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Posted on 02/01/2008 6:55:58 PM PST by nwctwx
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=russia
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UPDATE:
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=48946
Admiral Calls USS Nimitz Incident ‘Benign’
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2008 – The chief of naval operations today downplayed the low flight of a Russian Tu-95 over the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the western Pacific Ocean.
The Tu-95 flew over the Nimitz at about 2,000 feet while another bomber flew nearby Feb. 9, but both were escorted by U.S. aircraft and the event did not even warrant a call to “general quarters” or for crews to man battle stations, Navy Adm. Gary Roughead said.
“I did not consider it to be provocative,” he told reporters at a Pentagon news conference. “We knew they were coming. We saw them coming. We detected them at the appropriate time. We launched our alert aircraft, who escorted the Russian aircraft. From my perspective, everything worked exactly as we are trained to do and as we expect our people and our commanders to perform.”
Roughead, who trained to fight the Soviet navy as a young officer, said he sees the event as a signal that the Russian navy is trying to emerge as a global entity.
“My sense is that they are stretching their wings, so to speak,” Roughead said.
When the Russian aircraft turned toward the Nimitz, four F/A-18 fighter jets intercepted and escorted them until they left the Nimitz’s operating area.
Roughead said he has not asked for an explanation of the event from the Russian government, adding that no protective airspace is designated around craft operating in international waters.
“It was a very benign flight that came through, and we just latched on to them and followed them in,” the admiral said. “I know I’m not playing this up very much, but that’s the way I see it. They came out to look. We joined up (and) flew with them until they went home.”
In total, four Russian Tu-95 bombers were involved, a Navy spokesman said. Two remained about 500 miles east of the U.S. ships, and another orbited about 50 miles away as the one Tu-95 did two low passes over the Nimitz carrier group, he said.
Asked about the incident at a Senate Budget Committee hearing this morning, Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the incident raises questions about Russia’s intentions in returning to “a Cold War mindset,” and that the Russian aircrew did “nothing different and nothing unprofessional.”
“It is free and international airspace,” he said, “and we’re just trying to now go back and look what message was intended by this overflight.”
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Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=48943
Russian Bomber Buzzes Nimitz; Incident Raises Concern
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2008 – A weekend incident in which a Russian bomber “buzzed” the Nimitz battle group in the Pacific raises concerns about Russia’s intent and the message it was meant to send, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told Congress today.
Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright told the Senate Budget Committee the encounter — in which U.S. F/A-18 jets scrambled to intercept a Russian Tu-95 Bear bomber as it flew at 2,000 feet above the battle group — ended without incident but raises big questions.
U.S. forces detected two Russian Tu-95s early Feb. 9 as they flew south of Japan, U.S. Pacific Fleet officials reported. The aircraft turned inbound toward USS Nimitz, and Carrier Air Wing 11 aircraft were launched to intercept them. Four F/A-18 fighter jets intercepted and escorted the Russian aircraft until they left the Nimitz’s operating area, officials said.
In total, four Russian Tu-95 bombers were involved, a Navy spokesman said. Two remained about 500 miles east of the U.S. ships, and another orbited about 50 miles away as one Tu-95 did two low passes over the Nimitz carrier group, he said.
“Now what we are concerned about is, ‘What are the indications of this return to a Cold War mindset?’” Cartwright told the committee in response to a senator’s question. “What are the implications of that activity, and how do we best address that?”
Cartwright conceded that the incident occurred in international airspace and “within the normal air structure,” but he said it’s left defense officials questioning the rationale behind it. “What message was intended by this overflight?” he said.
U.S. jets scrambled after detecting the Russian bombers more than 500 miles out and escorted them as they turned and headed toward home, Cartwright said. He said the actions were normal response to such activities in international waters. “These are the standard practices from our standpoint of intercept, escort, follow them through, and then follow them until they are out of range of the battle group’s normal operations,” he said.
The escort provided “both for safety of flight in the area and for the potential protection that would be afforded by having an escort along,” he said.
Twenty-two Japanese jets also scrambled in response to the incident, a Navy spokesman said. Japan has charged Russia with violating Japanese airspace.
Cartwright said encounters like the one that occurred over the weekend have happened before, but not recently. A Russian Bear overflew USS Kitty Hawk in July 2004 as it operated in the Sea of Japan, U.S. Pacific Fleet officials said.
