Internet scammers and hate mailers

The kid above was of Palestinian decent and lived in Serbia for a while the moved around probably after getting into AL Qaeda. He went to Canada, Briton, various European countries and even the USA where he tried to obtain bomb making materials.

I have heard more and more stories about military or pro Americans supporting the troops from home being harassed. There is no doubt that most are just some dumb angry person with nothing better to do. However the story is much bigger. There is many people living in America who are angry liberals, anti-government, anarchists, and Muslims who know how to wage Internet war. The main attack they have outlined is propaganda and the spreading of lies. I have seen many people and cases of people using false Identifications, often stolen or counterfeited. This is a widespread problem. So before you send a message, comment, instant message, or email be sure who it is you’re communicating with. Check their friend’s lists and their bio info. If no info forget it. Click their friend’s pages to see what they are talking about and where they live and what their likes are. If you get hate mails or other harassment notify your friend and report it. Have friends report it if it happens to them.

One way to avoid the hate mails is do not send hate mail or send comments on pages that you don’t like. Also use ignore when you find someone bad. Also make sure to note the name send it to me so I can add it to a watch list.

Thanks all, god bless, and best wishes,

Ian Bach

Here is a list I have begun on possible fakers who are not in the military and may have alteier motives.

(please note the links, emails, and contact names listed below have not been confirmed as hackers or terrorists. However, to enable our readers to be aware of the possiblity of hate mails or viruses we have chosen to share this knowledge.

SUSPECT FAKE MILITARY yahoo IDs

John
http://360.yahoo.com/profile-Vx0odXMhdLaAiQ74vIIZzw8-?cq=1&inv=VhZL.VZgLv4-

List of Liberals (or wanabie ones or fake ids) spreading hate to good people
http://360.yahoo.com/profile-3u2J2GcmeqKTcV41xP1AEF8M#ymgl-guestbook

Suspects and Virus spreaders
we are not sure of persons http addy yet but im hunting wabbits hehe. -------If someone calling emselves "Ashley Marc James" wants to add you to their list dont accept it. Its a virus. Tell everyone on your list because if somebody on your list adds them you will get it too. It is a hard drive killer.

Suspect hacker. Ashley Marc James suspected Email Below (please dont email this guy or you give your computer ID away and will likely be hacked)

bum_tn007@hotmail.com

google name
This is the name of the photo album

hoanggiason - another suspect fakers pics...
more to come....

Here is a list of bad weeb yahoo 360 users (well bad in my view)

Link below is to one of the Blogs by James he has a science blog and a politics blog. Both have some really uniformed theories. He thinks tthe war is about oil. He wants to impeach bush. and some of his science ideas are about as smart as a rat in a maze. He promotes people to send letters / emails to congres and senate. These email templayes he haas people send would make Taliban and al-Qaeda proud. He plays into the propaganda and lies of terrorists and is so unamerican it makes me sick. He wants to impeach Bush and is using a lot of lies (lies originaly created by terorist but some dumb people still believe these lies) to encourage people to send emails to congress and senators to impeach bush also to stop wirer tapping. His name is James?? hmm could it be the Ashley marc james Dude?? I dono...
http://360.yahoo.com/profile-YW18nxE7eqtd0CMJGCB94Xu4

If he is in your group I would delete him. he also has another ID one is science (laughs - this guy is no scientist) other is politics (total liberal or a terrorist or anarchist?) be sure and stay safe. read the blogs of people in your group and read them as often as you can. Be sure you know who your friends are.

Fake IRS Email with a bad virus

The IRS will not email you. So do not open an email that says it is from the IRS. Apperently this virus scam has a Communist IP address who is doing this but they didnt say from where. I would think most likely from west or south communist states that use to make up greater Russia??

SCAM ALERT

ALERT: TELEPHONE FRAUD INVOLVING JURY DUTY

Washington, D.C. - The FBI today is providing a warning to the public against an ongoing scheme involving jury service. The public needs to be aware that individuals identifying themselves as U.S. court employees have been telephonically contacting citizens and advising them that they have been selected for jury duty. These individuals ask to verify names and Social Security numbers then ask for credit card numbers. If the request is refused, citizens are then threatened with fines.

The judicial system does not contact people telephonically and ask for personal information such as your Social Security number, date of birth or credit card numbers. If you receive one of these phone calls, do not provide any personal or confidential information to these individuals. This is an attempt to steal or to use your identity by obtaining your name, Social Security number and potentially to apply for credit or credit cards or other loans in your name. It is an attempt to defraud you.

If you have already been contacted and have already given out your personal information, please monitor your account statements and credit reports, and contact your local FBI office. Local FBI field office telephone numbers can be found in the front of your local telephone directory or on www.fbi.gov. For further information, please review the warnings posted on the U.S. Courts website at www.uscourts.gov, "Newsroom" news article "WARNING: Bogus Phone Calls on Jury Service May lead to Fraud," August 19, 2005.

For additional information regarding the same scam for local courts, please visit the following website: http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/juryduty.asp

Click here for link to web site for up to date virus warnings and information

High level of terrorist chatter reports FBI

Here is some News for all the liberals that are saying wirer taping is illegal, or complaining about freedoms. They complain about 9/11 but don't consider that FBI was begging for more ability to monitor suspects. Well the chatter has begun again and is increasing. When will the deaf, blind, and dumb public wake up to the fact that we are at War?

WASHINGTON - The FBI has increased its use of secret search warrants over the past two years because of a "high tempo of terrorist activity," a top official said yesterday.

FBI Assistant Director John Miller said the 2,176 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act search warrants approved last year, compared with only 1,754 granted in 2005, mostly targeted plotters inside America.

"We're seeing a very high tempo of terrorist activity, not just based on the cases you're seeing being brought in the United States," Miller said in an interview yesterday for C-SPAN's "Newsmaker" program.

Miller said the warrants, issued by a secret federal court in Washington, are usually not a "way to a prosecution," but are "an intelligence tool."

The FBI's chief spokesman - who as a TV newsman conducted a 1998 interview with Osama Bin Laden - echoed other counterterror officials who say the U.S. may have underestimated top Al Qaeda leaders' ability to oversee operations in recent years.

One measure is the record-high output of video and audio messages from Bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri.

Typically there has been "a two-year arc between major attacks to develop the plan and execute it," Miller said.

Al Qaeda is "on a bell curve and they're getting more effective" at planning new strikes while pushing propaganda to inspire others to "take that ball and run with it."

"They're counting on both happening at once," Miller said. "They're better at this than they were before and they're thinking about it differently."

Russia joins international sanctions on North Korea

(Kyodo) _ Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued the presidential decree to implement measures against North Korea for its nuclear test in line with a U.N. Security Council resolution unanimously approved last October, the presidential office said Wednesday.

The presidential decree bans trading with North Korea in materials, goods and technology which could contribute to North Korea's development of weapons of mass destruction-related programs such as those of missiles and nuclear weapons.

It also prohibits exports of luxury goods to North Korea and those to the North from third countries by way of Russia or Russian business corporations.

The luxury goods include furs, brand watches, perfumes, brandy and precious metals, the decree says.

Russia's joining the international sanctions on North Korea is quite logical, the first deputy head of the State Duma international policy committee said in his comments on the presidential decree.

"Pyongyang isolated itself from the world community and tries to develop its nuclear program on its own," Leonid Slutsky told Itar-Tass on Wednesday

He believes that Pyongyang's policy is impermissible, as it poses a threat to regional security.

