tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post1247633695553461320..comments2024-03-19T05:29:47.524-04:00Comments on The Elephant Bar: Bummer in Buner. Taliban preparing for end game in Pakistan?Deuce ☂http://www.blogger.com/profile/13472858446242700869noreply@blogger.comBlogger116125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-56665198533184564132009-12-30T06:11:28.974-05:002009-12-30T06:11:28.974-05:00Good Afternoon!!! 2164th.blogspot.com is one of th...Good Afternoon!!! 2164th.blogspot.com is one of the best resourceful websites of its kind. I enjoy reading it every day. Keep it that way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-53466530207650073552009-04-24T02:47:00.000-04:002009-04-24T02:47:00.000-04:00Comments 17,19,22 Make The Point We Haven't Heard ...<A HREF="http://pajamasmedia.com/richardfernandez/2009/04/23/one-countrys-nightmare-experience-with-engaging-the-taliban/#comments" REL="nofollow">Comments 17,19,22 Make The Point We Haven't Heard From The Pak Army Yet</A>Interesting point of view.Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-15867490729942734882009-04-24T02:45:00.000-04:002009-04-24T02:45:00.000-04:00concensus comes with a price.-
I'm just beginning...<EM>concensus comes with a price.</EM>-<br /><br />I'm just beginning to understand.<br /><br />:-(linearthinkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05201292791445921817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-74705275088389394282009-04-24T02:41:00.000-04:002009-04-24T02:41:00.000-04:00That's the story.
Not to diminish the SEALS, Cpt...That's the story. <br /><br />Not to diminish the SEALS, Cpt Phillips, the Bainbridge, or the rest of the supporting players, but the story that will come out eventually is the one we've become all too familiar with. Call it a side story if you will. <br /><br />I won't insult you by spelling it out further.linearthinkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05201292791445921817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-49943824812326234972009-04-24T02:35:00.000-04:002009-04-24T02:35:00.000-04:00Interesting link, Sam. Good find.
Trish,
When y...Interesting link, Sam. Good find.<br /><br />Trish, <br /><br />When you untwist your panties, I know you'll be tellin' me that the real deal Seals wouldn't be spouting off like that, etc.<br /><br />You'd be right. <br /><br />But back to the <EM>story</EM>. The story I'm waiting to see validated is that the Annointed One dithered and dallied, issuing his feckless ROE, and then put his spin meisters to work promoting himself. <br /><br />That's the story.linearthinkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05201292791445921817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-33728265858433817682009-04-24T02:08:00.000-04:002009-04-24T02:08:00.000-04:00Blogger trish said...
I thought that WAS the...<EM>Blogger trish said...<br /><br /> I thought that WAS the story.<br /><br /> Thu Apr 23, 11:05:00 PM EDT<br />Blogger trish said...<br /><br /> Passed on by chatty SEALs.<br /><br /> Thu Apr 23, 11:21:00 PM EDT</EM>...<br /><br />Nah, Trish. This is the story, or at least part of it.<br /><br /><EM>I talked with SEAL #2 (one of my more useful pals) and he was upset his shot went through the “pirate’s” left nostril (resulting in instant death). He was aiming for a mouth shot (so the pirate would still have consciousness for a minute or so before going nite nite) but the raft bobbed an INCH unexpectedly.<br /><br />Trust me - these folks do not like to miss by an inch.<br /><br />He is punishing himself with extra time on the shooting range so his next shot hits its intended destination.</EM>linearthinkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05201292791445921817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-1779621647387995542009-04-24T00:16:00.000-04:002009-04-24T00:16:00.000-04:00Okay, now try to imagine patrolling among the boat...<I>Okay, now try to imagine patrolling among the boats fishing everyday out on the Grand Banks off our New England coast, and then responding<br />to a distress call from down around the waters between Florida and the<br />Bahamas. Three points for you to consider here:<br /><br />...<br /><br />(1) Time-Distance-Speed relationships for ships on the high seas, for instance, at a 25-knot SOA (Speed Of Advance) it takes 24 hours to make good 600 nm— BAINBRIDGE did.<br /><br />(2) Fishermen work on the high seas, and<br /><br />(3) The best place to hide as a “fisherman” pirate is among other fishermen. Early Wednesday morning, 4/8/2009, MV ALABAMA is at sea in the IO about 300 miles off the (east) coast of Somalia en route to Mombassa Kenya.</I><A HREF="http://www.omninerd.com/comments/23155" REL="nofollow">Kinda gels with Linear's account</A>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-22717142611334805552009-04-23T23:21:00.000-04:002009-04-23T23:21:00.000-04:00Passed on by chatty SEALs.Passed on by chatty SEALs.trishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139410627244875589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-39980377937800826522009-04-23T23:05:00.000-04:002009-04-23T23:05:00.000-04:00I thought that WAS the story.I thought that WAS the story.trishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139410627244875589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-49360255532296565222009-04-23T22:50:00.000-04:002009-04-23T22:50:00.000-04:00Blogger trish said...