“We treat that as something that is unusual from the standpoint that there has been a significant lapse in time since that last occurred,” Cartwright said. “But not significant is that the practice was done safely, professionally and they were escorted out of the area.”
The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group entered the U.S. 7th Fleet’s area of responsibility just one day before the incident to fill in while USS Kitty Hawk undergoes scheduled maintenance in Japan. The 7th Fleet, the largest of the forward-deployed U.S. fleets, includes about 50 ships, 120 aircraft and 20,000 sailors and Marines and is operating in the Western Pacific and Indian oceans.
USS Nimitz arrived in Sasebo, Japan, Feb. 11 for a scheduled port visit. Its crew is participating in friendship-building and goodwill-generating activities, as well as cultural exchanges, Navy officials said.
““My sense is that they are stretching their wings, so to speak,” Roughead said.”
I guess we should be thankful they didn’t touch their toes.
I totally understand, DC.
OPINION:
I think they are doing surveillance, checking out the equipment and technology and seeing what they can get away with.
UPDATE:
Note: The following text is a quote:
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3506081,00.html
3 Tennessee men face federal charges in burning of mosque
Published: 02.12.08, 22:38 / Israel News
Three Tennessee men are facing federal charges after being accused of fire-bombing a small mosque. First Assistant US Attorney Paul O’Brian says the charges are related to explosives. He says more charges could be filed against the men.
Authorities say Eric Ian Baker, Michael Corey Golden and Jonathan Edwards Stone planned for a week to burn down the Islamic Center of Columbia. Prosecutors accuse the men of using gasoline, rags and empty beer bottles to set the fire Saturday. The federal complaint says that at least one of the men said he was part of the white supremacist Christian Identity movement. (AP)
The White Al Qaeda from Eastern Europe, Albania, Bosnia, Romania, even Chechnya etc. are already in the pipeline to conduct lethal terrorists acts inside Europe.
They have European features for the most part, compared to the olive skinned Middle Eastern complexions of the “usual suspects”.
Inside the USA, Russians and ethnics from the above countries are being groomed but their emphasis is on money making crime rather than ideology.
Meanwhile the Hispanic gangs, like MS 13 are playing an ever bigger role in the logistic support of more recognizable Middle Easterners, not all of whom can pass for Hispanics though they try. As guns for hire, they are transitioning into more lethal roles.
Just as Persians often claim to be Italian. In reality, there is such a resemblance that very often I have had difficulty in not mistaking Italians for Persians.
EAch of the seven or eight Antimullah Blogs pages have new posts if anyone is curious.
http://www.antimullah.com (links to the other pages in the left hand column/margin)
An MS 13 one should go up tomorrow.
cheers,
Thank you FARS.
Yep, jihad is global and the jihadis come in all colors, including white.
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=whitealqaida
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=whitealqaeda
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OPINION: I also agree FARS that jihadis will (have) use gangs if it suits their purpose.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=gangs
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=gang
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/keyword?k=ms13
US security chief raises spectre of extremists crossing the border from Canada
The top U.S. domestic counter-terrorism official says more than a dozen people with suspected terrorist ties have attempted to enter the United States from Canada.
Under the headline: Michael Chertoff's deepest fears: Terrorists entering U.S. from Canada, the New York Daily News says Chertoff, in a recent interview, revealed "much more than a dozen" individuals with links to al-Qaida, Hezbollah and other extremist groups have been caught trying to enter the U.S. since 9-11.
I am sorry to see this. -Cindy
#
Note: The following blog entry is a quote:
http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/5325.htm
Iranian Student Political Organizer – To Be Executed
An Iranian court has ruled that student journalist Yaghoub Mehrnehad, who was arrested in Zahadan, southern Iran in April 2007, is to be executed.
Mehrnehad organized conferences for increasing political awareness among young people.
Source: Paper of the student movement at Amir Kabir University, Iran, February 11, 2008
Posted at: 2008-02-12
http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html
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http://www.thememriblog.org/iran/blog_personal/en/5308.htm
(”Sources: IRNA, Iran, February 11; Iran Daily, Iran, February 12, 2008”)
“Ahmadinejad On 29th Anniversary Of Islamic Revolution: Great Powers Should Learn From Mistakes”
ARTICLE SNIPPET: “In Tehran, the people ventured out into the cold weather chanting slogans such as “Death to America,” “Death to Israel” and “Nuclear Energy Is Our Indisputable Right.””
