World Terrorism: News, History and Research Of A Changing World #10 Security Watch

To: All; milford421; Founding Father

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htterr/articles/20071216.aspx

Gangbusters United
December 16, 2007: American police working gang-activity details have compared notes with those working counter-terrorism and noted an interesting pattern. The gang specialists had experienced a lot of Crips and Bloods (the two largest “national” street gangs) “wannabes” showing up in the last few years These are usually guys walking around pretending, using gang signs, and so on. Often kids from good neighborhoods get involved, because they want to seem tough. A lot of mouth, but no action. But in some other cities, groups like these have sometimes become more and more violent, as they compete for prestige. And occasionally the real Crips or Bloods show up and take over the operation, often with some casualties among the less enthusiastic wannabees.

The counter-terrorism experts are noting a similar phenomenon at work with Islamic radicals. Think about most of the frustrated, and unsuccessful, Islamic terror attacks here and in other countries. A lot of them were by guys who just started out huffing and puffing. But this led some to get more radical, and maybe hatch a plot. But because they lacked training or skills, the law busts most of them pretty quickly. Of course since there are a lot of wannabees out there, some groups may actually carry out an effective attack, by luck as much as by skill, such as the London bombers. So far, apparently, al Qaeda has never actually managed to co-opt a wannabee group, aside from those that were already independent terrorist movements before September 11, 2001, like the Algerian Islamic terrorists.

Wannabe gangbangers have been around longer than young Moslems pretending to be jihadis (”Holy Warriors”), so the counter-terrorism people are taking a closer look at the experience of the “gang squads” in large city police departments. Apparently, keeping track of wannabee activity of any sort can have considerable payoff later on, if you know what to look for, and when to make your move.

4,961 posted on 12/16/2007 10:12:29 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (I vote to outlaw hidden links in articles. If the URL is worthy of clicking, then show it.)

To: All; DAVEY CROCKETT; Founding Father

http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htmurph/articles/20071214.aspx

The Billion Dollar Blueprint Mystery

December 14, 2007: There is a nasty situation is developing between India and Russia, and apparently it’s all because of some lost blueprints. It goes like this. Russia and India have a $1.5 billion deal, which sold an unfinished Russian aircraft carrier, the Admiral Gorshkov, to India, and included a Russian shipyard performing $700 million worth of repairs, modifications and upgrades. Another $800 is to be spent on aircraft, weapons and equipment. Russia now wants a lot more money, while India insists on getting what the original contract called for.

While the carrier is in Russia, India, which has already paid the Russians half a billion dollars, insist that they now own the ship. Russia has been scrambling to explain their sudden demands for more money, and has now admitted that the cause of the problem is, well, no one can find the blueprints for the Admiral Gorshkov, which entered service in 1987. The ship was built in Ukraine, which became an independent nation in 1991. After independence, the blueprints for the Admiral Gorshkov went missing, but no one noticed.

The Admiral Gorshkov was inactivated in 1996 (too expensive to operate on a post Cold War budget). The Indian deal was made in 2004, and the carrier was to be ready by 2008. But a year ago reports began coming out of Russia that the shipyard doing the work, Sevmash, had seriously miscalculated the cost of the project. The revised costs were now more like $1.1 billion for the $700 million refurb. The situation has since gotten worse, with Sevmash now saying that it will cost over $2 billion to refurbish the carrier. The Indians are not happy, and expects the Russian government (which owns many of the entities involved in the project) to make good on the original deal. The problem is this. The shipyard estimated the costs of doing the refurbs, not having the blueprints handy. When shipyard engineers took a close look at the Admiral Gorshkov, they realized that their estimates were much in error.

Given that India currently has $10 billion worth of Russian military items on order, and has been Russia’s biggest, and most profitable customer for military equipment for decades, the Gorshkov is looking to be an error of gigantic proportions. The boss of Sevmash, when the Gorshkov deal was negotiated, has been fired and is under criminal investigation, on suspicion of financial mismanagement (separate from mistakes made in estimating contract costs for the Admiral Gorshkov work). To make matters worse, the additional work required on the Gorshkov has caused Sevmash to turn down lucrative commercial projects (like offshore oil platforms.)

The Indian government has told the Indian Navy that no more money will be forthcoming, and that Russia must comply with the original contract. The Russians, however, complain that the Indians demanded, after the contract was signed, substantial changes that were not in the contract. These changes greatly increased the cost of the work. The Indians accuse the Russians of not planning the refurb carefully. Now we have an admission that there are no blueprints, and it will cost millions to recreate the plans. Without blueprints, you can’t really do a lot of work on a major warship.

4,962 posted on 12/16/2007 10:18:22 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (I vote to outlaw hidden links in articles. If the URL is worthy of clicking, then show it.)

To: All; Founding Father; milford421

[I laughed and cussed, at this muslim ‘New Trend’ magazine, that says it is peaceful...........]

Muslim viewpoint on our news.

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-2CTG_k4_frE5x9pKla5.lTGgyA—?cq=1&p=297

4,963 posted on 12/16/2007 10:44:21 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (I vote to outlaw hidden links in articles. If the URL is worthy of clicking, then show it.)

To: All; milford421

Student Charged With Bomb Threat
WDSU - New Orleans,LA,USA
... 18, on two counts of communicating a threat on Monday. Eight
juvenile
girls were also arrested after a bomb threat at Opelousas Junior High
School.
http://www.wdsu.com/news/14854767/detail.html
See all stories on this topic:
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ncl=http://www.wdsu.com/news/14854767/detail.html

Heritage High bomb threat offender released from jail
Lynchburg News and Advance - Lynchburg,VA,USA
A Lynchburg woman who called in a bomb threat to Heritage High School
in
September is out of jail after receiving a suspended sentence Friday.
...
http://www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=LNA/MGArticle/LNA_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1173353865173&path=
See all stories on this topic:
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ncl=http://www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Satellite%3Fpagename%3DLNA/MGArticle/LNA_BasicArticle%26c%3DMGArticle%26cid%3D1173353865173%26path%3D

Second boy charged in bomb threat
PennLive.com - Harrisburg,PA,USA
by BARBARA MILLER, Of Our Lebanon County Bureau A second boy was
charged
today in connection with the bomb threat made to Lebanon Middle School
Tuesday ...
http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2007/12/second_boy_charged_in_bomb_thr.html
See all stories on this topic:
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ncl=http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2007/12/second_boy_charged_in_bomb_thr.html

Parents cite bomb threat
Windsor Star - Ontario, Canada
Many parents of students at Gore Hill Elementary School in Leamington
are
keeping their children home today due to a note about a bomb going off
this
...
http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/story.html?id=d6e2b3c4-0a98-4ea3-8e93-88238236cedd&k=84182
See all stories on this topic:
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ncl=http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/story.html%3Fid%3Dd6e2b3c4-0a98-4ea3-8e93-88238236cedd%26k%3D84182

Bomb threat forces evacuation at Wal-Mart
ChronicleHerald.ca - Halifax,Nova Scotia,Canada
Shoppers and staff were evacuated from Wal-Mart in Bayers Lake Business
Park late Thursday night after someone phoned in a bomb threat. ...
http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/998068.html
See all stories on this topic:
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ncl=http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/998068.html

Petrol bomb threat
Blackburn Citizen - UK
By Telegraph newsdesk A 25-YEAR-OLD man threatened to petrol bomb his
ex
partner’s home if police didn’t get there before him. ...
http://www.blackburncitizen.co.uk/news/newsheadlines/display.var.1905526.0.petrol_bomb_threat.php
See all stories on this topic:
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ncl=http://www.blackburncitizen.co.uk/news/newsheadlines/display.var.1905526.0.petrol_bomb_threat.php

13-year-old charged in Holland Patent bomb threat
Utica Observer Dispatch - Utica,NY,USA
The charges stem from an investigation of a bomb threat that was
reported
at approximately 9 am Thursday at the Holland Patent Middle School,
troopers said. ...
http://www.uticaod.com/education/schools/x1720561961
See all stories on this topic:
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ncl=http://www.uticaod.com/education/schools/x1720561961

Bomb Threat Called Into Clermont Bank
Central Florida News 13| - Orlando,FL,USA
Dozens of police officers swarmed a Bank of America building in Lake
County
Friday night after someone called in a bomb threat. Investigators said
it
all ...
http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2007/12/14/bomb_threat_called_into_clermont_bank.html
See all stories on this topic:
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ncl=http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2007/12/14/bomb_threat_called_into_clermont_bank.html

Bomb threat disturbs Waynesboro Elementary celebration
Chambersburg Public Opinion - Chambersburg,PA,USA
A bomb threat at a Waynesboro elementary school disrupted classes and
the
school’s Grandparent’s Day celebration today. Pennsylvania State Police
searched ...
http://www.publicopiniononline.com/localnews/ci_7723947
See all stories on this topic:
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ncl=http://www.publicopiniononline.com/localnews/ci_7723947

Student arrested for making bomb threats
KATC - Lafayette,LA,USA
Eight juvenile girls were also arrested after a bomb threat at
Opelousas
Junior High School. Seven of the eight girls were released on bond, ...
http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp?S=7497201
See all stories on this topic:
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ncl=http://www.katc.com/Global/story.asp%3FS%3D7497201

Chaos ensues after alleged bomb threat at Sandusky High
Sandusky Register - OH, USA
... and parents were fighting for their children after Sandusky High
School
was evacuated this afternoon following what was believed to be a bomb
threat. ...
http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2007/12/14/breaking_news/520295.txt
See all stories on this topic:
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ncl=http://www.sanduskyregister.com/articles/2007/12/14/breaking_news/520295.txt

Teen arrested after false bomb threat
A teenager is arrested after a bomb threat in the Holland Patent school
district.
http://www.news10now.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=130037
News 10 Now Top Stories
http://www.news10now.com

Lynchburg Woman Pleads Guilty to Calling in Bomb Threat
A Lynchburg woman who called in a bomb threat to her child’s school
pleaded guilty Friday morning, but she’s already served her sentence.
http://www.wset.com/news/stories/1207/480667.html
ABC 13 News
http://www.wset.com/

State Police charge 13 year old with bomb threat at Holland Patent ...
REMSEN - State Police in Remsen have charged a 13 year old juvenile for

falsely reporting a bomb threat at 9 am Friday morning at Holland
Patent Middle School.
http://www.wktv.com/news/local/12515916.html
WKTV - News - Local
http://www.wktv.com/news/local

Petrol bomb threat
A 25-YEAR-OLD man threatened to petrol bomb his ex partner’s home if
police didn’t get there before him.
http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk/news/blackburn/display.var.1905526.0.petrol_bomb_threat.php
This Is Lancashire | Blackburn news
http://www.thisislancashire.co.uk

University of Minnesota Police seek public’s help in identifying ...
The University of Minnesota Police Department (UMPD) is seeking the
public’s help in identifying the person who they believe made a bomb
threat involving Willey Hall on Dec. 5.
http://www.ur.umn.edu/unsreleases/find.php?from=uns&ID=4390
University of Minnesota News Releases
http://www.unews.umn.edu/

4,964 posted on 12/16/2007 10:54:30 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (I vote to outlaw hidden links in articles. If the URL is worthy of clicking, then show it.)

To: All; DAVEY CROCKETT; LibertyRocks

http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/results.php?cat=5&mode=a

603 results for Researchers Webcasts
Results 1-10 Next
William May

Title: Containing Runaway Fear in Foreign Policy
Speaker: William May
Event Date: 11/29/2007
Running Time: 82 minutes

Raymond Batvinis

Title: Origins of FBI Counterintelligence
Speaker: Raymond Batvinis
Event Date: 11/08/2007
Running Time: 53 minutes

Peggy Pearlstein,Dianne Ashton

Title: Americanization of Hanukkah
Speaker: Peggy Pearlstein,Dianne Ashton
Event Date: 11/02/2007
Running Time: 45 minutes

various speakers

Title: Print Culture Studies After Elizabeth Eisenstein - Panel Discussion
Speaker: various speakers
Event Date: 11/02/2007
Running Time: 39 minutes

various speakers

Title: Print Culture Studies After Elizabeth Eisenstein - Presentation of Papers
Speaker: various speakers
Event Date: 11/02/2007
Running Time: 90 minutes

Vincent Virga

Title: Cartographia: Library’s Map Treasures
Speaker: Vincent Virga
Event Date: 10/23/2007
Running Time: 45 minutes

Laura Cohen Appelbaum,Wendy Turman

Title: Jewish Washington
Speaker: Laura Cohen Appelbaum,Wendy Turman
Event Date: 10/18/2007
Running Time: 47 minutes

Compton Tucker

Title: Damage from Wildfires
Speaker: Compton Tucker
Event Date: 10/17/2007
Running Time: 43 minutes

Martin Meredith

Title: Diamonds, Gold and War
Speaker: Martin Meredith
Event Date: 10/11/2007
Running Time: 56 minutes

Jenna Joselit

Title: Holy Moses!
Speaker: Jenna Joselit
Event Date: 10/11/2007
Running Time: 58 minutes

4,965 posted on 12/16/2007 11:09:18 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (I vote to outlaw hidden links in articles. If the URL is worthy of clicking, then show it.)

To: All; Founding Father; milford421

http://iberiannotes.blogspot.com/

[Warning, his language is very clear, may offend some of us, but he covers a wide range of news and his opinions are sound [to me] .....granny]

Sunday, December 16, 2007

Posted 14:05 by John
ETA set off a small bomb in front of the courthouse in the Basque town of Sestao; the building was damaged but no one was hurt. The terrorists called in a warning before the bomb went off.

Meanwhile, ETA declared war on Spain again over the weekend, sending out a press release saying it was willing to attack Spanish law enforcement officers “at any time and at any place.” It referred to the murders of the two Civil Guards in France as “executions.” Yeah, you bastards, that’s exactly what ought to happen to you scumbags after you get convicted, and there’s no need to be finicky about the methods. Perhaps public guillotining, or maybe the good old Chinese bullet in the neck in a football stadium.

The fact that Zap actually thought he could trust these vermin and negotiate with them demonstrates his extremely bad judgment. And I suppose the deal for a truce in Catalonia that Carod-Rovira and ERC made with ETA at the secret meeting in Perpignan is now off.

Dumb Catalan media mess: The government of the Valencian Country, or Valencian Community, or whatever the hell the official name is for the autonomous region encompassing the provinces of Castellón, Valencia, and Alicante, has closed down TV3’s broadcast station in Alicante. Here’s the deal: According to very confusing laws, each autonomous region has the right to set up its own government-controlled TV channel. However, no region has the right to broadcast its channel into another region, since that would be unfair competition for that region’s own public TV. No, it really doesn’t make sense to me, either.

