RACIST SEIU in action. Where's Mary Kay Henry? She out telling black folk what they can and can't say too?
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
As the Mosul Turns....
The story comes from DAWN.
Iraqi forces grind on in east Mosul as political rift opens over Shia militias
MOSUL: Iraq’s sectarian political leaders have plunged back into a dispute over the status of Shia armed groups, undermining efforts to reunite the country as its troops press on with the assault of Mosul, the militant Islamic State group’s biggest stronghold.
Forty days into the biggest ground offensive in Iraq since the US-led invasion of 2003, about a quarter of the city has been taken by US-backed government units on the eastern side. The western part could prove far more dangerous, Major General Najm al-Jubbouri, one of the army’s top commanders, said.
Residents still wearing the long beards demanded by the IS group welcomed Iraqi troops into a neighbourhood of east Mosul with coffee, cheers and kisses after the fighters left.
“Today we have been released from prison,” said a resident, Ahmed Zeidan Mahmoud. “We were imprisoned. No water, no electricity, there was nothing.” On the wall of a kindergarten, the faces of two girls were blotted out by militants who consider it un Islamic to depict people. Nearby, a dog was eating the corpse of a militant.
The slow progress was overshadowed by the sectarian political quarrel that erupted in Baghdad on Saturday when Shia lawmakers forced a law through parliament legalising the mainly Iranian-backed paramilitary units known as Popular Mobilisation forces.
Many Sunnis consider the paramilitaries to be sectarian militia and accuse them of having carried out abuses in Sunni areas recaptured from IS. The Popular Mobilisation units deny having sectarian aims or committing widespread abuse and say they saved the nation when the army crumbled in the face of IS’s lightning advance two years ago.
Sunni members of parliament boycotted the session held on Saturday, objecting to the existence of armed groups outside the army and the police, and worrying that Popular Mobilisation will enhance Shia majority rule and Iran’s regional influence.
The dispute threatens to complicate efforts to pull the country back together and foster reconciliation when Mosul is captured, which would mark the effective defeat of IS in Iraq.
The Iraqi military estimates there are 5,000 to 6,000 insurgents in Mosul facing a 100,000-strong force made up of Iraqi government troops, Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and Shia Popular Mobilisation units.
Monday, November 28, 2016
Iran plans navy bases in Yemen and Syria
The story comes from Al Arabiya.
Iran plans navy bases in Yemen and Syria
The chief of staff of Iranian armed forces, General Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, was quoted saying Iran “needs distant bases, and it may become possible one day to have bases on the shores of Yemen or Syria, or bases on islands or floating (bases).”
“Is having distant bases less than nuclear technology? I say it is worth dozens of times more,” added Baqeri, who was speaking at a gathering of naval commanders on Saturday morning.
He also stated that there are a lot of volunteers from the “shrine defenders” – a title Iran gives its sectarian militias fighting on the ground in Syria and the region – that are “ready to sacrifice for the Navy if given the chance.”
These statements suggest Iran’s intention to use naval forces in Syria and Yemen to further their military intervention in Arab countries that are within its expansionist and sectarian agenda, which many Iranian officials have been supporting.
It appears that the purpose of the declaration by the chief of staff of Iran is to raise the morale of the militias in Yemen after suffering successive defeats at the hands of the coalition forces and the national army.
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Barack Obama - A Case Study In Anti-Americanism
"Today, we offer condolences to Fidel Castro's family, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Cuban people. " - Barack Obama (11/26/2016)
Whitehouse.gov
Alekseev finally confronted Mr. Castro: are you asking Comrade Khrushchev to deliver a nuclear strike on the United States? Mr. Castro told him, “If they attack Cuba, we should wipe them off the face of the earth!”
New York Times
--
Satan Calls Fidel Home, Obama Finally Has a Funeral Worthy of His Attending
Anyway, it's good to see someone finally die that is important enough in the radical agenda of Barack Obama that warrants the U.S. President actually attending the funeral.
Perhaps at the wake, Obama and the Chinese can get together and review slide shows of all of the civilians massacred in both the Cuban and Chinese revolutions. That outta put a smile on the face of Barry.
And my favorite from Twitter....
Congrats to Fidel Castro for finally becoming a good communist! pic.twitter.com/485ZrG9CYS— That Guy T (@_ThatGuyT) November 26, 2016
The story is from PJ Media.