Posted at: 2008-02-11
Fox News contributor Dietl on Imus: "It looks like the pilgrimage in to Mecca, the amount of 'Aba Dabba Doos' that are coming in from Canada in to the United States"
Summary: On Imus in the Morning, Richard "Bo" Dietl said he was "pissed off" because the FBI is expending too many resources prosecuting mob criminals while ignoring the northern border of the United States: "Now, what bothers me is our borders up near Canada are opened up. It looks like the pilgrimage in to Mecca, the amount of 'Aba Dabba Doos' that are coming in from Canada in to the United States. ... We should take some of our great FBI agents and station them up there so they can make some oberservationtations [sic] about these guys, Al Swawahiwi [sic] and all his brothers and cousins coming through there."
Excerpted
This is terrible. Iranian repression and treatment of their people is as bad as N. Korea.
Note: The following text (minus the photo) is a quote:
Rewards for Justice
http://www.rewardsforjustice.net/index.cfm?page=zulkifli&language=english
SEEKING INFORMATION AGAINST INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM
Wanted
Zulkifli bin Hir
Up to $5 Million Reward
Date of birth: 1966
Place of birth: Muar, Johor
Sex: Male
Citizenship: Malaysian
Aliases: Zulkifli, Zulkifli Hir, Zulkifli Abdul Hir, Musa Abdul Hir, Musa, Marwan
Zulkifli bin Hir is a Malaysian citizen born in 1966 in Muar, Johor. An engineer trained in the United States, he is believed to be the head of the Kumpulun Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM) terrorist organization and a member of Jemaah Islamiyah’s central command. Since August 2003, he has been present in the Philippines, where he is believed to have conducted bomb-making training for the Abu Sayyaf Group.
I agree.
VIENNA: A regional Austrian parliament gave its go-ahead on Tuesday to a change in the law that would ban building mosques and possibly other non-Christian establishments in the region.
While no mention was actually made of mosques or minarets in the bill approved by lawmakers in Carinthia province, the change to the so-called law on the upkeep of towns’ appearances meant that special dispensations would now be required for the construction of “buildings of unusual dimensions.” Carinthia’s governor, far-rightist Joerg Haider, said it was high time “to send a signal,” accusing the centre-left Social Democrats of not doing anything to stop “the advance of Islam.”
The changes were condemned by the opposition Green and Social Democrat parties, as well as the Austrian Muslim community that said the changes constituted an infringement of religious freedom.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\02\13\story_13-2-2008_pg7_45
Islamophobia on rise in the Netherlands, Muslims stigmatised
2/12/08
BRUSSELS: Islamophobia has increased dramatically in the Netherlands following recent terrorist attacks in Europe, a human rights watchdog warned today, with Muslims the subject of stereotyping, stigmatisation and frequent racist violence.
In a harshly worded report, the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance said even Dutch politicians have resorted to making derogatory remarks about Muslims in recent years, and that racist discourse has remained "as a rule" unchallenged by mainstream political parties.
The report comes as the Netherlands is embroiled in a debate on what some Dutch politicians call an "Islamisation" of the country, which has traditionally welcomed immigrants but put little pressure on them to embrace Western values.
Excerpted
A GROUP that was exclusively Muslim and male was set up in Melbourne to carry out a violent jihad, a Victorian court has been told. The opening day of the Supreme Court trial of 12 men accused of being members of a terrorist organisation has been told that the group was instructed that killing women and children was permissible.
Crown prosecutor Richard Maidment SC told the court that Abdul Nacer Benbrika, 47, of Dallas in Melbourne's north, was the group leader. "The organisation was exclusively male and exclusively Muslim," Mr Maidment told the court. "Benbrika was its director and the leader of that group."
Excerpted
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23207119-5005941,00.html
Lawmakers want to keep bombs from Saudis
Tue Feb 12, 2008
WASHINGTON - A handful of Republican lawmakers, saying Saudi Arabia is funding terrorism, on Tuesday sought to enlist more GOP opposition to the Bush administration's proposal to sell precision-guided bombs to the Arab kingdom.