So TV3, apparently without even a by-your-leave from the Valencia regional government, set up a broadcast transmitter to send out TV3’s signal in Valencia. And the Valencian government has called bullshit on that and ordered them to stop.

Naturally there’s politics behind this, too. TV3 is Catalan nationalist; no one disputes that. In Valencia, however, the majority feeling is anti-Catalanist and pro-Spain, as is shown by the PP’s electoral domination of the region. TV3 frequently criticizes the Valencian regional government and those Valencians who don’t like the idea of a “Paísos Catalans” (Greater Catalonia) that includes Valencia.

TV3 complained, of course, calling the Valencian Generalitat’s decision “a hostile act, deplorable, and unnecessary,” and accusing it of playing to the gallery for electoral purposes. However, the TV3 spokeswoman had to admit that they had no legal right nor permission to broadcast in Valencia. TV3 wants to make an arrangement by which it would broadcast in Valencia in exchange for the Valencian regional station, Canal 9, being allowed to broadcast in Catalonia. The Valencian government does not consider this a high priority.

My opinion? If I were Valencian I would prefer to have as many free TV channels as possible, including TV3, even though I probably wouldn’t want to watch anything on it but the football.

Spanish regional nationalists are currently confused about what to think over Bolivia. It seems that the country’s six richest provinces, the ones that are mostly mestizo, Spanish-speaking, and in the lowlands, and whose chief city is Santa Cruz, have declared their own autonomy from the Bolivian central government in La Paz. The Bolivian government is run by radical populist Evo Morales, whose support base is in the four poorest provinces, mostly Indian, Quechua and Aymara-speaking, and in the highlands.

Now. Your Spanish regional nationalists make a big deal out of what they call “self-determination,” a concept the hapless Woodrow Wilson foisted on the world in the notorious Fourteen Points. So theoretically they would support the Santa Cruzans in their quest for autonomy. But they’re also Third World leftists, and they think Evo Morales is Jesus, or at least St. Paul, and they worship Indians (oops, sorry, the indigenous peoples) and hate evil Spanish conquistadores, and they’re trying to blame Western companies like Repsol for stirring up the Santa Cruzans.

Result? Cataloony cognitive dissonance.

Alleged former terrorist Moammar Gadafi is in Spain. He gets to meet with both King Juan Carlos and Zap. He was greeted at the airport with full honors of state by defense minister Alonso. That’s disgusting. This guy is a mass murderer. (Anyone else remember Lockerbie?) Sure, we have to deal with him, but we don’t have to kiss his ass.

Crazy Muslim shit. It seems that the FC Barcelona coat-of-arms logo, which includes a small red cross on a white background, the Cross of St. George, Catalonia’s patron saint, is not acceptable in Muslim countries. So what they’ve been doing with it in some of these places (Saudi Arabia and Algeria) is reducing the cross to a vertical red line. There are Muslims so ridiculously sensitive that they censor a football team’s logo!

The club has responded that as far as they know, all the official shirts they sell everywhere in the world have the full, uncensored club logo. Any shirt with only a red bar is a pirate copy, they claim.

continues..........

LOL...and he comments on a lot of odd things that are happening, like the hospital fire.

4,966 posted on 12/16/2007 11:26:13 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (I vote to outlaw hidden links in articles. If the URL is worthy of clicking, then show it.)

To: All; milford421; Founding Father

Special Dispatch Series - No. 1785
December 14, 2007 No.1785

Major Jihadi Cleric and Author of Al-Qaeda’s Shari’a Guide to Jihad: 9/11Was a Sin; A Shari’a Court Should Be Set Up to Hold Bin Laden and Al-Zawahiri Accountable; There Are Only Two Kinds of People in Al-Qaeda – The Ignorant and Those Who Seek Worldly Gain

Over the last few weeks, Sayyed Imam Al-Sharif, one of the least public yet most important figures in the global jihad movement, has published a long-awaited new work, Wathiqat Tarshid Al-’Aml Al-Jihadi fi Misr w’Al-’Alam (”Document of Right Guidance for Jihad Activity in Egypt and the World”), in which he calls for a stop to jihad activities in the West and also to those against the ruling regimes in Muslim countries. The new book, which Imam wrote while serving a life sentence in Egypt, was published in serial form in two Arab dailies, the Kuwaiti Al-Jarida and the Egyptian Al-Masri Al-Yawm, and has been the subject of extensive discussion and polemic among Islamists and observers of Islamist movements. The document is at once a book and a formal initiative, and the majority of leaders and members of the Jihad organization in the Egyptian prisons have signed the document and promised to stop armed activities. This entire process was facilitated by the Egyptian authorities, and the document was reviewed by a commission of Al-Azhar scholars. [1]

The book has generated such interest due to its author’s standing and importance among radical Islamists. In addition to his given name, Sayyed Imam Al-Sharif, he is also known as “Dr. Fadl” and “’Abd Al-Qader Bin ‘Abd Al-’Aziz.” His 1988 book on the laws of jihad, Al-’Umda fi I’dad Al-’Udda (”The Essentials of Making Ready [for Jihad]”),was used as a jihad manual in Al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan. [2] In addition, Sayyed Imam is one of Ayman Al-Zawahiri’s oldest associates. In the late 1960s, when they were both in medical school at CairoUniversity, they together formed a small Islamic studies group that later developed into one of the nuclei of the Egyptian Jihad organization. In the 1980s and early 1990s, they were together in Peshawar, where they were both leading figures among the “Afghan Arabs” and in the overseas leadership of the Egyptian Jihad; Imam is usually described as Al-Zawahiri’s predecessor as Emir of the organization, though he claims that he was not the Emir, but rather the organization’s shari’a guide. The two broke off contact following a bitter dispute in 1994, when Sayyed Imam accused Al-Zawahiri of having gone behind his back and published a falsified and radically abridged edition of his second book, Al-Jami’ fi Talab Al-’Ilm Al-Sharif (”The Compendium on Religious Study”). Nonetheless, Imam says that in the first few years of Al-Qaeda’s existence they did nothing without consulting him first.

Some of the most enthusiastic supporters of Sayyed Imam’s new document have been leaders of Al-Gama’a Al-Islamiyya, another Egyptian jihad group which, in 1997, began its own process of ideological revisions. These revisions eventually led to a wide-ranging reassessment of their beliefs, and they published a number of polemical tracts against Al-Qaeda. (See MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis No. 309, “The Al-Gama’a Al-Islamiyya Cessation of Violence: An Ideological Reversal,” December 22, 2006, http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=ia&ID=IA30906 .) In recent interviews and statements, members of Al-Gama’a Al-Islamiyya and other like-minded individuals have given an upbeat assessment of the new book’s impact, expressing the hope that Sayyed Imam’s revisions would lead to something similar in Al-Qaeda itself, or perhaps to an internal split or a weakening of support for Al-Qaeda. [3]

Al-Zawahiri addressed the issue of Sayyed Imam’s new book even before it was published, in the course of a feature-length video produced by Al-Sahab called Quwwat Al-Haqq (”The Power of Truth”). He argued that the revisions, which he calls the “retractions,” were simply the product of torture in the Egyptian prisons; he said that he didn’t blame their author for having broken down, but rather those outside the prisons who were enthusiastically promoting his new book. These latter he compared to gravediggers, who as soon as they hear that someone is sick, rush to him and wait eagerly for him to die so they can earn their living by burying him.

This line of defense has since been taken up by other Al-Qaeda spokesmen and supporters.The most vocal of these is Hani Al-Siba’i, an Egyptian Islamist living in London, who appears frequently on the Arab satellite stations and in the press. He also heads the Al-MaqrezeCenter for Historical Studies, and runs the website www.almaqreze.net.

A third category of responses is that of independent jihadists. The most important of these to date has been Abu Basir Al-Tartusi, a prominent radical sheikh. Unlike Al-Qaeda, he does not believe that Sayyed Imam was forced to write his new book, and he offers his reasons for believing that it was written out of conviction. Also unlike Al-Qaeda, he undertakes a refutation of the central arguments in the book, and pillories Sayyed Imam for employing what are, in his opinion, weak proofs to try to stop the jihad. He accuses Sayyed Imam of going from extreme to extreme, noting that in the past both he himself and Al-Zarqawi’s erstwhile mentor, Sheikh Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi, had criticized Sayyed Imam for being too radical and too quick to declare other Muslims apostates. [4] (For more on Abu Basir Al-Tartusi, see MEMRI Special Report No. 40, “Expatriate Syrian Salafi Sheikh Al-Tartusi Comes Out Against Suicide Attacks,” February 10, 2006, http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=sr&ID=SR4006.)

It should be noted that Sayyed Imam’s revisions are less far-reaching than those of Al-Gama’a Al-Islamiyya. He does not clearly state that he no longer considers the current rulers of Muslim countries to be apostates; the reason he forbids fighting them is primarily that this jihad has little or no chance of success, and thus does more harm than good. He has also not renounced his previous writings, and claims that they were merely misunderstood. He is much clearer on other topics, like the shari’a prohibition on killing Western tourists, civilians in Western countries, and so on. The question of what precisely the document says and does not say is a complex one that will be taken up in future reports.

In the coming weeks and months, MEMRI will be providing full coverage of Sayyed Imam’s new book and the reactions to it. By way of introduction, the following are excerpts from the first two segments of a six-part interview granted by Sayyed Imam to the Al-Hayat daily. In the interview, he deals at length with the 9/11 attacks, his relationship with Al-Zawahiri, and the emergence of Al-Qaeda. He describes the 9/11 attacks as betrayal and perfidy; Al-Zawahiri as a charlatan prone to betraying his friends, bin Laden as lacking a solid religious education, and Al-Qaeda as an organization without a shari’a authority and without a moral compass.

Throughout his life, Sayyed Imam has shied away from the media, and this is the first time that he has spoken openly to the press about these topics.

“Bin Laden and His Followers Lied to… [Mullah] Muhammad Omar and Betrayed Him”

Q: “What is your evaluation of the events of September [11], 2001?”

A: “The events of September [11], 2001, were betrayal of a friend and perfidy toward the enemy on the part of Al-Qaeda, and they were a catastrophe for the Muslims. All of these are traits of hypocrisy, and cardinal sins whose perpetrators are considered iniquitous - and whoever approves of their action shares their sin.

“This was betrayal of a friend, because bin Laden took the oath of allegiance to Mullah Muhammad Omar, leader of the Taliban, [and recognized him] as Commander of the Faithful in the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. [Bin Laden] lived under his protection, and [Mullah] Muhammad Omar refused to hand over bin Laden to anyone.

“More than once [Mullah] Muhammad Omar ordered [bin Laden] not to clash with America, saying that he didn’t have the capabilities for this, especially since Afghanistan and its people were the ones who paid the price for bin Laden’s bombings in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam in 1998.

“Bin Laden and his followers lied to their Emir [Mullah] Muhammad Omar, betrayed him, violated [their] oath of allegiance to him, and carried out the events of 9/11 behind his back after having plotted them for more than two years in his country, Afghanistan, after Khalid Sheikh [Muhammad] suggested the idea to bin Laden. The Prophet said, ‘Whoever defies [a ruler] has no excuse when he meets Allah’…”

“The Followers of Bin Laden Entered America… and Acted Perfidiously Toward Its People”

“This was perfidy towards the enemy, because they entered America with a visa, which is a contract of protection. There is no dispute about this among the scholars - even… [if someone] forges the signature of the residents of [the Abode of] War, and they believe it to be authentic, and then he enters their land, he is forbidden to betray them in anything - their lives, their honor, their property, without any distinction between combatants (military) and non-combatants (civilians) among the residents of [the Abode of] War, as long as he remains in their country…

“The followers of bin Laden entered America with his knowledge and by his order, and they acted perfidiously towards its people, and killed and destroyed… Then they called their treachery and their perfidy a ‘raid’ in order to compare their actions to the Prophet’s raids. To tie their perfidy and treachery to the Prophet is to diminish him and to mock him, and the punishment for diminishing the worth of the Prophet is well-known to Muslims; Qadi ‘Iyyad mentioned it in Al-Shifa, and Ibn Taymiyya in Al-Sarim Al-Maslul.”

A Shari’a Court Should be Established to Hold Bin Laden and Al-Zawahiri Accountable

Q: “What was the extent of the impact of these events on the situation of Muslims in the world?”

A: “It was a catastrophe for the Muslims. [Al-Qaeda] ignited strife that found its way into every home, and they were the cause of the imprisonment of thousands of Muslims in the prisons of various countries. They caused the death of tens of thousands of Muslims - Arabs, Afghans, Pakistanis, and others. The Taliban’s Islamic Emirate was destroyed, and Al-Qaeda was destroyed. They were the direct cause of the American occupation of Afghanistan and other heavy losses which there is not enough time to mention here. They bear the responsibility for all of this.”

Q: “What is your opinion on the way in which bin Laden and Al-Zawahiri have managed the war against the Americans?”

A: “Bin Laden, Al-Zawahiri, and others fled at the beginning of the American bombing [in Afghanistan], to the point of abandoning their wives and families to be killed along with other innocent people.

“I think that a shari’a court should be established, composed of reliable scholars, to hold these people accountable for their crimes - even if in absentia - so that those who are ignorant in their religion do not repeat this futility.

“The Taliban used to punish a woman who left her house with her face uncovered - so how could the leaders of Al-Qaeda not be held accountable - they who caused the destruction of their country, the spilling of their blood, the destruction of their houses, whose children were orphaned and wives widowed - all of this in disobedience to their Emir?...”

“Many Ignorant People Admired Al-Qaeda’s Actions Due to Their Lack of Knowledge in the Shari’a”

Q: “But some Islamists still praise what happened, despite the consequences.”

A: “Many ignorant people admired Al-Qaeda’s actions due to their lack of knowledge in the shari’a and their lack of knowledge concerning the conditions [required] for actions [to be permitted] and their true shari’a definitions.

“The peoples are ruled by emotions and think with their ears and not with their minds - that is, they admire what they hear without considering its true nature in their minds.

“What induces people to do this is their hatred for America. They don’t see any good from it. Al-Qaeda plays on this chord just like Saddam Hussein, Ahmadinejad, and others do. America always supports Israel. Even [America’s foreign] aid, the common people don’t notice it, since it is either old weapons that America gets rid of to provide work for its factories, or old stocks of wheat it wants to get rid of, or birth control pills. This is American [foreign] aid - that is, America aids itself.

