COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Monday, April 06, 2015

The Significance of Retaking Tikrit by The Iraqi Government

187 comments:

  1. I was certain Pat was dead there at first, propped up and stiffening, a slight odor in the air, then the corpse started talking.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The old fart certainly has lots of books.

      Delete
    2. As expected, heavy on the paperbacks.

      Quirk, how much you estimate this old gasbag takes in for an interview like this ?

      Is there really any market for this sort of work out there right now ?

      Delete
  2. "They are, hmm, sniffle, eh, er, rather more proactive than they were"

    Quirk, what's the market for this, really ?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Was reading the other day about censorship in Russia. It is all heavily censored.

    Russia Today, for instance.

    Pooty, the blue eyed killer, has a well earned reputation for offing journalists.

    It's not the old commie agit-prop of Izvestia, Truth, but when you are reading RT you are reading someone's version of events.

    If you say we are always reading someone's version of events you are correct.

    The trick is to keep a sane version of events in mind.

    To say for instance "Iran is fighting for civilization" is not a sane version of events, unless one is a Twelver.

    There were some of late date fighting for civilization but they were repressed by men with guns. And our President did not even lift his voice.

    REMEMBER NEDA !!!!!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V-y9S5EaVk


    She is worth infinity more than the old corpse interviewed in this thread.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Developing selective sympathy for young woman killed by thugs while protesting injustice are we or is it universal?

      On 16 March 2003 in Rafah, occupied Gaza, 23-year-old American peace activist Rachel Corrie from Olympia, Washington, was murdered by an Israeli bulldozer driver. Rachel was in Gaza opposing the bulldozing of a Palestinian home as a volunteer with the International Solidarity Movement.

      Delete
    2. Old Bob is so confused it is pitiful. Really, Bob, give your head a shake, take a moment (or in your case, hours) and think a bit about things before you blather on so incoherently!

      Delete
    3. Neda was innocent.

      Rachel put herself infront of a bulldozer, that could not see her, to protect the destruction of a terrorist's empty home.

      Selective sympathy is what you have, after all 5 times the numbers of palestinians have been killed in syria by Iranians (over 10 thousand in 39 months), Hezbollah and Syrians and you say nothing...

      Delete
  4. Ah, so Patrick Cockburn wrote a book about the Daesh. That explains his cheerleader attitude the last several months.

    I got news for him; they're Dead Men Walking.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are hundreds and hundreds of millions of recruits for the Daesh, do you really think that American whack a mole is making any real difference?

      Delete
    2. Yep, and the ISraeli think it does, too.

      Delete
  5. We helped the Kurds in Syria go from being beaten back to a couple of square blocks of Kobane to controlling the entire Northern Region, but everyone seems to have forgotten that.

    Now, we hit Tikrit with a dozen air strikes, and the Iraqis reclaim that town; but, hey, it's a "one-off."

    And, Ebola is going to make a comeback, and kill us all any day now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are those that wish to propagate fear, and loathing ....

      It is their 'center', the core of their being, to be afraid.

      The Daesh are the one-off, a bunch of disgruntled Army officers left from Saddam's regime, mixed with a few religious nut cases and all the material support the ISraeli-Saudi Axis of Abraham can get to them.

      Soundly defeated in the last two engagement, the Daesh were, in both Syria and Iraq.
      Not to worry, though, the Saudi are bringing in Pakistani army troops to shore up their crumbling edifice.

      Delete
  6. NEW DELHI—

    India says 23 countries have sought its help in evacuating their citizens from war-torn Yemen after New Delhi mounted a massive operation to bring out its citizens both by air and sea.

    In a tweet, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his support to the rescue effort saying the evacuation efforts “reflect our willingness to serve our people and readiness to help others in distress.”

    India has brought out some 3,000 people so far. About half its nationals working in Yemen are nurses. It has also helped some citizens of other countries.

    Some were brought out in small boats to naval ships, which could not dock at Aden due to shelling. Others have been brought home by air after India sought Saudi Arabia’s assistance to gain safe access to Yemeni airspace.

    India has past experience in large scale evacuation efforts. In recent years it has carried out similar operations in Ukraine, Iraq and Libya.


    http://www.voanews.com/content/india-23-nations-seek-help-evacuating-citizens-from-yemen/2709416.html

    ReplyDelete
  7. Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. -

    According to State sources, 15 people died in a confrontation, between elements of Attorney General of the State (FGE) of Jalisco (occident de Mexico) with a cell of presumed criminals.

    The first reports indicate that a group of armed civilians confronted a group of Agents of Jalisco Regional Forces, in the surroundings of San Luis Soyatan, in the town of San Sebastian del Oeste, in the Serrana zone.

    The confrontation was preceded by the ambushing of Police officers by presumed criminals believed to be CJNG, who blocked the road to Las Palmas with burning cars, then opened fire on the State Gendarmeria.

    This happened during a high influx of tourists was recorded in San Sebastian del Oeste, who were unable to start back to their destinations on the recommendation by members of Security Forces, as they could not guarantee the safety of the tourists on their journey.

    Hours later the Attorney General confirmed that 15 people had died, at this time its not clear how many agents and or criminals are among the dead. The area was immediately reinforced with more agents of the immediate reaction force, in collaboration with elements of the Army and National Gendarmeria.

    According to the first indications, the aggression could come from members of the CJNG who formerly disputed this territory with Los Zetas, and have recently intensified hostilities said the Directors of the Regional Force.

    This past week the State Commissioner for Security, Francicsco Alejandro Solorio Arechiga, was assaulted by members of the criminal group in alleged retaliation for the death of Heriberto Acevado Cardenas, in another confrontation registered in Zacoalco de Torres.

    Last week there was another attack against members of the National Gendarmeria in Ocotlan, that left 11 dead.


    Original article in Spanish at Zetatijuana

    ReplyDelete
  8. .

    Obama is dumb as a rock.

    Saw a clip of him this morning speaking at another prayer breakfast. He should avoid these events. They seems to bring out and emphasize his stupid.

    The clip showed him hemming and hawing trying to get his thoughts together before starting off in another direction. You could tell there was another unscripted moment coming up. Once again, after declaring himself a Christian, he started off on another critique of Christians as he did a month ago when he dredged up the Crusades. This time, he didn't finish his sentence before the boos started. He quickly backed off and said, "But that's a discussion for another time."

    The man is tone deaf, not only to Christians but, IMO, to all Americans. At the same time that the Pope is publicly decrying the massacre of Christians across the globe and a couple days after 147 people were massacred in Kenya just for being Christian, Obama elects to scold Christians for 'saying' things that are not PC, PC as defined by him and his ilk that is.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not to Americans like me. I consider all religion to be a heaping helping of horseshit, and quite possibly he does too.

      That said, creating unnecessary animus among any group at a time when he needs all the help he can get is, perhaps, a bit retarded.

      Delete
    2. ..."To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice."

      Truth is more religion than I can handle, at times.
      But that is enough of a religion for me to try to adhere to.

      Dougman

      Delete
    3. Tell your wife she's putting on weight, and starting to look a little . . er, . . . mature.

      Come back and tell us how that "truth" worked out for ya. :)

      Delete
    4. :)
      Yea, I'll think I'll pass on doing that for now.

      Delete
    5. Rufus is a simpleton, but a nice one in many ways.

      Much like Ash in that regard.

      Neither of these gentlemen will mug you on a dark rainy night.

      Ash is considerably better as a strategic thinker.

      Rufus is capable of deeper passion and is prone to unjustified optimism.

      Neither know yap one about religious affairs.

      Delete
    6. .

      Not to Americans like me. I consider all religion to be a heaping helping of horseshit, and quite possibly he does too.

      Whether he does or not, is irrelevant. Not only is he dumb as a stump politically as was mentioned he also displays a complete lack of empathy. There is an ongoing persecution of all alternate religions at the hands of a portion of the Muslim population. The massacre at the hands of these guys is in the news daily. It is nothing new but it does seem to be growing. And it doesn't matter if it is other religions being persecuted or if it is Hawaiians, hicks, or hillbillies being persecuted, the man ought to understand that people might be a little pissed at the fact.

      Obama's seem to have it in his head that he is the voice of reason and, in his arrogance, seems to feel he has to bring everyone else along and he is going to do it no matter how inappropriate the timing or the setting. He got shot down when he did it a month ago and seems determined to keep bringing up the subject like some dog teasing a bone until people 'get it'. As I noted, the setting was wrong and timing was way wrong given recent events.

      Obama seems unable to see the difference with people saying things that are not quite what he considers PC and others that go out and kill anyone who disagrees with them. Worse, by emphasizing the former and ignoring the latter, he indicates to us, correctly or not, where his priorities lie.

      .

      Delete
    7. " Worse, by emphasizing the former and ignoring the latter," ? ?

      Good Lord, he kills approx. 50 of those guys every day; you call That "ignoring?"

      Delete
    8. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    9. .

      Bull titty, IMHO.

      Obama is too self-centered to waste any empathy on anyone. He attacked IS in Iraq because if he hadn't he would have had even more nuts like Bob blaming him for taking troops out in 2011. Other Muslim countries? When it suits him to talk to the Taliban, he ignores their atrocities and how many Americans they have killed and simply removes them from the terrorists list and then has Josh Earnest explain they aren’t really terrorists but simple part of a nationalistic resistance movement. Iran? Now, because he is interested in his legacy and wants that deal with Iran there is talk we will be pulling Iran off the terrorist list. They, as well as their surrogates in Hezbollah, have already been left off the latest CIA 'terrorist threat' list. Egypt? Despite laws passed by Congress, Obama elects to ignore them. Ignoring the abuses to women and to the press as well as the fact that Sisi's coup was against both international and US law, Obama lifts the bans on military aid to the regime. Saudi Arabia? What has Obama done to call Saudi Arabia on what it is, the biggest promoter of jihadism in the world? Zip. The Palestinians? Anyone who really thinks Obama's current tiff with Bibi is because he gives a shit about the plight of the Palestinians, …well…, I'd like to sell them some ocean front property in Kansas. He's pissed at Bibi because he's in a snit about Netanyahu calling him out in public and trying to mess up the deal he has going with Iran. Not only hasn't he cut any funds to Israel he pushed a special allocation for them to fund Iron Dome.