The Bush administration announced Jan. 14 that it intended to sell $123 million worth of sophisticated precision-guided bomb technology to Saudi Arabia. The weapons were part of a larger arms package, estimated to total $20 billion, for Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries.
The 30-day period for lawmakers to object ends on Thursday. At least 13 Republicans and an estimated 80 Democrats had signed a resolution opposing the sale, Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., told reporters at a news conference. However, he acknowledged that the resolution was not scheduled for a vote. When the arms deal was announced last month, California Rep. Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he didn't intend to consider a disapproval resolution. Lantos died Monday.
The administration said the sales were central to the president's strategy to shore up defenses against Iran. Bush, who was visiting Saudi Arabia when the arms sale was announced, has called the Arab nation a partner in peace and security. Wamp said oil money from the Saudi royal family funded numerous nonprofit organizations that, in turn, supported terrorism.
"The problem with selling arms to Saudi Arabia is there is a clear pattern here of the royal family in Saudi Arabia basically aiding and abetting the enemy. I know those are harsh terms, but I'm not from the State Department," Wamp said. "I support the president, I support this administration, but not all the time." Republican Reps. Frank Wolf of Virginia and Sue Myrick of North Carolina joined Wamp in calling for more Republicans to oppose the sale.
"I don't see why Saudi Arabia has a need for this technology, very frankly," Myrick said. "It's an offensive technology. It just doesn't make sense to me. And so my attitude is, if they're our friends ... then they need to act like our friends and stop financing radical elements of terrorist organizations."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080213/ap_on_go_co/us_saudi_arms_sales
Australia.
Duly noted.
1/3 shoveling snow; 1/3 taxes; 1/3 elections
Childrens shw - Hamas bunny vows to eat jews
A new character has joined the cast of the Hamas TV children's show "Pioneers of Tomorrow" - Assud the Bunny. Assud's return from "the diaspora" followed the death of his brother, Nahoul the Bee, on the show. Nahoul was depicted as dying because he could not get to a hospital in Egypt for surgery. Assud states, "We are all ready to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of our homeland. We will sacrifice our souls and everything we own for the homeland"; program host Saraa Barhoum concurs. He also vows to "get rid of the Jews and eat them up."
Sharia Law already being enforced in 10 UK courts
Extremists were said to have used the spread of Sharia courts to justify calls for Islamic law to be adopted "wholesale" for Muslims living in Britain.
Anjem Choudary, a solicitor and former senior figure in the banned organisation Al Muhajiroun, said: "Some element of family law or social and economic law will not work. It has to be adopted wholesale. It will not happen tomorrow but it is inevitable because Sharia is superior and better for mankind."
An Israeli town is suing Internet giant Google for slander, a local official said Monday, because a feature of its worldwide map service shows the town was built on the ruins of an Arab village.
The dispute brings together two controversies, one old and one new. Officials from the town, Kiryat Yam, deny they displaced Arabs during the war that followed Israel's creation in1948 , and Google is defending the practice of allowing any surfer to change information in its files.
FBI employee indicted for taking all-expense cruise after helping company secure $2M contract
Curtis Jones is accused of accepting a Caribbean cruise for him and his family after helping a shredding machine company win a $2 million contract.
The Justice Department says Jones helped negotiate the purchase of shredders for FBI employees to use when destroying classified documents.
Officials say that shortly after the deal went through, Jones accepted an offer to take his family on an all-expenses-paid cruise with company executives over the 2004 New Year's holiday. The Justice Department says the cruise was worth $7,500.
“Sharia Law already being enforced in 10 UK courts”
Very disturbing.
Thanks MamaDearest.
I agree 100% with Bo Dietl. This long after 9/11 those coming through America's borders with the potential to destroy American cities is utterly appalling. Ditto with America's airline safety. Apparently nothing has been learned from studying the excellent track record of El Al.
Being questioned at the northern border about contraband fruit and the purchase of prescription drugs (border patrol agents protecting the interests of big pharma?) just doesn't cut it when it comes to national security. I've seen every so many cars/trucks/individuals getting a thorough search, which can be easily observed visually by the bad guys in line (who can simply turn around and either remuster or alter their place in line).
No other airline has such an arrangement with U.S. officials, authorities acknowledged. At the four other airports, El Al has installed its own security software at bomb-detection machines, which authorities said is more sensitive than that used by American carriers.
You’re welcome Cindy. Not reassuring news.
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