and often more broadminded; unlike most segments of Soviet society, they had access to the West. Additionally, the security sector's focus on order, the rule of law and a resurgent Russia appeals to average citizens, tired of the chaos, upheaval and humiliations suffered after the Soviet collapse.

"Most importantly, the siloviki did not take part in Boris Yeltsin's government, and look what happened — it was awful for the country," said Sergei Markov, director of the Institute of Political Research think tank. "Now the siloviki are playing a role, and it is being welcomed because people want more order, meaning rule of law. They want less anarchy, they want the country to maintain its sovereignty, less corruption."

Analysts are divided over how much influence the siloviki have. Boris Makarenko, a top political researcher for the Center for Political Technologies, an independent think tank, said he doubts that these government newcomers operate as "a unified political group."

"Of course, there has been a greater influx of people with backgrounds in the army and security services, but I suspect the main impact is a less open, more bureaucratic and more conservative government," he said.

The shift to a more militarized government became inevitable, experts said, after the main security agencies were broken apart into nearly 20 different bodies with the Soviet Union's collapse, all requiring representatives in government. Putin took the process further.

"He wanted to consolidate his power, so he leaned on those he knew from the special services," Kryshtanovskaya said. "They, in turn, brought their friends and it spread."

According to her analysis, nearly 60 percent of the people closest to the president and in the powerful Security Council come from security or military backgrounds. Some 35 percent of the deputy ministers appointed between 2000 and 2003 were siloviki. The Justice Ministry had four, while Trade Minister German Gref, a favorite with liberals, had three.

And when Putin divided the nation into seven regional districts in a move to rein in unruly governors, siloviki were named to head five of them.

Putin's decision Monday to name the little known Fradkov as prime minister raised questions about where he fit in. The Russian media and political observers pointed to the missing year between Fradkov's 1972 graduation from a machine-building school and his plush foreign assignment at the Soviet Embassy in India. It hinted, they said, of a secret stint of KGB training. The popular daily Moskovsky Komsomolets newspaper declared him "a secret silovik."

But Fradkov, a former chief of the tax police, also has liberal economic credentials, and by choosing him Putin rejected more obvious siloviki candidates.

"Putin is certainly obliged to the siloviki but, he doesn't want to stand too dependent on them," said analyst Masha Lipman of the Carnegie Endowment, suggesting that Fradkov's selection may be an attempt by Putin to retain independence as he enters his expected second term.

Kryshtanovskaya said "Putin was probably surprised" by her analysis of how his presidency had transformed the political elite. "I'm sure he had never stopped to count just how big the numbers of siloviki were," she said.

2,829 posted on 03/05/2004 8:43:10 PM PST by TexKat (Just because you did not see it or read it, that does not mean it did or did not happen.)
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1091863/posts

The Bow Mariner was carrying 48,000 gallons of diesel fuel, 190,000 gallons of fuel oil and 3.2 million gallons of ethanol when an explosion sank the ship last Saturday night. Six crewmen survived, three died and 18 remain missing.
2,830 posted on 03/05/2004 8:53:05 PM PST by Calpernia (http://members.cox.net/classicweb/Heroes/heroes.htm)
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To: Indie
"The threat we face is not conventional

We know for certain some attacks have been averted. Sooner or later some sort of attack will make it through despite all efforts to avert it. As of February 25th, investigation was still ongoing concerning the toxin that killed those 275 elk on 20 square miles near Rawlins, Wyoming.

When we find them, they are lying down on the ground, but they can’t get up, almost like they are paralyzed in their lower extremities.”

The first dead elk were found February 8th. To date no toxin analysis has been made public that I could locate. Could that happen to any of us in any city across the country? You betcha it could! It doesn't have to be a nuclear device to provide the terrorists with the result they want.

2,831 posted on 03/05/2004 9:09:59 PM PST by MamaDearest (If you could tell a terrorist, you couldn't tell him much!)
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Chirac backs Mubarak in opposing US plan for Arab democracy

Fri Mar 5, 4:37 PM ET

PARIS (AFP) - French President Jacques Chirac backed Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak in his opposition to a US initiative for political and economic reform in the Middle East, saying the plan amounted to "interference".

The two held talks after Mubarak arrived in Paris earlier Friday as part of a three-nation tour designed to warn key European partners of the dangers of the "Greater Middle East" initiative.

The US plan aims to encourage democratic and economic reform in the authoritarian Arab world and other Muslim countries in a bid to deprive international extremists of the reservoir of frustration and poverty they thrive on for support.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which are both allies of the United States, have criticized the initiative, fearing Washington wants to impose its own cultural models on the region.

"We support modernisation which comes as a result of consultations, cooperation between states," Chirac told a news conference. "On the other hand, we think that nothing can be imposed. In other words, modernisation yes, interference no."

Mubarak arrived from Italy, where Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi also agreed no solution could be imposed on the region from outside.

"The countries concerned must be directly involved in the evolution of any initiative," concerning the 'Greater Middle East'," Berlusconi said after meeting Mubarak late Thursday.

Berlusconi's statement marks a change in the Italian position compared to its earlier pronouncements.

The Egyptian leader is due to continue his campaign against the US plan by visiting British Prime Minister Tony Blair in London on Saturday.

