"Three-day blitz" plan for Iran

[Flacolaco]

From an Australian site....

http://abc.net.au/science/news/stori...489.htm?health

About 200 villagers have fallen ill from mysterious gases that spewed from a crater in southeastern Peru believed to have been caused by a meteorite crash, officials and scientists say.

But they say no radiation has been detected.

Scores of residents of the farming village of Carancas began vomiting and complaining of headaches and dizziness after an apparent meteorite struck the area at the weekend, leaving a crater 8 metres deep and 20 metres wide.

"We have determined with precision instruments that there is no radiation," says engineer Renan Ramirez of the Peruvian Nuclear Energy Institute.

Ramirez says the illnesses may have been triggered by sulfur, arsenic or other toxins that may have melted in the extreme heat produced by the apparent meteorite strike.

"It is a conventional meteorite that, when it struck, produced gases by fusing with elements of the terrain," he says.

He also ruled out that the object was a satellite.

But not all experts are convinced that the 'crater' was really formed by a meteorite, instead suggesting that natural geological processes could have led to the release of noxious gases into the atmosphere.

Nestor Quispe, mayor of the nearby town of Desaguadero, says about 200 sick villagers are being treated and that Carancas residents fear long-term side effects.

The director of the health ministry in the Puno region, Jorge Lopez, says none of the patients was in serious condition but that they would have to undergo blood and neurological tests as a precaution in three to six months.

USA Today....

Peruvian scientists have confirmed that the mysterious, flaming object that slammed into the Andes and sickened villagers over the weekend was in fact a meteorite, according to Living in Peru, which cites the official news agency. The meteorite left a crater 55 feet wide and 16 feet deep.

Somewhere between 100 and 600 people who went to investigate have been treated for headaches, nausea and vomiting after inhaling noxious gases coming from the crater near Lake Titicaca and the Bolivian border. Scientists reportedly will deliver a full report Thursday.

Here are earlier reports from the London Guardian and Reute

lol spy satellite....

[dalmations202]

Flacalaco, great stuff.

Now who is lying, the Russian paper or the US and Australian papers?

This is perfect to prove my point which is "different people hear different things about the same issue".

I have no idea who is lying, but I do know that every government, and newspaper is willing to do so if it brings them more power/money. Let's face it, Muslims want their way so that they are in control. To one extent that is what Muhammad was all about -- control. The US wants to control and change to an open market so they can have the power over people. Russia wants control, China wants control, most other smaller countries want to control themselves and not be controlled. It's all a game.

Believe what you want, research all you can, and take everything you hear/read with a grain of salt.

[Flacolaco]

I will. I would just really LIKE to believe that if some Peruvian scientest says that there is no radiation, and that it was a meteorite, that there might be some merit to that. Peru seems like it would be a fairly neutral party (?)

Who knows what is true?

It's really sad to think that any legitimate news organization would lie about anything

[dalmations202]

Originally Posted by Flacolaco

Who knows what is true?

It's really sad to think that any legitimate news organization would lie about anything

I don't think most news organizations actually lie, they just report what they are "given" -- then slant it to fit their agenda.

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by dalmations202

Flacalaco, great stuff.

Now who is lying, the Russian paper or the US and Australian papers?

This is perfect to prove my point which is "different people hear different things about the same issue".

I have no idea who is lying, but I do know that every government, and newspaper is willing to do so if it brings them more power/money. Let's face it, Muslims want their way so that they are in control. To one extent that is what Muhammad was all about -- control. The US wants to control and change to an open market so they can have the power over people. Russia wants control, China wants control, most other smaller countries want to control themselves and not be controlled. It's all a game.

Believe what you want, research all you can, and take everything you hear/read with a grain of salt.

Come on, you have to be kidding. Let's look at the russion "opinion" piece.

1. First it's an opinion piece, no news story at all.
2. Look at some of the language,

US nuclear attack on Iran thwarted

Like we need a spy satallite to launch nukes, ridiculous.

United States War Leaders plans to attack Iran in their attempt to engulf the entire Middle East in Total War

On it's face it's ridiculous. Secondly if we really wanted to do this, we'd just do it. As well as iran has provided quite enough provocation for us to do something against them.

United States Air Force that 6 nuclear armed cruise missiles were removed, without authorizatio

Ridiculous as well. Why would they be "moved". Are they trying to hide them? Heck we have "moving" nuclear missiles all of the time, they are called submarines.

where the first 'truce' between Americas War Leaders and its Military Forces was 'negotiated' by billionaire Warren Buffett as intermediary between the rival power blocs.