      There has been no significant public censor by this administration of either Iran or Egypt for the American hostages they hold. The US initially gave a strong statement condemning SA over the sentence given to the blogger who criticized Islam; however, the criticism since then has been fairly muted especially when compared to that of Canada, a country that seems to be taking the lead in condemning the ridiculous sentence for the blogger, $266,000 fine, 1,000 lashes, and 10 years in prison. Now, we hear the Saudi criminal court is trying to get him retried with a charge of apostasy which could lead to a sentence of death for the guy. Obama seems more concerned about criticizing those who criticize these types of abuse than in criticizing the abuses themselves.

      Obama started out his first term with a speech in Cairo that pretty much identified Muslims as victims. He has maintained the same position regarding them to this date. A month ago, at a meeting of religious leaders, he made a fool of himself pushing the same meme. Today, rather than letting it drop and moving on, he tried to bring it up again in off the cuff remarks only to be shot down again. Rather than bemoaning the continuing atrocities around the world by radical Islam he chooses to scold Christians for complaining about the actions of those same Muslims. The guy is arrogant and tone deaf. How can you take him seriously when at every turn he sacrifices principle to expediency?

      .

      Delete
  9. Old Ash is so confused it is pitiful. Really ,Ash, give your head a shake, take a moment (or in your case, hours) and think a bit about things before you blather on so incoherently!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've taken up the habit of simply mirroring back at the attacker.

      A mini-profile of Ash is provided directly above.

      I'm OK with anyone who won't mug me.

      Delete
    2. bob Thu May 27, 12:52:00 AM EDT

      But I did rip off the bank for $7500 hundred dollars, when I was on my knees, and fighting for my economic life, on my aunt's credit card. But that wasn't really stealing, just payback. …


      Just like a meth head, Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson, tries to justify his crime by saying that the loot was owed him, by the people or institution he ripped off.

      Delete
    3. Right on time, our Jack Ass is back, our war criminal, our - in his words - professional asshole - our Jew hater our universally recognize liar here and Dead Beat Daddy.

      Deuce !!

      Stop it !!

      Delete
    4. Jack HawkinsTue Apr 07, 04:00:00 PM EDT
      bob Thu May 27, 12:52:00 AM EDT


      Typical childish nonsense.

      When you cannot discuss issues?

      Trash people.

      Delete
  10. Please !

    Stop him.

    Put an end to it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. What in the world is wrong with quoting You, Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson?

      You wrote the above missive, admitting to bank fraud and conspiracy ...

      Learn it, you lived it, don't you just love it, too?

      Delete
    2. When you denigrate your betters, expect to read your own quotes, Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson.

      Guess you could stick to issue oriented posts, leaving the other contributors alone, but that is for you to decide, Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson.

      {;-)

      Delete
  11. Things are falling into place here. I can now see my way to financing a trip to Europe to see my Niece. I have asked her to find an American hotel in Dresden, if there is one. I want to be able to wander down to the bar and talk American with whoever might be there. We are in the process of coordinating out schedules. I want to take her to Spain.

    Did I tell you she knows five languages, was published in the journal Nature, is writing two more papers, and was the one out of fifty for the full time job at Max Planck Institute ?

    I didn't ?

    Well, she is wonderful, and beautiful too, and smart as hell, and her people have no prejudice against the Jews whatsoever.

    She is wonderful to me. When I think of her I think of blue skies....................and the sounds of river water lapping....

    ReplyDelete
  12. Would you, rat, consent to a psychological profile ?

    She might, if you would consent, be of great help to you.

    She works with patients every day, as well as writing papers and doing research.

    If you were honest with her, rat, she might be of great help to you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You'd have to be really honest with her, though, dear rat, and as 8 folks here have nailed you for being a pathological liar the odds of it working out are next to Zero.

      Delete
  13. What no protests El Deuce?

    Assad is starving Palestinians to death in a Syrian camp, and nobody cares

    Interesting, you have LOTS to say about Israel and Gaza….

    Not a peep out of you about this?

    Cat got your tongue?

    ReplyDelete
  14. .

    And Saudi Arabia is bombing in Yemen, evidently with little effect other than to take out a number of civilians including 74 kids.

    We can go down the list. Everyone in the ME sucks.

    Reason no 2 why we should avoid the dump.

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not everyone.

      You go toooo fer.

      Most, nearly everyone, the great majority........would be more accurate.

      Delete
  15. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-led forces targeted Islamic State militants with 12 air strikes in Iraq and three air strikes in Syria, the U.S. military said on Tuesday.

    In Iraq, the air strikes, conducted since Monday morning, hit Islamic State positions near Bayji, Mosul and Fallujah, among other places, the Combined Joint Task Force said in a statement.
    Daid, Daid, Daid

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This reminds me of "Spahn, Sain, and pray for Rain."

      It's Bayji, Mosul, and a target in Anbar to be named later.

      Delete
  16. Bob revealingly wrote:

    "...and her people have no prejudice against the Jews whatsoever"




    who, pray tell, are "her people"?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Her immediate people, Noble Ash, are lower middle class urban Hindus who seem to have a good deal of respect for their traditions and propriety and piety.

      Her father for instance goes to the Himalayas with friends to meditate. I have a picture of this man and his wife in a pious attitude before a flower arrangement.

      Seem like wonderful people to me from the little I know of them.

      Her people in a larger sense are the Hindus of India in general, as we might say of ourselves we are Americans.

      Hinduism as a religious tradition is quite tolerant of most other views. You can go read about it if you wish.

      So my statement stands.

      The only thing she has ever said about these things is "the ones in the mid east are the worst" in reference to the moslems.



      Delete
    2. But they will fight if pushed.

      That is why India IS

      Just like why Israel IS.

      When the moslems invaded, the Hindus fought. Their 'protestant' brothers and sisters, the Buddhists, did not.

      The Buddhists:

      1) allowed themselves to be killed

      or

      2) fled to the north and east, to the mountains or the coastal lower lands

      You can read all about this if you want.

      I will have a little more to say about this today.

      If I get in the mood.

      Delete
    3. You might wish to understand, Noble Ash, what a remarkable young woman she truly is.

      She has gone against the wishes of her family by rejecting her suitor.

      She has gone against her traditions by adopting me as her Uncle.

      In her traditions the Uncle has a veto over whom the Niece may marry. The Uncle cannot force a marriage, but he does have a veto.

      She has given me this right.

      I will be able to interview the candidate.

      :)

      I find this a lovely way of doing things and will do my best for her, I promise to God, or, 'the nature of things'.

      :):)

      She told me lately "I'm on top of the world now, Uncle Bob"

      She was so giddy little girl happy it made me weep.

      "It's not an ending if it's not a happy yet..."

      :)

      Thumbs up !!

      Delete
    4. She told me one time:

      "If I go back there I will just be his slave all my life."

      She has turned this offer down.

      And for emotional staility insurance purposes, given me a veto.

      :)

      She is my Niece, now and forever.

      I will do my best for her.

      The world looks to be an extremely dreary place, but then, once in a while.....

      Lightning hits.

      !

      Delete
  17. >>>Wherever the Shiite-dominated Iraqi security forces head next, they will be treading on territory dominated by the country’s Sunni minority—something that could stiffen resistance and raise the risk of sectarian abuses.

    Iraqi military leaders contend that Anbar already contains the right mix of elements: several large, well-defended Iraqi military bases, veteran Sunni tribesmen who have fought Sunni extremists in the past and remain loyal to Baghdad and an Islamic State presence that was thinned as the insurgent group struggled to defend Anbar. Iraqi forces are also confident they can use the province’s exposed desert geography to their advantage.

    “Once Islamic State flees their positions, they will have to resort to the desert. There’s no other place to go,” said Mr. Hussaini. “This makes Islamic State an easy target for security forces.”

    But if Iraqi forces can recapture Mosul later this year, U.S. military planners say they will be in a much better position to rout Islamic State from the rest of the country. The drive toward Mosul could capitalize on the efforts of Kurdish forces in northern Iraq who have spent the past several weeks methodically severing Islamic State supply routes between Mosul and the militants’ de facto Syrian capital of Raqqa, about 250 miles west.

    American generals warn that Anbar poses a difficult test for Iraqi and U.S. forces..............<<<

    Middle East News
    Iraq, U.S. Are Divided on What’s Next in Battle Against Islamic State
    After retaking Tikrit, Americans look to Mosul while Iraqis want to reclaim province of Salahudeen

    http://www.wsj.com/articles/iraq-u-s-are-divided-on-whats-next-in-battle-against-islamic-state-1428273467



    In these intramurals for whom is one to root ? A handy tool is the "heinous scale".

    According to this way of looking at things one should favor the side that is the least heinous.

    Granted it is often a tough call.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has said he has rejected a United Nations’ brokered deal with Israel to allow Palestinian refugees living in Syria to resettle in the West Bank and Gaza.

    Speaking to a group of journalists in Cairo, Abbas told them that in December he reached out to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to contact Israel on his behalf to resolve the status of Palestinians caught in the Syrian civil war.

    Abbas, however, said that Israel conditionally agreed as long as the Palestinian refugees forfeit claims to “return” to Israel, which he rejected.

    “So we rejected that and said it’s better they die in Syria than give up their right of return,” Abbas reportedly told Egyptian journalists, the Associated Press reported.


    better they die in Syria than give up their right of return,


    so how many is Abbas responsible for killing?

    How many COULD have been resettled in the West Bank or Gaza, finally?


    better they die in Syria than give up their right of return.................


    Says it all....


    Die for the cause.... Don't go and build a life and end the issue... Die in Syria by Assad's hand and Abbas's help.


    After all, if they had real palestinian democracy, how many would honestly elect Abbas?

    Now serving his 11th year of a 2 year term...

    What would happen if another 1 million palestinians moved to the west bank?

    Abbas and Hamas could not control the population.....