Fidel Castro, Former President of Cuba, Dead at 90
Former Cuban president and communist revolutionary Fidel Castro has died at age 90, state TV has announced. According to the Associated Press, current president Raul Castro announced the death of his brother on Cuban state media. No further details were provided.
Twitter quickly erupted as news of Castro's death began to spread.
Whether or not Lyon was serious, it brings to mind the end of the Iran hostage crisis, when 52 Americans were released just twenty minutes after President Ronald Reagan took the oath of office. The event set the tone for Reagan's presidency in incalculable ways. Of course, Cuba is no Iran and Fidel Castro has been in mothballs for the past decade, so this will be nowhere near the momentous event the Iran hostage release was. Unless, of course, Castro's death leads to political unrest in our neighbor to the south.
Cuban-born Miami Herald columnist Armando Salguero said on CNN that "there's a special place in hell" for Castro, adding that there's "one less vacancy" there tonight.
Some were mourning the death of their beloved communist leader
Fidel Castro was prime minister of the Republic of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, then ruled as president of Cuba until 2008. Politically a Marxist-Leninist and Cuban nationalist, Castro led Cuba to become a one-party communist state and economy under his authoritarian rule. President Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro announced in 2014 the beginning of a process that would normalize relations between the two countries. In 2016 Obama became the first U.S. president to visit Cuba since 1928.
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Car bomb attack kills 8 soldiers in Egypt’s Sinai
The story comes from Al Arabiya.
Car bomb attack kills 8 soldiers in Egypt’s Sinai
Eight Egyptian soldiers were killed in a car bomb attack targeting a checkpoint in Sinai, where the local affiliate of the ISIS group is leading an insurrection, the army said Thursday.
“A group of armed terrorists attacked one of the security checkpoints in north Sinai,” the army spokesman said.
“A car bomb attack, the clashes that ensued and a blast targeting one of the vehicles left eight members of the armed forced dead.”
Friday, November 25, 2016
At least 70 pilgrims killed by Islamic State truck bomb in Iraq
Reports are now coming out that the death toll is more than 100.
The story comes from DAWN.
At least 70 pilgrims killed by Islamic State truck bomb in Iraq
A suicide bombing claimed by the militant Islamic State (IS) group killed at least 70 people, mainly Shia pilgrims, south of Baghdad Thursday, in the latest militant attack as Iraqi forces battle to retake Mosul.
The huge truck bomb blast ripped through a petrol station where buses packed with faithful returning from the Arbaeen commemoration in Karbala were parked, officials said.
Most of the victims were Iranians, the largest contingent of foreigners in the pilgrimage, which is one of the world's largest religious events and culminated on Monday.
The attack took place near a village called Shomali, about 120 kilometres southeast of Baghdad.
IS, which is fighting to defend its Mosul stronghold in northern Iraq, claimed responsibility for the attack.
In a statement quoted by the SITE Intelligence Group, IS said a bomber “blew up his vehicle amidst their assembly, inflicting among them more than 200 killed and wounded, including Iranians.”
Falah al-Radhi, head of the provincial security committee for Babylon, the province where the bombing happened, said it had targeted several buses.
“A large truck exploded among them. It was a suicide attack,” he told AFP.
“There are at least 70 dead, fewer than 10 are Iraqis, the rest are Iranians.”
Videos circulating on social media showed debris scattered over a large area along the main highway linking Baghdad to the main southern port city of Basra.
“There are completely charred corpses at the scene,” said Radhi, who added that at least 20 wounded were transferred to nearby hospitals.
The Joint Operations Command in Baghdad issued a statement saying the truck was packed with 500 litres of ammonium nitrate, a chemical compound used in many explosive devices.
Diversionary attacks
Up to 20 million people visited Karbala, home to the mausoleum of Hazrat Imam Hussein (RA), for Arbaeen this year. According to the Iraqi authorities, around three million of them were Iranians.
Iraq had deployed around 25,000 members of the security forces in and around the shrine city, which lies southwest of Baghdad, to protect the pilgrims from a feared IS attack.
The militant group, which is losing ground in Mosul, has carried out a series of high-profile diversionary attacks since Iraqi forces launched a huge offensive against their northern stronghold last month.
Elite forces battled IS militants in eastern Mosul Thursday, looking for fresh momentum in their five-week-old offensive to retake Iraq's second city.
Maan al-Saadi, a commander with the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), told AFP on the front line in Mosul that his forces were fighting IS in the neighbourhood of Al-Khadraa.