This one is good, warren buffet negotiated between rival power blocs. This guy obviously has his russian filter on, that may occur there, but give me a break.

3. I'm sure this opinion writer knows all about our most "prized satellite". Nutty as michael moore.

McSluggo has it right, Weekly World News and National Enquirer rolled into one.

Also go to the link and look at some of the other "opinions" if you want a laugh.

The Empire is Zapping “Free Speech”

Of course it's a US plot.

Attack on Iran: Morality lost in the garden of deceits

This one starts off very funny. The first paragraph talks about France but quickly gets back to the real devil, the US. And he even re-gurgitates the leftoids Alan Greenspan out of context remark.

There is a reason that the left was so enamored of communism, they think exactly alike. It's also why at all of the moveon meetings you see the little read book so pominant.

One is rank propaganda, the other is an attempt at a news story.

[dude1394]

I thought this an interesting opinion piece. Powerline pulled out this quote which is about right.
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archive.../09/018542.php

The coming of the war with Iran has very little to do with our intentions and has everything to do with the enemy's intentions. Our only choice is how we will respond. Will we continue to evade the need to confront this threat--or will we finally begin to fight back?

A few weeks ago, the Bush administration followed this up with a more substantive threat against Iran. The London Times reported on Pentagon planning for a massive three-day air attack on Iran. "US military planners were not preparing for 'pinprick strikes' against Iran's nuclear facilities," the Times wrote, quoting a source who declared that the plans are "about taking out the entire Iranian military." A second report in London's Telegraph described a "war game" conducted to practice for the economic effects of war with Iran, especially if Iran attempts to cut off oil shipments through the Straits of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. The participants reportedly concluded that "The policy recommendations eliminated virtually all of the negative outcomes" from an attack.

The fact that these stories were leaked to the international press suggests that their intended audience was, once again, the European diplomatists and the establishment in Tehran. This was an attempt to show them the big stick Uncle Sam is holding behind his back, ready to use if the Europeans and Iranians can't come up with their promised "diplomatic solution."

In that context, we can see the significance of last week's report that a diplomatic solution has now been definitively killed--and killed by the Germans, who had most loudly championed diplomacy. According to Fox News, Germany has "notified its allies...that the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel refuses to support the imposition of any further sanctions against Iran that could be imposed by the UN Security Council." The reason: "the damaging effects any further sanctions on Iran would have on the German economy." But "according to diplomats from other countries, [the Germans] gave the distinct impression that they would privately welcome, while publicly protesting, an American bombing campaign against Iran's nuclear facilities."

This makes the Germans the second most reprehensible party in this drama--after Iran, of course. The Germans have sidetracked the US for years in diplomatic wrangling that would supposedly end with European support for economic sanctions against Iran--yet it is now clear that the Germans never really intended to impose those sanctions. Worse, they betrayed their allies in the free world for short-term economic gain--this from a country that accuses America of waging war for oil. And the hypocrites now encourage us to attack Iran anyway, while they publicly condemn us.

This is a crucial turning point. The Fox News report makes it clear that Germany's refusal has utterly discredited the administration's advocates of "diplomatic containment" of Iran, with the hawks telling the diplomatists, in so many words, "we told you so."

[dalmations202]

Originally Posted by dude1394

Come on, you have to be kidding. Let's look at the Russian "opinion" piece.

1. First it's an opinion piece, no news story at all.
2. Look at some of the language,
Like we need a spy satellite to launch nukes, ridiculous.
<snip>

Oh, I agree.

There is a side note though, I know of a few times that the US Gov released false information. I am ex-military, and saw it first hand. With that said, I also know that lots of things go on that are not reported, and when they are, they are cleaned up. If the US gov does it, then I also believe ALL other governments do it.

So you have been lied to by papers, news, governments and politicians.

So be careful when you think you know the truth....it may be a made up one.

[dude1394]

Time to pull back within our shores. The world would just be a better place without us as proven by these notes.


http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/692acca6-6...0779fd2ac.html

Democracy in retreat around the world

By Daniel Dombey in Washington
Published: September 24 2007 22:00 | Last updated: September 24 2007 22:00

Democracy and good governance are on the retreat in a number of countries around the world, a wide-ranging report says on Tuesday.