“People hate America, and the Islamist movements feel the hatred and the impotence, and they applaud anyone who locks horns with America, whether it’s bin Laden, Ahmadinejad, or Saddam. Ramming America has become the shortest road to fame and leadership among the Arabs and Muslims. But what good is it if you destroy one of your enemy’s buildings, and he destroys one of your countries? What good is it if you kill one of his people, and he kills a thousand of your people?... That, in short, is my evaluation of 9/11.” [5]

From Egypt to Pakistan and Back

Q: “When your document Tarshid Al-Jihad fi Misr w’Al-’Alam [sic] was published, there were contradictory accounts concerning your true relation with the Jihad organization, and whether the organization was first founded in Egypt, or in Pakistan after you arrived there in 1983 - and even some of the personal information about you was contradictory.”

A: “… My name is Sayyed Imam Bin ‘Abd Al-’Aziz Al-Sharif, and my pedigree on both sides goes back to the Prophet’s family, according to what is established by our family tree. I was born on August 8, 1950 / 22 Shawal, 1369h. in Bani Suweif, south of Cairo. I was raised in a conservative family, and I learned from my father, may Allah have mercy on him, to be strict in religious observance and diligent in study. I stuck to this throughout my life.

“After I finished my primary school and middle school studies in Bani Suweif, I enrolled in the model secondary boarding school for exceptional students in ‘Ain Shams in Cairo in 1965. I was one of the first-[ranked] in the Republic - number 13 - in the public schools in 1968. Then I enrolled in the Faculty of Medicine at Cairo University, and I graduated among the first[-ranked] in 1974. I was given a position in the surgery department of the same faculty, [which is called] Qasr Al-Ainy, and I learned the profession of surgery from the most brilliant surgeons in Egypt.

“I stood accused in the Great Jihad Case in 1981 (the assassination of President Anwar Al-Sadat), so I was forced to leave [Egypt] in 1982. I worked for a short time in the Emirates, and then traveled to [offer] medical services in the Afghan jihad, [which I did] for 10 years, from 1983 up to 1993, when Pakistan banished the Arab mujahideen. I went to Sudan for a few months, and then to Yemen in 1994, where I worked as a surgeon until I was arrested there on October 28, 2001, in the aftermath of 9/11. Then Yemen extradited me to Egypt on February 20, 2004, and since then I have been imprisoned in Egypt.”

Q: “What about your strict religious observance? Did it lead you to the Islamist groups?”

A: “I have been strict in religious observance since I was little, by Allah’s grace, and by dint of my upbringing in the family. That’s as for the personal level. As for my interest in Islam as a general system, this began with the Muslim Brotherhood trial of 1965; I increased my Islamic studies, and from them I understood that Islam is a general system for everything in life, and not just personal rites of worship.

“I didn’t meet anyone from the Muslim Brotherhood, as they were imprisoned, and I didn’t study any of their books for a number of years, as they were forbidden. One book lead me to another, and one library to another, until [I had read a great amount].

“Only the first[-ranked] middle school students enrolled in the [high] school for exceptional students, and in this school I learned the scientific method of study, [using] more than one source in the library. This method was beneficial to me in my study of the shari’a, where I would learn one single topic from a number of sources in order to sum it up and uncover its mysteries. I would go to some sheikhs each time to use my understanding to verify what I had read, and sometimes to ask for explanations.”

Q: “You didn’t join any group or organization during this period?”

A: “I realized from my shari’a study that the implementation of the Islamic shari’a was the path to making things right in the country, and the Muslims’ history testifies to this. I didn’t join any existing Islamic group or society, since I saw in [all of] their programs either shortcomings and deficiencies or else errors and corruption…”

Ayman Al-Zawahiri is a Charlatan Who Testified Against His Companions in the 1981 Jihad Case

Q: “How did your relationship with Ayman Al-Zawahiri begin?”

A: “I became acquainted with Ayman Al-Zawahiri in 1968, when he was a fellow student at the faculty of medicine. We used to debate with other fellow students on various Islamic subjects.

“I knew from another student that Ayman was part of an Islamic group that had gone through some schisms, but he didn’t approach me about joining the group until 1977. He presented himself as having been delegated by this group to invite me [to join]. I asked him whether their group had shari’a scholars. He said yes. I asked to meet with them in order to discuss with them a few matters relating to this. He kept dragging me on and meeting with me [himself] at assigned times, at different workplaces and residences.

“The issue of my joining their group remained conditional on my meeting their sheikhs. I only discovered after the Jihad case of 1981 that Ayman was a charlatan who used secrecy as a pretext. I discovered that he himself was the Emir of this group, and that they didn’t have any sheikhs, and that he was the cause of his companions’ arrest, and that he testified against them.”

Q: “If that was your opinion of Al-Zawahiri, then how did you work with him?”

A: “I had old ties of friendship from [our] days on the university campus with the pharmacist, Dr. Amin Al-Dumeiri, and I was surprised [to see], in 1979, Ayman Al-Zawahiri visiting him frequently at his pharmacy. I said to Al-Dumeiri that if Ayman invites you [to join] an Islamic group, don’t consider my comradeship with Ayman as vouching for this, since he is the only thing I know about this group…

“The [Egyptian] security services considered me to be in an organization with Ayman because of some services I performed for him. I helped him out of consideration for our comradeship and friendship, and not out of considerations relating to an organization. I [also] helped others, out of Islamic considerations. For example, when Sheikh Omar ‘Abd Al-Rahman was wanted for arrest after September 15, 1981, I transported him in my own private car from Al-Fayyum to a hideout in Giza. From there he went to his sister’s house in Al-Omraniya, where he was arrested.”

The Egyptian Jihad Group in Pakistan

Q: “When you were accused in the Sadat assassination case, which is known as ‘The Great Jihad Case,’ you were a fugitive and were tried in absentia. You left for Pakistan. Why was the Jihad [organization] founded there, despite your position regarding Al-Zawahiri?”

A: “I came to Pakistan in 1983. In 1984 I was acquitted in absentia in the Great Jihad Case. Al-Zawahiri didn’t come to Pakistan until 1986.

“He talked to me about forming a group for jihad in Egypt with the aim of implementing the shari’a. I refused, and said to him: ‘This matter requires thorough shari’a study. It is not as simple as you imagine.’

“At this point in time, I was expanding my shari’a study with the help of some Afghan sheikhs who were expert in hadith. Al-Zawahiri insisted on the importance of taking advantage of the Afghan jihad and on the importance of bringing in youth from Egypt to take part in it. I told him: ‘There is nothing wrong with that, but I don’t want to be involved with them, neither in management nor in [providing for their] upkeep.’

“He asked me to take on a shari’a role with them. I agreed, as I [already] did this for other Arab youth. Little by little they grew in number, and so did their problems. In my role as their teacher in shari’a, their problems started coming to me, after Al-Zawahiri ran away from solving them - despite my having laid down the condition to him from the beginning - [in a meeting where] no one was present but me and him - that I did not want to be involved with the brothers and their problems.

“I asked to hold a meeting with them in 1991, and I said to them: ‘Don’t occupy me with your problems. If you do, I’ll break off ties with you.’ Al-Zawahiri said: ‘Your presence among us has removed an awkward difficulty from us, since Al-Gama’a Al-Islamiyya are saying that they have a scholar - Sheikh Omar ‘Abd Al-Rahman - [and we don’t]. You are someone everyone acknowledges is learned.’ At the same meeting, Majdi Kamal said: ‘You know, Doctor, that if you break off your ties with the brothers, they will split up into groups.’

“Then after a year, in 1992, the brothers asked to meet with me. They presented me with the question of their carrying out fighting operations in Egypt like Al-Gama’a Al-Islamiyya was doing, since people were reproaching them on account of this. I said to them: ‘We fought jihad in Afghanistan, and we trained many, both those we know and those we don’t know, and we taught them beneficial shari’a studies, and no one else has done this like us. As for fighting in Egypt, it will bring no benefit, and will entail great damage. As for Al-Gama’a Al-Islamiyya, it can only arrive at a dead end.’

“I advised the brothers to devote more effort to matters of da’wa [preaching, outreach]. Majdi Kamal said to me: ‘The time for speaking has come to an end. The time for action is here.’ I warned them against speaking to me about this again, and I made a firm decision to break off my ties with them after their matters in Pakistan were taken care of. This was in mid-1993.”

“For Years after the Launching of Al-Qaeda, They Would Do Nothing Without Consulting Me”

Q: “But everyone knows that you were the first Emir of the Jihad group…”

A: “The security agencies considered my relation to the brothers to be one of organization head, but the truth is that it was one of shari’a guidance. I thought that occupying [myself] with shari’a studies, and writing on them, were more important than organizations, since organizations, and even states, pass away, but shari’a studies remain and benefit the Muslims.

“Throughout my relations with the brothers in the Jihad, I made them train everyone who wanted training and help everyone who was in need of them, [including] those who did not have an organizational tie to them. They would give something to live on to those who were not from the organization. When the brothers in Al-Gama’a Al-Islamiyya complained of what had happened to their brothers in the Ain Shams neighborhood in Cairo, I asked Ayman [Al-Zawahiri] to help them, and he gave Rifa’i Taha a large sum.

“For years after the launching of Al-Qaeda, they would do nothing without consulting me. Does that make me their Emir, or part of the organization? I always say that the brotherhood of Islam is a shari’a obligation, and it is greater than organizations.”

“I Don’t Know of Anyone in Islamic History Having Committed Such Deceit, Fraud, Falsification, and Betrayal of Trust… Before Ayman Al-Zawahiri”

Q: “How did the dispute develop between yourself and the Jihad group, and with Ayman Al-Zawahiri in particular?”

A: “There were two reasons for this. The first was their determination to carry out fighting operations in Egypt. [They decided on this] in 1992, as I mentioned earlier, and I rejected this. I repeated my disapproval and rejection of what they were doing when I came to Sudan in late 1993.

“They [also] came to this conclusion and announced the cessation of operations in Egypt in 1995, but unfortunately only after failed, bloody confrontations [that were carried out] for the sake of ostentation and fame, and just to imitate Al-Gama’a Al-Islamiyya. They stopped after their brothers fell in droves to the gallows and the prisons.

“The second [reason] was that they [the Jihad organization] perverted my book Al-Jami’ fi Talab Al-’Ilm Al-Sharif. Ayman Al-Zawahiri was the one who did this, by himself, but the entire group held their peace about what he did, and [thus] they share his sin.

“My relations with Al-Zawahiri were normal until I left Sudan in mid-1994. It was he that greeted me at Khartoum airport when I came to Sudan in late 1993, and it was he that saw me off at the same airport when I left in mid-1994. I didn’t write Al-Jami’ until after I had cut ties with them in 1993, and I finished it before I left Sudan in 1994.

“I left them a copy of it when I left for Yemen, so they could learn from it and study it, and so that they could sell it and earn money from it, if they wanted to help the families. Al-Zawahiri told me that ‘this book is a victory from Allah,’ and they announced that it would be published in a magazine they put out in London called Kitab Al-’Ilm. At times they described me as ‘Mufti of the Mujahideen in the world,’ and at times as ‘the fighting mufti and the mujahid sheikh ‘Abd Al-Qader Bin ‘Abd Al-’Aziz.’

“After I arrived in Yemen and was practicing medicine, I learned from one of the brothers that the Jihad group had altered my book Al-Jami’, struck things out of it, and changed the name of the book to Al-Hadi ila Sabil Al-Rashad. They [also] said that their Shari’a Council had confirmed it [to be correct].

“I asked the brother who had typed the book into the computer and had arrived in Yemen to work, and he informed me that Al-Zawahiri and he alone was the one who did all of these perversions [to the book], because he had found in the book criticism of the Islamist movements that I had written [based on] the reality of having lived with them.

“I don’t know of anyone in Islamic history having committed such deceit, fraud, falsification, and betrayal of trust with such hostility to someone else’s book, and perverted it - no one before Ayman Al-Zawahiri. When one of the righteous forefathers saw something he considered an error in someone else’s book, he would write a rebuttal…

“Aggression towards someone else’s book, and the perversion of it, like Al-Zawahiri did, is something that is done only by bandits and people who have no morals and no character. I wrote a communiqué deploring what he had done.

“Neither Al-Zawahiri nor his Shari’a Council have the competence to examine or correct books on shari’a - even with the permission of the author - and they don’t have anyone capable of writing a single page without an error in jurisprudence…”

“Ayman Al-Zawahiri Was Entirely Dependent On Me”

Q: “You didn’t answer my question concerning your position on Al-Zawahiri. Is it personal or objective?”

A: “The dispute is objective. Ayman Al-Zawahiri was entirely dependent on me, in matters of instruction, professional matters, shari’a matters, and at times [even] personal matters.

“He had a contract to work as a surgeon with the Kuwaiti [Red] Crescent Hospital in Peshawar in 1986. He had never been trained in surgery, and had never done a surgery internship in any hospital. He had received a theoretical MA in surgery by studying what I had written, and he had worked a bit in Saudi Arabia as a general physician, and when he enlisted he worked in anesthesia.

“When he got the job at the Kuwaiti [Red] Crescent Hospital he asked me to be at his side and teach him [how to perform] operations. I taught him until he started to stand on his own two feet. If I hadn’t done this, he would have been exposed [as a disgrace], since he had taken a contract for a profession that he had never practiced.”

“Ayman Al-Zawahiri and His Emir, Bin Laden… [Are] Extremely Immoral; I Have Spoken About This So As To Warn the Youth Against Them”

“[Al-Zawahiri] was in love with the media and visibility. I wrote works on shari’a and pamphlets, and he would put his name on them, so that I would give him a push [in the realms of] shari’a and the media.

“Al-Zawahiri dealt ungraciously with all of this. He was ungrateful for the kindness [I had shown him] and did not thank [me] for it. He bit the hand that I had extended to him in kindness. [This was] deceit, fraud, betrayal of trust, falsehood, and gangsterism.

“This nature remained in him, up to the point where he and his companions in Al-Qaeda bit the hand of Mullah Muhammad Omar, who had hosted them and protected them in Afghanistan, and who ordered them not to enter into a confrontation with America…

“This is part of the truth about Ayman Al-Zawahiri and his Emir, bin Laden - without falsification and without the media deceit that their followers shower on the two of them. [They are] extremely immoral. I have spoken about this in order to warn the youth against them - youth who are seduced by them, and don’t know them...”