"North Korea's inexpert and ineffective ballistic missile launch proves this," he reportedly said. One of the missiles deviated its trajectory and landed in the vicinity of Russian territory.

Pyongyang pursues a consecutive anti-compromise line and Russia's accession to the international sanctions on North Korea is logical, Slutsky was quoted as saying.

Phoney War Medals - Hillary and Obama still playing flip floping

People wearing Phoney War Medals - Even politicians!! lol what idiots...

Isn't their some sorta law were we can shoot inposters? hehe!!!
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=2106055

What we can do for injured marines http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3214570

Hillary and Obama continue to flip floping on war funding. They have no real opionion only a habit of catering to whoever they are speaking with and during significant timely instances. They are performing a propaganda battle almost equal to that of Al Qaeda and company. Maybe they are watching the wrong news agencies? or just wish to lie to get office, only to have to change their views or propel USA into a downward econmic and inflation problems. Worse of all is if they do pull out the problems will mushroom and extremists will see it as a win and america as a paper tiger.
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3214460

Labels: Hillary, Obama, phonies,

Is iran playing chess or checkers?

Iran has recently stated they may be willing to slow, reduce, or suspend production of enriched uranium (See AP story here). Currently Iran’s biggest problem is inflation, approx. 30% a year for past couple years. If they continue it will cause more inflation. Iran still insists its program is for nuclear power and not weapons. The UN investigators have estimated approximately 5-7 years before the Iranian program yields results. If Iran does continue to try and go it alone, the inflation in Iran will get a lot worse. Iran’s leadership should note this and be aware that the more inflation the more the citizens will demand change of leadership. However, it is most likely anyone who does speak out will be killed or imprisoned for it. Also Al Qaeda has brought Algerians into Iran and doing the Bank Scams there now also. These are big fund raisers for Al Qaeda. But these unethical people most likely are targeting not just western countries but also the citizens of Iran. They have been doing it in Algeria for about 15 years and they know how to milk a country of its money. They do more than just bank scams. They do identity theft and also counterfeiting. Most the counterfeit money has traditionally been printed in Austria (yes that Beautiful small European country - Argh I hate them, and I am half german, but if you knew how Austria assists funding of Terrorists it is sick), Austria has the most secret of banking systems/accounts.

The Afghan freedom fighter Ahmed Shah Massoud talked about how he and the terrorists use this banking system to fund their wars and to cause inflation. Massoud fought the Taliban, ISI, and al Qaeda in Afghanistan. He was our best ally against the USSR in 1970s to 1980s. I have an interview I read where Massoud was asked about the inflation it was causing in Afghanistan (interview around 1999-2001). He admitted it was bad for the nation but cited that the al Qaeda and Taliban were all doing it also. But most of all Massoud had very little funding and for him was necessary to continue to fight the terrorists. During this time he had been pleading for international help for about 5 years but only just before his death did the USA approve to fund the money. We lost a great tactician and ally that day. Two days later al Qaeda attacked the USA on 9/11. Massoud was the best ally we could of had and best chance to win against the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

Are some democrates waking up?

I just read an article about Senator Joe Biden one democratic candidates. It seems that he voted for the funding for our troops. But the other democratic presidential candidates (all senators) Hillary Clinton of New York, Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and Barack Obama voted against the measure all voted against it.

As Joe Biden said "As long as there are troops who are in a position where, if we don't fund them they are going to be hurt, I'm not going to cut off funding," Biden also said during a meeting with Des Moines Register editors and reporters "That's what the other candidates said too, but they changed their mind." Biden was referring to last week's vote on a supplemental bill to finance the war in Iraq. The measure passed with bipartisan support after language calling for a timetable for troop withdrawal was removed.

Looks like Hillary and Obama’s campaign strategy most likely includes the need to oust Biden by making him look “un-democratic” or “not with the party”. I can see them hatching this plot now, “hmm how can we make Biden look bad?”

Amazing how Hillary and gang still think they can win the election only if we make it look like we are losing the war in Iraq. Hillary and company also still disagree with the need for the War on Terror. A war that once in office no matter who it is they will have to keep troops in Iraq and other places, or the problem and threat to the USA will mushroom ten fold in only a couple years.

Democrats talk about how much Bush has hurt the opinion the World has of the USA. But what will happen if the democrats win the election and do pull out. The USA will be despised by even more nations and citizens of the world, for not fixing mistakes and not supporting those brave souls (Iraqi and Afghans) who have helped us try to bring peace and democracy. Democracy is hard earned and is not an easy transition for the people of Iraq or Afghanistan who are so influenced by clerics and other public or military figures. Look at our early days as a nation. It was a brutal time. Much like Iraq regional fighting and ethic tensions became a deadly affair.

NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT | Salute to the Services | PBS

NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY CONCERT

Gen. Colin Powell | PBS

U.S. War Dead Honored On Memorial Day, 1945/05/31 (1945)

American forces undertakes reconnaissance on the border of the territory Kurdstan-Turkey

PUKmedia : (view google translated web site - click here)

قال موقع تركي ان مجموعة من الجنود الأمريكيين وصلوا إلى مدينتي "الموصل" و"زاخو" في شمال العراق "اقليم كوردستان" وقامت بجولات استطلاعية على طول الخط الحدودي الفاصل بين العراق وتركيا في تصرف وصفه الموقع بأنه تحذير أمريكي غير مباشر إلى تركيا لمنعها مع التوغل في شمال العراق.Turk website said that a group of American soldiers arrived in the cities "Mosul" and "Zakho" in northern Iraq "territory Kurdstan" The exploratory tours along the border between Iraq and Turkey in the disposal site described as a warning [from] American indirectly with Turkey to prevent incursion into northern Iraq.

وقال موقع "خبر ترك" أن وصول الجنود الأمريكيين تزامن مع قيام طائرات الاستطلاع التركية بالتحليق فوق الحدود للكشف عن مواقع حزب العمال الكوردستاني.He said the "news" left to the arrival of American troops coincided [when] Turkish reconnaissance planes flew over the border to detect sites Workers Party Puk.

وقال الموقع أن المجموعة الأمريكية التي تضم مسؤولين كبار في المخابرات الأمريكية زاروا محافظ زاخو حسين برواري وقادة الأمن هناك ومن ثم قاموا بجولة على الحدود بينما تقوم طائرتين أمريكيتين بجولات استطلاع.He said that the Group of Americas includes senior officials in the CIA visited Governor Zakho Bala Hussein and the leaders of security there, and then on a tour of the border while the two American tours poll

The translation is not easy between the languages so I did my best.

Article by Kurdish News Agency

Turns out some dinosaurs could swim

This was an article I found mentioned in the Kurdish online News magazine, in the science - Tech section. I have the actual Arabic to english translation from the Kurdish news source in the comments section of the previous article. Ian Bach

POSTED: 10:46 a.m. EDT, May 25, 2007

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Fossilized foot marks left by a big meat-eater on a lake bed in northern Spain 125 million years ago provide strong evidence that at least some dinosaurs were good swimmers, scientists said on Thursday.

Dinosaurs ruled the land from about 230 million years ago to 65 million years ago. But how they did in the water has been less clear.

There were numerous huge, fully marine reptiles living at the same time, including the plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs, but they were not dinosaurs and in fact were only very distantly related to them.

