Have Some links,some Cryptography an explanation and a goat

Well lets start with the explanation .. due to staff shortages (cough) this site will not be updated until tuesday the 2nd august, evening (uk time). Comments will be read and responded to where possible but new stories will not be posted until then. My RSS feeds will still be running and any scoops i find will not be missed but will be late. so i would like to recommend this lot instead.

which brings me to the links which is the best place to find the latest on Iraq the london bombs al-qaeda and all the stories normally covered here

in the US

First on the board is Daily Dissent. A fantastic site who often succeed in being ahead of the trend. Then we have Americancentered for those undecided between the left and right.

In the UK

I would recommend Logical voice who I know nothing about but from what I have read, they seem to be what the title suggests.

For news stories;

a few random sites CBS Fox BBC Aljazeera CNN ITV SKY ABC australia that should do.

If you want to read a paper ,

then this is one place you can read 6000 newspapers on line from around the world Thepaperboy .

If you want to watch TV from around the world, including Iraqi tv

then goto wwitv

If you have an hour to spare and are bored out of your mind goto Bored.com

If your looking to the answer to lifes conspiricies then you will fight the right one (erm along with all the wacky nutty absurd wrong ones) at Totse
If your aged over 25 and you wonder what happened to all those games you used to play on the old computers, you can get most of them for free at home of the underdogs

This next one comes with a warning . If you really, really want to know what is happening in the world without the lovely editing that all the above news companies will do, then this next one is the best .. but please .. they show real life . They show real war .. they show the death and destruction that comes with war and they dont pick sides, but they do show you the things CNN and Fox wont. If you are not sure you can handle seing real images from real war and real horrible death then DO NOT GO HERE. But if you really want to know for example what we are doing in Iraq then there is no better place on earth then Informationclearinghouse

If you know something doesn't sound right but you dont know why, check out these guys. They are often ahead of the trend when it comes to what really happened.

If all this is driving you crazy and you just want to get back to the good old manufactured truth, then there is no better place on earth to calm (or create) your fears the whitehouse .

If your angry about the Downing Street memos then dont be angry alone. Join the crowd at afterdowningstreet . As for more links , well there are thousands and these are just a few that happened to be on top of the pile. More links next time.

As for cryptography:

Well for anyone really bored, here is a simple cypher to decode. The question is who said this and what is it they said:

pei kjkdzkq mik zjjprmvzrk mjb ikqpeitkyes mjb qp mik wk vxkg jkrki qvpu vxzjlzjn

mopev jkw wmgq vp xmid pei tpejvig mjb pei ukpusk mjb jkzvxki bp wk

and finally here is the goat

ALL four would be bombers arrested

After a set of dramatic raids the three remaining suspects from last weeks failed suicide bomb attack on london have beeen arrested

Two London arrests are thought to be the men wanted for the 21 July Oval Tube and No 26 bus attacks. A third bomb suspect was already being held

The fourth suspect, wanted for the attempted Shepherd's Bush Tube attack, has been arrested in Rome and named as Somali-born UK citizen Osman Hussain

for all the details click Here

Today in Iraq (at a glance)

The last 24 hours of the latest "last throws" as reported by reuters


Following are security incidents reported in Iraq on Thursday, July 28 as of 1400 GMT.

U.S. and Iraqi forces are battling a Sunni Arab insurgency against the Shi'ite and Kurdish-led government in Baghdad.

BAQUBA - Six Iraqi soldiers were killed in clashes with insurgents in two Iraqi towns north of Baghdad, security sources said. The fighting began when guerrillas fired mortars and light arms at three checkpoints in Baquba and two in Khan Bani Saad, the sources said.

BAGHDAD - Six civilians were killed and eight soldiers were wounded on Wednesday when a suicide car bomber targeted an Iraqi Army checkpoint in Mansour district, western Baghdad.

An Iraqi military statement said on Thursday that two civilian cars were destroyed in the attack.

KIRKUK - A bomb hit an oil pipeline that provides Baiji's refineries with oil from Kirkuk's oil fields, 90 km (55 miles) south-west of Kirkuk, a source at the northern oil protection force said.

A gas pipeline that supplies Baiji power station was also damaged during the attack.

HADITHA - The assistant chief of Haditha police station was shot dead by gunmen in the town, 200 km (125 miles) northwest of Baghdad, chief of Haditha hospital Dr. Waleed al-Hadithi said.