    $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

    Bye bye

    $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

    Or better yet, blame Israel

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Israel demands they give up their rights as refugees in order to be relocated from harms way in Syria? That is really quite despicable. Sounds like extortion...

      Delete
    2. No one wants them,Noble Ash

      Count the countries and get back to me.

      They have no 'rights' as refugees.

      You are, as always, a university trained fool of the worst sort.

      A Caliban, alas, trained to speak

      Delete
  19. If things go to plan, Abbas will retire to Paris a rich man, and party with MS Arafat, if she is still living.

    Nothing else will change.

    ReplyDelete
  20. It's a wonderful thing to speak with someone entirely 'other' like my Niece.

    She has Zero anti-semitism is her soul, but definitely does not approve of the behavior of many Muslims.

    That is to say, she is a young woman thinking for herself.

    Which is exactly what the fucking moslems, the Iranians fighting for civilization, wish to prevent, by killing if necessary.

    I am 100% on her side in this to-do.

    Are you ?

    ReplyDelete
  21. .

    The oxymoron that is 'liberalism'.

    A girls golf coach at an Indiana high school tweeted, "Who's going to Walkerton, IN to burn down #memoriespizza w me?" The pizzeria outside South Bend received death threats and harassment and felt forced to shut down the shop. It's Yelp page was vandalized with obscene and homo-erotic pictures. The owners have said they don't know if it will be safe to re-open.

    How many gay people had asked to have their wedding catered by this small-town pizza joint? None. What number of gay people had been denied a slice by O'Connor? Zero. In fact, the owners told the reporter that they would never refuse to serve a gay customer who came to the restaurant to eat. The wrath of gay rights supporters rained down on Memories Pizza because O'Connor committed a thought crime. She discriminated against nobody, but thinks the "wrong" thing about same-sex marriage and she said it out loud.


    -----------------------------------------------------------------------

    What happened in Indiana is reminiscent of the bullying that led to the ouster of Mozilla CEO Brendan Eich exactly this time last year. Eich was harangued for a six-year-old donation supporting an anti-gay marriage ballot initiative, but ultimately purged for refusing to recant his beliefs about marriage.

    Last week, Hampton Catlin — a computer programmer and gay rights advocate — started taunting Eich on Twitter. Catlin tweeted, "…couple weeks since I'd gotten some sort of @BrendanEich related hate mail. How things going over there on your side, Brendan? Eich responded, "You demanded I be 'completely removed from any day to day activities at Mozilla' & got your wish. I'm still unemployed. How're you?" Catlin continued to gloat.


    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/04/07/indiana-gay-protection-memories-pizza-eich-column/25373045/

      .

      Delete
  22. .

    But the dickdom isn't restricted to the left. There is a growing trend in the US since the start of the 2008 recession.

    Rick Brattin, a young Republican state representative in Missouri, has come up with an innovative new way to humiliate the poor in his state. Call it the surf-and-turf law.

    Brattin has introduced House Bill 813, making it illegal for food-stamp recipients to use their benefits “to purchase cookies, chips, energy drinks, soft drinks, seafood, or steak.”


    Perhaps they should call it the 'Tofu Mandate'.

    Last week, the Kansas legislature passed House Bill 2258, punishing the poor by limiting their cash withdrawals of welfare benefits to $25 per day and forbidding them to use their benefits “in any retail liquor store, casino, gaming establishment, jewelry store, tattoo parlor, massage parlor, body piercing parlor, spa, nail salon, lingerie shop, tobacco paraphernalia store, vapor cigarette store, psychic or fortune telling business, bail bond company, video arcade, movie theater, swimming pool, cruise ship, theme park, dog or horse racing facility, pari-mutuel facility, or sexually oriented business . . . or in any business or retail establishment where minors under age 18 are not permitted.”

    The Kansas legislators must be pleased that they have protected their swimming pools from those nasty welfare recipients. But the gratuitous nature of the law becomes obvious when you consider that it also bans all out-of-state spending of welfare dollars — so the inclusion of a cruise-ship ban is redundant in landlocked Kansas.


    The GOP have been pushing to transfer all grants for food stamps to the state level assuming that the locals would have a better understanding of how to reduce caseloads. Unfortunately, many are reducing caseloads by increasing the hassle for recipients of the benefits. In the Kansas case,

    The Topeka Capital-Journal quoted a champion of the bill saying “this is about having a great life.” And the law is helping the poor have a “great life” by forbidding Kansas from accepting hardship waivers from the federal government that extend time limits for food-stamp recipients — reminiscent of many states’ refusal to accept an expansion of Medicaid that was fully funded by the federal government.

    Restrictions started at the federal level but are now growing like Topsy at the state level.

    The federal government required in 2012 that electronic benefit transfer cards not be used for liquor, gambling or adult-entertainment, but many states went further. Massachusetts and Missouri require the EBT cards to have the beneficiary’s photo, according to the NCSL, while others block the use of benefits for “psychic services,” riverboats, “permanent makeup” and amusement parks.

    NCSL also reports that 12 states, most in the South, have passed legislation in the last three years requiring drug testing for public-assistance applicants. Florida’s law, struck down in court, required applicants to pay for the drug test, reimbursing them if they tested negative.

    And what if all these new costs for the poor put them out on the street? The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty last year reported a 60 percent increase since 2011 in city-wide bans on public camping and a 43 percent increase in prohibitions on sitting or lying down in public places.

    Even then, poor people can still stay on the right side of this new round of punitive laws, as long as they don’t sleep, keep moving at all times — and lay off the steak and fish.


    This kind of shit is another example of the hard-bitten callousness and disregard for the 'other that has infected this country in the last 50 years.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-rush-to-humiliate-the-poor/2015/04/07/8795b192-dd67-11e4-a500-1c5bb1d8ff6a_story.html

    .

    .

    ReplyDelete
  23. My son sees the EBTers come through there all day long.

    He says 90% of them are dicks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Here you go, in bobal's own words, calling for an Eugenics Program, for black citizens of the United States.


      bobal said...
      ah, hell, after having thought it over, and considerging that my brother was a doctor, and my sis a med tech, who almost got roughed up by some niggers in Oakland, California, maybe the best thing to do is let the niggers abort, abort, abort themselves.

      They do a good job of that.

      Thu Nov 13, 01:29:00 AM EST

      ... the best thing to do is let the niggers abort, abort, abort themselves.

      They do a good job of that.


      Delete
  24. Mr. Paul has championed reduced drug sentences for nonviolent offenders and restoring voting rights for some ex-cons. He supports medical marijuana, wants to curb the nation’s intelligence surveillance programs and calls for a more modest presence for the U.S. abroad.

    “This message of liberty is for all Americans — Americans from all walks of life. The message of liberty, opportunity and justice is for all Americans, whether you wear a suit, a uniform or overalls, whether you’re white or black, rich or poor,” Mr. Paul said Tuesday.

    The latest Real Clear Politics average of polls shows that Mr. Paul and Mr. Cruz are running neck and neck nationally behind Mr. Bush and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker. Mr. Rubio is running in the middle of the pack.

    ReplyDelete
  25. FEDERAL JUDGE: Obama lawyers lied...

    Refuses to allow amnesty to resume..........Drudge

    ReplyDelete
  26. Obama is the middle finger President.

    He is not one of us.

    He is not a "real" American.

    "Real" Americans do not send lawyers to Federal court to lie for them.

    Only Hillary Clinton is a worse on today's passing stage.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson, he does not think much of women, or black folks ...

      bobal Sun Oct 19, 04:07:00 PM EDT
      Colin Powell went to the U.N., carrying water for Bush.

      And now he is for the black that was against the whole thing.

      Colin Powell is a black piece of shit.

      Delete
    2. He did send his lawyer to speak for him ...

      Referring to 'his ripping off' the bank, through fraud ...

      . My lawyer thought it to be a hell of a good move. He got most of the money. It was tough, in them days. They couldn't do a damn thing about it, I put her in the rest home, age 96. What you going to do, when she is institutionalized?

      Delete
    3. Anyone that would 'rip off' a bank, then institutionalize the victim of his fraud ...

      He is not one of US, that is for sure.
      Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson is one of them, a low life looter.

      Delete
    4. I think the son bitch was birthed in Kenya and his birth certificate is a computer generated fraud.

      Delete
    5. And I think Frank Marshall Davis did the humping.

      Where else did O'bozo get his tallness ?

      From one white slut shrimp and one black alcoholic shrimp ?

      Nah.

      Delete

    6. Mətušélaḥ Fri Nov 14, 12:48:00 AM EST


      Fuck, you're a dumbass, Bob.


      ==

      Delete
  27. Hey, I notice our rat hole sewer rat is back !

    Good morning War Criminal and Dead Beat Dad !

    Eight (8) people here have certified you are a LIAR.

    And many many think you need help -

    "There is something really wrong with you, rat"

    Trish

    I also direct you to Quirk's analysis of yourself which was very good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson.

      Again you make your baseless claims, once again making delusional statements that cannot be verified, because they are fantasies that you, yourself, have created. You were led along, Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson by the agitprop of the Zionist propagandists that have worked their wiles upon you.

      You should be careful as to what you imbibe, "Draft Dodger", in vino veritas.

      Delete
  28. How is that Iraq ISIS free by Memorial Day prediction working out for you, General ratass ?

    What about Zimmerman ?

    Truth is, you don't know shit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Zimmerman case proves that the Obama Administration was and is not "Racist State" that you claimed it was, and is, Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson. Not the exception that proves the rule.

      ISIS free by Memorial Day still has a chance, Robt "Draft Dodger" Peterson.
      Only a person that sympathized with the Islamic State would celebrate their continued despotic rule, anywhere.

      That you celebrate the political ascendency of 'Clit Clippers', having advocated for the US to deploy troops, to protect the practitioners of that horrid cultural process, provides us a window on your black heart..

      Delete
    2. You are proving to the world at large that you are crazy as hell.

      Delete
    3. "The ISraeli is the scum of the earth."

      Sewer rat

      The truth is sewer rat is the scum of the earth.

      Eight (8) people here have said he is a LIAR.

      May I list them again ?