"Linear and Habu are hooked...<EM>Blogger trish said...<br /><br />"Linear and Habu are hooked up with the same source, I see"</EM>...<br /><br />Look at it this way, Trish. When the story finally breaks, you can say you saw it first here. Maybe.linearthinkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05201292791445921817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-71997680731388930032009-04-23T22:32:00.000-04:002009-04-23T22:32:00.000-04:00Colombia suffers no shortage of nice looking women...Colombia suffers no shortage of nice looking women.trishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139410627244875589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-54562811285087749622009-04-23T22:28:00.000-04:002009-04-23T22:28:00.000-04:00Welcome Anodyne.
Hi MLD.Welcome Anodyne.<br /><br />Hi MLD.Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-70510668286436281912009-04-23T22:26:00.000-04:002009-04-23T22:26:00.000-04:00I happened to see a picture in the New York Times ...I happened to see a picture in the New York Times today in a bookstore of a group of Colombian women sitting, looked like semi-naked, in a meeting. They had been removed from some area, after having been caught between the drug groups and some other group, didn't read the article.<br /><br />Nice looking womem, really. Sad as hell. Can't recall the area of Colombia, somewhere out in the outback where fighting has been fierce.Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-37646384903633706942009-04-23T22:23:00.000-04:002009-04-23T22:23:00.000-04:00Elmore County Commission to decide on nuclear plan...<I>Elmore County Commission to decide on nuclear plant rezone <br /><br />Hundreds turn out to support proposal to rezone 1,300 acres for nuclear plant that would create thousands of jobs<br /><br /> <br /><br />April 23, 2009<br /><br />For more information, contact:<br /><br />Jennie Ransom, AEHI spokeswoman 208-939-9311<br /><br />Martin Johncox, 208-658-9100<br /><br /> <br /><br />Hundreds of people packed a hearing room Wednesday night to show their support of a proposal to rezone 1,300 acres of land for a power plant. The Elmore County Commission will discuss and decide the rezone at a future hearing, which hasn’t yet been announced.<br /><br /> <br /><br />The commission heard four hours of testimony from than 36 supporters and 32 opponents of the rezone. Alternate Energy Holdings Inc., which is proposing to build a nuclear plant at the site, submitted an additional 240 signatures in support of the rezone Wednesday night, bringing total signatures in support to 1,600, about half of them from Elmore County. <br /><br /> <br /><br />The meeting was held at the Mountain Home Junior High School and more than 400 people showed up to an AEHI-sponsored table on the sidewalk by the school to submit resumes and letters of interest about jobs; most of these people also went to the county commission hearing to emphasize the need for economic development. AEHI is committed to hiring locally and wanted to collect worker information now due to the need to phase in workers over a number of years. Company officials have said the high number of former and current military personnel in Elmore County make it an ideal place for finding prospective employees, who must have clean backgrounds.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Supporters said the rezone is a private property and jobs issue, while opponents said the landowner shouldn’t be entitled to rezone his land. Opponents, including several farmers who live next to the property, repeatedly referred to the property as “our farm land” said they would like to farm it themselves (although they did not buy it when it was for sale recently), which couldn’t happen if it were rezoned. Gillispie pointed out the nuclear plant would have a footprint of only 200 acres, leaving most of the remaining 1,100 acres for farming. <br /><br />The company’s 2007 economic study, based on other American nuclear plants, calculated AEHI’s proposed plant would grow employment in Elmore and Owyhee counties by 25 percent and generate 4,230 jobs statewide during construction, including a total annual payroll impact of $839 million. It would also generate 1,004 annual jobs statewide during operation during its 60-year lifespan, with an annual statewide payroll impact of $57 million. Average annual wages would be $80,000 for plant employees and $33,536 in industries indirectly affected. Total annual labor income impacts in Owyhee and Elmore counties during operation would be $52.3 million. Opponents also said the company’s claims about job creation were part of a “marketing plan” but did not provide any evidence to refute the company’s job analysis. Some opponents discounted the depth of the economic crisis facing the nation and state and the need for additional non-agricultural jobs in Elmore County.