“They cannot flee. They have two choices -- give up or die,” he said.
Over the past few days, Iraqi forces have cut off the main supply line running from Mosul to the western border with Syria, where IS still controls the city of Raqqa.
The US-led coalition also bombed bridges over the Tigris river that splits Mosul in two, reducing the militants' ability to resupply the eastern front.
“The Iraqi advance on the south and southeast of the city has started to pick up some steam, which we think is a really great development,” coalition spokesman Colonel John Dorrian said.
'Brutal' fighting
“It is extraordinarily tough fighting, just brutal, but there is an inevitability to it. The Iraqis are going to beat them,” he told AFP.
IS fighters moving in an intricate network of tunnels have used snipers, booby traps and a seemingly endless supply of suicide car bombers to stop Iraqi forces.
The authorities have not released casualty figures since the start of the offensive but fighters have admitted being surprised by how fierce IS resistance has been.
Iraqi forces launched a major offensive on October 17 to retake Mosul, where militant supremo Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed a caliphate in 2014.
They are also edging towards the city from a northern front as well as from the south, where they are within striking distance of Mosul airport.
Among the forces deployed south and west of the city are the Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation), an umbrella for paramilitaries dominated by Tehran-backed militias.
They have focused their operations on Tal Afar, a large town still held by IS west of Mosul and on Wednesday announced they had cut the main road between it and Syria.
That will make it very long and dangerous for IS if it attempts to move fighters and equipment between Mosul and Raqa, the last two bastions of their crumbling “state”.
The International Organisation for Migration said Thursday that around 76,000 people had been displaced since October 17.
It said that about 7,000 people had already returned to their homes, leaving roughly 69,000 still displaced, most of them in camps.
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Reports: Hezbollah chief’s guard seen in Aleppo
Reports: Hezbollah chief’s guard seen in Aleppo
Social media accounts since last week have circulated pictures of Lebanese Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah’s body guard, donning a military attire, in Syria.
Lebanon’s Shiite movement Hezbollah is an Iranian proxy and has long supported Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s government following the regionalization of the Syrian conflict, which began in early 2011.
On a Facebook account belonging to ‘Sham Zainab’ on Nov. 16, a picture of Nasrallah’s body guard, who is known by his alias ‘Abu Ali’, was published.
The caption said: “Abu Ali, Sayed Hassan Nasrallah’s guard, in one of the battle fields in Syria.”
On another Facebook account under the name of ‘Faris Al-Quds’, a picture of ‘Abu Ali’ was published, showing him wearing a military uniform. The caption said that the picture belonged to Nasrallah’s body guard.
One Facebook account under the name ‘Mihwar Al-Mukawa” reported on Nov. 16 that Israel’s Channel 10 said that ‘Abu Ali’ is in Qusayr – a city in the western Syrian governorate of Homs – where a military parade was taking place.
Meanwhile, other Twitter accounts under the names of ‘Ali Nazal’ and ‘Abu Al-Huda Al-Humsi’ on Nov. 18 said “Iranian websites close to Iran’s Republican Guards said Hezbollah has sent Hassan Nasrallah’s guard to Aleppo, and he is called Ali Abu Jawad in search for Jerusalem’s path.”
‘Jerusalem’s path’ is a term used by Hezbollah to justify its involvement in the Syrian conflict as it considers liberation of Jerusalem from Israel as its final battle that should be won for Muslims.
Lebanese media has also reported about the pictures.
The independent Lebanese newspaper Annahar published on Tuesday that social media users have circulated a new picture for ‘Abu Al’, said to be taken at the “frontier battles between the Syrian army and militants in Aleppo.”
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Palestinian tries to stab Israeli guard, shot dead: Police
Just another reason to say thanks on Thursday - there's one less Palestinian in the world.
The story comes from DAWN.
Palestinian tries to stab Israeli guard, shot dead: Police
An Israeli security guard shot and killed a Palestinian who tried to stab him at a busy checkpoint in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, Israeli police said.
Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the Palestinian was brandishing a knife and approached the guard on foot in the vehicle lane of the Qalandiya checkpoint. The guard was not hurt, she said.
The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the man was dead.
At least 228 Palestinians have been killed in violence in the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip since October 2015. Israel says at least 154 of them were assailants in a wave of lone attacks often targeting security forces and using rudimentary weapons including kitchen knives. Others died during clashes and protests.