      Delete
  29. >>>You were led along, Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson by the agitprop of the Zionist propagandists that have worked their wiles upon you. <<<



    Bwabwabwabwahahahahahaha !

    Them damn Jews, working their wiles upon me.

    Bwabwabwabwaahahahahahahahahahahahaha !!!!!!!!!!!!!

    You need HELP, rat.

    Nearly everyone here says so.

    Get it, get HELP NOW !!!!!!!!!!!!

    Call 1 - 800 HELP NOW

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bob Oreille Thu Aug 07, 01:07:00 PM EDT

      If you can't see it any other way, think about all those clits, Quirk, think about all those coming clipped clits.

      Delete
    2. Call 1-800-HELP NOW.

      Call it immediately, like, right NOW.

      They can at least stop the hyperventilating, and get an ambulance on the road.

      Delete
  30. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said they want to restore the relationship between their two countries as they began talks in Moscow, amid signs of schism among some European Union states on whether to maintain sanctions against Russia over the conflict in Ukraine.

    Russia was Greece’s leading trading partner until recently and they need to discuss “what to do to restore the pace of growth” after trade volume fell by 40 percent last year, Putin said at the meeting on Wednesday. He told Tsipras he was “very pleased” to meet him in person and “very pleased to receive you in Moscow on the eve of Orthodox Easter.”

    The purpose of his visit is revitalize the relationship for the benefit of both countries, Tsipras, who described sanctions as “senseless” last week, said. There are deep, long-standing ties between Greece and Russia, he said.

    EU sanctions over the conflict in Ukraine along with falling oil prices have hurt Russia’s economy, which is sliding into its first recession in six years, while Greece is locked in talks with its euro partners on getting more bailout funds. Tsipras is seeking ways to save or raise money. Putin is looking for an ally to undermine the EU’s position, as a unanimous vote of the 28 member states is needed to renew the sanctions when they expire in July.


    http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-08/putin-meets-tsipras-in-russia-as-eu-sanctions-in-focus

    ReplyDelete
  31. Sewer rat -

    Call 1-800-HELP NOW.

    Call it immediately, like, right NOW.

    They can at least stop the hyperventilating, and get an ambulance on the road.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Providing medical advise, again, Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson?

      Here you go, in bobal's own words, calling for an Eugenics Program, for black citizens of the United States.


      bobal said...
      ah, hell, after having thought it over, and considerging that my brother was a doctor, and my sis a med tech, who almost got roughed up by some niggers in Oakland, California, maybe the best thing to do is let the niggers abort, abort, abort themselves.

      They do a good job of that.

      Thu Nov 13, 01:29:00 AM EST

      ... the best thing to do is let the niggers abort, abort, abort themselves.

      They do a good job of that.



      Delete
    2. Freedom of choice.

      Let them.

      If that is what they wish to do.

      I do not like the inner city culture or the USA.

      I like the culture of my high class Hindu neice much better.

      If the nigs in the inner cities of the USA, where I would walk only in fear, want to abort themselves, then accept the US Supreme Court ruling on the matter.

      I, an old white man, was frightened in Lexington, Kentucky.

      I should be able to walk down any USA street without fear.

      The Jewish neighborhoods of NYC ?

      No fear, no fear at all.

      And you all feel exactly the same, deep down.

      Delete
    3. You have never walked the NYC streets of NYC and would not know where they are.

      Delete
    4. ummmm, Bob, the fear is your problem. It appears that if you see a black man you are afraid - that is your problem not ours!

      Delete
    5. I was afraid in Lexington that night,,yes.

      They may have been perfect gentlemen, but they were young black not well dressed and I instinctively moved back into the parking lot. And I was packing.

      All worked out for the best.

      What would have happened if I had held my ground and walked past them?

      I don't know.

      I erred on the side of caution.

      Delete
    6. But the point is one should not have to make these kinds of calculations.

      If I were in Israel or the Jewish parts of NYC I would feel perfectly safe.

      And, you would too.

      Because because you know I am right.

      Everyone reading this would feel safer in a Jewish or Swedish or Hindu neighborhood than in a black inner city at night.

      Get over the shit and admit it.

      Delete
    7. .

      ummmm, Bob, the fear is your problem. It appears that if you see a black man you are afraid - that is your problem not ours!

      Right. They can sense fear.

      Oy-vay.

      .

      Delete
    8. but, do you understand, the fear is your problem, not theirs - simply because you are afraid means nothing other than you are a chicken shit. I mean, come on, you would have "held your ground" by walking past them? Ummmm, no, if you had a store and they were brandishing guns and trying to enter but you raised your gun that would be "holding ground" but simply walking past someone you are "afraid of" (because they were black, young and not well dressed) is not holding your ground. Scurrying off in fear strikes me as something totally in line with your character -it is no wonder you view Zimmerman a hero.

      Delete
    9. I was in Charleston SC last night, in a black neighborhood, buying gas. All those black folk were very friendly to this pasty white old man. Not a threat was unleashed.

      Maybe I should be more afraid of the Charleston police given what happened just recently, but then again, I'm not black.

      Being afraid is a state of mind and not a reason to act. Being black, young, and not properly (ohmygod, were they wearing hoodies?) is not a reason to invoke self defense measures.

      Delete
  32. Sorry, I have been busy at Delft University of Technology, Netherlands meeting this brilliant young man:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzeQSZ3bQ2g

    making some presentations and critiquing some very interesting test results done at TNO. I am resting tonight and on my way to Poland tomorrow and back on Saturday.

    No time for your bullshit.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. lordy, am I going to have to shell out for graphene sails to stay competitive?

      Delete
  33. It's been pleasant having you away.

    ReplyDelete
  34. How a man can be as obviously technically proficient and intelligent as Deuce really is and at the same time turn into a total political nincompoop will always remain a mystery to me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not even Rufus at his worst would say that the Iranians are fighting for civilization.

      Delete
    2. I think, Bob, the problem lies at your end, not Deuce's.

      Delete
    3. Do you really think Iran is fighting for civilization, Ash ?

      Say true now, from you heart.

      Delete
    4. They have their civilization, Persian, and they are fighting for it.

      Civilization is such a broad concept it has been a pain watching you obsess over some passing comment made by deuce as if it defined his philosophy and rendered it absurd.

      Delete
    5. Come on now, answer. Be a good fellow and tell us your opinion.

      Is Iran fighting for civilization ?

      Consider carefully, Ash, because if you get this one wrong I can crucify you, and will too, metaphorically speaking.

      If you get this wrong, I will display you for the fool for all to see.

      Delete
    6. That's better. They are fighting for their civilization.

      Now we go to the hard part.

      Their civilization, at this current time, stones women, hangs queers from cranes, kills Christians and Jews, shouts Death to Israel, and means it, and shouts Death to the USA and kills Neda.

      This is not a Persian civilization, it is a Shia Moslem 'civilization'.

      If one is concerned with basic human rights, as you are, one could not in any proper sense call this a civilization at all.

      So when Deuce says Iran is fighting for civilization he has totally flipped out.

      And I can't understand it.

      Delete
    7. Some of the expressions of Persian Civilization in the past weren't all that bad.

      See: Joe Campbell

      What you got going there now is Islamic Totalitarianism.

      I hope the urge to something truly Persian, as exemplified in the Death of Neda

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Neda_Agha-Soltan

      and here

      http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=7897043&page=1

      and here

      https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrT6VtvyyVV_E0A7konnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTBsOXB2YTRjBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2dxMQR2dGlkAw--?_adv_prop=image&va=The+Death+Of+Neda&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-002

      Delete
    8. I hope the urge to something truly Persian, as exemplified in the Death of Neda, prevails.

      Just as I hope the Egyptians may recover, one fine day, something of their earlier outlook, which came to them, as they said in a myth, came to them in the form of a White Bull from the east............

      That is to say from India....

      The birthing center of the perennial philosophy.

      Delete
  35. CHENEY: OBAMA WANTS 'TO TAKE AMERICA DOWN'

    Drudge Report


    http://dailycaller.com/2015/04/07/cheney-president-obama-wants-to-take-america-down-video/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cheney and Bush already took the US 'down', Mr Cheney wants to keep US there.

      Delete
    2. By the way, how is your super important project going off the shores of Panama ?

      You never give us an update on it.

      Many here are anxious to know what kind of tall tale you come up with.

      Delete
    3. Having asked this simple question many times and never getting any answer I, and I am certain others too, are beginning to suspect you were just farting us all once again.

      There really was no 'Project Panama' ever, was there now.....

      Delete
    4. I have no idea what your idea of "Project Panama" i, Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson.
      Perhaps if you provided some reference to it, other than your own faulty memories ...

      But that is beyond your meager means, isn't it.

      Delete
  36. .

    IRS says it doesn't have the manpower to go after cheats who owe less than $1 million. --WaPo

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bad news for you Quirk-O. Looks like they are focusing on the true scoundrels. Is you passport in order ?

      We paid ours two weeks ago, through our accountant as per usual.

      Delete
    2. Idaho Legislature just took the sales tax off of food. This is a good thing. They should have done this long ago.

      Delete
    3. Why should anyone anywhere have to pay a sales tax to EAT for Christ's sakes.

      Delete
  37. .

    The White House took an apparent swipe at Benjamin Netanyahu on Twitter Wednesday, posting a diagram similar to one used by the Israeli prime minister -- only this time, using it to defend the Iran nuclear deal.

    The bomb diagram attached to the White House tweet is almost identical to a chart used by Netanyahu during a 2012 United Nations speech that urged the U.S. and other world leaders to set an ultimatum to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, TheHill.com reports.


    http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/04/08/white-house-takes-shot-at-netanyahu-on-twitter/

    .

    ReplyDelete
  38. Netanyahu has had it right.

    We should have prevented Iran from getting the bomb.

    Too late now, and we all will pay for it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Only thing to do now is take Niece to the Fiesta of San Fermin.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Ferm%C3%ADn

      Delete
    2. Last time I was there I had to bail Q from gaol four times.....

      Delete
    3. Quirk Thu May 27, 02:16:00 AM EDT
      Bob, a tip.

      Delete your post on the bank.