Writing in the journal Geology, researchers led by Loic Costeur of the Universite de Nantes in France described tracks fossilized in sandstone that were left as a dinosaur swam in water roughly 10.5 feet deep, scratching the lake bottom with clawed feet.

"The animal used a pelvic paddle motion, much like living aquatic birds," Costeur said by e-mail.

Twelve "swim tracks" over a stretch of about 50 feet included long and slender sets of grooves. Fossilized ripple marks at the site suggested the dinosaur was swimming against a current whiling trying to maintain a straight path, the researchers said.

The researchers said the shape and nature of the tracks indicated they were left by a large bipedal theropod dinosaur and not a big crocodile even though these were around at the time. Theropods are the familiar big carnivores like the North American dinosaurs Tyrannosaurus and Allosaurus.

Scientists have been seeking evidence that dinosaurs -- like today's large mammals such as elephants and tigers -- were capable of swimming when circumstances demanded, like hunting in wet ecosystems, crossing rivers or escaping floods.

Previously discovered fossils showed swimming tracks apparently left by other dinosaurs such as sauropods -- long-necked animals like Diplodocus -- and duckbilled dinosaurs. But some of these have been disputed and were not as revealing as the new ones.

The new tracks provided the first definitive evidence of an active swimming behavior in dinosaurs and are the best record of swimming by theropods, researchers said.

The finding also extends the range of ideas about dinosaur behavior, Costeur added, including whether some thrived in aquatic environments.

The tracks were discovered three years ago in the Spanish province of La Rioja, Costeur said.

"The excellent preservation of these tracks provides an invaluable opportunity for biomechanical modeling in order to improve our understanding of dinosaur swimming ability and physiology," the researchers wrote.

Some birds, which scientists believe descended from small feathered dinosaurs roughly 150 million years ago, also were highly adept at swimming during the age of dinosaurs, including the diving bird Hesperornis.

Interactive: Explore the age of dinosaurs

---

• It's real life CSI for dinosaur detectives
• Dinosaur hunter loves his work

Dealing, gangs, jail, release -- now what?

Dan Rodricks

(In 1994, with the baloney-progressive Bill Clinton in the White House and middling Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, federal Pell grants for prisoners were abolished - despite clear evidence that college courses behind bars substantially reduced recidivism rates among inmates who received the benefit. At the time, some 25,000 inmates in U.S. prisons were getting about $35 million in Pell grants, according to federal records, and that amounted to only two-thirds of 1 percent of the total program in 1994.)

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.rodricks26mar26,0,5960447.column

Another reason that shows the Clinton administration did more harm to the USA then any good. The following is more details of why I linked this story - Ian Bach

I can't use Chico's full name because he thinks he'll be killed for talking to a newspaper columnist. It's a small big town, Baltimore. Everybody knows everybody, or everybody knows somebody who knows somebody, and particularly in the miserable drug life - guys selling dope, or guys sticking up guys selling dope - it's all this kill-or-be-killed stuff among homie familiaritas in sales territories that have become even more compact under O'Malley-era police pressure.

Chico is in no immediate danger; he doesn't sell heroin anymore. He just needs anonymity to honor a blood oath.

He's "Old G," meaning an "old gangsta," at 30-something a senior gang member who's eager to say goodbye to all that. You can retire from, but you can't get out of, drug gangs. It's not like you reach a certain age and they let you burn the tattoo off your skin, publish a memoir and go on Oprah. Once "in the blood" you're always in the blood, and that means you keep your mouth shut about the family business.

So why did Chico dial 410-332-6166 to talk to me?

He needs a job.

He's back in Baltimore, after nearly a decade in Maryland prisons.

In that time, he got his GED - having never finished high school in West Baltimore - read a lot of books and he got a barber's license. He has no interest in being a barber; he took the course in prison because it was the only program available to him at the time.

"I have 24 college credits," he says, "but that's all I got because they cut the college courses out."

(In 1994, with the baloney-progressive Bill Clinton in the White House and middling Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, federal Pell grants for prisoners were abolished - despite clear evidence that college courses behind bars substantially reduced recidivism rates among inmates who received the benefit. At the time, some 25,000 inmates in U.S. prisons were getting about $35 million in Pell grants, according to federal records, and that amounted to only two-thirds of 1 percent of the total program in 1994.)

The other day, as Chico and I drove past the big downtown football stadium where the Ravens play, he expressed surprise at the site. "That wasn't there when I went away," he says.

This man, reared by a single mother in public housing projects, got an early start in the drug life. He bought his first gun at 15. Arrested with it, the state put him for a time in the now-closed Charles H. Hickey Jr. School with other juvenile delinquents. At 17, he was arrested again - on drug distribution charges - and the state sent him to an adult prison for five years.

"There's a whole group of guys, from the Hickey School, who I know, and who I saw in prison," he says. "It was like we were in the same class."

Some of them were in the same gang. Chico's affiliation with the gang continued in prison in the 1990s and through 2005, as he served several more years for drug distribution. He says Maryland corrections officials were savvy to this and, as a result, moved him to several state institutions during his near-decade of incarceration. It kept him away from his "family" but not the family business.

Chico says he managed to sell heroin inside the walls; it was a lucrative enterprise. A gram of heroin, smuggled inside by a courier, sold for three to four times its street price in Baltimore.

Chico got out of the drug trade, he says, a few months before leaving prison. Now, back in the city and living with his fiancee, he says he's determined to keep from selling heroin here again - no matter how quickly profitable a return to that career might be.

Since Chico's release from prison, there was a drug-related killing in the once-industrial, half-abandoned neighborhood where he lives. The victim was a low-level dealer.

"Most everyone I dealt drugs with back in the day are dead or locked up," Chico says. "You have to be young and stupid [to deal drugs] now."

Still, if Chico can't produce an income soon, if he gets bored and frustrated, he could relapse into the dealer life.

Fact: Half of all Maryland inmates released from our prisons this year will be back inside within three.

I'm glad Chico decided to tell his story - if only to make clear the threat of recidivism for even the most earnest, motivated-to-move-on ex-offenders.

But what was the point of keeping a guy like this incarcerated - at $24,000 a year in taxpayer cash - for close to 14 years if the state wasn't willing to rock his world, break his gangsta mindset and prepare him for a return to free society? All we did, through most of Chico's time in prison, was warehouse him with other criminals.

So it's 2006, and Chico doesn't know where to go, where to look for a job. He assumes most mainstream employers are going to turn him down because of his record of narcotics felonies, and he's correct to make that assumption.

Not that I mind, but this "Old G" is calling a newspaper columnist for a job when he should have had one lined up before the state released him.

The only person to offer him employment so far has been a drug dealer.

dan.rodricks@baltsun.com

Turkey's battle plan could threaten northern Iraq

POSTED: 3:59 a.m. EDT, May 25, 2007 CNN

Story Highlights

• Calls in Turkey growing for attack on hard-line Kurdish separatist group PKK
• Six people killed, more than 100 injured in Tuesday's bomb blast
• Turkish election to be held in July

[A note from Ian Bach - Before you read this understand that the Kurdish area is currently and has been the most secure and safe a religiously free area of Iraq for centuries. These brave people have fought for their rights to religious freedom. Radical Islamist want to eliminate the last standing truly religiously free country in their region. Also Iraq, Syria, and Turkey currently occupy areas of the original Kurdistan Nation. - We need to back these brave, ethical, tolerant people. In Kurdish Iraq Christians, Jews, Muslims (many forms/sects) all live together in freedom. - Ian Bach]

ANKARA, Turkey (CNN) -- The war drums are getting louder in Turkey, and they can be heard next door in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, and across the globe in Washington as well.