The street assaults killed at least 33 Israelis and two visiting Americans over the same period.
Israel says one of the main causes of the violence is incitement by the Palestinian leadership, with young men encouraged to attack Israeli soldiers and civilians.
Families say assailants acted out of desperation, frustrated by the lack of progress towards peace and Israel's continued building of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want for their own state.
Palestinians accused Israeli police and soldiers of using excessive force in many cases, saying many assailants could have been stopped or detained without being killed. In several cases, Israel has opened investigations.
Israel has occupied the West Bank and East Jerusalem for nearly 50 years, since the 1967 Middle East war, and maintains tight restrictions on the movement of Palestinians in some areas, especially checkpoints that border Israel.
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Not the Trump Wall, But the Hillary Cliff
Yes, for all of our poor, poor suffering Liberal friends in America who just can't seem to make it through the reality that Donald J Trump will be your next President, we graciously offer up to you....no, not the Trump Wall but the Hillary Cliff.
This cliff is designed to take away your pain. Simply follow the likes of Michael Moore and Gigi Hadid and the "Hamilton" guy to the edge of the Cliff and simply take that next step for personal relief from your pain.
--
Monday, November 21, 2016
Afghanistan accuses Iran of supporting Taliban
Now that Afghanistan is on its own against the Taliban, they start to admit the shit that we pointed out five years ago.
The story comes from Al Arabiya.
Afghanistan accuses Iran of supporting Taliban
Afghanistan security forces have formally complained of Iran logistically and militarily supporting the extremist activities of the Afghan Taliban group.
An Afghan official told Kabul Television that Iran supports the extremist group by hosting training exercises inside the country.
A former foreign ministry official told German media outlet Deutsche Welle: “This is the first time that Iran has confessed to supporting the Taliban. In the past, they always blamed Pakistan for this.”
Late in October, Al Arabiya English reported on how one Afghan Taliban leader revealed details of his group’s relations with Iran.
“The movement is trying to benefit from all legitimate means to reach a regional agreement as part of the war against the American invasion; therefore, the Imara holds ongoing networks with a large number of regional and neighboring states,” he said at the time.
He said to the London-based Asharq Al-Awsat in an email 19 months ago, that the movement had received drone planes from Iran, which help film suicidal operations.
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Twitter Perfection
I haven't seen the Democrats this mad since we freed the slaves!— Rob Schneider (@RobSchneider) November 18, 2016
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Lesson #173: Don't Throw Rocks at IDF Troops and Live, Throw Them and Die
Moral of the story - when the IDF fires warning shots in the air, put down your rock and go home.
The story comes from YNET News.
Palestinian killed by IDF in clash on Gaza–Israel border
In the regular Friday stone-throwing from Gaza towards Israeli forces, the IDF fires; Gaza's health ministry says the shooting kills 26-year-old man.
Gaza's health ministry said that a 26-year-old Palestinian, Mohammad Abu Seada, was killed by soldiers in clashes along the border between the territory ruled by the Islamic militant group Hamas and Israel.
Another three Gazans taking part in the protests were also injured.
The IDF said dozens of Palestinians breached the buffer zone, damaged the fence, threw rocks at soldiers, burned tires and "attempted to infiltrate Israel."
It said forces at the scene fired warning shots in the air to disperse them before shooting towards central rioters and that it is investigating the incident.
Dozens of protesters hurl rocks at Israeli soldiers every Friday along the border with Gaza.
Friday, November 18, 2016
Further Proof of America's Downward Spiral
After viewing this article, I decided to query this here "adulting" .....
From the Urban Dictionary:
Adulting
Adulting (v): to do grown up things and hold responsibilities such as, a 9-5 job, a mortgage/rent, a car payment, or anything else that makes one think of grown ups
.
Used in a sentence: Jane is adulting quite well today as she is on time for work promptly at 8am and appears well groomed.
Alrighty then, let's go to the article....shall we?
YAAG: Adulting with Coloring Books
Eric will be hosting a session on adulting with coloring books!
How this works: We are a group of 20 & 30-somethings, affiliated with University Unitarian Church. You don't have to be a Unitarian to attend, but you might enjoy our discussions if you are interested in exploring ethics, faith, and/or spirituality, whatever these mean to you. We often alternate between Wednesday night social events, Wednesday night discussions, and occasional service work. We invent discussion topics as a group, and typically a couple people volunteer to lead each discussion. Past topics have included Beauty, Maturity/Having it Together, and the 1/4-Life Crisis.