      Delete
    4. bob Thu May 27, 12:52:00 AM EDT

      But I did rip off the bank for $7500 hundred dollars, when I was on my knees, and fighting for my economic life, on my aunt's credit card. But that wasn't really stealing, just payback. …

      Delete
    5. Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson is experienced, with the gaol, no doubt.
      Criminals do garner certain experience sets ...

      Robert's experiences have to do with Courts and doing time, at the gaol.
      It is where he spent his 'formative' years ...
      After he dodged the draft, but before he got a lawyer to assist in his criminal schemes.


      Delete

  39. Dick Cheney’s Ongoing Descent Into Insanity Accidentally Clarifies Iran Debate


    very so often Dick Cheney will appear in public to vocalize his latest irritable mental gesture. Today he appeared with right-wing radio host Hugh Hewitt to assert the following: “I vacillate between the various theories I’ve heard, but you know, if you had somebody as president who wanted to take America down, who wanted to fundamentally weaken our position in the world and reduce our capacity to influence events, turn our back on our allies and encourage our adversaries, it would look exactly like what Barack Obama’s doing.”

    Cheney’s regular utterances tend to meld together into an undifferentiated belligerent growl, but in this case he is (inadvertently) telling us something useful. The former vice-president is endorsing, or at least half-endorsing, the right-wing belief that to dismiss Barack Obama as a naif and a failure is far too kind. No, Obama is carrying out a secret plan to undermine American power.
    ...
    Cheney’s comments serve as the latest illustration of the delusional paranoia running through even the very highest levels of the Republican Party.


    http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/04/cheneys-ongoing-descent-clarifies-iran-debate.html

    ReplyDelete
  40. Why is Congress more concerned about a not-yet finalized nuclear deal with Iran than with an actual war against ISIS?

    That's the provocative question that Sen. Patrick Murphy (D-CT) is asking.
    "Congress should be spending its time debating an [authorization for military force],"

    Murphy told the Washington Post's Greg Sargent.
    "We have a war going on in Iraq and Syria that is unauthorized and extra-Constitutional. We should be voting on an AUMF, which is required by the Constitution, rather than debating an Iran nuclear deal which hasn't even been signed."

    More Murphy: "I'm first in line to reassert the power of Congress to stand next to the executive on foreign policy. We have a Constitutional obligation to approve or disapprove of the war against ISIS. We do not have a Constitutional obligation to approve or disapprove an executive agreement with Iran."

    ReplyDelete
  41. Pakistan's parliament has been debating the Saudi request to join the coalition this week. Legislators emphasised brotherly ties with Saudi Arabia but no one spoke in favour of going into Yemen.

    "The consensus that is emerging in parliament is that Pakistan should not participate in any military offensive. We should try to mediate, influence and facilitate peaceful dialogue," Sartaj Aziz, the prime minister's adviser on security and foreign affairs, said on Wednesday.

    Zarif has recommended the international community impose a ceasefire, send humanitarian aid, support a dialogue among Yemenis and back the formation of a broad-based government.



    http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Iran-minister-meets-Pakistan-military-chief-amid-Yemen-dilemma/articleshow/46864039.cms

    ReplyDelete
  42. Highlights
    Consumer confidence increased last week to an almost eight-year high as Americans viewed the U.S. economy in a more favorable light and said it was better time to spend.

    The Bloomberg Consumer Comfort Index climbed to 47.9 in the period ended April 5, the highest level since May 2007, from 46.2. A measure of buying conditions was the strongest since November 2006, while attitudes about the economy were the brightest in nine weeks.

    The pickup in confidence could signal a rebound in demand, fueling an economy that softened in recent months under the strain of harsh winter weather, a strengthening dollar and tepid global growth.

    The increase in the comfort index from a week earlier was the biggest since the end of January. The gauge remains well above last year's average of 36.7, which was the best since 2007.

    The measure of Americans' views on the current state of the economy climbed to 39.5 last week from 37.1 in the prior period, the report showed Thursday. The buying climate gauge, which measures whether now is a good time to purchase goods and services, advanced to 43.8 from 41.3.

    The index of personal finances rose to 60.5, the second-highest level since October 2007, from 60.1.

    Sentiment last week climbed in six of seven income brackets led by households making $100,000 or more, whose confidence soared to the second-highest level since August 2007. Those making $25,000 to $40,000 were the only households to experience a drop in sentiment.

    On a regional basis, confidence improved in all areas except the Midwest. In the South, sentiment was the strongest since September 2007.

    Economic Calendar

    ReplyDelete

  43. SodaStream to Label Products Sold in US as ‘Made in West Bank’


    JNS.org - The Israel-based beverage carbonation company SodaStream will soon begin labeling its products in the US as “Made in the West Bank.” The reason for the decision, according to media reports, was pressure on the company and complaints filed by US-based human rights groups.

    http://www.algemeiner.com/2015/04/08/sodastream-to-label-products-sold-in-us-as-%E2%80%98made-in-west-bank%E2%80%99/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well almost correct.

      It's not a US-based human rights group, but rather a BDS - anti-Israel group.

      ONLY the goods made in that one plant are to be labeled that way...

      And the flip side?

      That plant is scheduled to close this year and be relocated in the South of Israel.

      Of course, no one cares about the 500 palestnian high paying jobs that will be eliminated…

      And Jack, why no updates on SodaStreams new product line?

      Delete
    2. No updates on the SodaStream product line because it has not effected the market capitalization of the company.

      There are lingering Merger and Acquisition rumors still effecting SodaStream.

      Delete
    3. Don't want to see good news?

      LOL

      Market Cap is not the be all and end all of owning a company.

      I guess that's why, no matter what the ups and downs are with SodaStream it's made quite a few multimillionaires…

      Just not you.

      Delete
    4. Right you are, I did not buy SodaStream when you recommended.

      But if you did, you have not made a million, either.
      Indeed, any fool that did, their losses have been compounded.

      Delete
    5. Soda Stream is a great long term investment.

      You are not an investor, you are a speculator.

      Those that learned the concept of buy and hold do not measure success the way you do.

      But the truth? SodaStream is a success story. Made folks into millionaires. Employees tons of folks with good paying jobs and also returns a nice chuck of profit to the share holders quarterly.

      Great Company, Great Products, Great Future.

      But it today.

      Delete
    6. buy it today

      new line of juice carbonators is coming...

      Delete

  44. PLO joins Syrian army in drive to seize Yarmouk camp from ISIS
    Islamic State forces took control of the region in recent days, brushing aside local militia opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad.


    REUTERS - A Palestinian official said on Thursday he supported a Syrian army offensive to regain control of the war-battered Yarmouk camp on the outskirts of Damascus that has fallen into the hands of ISIS.

    The radical Islamist group, which rules swathes of Syria and Iraq, seized almost all of Yarmouk in recent days, brushing aside local militia opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad.

    "They have tried to used the camp as a launching pad to expand their scope of clashes and their terror activities inside and outside the camp," said Ahmad Majdalani, a minister in the Western-backed Palestinian Authority who was sent to Damascus by the PLO leadership to discuss the crisis with the government.

    Majdalani said the Syrian army alongside local Palestinian groups had had some success in pushing back the Islamic State and had so far secured 35 percent of the camp.

    The sprawling Yarmouk was home to some 160,000 Palestinians before the Syrian conflict began in 2011 -- refugees from the 1948 war of Israel's founding, and their descendants.


    http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/1.651178

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PLO says against Syrian army drive to regain Damascus refugee camp from ISIS

      Palestine Liberation Organization issues statement rejecting military offensive in war-battered camp largely taken over by Islamic State fighters in recent days.

      DAMASCUS - The PLO said on Thursday it refused to be drawn into supporting any military offensive in the war-battered Yarmouk camp on the outskirts of Damascus, backing away from earlier comments by one of its members that lent support to Syrian army action against insurgents there.

      The radical Islamist group Islamic State, which rules swathes of Syria and Iraq, seized almost all of Yarmouk in recent days, brushing aside local militia opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad.

      "We refuse to be drawn into any armed campaign, whatever its nature or cover, and we call for resorting to other means to spare the blood of our people and prevent more destruction and displacement for our people of the camp," the Palestine Liberation Organization said in a statement issued from Ramallah.

      Earlier, Ahmad Majdalani, a member of its executive committee who was sent by the PLO leadership to Damascus to discuss the crisis with the government, said he fully endorsed a Syrian military offensive to regain control of the camp.



      too quick on the trigger as usual herr rodent.

      Delete
    2. http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/PLO-says-against-Syrian-army-drive-to-regain-Damascus-refugee-camp-from-ISIS-396694

      Delete
  45. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-led forces targeted Islamic State militants in Syria with seven air strikes from Wednesday to Thursday morning, with Canada taking part in the strikes for the first time, the U.S. military said on Thursday.

    Forces hit Islamic State vehicles, a garrison, and fighting positions near Al Hasakah, Ar Raqqah and Kobani, according to a statement.

    In Iraq 12 air strikes over the same period hit Islamic Sate tactical units, a tunnel system, buildings and other targets near Bayji, Mosul, Sinjar and Tal Afar, the statement said.

    Gettin' Daider, and Daider

    ReplyDelete
  46. .

    More than 50 Yemeni-Americans from Wayne County are stranded in Yemen as the Middle Eastern country disintegrates amid a growing war, according to two lawsuits filed Thursday in federal courts.

    The lawsuits, filed in Detroit and Washington, D.C., by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), accuse the U.S. government of failing to rescue Americans of Yemeni descent who are stuck there and unable to evacuate.

    The U.S. State Department and Department of Defense did not return calls seeking comment Thursday evening. But State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said that an operation to rescue Americans in Yemen was too risky, and "could put U.S. citizens' lives at greater risk" because "the situation in Yemen is quite dangerous and unpredictable."


    http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/wayne/2015/04/09/lawsuit-yemeni-americans/25556783/

    .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. .

      India's successful evacuation of its citizens from war-torn Yemen has been appreciated globally, leading to as many as 26 countries including the US, France, Germany, Egypt, Singapore, Iraq and Lebanon, seeking the government’s assistance in the effort.