<br /><br />Supporters noted the nuclear plant would emit no odor, smoke, dust or noise. Gillisipie’s PowerPoint showed photos of nuclear plants with cows and farm fields next to them, but opponents avoided mention of these photos. Supporter also noted the Boise area has had to turn away major employers because of lack of energy, arguing that rezoning the land would be in the county’s interest.<br /><br /> <br /><br />The Idaho Energy Complex (www.idahoenergycomplex.com) will be a large advanced nuclear reactor with low cooling water requirements located about 65 miles southeast of Boise, in Elmore County. Company officials plan to submit a Combined Operating License Application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in 2010. The approval process is expected to take three years and cost $80 million. Construction could begin as soon as late 2012 and finish with power generation beginning in late 2016.<br /><br /> <br /><br />Information: www.energyforelmore.com and www.cleanidahoenergy.wordpress.com</I>Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04145155737835511824noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-58082246850380608502009-04-23T22:12:00.000-04:002009-04-23T22:12:00.000-04:00I usually wait until the hottest day of the year a...I usually wait until the hottest day of the year and the weeds are close to a foot tall when I decide to garden. Sunday will be close to 90 degrees. As I look out at my garden, I can't help but think how blessed I am that I weeded two weeks ago...which made me think about <A HREF="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57aPmHnw7cU" REL="nofollow">this song</A>, which in turn made me realize that my Friday night plans were canceled, which actually could be a good thing...a really, really good thing. We'll see. <br /><br />Peace out.MeLoDyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04658982778792168451noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-26949568532982551672009-04-23T21:41:00.000-04:002009-04-23T21:41:00.000-04:00It was the greatest error of the Patrana administr...It was the greatest error of the Patrana administration - which made headway in other areas, but was a disaster in the one that mattered most.trishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139410627244875589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-66274723161270955342009-04-23T21:36:00.000-04:002009-04-23T21:36:00.000-04:00The trouble with keeping a mad dog on a leash, whi...The trouble with keeping a mad dog on a leash, while it may restrain it from biting others, it will not stop it from turning on the holder, of the leash.<br /><br />Domesticly, for anyone that cares, Colorado could use some comservative voters<br /><br /><A HREF="http://realclearpolitics.blogs.time.com/2009/04/22/more-on-co-sen/" REL="nofollow">More On CO-Sen</A>.<br /><br /><I>The PPP poll of Colorado that Tom cites to is significant because newly-minted Senator Michael Bennet is running about even with his largely-unknown GOP opponents. Bennet is similarly unknown, so he can't be considered in Dodd/Bunning territory, but he can't be thrilled with the numbers either.<br /><br />Potentially more significant is the fact that Obama's numbers, while healthy nationwide, are a fairly anemic 49/45 in this poll of "voters."* Checking the breakdowns against last year's exit polls from Colorado, there's nothing particularly "off." Independents appear to be undersampled, but since they split 50/50, that should come out in the wash. Colorado was slightly more Democratic than the nation as a whole in 2008, so its somewhat surprising to see him 26 points below his national average of +30 so soon. </I>desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-67737811999316006992009-04-23T21:24:00.000-04:002009-04-23T21:24:00.000-04:00In that regard, I'd agree.In that regard, I'd agree.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-83722970697722690152009-04-23T21:20:00.000-04:002009-04-23T21:20:00.000-04:00Didn't work then. Won't work now.Didn't work then. Won't work now.trishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139410627244875589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-71238501260754472932009-04-23T21:19:00.000-04:002009-04-23T21:19:00.000-04:00I do not think there was the same level of complic...I do not think there was the same level of complicity 'tween the Government and FARC as there is between the Government and the Taliban.<br /><br />The Taliban has long been utillized by the Pakistani security forces, they are an action agent of that State.<br /><br />That was never true of FARC.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-72426019767667722142009-04-23T21:17:00.000-04:002009-04-23T21:17:00.000-04:00I don't think it's a false comparison at all.