Four Stages in the Development of Al-Qaeda

Q: “…How did the tie begin between the Jihad and Al-Qaeda?”

A: “When I came to Peshawar in 1983, there were only about the number of Arabs as the number of fingers on two hands. Then came Sheikh ‘Abdallah ‘Azzam, and he founded the Office for Mujahideen Services in late 1984. There were more and more calls for Arab participation in the Afghan jihad, and the Arab presence gradually grew. The Jihad [group] was launched before Al-Qaeda.

“Al-Qaeda went through four stages: The first stage was that of the camp and the front, in late 1987. Bin Laden would raise funds from Saudi Arabia and give them to the Afghan leaders and to Sheikh [’Abdallah] ‘Azzam. Some of the youth complained to bin Laden about irregularities in the Office for [Mujahideen] Services, and bin Laden decided to launch something independently of Sheikh ‘Azzam.

“He started with a training camp and a combat front in the Jaji region in Afghanistan, near the border with Pakistan. Cadres from the Jihad group helped him in this and, thanks to their high level of military skills, youth started flocking to them, and as a result the number of training camps increased.

“The second stage was the stage of the organization, in 1989, when the number of youth of various nationalities increased, though most of them were from Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Bin Laden started asking them to give an oath of allegiance to himself as Emir of the jihad, and Al-Qaeda was transformed from a camp and a front into an organization.

“The third stage was that of the ‘sifting’ of the organization. In 1990 some of those who were knowledgeable in Islamic activity and who had given the oath of allegiance to bin Laden noticed that he was rapidly changing his goals and plans, from the Afghan jihad to throwing his weight into the jihad in southern Yemen, before the end of the Afghan jihad, an attempted assassination against Mohammed Zahir Shah (the former king of Afghanistan) in Italy, and preparations for participation in the second Gulf War against Iraq when it occupied Kuwait.

“Some of his followers demanded that Al-Qaeda should have a program (a constitution) that would define the principles of its existence and its goals, and on the basis of which bin Laden would receive the oath of allegiance from the youth.

“bin Laden refused to be bound by any program, in order to give himself the freedom to behave with his followers however he wanted. He banished those who had demanded a program, and from that time on, unfortunately, the only people who have followed Bin Laden have been one of two [kinds of] people: people who are ignorant in their religion, or people who seek gain in this world.

“Everyone was obligated to blind obedience - and if they didn’t [blindly obey] their fate was known. Whoever opposed [bin Laden] was banished. It came about that the majority of his followers were the youngest of the youth from Saudi Arabia and Yemen, who were motivated more by Islamic sentiment than by guiding shari’a rules. There were also non-Arabs, from Asia and Europe, whose understanding of religion was limited and who were motivated by sentiment, and especially those of them who were new converts to Islam and hadn’t studied their religion.

“The fourth stage was the stage of global confrontation, [which began] in 1993 in Sudan, when bin Laden revealed his desire to enter into conflict with the international powers, and America in particular.

“Some of his followers abandoned him, even some of his relatives and in-laws. His declaration of the Global Front for Fighting Jews and Crusaders in 1998 was just a summing up of what he had begun to prepare since 1993 by observing American and European targets that he could strike at in various parts of the world.”

Q: “Does this mean that the Egyptians should be credited with founding Al-Qaeda?”

A: “Members of the Jihad group are the ones who founded Al-Qaeda, managed it, and tried to steer bin Laden in the right direction and keep to a minimum his slip-ups in shari’a.

“Then I cut my ties with everyone in 1993, when I saw that most of them were following their own desires. Allah said (Koran 28:50): ‘Who is farther astray than he who follows his own desires without guidance from Allah? Allah does not guide unjust people.’

“This is the reason that I say that the only program, ideology, ideologue, and mufti that Al-Qaeda has is what bin Laden thinks right, according to his personal opinion, and whoever opposes [him] is banished. It was this path that led to the events of 9/11. The job of those who remained with bin Laden was to find justifications for his errors and views by using dubious shari’a arguments, with which they [then] dupe the ignorant…” [6]

[1] See Al-Hayat (London), August 30, 2007 and Al-Misriyyun (Egypt), September 15, 2007.

[2] One of the reasons for writing the book was to answer questions Sayyed Imam was asked by trainees in the camps in Afghanistan. See Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (London), May 19, 2006.

[3] See for instance Al-Masri Al-Yawm (Egypt), November 19, 2007; Al-Misriyyun (Egypt), November 19, 2007; Al-Jarida (Kuwait), December 3, 2007.

[4] http://www.abubaseer.bizland.com, November 29, 2007.

[5] Al-Hayat (London), December 9, 2007.

[6] Al-Hayat (London), December 8, 2007.

http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD178507

4,967 posted on 12/16/2007 11:50:31 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (I vote to outlaw hidden links in articles. If the URL is worthy of clicking, then show it.)

http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=Announcement5507

From the MEMRI Iran Blog www.thememriblog.org/iran
Tehran Friday Sermon By Leading Cleric: NIE Report’s “Acknowledgement” Of Iran’s Nuclear Progress Is “Honor,” “Success”

In his Friday sermon today, December 14, Tehran substitute Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami said that Iran was considering the U.S.’s NIE report neither a big political victory nor unimportant.

He told the crowd of worshipers at the Tehran University campus, “We consider the report by 16 U.S. intelligence institutions as neither a big political victory nor something (of) minor (importance).”

He added that the report had “positive points,” specifically “that it explicitly acknowledges that Iran does not have nuclear weapons today... and that since 2003 Iran’s nuclear energy has been peaceful.”

Another point, he said, “which is a source of honor for our system, is that they reported that in 2007 Iran made a serious jump in the field of nuclear technology.

He said that such “acknowledgements by the enemy is a success.”

Commenting on what he called “inaccurate points in the report,” he said that its claim, “that Iran had perhaps been seeking nuclear weapons prior to 2003” was “an American lie which has been raised repeatedly by U.S. statesmen.” He also said that the report’s claim “that Iran had stopped seeking nuclear weapons [due to] U.S. pressure” was “another lie.”

He added that Iran should be “pessimistic” regarding its enemy, and that “if it bore smile on its face, we should say that’s satanic” and that Iran “maintain[s] our vigilance. Our Islamic system carefully watches all movements of the enemy.”

Khatami added that the assassination this week of senior Lebanese commander Gen. Francois Al-Haj was in line with the plots to escalate tension in the country, and blamed “the Zionist regime,” and called U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates’s visit to Manama to “form an Arab-Israeli camp against Iran,” which he termed a failure, a “political victory” for Iran. He called “certain countries’ claims” of ownership of the islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Moussa a “U.S. trap,” and referred to the CIA’s removal of “proof and evidence of interrogation and torture” at Guantanamo “a dark stain for the U.S.” and “seriously a fiasco for Western democracy.”

He also ridiculed British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in claiming that Britain will take its forces out of Basra by the next two weeks. “That’s a sweet fruit of Iraqi people’s resistance. This proves that if they resist the enemy will start to escape.”

He added, “At the same time, Brown has claimed they will remain in Afghanistan for another 10 years. We tell Brown, rest assured that you cannot remain long in Afghanistan too and will escape from there without gaining anything. The reason for this is your claim that you wanted to be in Afghanistan to reduce poppy cultivation, while it has tripled.”

He also said that “the occupiers” were cooperating with the Taliban in Afghanistan and funding the militia: “You said you want to fight terrorism. We have reliable evidence that you are cooperating with Taliban and provide the militia, which is an outstanding example of terrorism, with money so as to remain in power for another short time. That too is a British-style lie. Thank God, our nation is for ages resentful and hateful of the old colonialist.”

Sources: IRNA, IRIBnews.ir, Iran, December 14, 2007

http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4110.htm

Iran Builds Supercomputer from AMD Parts

Despite a ban on U.S. PC hardware, Iranian technicians have built an enormously powerful supercomputer from 216 AMD processors.

The Linux-cluster machine has a “theoretical peak performance of 860 gig-flops.”

The disclosure, from an undated posting on the University of Amirkabir’s website, brought an immediate response December 10 from AMD, which said it had never authorized shipments of products either directly or indirectly to Iran or to any other embargoed country.

Source: FARS, Iran, December 12, 2007

http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4067.htm

Ahmadinejad Proposes Iran-Gulf State Council

At a December 11 press conference, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proposed the establishment of a joint Iran-GCC member state council.

Source: IRNA, Iran, December 13, 2007

http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4082.htm

U.S. Filmmaker Oliver Stone Cleared To Visit Iran To Make Ahmadinejad Documentary

The art advisor to Iranian President Ahmadinejad has said that arrangements have been made at the Iranian Embassy in Abu Dhabi for an Iran entry visa for U.S. filmmaker Oliver Stone.

According to previous reports, Stone is planning to make a documentary about Ahmadinejad (see “Ahmadinejad Cultural Advisor: Filmmaker Oliver Stone Should Visit Iran For His Proposed Documentary On Ahmadinejad” http://www.thememriblog.org/blog_personal/en/2943.htm ).

Commenting on a recent statement by Stone’s spokesman that the filmmaker had suspended plans for the Ahmadinejad film, the advisor said, “We don’t know if the Los Angeles Times article [with the statement] is based on correct information or not.”

About a month ago, Ahmadinejad’s art adviser said that Ahmadinejad would permit the film to be made but would first have to see the screenplay and receive an explanation of the film’s real aims, and that Ahmadinejad had stipulated that the film had to be a documentary.

Source: Fars, Iran, December 12, 2007

http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4073.htm

IRGC Theoretician Abbasi Hints: Iranian Students Who Criticize Their Country Are “Foot Soldiers Of The West”

In a speech yesterday at the engineering college of Tehran University, IRGC theoretician Hassan Abbasi told students that while anti-imperialism is a common theme of student movements all over the world, “unfortunately, streaks of such [imperialist] ?movements have been detected in Iranian universities recently.”

Talking about Iranian students who criticize their country, he said, “Some ?students are only foot soldiers of the West.” ?

He added, “I pity students who are beholden to imperialists and who propagate against ?Iran in the Western media.” ?

Source: Rooz, Iran, December 11, 2007

http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4066.htm

Iranian Students At Conference: “Death To The Dictator”

In a speech at a students’ convention yesterday, December 11, at Tehran University, former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami attacked the economic policy of current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and condemned the imprisonment and repression of students.

Students in the crowd shouted, “Death to the dictator!” and “Free the imprisoned students!”

Last week, three students were arrested while protesting against Ahmadinejad’s policy.

Source: Rooz, Iran, December 12, 2007

http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4060.htm

Columnist In Iranian Opposition Paper: Offer Jews Asylum In Islamic Countries

In his column in the Iranian opposition daily Etemad-e Meli, which is affiliated with the party of the same name headed by Mahdi Karroubi, Abbas Nasser wrote that Iran and the Muslim countries must give asylum to Jews who leave Israel and must enable them to continue their lives respectably.

This, he wrote, would be instead of fighting Zionism by means of Holocaust denial, which has given rise to comparisons of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Hitler.

Source: Etemad-e Meli, Iran, December 10, 2007

http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4057.htm

Iran Appoints New Ground Force Deputy Commander

In a Tehran ceremony today, Iranian Army Ground Force commander Gen. Dadras appointed Gen Ahmad Reza Pour-Dastan as lieutenant commander of the ground force of the Iranian army.

Source: Fars, Iran, December 11, 2007

http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4046.htm

Iranian Army Ground Forces Commander: We Are Closely Monitoring All Moves In Region

Iranian Army Ground Forces commander Gen. Dadras said today that Iran’s military forces were very closely monitoring every single move in the region.

Speaking at a ceremony to introduce his new deputy, Gen. Dadras underlined his troops’ military capabilities, and said that they have the most advanced technologies and equipment.

He said, “We are among the innovative and creative countries and we are not a follower. We have succeeded in reaching a desirable level of preparedness and defensive capability through relying on our own aptitude and talents and using Iranian experts in manufacturing, repairing, reconstructing and optimizing the various types of tools and equipment, including super-heavy, heavy and light military vehicles, weaponry, parts and arsenals,” he said.

He added, “No move in the region is hidden from the sharp eyes of the defenders of the ruling system.”

Source: Fars, Iran, December 11, 2007

http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4045.htm

IRGC Commander Jafari: IRGC To Develop “Scientific Power”

IRGC commander Mohammad-Ali Jafari said today that the strategy of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) was to promote its “scientific power” and to be a source of “Islamic intellectualism.”

Speaking at the ceremony during which he appointed Hosseini Tash as new chancellor of Imam Hossein University, Jafari said that the IRGC was trying to establish a scholarly and attractive environment for developing research activities in technological fields that seem more needed.

He also cited extending scientific cooperation with other academic centers as further IRGC priorities.

Tash was previously Supreme National Security Council deputy secretary for strategic affairs, under Ali Larijani.

Source: Mehr, Iran, December 11, 2007

http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4041.htm

Over 2,000 Students Demonstrate In Iran

Over 1,500 students demonstrated December 9 at Tehran University to demand the release from jail of student movement and women’s movement activists and of Prisoners’ Rights Association chairman ‘Amad Al-Din Baqi.

Also, over 500 students demonstrated at Shahrood University of Technology in Semnan, in northern Iran, carrying signs saying “Yes to Peace and Human Rights, No to War,” and “Condemn Internal Tyranny and External Interference.” They expressed fears of a possible war and of the loss of Iran’s independence because of the policy of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Source: Norooz News, Iran, December 9, 2007; Rooz, Iran, December 11, 2007

http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/4025.htm

4,968 posted on 12/16/2007 11:58:22 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (I vote to outlaw hidden links in articles. If the URL is worthy of clicking, then show it.)

To: All; milford421

November 15, 2007 No.1766

Editor of Arab Reformist Website: Dictatorial Arab Regimes are Winning the ‘Battle for Hearts And Minds’ In America

In an editorial in the Arabic reformist website www.aafaq.org, editor Omran Salman explains the failure of American public diplomacy efforts and blames the dictatorial Arab regimes of being behind the campaigns to smear America as part of their struggle for survival.

The following is the editorial. [1]

“The Distortion of the Image of the U.S. Has Become a Political Objective for Arab Governments in Their Struggle for Survival”

“The news of the resignation of Karen Hughes, the official responsible for American public diplomacy who was tasked with improving the image of America abroad, especially in the Middle East, was received with relative quiet. This was in contrast to the news of her appointment to the position in 2005, which enjoyed wide coverage and high hopes.