COMMENTS:
Eric V.
I'd like to see hands-on activities like this more regularly.
2 · January 21
Simone
I'm brainstorming now!
January 21
Simone
Don't know what there will be to go around, so I'll see if I can't remember to bring colored pencils/ markers (both Crayola).
January 20
Eric V.
Yes please. I have some colored pencils and a book to share but please bring whatever you have.
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Yemen Tells John Kerry To Pound Sand
Some thought it was impossible to find a more hopeless and incompetent Secretary of State than Hillary Clinton but John Kerry has been equal to the task.
The story comes from Al Arabiya.
Yemeni govt snubs Kerry’s end of hostilities deal
Yemeni Foreign Minister Al-Mekhlafi said Tuesday that his government was not consulted on the cessation of hostilities deal announced in the same day by US Secretary of State John Kerry, Al Arabiya News Channel reported.
Mekhlafi criticized the agreement saying it will jeopardize prospects of reaching peace between Yemen’s warring sides.
“The government was not aware of nor is it interested in what Secretary Kerry announced, which represents a desire to scuttle peace efforts by trying to reach an agreement with the Houthis apart from the government,” Mekhlafi wrote on his official twitter page.
Mekhlafi made his statement after Kerry said the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen and the Arab Coalition have agreed to cessation of hostilities starting on Nov. 17.
Speaking to journalists at the end of a visit to the United Arab Emirates, Kerry added that all parties to the conflict have also agreed to work to set up a Yemeni national unity government by the end of the year.
In a related story, Saudi air defense forces on Tuesday intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile fired from Yemen towards the kingdom, the coalition said.
The missile was fired towards the Najran region but was shot down, said a coalition statement published by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
Coalition forces responded by targeting the source of the fire inside Yemen, it added.
The coalition has been engaged in a bombing campaign against the Houthis and their allies since March last year, and the militias have targeted their air bases.
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
The Obama Press Conference - The Holger CliffsNotes
For those of you who either refused to or couldn't stomach listening to the Obama Press Conference yesterday, I have provided below the Holger CliffsNotes of what he said:
- My Administration has done everything right
- My Administration will go down in history as the best ever
- I still hate this fucking country of America
- If you are pregnant, do not saddle yourself with that punishment and have the baby aborted immediately
- I will work with Donald Trump throughout the transition - unless I have to play golf, play on my Blackberry or use dope
- I will contact world leaders over the next two months to totally fuck the world over even more than I already did
- In regards to the anti-Trump protests, I really don't know anything more than you folks from what you see on tv
- Lastly, in regards to the missed photo op of Michelle and me with the Trumps at the White House last week, being a sensitive, metrosexual guy like I am, I thought it unfair to make my wife see a photo of a couple where the husband's ass is actually bigger than the wife's
--
Monday, November 14, 2016
Will Nigeria Finally Obliterate Boko Haram?
Mulling final onslaught on Boko Haram
The killing of Lt. Col. Abu Ali, who was Commanding Officer of the 272 Task Force Tank Battalion, and four soldiers on the night of Friday, November 4, while repelling Boko Haram’s attack got me thinking of when the final nail will be driven into the coffin of the extremist Islamic sect. According to the military, the insurgents invaded the 119 Battalion of Nigerian Army located at Mallam Fatori, northern Borno State, during which the killings took place. It was not that the late soldiers went in search of the terrorists in their hideouts in Sambisa. The insurgents came with the motive to takeover the facility, but were fought back.
It was sad news, that Boko Haram still has the audacity and capacity to launch such level of attacks, after all that had been done to eliminate and degrade them. And based on what had been said by government and military spokespersons since May 29 last year, that recent attack couldn’t have happened, because Boko Haram had been vanquished, several times over. But of late, that is not what we see and hear. Despite repeated offensive by the military, there seems to be a reserve of energy on the side of the insurgents that renders government effort otiose. It is especially so, if one considers the new wave of enthusiasm among the women wing of Boko Haram to disguise as well meaning citizens, only to explode strapped IEDs, killing innocent victims. Sometimes, male suicide bombers actually disguise as females, hiding their lethal belts in their so-called hijabs. In the last two weeks, at least two explosions have occurred in Maiduguri. One of such took place at a civilian JTF checkpoint attached to the Bakassi Internally Displaced Persons camp on October 29, and another in front of NNPC depot along Damboa Road. They were programmed for maximum damage, but nine persons were sent to untimely graves. According to reports, since October 29, other attempts were made by insurgents to cause damage, using suicide bombers, but were foiled by vigilant security agencies, suggesting that while the military is doing its utmost to dislodge and degrade them, their capacity to use IEDs remains robust. That means, too, that the touted efforts to grant amnesty to ‘repentant’ and overpowered sectarian militants and the attempt to wean adherents away from their injurious and lethal philosophy have not reached base.