BAGHDAD - Two Iraqi soldiers were killed on Wednesday when their patrol struck a bomb in north Baghdad. A military statement said one other soldier was wounded in the attack.

* BAGHDAD - A captain at Azzuhur police station was assassinated on Wednesday night near his home in al-Sha'ab district, northern Baghdad, a police source said.

BAGHDAD - One policeman was killed and four injured by a roadside bomb in front of a police station in Baghdad's southern district of Doura.

* FALLUJA - One US soldier died on Wednesday in a vehicle accident at Camp Taqaddum in Falluja, 50 km (32 miles) west of Baghdad, a military statement said on Thursday.

North American Muslims Issue a Fatwa Against Terrorism

Fox news (yes i know) have reported that American Muslim scholars who interpret religious law for their community issued an edict Thursday condemning terrorism against civilians

"It is the civic and religious duty of Muslims to cooperate with law enforcement authorities," according to the Fiqh Council. The term "fiqh" refers to Islamic legal issues and understanding the faith's religious law

"We pray for the defeat of extremism and terrorism," the scholars wrote. "We pray for the safety and security of our country, the United States, and its people. We pray for the safety and security of all inhabitants of our planet."

i wonder if the right wing extremists will notice this

full story Here

Look and learn George .How to stop terrorism

The IRA today has made a historic statement renouncing terrorism and giving their full support to the democractic process

To watch this statement in full at the BBC click Here

Can we say we have won ? .. .well no you can't win against terrorists . by trying you just end up creating more of them

So what happened ? ....we found a way through talking and listening to live together in peace

We allowed the political wing of the IRA (Sinn Fein) into the democratic process .

As the world has been telling you George , try using your ears instead of your mouth

Look at why people are so angry
Look at what you have done to iraq
Look at the israel/palestine issue
Look at letting the middle east run its own affairs
Look at the INJUSTICE in the world and being the 'leader' of the free world .

Address it !

Of course you can never stop all terrorists , we know that , they have existed since time began

that is no excuse not to listen

Do you really think the british government wanted to listen to the IRA ! .. of course they didnt , but they did want peace , and going in with all guns blazing just seemed to make more terrorists then we killed

Terrorists are not born that way .. ask yourself what happens to make a small innocent child grow into someone so angry that they want to blow themselves up taking so many innocents with them

for those few who still do not get it ... i am not and never will justify terrorism , it is horrific , barbaric , inhumane and evil

if you read my words and think that i do , i would advice you to go back to watching Fox

Nine overnight arrests as London goes on 'High alert'

Police have revealed that they have made nine arrests overnight in tooting south London.
All the arrests are believed to be connected to the failed attack on London last thursday
two houses have been raided resulting in six arrests at one property and three at another
it is not thought any of the arrests are of the three 'suspects' spotted on CCTV attempting to plant the previous devices

Police said the suspects, arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000, had been taken to a central London police station for questioning.

A spokesman said searches of the addresses were ongoing.

London Is on High alert today with the three main suspected bombers presumed to be still at large . Armed police are guarding many tube and bus stations

as a step to help ensure public safety it has just been anounced that 'Devon and Cornwall Police' and British Transport Police are carrying out high-profile checks of rolling stock on the rail network to London.

'Armed officers and dog teams will check carriages to ensure public safety.'

'Police say they are not acting on any specific information but are working to reassure the public.'


for more of the updating story goto the BBC

Thursday in London (London bombings)

My thoughts....

The last two attacks on the city have happened on a Thursday .
Three of the four attempted bombers are still on the loose
There is evidence that the flats already raided contained plenty of explosives for many more such attacks.
The three (at least) remaining bombers may well feel that they would rather go with a bang then be captured and spend there lives in jail

These are all reasons to suggest that an attempted attack could happen today

On the other hand ,

There was a two week gap between the last attacks .
One of the Bombers has been captured and four are presumed dead
The police and MI5 (leaving aside killing an innocent and the report stating we lowered our security threat level ) have done a fantastic job
Many 'unknown terrorist houses' have been raided
The three suspects are bound to be running scared
Security will be at it's highest level ever
The people of London will have eyes like hawks

So it seems there is equal reason to suggest there will not be an attack today

I comment on this site often and without shame about the suffering that happens around the world sometimes at the hands of our Governments , sometimes at the hands of Terrorists but always to the detriment of people .