Many Turkish officials and citizens -- enraged by Tuesday's deadly bombing -- want the Turkish military to hit back at the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, the hard-line Kurdish separatist group thought by many in the government and on the street to have staged the blast and other militant actions.

At least six people died and more than 100 were injured in the rush hour bombing at an Ankara shopping district. (Full story)

Senior Turkish officers have said that operations against the PKK would require troops to cross into the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, which many PKK militants -- also long situated in southeastern Turkey -- have chosen as their base.

The PKK denies involvement in the Ankara attack, and a U.S. State Department spokesman cautions that the investigation into the attack is "ongoing."

However, the outrage in Turkey toward the PKK has been boiling over.

On Thursday, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that if the military were to request a retaliation, the parliament, which is dominated by Erdogan's AK party, would support it.

Turkey's army chief, Gen. Yasar Buyukanit, said recently his troops are ready to attack what he calls Kurdish terrorist camps in northern Iraq. And retired Turkish Gen. Edip Baser told CNN he believes an operation could be just weeks away.

As late as two weeks ago, there were an estimated 150,000 Turkish soldiers on or near the Turkish-Iraq border, and the PKK has stepped up cross-border attacks into the Kurdish region of Turkey now that snows have melted in the border mountains.

Seven Turkish soldiers were killed in the volatile southeast this week.

Six Turkish soldiers died and 10 were wounded Thursday when a roadside bomb detonated near the town of Siirt, the Turkish military said. Another soldier died Wednesday in an accident near Van during a search operation.

July election

The tough talk in Ankara comes two months before a general election, in which Erdogan's party, a movement with Islamist roots, faces a challenge from secularist parties. The vast majority of Turks are Muslims, but there has been a strict separation of mosque and state since the Turkish republic came into being in 1923. (Full story)

Supporters of Turkey's secular heritage have been demonstrating for weeks against the plan by Erdogan's governing party to vote one of its own members to the Turkish presidency.

Some analysts think that in the run-up to the election, Erdogan's AK party will use a war against Kurdish separatists to rally public opinion and downplay its differences with the military.

Mustafa Aydin -- professor of international relations at Ankara University and the National Security Academy -- said the government would "try to use this to rally Turkish people around the government, around the people. They will most likely try to use nationalistic themes and terms during the propaganda."

U.S. support

Nationalist feelings in Turkey are running high. Many Turks are disappointed with the lack of U.S. support for this long-time ally on the issue of operations against the PKK -- and resent U.S. support for Kurdish autonomy in northern Iraq.

The United States is not deaf to the problem, but is caught between the competing interests of vital regional allies.

Two months ago, the special U.S. envoy working with Turkey on the threat of the PKK testified before a House committee. Retired Gen. Joseph Ralston said that Turkey is a "sovereign state with a responsibility to defend its people. Ultimately, the Turkish government will have to take the steps it thinks are necessary to protect its citizens."

He pointed to efforts to close a refugee camp in northern Iraq that has become a refuge for fighters and to get a "cessation of hostilities."

"Diplomatic progress on this issue has come grudgingly and with great effort, but there has been progress," Ralston testified in March. He could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.

State Department spokesman Tom Casey cautioned that the Turkish authorities have not come to any final conclusions about who is responsible for the blast and that their probe into the blast continues.

At the same time, he said, "we believe, as does the Iraqi government, that the PKK represents a real threat, and it's a threat that needs to be dealt with."

Ralston's appointment as special envoy shows the importance of the issue, he said.

Casey said the "best way to deal" with the PKK is through "continued cooperation" between Turkey and Iraq, with the help of the United States.

"And we certainly don't think unilateral military action from Turkey or anyplace else would solve anything," he said.

Iraq backs Turkey

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said Thursday that the Iraqi government has expressed a willingness to work with Turkey on the issue of PKK terrorism.

Baser, a former special Turkish envoy on the PKK, has called the issue a "testing ground of Turkish-American relations."

The PKK has backing, with many Kurds in Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey supporting a dream of an independent state. One PKK sympathizer, Faik Kaplan, told CNN that inviting the PKK to lay down its arms would be a better way to go than Turkish troops crossing the border.

But Turkey says it won't talk to PKK militants, and that stand resonates on the streets. Mustafa Ersoy, an Ankara shopkeeper, said: "The special message the flag carries is that the Turkish people are one body. And there is no power that can split the Turkish people into pieces."

The PKK has been fighting for what it calls Kurdish rights since the early 1980s. More than 30,000 people have lost their lives in the violence. The last incursions made by Turkey into Iraq came in the early 1990s.

CNN's Paula Hancocks, Phil Black, Talia Kayali, Joe Sterling and Elise Labott contributed to this report.

US concerned at Iran's expulsion of Afghan refugees

Tue May 22, 4:19 PM ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The United States Tuesday voiced concern over Iran's large-scale deportations of Afghans living illegally in the country saying the flood of returning refugees was becoming a burden.

"The United States is concerned that a large influx of Afghan migrants is increasing the need for humanitarian assistance in western Afghanistan," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. The United Nations said Monday that more than 70,000 Afghans who were in Iran illegally have been expelled in the past month.

Tehran has said it wanted one million Afghans repatriated by next March. The 70,000 who have been sent back started returning from April 21.

Washington supported calls from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Kabul to ensure "that Afghans living and working illegally in Iran are deported in a gradual, orderly and humane manner," McCormack said.

Afghanistan has asked Iran to halt the returns, saying it does not have the capacity to accommodate a large number of people at once.

According to the UN more than one million out of the two million Afghans living in Iran were there illegally, McCormack said.

Registered Afghan refugees living in Iran were not being targeted for deportation however, he added.

Democrats to fund Iraq war with no pullout date

By Richard Cowan and Susan Cornwell
Tue May 22, 8:16 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush won a battle over nearly $100 billion to fund the Iraq war as Democratic leaders in Congress on Tuesday abandoned efforts to withdraw troops for now but pledged to try again in July.

Instead of setting schedules for pulling U.S. troops, it appeared the Democratic-run Congress and the Republican White House agreed for the first time to include conditions prodding Baghdad to make better progress toward quelling violence or risk losing around $1.3 billion in U.S. reconstruction aid.

Bush could waive the provision, however.

Congress wants to deliver by week's end the $100 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and

Afghanistan

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Afghanistan through September.

With the Iraq funding deal, Democrats said the first minimum wage increase in a decade, a high priority for them, would be included. Congress already has approved tax breaks for small businesses to go along with the wage hike.

Democrats also will try to attach about $20 billion in domestic initiatives -- from farm aid and better health care for veterans, to health insurance for poor children and money to continue rebuilding states hit by hurricanes in 2005.

Negotiations between the White House and Congress were continuing on details, however.

House liberals were disappointed by the emerging deal, and House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record), a California Democrat who signed off on the plan, said she opposed the Iraq portion of it.

(full article click here)

White House says bin Laden ordered Iraq plots

By Matt Spetalnick
Tue May 22, 8:34 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Osama bin Laden ordered al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, to form a cell in 2005 to plot attacks outside of Iraq and make the United States his main target, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday.