To me, this is where the real challenge is: To recover the soul of northeast, and indeed, all of Nigeria from toxic and extreme religious bigotry, which have the potential to destroy all the labour that have been deployed to build Nigeria since 1914. The fate that has befallen Syria is not one to be envied by any country, but it was just an ordinary ‘Arab Spring’ that snowballed into what became major cataclysms in some Middle East countries. Major cities in Syria have been destroyed, together with monuments of history and ancient civilizations. That is the fury of uncontrolled zealotry that got into heads of political leadership.
Other countries in the Middle East not yet afflicted are working very hard to stave off this most combustive headache stalking the globe. Even countries in continental Europe have had their fair share. They are spending hugely to welcome Syrian refugees; while France has been a yearly sufferer of major terrorist attacks in its homeland. The United States is paying dearly in military costs, as well as, living in daily threats since 9/11.
The loss of Col Abu Ali, therefore, is symbolic of the failure of government and leaders to get down to basis in the fight against Boko Haram. Here was a dedicated young soldier, who was decorated at the 2015 Nigerian Army Day Celebration in Gusau, for his bravery and heroic deeds in the liberation of Baga. Less than one year later, the insurgents have plucked him and his colleagues, along with many POWs who were not acknowledged and documented. They are the ones paying dearly for the sins of leaders, who cannot separate religion from politics.
The other day, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Rev. Fr. Matthew Hassan Kukah lamented that some politicians in the north have started drumming sharia campaigns, advising that those who want to live under religious codes should relocate to countries, where theocracy is in practice, as in Saudi Arabia for Muslims or Zambia for Christians. Kukah reminded them that Nigeria is not a theocratic state and should not be forced to be one.
Indeed, when some state governments launched sharia rules in north in the early 2000s, they thought that was the apogee of political correctness. In the account of one Kaka Shehu Lawal, who claimed to have been attorney general and commissioner of justice in Borno State, he alleged that former governor Modu Sheriff, while he was governorship candidate, promised to introduce the Islamic legal code, upon which he got the support of slain Mohammed Yusuf and his followers. That is in addition to other accounts, which showed clearly the romance between Sheriff and the late Yusuf, when the former became governor. The relationship was to turn sour, after which Yusuf and his group began to launch attacks against government institutions, including police stations. It was after Lawal was killed in 2009, that Boko Haram went full-blown and uncontrollable.
Kukah showed courage to have warned those who are again peddling sharia rule of the consequences of their trade. The Constitution of Nigeria, to which all have agreed to surrender their individual and group interests, is very clear on issues of religion. Until it is repealed, the Constitution does not permit anyone or group to elevate his or her religion above the State. The State wants people to practise their religions privately and that Nigeria is not a theocracy. For sometime now, there are stories of amendments going on in the House of Representatives to elevate sharia rule as a national code, beyond what is practised in some northern states. The leadership of the House has denied, but the stories have not abated. The fears in some quarters is that, if it was so swift for the National Assembly to amend the CCT and CCB laws so stealthily and crookedly, to the extent that even the majority leader, Femi Gbajabiamila now feigns ignorance and demands a revisit, that whatever the House is doing regarding any form of amendment should be done under daylight for all of us.
Again, the trials of persons, who have been arrested for terrorist activities, have not shown that leaders are serious to kill the germ of Boko Haram before it afflicts more zones of the country. The trials are sloppy and sometimes, deliberately programmed to fail. Many political leaders, who were fingered in initial intelligence reports, were allowed to go without full and decisive prosecution. The Modu Sheriff, who is alleged to be central to the evolution of Boko Haram, is courted by political parties, instead of assisting intelligence departments to dig into the source of the insurgency.