“But Hughes failed in her mission, though with distinction, and it is expected, or so it is hoped, that this failure will deliver a severe shock to American diplomacy that may perhaps awaken it from the delusions and bureaucracy that are firmly established in the corridors of the Department of State.

“In any case, it was not destined for that Hughes would succeed in ‘winning the hearts and minds of the Arabs’ in all circumstances, and this has nothing to do with her skills or her competence.

“According to the Reuters article that reported her resignation, Hughes is known for her fast-talking, enthusiastic style, a trait that was not always well received, particularly in the Middle East.

“But this is not the reason, of course. The distorted image of the United States - in the Arab world, at least - is not due to lack of information about the motives and nature of American foreign policy, and not because Arab citizens have insufficient information about American life, or the laws or institutions of the United States.

“The residents of the Arab world do not live on another planet, and they are not isolated from the revolution of rapid communication, technology, and the Internet, where anyone can push a button and get the information he wants. Many Arabs have visited the United States or have a relatives or friends living in America.

“The real reason is that the distortion of the image of the United States has become a political objective for Arab governments in their struggle for survival, and a tool to banish the specter of democracy and change in the Arab region.

“Those conducting this smear campaign are primarily autocratic Arab regimes, as represented by Ministries of Information. They have decided to make the United States pay the price for toppling one of their regimes - the regime of Saddam Hussein - and then calling for reform in the region.”

“What Those Conducting American Public Diplomacy Do Not Realize is that, in the Arab World, Little Happens by Chance”

“To this end, they poisoned the views and ideas in the Arab world, and filled the minds of the people with such extraordinary superstitions, fantasies and conspiracy theories, beginning with the accusation that the CIA and the Jews masterminded the attacks of September 11 and not ending with the ‘Crusader war’ that President George Bush has declared on the Islamic world.

“What those conducting American public diplomacy do not realize is that in the Arab world, little happens by chance.

“When Karen Hughes visited a school in an Arab capital to meet with the pupils, or a social institution to meet with its employees, she thought that people were speaking naturally and revealing what they actually believe - their opinions, in fact - especially toward the United States.

“Such things may happen in America, where people are free in what they believe and what they say. But it is naive to assume that the same thing happens in the Arab world.

“In the Arab world, numerous authorities intervene to shape people’s views and impose on them what to say. First, there is the information authority, for the most part owned by the government or by agencies close to it; this information, whether it comes in the apparent form of news or opinions, teaches people negative views of the United States day in and day out.

“Then, there is the imam of the mosque. Generally, he is a government official, and it is impossible for him to leave cursing the Jews, the Nazarenes (Christians), and the global arrogance - headed of course by America! - out of his sermons.”

“Those Who Conduct American Public Diplomacy Have Allowed the Arab Governments and Their Corrupt and Despotic Agencies To Deceive Them - And Have Then Themselves Attempted to Deceive American Public Opinion”

“And then there is the school - a government institution - which programs the pupils from childhood on with hostility toward everything non-Arab and non-Muslim, and programs them to believe in declaring other Muslims apostates and infidels, and in jihad, and in the restoration of the Caliphate and the revival of Arab and Islamic glory - to which the West is an obstacle!

“Instead of researching the true reasons for the distortion of America’s image in the Arab world, and presenting a list of the organizations and individuals engaged in the distortion - which in any case takes place openly, in broad daylight - those who conduct American public diplomacy have allowed the Arab governments and their corrupt and despotic agencies to deceive them - and have then themselves attempted to deceive American public opinion.

“What they do not know is that they have become a joke in the Arab world, subject to jest and ridicule from all sides.

“Thus, instead of the United States winning the hearts and minds of Arabs and Muslims, the Arab governments and Muslim Brotherhood have ensnared the hearts and minds of many State Department diplomats, as well as those of some of Washington’s influential research institutes.”

[1] www.aafaq.org, November 2, 2007.

http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=subjects&Area=middleeast&ID=SP176607

4,969 posted on 12/16/2007 12:06:01 PM PST by nw_arizona_granny (I vote to outlaw hidden links in articles. If the URL is worthy of clicking, then show it.)

To: All; milford421; Founding Father

AUSTRALIA: Police reveal fresh terrorism threats

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/police-reveal-fresh-terrorism-threats/2007/12/16/1197740096735.html

Police reveal fresh terrorism threats

Tom Allard National Security Editor
December 17, 2007

NSW and federal police have revealed they are investigating fresh
terrorist
threats in NSW. The revelation came during the signing of an agreement
to
conduct joint investigations out of a new counter-terrorism centre.

The Australian Federal Police Commissioner, Mick Keelty, and his NSW
counterpart, Andrew Scipione, signed the memorandum of understanding on
Friday, the first of its kind in Australia and a model likely to be
rolled
out in other jurisdictions.

Mr Keelty said NSW was arguably the most challenging for
counter-terrorism
authorities, noting that Sydney’s icons and the disruption that an
attack
would cause in Australia’s biggest city make it an enduring target.

“There’s enough investigation work to indicate that this is an ongoing
task
for all of us, and I include the DPP [director of public prosecutions]
and
the court system,” Mr Keelty said.

The NSW Police Assistant Commissioner, Nick Kaldas, who heads the
state’s
counter-terrorism effort, confirmed authorities were investigating
several
matters but, beyond saying there were no serious concerns about the
Somali
community here, declined to elaborate.

continued.

4,970 posted on 12/16/2007 9:09:56 PM PST by nw_arizona_granny (I vote to outlaw hidden links in articles. If the URL is worthy of clicking, then show it.)

Welcome and I hope you enjoy your visit.

After 30 years in Golden Valley, for me, there isn’t another place to live.

LOL, of course we have a few faults, but we can still see the sun sets.

4,971 posted on 12/16/2007 9:25:18 PM PST by nw_arizona_granny (I vote to outlaw hidden links in articles. If the URL is worthy of clicking, then show it.)

Congressional Record—Appendix, pp. A34-A35

January 10, 1963

Current Communist Goals

EXTENSION OF REMARKS OF HON. A. S. HERLONG, JR. OF FLORIDA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, January 10, 1963

Mr. HERLONG. Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Patricia Nordman of De Land, Fla., is an ardent and articulate opponent of communism, and until recently published the De Land Courier, which she dedicated to the purpose of alerting the public to the dangers of communism in America.

At Mrs. Nordman’s request, I include in the RECORD, under unanimous consent, the following “Current Communist Goals,” which she identifies as an excerpt from “The Naked Communist,” by Cleon Skousen:

[From “The Naked Communist,” by Cleon Skousen]

CURRENT COMMUNIST GOALS

1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.

2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament [by] the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.

8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev’s promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.

9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)

12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.

14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers’ associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to “eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms.”

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. “Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art.”

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them “censorship” and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural, healthy.”

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with “social” religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a “religious crutch.”

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of “separation of church and state.”

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the “common man.”

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the “big picture.” Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture—education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand [or treat].

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use [”]united force[”] to solve economic, political or social problems.

43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction [over domestic problems. Give the World Court jurisdiction] over nations and individuals alike.

http://www.uhuh.com/nwo/communism/comgoals.htm

4,972 posted on 12/16/2007 11:03:49 PM PST by nw_arizona_granny (I vote to outlaw hidden links in articles. If the URL is worthy of clicking, then show it.)

http://www.uhuh.com/nwo/communism/leftwing.htm

It is all here, what we are living through today...
granny

Left-Wing Lingo, Ideologies and History
[ Source: http://www.dsausa.org/archive/Docs/Lingo.html ]

written by J. Hughes Please send suggestions for additions to: (e-mail) jhughes@changesurfer.com
Socialist Ideologies

* Utopian, Communitarian Socialism
* Anarchism
* Communism, Marxism
* Social Democracy
* Fabianism
* Marxist-Leninism
* Trotskyism
* Maoism
* Schactmanism I
* Schactmanism II
* Euro-Communism
* New Left

Contemporary American Democratic Left
* Radical Democracy
* Democratic Marxism, and other kinds of democratic socialism
* Socialist Feminism, and other kinds of feminism
* Black Socialism, and other kinds of people of color politics
* Eco-Socialism, and other kinds of green politics
* Family Tree

Utopian, Communitarian Socialism

* Theory: Though there are a great variety of utopian movements and thinkers, this particular strain of utopianism advocates changing society by adopting egalitarian lifestyles, and building cooperatives and communes which embody the good society and set an example for the rest of the world.

Praxis: There have been many socialist communes and communalists throughout history, but the best known U.S. experiments were those conducted in the 19th century, such as the Fourierists, Owen’s New Harmony, and the Oneida community. They were inspired by a variety of ideologies, religious and secular. Their largest modern descendents in the U.S. are the Fellowship for Intentional Community, and the Federation of Egalitarian Communities around the Virginia commune Twin Oaks (also here)..

Anarchism

* Theory: Sometimes also referred to as libertarian socialism{See also this FAQ]. Opposed to all relations of domination, including the State, Family, Religion, and the Rich. Opposed to the Marxist idea of a transitional reliance on a socialist State, believing it will inevitably result in another form of tyranny. Anarcho-syndicalists specify that the means and ends of social change should be workers’ power through unions, replacing government with a federation of industrial-based worker organizations. (See also aBibliography and FAQ)

Praxis: In Europe associated with the writings of Bakunin and Kropotkin; in the U.S. represented by figures such as Emma Goldman; worldwide, there have been and are many individuals and groupings since the 19th century. The chief anarcho-syndicalists in the U.S. are the Industrial Workers of the World.

Communism, Marxism, Scientific Socialism

* Theory: Marx outlined a “dialectical materialist” theory of history postulating that the nature of the technological and economic system of each society determines the power relations within that society, dividing society between those who own and control the means of production and those who are exploited. These classes struggle over resources, and when the technological and economic base of society changes, a new class develops to overthrow the previous ruling class.
The final stage of this dialectical process is the world-wide polarization between the industrial working class and the owners of industry; after the proletariat overthrows the bourgeoisie there will be no more class divisions and humanity will consciously control its own evolution.
Social democratic reforms in the short-term, towards the replacement of capitalism (the private ownership of means of production) with “social ownership” (socialism). The democratic advancement of the masses’ interests replaces the “dictatorship” of bourgeois democracy with the “dictatorship” of the working class under socialism. Finally, the idea of ownership itself will disappear, as will all vestiges of class divisions, and therefore the need for a State will disappear, which is the stage of communism. [Another summary of Marxism]

Praxis: As a movement, can probably be dated from the founding of the International Workingmen’s Association, 1864-1876, within which Marx (1818-1883) and Bakunin were the two ideological poles. In the U.S.: probably the “De Leonist” Socialist Labor Party is the first, most orthodox, and one of the smallest, Marxist parties, founded before 1900.

Social Democracy

* Theory: To use working people’s parties within parliamentary democracy to achieve social reforms, and eventually socialism.

Theoretical Varieties: Christian Socialism; Labor Zionism, creation of a socialist Israel; eventually the Israeli Labor Party and MAPAM; Marxist Socialism, a minor strain in all social democratic parties to the present. When referring to contemporary European socialist, social democratic and labor parties, called “Euro-socialism.”
Praxis: Usually dated from the founding of the (2nd) Socialist International, 1889-WWI, 1923-present. In the U.S. from the founding of the U.S. Socialist Party (SP), 1900-1972, and DSOC-DSA 1972-present.

Guild Socialism

* Theory: Industry should be owned by the state or “commune” and managed by workers organized in local and national guilds Praxis: In the writings of G.D.H. Cole and the British Guilds Restoration Movement, 1913-1929; eventually overshadowed by British Social Democracy.

Fabianism

* Theory: Socialism will be the result a slow, hopefully peaceful, evolution, as rational, scientific states restructure our irrational society. Scientists are the vanguard of this shift, not the working class, though there may be a fruitful alliance of the two. As a result they had a weakness for authoritarian regimes, such as Soviet Russia, and for ideas such as eugenics and progressive imperialism. On the other hand, they were creative thinkers associated with internationalism and the cooperative movement, and as backers of the labor movement and the Labor Party.

Praxis: Associated with the intellectuals of the British Fabian Society from about 1880 to 1920, until the British Labor Party and Marxism, in its Leninist and democratic forms, shunted their ideas aside. Some of their well-known members included the science fiction author H.G. Wells, George Bernard Shaw, and the cooperativists Sidney and Beatrice Webb, who founded the London School of Economics. [Also see a wacky conspiracy theory look at the Fabians.] Today’s Fabian Society [fabian-society@geo2.geonet.de] is more of a democratic socialist think-tank for the British Labor Party than a distinct ideological tendency.

Marxist-Leninism, Bolshevism, Communism

* Theory: Since workers can only achieve trade-union consciousness , they must be led by a vanguard party of Marxist-Leninist revolutionaries. This party must be governed by military discipline, and “democratic centralism” : party-membership is tightly controlled and all members must keep party discipline, not contradicting the party-line in public, but only through internal “democratic” debate. The party newspaper plays a central role. The party relies heavily on front-organizations, ostensibly independent but actually controlled by the Party

Praxis: Usually dated from the USSR’s founding of the (3rd) Communist International, 1920-1956. In the U.S.: Communist Party USA (CPUSA), 1920-present.

Trotskyism

* Praxis: Leon Trotsky, a Bolshevik leader and factional opponent of Stalin, exiled from Russia in 1929 for his advocacy of more power to industrial worker organizations against the Stalinist party machine. Murdered by a Stalinist assassin in Mexico in 1940. As a movement, associated with Trotsky’s founding of the “Fourth International”, 1938-present. In the US, Trotskyism was originally associated with the Socialist Worker’s Party (SWP or “Swoops”), 1940-present. Some assert that in the late 1970s the SWP became “Castroists.” Today Trotskyism is more vividly represented by the Spartacist League (”the Sparts”), the Workers’ League and the International Socialist Organization.

Occasionally Trotskyists practice the tactic of “entryism,” joining a larger, mass socialist or labour party in order to win more influence, while continuing to exist as a separate political party. The most successful example of Trotskyist entrism was conducted by the British Militant Tendency, which took over sections of the British Labour Party in the 70s and 80s, until being purged in the 90s.

Theory: Stalinist Russia is a deformed worker’s State , more progressive than capitalism and therefore worthy of being defended against imperialist (US) aggression, but needs an internal proletarian revolution to throw out the bureaucrats. (While the collapse of East Europan Communism would appear to have made this core project moot, Trotskyists today are buoyed in the belief that their version of - as yet untried - socialism has been vindicated over the Communist and social democratic versions.)