      Sources said though no official request has come from Pakistan, Indian agencies have helped the neighbouring country’s citizens reach home.

      Pakistan, in turn, has also evacuated around 11 Indian nationals, said the sources.
      MoS External Affairs Minister V.K. Singh with Indian nationals, who were evacuated from Yemen on April 6, in Djibouti
      +1

      MoS External Affairs Minister V.K. Singh with Indian nationals, who were evacuated from Yemen on April 6, in Djibouti

      “There are requests from 26 countries seeking our assistance in evacuation from Yemen,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin told Mail Today.

      He added that the government has so far evacuated around 3,300 Indian citizens and around 220 foreign nationals.

      Other countries which have sought India’s help in evacuation from Yemen are Sweden, Djibouti, Hungary, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Romania, Slovenia, Bahrain, Czech Republic, Cuba, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Turkey...


      Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-3027948/Twenty-six-countries-seek-India-s-help-evacuate-citizens-Yemen.html#ixzz3WsbSscVo
      Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

      .

      Delete
    2. Department spokeswoman Marie Harf as quoted saying 'arf' 'arf' arf'

      She and Jen Psake

      https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=AwrTccDzXidVKWwAU48nnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTBsOXB2YTRjBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2dxMQR2dGlkAw--?_adv_prop=image&va=Jen+psaki&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-002

      They had given dueling interviews earlier in the day concerning the extent, and cause of Harry Reid's facial battering.

      Delete
  47. .

    Joe, say it ain't so.

    Vice President Joe Biden was photographed stealing a pacifier from a baby at the British Embassy in Washington DC on Wednesday night

    The baby was 15-month-old Jasper, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's grandson

    'What's a boy to do when the Vice President steals your pacifier?' Bloomberg's daughter Georgina wrote next to the photo on Facebook


    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3032933/Vice-President-Joe-Biden-swipes-PACIFIER-15-month-old-grandson-former-New-York-Mayor-Michael-Bloomberg.html#ixzz3WsiY9iX7

    Hopefully, someone sterilized it before giving it back to the kid.

    .
    Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook



    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3032933/Vice-President-Joe-Biden-swipes-PACIFIER-15-month-old-grandson-former-New-York-Mayor-Michael-Bloomberg.html

    ReplyDelete
  48. India is becoming quite proficient at these rescue missions. I read about them taking part in them more and more frequently.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Seems the The Assahollah is still claiming Obama cheated him -

    AYATOLLAH: WHITE HOUSE 'LYING'
    HAS 'DEVILISH' INTENTIONS.....................Drudge

    For a deeper understanding of these negotiations, folks, turn to Ash. He once compared them to the potato trade.

    ReplyDelete
  50. April 9, 2015
    How stupid is State Department spokesperson Marie Harf?
    By Rick Moran

    I suppose I will be accused of sexism for perpetrating the sterotype of the dumb woman, but really now, how can any rational, objective observer of the antics of State Department spokesperson Marie Harf come to any other conclusion than she's a dimwit?

    Responding to a brilliant op-ed in the Wall Street Journal by former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and George Schultz, Harf moved David Brooks to ask Hugh Hewitt, "Are we in nursery school?"

    Hot Air:

    “I wouldn’t say that it’s damning,” Harf said of Kissinger and Shultz’s damning verdict on the Iran deal. “And I didn’t hear a lot of alternatives. I heard a lot of big words and big thoughts in that piece, and those are certainly – there’s a place for that – but I didn’t hear a lot of alternatives of what they would do differently.”

    The notion that no one has submitted any alternatives to the administration’s terrible Iran deal is a convenient but baseless straw man that it trots out whenever confronted with an incontrovertibly accurate critique of the deal. It is, of course, not true. It doesn’t take a genius to identify in those “big words” deployed by these two former statesmen to identify alternative proposals.

    “Absent the linkage between nuclear and political restraint, America’s traditional allies will conclude that the U.S. has traded temporary nuclear cooperation for acquiescence to Iranian hegemony,” Kissinger and Shultz write. Some possessed with even modest rationalization skills would have to assume that these two would have preferred coupling rewards for Iranian compliance with concessions regarding Iran’s support for terrorism, its extreme position vis-à-vis Israel’s right to exist, and it’s backing for regional proxies like the Yemeni Houthis, Hezbollah, and the Shiite militias in Iraq.

    Others would have liked to have seen a reversal of Iran’s enrichment capabilities rather than a freeze on them. The idea that the fortified, underground nuclear site at Fordow, a site that Iran refused to disclose and was only uncovered as a result of the West’s clandestine activities, would remain intact as a nuclear university insults the West’s intelligence; precisely the kind of intelligence characterized by the use of “big words.”

    In the twilight of this administration, it’s unlikely they will be able to find better spokespeople to sell this awful accord. But it’s clear they could use a few.

    I would not like to be in Harf's shoes today, now that President Rouhani has come out and said that Iran wants an immediate lifting of sanctions once the deal is implemented and an Iranian military spokesman said that military sites would be off limits to inspections. Those statements fly in the face of assurances given by the president and his administration that the sanctions would lifted gradually over time and that the IAEA had full acccess to all Iranian nuclear sites.

    Perhaps if Kissinger and Schultz had used words with fewer syllables, Harf would have been able to understand their devastating critique

    http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2015/04/how_stupid_is_state_department_spokesperson_marie_harf.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How stupid is Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson ...

      Quirk Thu May 27, 02:16:00 AM EDT
      Bob, a tip.

      Delete your post on the bank.


      Look up the definition of "Stupid" in Funk & Wagnalls, it reads ...
      Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson - in vino veritas

      Delete
  51. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistan's parliament voted unanimously Friday to remain neutral in the conflict in Yemen, a major blow to Saudi Arabia as it seeks to build support for its offensive against the surging Houthi rebels there.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Whoever fights the Islamic State, they are fighting for civilization ...

    A sledgehammer to civilisation: Islamic State’s war on culture

    Isis has destroyed countless irreplaceable artefacts and heritage sites across the areas it controls of Iraq and Syria – and some are comparing its assault on human history to the atrocities of Mao and Pol Pot. Are they right?


    http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/07/islamic-state-isis-crimes-against-culture-iraq-syria

    Whoever opposes the fight against the Islamic State, they support the destruction of civilization.
    The ISraeli would accept operatives from the Islamic State taking power in Syria.

    Israel prefers Daesh (al-Qeada) in Syria, over the Alawites, Christians and their Kurdish allies

    Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren told the Jerusalem Post that Israel so wanted Assad out and his Iranian backers weakened, that Israel would accept al-Qaeda operatives taking power in Syria.

    “We always wanted Bashar Assad to go, we always preferred the bad guys who weren’t backed by Iran to the bad guys who were backed by Iran.”
    Even if the other “bad guys” were affiliated with al-Qaeda.


    http://www.jpost.com/Syria-Crisis/Oren-Jerusalem-has-wanted-Assad-ousted-since-the-outbreak-of-the-Syrian-civil-war-326328.

    The Islamic State is al-Qeada.

    ReplyDelete
  53. You have to go back to the Clinton Administration to find Jobless Claims Numbers as good as we've had the last 4 weeks.

    Jobless Claims

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unemployment Rate Down As Americans Give Up On Work


      The U.S. unemployment rate is down, but that is because many Americans have given up or — better yet — are struggling to find full-time work.

      Dean Baker, an economist with the Center for Economic Policy Research in Washington, said Friday that the decline in U.S. labor force participation in this recent data release was “striking.”

      “We know that a lot more people in their prime working years are opting to neither work nor look for work,” Baker told me. “Unless they have suddenly gotten an aversion to work or had some conversion so that they no longer value material things, they likely have given up looking for work because they don’t see any jobs out there.”

      The unemployment rate has dropped more than 40% of the way back to its pre-recession level, but the employment-to-population ratio is closer to its trough than its pre-recession peak. In English: fewer Americans are looking for employment.....

      http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2013/03/08/unemployment-rate-down-as-americans-give-up-on-work/

      Delete
    2. Your article is from March, 2013, moron.

      Delete
    3. In March, 2013, there were 11,742,000 Unemployed in the U.S.

      In March, 2013. there were 8,575,000 Unemployed in the U.S.

      That's 3,167,000 fewer unemployed than in March of 2013.

      March 2013

      Delete
    4. In March, 2015 there were 8,575,000 unemployed in the U.S.

      Delete
    5. Meanwhile, 5,045,000 have become Employed.

      Delete
    6. Don't moron me moron. You opened the discussion up all the way to the Clinton Administration.

      No one ever trusts your numbers anyway.

      Delete
    7. Go read your children's stories, dumbfuck.

      Delete
    8. Don't you dumbfuck me, you dumbmotherfuck.

      Anyway my main purpose is to get Rufus stirred up as I've sensed his blood pressure has been way too low lately.

      Delete
  54. "PATRICK MARTIN
    You can forget about a nuclear deal with Iran

    The Globe and Mail
    Published Friday, Apr. 10 2015, 3:00 AM EDT




    Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei spoke Thursday for the first time about the framework for a nuclear limitation agreement arrived at last week by Iran and the five permanent members of UN Security Council plus Germany – His words threw cold water on those anticipating a speedy final agreement.

    The Ayatollah expressed skepticism about the whole process and put the vaunted Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in proper perspective: “What has been done so far does not guarantee an agreement, nor its contents, nor even that the negotiations will continue to the end,” he said, casting doubt that the June 30 deadline for completing negotiations would be met.

    He made clear also what he thought of the parties to this agreement. “I trust our negotiators,” the Iranian leader said, “but I’m really worried because the other side is into lying and breaching promises.”

    An example of this, he argued, is a “fact sheet” produced by the White House shortly after the talks concluded April 2. “Most of it was contrary to what was agreed,” he insisted, adding that “they [the Americans] always deceive and breach promises.”

    In fact, even before the fact sheet was published on the U.S. State Department website, the Iranians released a document of their own. They called theirs “A Summary of the Solutions Reached as an Understanding for Reaching a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,” and its version of what was agreed differs substantially from that of the Americans.