The cost of Boko Haram is huge on everybody. Like ISIS, the insurgents do not discriminate, when they afflict society. Therefore, this is the time for political, religious and traditional rulers to confront the issues frontally without any attempt by anybody or religious group to smuggle any code into the Constitution. Or attempt to use institutions of State and agencies of government to attempt the entrenchment of domination over persons of other religious beliefs, ethnic and geo-political zones. Those were the same tactics that have combined to deny the country of competitive growth. Government should uphold the Constitution and deal fairly and justly with all religious groups. If Government is to be heavy-handed on the Shiites, it should deploy the same weight on other religious groups, who flout the Constitution, including supporters and sponsors of Boko Haram, who are still prowling the political stage and holding others to ransom.
In the life of the previous regime, politicians in the then opposition exploited the insurgency for political capital, whereas, what was needed to confront the evil was a combined, bipartisan attack. In the end, that government was left clueless, as politicians exploited the situation to their advantage.
Going forward, and to avoid the loss of our brilliant and patriotic soldiers, we must think of a final onslaught on Boko Haram. It begins with working for the advancement of constitutionalism. Let politicians stop hiding behind religion to feed fat and cause trouble. Otherwise, the fire next time will be unquenchable. Ask Syria!
Sunday, November 13, 2016
The Attack on the German Consulate in Afghanistan
The report comes from The Long War Journal.Taliban claims suicide assault on German consulate
A Taliban suicide assault team killed six civilians and wounded more than 100 in an attack on the German consulate in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif last night.
A Taliban suicide bomber rammed a truck packed with explosives into the outer wall of the consulate compound and detonated, creating a breach for the armed assault team to enter the compound. The German Foreign Office confirmed that there was “fighting outside” and “on the premises of the German Consulate.”
German security personnel, Afghan security forces, and special forces from NATO’s Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan battled the Taliban on the consulate grounds for at least an hour before defeating the Taliban attack. Resolute support reported “all 21 staff members of the German Consulate were safely evacuated to Camp Marmal.” However, Afghan civilians were killed and wounded as a result of the massive explosion that destroyed the outer wall of the consulate.
The Taliban claimed credit for the attack on its official website, Voice of Jihad, and said it was carried out to avenge the deaths of civilians in an airstrike in Kunduz province last week.
“[A] brave Mujahid of the martyr squad of the Islamic Emirate carried out a powerful explosion using a vehicle filled with explosives followed by direct shooting attacks and gunfire within the Consulate building that left a large number of the local security personnel and Consulate employees as well as German invaders dead and wounded,” the Taliban claimed. “It is worth mentioning that the Germans were part of the perpetrators plotting recent Kunduz bombings that inflicted casualties over 50 innocent and defenseless civilians.”
The Taliban is referring to the Nov. 3 airstrike outside of Kunduz city limits that is said to have killed at least 30 Afghan civilians. The Taliban blamed Germany for conducting the attack, but US Forces-Afghanistan said it launched airstrikes after a team of Afghan commandos advised by US special forces came under fire. The combined Afghan and US force was targeting a Taliban commander outside of the embattled city and was surrounded, according to reports from Afghanistan. Two US soldiers and three Afghan commandos were killed in the fighting.
While the Taliban’s claim that it attacked the German consulate to avenge those killed in Kunduz, another consulate in the capital of Balkh province was targeted earlier this year. That attack highlights the interlinking web of jihadist networks.
On Jan. 3, 2016, jihadists assaulted the Indian consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif and held off security forces for a day before being killed. No group has claimed credit for the attack, but one of the fighters wrote in Urdu “Afzal Guru is avenged” on the wall in his own blood before being killed, according to The Indian Express. Afzal Guru was a Jaish-e-Mohammed operative who was executed for his involvement in the Dec. 2001 assault on India’s Parliament in New Delhi. That assault was executed by Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba.
To complicate matters further, Asmatullah Muawiya, a Pakistani terrorist who serves as one of several al Qaeda “company” commanders as well as the leader of the Taliban in Punjab province, had threatened to avenge Guru’s execution.
Whichever group attacked the Indian consulate earlier this year would need the help of the local Taliban to carry it out.
Jaish-e-Mohammed is also suspected of executing the Jan. 2, 2016 suicide assault on Pathankot Air Force Base in Punjab province in India. Jihadists said the Pathankot attack was launched to avenge Guru.
Saturday, November 12, 2016
The Anti-Trump Riot Strategy
The funniest part of all of this is they are burning down the cities that voted for Hillary #TrumpRiot— Mike F (@miscofro) November 11, 2016
Friday, November 11, 2016
Trump and Modi will be 'best friends', says adviser to US president-elect
The story comes from DAWN.