Maoism

* Theory: China should lead a united, revolutionary Third World against Soviet and American imperialism. Peasants can be the backbone of “proletarian” revolution if led by a Communist Party. Once in power Communists must engage in constant struggle (”Cultural Revolution”) against the feudal and bourgeois elements entrenched in the socialist State. Continuous group criticism and self-criticism by party cadres is a key form of ideological purification.

Praxis: In the US: the tiny Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) - following the immortal teachings of Marx-Lenin-MaoTseTung-Bob Avakian thought - the Maoist International Movement, the Committee to Support the Revolution in Peru, and the Progressive Labor Party (PLP).

Schactmanism I, post-Trotskyist Leninism

* Theory: Associated with Max Schactman, an associate of Trotsky, in 1940 in the U.S. Communism in Russia and the Third World is not simply “deformed workers’ states” (Trotsky’s formulation) but “bureaucratic collectivism” or “state capitalism,” the forced accumulation of capital for industrialization by a bureaucratic class. Socialists should struggle for international revolution by democratic workers’ organizations against both Communism and capitalism, since both are undemocratic societies dominated by ruling classes.

Praxis: From 1940 to 1958 represented by Schactman’s Worker’s Party, and after the WP’s merger with the U.S. Socialist Party in 1958, by Schactman’s faction of the SP. Today this Leninist, revolutionary phase of Schactmanism is best represented in the journal New Politics, and in the organizations Solidarity and the International Socialist Organization (though neither organization would answer to “Schactmanite,” preferring something like “revolutionary, Third Campist, socialist-feminist, democratic Leninism”).

Schactmanism II, Laborist Neo-Conservatism

* Theory: The AFL-CIO is the only legitimate representative of the American working class, and the Democratic Party must become a more legitimate social democratic/labor party by “moving to the center” and down-playing gay rights, abortion and civil liberties. Socialists must side with U.S. foreign policy against Communist totalitarianism, as in funding the Nicaraguan contras and supporting nuclear weapons in Europe and the Pacific.

Praxis: In the U.S. (and only in the U.S.): the Social Democrats USA (SDUSA, “Seduce-a”) 1972-present, entrenched in the upper echelons of the AFL-CIO.

Euro-Communism

* Theory: A response to Krushchev’s Stalin revelations, and the post-War impracticality of revolution in the West, led by Enrico Berlinguer of the Italian Communists (PCI), but also Spanish, Dutch, British, Japanese and other Communists. Professed independence from Soviet foreign policy; criticism of Czechoslovakia ‘68, Afghanistan, etc. Acknowledged that conditions in the West demanded democratic means of struggle, including a broad “anti-corporate coalition” with liberals and socialists, leading finally to a “discontinuous break” with capitalism.

Praxis: Really a phenomenon of the 1950s-early 1980s, though many Communist Parties outside of Communist countries moved a little bit in this direction.

New Left, 1960-1970’s

* Theory: Central document was the “Port Huron Statement” of 1964, penned by Tom Hayden and ratified as the ideological statement of the Students for a Democratic Society. Professed “participatory democracy,” as opposed to the power-elite-dominated Western representative democracies, and the power-elite-dominated authoritarian Communist societies . Also advocated participatory democracy internally, as opposed to the use of party discipline and hierarchy. Saw the agents of social change in “substitute proletarians”: the urban poor and black liberation movement, Third World peasant liberation movements (Vietnam), and the student movement. Open to work with Leninists, ignoring old Socialist-Communist divisions - a feature which led to their quick demise. [See also Sixties Project Primary Document Archive]

Praxis: Internationally, almost every country had a New Left organization between 1965-1970. In the U.S., principally the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) 1960-1969; the Weathermen,1969-late 70’s, a guerrilla organization that came out of SDS; the New American Movement (NAM) 1970-1982, a democratic socialist organization that came out of SDS. Some groups, such as the Yippies and the Diggers harked back to a more counter-cultural and anarcho-cooperative model of social change. A French New Left movement, Situationaism, actually began in the 50’s growing out of leftist DaDaism and Surrealism, and had a strong theoretical impact on the Paris ‘68 uprising and other European student movements. [See also the Sixties Project and Vietnam Era Project]

Contemporary American Democratic Left

Radical Democracy

* Theory Focuses on overturning all forms of domination. The ethical principles underlying all the diverse movements that make up “the Left” are those of democracy: freedom, equality and solidarity must be extended into every sphere of life, including race, gender, the civil sphere, and the economy. In this sense radical democracy transcends Marxism, by including the insights of Marxist analysis while rejecting the Marxist assertion that the economy and class are the most fundamental forms of domination. The Left has gone astray when it has elevated equality above the other components of democracy, such as civil freedom and free elections. See Laclau and Mouffe’s Hegemony and Socialist Strategy: Towards a Radical Democratic Politics and “Reflections on Strategy in a Dark Time: Radical Democracy” by Richard Flacks, with a dozen respondents, in March 1996 Boston Review.

Praxis: Some would claim that the radical democratic tradition began with the American and French Revolutions. Some would cite the early Students for a Democratic Society’s Port Huron document as the mid-Cold War re-birth. Today radical democracy is embodied in many political movements, but is perhaps most self-consciously acknowledged in the Citizen Action movement, the post-Marxist wings of DSA, and the Committees of Correspondence.

Democratic Marxism

* Theory: The State as a relatively autonomous “contestable terrain” for the organized, self-conscious constituencies of the working class, through an open, inclusive political party (a left Democratic Party or third party) and a radical labor movement. Socialists organize a coalition of the sinking bottom third and the sliding middle third of America (the bulk of the poor and the working middle class) against the wealthy and corporations; central, necessary role for organized labor. Influenced by Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci; socialists struggle to wrest ideological hegemony away from the ruling class, and gain hegemony for radical ideology. The leading exponent in the U.S. has been Michael Harrington. Also well described in the pamphlet “Toward a Democratic Socialism: Theory, Strategy, and Vision” (1991) by Joseph Schwartz, member of the DSA National Political Committee.

Praxis: In the U.S., represented in the Democratic Socialists of America, the Socialist Party USA, Committees of Correspondence, and Solidarity.
Related Species

Libertarian Socialism Theory: The state is almost as big a problem as capitalism, and democratic grass-roots control through things like coops are preferable to nationalization, or extensions of state authority. In its anarchist variation, associated with the “council-communism” tradition. Leading U.S. advocate (also a DSA member): Noam Chomsky.

Praxis: The more libertarian wings of democratic socialist and social democratic groups embody a mild version of libertarian socialism, and a number of anarchist collectives in North America have a radical libertarian socialist orientation, such as the formerly Trotskyist Love and Rage group.

Market Socialism Theory: The State can’t plan everything, and the market can effectively be used by democratic public policy for social goals, such as productivity.

Praxis: The moderate, or less utopian, wings of democratic socialist and social democratic groups.

Socialist-Feminism

* Theory: Capitalism and patriarchy as relatively autonomous dual systems of power, tending to reinforce one another but not necessarily; socialism alone hasn’t and won’t liberate women; parallel influences of capitalism and patriarchy reflected in feminization of poverty.

Praxis: Although many feminist organizations have become more class-conscious, and committed to building feminism into a broader radical movement, only the DSA Feminist Commission today represents a true dual-systems analysis of current politics.

Other kinds of Feminists:

Marxist Feminism Theory: Women are primarily oppressed by capitalism, as workers; class more primary than gender as a social cleavage. Socialist revolution will liberate women.

Praxis: The “feminist” aspect of most socialist organizations in the U.S. today, but most clearly expressed by the West Coast Freedom Socialist Party/Radical Women.

Radical Feminism Theory: Women are oppressed by patriarchy; gender more primary than class.

Praxis: Represented in the U.S. today by legal theorist Catherine MacKinnon and writer Andrea Dworkin.

Lesbian Feminism Theory: Women are oppressed by both patriarchy and compulsory heterosexuality; lesbianism and gender separatism are the only path to liberation for women.

Liberal Feminism Theory: Women are oppressed because they don’t have equal rights (”equal opportunity”) with men in democratic society.

Praxis: In the U.S., usually associated with the National Organization of Women, though radicals actually have a lot of influence in NOW.

Black Socialism

* Theory: Capitalism is relatively autonomous from, but interlocked with, Western imperialism, the exploitation of Third World peoples, and racism at home and abroad. Democratic socialism (at home and internationally) won’t necessarily eliminate the oppressive relations of ethnic groups and nation-states, but will weaken them. Racism, like capitalism, is not just the barriers to advancement of minorities, but the whole structure of society which leads to inequality: structural racism.

Praxis: A tendency in much of African-American politics, from politicians such as Reps. Ron Dellums D-CA and Major Owens D-NY, to intellectuals such as Manning Marable and Cornel West, to revolutionary groups such as the now defunct Black Panther Party [BPP Ideology] [BPP History], and the still active African Peoples’ Socialist Party and National Peoples’ Democratic Uhuru Movement.
Other People of Color Politics:

Black Marxism Theory: Ethnic/racial divisions result from economic exploitation, such as the institution of slavery, and are used by the ruling class to divide the working class. Socialism will eliminate racism.

Praxis: Most socialist organizations implicitly treat race as secondary to class.

Pan-Africanism Theory: European peoples, socialist and capitalist, are globally oppressing African peoples, and Africans everywhere must fight for unity and liberation, and then struggle for socialism.

Praxis: In the U.S. by Kwame Ture’s All-African People’s Revolutionary Party, and the Nkrumahist-Toureist Party Organizing Formation.

Black Nationalism Theory: Blacks in America are an oppressed nation, and should struggle for a separate society and economy.

Praxis: In the U.S. by the Nation of Islam.

Black Anarchism TheoryThe foremost person associated with this movement would be former Black Panther Party member Lorenzo Kom’boa Ervin, and the journal ‘Black Autonomy’. The Black colony in America should take control of its communities and form mass communes independent of the State, which is to be overthrown through an alliance with white workers, though Black workers form the vanguard.

Civil Rights and Assimilationism Theory: Usually associated with assimilationism; blacks are oppressed by racist attittudes and laws. The goal is to have everyone be treated equally under the law, with the exception of affirmative action.

Praxis: In the U.S., embodied in the Southern Christian Leadership Council, the NAACP, and other mainline civil rights organizations.

Eco-Socialism

* Theory: Ecological protection requires the democratic control of the means of production, but industrialism itself must be reformed not just socialized. Recognizes a relative autonomy of ecology from class, State, gender, and race. Advocates work reduction (shorter work weeks, more dole), sustainable (”no-growth”) economy, participatory democracy, cooperatives, and strengthened transnational institutions.

Praxis: In the U.S.: the left wing of the Greens USA, the more statist wing of the Left Green Network, and the Environmental Commission of DSA.
Related Species

Eco-Populists Theory: Focus on worker and community struggles against local hazards, without explicit anti-capitalism.

Praxis: In the U.S.: Citizen’s Clearinghouse on Hazardous Wastes.

Eco-Anarchists/Social Ecologists Theory: Associated largely with the writings of Murray Bookchin (1, 2, and the Detroit-based magazine Fifth Estate. Ecological destruction grows out of authoritarian social structures.

Praxis: In the U.S.: the anarchist wing of the Left Green Network (LGN), which is the moribund, left wing of the Greens USA, associated with Murray Bookchin and the Institute for Social Ecology.

Eco-Feminists Theory: Ecological destruction grows out of the subordination of women, whom men associate with Nature

Praxis: Represented by groups like Feminists for Animal Rights and the EcoFeminism mailing list.

DSA Home Page.

This page: http://www.dsausa.org/rl/Docs/lingo.html

[Lots of hidden links for more info and a good diagram to show the connections]

4,973 posted on 12/16/2007 11:14:03 PM PST by nw_arizona_granny (I vote to outlaw hidden links in articles. If the URL is worthy of clicking, then show it.)

Hard Line Soviet Russia Returning

[Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;$sessionid$VIIFONAAACMKHQFIQMGCFFOAVCBQUIV0?xml=/news/2002/01/27/wrus27.xml&sSheet=/news/2002/01/27/ixworld.html

Pro-Putin cult urges return to Soviet ‘glory’

By Clem Cecil in Moscow

(Filed: 27/01/2002)

A SINISTER new organisation, backed by the Kremlin, is urging the Russian people to reject pro-Western views and go back to the “glory” of Soviet Russia.

The 50,000-strong group which calls itself “Walking Together” has strict rules and indoctrination methods, but unlike the Chinese group it has the support of the authorities.

“We want to create a new generation to help the president bring Russia out of crisis,” said its founder, Vasily Yakimenko.

The Kremlin’s clear involvement can be traced back to the group’s beginnings. Mr Yakimenko left a job in the Kremlin administration, where he was overseer of state-run charities, in May 2000 to create Walking Together.

The senior patron of the movement is Vladislav Surkov, the deputy head of the presidential administration.

The group is vehemently pro-Putin and its first public action was a huge rally in November 2000 to celebrate his presidency.

Wearing T-shirts emblazoned with Putin’s face, thousands gathered near the Kremlin and spoke of their love for the president. Mr Putin later received the organisers of the rally in the Kremlin.

Russian liberals fear that the group is the embodiment of persistent attempts by senior Kremlin officials to set up a new Soviet-style cult of personality around the president: nationalism thinly veiled as patriotism is a hallmark of Walking Together.

The group demands strict loyalty and discipline from its members, who are handed a long checklist on joining which includes commands to “read at least six Russian classics a year, whether you enjoy them or not, and visit the site of a battle where the Russians were victorious”.

Mr Yakimenko’s latest attempt to indoctrinate members, aged mainly between 14 and 30, is a proposal to “purify Russian literature”. Modern “liberal” books, which depict the difficulties of modern Russian life, have been damned by Walking Together.

The group has in turn published thousands of copies of a book of stories recounting the Red Army’s “glorious victories” during the Second World War. These books were offered free in exchange for “corrupting” works.

Walking Together is secretly sponsored by two companies with close Kremlin ties as well as Moscow city council.

Its outgoings are high: members are divided into groups of five called “red stars”, each led by a “foreman” who receives a free pager and £30 for his services. Each of his five “soldiers” receives £1 as well as free T-Shirts.

Members are encouraged to recruit others with promises of rank and glory reminiscent of Communist indoctrination methods. “Once you have a red star, try to persuade another 50 to join.

“Give them a party if they show interest in the group. You must be able to encourage and to punish, then you will become a commander of a division. If you persuade another thousand to put their fate in your hands, you will be a coordinator.”

http://www.uhuh.com/nwo/communism/walktoget.htm

[Dare I suggest that this group is active in the U.S.?