Citing newly declassified intelligence, Fran Townsend,

President George W. Bush

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President George W. Bush's adviser for homeland security, said the information backs the administration's assertion that U.S. troops must stay in Iraq for now to prevent it from becoming a "terrorist sanctuary."

Mindful of its trouble selling its war strategy to the American public, the White House is trying to put the spotlight on bin Laden's connections to Zarqawi, the head of Iraq's al Qaeda wing who was killed in a U.S. air strike in June 2006.

Bush's critics accuse him of trying to de-emphasize the role of sectarian fighting in Iraq's chaos and justify an unpopular war by focusing on links to bin Laden and al Qaeda, the authors of the September 11 attacks on the United States.

17 Tons of Treasure Pulled From Shipwreck

Expert Says Value Could Be $500 Million

By Marc Kaufman

Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, May 19, 2007; Page A03

A ship that sank hundreds of years ago in busy waters of the Atlantic has delivered an unprecedented underwater bounty to American treasure hunters: 17 tons of silver coins and hundreds of gold coins, jewelry and objects.

The value, estimated by a rare-coin dealer working with the firm, may be as much as $500 million.

The enormous find was revealed yesterday by Odyssey Marine Explorations of Tampa, a publicly traded company that finds, explores and salvages shipwrecks in international waters. The company has made several major discoveries before, but they pale in comparison with the haul from what its officials code-named "Black Swan."

(click for full article)

Iraq's Sadr Overhauls His Tactics

By Sudarsan Raghavan

Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, May 20, 2007; Page A01

NAJAF, Iraq -- The movement of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has embarked on one of its most dramatic tactical shifts since the beginning of the war.

The 33-year-old populist is reaching out to a broad array of Sunni leaders, from politicians to insurgents, and purging extremist members of his Mahdi Army militia who target Sunnis. Sadr's political followers are distancing themselves from the fragile Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, which is widely criticized as corrupt, inefficient and biased in favor of Iraq's majority Shiites. And moderates are taking up key roles in Sadr's movement, professing to be less anti-American and more nationalist as they seek to improve Sadr's image and position him in the middle of Iraq's ideological spectrum.

"We want to aim the guns against the occupation and al-Qaeda, not between Iraqis," Ahmed Shaibani, 37, a cleric who leads Sadr's newly formed reconciliation committee, said as he sat inside Sadr's heavily guarded compound here.

Sadr controls the second-biggest armed force in Iraq, after the U.S. military, and 30 parliamentary seats -- enough power to influence political decision-making and dash U.S. hopes for stability. The cleric withdrew his six ministers from Iraq's cabinet last month, leaving the movement more free to challenge the government.

(full article click here)

Iraqi engineering student creates robot to defuse bombs

Yashmeen Salman an Iraqi engineering student from the Technology University shows a robot she invented which she said can detect fire and find and defuse bombs during an exhibition in Baghdad May 20, 2007. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ).

The Worlds Fastest Indian - A Tribute to H.J Munro, a.k.a 'Burt' Munro

I recently watched this movie (DVD) and have watched it 4 nights in a row now. I have always been an adrenalin addict who loves going fast. It doesn’t matter if it was a bike, car, skis, etc. I hope you enjoy this information about a colorful character that had a true lust for life....

Burts Bio - (Full Bio Click Here)
In 1920 a 21 year old Southlander stood gazing at a brand-new motorcycle in an Invercargill garage. His eyes roved over the neat little V twin engine, the cast alloy primary case, the leaf sprung front fork. His hand lovingly stroked the gleaming red paint and the sparkle of the polished nickel matched that in his eyes. The proprietor was spoken to, a deal was struck, and the young man bought his motorcycle, beginning a partnership which was to last until his death in December 1978. The man was Burt Munro and the bike was an Indian Scout, destined to become the world's fastest Indian.

Burt, then a grandfather, visited the Bonneville salt flats several times from 1962 onwards. In that year he set a then world record of 178.971 mph with his engine out to 51 cu.in. (85Occ). In 1963 a con-rod broke while he was traveling at an estimated 195mph. In 1966 it was displacing 920cc, when Burt, unhappy with some loss in top speed, completely rebuilt it again.

In 1967, with his engine punched out to 58 cu.in. (950cc) he set a class record of 183.586 mph. To qualify he made a one-way run of 190.07 mph, the fastest ever officially recorded speed on an Indian.

His visits to the salt were not without incident. In issue no. 1 of Motorcycle New Zealand, published in 1973 Burt is quoted as follows:-"At the Salt in 1967 we were going like a bomb. Then she got the wobbles just over half way through the run. To slow her down I sat up. The wind tore my goggles off and the blast forced my eyeballs back into my head - couldn't see a thing. We were so far off the black line that we missed a steel marker stake by inches. I put her down - a few scratches all round but nothing much else". At the time Burt was traveling at close to 206 mph!

Movie Trailer:
http://www.worldsfastestindian.com/

One of my favorite lines from the movie is:
"You live more in 5 minutes going flat out on a vehicle like this than most people live in a lifetime" - Burt Munro

Following: by Ian Bach
Here are some of my favorite sayings that explain a little about how I live life.

“The closer to death I get, the more alive I feel.”

“The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.”

“Never give up.”

“Never stop dreaming.”

“Don’t be afraid to dream big.”

“Pushing the edge of the envelope, helps us to learn who we are and what we are capable of.”

“I can fix anything from a toaster to a jet engine.”

“I may be intelligent, but I am not smart.”

“Friends are easy to find, but seldom last forever. But a soul mate is a rare find, can broaden your perspective, compliment your personality, and bring out the best in you.”

Here is the link to my Article with pictures about rock climbing. “Without ropes”

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/ianbach?tag=climbing

Clinton won't commit on Iraq deadline

By DEVLIN BARRETT, Associated Press Writer Wed May 16, 8:21 PM ET
WASHINGTON - Sen.

Hillary Rodham Clinton voted Wednesday to advance legislation cutting off money for the Iraq war, then refused to pledge to support the measure if it came to a vote, then said she would.

At lunchtime, the New York senator and presidential candidate was asked repeatedly by reporters whether she favored the troop withdrawal legislation that had just come up for a procedural vote on the Senate floor.

Her answer: "I'm not going to speculate on what I'm going to be voting on in the future. I voted in favor of cloture to have a debate."

By supper time, she had a different answer.

"I support the underlying bill," she said. "That's what this vote on cloture was all about."

A rival Democratic camp quickly criticized Clinton's evolving — and possibly revolving — statements.

"We're as confused as anyone on Senator Clinton's position," said Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd (news, bio, voting record)'s campaign spokeswoman, Christy Setzer.

"Frankly, it's hard to know whether it's indecision, miscommunication or simple word games and political gamesmanship we're dealing with. Our troops in Iraq don't have time for poll-tested word games," Setzer said.

http://www.stophillarypac.com/

Iraq makes progress on crucial constitution plan

By Mariam Karouny Tue May 15, 6:00 PM ET

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - An Iraqi committee agreed on Tuesday to send to parliament a plan to reform the constitution, an important step towards implementing national reconciliation laws that Washington says are critical to ending violence.

Once-dominant Sunni Arabs, who make up the backbone of the insurgency, have long demanded changes to a constitution they say concedes too much power to majority Shi'ites and ethnic Kurds, who were persecuted under Saddam Hussein.

U.S. President George W. Bush, under pressure to show tangible progress in the four-year-old war, has piled pressure on Iraqi leaders to agree power-sharing legislation.