Trump and Modi will be 'best friends', says adviser to US president-elect
The US president-elect will be "best friends" with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said adviser to Donald Trump and President of the Republican Hindu Coalition, Shalabh Kumar on Thursday.
While answering a question regarding Trump's expected policy towards Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kumar said, "They will be best friends ─ not only the two nations will be best friends, but these two gentlemen will be best friends. Donald Trump knows about Modi through me. He is very keen to learn about Modi."
"He [Trump] calls out the camel in the room when nobody else does. He already talks about cross-border terrorism ─ he is the first president to do so, essentially acknowledging that Pakistan is a perpetrator of terrorism," said Kumar while commenting on Trump's policy on South Asian security in the context of India's rivalry with Pakistan.
"What I expect from him is a full expression of support for the surgical strikes that Modi ordered. The war against radical Islam is going to be properly prosecuted. He is going to find great partnership with India in that," Kumar added.
Shalabh Kumar, an Indian émigré businessman, is Trump's point person for outreach to Indian-American voters.
The Chicago-based Kumar emigrated from India in 1969 and founded the Republican Hindu Coalition, a political interest group, last year.
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Rouhani: Trump cannot reverse nuclear deal
The story comes from Al Arabiya.
Rouhani: Trump cannot reverse nuclear deal
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said there was "no possibility" of its nuclear deal with world powers being overturned by US president-elect Donald Trump despite his threat to rip it up.
"Iran's understanding in the nuclear deal was that the accord was not concluded with one country or government but was approved by a resolution of the UN Security Council and there is no possibility that it can be changed by a single government," Rouhani told his cabinet, according to state television.
Last year's accord with world powers saw international sanctions on Iran lifted in exchange for guarantees that it would not pursue a nuclear weapons capability.
During the election campaign, Trump described the deal as "disastrous" and said it would be his "number one priority" to dismantle it.
Rouhani, a moderate who has pushed for closer ties with the West, said the United States' standing in the world had been weakened due to its "wrong policies".
"The United States no longer has the capacity to create Iranophobia and to create a consensus against Iran," he said.
"The constructive engagement policies of Iran towards the world, and the fact that international sanctions have been lifted, have placed the Iranian economy on a road where there is no possibility of going backwards."
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign minister called Wednesday on Trump to stick to international agreements regarding the nuclear deal with Tehran.
“Every US president has to understand the realities of today’s world. The most important thing is that the future US president stick to agreements, to engagements undertaken,” Mohammad Javad Zarif said in Romania.
Tehran insists its nuclear program is peaceful and has so far met its obligations under the deal, but supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said he would happily “burn” the agreement if Trump decides to tear it up.
Some Iranians believe the US president-elect will not make good on his threat.
“The Trump of the campaign is different to Trump the president,” said Allaeddine Borujerdi, chairman of parliament’s foreign affairs committee.
“It is natural that the American president is constrained by international rules and must apply them, notably on the nuclear deal,” the ISNA news agency quoted him as saying.
Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation said it was prepared for any eventuality.
“We have defined our nuclear programin such a way that we can continue in any situation,” spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi told the state broadcaster.
The deputy commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, said it made no difference to Iran who was in the White House.
“When the Republicans were in power, they threatened us and showed their hostility... and when the Democrats were in power, the policies of the United States were the same,” Salami told the Fars news agency.
Iran says the United States has not stuck to the spirit of the nuclear deal since it came into force in January, because a raft of unilateral US sanctions remain in place that have left it frozen out of the international banking system.
The US Congress is due to vote next month on whether to renew those sanctions, which are linked to Iran’s human rights record and ballistic missile tests.
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
A Few Words For Hillary Clinton
Dear Hillary,
It's over and you lost. The one thing you wanted more out of life than anything is gone.
You may ask yourself...."how did this happen....I was supposed to win!"
Let me tell you why you lost.
58,891,715 Americans thought you were the most corrupt, morally bankrupt candidate for President in the history of this country and voted against you for it. They didn't vote FOR Donald Trump, they voted AGAINST you. The other 59,004,540 felt the exact same way about you but simply wanted some free shit.
Were you looking for me to analyze the reasons a bit more? Well, sorry....but all I have to say to that is what difference at this point does it make?
Fuck off and get the hell out of our country.
--
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)