    In its Summary of Solutions, Iran insists that nothing agreed to on April 2 is binding on the parties. The Americans, for their part, argue that the April 2nd “parameters,” as they call them, form the foundation for a final agreement.

    One of those parameters, Washington says, is that Iran’s enrichment of uranium will be restricted to very low levels for 15 years. Iran contends the two sides agreed only to a 10-year limitation period, following which Iran can ramp up its enrichment.

    On research into nuclear matters, Iran says the solutions arrived at provide for relatively unfettered research. The United States maintains research will be restricted to approved areas only.

    As for the sanctions that brought Iran to the negotiating table, Tehran claims that all economic and other sanctions are to be lifted at the start of the agreement, while U.S. officials insist sanctions will be “suspended” in phases only as Iran complies with the terms of the agreement (shutting down thousands of centrifuges, reducing current stockpiles of enriched uranium, removing the core of its heavy-water reactor to eliminate the production of plutonium etc).

    And on the vital issue of inspections by officials of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Washington claims that military facilities are to be included in these visits, whereas Tehran insists no such intrusive inspections will ever take place.

    Of the many differences between the parties it is the last two that will bedevil negotiators.

    “We will not sign any agreement, unless all economic sanctions are totally lifted on the first day of the implementation of the deal,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said also on Thursday, at an event marking Iran’s annual Nuclear Technology Day, which celebrates the country’s nuclear achievements.

    The Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, agreed. Sanctions “should be lifted all together on the same day of the agreement, not six months or one year later,” he said in his televised remarks. “If lifting of sanctions is supposed to be connected to a process, then why do we negotiate?”


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The U.S. fact sheet, on the other hand, says that “the architecture of U.S. nuclear-related sanctions on Iran will be retained for much of the duration of the deal and allow for snap-back of sanctions in the event of significant non-performance.”

      U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday explained these “snap-back” sanctions as part of an automatic process to punish Iran for misbehavior. Which is why, he said, sanctions will only be “suspended” when Iran does behave, not “lifted.”

      Not surprisingly, this notion of keeping Iran on an elastic tether does not sit well with President Rouhani. In his reply to the concept he said that in the Lausanne negotiations both sides “always talked about lifting economic, financial, and banking sanctions. We never talked about the ‘suspension’ of the sanctions, and if that were the case, no agreement would form.”

      As for inspecting military premises, the difference between the two sides couldn’t be starker. “The country’s military officials are not permitted at all to allow the foreigners to cross these boundaries,” Ayatollah Khamenei argued, “or stop the country’s defensive development under the pretext of supervision and inspection.”

      For the Americans, Mr. Kerry insisted that military inspections “will be part of a final agreement.” The Secretary of State insisted: “If there’s going to be a deal, it will be done.”

      President Rouhani hinted at where these talks might well be heading, indicating that the self-imposed deadline for agreement of June 30 was in no way sacred.

      “They might say that we have only three months left,” he said. “Well, if three months becomes four months the sky won’t come falling down.”

      But it might come falling down if four months becomes 14 months or 24 months. The Middle East’s other major powers will not wait forever.

      Leave aside the possibility of Israel taking military action. It is the region’s Arab countries that are likely to act first.

      Leading Saudi commentators such as Jamal Kashoggi and Turki al-Faisal, who reflect the royal view, decried this week what they called the U.S. “abandonment” of its Arab allies.

      Unless Washington reverses course, they argue, the only remaining option for Saudi Arabia and its true friends is to take matters into their own hands and acquire a full nuclear weapons program to match that of Iran."

      http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/world-insider/you-can-forget-about-a-nuclear-deal-with-iran/article23874969/

      Delete
    2. Ah, it's all like negotiating with Quirk..

      End result we'd be left in a Vegas phone booth without enough change to make a local call.

      We ought to call it quits and just come home now.

      Delete
    3. My initial reading of the agreement (as published in English) was that it was slanted in favor of the West. You, Bob, squealed that Obama was giving away the farm. Given how many folk in the US are similar to you and the rabidly partisan nature of US politics I am sceptical a deal can be made. I hope I am wrong.

      Delete
    4. Ash seems to be onto something --

      April 10, 2015
      Iran is not cooperating with the deal
      By Silvio Canto, Jr.

      Like some of you, I had my doubts about all this talk of a deal with Iran.

      First, I get very nervous when they cheer in the streets of Iran but worry in Israel. Sorry, but I'd rather see the Israelis smiling than the Iranians celebrating. There is something about a crowd cheering "Death to America" that turns me off.

      Second, the framework is down on paper but Iran keeps making demands:

      Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Islamic republic's supreme leader, meanwhile, told state-run media outlets he is neither in favor nor against the proposed deal because it isn't final, and he's not certain it will become binding because he has "never been optimistic about negotiations with the U.S."

      So much for all those meetings, extensions, and press conferences.

      In all fairness, negotiating with a country like Iran is not easy. I don't mean to take a cheap partisan shot against the Obama administration, because it would have been difficult for any other president.

      At the same time, Iran fears only one thing: our bunker-busting bombs and Air Force.

      They know that we have the military capability to bomb them for weeks and then come back for a few more weeks. They know quite well that we could destroy or, at the very least, set their program back a generation.

      They fear the bombs, but they don't see that in President Obama's or Secretary Kerry's eyes. What they see is a U.S. eager to make a deal. They've read Mr. Obama and Mr. Kerry correctly. They understand that Mr. Kerry wants a Nobel Peace Prize rather than to resolve the issue of a nuclear Iran.

      My suggestion is that we keep the sanctions and go back to square one. Let's rip the current deal and start talking again. We may have to wait until the next president takes office.

      http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2015/04/iran_is_not_cooperating_with_the_deal.html

      Delete
    5. >>My initial reading of the agreement (as published in English) was that it was slanted in favor of the West.<<

      Good Grief, Ash, really what Can be done with you ?

      Delete
    6. My suggestion is that we keep the sanctions and go back to square one. Let's rip the current deal and start talking again

      The Chinese and Russians, the rest of the BRIC will not wait.
      The Iranians will not "start talking again".

      So right out of the box, Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson, your prescription is flawed.
      Not matching up with the 'Real World'.

      Just another "Delusion with out Solution" from the "Draft Dodger" and Bank Fraudster, Robert Peterson

      Delete
    7. That American Thinker site certainly spews a lot of crappy drivel. Bob, you should really try to not read their stuff. I was hoping that when they got the facts completely wrong it would at least start you down the road of doubt but, obviously, I was wrong.

      My reading of the Iranian situation is that they want sanctions lifted and that is the west's greatest lever but they won't accept humiliation in order to get them lifted.

      Delete
  55. April 10, 2015
    Another potential challenger for Hillary makes his move
    By Thomas Lifson

    The supposedly inevitable nomination of Hillary Clinton got more trouble yesterday with a scathing critique and possible challenge from the left. Former Republican governor and senator from Rhode Island, Lincoln Chafee, pronounced Hillary disqualified from running and announced he is exploring a run for the nbomination himself. Philip Ricker the of WaPo writes:

    In an interview with The Washington Post on Thursday, Chafee did not mince words when he said Clinton's 2002 Senate vote to authorize military action in Iraq should disqualify her from becoming commander in chief.

    "I don't think anybody should be president of the United States that made that mistake," Chafee said. "It's a huge mistake and we live with broad, broad ramifications today — of instability not only in the Middle East but far beyond and the loss of American credibility. There were no weapons of mass destruction."

    Chafee, who was a Republican at the time, was the only senator from his party to vote against the Iraq war authorization. "I did not make that mistake," he said.

    Chafee said that foreign policy — including his indictment against Clinton's hawkish record in the Senate and as secretary of state — would be a centerpiece of his presidential campaign.

    I don’t take Chafee seriously as a contender, but he is giving voice and a rallying point to the anti-war crowd, which partially overlaps with the anti-Wall Street crowd attracted to Senator Elizabeth Warren.

    A very nice Democrat circular firing squad is forming up.

    http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2015/04/another_potential_challenger_for_hillary_makes_his_move.html


    I thought Chafee was dead, or reitred.

    Why don't you mount a challenge, Ash, you've got the executive experience.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Asphalt Potato for POTUS!

      It certainly could make for an interesting campaign though the lack of PC might offend even ole Quirkster.

      Delete
  56. So what: The bounce didn't come from any particular piece of news. Instead, investors seem to have grown (slightly) less pessimistic about SodaStream's prospects. The stock's March boost still puts shares roughly 50% lower than they were a year ago.

    SodaStream's latest business update in late February showed massive struggles, especially in the U.S. market. Sales plunged by 50% there as the company sold dramatically fewer sparkling water machines and flavored syrups. Carbon dioxide canister sales did rise, though, which suggests that existing customers are putting their machines to use at home -- even if their ranks aren't growing right now.

    Now what: Management has a plan to recover momentum that includes rebranding into a water emphasis as opposed to a soda one. The company just marked some important progress there: SodaStream recently became the world's largest sparkling water brand with more than 700 million liters of annual consumption.

    Still, Wall Street expects things to get worse for the company before they get better. Analysts see SodaStream's sales dropping 14% in the first quarter of 2015, and 9% for the full year.

    http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2015/04/09/why-sodastream-international-ltd-stock-rose-14-in.aspx

    ReplyDelete
  57. New York Times - ‎

    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - In a move likely to further strain relations with India, a Pakistani court on Friday released on bail Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, a militant commander accused of orchestrating the 2008 attacks in Mumbai that killed more than 160 people.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies

    1. Mumbai attack suspect Lakhvi released on bail in Pakistan


      The suspected mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, has been released on bail from a Pakistani jail, officials say.

      Jail officials in Rawalpindi said Mr Lakhvi was released on Friday morning.

      India's Home Minister Rajnath Singh has called the release "unfortunate and disappointing", Indian media reports say.

      Mr Lakhvi had been granted bail in December, but was kept in detention under public order legislation.

      That detention was declared void by the High Court, which ordered his release.

      Mr Lakhvi is one of seven men facing trial over the attacks, which left 166 people dead and damaged peace efforts between the two countries.