Such laws, which include sharing Iraq's vast oil wealth and ending a ban on former members of Saddam's party from public office, are particularly aimed at assuaging Sunnis Arabs and bringing them firmly into the U.S.-backed political process.

(complete article click here)

Al-Qa'ida planning militant Islamic state within Iraq

• Uzi Mahnaimi, Tel Aviv
• May 13, 2007

A RADICAL plan by al-Qa'ida to take over the Sunni heartland of Iraq and turn it into a militant Islamic state once American troops have withdrawn is causing alarm among US intelligence officials.

A power struggle has emerged between the self-styled Islamic State of Iraq, an organisation with ambitions to become a state which has been set up by al-Qa'ida, and more moderate Sunni groups. They are battling for the long-term control of central and western areas which they believe could break away from Kurdish and Shi’ite-dominated provinces once the coalition forces depart.

According to an analysis compiled by US intelligence agencies, the Islamic State has ambitions to create a terrorist enclave in the Iraqi provinces of Baghdad, Anbar, Diyala, Salah al-Din, Nineveh and parts of Babil.

“Al-Qa'ida are on the way to establish their first stronghold in the Middle East,” warned an American official. “If they succeed, it will be a catastrophe and an imminent danger to Saudi Arabia and Jordan.”

The US conviction that the Islamic State could seize power is based on its use of classic al-Qa'ida tactics and its adoption last October of a draft constitution. This was entitled Notifying Mankind of the Birth of the Islamic State and was posted on a website based in Britain. The group named 10 ministers under its emir, Abu Amer Al-Baghdadi. They included a war minister, Abu Hamza Al-Muhajer who is also known as Abu Ayub al-Masri and is al-Qa'ida’s commander in Iraq.

Last week the Islamic State released a video that showed the execution of five Iraqi army soldiers and four police officers.

The Islamic State’s ruthlessness, combined with extreme religious fundamentalism, marks it out from other Sunni factions.

As well as the nine victims shown on the video, the group claimed to have captured an Iraqi army colonel and two of his bodyguards. They threatened to kill him within 24 hours unless demands to release al-Qa'ida sympathisers were met.

The Islamic State is spearheading the insurgency against US forces and troops loyal to Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister. In recent months it has been responsible for chlorine gas bombs and numerous suicide attacks on civilian targets.

It is also behind the deadliest roadside bombs that have racked up American casualties this year, although US military sources are now confident that in recent weeks they have gained the upper hand with raids aimed at both the Islamic State’s leadership and its bomb-making factories. “The mood is positive but not foolishly so,” said a Pentagon source last week. “The marines are confident they’ve pushed the bad guys out. There is an element of propaganda about the all-powerful al-Qa'ida.”

The Islamic State’s brutal targeting of fellow Sunnis has made it unpopular among some who see al-Qa'ida as foreign influenced and too ready to attack Iraqis as well as US forces.

According to American diplomats, one of the topics of the visit to Saudi Arabia yesterday by Dick Cheney, the US vice-president, was al-Qa'ida’s power in Iraq.

(full article click here)

FBI, security officials warn of growing threat from Islamic extremists 'next door'

RECENT U.S. TERROR CASES The cases in which American citizens living in the USA have been convicted of conspiring to aid al- Qaeda or the Taliban or related charges: ?Lackawanna, N.Y., 2003: Six American-born Yemeni-Americans. ?Columbus, Ohio, 2003: One naturalized citizen born in Kashmir. ?Portland, Ore., 2003: Three naturalized American citizens born in Saudi Arabia and Palestine. Three American-born converts to Islam. ?New York City, 2004: One naturalized American born in Pakistan. ?Seattle, 2004: One American-born convert to Islam. ?Arlington, Va., 2005: One American-born Muslim, three naturalized American citizens born in South Korea, Pakistan and Eritrea, and four American-born Muslim converts. ?New York City, 2006-07: One naturalized citizen born in Morocco and two American-born Muslim converts. By Richard Willing, USA TODAY Plots by American-based Islamic terrorists with no direct ties to international terror networks form a large and growing threat to the American homeland, FBI and other security officials say. "The trend we're seeing is that we are uncovering more instances of people here who have been radicalized … where there is not a direct thumbprint of al-Qaeda," says John Miller, the FBI's assistant director for public affairs. Justice Department records show that the FBI and other federal and local agencies have led prosecutions of a dozen such alleged plots since the Sept. 11 attacks on New York City and Washington. The latest began last Tuesday, when five New Jersey Muslim men were charged with plotting to kill soldiers at the Army's Fort Dix, N.J., compound. A sixth man was charged with helping the group obtain illegal firearms. HOMEGROWN CELLS IN USA: 'Bonehead factor' cited by experts The government has won terrorism convictions in seven cases. Others are ongoing. FIND MORE STORIES IN: American | Sept. 11 attacks | CIA director | Terrorism | George Tenet | Federal Bureau of Investigation | Plots The focus on American-based terror cells is a shift from post 9/11 thinking, when intelligence and security officials expected attacks to come from "sleeper cells" of al-Qaeda agents who, like the Washington and New York City attackers, had filtered into the USA from abroad. "That was my intuition at the time," says George Tenet in an interview. Tenet was CIA director from 1997 to 2004 and just released a book, At the Center of the Storm, about his tenure. Tenet says the lesson is "don't get fixed on a particular face (because) there may be multiple kinds of faces." Pasquale D'Amuro, the FBI's counterterrorism chief in 2002 and 2003, says the alleged New Jersey plot appears to be such a case. The six men arrested, he notes, were born in the former Yugoslavia, Jordan and Turkey and had lived in the USA without incident. One was a citizen, two were legal residents and three were here illegally. They had lived here at least six years, neighbors told the Associated Press. "If they look like the neighbors next door, it's because that's what they are," says D'Amuro, CEO of Giuliani Security and Safety in New York. "That they would come here, be welcomed and then want to attack us — that's what people have a hard time understanding." In some cases, such as that of six Yemeni-Americans in Lackawanna, N.Y., the accused plotters had undergone training at terrorist camps overseas but had not focused on an American target. In others, such as the New Jersey plot, the government alleges that plotters had identified targets and were trying to purchase arms. In six cases, accused plotters sought out undercover agents or informers posing as al-Qaeda representatives. In two cases, alleged plotters are accused of swearing allegiance to al-Qaeda in ceremonies staged by the phony Islamists. In eight cases, the accused plotters were native-born Americans, including about a dozen who were converts to Islam. Intelligence analysts say the lack of an al-Qaeda-led terror strike here may signal that the group is waiting until it can mount an attack that will equal the 9/11 strikes in casualties and publicity value.

NATO confirms death of prominent Taliban commander

'Mullah Dadullah was the backbone of the Taliban,' Kandahar governor says

Last Updated: Sunday, May 13, 2007 | 12:00 PM ET

CBC News

Mullah Dadullah — a top Taliban military commander thought to have ordered a number of abductions and beheadings — was killed while battling coalition forces in southern Afghanistan, NATO officials confirmed on Sunday.

Afghan officials had announced Dadullah's death early Sunday. Later, NATO's International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) confirmed that Dadullah had died in Helmand province on Saturday in a joint operation involving British and Afghan troops and U.S. Special Forces, backed by NATO air support.