The report, compiled by Freedom House, a US government-supported campaigning organisation, concludes that human rights and governance have worsened in Russia and Iran, arguing that corruption in Iran has intensified in spite of the campaign promises of President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad.

It also indicates that states across the world are attempting to follow the model of China and Russia by seeking to modernise parts of their economy while keeping a central grip on power.

Among the countries that have achieved economic success while maintaining or intensifying what the report identifies as political repression are Libya, Tunisia and Algeria. It adds that Egypt has been both economically unsuccessful and politically repressive and that democratic developments have been stopped in their tracks by coups in Thailand and Bangladesh.

The survey of 30 countries comes as President George W. Bush prepares to address the United Nations on his “freedom agenda” for the world on Tuesday.

[alexamenos]

meanwhile.....the senate just passed a bill which effectively gives the goahead on a little war with iran....

now back to our coverage of the NY Times discounted sell of a full page ad to moveon.com.....

[alexamenos]

Originally Posted by alexamenos

....now back to our coverage of the NY Times discounted sell of a full page ad to moveon.com.....

the above was a comment in jest regarding all the attention given to the moveon ad while the fact that the senate has passed an "authorization of force" bill has gone virtually unreported....

....flipping around the tube now, i see that fox news is reporting on moveon.org's ad....

lesson being --> reality is way funnier than me.

[dude1394]

Originally Posted by alexamenos

meanwhile.....the senate just passed a bill which effectively gives the goahead on a little war with iran....

now back to our coverage of the NY Times discounted sell of a full page ad to moveon.com.....

Since no bills are created that don't originate in the congress are you saying that congress is rushing to war?

[Mavdog]

Originally Posted by alexamenos

meanwhile.....the senate just passed a bill which effectively gives the goahead on a little war with iran....

oh? I guess that's true if the iranians are in iraq
-------------------------------------------------------------
SEC. 1535. SENSE OF SENATE ON IRAN.

(a) Findings.--The Senate makes the following findings:

(1) General David Petraeus, commander of the Multi-National Force Iraq, stated in testimony before a joint session of the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives on September 10, 2007, that ``[i]t is increasingly apparent to both coalition and Iraqi leaders that Iran, through the use of the Iranian Republican Guard Corps Qods Force, seeks to turn the Shi'a militia extremists into a Hezbollah-like force to serve its interests and fight a proxy war against the Iraqi state and coalition forces in Iraq''.

(2) Ambassador Ryan Crocker, United States Ambassador to Iraq, stated in testimony before a joint session of the Committee on Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives on September 10, 2007, that ``Iran plays a harmful role in Iraq. While claiming to support Iraq in its transition, Iran has actively undermined it by providing lethal capabilities to the enemies of the Iraqi state''.

(3) The most recent National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq, published in August 2007, states that ``Iran has been intensifying aspects of its lethal support for select groups of Iraqi Shia militants, particularly the JAM [Jaysh al-Mahdi], since at least the beginning of 2006. Explosively formed penetrator (EFP) attacks have risen dramatically''.

(4) The Report of the Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq, released on September 6, 2007, states that ``[t]he Commission concludes that the evidence of Iran's increasing activism in the southeastern part of the country, including Basra and Diyala provinces, is compelling. ..... It is an accepted fact that most of the sophisticated weapons being used to `defeat' our armor protection comes across the border from Iran with relative impunity''.

(5) General (Ret.) James Jones, chairman of the Independent Commission on the Security Forces of Iraq, stated in testimony before the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate on September 6, 2007, that ``[w]e judge that the goings-on across the Iranian border in particular are of extreme severity and have the potential of at least delaying our efforts inside the country. Many of the arms and weapons that kill and maim our soldiers are coming from across the Iranian border''.

(6) General Petraeus said of Iranian support for extremist activity in Iraq on April 26, 2007, that ``[w]e know that it goes as high as [Brig. Gen. Qassem] Suleimani, who is the head of the Qods Force. ..... We believe that he works directly for the supreme leader of the country''.

(7) Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, the president of Iran, stated on August 28, 2007, with respect to the United States presence in Iraq, that ``[t]he political power of the occupiers is collapsing rapidly. Soon we will see a huge power vacuum in the region. Of course we are prepared to fill the gap''.

(8) Ambassador Crocker testified to Congress, with respect to President Ahmedinejad's statement, on September 11, 2007, that ``[t]he Iranian involvement in Iraq--its support for extremist militias, training, connections to Lebanese Hezbollah, provision of munitions that are used against our force as well as the Iraqis--are all, in my view, a pretty clear demonstration that Ahmedinejad means what he says, and is already trying to implement it to the best of his ability''.