      The violence was blamed on militants of the Lashkar-e-Taiba group (LeT) which Mr Lakhvi was accused of heading.

      He was arrested by Pakistan on 7 December 2008, four days after he was named by Indian officials as one of the major suspects.

      A spokesman for Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a charity accused of links to LeT, said Mr Lakhvi was "free now and in a secure place".

      "We can't say exactly where is he at the moment for security reasons," the official told AFP.
      The prospect of Mr Lakhvi's release sparked some angry protests in India

      Mr Lakhvi had been receiving special treatment during his time in prison.

      Jail officers said he, along with six of his comrades, had several rooms at their disposal. They had access to a television, mobile phones and the internet, as well as dozens of visitors a day.

      These privileges had allowed him to remain in effective contact with the LeT rank and file, the officials said.

      Elements in the Pakistani establishment are known to have provided such facilities to jailed militant commanders whom they believe they may need in future.

      The court order to free Mr Lakhvi on bail caused controversy as it came just after militants carried out a massacre at a school in Peshawar last December.

      The attack prompted the civilian and military leadership to come together to make a rare call for action against "all shades of terrorism".


      http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32250763

      Delete
  58. Hey Ash has thrown his hat into the Presidential ring !!!!

    Whhooooooopi !!!!

    Happy Days Are Here Again

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFVxX3RtyhQ

    ReplyDelete
  59. Pew has it:

    Dem/Dem Lean 48%

    Rep/Rep Lean . 39%

    Party Identification

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Going to "likely" voters would probably knock that down to 4 or 5 percent, but . . . . . . .

      Delete
  60. Sounds like all those voters that packed the Senate and House with Republicans.

    But would they vote for Ash ?

    That's the question now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And now that HARVEY WEINSTEIN HAS BEEN CLEARED OF SEX ABUSES CHARGES the flood gates are wide open to the longed for and feared "A & W" ticket.

      Delete
  61. Frank Marshall DavisFri Apr 10, 04:45:00 PM EDT

    Don't laugh. Last time around they voted for one of my love children.

    ReplyDelete
  62. U.S.-led forces targeted Islamic State militants with nine air strikes in Iraq and seven in Syria since early on Thursday, the U.S. military said on Friday.

    In Syria, the air strikes hit Islamic State positions near Al Hasakah and Kobani, the Combined Joint Task Force said in a statement.

    In Iraq, the air strikes hit Islamic State positions near Bayji, Mosul and Fallujah, among other places, it said.

    Gettin' Daider

    ReplyDelete
  63. Bibi vs. Sharon on Bush's Iraq Debacle

    http://blogs.forward.com/jj-goldberg/218317/bibi-vs-sharon-on-bushs-iraq-debacle/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well I'll be blessed.

      Here I'd been reading Deuce and d. rat for so long I was almost coming to believe the Israelis control the world.

      I disagree with the writer on one thing - the disaster of an aftermath is all Obama's doing, for

      Say it with me now, in unison

      Taking the troops out too soon.

      Delete
    2. Sounds like just another in a long line of epic rat fails, to me, this blaming the Jews for Iraq. Just another total blunder by d. rat, by your Iraq ISIS Free By Memorial Day Guy.

      Delete
  64. Being fat in middle age reduces risk of developing dementia, researchers say

    A new study of 2 million people found that very obese people had a 29 percent lower risk of becoming forgetful and confused and showing other signs of senility. (Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP)
    By Daniela Deane April 10 at 4:25 AM

    LONDON — A surprising study contradicting all previous research found that being fat in middle age appears to cut the risk of developing dementia rather than increase it, the Lancet scientific journal has reported.

    A study of two million people found that the underweight were far more likely to develop dementia, a growing problem among the elderly in the Western world.

    Underweight people had a 34 percent higher risk of developing dementia than those of a normal weight, the study found, while the very obese had a 29 percent lower risk of becoming forgetful and confused and showing other signs of senility.

    Obesity levels, like dementia levels, are soaring worldwide.

    Researchers said that if other studies confirm the findings, the next step would be to examine if people who eat more unknowingly take in dementia-fighting nutrients in the extra food they consume.

    The study, published in the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology Journal, flies in the face of previous smaller studies — and much modern health advice — that what is good for the heart is also good for the head.

    A 2008 study of 6,000 people published in the Neurology journal found that people who have big bellies in their ’40s were much more likely to get Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia in their ’70s. That study was among the first to link middle-aged spread to a fading mind.

    But the new research “overshadows those (previous studies) by orders of magnitude,” said Nawab Qizilbash of Oxon Epidemiology, who led the study. “We show completely the opposite,” Qizilbash said, as quoted by the Times of London.

    Patients were an average 55 years old and 45,507 of them developed dementia over an average of nine years. The risk of dementia fell steadily as their weight rose, the researchers found.

    Qizilbash, as quoted in the Times, said the findings held despite attempts to adjust it for other causes of dementia and the tendency of obese people to die earlier...........

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/new-research-being-fat-in-middle-age-cuts-risk-of-developing-dementia/2015/04/10/c87512ec-df52-11e4-a1b8-2ed88bc190d2_story.html?postshare=8351428665554105

    ReplyDelete


  65. Vladimir Putin will likely never ride a shark, an eagle or a giant Ritz cracker.

    But it's whether that's for personal or physical reasons that may determine whether memes showing him doing so are illegal.

    That's according to a newly enacted law in Russia which has reportedly outlawed memes depicting public figures — like the Russian president — in a way that has nothing to do with the individuals' "personality."

    "These ways of using [celebrities' images] violate the laws governing personal data and harm the honor, dignity and business of public figures," reads the new law obtained by Roskomnadzor and translated by the Washington Post.

    It also forbids fake online accounts and websites created for public individuals.

    Those who feel that their dignity has been compromised from such activity have the option to file a lawsuit if a request for the illegal information to be taken down is ignored or denied.

    ngolgowski@nydailynews.com

    http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russia-outlaws-misleading-internet-memes/ar-AAaJLM9?ocid=SKY2DHP

    ReplyDelete
  66. How to Beat a Polygraph Test

    By MALIA WOLLANAPRIL 10, 2015
    Photo
    Credit Illustration by Radio


    The New York Times Magazine Newsletter



    “A polygraph is nothing more than a psychological billy club used to coerce and intimidate people,” says Doug Williams, a former Oklahoma City police detective and polygraph examiner who for 36 years has trained people to pass the lie-detector test. The first step is not to be intimidated. Most tests include two types of questions: relevant ones about a specific incident (“Did you leak classified information to The New York Times?”) and broader so-called control questions (“Have you ever lied to anyone who trusted you?”). The test assumes that an innocent person telling the truth will have a stronger reaction to the control questions than to the relevant ones. Before your test, practice deciphering between the two question types. “Go to the beach” when you hear a relevant question, Williams says. Calm yourself before answering by imagining gentle waves and warm sand.

    When you get a control question, which is more general, envision the scariest thing you can in order to trigger physiological distress; the polygraph’s tubes around your chest measure breathing, the arm cuff monitors heart rate and electrodes attached to you fingertips detect perspiration. What is your greatest fear? Falling? Drowning? Being buried alive? “Picture that,” Williams says. He used to advise trainees to clench their anus but has since concluded that terrifying mental imagery works better.


    Williams, who is 69, may be among the more vitriolic critics of polygraphs, which he refers to as “insidious Orwellian instruments of torture,” but their reliability has long been questioned elsewhere, too. Federal legislation prohibits most private employers from using polygraphs. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that lower courts can ban them as evidence, and the scientific community has repeatedly raised concerns about their ability to accurately detect lies. Still, the federal government and state and local law-enforcement agencies continue to administer them. Last November, the Justice Department charged Williams with witness tampering after he gave his polygraph tutorial to undercover agents posing as federal-job applicants who had engaged in illegal activities. Even with a looming court date, Williams is coaching clients and crusading against “this dangerous myth of lie detection.” The government, he says, is really after him for exposing the test’s fallibility: “I’ve made them look like fools and con men.”

    http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/12/magazine/how-to-beat-a-polygraph-test.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0

    Quirk used to train people to beat the polygraph. He was one of the old school types and went with the clench the anus procedure with his students. He had 'em eat lentils too before the test, which helped with the clenching.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Quirk never was charged with witness tampering. He always had a wonderful feel for 'heat' and always got of state before things got 'hot'.

      Delete
    2. bob Thu May 27, 12:52:00 AM EDT

      But I did rip off the bank for $7500 hundred dollars, when I was on my knees, and fighting for my economic life, on my aunt's credit card. But that wasn't really stealing, just payback. …


      Just like a meth head, Robert "Draft Dodger" Peterson, tries to justify his crime by saying that the loot was owed him, by the people or institution he ripped off.

      Delete
  67. At this moment, the 8th largest economy on earth is getting 33% of its electricity from non-large hydro Renewables.

    One Third

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  68. (IraqiNews.com) Sweden announced on Thursday, that it plans to send military forces into northern Iraq as part of the international coalition to combat the ISIS organization, adding that the number of soldiers amounts to 35 elements and might reach 120 elements if necessary.

    The Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstorm and Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist said in a joint written statement published by the Russian website ‘Sputnik’ and followed by IraqiNews.com, “Sweden intends to send troops into northern Iraq as part of the international coalition to combat ISIS and advise the Iraqi security forces,” explaining that, “The Swedish experts will work with other members of the coalition who are already in the region, like the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway and Finland.”

    The two ministers added, “The Swedish government asked the parliament to ratify sending a group of 35 soldiers in 2015 to participate in military operations conducted by the international coalition in north of Iraq,” noting that, “The number is probably up to 120 soldiers if necessary.”

    Next

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  69. Canada has conducted its first airstrike against the extremists ISIS Daesh in Syria under its expanded and extended military mission approved by the Parliament last week. The U.S. Department of Defence said Canada, along with the U.S. and other allies, carried out seven air strikes from Wednesday to Thursday morning.

    Four airstrikes, involving bomber, fighter and attack aircraft, were done near Hasakah, striking an ISIS Daesh tactical . . . . . .

    Mo Folks

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