2,832 posted on 03/05/2004 9:10:27 PM PST by TexKat (Just because you did not see it or read it, that does not mean it did or did not happen.)
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To: nw_arizona_granny; All
Bush, Fox to discuss border security, immigration
Mexican leader to visit President's ranch after two-year delay
Friday, March 5, 2004 Posted: 8:16 AM EST (1316 GMT)

President Fox's relations with Bush have gone from good to bad to better again.

WACO, Texas (AP) -- Border security and immigration will be among the main topics of discussion when President George W. Bush and Mexican President Vicente Fox finally get together for their off-again, on-again summit this weekend.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/03/05/bush.fox.ap/index.html
2,833 posted on 03/05/2004 9:21:13 PM PST by JustPiper (The fly cannot be driven away by getting angry at it)
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To: Calpernia; Sean Osborne Lomax; All
Report: Bin Laden escaped dragnet

TORA BORA, Afghanistan, March 5 (UPI) -- Reports have been received in eastern Afghanistan that al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden dodged a Pakistani raid to capture him, the BBC said Friday.

A local official told the BBC the information came in a fax sent to a former Taliban member three days ago.

The official, who did not want to be named, said he met a former member of the Taliban who had received a fax that said "the Sheikh" -- bin Laden's nickname -- was alive and well and had escaped an attempt by Pakistani forces to catch him on their side of the border last week in the tribal areas of South Waziristan.

http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040305-090123-6619r.htm
2,834 posted on 03/05/2004 9:25:40 PM PST by JustPiper (The fly cannot be driven away by getting angry at it)
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To: knak
anybody think Fox (mexico) has something on Bush?

The only possibilities I could think of were 1) oil reserves, 2) isn't there a family member from Mexico; 3) in hopes Fox is re-elected (keeping our neighbors to the south "friendly," 4) repaying an old friend for some past due personal debt, or 5) making sure his NAFTA business buddies contribute to his re-election campaign. Other than that, it's anyone's guess why such pandering is needed. Mexico is still missing in action to supply manpower to support us in Iraq, but we reward them nevertheless.

2,835 posted on 03/05/2004 9:27:44 PM PST by MamaDearest (If you could tell a terrorist, you couldn't tell him much!)
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Blair warns of WMD terror threat
Friday, March 5, 2004 Posted: 8:25 AM EST (1325 GMT)

LONDON, England (CNN) -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair has warned of the "real" threat of international terrorism and how it has to be confronted at all costs.

Blair, speaking to an invited audience in his Sedgefield constituency in northeast England on Friday, mounted a detailed defense of the war against Iraq -- and made his firmest link yet between terrorism and weapons of mass destruction.

The international community must face up to the "mortal danger" posed by al Qaeda and its allies, Blair said.

"The 21st century is unconventional in almost every respect," he said.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/03/05/uk.blair/index.html
2,836 posted on 03/05/2004 9:27:59 PM PST by JustPiper (The fly cannot be driven away by getting angry at it)
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To: Quix
I have seen so many such prophecy's before. I don't give them much weight. We can hope, but I look around and see all this gay marriage stuff. And I see that so many Americans have no use for God. They won't even elect anybody to office who stands for biblical principles. Bush said he did. Sometimes I see it...sometimes I don't. But he may be the last.
Americans are spending money they don't have and just charging it up. The government is doing the same thing. One crisis could bankrupt us and make us slaves to our debtors. We are all so much into money and toys, and yet we have so little time for one another. I have seen a lot change in my life time. And I just don't see that it has been for the better. Sure...People say that it is just normal to feel like things are going down hill, but are they ? Well...I think so...You take God and his principles out of a society and tell me how it would not go down hill. But it really does comfort those who don't want to be under any such authority...Little do they know how much they too suffer.
So if God is going to bring about some kind of revival then there does not appear to be much time. It would be great if he does so. Otherwise I kind of feel an impending sense of judgment myself.
"And the people bowed and prayed to the Neon God they made. And the sign flashed out it's warning. In the words that it was forming. And the sign said the words of the prophet are written on the subway walls and tenement halls...And echos- The sound of Silence."
2,837 posted on 03/05/2004 9:29:23 PM PST by Revel
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To: Velveeta
Interesting, how the hotel remains "unnamed", isn't it?

Indeed it is. Seems like these days we have no rights to know anything at all. Far too many strange circumstances with no explanations. Where are the reporters who stop at nothing to get the story? They too are strangely silent.

2,838 posted on 03/05/2004 9:32:31 PM PST by MamaDearest (If you could tell a terrorist, you couldn't tell him much!)
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To: Revel
i MUCH, MUCH agree.

Especially about the sense of impending judgment.

I can imagine some limited years of a reprieve to bring in a final big harvest. 10 years would be great but sounds like longer than I expect.

We shall see--at least we are called to occupy until He comes and to work while there is light!!!

God's best to you and your close relationships. I strongly agree with you about that part, too.

Thanks.
2,839 posted on 03/05/2004 9:33:45 PM PST by Quix (Choose this day whom U will serve: Shrillery & demonic goons or The King of Kings and Lord of Lords)
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To: nw_arizona_granny
I agree Ma, alot of what we don't know would kill us. And I also tell everyone FR is the only way to get 'true' news. But can you imagine those people who are so very unaware and how they will feel when something hits the fan. Alot of the shock, disbelief will lead to panic and although we may feel emotions, us on this thread will know what that SH is that hit the fan and oft times know how to react.
2,840 posted on 03/05/2004 9:36:55 PM PST by JustPiper (The fly cannot be driven away by getting angry at it)
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