An Afghan man looks at the body of Mullah Dadullah, who played a key role in day-to-day Taliban operations and was on the Taliban's leadership council.
(Allauddin Khan/Associated Press)

Dadullah "will most certainly be replaced in time, but the insurgency has received a serious blow," ISAF said in a statement.

"Mullah Dadullah was the backbone of the Taliban," said Asadullah Khalid, the governor of the former Taliban stronghold of Kandahar. "He was a brutal and cruel commander who killed and beheaded Afghan civilians."

His body was taken to Kandahar province and shown to reporters at the governor's compound, NATO said.

There, the body lay on a stretcher, covered with a pink sheet. An Associated Press reporter said the left leg was missing and there were three bullet wounds: one to the back of the head and two to the stomach.

Continue Article

Michael Yon embedded with British Forces in Iraq

Basra, Iraq

By Michael Yon - from the front lines.
The explosions from enemy rockets and mortar fire have been constant companions for the small contingent of Coalition forces based at the former Basra Palace, on the banks of Shatt al Arab River. In the past five months, more than a thousand bombs have been fired at this small base, all while these British combat troops, Romanian soldiers and a small contingent of Americans continue their attempts to stabilize Iraq. The nearby US Regional Embassy office also is frequently targeted.

A dramatic surge in IDF attacks (indirect fire: rockets and mortars) began here in September 2006, subsequent an increase in British troops. Locals cite Iranian influence behind the attacks, while British officers say this is the most IDF’d base in Iraq. The dozens of bombs that exploded on the base in the first five days of my embed with a British infantry platoon punctuated those claims.

(Link to full article below)

http://www.michaelyon-online.com/wp/british-forces-at-war-as-witnessed-by-an-...

Letter from a friend in Iraq

By: the Iraqi Doctor
March 5, 2007

Hi everyone,
I hope you all doing wounderfull, i was thinking about writing a new entry in my blog. I did NOT know what to write. Shall i talk about IRAQ and whats going on in it right now? I really feel i dont want that? But I would like to tell you how much I am haapy with this yahoo 360 web and being a freind to you guys. I am happy for that. Here is a map of IRAQ. Don't believe what you see on News Media about Iraqi people killing each other, simply WE DONT DO THAT, it is those who came across the borders filled with hate and ignornce and those from inside who lost their positions and power over a night and now they are killing innocent Iraqi people, to try to get it back, shame on them. It's politics and you know how dirty and nasty politics are? But when it comes to ordenanry Iraqi people they are peacefull , life loving , polite, generous, and creative.

If you have freedom and good goverment that are looking after you, if you have freedom of speech, please thank GOD for it. Because I assure you that you will know what it does mean when you loss it. I hope all of you will have a happy life, with out any problems, at least not like the ones we have right now in our country.....GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

Britain's war in Afghanistan: training the Afghan army

Helmand province, Afghanistan: There have been four attempts to forge a strong, central Afghan army since the 18th century. Each has failed, frustrated by war, invasions or stubborn conservative tribesmen.

In the last of his three audio-visual reports from the frontline, Declan Walsh joins the fifth attempt as British troops train their Afghan counterparts.

Press below to start the slideshow

War in Afghanistan: Declan Walsh's audio-visual reports from the frontline
Thristy to fight, hard to wake up
More on Afghanistan



http://www.guardian.co.uk/slideshow/page/0,,2071336,00.html

Good News from Iraq Report- The Weekly FishWrap

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

LT Fishman sends along his weekly open source report on positive happenings in Iraq, The Weekly Fishwrap.

Islamic Army of Iraq” Splits from Al Qaeda Bill Roggio

The largest Sunni insurgent group has severed ties with al Qaeda and its Islamic State of Iraq; Sunni religious leaders oppose al Qaeda The Sunni civil war in Iraq continues to gather steam. The Islamic Army in Iraq, the largest Sunni insurgent group which has previously operated closely with al Qaeda in Iraq, has severed ties with the terror group after several months of infighting, Al Jazeera reported today. Ibrahim al-Shammari, an Islamic Army in Iraq spokesman, "told Al Jazeera on Thursday that the Islamic Army in Iraq had decided to disunite from al-Qaeda in Iraq after its members were threatened.""In the beginning, we were dealing with Tawhid and Jihad organisation, which turned into al-Qaeda in Iraq," Al-Shammari explained. Specifically after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi died, the gap between us [and al-Qaeda] widened, because [they] started to target our members... They killed about 30 of our people, and we definitely don't recognise their establishment of an Islamic state - we consider it invalid." Evidence of the split between the Islamic Army in Iraq and al Qaeda began to appear early this year. Mishan al-Jabouri, the owner of Al Zawraa - or Muj TV, which is the propaganda television station for the Islamic Army in Iraq, lashed out against al Qaeda in February of 2007. Jabouri aired a laundry list of complaints against al-Qaeda and its puppet Islamic State of Iraq. the grievances included:

(Click here for all the full articles and many other good News articles about Iraqi progress.)

Me looking out cave in Santa Barbara

Most the caves around this area near Lizards Rock are sandstone. The wind and water erodes the rock in interesting shapes. There is also many caves, some of which still have old Chumash Indian paintings on the walls. Here I am in a cave that overlooks Isle Vista where Santa Barbara College is located.

This picture is about 5 years old. The drawings on the walls of this cave is graffetti, not Chumash Indian art.

As Funding Increases, Afghan Forces Range From Ragtag to Ready

NY Times, May 2, 2007

By C. J. CHIVERS

KABUL, Afghanistan — Faizal Karim, a sophomore at the National Military Academy here, stood outside a classroom holding his English-language homework assignment. For a group of cadets nearby, a lecture in physics was ending.

Bright-eyed, articulate and in a four-year course modeled after the United States Military Academy at West Point, Mr. Karim is a hopeful face in Afghanistan’s nascent national security forces. He is 21 and rejects the Taliban. “I want to serve my country’s people,” he said, speaking in confident English.

But several days before, an altogether different side of Afghanistan’s security forces was evident when a Dutch and Afghan patrol visited a police compound in Oruzgan Province. The police officers there were cultivating poppy within the compound’s walls, openly participating in the heroin trade. The Afghan Army squad that visited them, itself only partly equipped, did nothing.

These wildly contrasting glimpses of Afghanistan’s security forces illustrate the mix of achievements and frustrations that have accompanied international efforts to create a capable Afghan Army and a police force after decades of disorder and war. They also underscore the urgency behind the renewed push to recruit and train these units, which is now under way with an influx of equipment and training approved by the Bush administration last year.

Yet, even after several years of efforts to create new army and police units, it remains difficult to fully assess their readiness. Some units, especially in the army, are motivated and much better equipped than any Afghan forces were five years ago. Others, especially in the police, remain visibly ragtag, underequipped, disorganized, of uncertain loyalty and with links to organized drug rings.

American officials say it will take at least a few years before most of the Afghan forces become more ready and reliable, and perhaps a decade before they are capable of independent operations. But they also say that the resources and plans are now in place to make such ambitions possible.

(Full Article click here)

A World Wide Web of terrorist plotting

Bektasevic, 19, stands in court in January, when he was sentenced to 15 years in prision on terrorism charges. (Associated Press – January 10, 2007)

The Internet has become a virtual operations center replacing the Al Qaeda bases in Afghanistan and Bosnia.

I have been searching for, tracking movements of, known terrorists, suspect terrorists, and Islamic extremist sympathizers for about 4 months now.