(9) General Petraeus stated on September 12, 2007, with respect to evidence of the complicity of Iran in the murder of members of the Armed Forces of the United States in Iraq, that ``[t]e evidence is very, very clear. We captured it when we captured Qais Khazali, the Lebanese Hezbollah deputy commander, and others, and it's in black and white. ..... We interrogated these individuals. We have on tape. ..... Qais Khazali himself. When asked, could you have done what you have done without Iranian support, he literally throws up his hands and laughs and says, of course not. ..... So they told us about the amounts of money that they have received. They told us about the training that they received. They told us about the ammunition and sophisticated weaponry and all of that that they received''.

(10) General Petraeus further stated on September 14, 2007, that ``[w]hat we have got is evidence. This is not intelligence. This is evidence, off computers that we captured, documents and so forth. ..... In one case, a 22-page document that lays out the planning, reconnaissance, rehearsal, conduct, and aftermath of the operation conducted that resulted in the death of five of our soldiers in Karbala back in January''.

(11) The Department of Defense report to Congress entitled ``Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq'' and released on September 18, 2007, consistent with section 9010 of Public Law 109-289, states that ``[t]here has been no decrease in Iranian training and funding of illegal Shi'a militias in Iraq that attack Iraqi and Coalition forces and civilians..... Tehran's support for these groups is one of the greatest impediments to progress on reconciliation''.

(12) The Department of Defense report further states, with respect to Iranian support for Shi'a extremist groups in Iraq, that ``[m]ost of the explosives and ammunition used by these groups are provided by the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force..... For the period of June through the end of August, [explosively formed penetrator] events are projected to rise by 39 percent over the period of March through May''.

(13) Since May 2007, Ambassador Crocker has held three rounds of talks in Baghdad on Iraq security with representatives of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

(14) Ambassador Crocker testified before Congress on September 10, 2007, with respect to these talks, stating that ``I laid out the concerns we had over Iranian activity that was damaging to Iraq's security, but found no readiness on Iranians' side at all to engage seriously on these issues. The impression I came with after a couple rounds is that the Iranians were interested simply in the appearance of discussions, of being seen to be at the table with the U.S. as an arbiter of Iraq's present and future, rather than actually doing serious business ..... Right now, I haven't seen any sign of earnest or seriousness on the Iranian side''.

(15) Ambassador Crocker testified before Congress on September 11, 2007, stating that ``[w]e have seen nothing on the ground that would suggest that the Iranians are altering what they're doing in support of extremist elements that are going after our forces as well as the Iraqis''.

(b) Sense of Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate--

(1) that the manner in which the United States transitions and structures its military presence in Iraq will have critical long-term consequences for the future of the Persian Gulf and the Middle East, in particular with regard to the capability of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to pose a threat to the security of the region, the prospects for democracy for the people of the region, and the health of the global economy;

(2) that it is a vital national interest of the United States to prevent the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran from turning Shi'a militia extremists in Iraq into a Hezbollah-like force that could serve its interests inside Iraq, including by overwhelming, subverting, or co-opting institutions of the legitimate Government of Iraq;

(3) that it should be the policy of the United States to combat, contain, and roll back the violent activities and destabilizing influence inside Iraq of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, its foreign facilitators such as Lebanese Hezbollah, and its indigenous Iraqi proxies;

(4) to support the prudent and calibrated use of all instruments of United States national power in Iraq, including diplomatic, economic, intelligence, and military instruments, in support of the policy described in paragraph (3) with respect to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies;

(5) that the United States should designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps as a foreign terrorist organization under section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act and place the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps on the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists, as established under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and initiated under Executive Order 13224; and

(6) that the Department of the Treasury should act with all possible expediency to complete the listing of those entities targeted under United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1737 and 1747 adopted unanimously on December 23, 2006 and March 24, 2007, respectively.

now back to our coverage of the NY Times discounted sell of a full page ad to moveon.com.....

don't you enjoy seeing the guys who wrote that ad being responsible for an uptick in the republican's ratings? I'm far from liking bush, but the moveon folks take it across the line.

the ny times was wrong. good they were caught. running the ad was a questionable decision, doing it for a discount? yikes

[alexamenos]

my mistake -- I read about this in a national review article which described it as an attachment to an appropriations bill....didn't realize it was under the "sense of senate" language.

cheers