Rented buses, free t-shirts, free signs and even free flags, altho the flags are not always American flags.
granny]

4,974 posted on 12/16/2007 11:27:03 PM PST by nw_arizona_granny (I vote to outlaw hidden links in articles. If the URL is worthy of clicking, then show it.)

http://www.uhuh.com/politics/demcom/guilt4.htm

Guilt of the Four Isms

Democrat = Socialist = Communist = Fascist

A study of the Democratic, Socialist, Communist and Fascist National Party Platforms reveals striking similarities. Put another way, Democratism, Socialism, Communism and Fascism have common objectives. For purposes here, they are the same in that they all support a democracy and support the severe altering of the Constitution of the United States. Socialism is incorporated by all of them. They will be referred to as the “four isms”; the “Notorious 4 Isms”, as it were.

It requires little thought to assume that candidates running on the platforms of the Notorious 4 Isms recommend a democratic form of government and do not accept the Constitution of the United States. This presents a dangerous problem to be elucidated here.

Now for the reasoning that sets the record straight.

History has shown that the four isms decay into totalitarianism, which is a police state, which is a dictatorship. Those forms of jurisdiction destroy the government they infect. A Democratic form of government “gives the store away”. Well aware of these dangers, the Founding Fathers wrote a Constitution that created a Republic.

Both Hayek and Kuehnelt-Leddihn explained that as the 4 isms mature, they decay into such a state of affairs that governing them requires tactics which respectful people will not employ. But apparently disrespectful leaders by then have assumed sufficient power to enable them to do what is necessary to save their government. Thus, a police state is created. The Founding Fathers did their best to steer us away from that fatal trap.

Instituting the platforms of the four isms will require altering our Constitution that has stood tall over the centuries. This fact brings the loyalty of the candidates of the 4 isms to question.

Candidates running for government offices have a legal obligation to support the Constitution of the United States. Since this fact is not revealed by those involved, their underlying political platforms will be exposed here.

Upon assuming office, all state and federal candidates are required by Article VI of the Constitution of the United States to take an oath of office in which they must swear (or affirm) to support the Constitution of the United States. The point made here is that those candidates will violate their oaths of office if they attempt to install any one of the four isms: Democratism, Socialism, Communism or Fascism. This will be a very serious crime.

Continuing, the Supreme Court of the United States has cited the Federalist Papers as a definitive document for the Constitution of the United States.

That makes those Federalist Papers an integral part of (if not integral, certainly a vital link to) the Constitution of the United States. It is probable that few public servants even know what the Federalist Papers are, or who wrote them, or why. They do not know the law of the land they are to govern. This is an alarming situation, especially if they do not even care.

The importance of the former paragraph lies in the knowledge of the fatal nature of a Democracy. On page after page in the Federalist Papers, the Founding Fathers made it very clear that our country was never intended to be a Democracy, but rather, a Republic guaranteed by a Constitution — a Constitutional Republic. In the Federalist Papers they discussed the historical failure of democratic forms of government resulting from “giving the store away”, etc. That form of government simply implodes. The Founding Fathers did NOT favor democracies.

Reasoning further, a federal law, Misprision of Felony, mandates that any citizen of the United States who is aware of a felony must report same to authorities. Destruction of the Constitution of the United States is certainly a felony. It is also sedition, and probably treason, punishable by death. (In the early days of our country, they took traitors out and shot them.)

Concerning responsibility, a 1945 California case set a precedent that responsible persons “could have known and should have known”, a precedent dating all the way back to Abraham Lincoln. Candidates for political office have no excuse not to have known.

The platforms for the 4 isms promise extensive health care. (I thought that was called socialized medicine.) But nothing is said about who is to pay for it. Nothing is said about the fact that several other countries that have comprehensive health care programs are in serious financial trouble.

In their varying discussions about taxes in the platforms of the 4 isms, no mention is made about the fact that not one, thin dime of IRS income tax money ever reaches Congress to pay the bills. 1/3 is lost, 1/3 is wasted, and the 1/3 that is collected goes to pay interest only on the national debt. So much for federal government efficiency. And that remaining 1/3 probably goes to the owners of the Fed — the Federal Reserve System. We don’t even own our own national banking system. That should tell somebody something.

Nor is any word given to the fact that the IRS is unconstitutional. Nor does anyone on the Left mention that the IRS has no authority to enforce, yet they purchase munitions a million bucks a pop.

Not yet recognized by the Left is Griffin’s ‘Creature from Jekyll Island’. Chapter ten, ‘Mandrake Mechanism’, explains that government financing in Congress does not even need the IRS. It is a separate operation. The IRS exists to keep the people poor and busy trying to make a leaving, thus keeping them “out of the back room” where the massive fraud machine operates. Congressman George Hansen called it correctly with the title of his book on the IRS: ‘To Harass Our People’. His book tells first hand about the Big Brother tactics of the IRS.

Summarily, then, it is highly probable that any and all government servants — certainly those in politics — who adhere to the platforms of the Notorious 4 Isms — the Democratic Party, the Socialist Party, the Communist Party and/or the Fascist Party — are guilty of sedition, and quite possibly treason; and, upon election, guilty of violation of Oath of Office.

That is existing law. And violations are very serious.

Of dire seriousness, the silence on this subject by the Left is vociferously ominous.

A point to remember: Congress does not act; Congress reacts. It is time for people to stand and be heard.

Forest Glen Durland

October, 2006

Go to the Exhaustive Documention for Guilt of the 4 Isms

Go back to Dem Con List

Go to the uhuh Contents

4,975 posted on 12/17/2007 12:30:32 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (I vote to outlaw hidden links in articles. If the URL is worthy of clicking, then show it.)

[PROPAGANDA]

http://www.iran-daily.com/1384/2454/html/index.htm

Ahmadinejad:
No Politics on Campus
TEHRAN, Dec. 18—President Mahmoud Ahamdinejad said on Sunday officials should prevent political gimmicks in campuses, urging political parties to function campuses.
Delivering a speech at Instructors’ Training University on the occasion of the anniversary to mark the unity of theological schools and universities, Ahmadinejad said, “Our universities should be at the forefront of political far-sightedness, seeking justice, independence and freedom.“
He stressed that the status of universities in the society is higher than that of all political groups.
“If political groups and currents do not interfere in universities, students and professors would not experience differences of opinion,“ he said.
He called on political parties to function outside campuses.
“If we avoid differences of opinion and avoid malice, then we can join hands and work for the country’s bright future,“ he said.
The president also said enemies wish to create hindrances in universities so that Iran does not progress scientifically.

Asefi:
Reaction to President’s Remark Irrational
US Lost Face Among Muslims, Western World
TEHRAN, Dec. 18—Foreign Ministry’s spokesman here Sunday termed the reaction of the West and Europeans to the statement of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad regarding the Zionist Israeli regime as “irrational and illogical“, saying it was a scientific debate.
Hamid Reza Asefi also told reporters that the Iranian president’s remark regarding the Zionist regime is part of “a scientific debate“.
“I am surprised with the approaches taken toward this scientific debate. The type of reaction Europeans and westerners have shown to the president’s remark has no place in the civilized world,“ Asefi told domestic and foreign reporters at his weekly press conference, IRNA reported.
In reply to a reporter, who referred to the ban on questioning `Holocaust’ in some European states, the spokesman said many measures taken by Europeans are also considered as criminal in Iran.
“The Europeans are used to indulging in monologue, but they should learn to hear opposing views too.“
Asked about the impact of the president’s remark on Iran’s nuclear talks with Europe, Asefi said, “We make no prejudgment or hasty judgment. Iran’s rights should be recognized officially and we will not give up our rights. The outcome of upcoming talks depends on the Europeans who should not make exorbitant demands. The Europeans should better look at their previous approach and attend the next meeting after reviewing their past performance.“
He then rejected the recent claim by Human Rights Watch that Iran’s intelligence and interior ministers were involved in the 1988 killing of political dissidents as “worthless and cheap“.
“It seems that the group safeguards the rights of the West,“ he said.
Asked about the US-Zionist regime cooperation for launching a military attack on Iran, he said, “It is a fabrication.“
Pointing to results of an opinion poll conducted by an Israeli newspaper, he said, “Over 80 percent of Israelis expressed opposition to such an attack on Iran. This stems from the Islamic Republic’s power and strength.“
He rejected a news report on two regional states agreeing to allow the United States and Israel to use their soil for a military attack on Iran and said, “Such reports are spread in line with a psychological warfare launched by certain circles against Iran.“
On Iran’s security cooperation with the Persian Gulf littoral states, Asefi said, “Iran has signed joint cooperation pacts with most regional countries. We have previously expressed our readiness to these countries to sign joint defense treaties.“
In response to a US court verdict calling on Iran to pay compensations to victims of an attack on the US Embassy in Beirut in 1983, he said, “Such rulings by a local court are useless and have no legal base. Iranian courts have so far issued verdicts valued at over $3 billion against the US.“
On measures adopted by Iran’s Foreign Ministry following the murder of a second Iranian national in Canada last week, he said, “We have taken up the issue with Canadian officials. We will do our duty. I believe Canada is turning into an insecure country for refugees. The murder of two persons in a country claiming to be secure is not good at all.“
Referring to remarks of US President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that Iran is a serious threat to the region, Asefi said the US administration, which has incurred great losses in the region—the most important being the loss of face with regard to the Muslim public opinion and a great part of Western public opinion, is now helpless.“

Fires Destroy Northern Forests
Gorgan, Golestan, Dec. 18—Fire on Sunday engulfed over 243 hectares of forest in Golestan province, completely destroying some 30 areas in the forest, IRNA reported.
Head of Golestan Natural Resources Organization Safarqoli Khajeh told IRNA that two incidents of fire broke out in Ramiyan and Galikesh, covering an area of 1,100 square meters.
The fire has been currently brought under control.
Fire reported in parts of Amol, Mazandaran province, was also extinguished on Sunday. This particular fire, which started at 7:00 p.m. last night, was controlled by noon of Sunday but destroyed four hectares of the region’s forest.
In the past few days, 17 cases of fire have been reported in the forests of Sari, Neka, Behshahr, Qaemshahr, Amol, Nour, Chalous, Tonekabon and Ramsar, inflicting damage worth over one billion rials.
Warm winds, negligence of forest-dwellers, tourists and hunters, as well as campfires, are the most likely culprits..

Iraq Shiites Close to Total Majority
BAGHDAD, Iraq,
Dec. 18—Vice President Adel Abdel Mahdi said on Sunday that the main Shiite religious list, the United Iraqi Alliance, was close to securing an absolute majority in parliament following a landmark election.
“The first results available to us show that we are not far from an absolute majority,“ Mahdi, a UIA candidate tipped as a possible prime minister, said in an interview with AFP and the French newspaper Le Monde.
“You need 138 seats for a majority. In Baghdad, our estimates give us nearly 70 percent, even at 65 percent that is nearly 40 seats. We think we have between eight and 10 in the other provinces of Diyala, Nineveh, Salaheddin...that is a total of 115 to 120 seats.“
Of another 45 seats in the 275-member parliament allocated to parties that score highly at a provincial but not national level, the alliance expected to scoop half, the vice president said.
Asked about reports that he may be picked as a replacement for fellow coalition member, Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari, Abdel Mahdi said he did not want to “get into details at the moment“.
Taking the lead from Jaafari and leading Sunni politician, Adnan Al-Dulaimi, Abdel Mahdi also called for national unity in the new government.
“The political situation demands a government of national unity. We are therefore going to look for alliances with lists not vital for a majority but that will help us secure national unity and solve the problems of Iraq.
“The Iraqis must be assured of their security, that everyone participates in the governing of the country and that no community be excluded,“ he said.
“For that, all communities, all parties must get important jobs and participate in strategic decisions for the country,“ Abdel Mahdi added.

4,976 posted on 12/17/2007 12:46:16 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (I vote to outlaw hidden links in articles. If the URL is worthy of clicking, then show it.)

[IRAN SPEAKS]

http://www.iran-daily.com/1384/2454/html/index.htm

Social Maladies Curable

040056.jpg
Morteza Talaei
TEHRAN, Dec. 18—Commander of Tehran Police said on Sunday social maladies in the society can be cured and should not be allowed to reach critical levels.
Speaking to IRNA, Brigadier General Morteza Talaei added, “The most vulnerable social strata are young adults and the youth.
But I believe adults are facing the biggest social problems, because they do not know how to teach young adults and the youth to overcome their own problems.“
He emphasized that religious tenets should be used to teach the society kindness and benevolence, IRNA reported.
“This is because all social ills are negligible when religious values are resorted to,“ he said.
He stressed that officials should avoid raising people’s expectations.
“The people need social justice and we must define this issue properly,“ he said.
The commander further said the duty of police is to provide social security.
“The police are duty-bound to confront deviations and disturbances that target social, ethical and cultural securities in a systematic manner,“ he said.
Also on Sunday, Commander of Tehran Province Police, Brigadier General Reza Zarei, said the officialdom should rectify its approach toward security.
“It is not just the duty of the police to ensure security É Other executive organizations and the people should also contribute to this cause,“ he told a gathering themed “Family, Security and Public Participation“ in Savojbolagh.

World Trade Deal Survives

040053.jpg
HONG KONG, Dec. 18—Ministers from 149 states saved long-running global trade talks from collapse on Sunday with an interim deal to end farm export subsidies by 2013 and open rich-country markets a bit wider to the world’s poorest nations.
Ministers expressed relief that they had averted a repeat of failed conferences in Seattle in 1999 and in Cancun in 2003, Reuters reported.
But they described the Hong Kong pact as disappointing and said it would be tough to wrap up the talks on time by the end of 2006, after which US President George W. Bush may lose his Congressional authority to negotiate trade deals.
“In a week of disappointments, this is no small prize,“ said European Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson. “It is not enough to make this meeting a true success. But it is enough to save it from failure.“
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) agreement came after six round-the-clock days of fractious talks between ministers at a Hong Kong harbor-side convention center and anti-globalization protests outside that erupted into vicious street battles.
WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy told weary ministers they had injected new impetus into the so-far hapless Doha round of trade talks, which could boost world economic growth and lift millions of people out of poverty.
“What you all take back from Hong Kong is a new political energy, a potent fuel to reach cruising speed during 2006,“ he said. “It is not a perfect balance. But, as they say, the perfect is the enemy of the good.“
The agreement was a series of compromises and it fell well short of the more ambitious plans the WTO had for Hong Kong.
It proposed April 30, 2006, as a deadline for reaching a draft for the Doha round, a milestone the organization had originally hoped to reach in Hong Kong. Big-hitters among developing nations, led by Brazil and India, gave their nod to the draft but voiced their frustration over the EU’s refusal to agree on 2010 as the cut-off date for export support.
“I think the EU owes one to the developing countries. We showed a real will to negotiate and we didn’t feel it was the same from the other side,“ Argentine Trade Minister Alfredo Chiaradia told reporters.
But non-governmental organizations, which campaign on behalf of developing countries, branded the Hong Kong talks yet another victory for the rich world.
“This is a profoundly disappointing text and a betrayal of development promises by rich countries whose interests have prevailed yet again,“ relief agency Oxfam said in a statement.
“It’s a shame the richest countries in the WTO outside Europe could not go the extra mile for the world’s poorest countries,“ Mandelson said.
Outside the conference center, thousands of demonstrators chanting “Down, down WTO“ marched peacefully through Hong Kong.
But there was no repeat of Saturday’s fierce fighting with riot police in which more than 140 people were injured.