The terrorists are spreading the "stop the war in Iraq" rhetoric. Also they are spreading the 9-11 conspiracy theories. They also are the ones who started the "it was Bush", "it was Isreal", or "it wasn't Arabs" theories. This is a tactic of Terrorism. One goal of the terrorists is to make citizens distrust their governments. This makes it easy for them to recruit and also for them to infiltrate and take over governments. They are currently using military terror tactics (guns and bombs) in over 60 countries; the worst areas infected today by the radical Islamic terror groups include Iraq, Somalia, Egypt, Algeria, Afghanistan, Turkey, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Nigeria. So as you can see if we pull out and don’t allow the time needed for the Iraqis to defend themselves against these forces it will be devastating for the world. The number of innocent civilian deaths will skyrocket over night. One other thing to consider is many of these countries have Christians, Jews, Hindi, and many other religions that will end up in genocide. Yes there is Christians in Iraq and those other countries.

Here is how my travel began. I saw a PBS special that talked about Afghanistan and how the Taliban wanted to destroy burn and eliminate anything that was not in accordance with their extremist views. However, the good (moderate Muslim) people of Afghanistan respect their heritage, history, art, music, and freedom. All of which were under attack by extremists. The moderates were able to hide (under penalty of torture and death) many things. Such as Artwork, The Gold Treasures from around 500 AD, and the original negatives of the nations film achieve (approx 50 yrs of film history - the Taliban did burn the prints but never knew the negatives had been hidden. After seeing this I knew the common Western View that "these people were all Radical Muslims and wanted to kill westerners", was a misconception AND A LIE.

So I started looking for and shutting down terrorist’s web sites and propaganda.

After about 2 months I started to contact people in Afghanistan and Iraq. I was happy to learn how many felt the extremists/radicals were terrible people and not true Muslims and how much they wanted their freedoms and to be rid of the terrorists.

"Currently Al Qaeda and other Terrorists get 15 minutes of Fame for evil deeds, Lets turn that around and make it 15 minutes of Shame." - Ian Bach

So I continued my efforts urged on by touching letters from Muslims who hate the terrorists and their propaganda that infects their News as well as ours News and the Internet. Currently Al Qaeda and radical Muslims get the 15 minutes of fame for saying hateful things and showing videos of them blowing up American vehicles, beheading people who help in the efforts to bring peace, and now Al Qaeda is even wants and has tried to kill the Dali Lama. But when do we see the other side the other 99.97 % of the Muslims who are not hateful people. That's the biggest problem we don't. The news doesn't make money off a nice Muslim person saying how much he wants peace and how they denounce the extremists.

As I went on my journey I became more and more aware of how the enemy was changing tactics. One bad person, someone else had found was posing as a NY police officer (I hope you see the connection - 9/11?) he had sent many hateful emails to US troops and families. The guy even had a picture of the NY policeman and was using the guy’s name. I had already seen many suspects that were posing as normal people but this was first time I had seen such outright arrogance.

One thing I can tell you from my journey is that the enemy has adapted and infiltrated into our main stream Medias and are currently influencing the way others view the world. They use deception in many ways. One is the constant talk of we must leave Iraq. For me that is a good sign in some ways. It shows me that they are so worried about losing Iraq to a democratic government that they are franticly trying every trick in the book to twist the realities into lies. Trust me there are many good things happening in Iraq like our troops having been retrained in "winning the hearts and minds" a counterinsurgency tactic aimed at making friends and protecting them from the Al Qaeda and its umbrella organization of gangs’ hell bent on derailing the progress. Almost every Iraqi and coalition force member I speak to agree it is not a civil war it is a gang war. With people vieing for local power.

Also the one thing cited by most Iraqis is that the people responsible are foreign fighters from countries like Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and about 60 other countries including 1-2 a year from each Britain and the USA!!!. These are radical Muslims who are sent to Iraq to attempt to derail the progress. It includes approx. 600 foreign fighters caught or killed each year.

The radicals also have made the INTERNET their new home. FACT. This is their new recruiting base and propaganda machine. So next time you read something look at the persons profile and look at some of the Q&A they do. If you see all they are doing is hateful stuff..... Well you get the picture I hope.

Here is a link to a recent Article by the LA Times that talks about one operative a 22 year old Serbian of Palestinian decent. He was posting Videos on the internet given directly to him from al Qaeda. He had moved around a lot once he was in the organization and was very active in propaganda on the internet he also posted how to make a suicide vest and he was trying to buy explosives in the USA. He was caught in Europe and will be going to jail for a long time. - By Ian Bach

Source(s):

Web Site
www.ianbach.com

A Times april 2007 - Internet replacing terrorist http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-net16apr16,1,1935334.stor...

Why Congress Should Embrace the Surge

By OWEN WEST

Published: May 1, 2007

WHEN the civilian hierarchy fails them, soldiers tend to seek solace in Clausewitz’s observation that war is an extension of politics. But in 2005 and 2006 the reverse was true in Iraq: the battle churned in place, steadily eroding the administration’s credibility and America’s psyche, while most politicians stood on the sidelines, content to hurl insults at one another until the battlefield offered a clear political course.

What was most remarkable, however, was the military’s inability to grab the reins and articulate a realistic war plan for Iraq. At home, recruiting, supply and deployment crises were solved; but in Iraq the generals continued to offer assessments of the fight that were as obviously inaccurate as those trumpeted by the politicians. The goal was to put Iraqi forces in the lead, but as a consequence, large-scale battlefield adaptation was scarce.

Today the civil-military relationship has righted itself, yet soldiers like me who believe that Iraq can be stabilized face a bitter irony. On one hand, the military is finally making meaningful adjustments to the complex fight. On the other, the politicians are finally asserting themselves. The tragedy is that the two groups are going in opposite directions.

Most Americans who have served side by side with Iraqi units, especially those of us who have been advisers to Iraqi companies and battalions, believe that significant numbers of our soldiers will be needed in Iraq for another decade. This timeline is about average for a classic insurgency, and optimistic for one so muddied by tribal feuds and religious hatred.

American soldiers in Iraq are constantly asked about our commitment to a fight we started. Most of the advisers I got to know during my most recent tour, which ended in February, were quick to try to assuage their Iraqi counterparts’ concerns and dismissive of the calls for withdrawal by American politicians, news of which trickled onto the battlefield during the winter. After all, the surge itself would not be fully under way until mid-summer. Surely the politicians would give it a chance to work.

The two Congressional votes last week establishing timelines for withdrawing American troops completely undermined such assurances. The confusion stems from an inherent contradiction in our politics: Though the burden of war is shouldered by few, the majority of Americans want to vacate Iraq, and the percentages are increasing. Something has to give.

We’re four years into a global conflict that will span generations, fighting virulent ideologues obsessed with expansion. It’s time for those who are against the war in Iraq to consider the probable military consequences of withdrawal. But it is also time for supporters of the war to step back and recognize that public opinion in great part dictates our martial options.

It’s hard for a soldier like me to reconcile a political jab like Senator Harry Reid’s “this war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything” when it’s made in front of a banner that reads “Support Our Troops.” But the politician’s job is different from the soldier’s. Mr. Reid’s belief — that the best way to support the troops is by acknowledging defeat and pulling them out of Iraq — is likely shared by a large slice of the population, which gives it legitimacy.

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Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of congress. But I repeat myself. Mark Twain (35) 11/30/1835 - 04/21/1910 US author Click here for the Link to "Quotes for all" dot net