The...I don't think it's a false comparison at all.<br /><br />The Taliban has come into possession of the South Asian equivalent of Farclandia - the idea being, as it was then, that ceding them territory will bring peace.trishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139410627244875589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-16837421852848276372009-04-23T21:07:00.000-04:002009-04-23T21:07:00.000-04:00That's a false comparison, I'd venture, trish.
Th...That's a false comparison, I'd venture, trish.<br /><br />The motivating factors and the depth of sympathy amongst the natives, not nearly equivilent.<br /><br />It is not the same problem, nor solution, in a different locale.desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-31020280375446798502009-04-23T21:01:00.001-04:002009-04-23T21:01:00.001-04:00We've been here before. It's just changed continen...We've been here before. It's just changed continents and hemispheres:<br /><br /><br />BBC News Online: World: From Our Own Correspondent<br />Saturday, 13 January, 2001, 16:09 GMT<br />Welcome to Farclandia<br /><br /><br />By Jeremy McDermott<br /><br />There is something a little surreal about watching a pretty girl dressed in jungle fatigues, carrying grenades and resting an AK-47 on her knees, painting her fingernails. But the 80,000 people that live in this massive guerrilla safe haven have got used to it.<br /><br />The residents have grown used to the presence of heavily armed guerrillas all around them This 42,000sq km zone was cleared of police, army and almost any signs of the state at the end of 1998, the FARC precondition for coming to the negotiating table.<br /><br />Whilst no progress has been made in peace talks, the region has become known as Farclandia and the residents have grown used to the presence of heavily armed guerrillas all around them.<br /><br />In the towns they are everywhere. Here in San Vicente, the largest town in the zone and the capital of Farclandia, they patrol in twos, ambling down the town streets, usually a guerrilla boy and a guerrilla girl. Most of them look under 18.<br /><br />Going into the hairdressers, the supermarket, or the pharmacy, you will see them. Come to think of it, San Vicente has a ridiculous number of pharmacies. I guess this is where the 17,000-strong rebel army gets much of its medical supplies.<br /><br />But the guerrillas do not live in the town, except a few of the political officers or commissars, whose job it is to spy on the local population and keep tabs on visiting journalists and NGOs.<br /><br />In conversation<br /><br />Juan Pablo is one of these commissars. He wanders around in the tropical heat with a Che Guevara t-shirt, sometimes sporting a 9mm pistol in a shoulder holster, sometimes not.<br /><br />He has the uncanny ability of appearing in one of the little restaurants that dot the town as soon as a group of journalists sit down for supper.<br /><br />He usually comes up to the table, gives a friendly greeting, then sits down to join us. He will talk about world affairs, Marxism, the Third Way and a frightening array of other topics. But he is sounding you out all the time, picking your brains, trying to determine your sympathies.<br /><br />He then tries to pay the bill, but bearing in mind the FARC finances come from kidnapping - now averaging one every three hours - and the drugs trade, I politely decline.<br /><br />Only the prospect of action is likely to generate more enthusiasm in a FARC camp than the announcement of bingo The rest of the guerrillas live in camps in the jungles around San Vicente. Joaquin Gomez, the commander of the FARC's feared Southern Bloc and one of its negotiators with the government, took me out for a chat in one of these camps.<br /><br />You have to research a few Russian phrases before you see him, as he spent 14 years studying in the Soviet Union, and any words in feeble Russian earn you a slap on the back and a glass of vodka, as well as a much more friendly FARC commander.