4,977 posted on 12/17/2007 12:49:05 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (I vote to outlaw hidden links in articles. If the URL is worthy of clicking, then show it.)

To: All; milford421; knighthawk; Founding Father; DAVEY CROCKETT; Calpernia; Velveeta; LibertyRocks; ...

[I could not recall if he is the one called Mumia, that the movie stars want paroled, so went to google and lookie here, in 1973, we had muslims killing our Cops....
granny]

http://www.google.com/search?q=cop-killer+Shuaib+Raheem&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=ygF&start=10&sa=N

Here is a call to the hostages to come forward and help stop him getting his freedom:

http://nypdrant64609.yuku.com/topic/6477/t/Cop-killer-coming-up-for-parole-PBA-calls-for-help.html

Here is an article and several comments, I was at the cop writing site a few days ago, but do not recall the name:

http://nypdrant64609.yuku.com/topic/6513/t/COP-KILLER-PAROLE-SPARKS-OUTRAGE.html

COP-KILL PAROLE SPARKS OUTRAGE
‘73 SLAYER COULD BE FREED

December 5, 2007 — A state parole board has voted to release a cop-killing kidnapper involved in the sensational, 47-hour hostage siege at a Brooklyn store nearly 35 years ago - enraging the officer’s widow and injured comrade who only learned of the move after the fact.

“As time goes along, you think, ‘It will be easier, I can handle it,’ “ Patricia Gilroy told The Post yesterday of the events that led to the death of her decorated husband, Police Officer Stephen Gilroy, during the infamous botched armed robbery at John & Al’s Sporting Goods in Williamsburg in January 1973.

Then, struggling through tears, the stricken woman added, “Come January, it will be 35 years, and it will be a long time, but it doesn’t matter how much time goes by.

“This thing came out of the blue,” she said of the board’s controversial move to release convicted black Muslim militant Shuaib Raheem, 58, from Shawangunk Correctional Facility in Wallkill.

“I wasn’t expecting it, and it just reminds me of what I lost.

“What happened that day had impact on lives other than [Raheem’s]. He [her husband] was on the sergeant’s list, and we were planning to buy a house . . . [Raheem] can’t just walk out after 35 years and say, ‘Have a great life.’ “

Based on the outcry from the widow and others - including one cop critically wounded during the mayhem - the embattled board has now agreed to take the unusual step of reconvening to hear victim-impact testimony from her and the recovered former patrolman.

Raheem was 23 when he and three other young men barged into the Broadway store on the evening of Jan. 19 to steal rifles and ammo from the shelves for what he called a war on injustices against Muslims.

The four fiends wound up holding 10 people hostage for nearly two days as they battled it out with cops in a drama that gripped the city.

Patrolman Gilroy, 29, was fatally shot in the head in the opening hours of the siege as he crouched behind cars outside the shop.

Also shot was Officer Frank Carpentier. He survived - and now wants to testify how he was shot in the leg and then received death threats from Black Muslims while recovering in the hospital, said officials with the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association.

PBA President Patrick Lynch said his group also wants to contact former hostages so they can give impact statements at the new hearing.

Raheem was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison for his role in the mayhem. He had previously been up for parole five times in the past decade - and turned down each time.

But on Nov. 13, a two-person board, former agency spokesman Thomas Grant and Deborah Loomis, noted in a written decision after a hearing that Raheem has had “a clean disciplinary record since October 1999.”

“This panel notes your positive programmatic participation during your period of incarceration, including your receipt of multiple collegiate degrees and your work as a leader in the Youth Assistance Program.

“This panel finds that upon your release, there is a reasonable probability that you will live and remain at liberty without violating the law.”

Parole officials weren’t obligated to reach out to Patricia Gilroy, Carpentier or any other victims unless those people notified them earlier that they wished to be heard when Raheem’s case came before them.
But they are willing to convene another meeting, and if afterward, board members believe they would have changed their decision based on the impact statements, a new session will be held in which Raheem will be allowed legal representation

~~~~~~~~

a petition should have been made. There are sites I think its nydocs that let the public know when the killer is up for parole. Where do you get petitions?http://www.odmp.org/officer/10340-patrolman-michael-w.-paolillo His killer was up for parole a while ago I don’t know what happened.
The idea of his killer being paroled made the newspapers and petitions were signed, and parole was denied,but this was a few years ago,meaning he will be up for parole againhttp://www.odmp.org/officer/10496-police-officer-thomas-v.-pegues
If you read these websites it shows the killer was paroled (odmp) or comments people left on NYPDANGELS
http://www.odmp.org/officer/10984-patrolman-william-j.-ramos-.
http://www.odmp.org/officer/13597-patrolman-john-e.-varecha (One of the killers was paroled a few years ago).
http://www.odmp.org/officer/13735-patrolman-henry-walburger
http://www.nypdangels.com/cop/cop.php?id=183
http://www.nypdangels.com/cop/cop.php?id=186 His killer was paroled in 1995
We need to have more petitions signed and more awareness as to what POS is next to be paroled!!!!
Research and contacting the media needs to be done. This B/S has got to stop

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was on the job when this robbery and hostage situation occurred. The dept bent over backwards to get the hostages out (they finally escaped on their own). These POS’s had special food taken into them. This was 20 years before the the 1993 WTC bombing and this dept never realized what a threat to this country these muslims were to our country and even in 1993 it wasnt realized until these muslim animals killed 3000 people on 9/11/01. A police officer is murdered and 35 years later, a muslim POS is going to walk out of prison a free man. PO Gilroy’s family was sentenced to life without him and this POS goes free after 35 yrs. With this POS Spitzer as Gov, you are going to see more of this sht. PO Harry Ryman’s killer is up for parole in April of 2008 and you will see a repeat of this sht.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Actually he was behind one of the subway pillars. His murderer was credited with telling his fellow mutts: “The next time that mother-fukker sticks his head out I’m going to blow it off.”

The Gilroy family went through a number of horrors that I won’t go into - oldtimers know what I’m referring to.

~~~~~~~~~

i found this in a site called cop writer. i dont know how to post the link - chilling-

But now the ESU officers had taken up position all around us. One dashed to a position behind an elevate subway train pole directly in front of John & Al’s. All this time sporadic gun fire poured from the darkened store.

Then in a moment frozen in my mind forever I watched one of the most heroic actions I had seen out side of actual combat unfold. The ESU officer behind the pole moved to his right trying to get a better angle into the shop in order to lay down cover fire so the rest of the pinned down cops could scamper to safety. As he moved he was gunned down. He took a fatal hit, there was no doubt about it. His name was Steven Gilroy. There is a plaque hanging in Truck # 8 quarters honoring this hero.

I remember watching as the four “freedom fighters” a.k.a. “Stick-Up Team” exited John & Al’s. One by one playing to the crowd of the several hundred on lookers. All packed behind the police barricades, as if they were at the Thanksgiving Day parade. As they walked out they raised their fists high in the air. The sign of the Black Power movement. They were quickly taken in to custody and whisked away to Police Headquarters in Manhattan. Of course now “political prisoners”. Any excuse for further violence, destruction and death.

Now the crowd starting chanting “Black Power”..” Off the Pigs” “Power to the People”. Then the rocks and bottler rained down on us. A couple of seconds later there was a tremendous explosion a few blocks away. A fire bomb had been tossed into a store front. The flames and black smoke were billowing up towards the blue Sunday morning sky. Broadway was now on fire..............

The riot had started. Now more stores were burning. More Molotov cocktails were being thrown, as well as bottles & rocks. There were reports of sniper fire coming from the 15 story public housing projects.

Responding firefighters were met with rocks and bottles. But this was the norm for them in Bedford Styversant. Standard SOP was that every fire apparatus was to be escorted by at least on police car when responding to a fire during normal conditions. I thought what could be considered “normal” in the 81 Precinct ?

The locals were now “shopping”. Some of us might call in looting. It took several hours to restore peace to the mean streets of the “Hole in the Donut”. It was well into the early hours of Monday morning before quite came to the streets. Several businesses lay in smoldering ruins, cars with their interior gutted by flames littered the streets. Glass and debris was every where. Several dozen arrests were made, and several officers were injured. Property from the stores littered the streets. Dropped by the looters as the fled when additional police arrived.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.odmp.org/officer/5472-police-officer-stephen-r.-gilroy

Photograph: Police Officer Stephen R. Gilroy

Patch image: New York City Police Department, New York

Police Officer Stephen R. Gilroy
New York City Police Department
New York
End of Watch: Friday, January 19, 1973

Biographical Info
Age: 29
Tour of Duty: 8 years
Badge Number: 13082

Incident Details
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: Friday, January 19, 1973
Weapon Used: Rifle
Suspect Info: Apprehended

Officer Gilroy was shot and killed by one of four suspects who were trapped in a sporting goods store where they had just committed an armed robbery. In an exchange of gunfire two other officers were wounded and one of the suspects was shot three times in the abdomen. The suspects held nine hostages for 48 hours untill one of the hostages convinced the suspects that he and the other hostages would be safer and out of the line of police gunfire on the second floor. The hostages escaped through a hidden staircase as soon as they got to the second floor. The suspects were then forced to surrender to police.

Officer Gilroy had served with the agency for 8 years and was assigned to Emergency Services Unit 8.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

This is where I started:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1940308/posts

Coddling a cop-killer
NY Daily News ^ | December 16 2007

Posted on 12/16/2007 8:48:18 AM PST by knighthawk

The parole panel that voted to free cop-killer Shuaib Raheem afforded him the utmost consideration and respect when he appeared to petition for freedom. And that’s a damnable fact.

continued.

4,978 posted on 12/17/2007 5:36:32 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (I vote to outlaw hidden links in articles. If the URL is worthy of clicking, then show it.)

To: All; milford421; Calpernia

http://nypdrant64609.yuku.com/topic/7114/t/SPIKE-IN-JUVENILE-ARRESTS.html

SPIKE IN JUVENILE ARRESTS
By ANGELA MONTEFINISE
PrintEmailDigg ItRedditPermalinkStory Bottom

December 16, 2007 — A rise in the number of arrests of juveniles has city officials concerned - and detention centers bulging.

Since January, police have arrested 9,090 youngsters under 15 - an 8 percent increase over the same period last year, according to the NYPD.

And according to the Department of Juvenile Justice, there’s been a 31 percent hike in the number of youngsters admitted to juvenile detention centers by cops over the last three years. For fiscal year 2005, the agency counted 2,083 such admissions. Two years later there were 3,022.

“More than 50 percent of our young people are coming from police, and not as a result of court orders,” said Herman Dawson, deputy commissioner for legal affairs at DJJ.

At holiday time, when shoplifters and pickpockets come out in force, youth arrests rise.

Just go to any junior high or high school in the ghetto and see how these kids conduct themselves and you will know why juvenile arrests are up. In the upcoming years 13-18 year olds are going to account for more and more of the violent crime in the city. These kids have no brains and no respect for anyone.

My wife and I just had a discussion with the principal of my daughter’s middle school about 6th graders cursing at and even striking teachers in class. The same kids keep getting suspende and coming back over and over. These are 10 and 11 yr olds and mostly girls mind you. All the lack of true discipline from home or school leaves the Police to deal with it, often with grave and unnecessary consequences. as ayoung rookie back in 1986 I learned the hard way that the uniform does not always get respect like it should. I imagine it has only gotten worse. Stay safe and watch your backs when dealing with juvi’s even the young girls.

4,979 posted on 12/17/2007 6:28:16 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (I vote to outlaw hidden links in articles. If the URL is worthy of clicking, then show it.)

To: All; Founding Father; milford421

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1940344/posts

Celebrating anniversary, Hamas warns of Intifada
Reuters new alert ^ | 15 Dec 2007 | Nidal al-Mughrabi

Posted on 12/16/2007 10:59:42 AM PST by 3AngelaD

GAZA - Hamas threatened to launch a new uprising against Israel on Saturday when hundreds of thousands of Islamist supporters rallied in Gaza City to mark the group’s 20th anniversary. “Our people are capable of launching a third and a fourth intifada until the dawn of victory rises up,” said Khaled Meshaal, the group’s exiled leader in Damascus. The central square in Gaza City was awash with green flags and dozens of armed, masked men from the group’s military wing patrolled in a crowd estimated at between 300,000 and 500,000....

Founded in 1987 by Sheikh Ahmed Yassin...the group has a charter that calls for the elimination of the Jewish state. Tensions are high between Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s secular Fatah faction which the Islamist group routed from Gaza in a civil war in June...

Israel’s Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter said on Saturday that Hamas had got “significantly stronger” since Israel pulled troops and settlers out of Gaza in 2005, and “the only thing stopping Hamas (from taking over the West Bank) is Israel, not the Palestinian Authority.”...

“We will never cede our land ... The choice of resistance and Jihad is the shortest way to liberate Palestine and return Jerusalem,” Haniyeh said.

In another speech to the rally, senior Hamas official Mushir al-Masri warned Israel to expect many casualties if troops invade the coastal territory in an attempt to stop almost daily rocket firing by militants into Israel.

“Jews, go back, because we have already dug graves for you,” Masri said. Israel carries out regular raids on Gaza and has killed dozens of militants in the past month. This week Israel’s army chief said a major Israeli incursion was becoming more likely to stop militants firing rockets and mortars into Israel.

(Excerpt) Read more at alertnet.org ...

4,980 posted on 12/17/2007 6:43:24 AM PST by nw_arizona_granny (I vote to outlaw hidden links in articles. If the URL is worthy of clicking, then show it.)

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