<br /><br />Joaquin is highly educated and very articulate. He shows me around the camp, surrounded by trenches with little bivouacs shielding neatly piled rucksacks, showing the rebels are ready to move out at a second's notice.<br /><br />The guerrillas do not get a salary, but they are able to get some of life's basic luxuries, cosmetics for the girls, penknives for the boys, by playing bingo.<br /><br />Only the prospect of action is likely to generate more enthusiasm in a FARC camp than the announcement of bingo.<br /><br />The guerrillas gather with their cards and one of the commanders does the honours. There are whoops of joy as the prizes are handed out, and frantic trading afterwards so that everyone gets something they want.<br /><br />Slow pace of peace<br /><br />This childish enthusiasm is exactly that, as at least a third of the guerrillas are under 18.<br /><br />It is difficult to look into their shining brown eyes as they enjoy the simple pleasures of life and then think that they will soon be launching home-made bombs at police stations and trying to kill everyone inside.<br /><br />But then why should anyone be surprised? Colombia has been fighting a civil conflict for 37 years, and at the current pace of peace talks, there could be another 37 years ahead.trishhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14139410627244875589noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-78102731843940947592009-04-23T21:01:00.000-04:002009-04-23T21:01:00.000-04:00wi"o" had better get involved in Ohio politics, wh...wi"o" had better get involved in Ohio politics, whether bob and the missus move there, or not.<br />It is his Senator is gummin' up the works, now.<br /><br /><A HREF="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124041872179144131.html" REL="nofollow">By JOSH MITCHELL</A>.<br /><br /><I>WASHINGTON -- A Democratic senator from Ohio is moving to further tie up pending free-trade agreements with Panama, Colombia and South Korea, setting up a potential clash between President Barack Obama and some members of his party.<br /><br />Sen. Sherrod Brown, a free-trade skeptic, said Wednesday he will soon introduce legislation that would effectively delay congressional consideration of the proposed free-trade pacts drafted under President George W. Bush. The Obama administration has indicated it is moving forward on the Colombia deal and is optimistic about the pending agreement with Panama.<br /><br />Speaking before the Washington International Trade Association at George Washington University, Mr. Brown said any effort to finalize the pending agreements would be a continuation of failed Bush policies, and he warned of opposition in Congress.<br /><br />"It's hard for anyone to argue our trade policy is working," Mr. Brown said, pointing to the U.S. trade deficit. He called for revamping U.S. trade policy, adding, "No other country practices trade according to this fundamentalist, economist philosophy" instead of pursuing policies that he said advance the country's economic and security interests.</I>desert rathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02369546288659566961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21297199.post-62477728971442237152009-04-23T20:38:00.000-04:002009-04-23T20:38:00.000-04:00The officers, members of Frontier Constabulary, we...<I>The officers, members of Frontier Constabulary, were killed in the Totalai area, just 60 miles from Islamabad, Dawn reported.<br /><br />The newspaper said the killings could threaten the viability of a government-backed peace deal with the Taliban in northwest Pakistan.<br /><br />Eight Frontier Constabulary platoons arrived Wednesday in Buner, each platoon containing 30 to 50 officers, said Syed Mohammed Javed, a government official who oversees the area covered by the peace deal.</I><A HREF="http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/04/23/Taliban-gain-ground-near-Islamabad/UPI-48051240497650/" REL="nofollow">Near Islamabad</A>samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11856051164644278989noreply@blogger.com