In the end it is always the people that suffer

It is impossible to imagine what it must be like to live and work in Baghdad , every single day they cope with this and every single day families are being torn apart by bombs

Today as the clock works its way round to 07:30 my thoughts are with the people of my city ,the people of London

I pray today ends without event

'End to Iraq, Palestinian conflicts would help halt terror'

The Prime Minister of Egypt Ahmed Nazif who's Country was attacked by terrorists only a few days ago has added his name to the growing list of people who feel that the situation in Iraq and palastine is helping to breed terrorists

The two conflicts "are definitely breeding grounds" for terrorism, Nazif told Sky News television

Egypt's fight against terrorism included steps to protect its own citizens and that of foreign tourists as well as "to uproot the reasons for having terrorism, and one of the reasons is the presence of those conflicts," he said.

"Hand in hand we need to work on the peace process between the Palestinians and Israelis," he said.

"We need to work on the situation in Iraq and make sure the Iraqis can govern themselves, that the foreign troops leave Iraq and to end up with a system there" that is democratic, he said.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair rejected claims that the US-led occupation in Iraq, in which British troops are involved, is fuelling terrorism, saying it was a pretext by extremists to launch attacks

full story Here

New government , New police force , Same old torture

Iraq's new police force is facing mounting allegations of systematic abuse and torture of people in detention, as well as allegations of extra-judicial killings. The minority Sunni community in particular claims it is being targeted by the Shia-dominated police force

"The police started to beat us, tied our hands and blindfolded us," he said.

"We were left from 5.30 that evening inside a kind of container that had no air vents. After one hour, we lost consciousness and some people began to die, the others were dead by one o'clock in the morning"

full story Here

When all other lies fail ,blame Jane

I am amazed to see how quickly the American right wing puts on its boxing gloves and starts to fight in a manner that if employed by anyone else would probably get you arrested.

News that the actress and activist Jane Fonda is planning an antiwar bus tour, which by the look of things would have been a low key, barely noticed event ,has enraged the right wing so much that they have gone out of their minds with anger !

Doesn't this kind of personal attack stink of desperation to you ?

Why is it that being rude,offensive and down right nasty is a tactic the right thinks will bring them more support

A few examples

The Conservative zone : said

"This B-I-T-C-H is a traitor twice now in my eyes. She has the right to voice her opinions, but her past actions have branded her a traitor and she deserves to be treated like one."

Simi Valley Sophist : said

"No matter how you slice and dice it, a traitor is still a traitor"

GOP Bloggers said

"I wonder if she'll have herself photographed wearing a suicide-bomb belt?"

this valentine from

Bad Example : sets a very inhumane example in

AN OPEN LETTER TO JANE FONDA

"Haven't you already done enough damage for one lifetime?

"Please die soon. "

Righties, knowing that they have little ammunition to justify this war in Iraq, are positively jumping for joy at Fonda's stepping out against the invasion. It gives them something to get their teeth into !

To paraphrase a sentence that is doing the rounds at the moment , it seems to me that

"The anger is being built around the policy"

or to quote even better from the motto of the excellent Daily Dissent

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."

Theodore Roosevelt

It's Not Weak to Ask 'Why?'

An excellent article that touches upon the same subject as my post 'This is not about taking sides'

a snippet here

'This week's nominee for Orwell's Dustbin is the phrase ''blame-America first.''

It's just one of the argument-avoiding insults on the right wing's long list of synonyms for ''liberals.''

"To make the term sound like it carries some intellectual weight, you'll often hear right-wing brothers and sisters talk about how open-toe sandal wearin', tree-huggin,' bunny lovin', latte drinkin', terrorist-sympathizin', weak-on-defense, liberals engage in too much ''self-introspection.'' So, not only are ''liberals'' out to destroy America with their bleeding hearts and soft-headedness, they're also Jean Paul Sarte-reading navel-gazers.

Now, to see how ridiculous this is, imagine if this real-men-don't-introspect logic was applied to, say, police homicide investigations.

Detectives routinely ask why. Why would someone kill this particular person? What was the motive? In doing so, cops aren't ''justifying'' murder. They're not making excuses when they speak of what environmental circumstances provided the opportunity or the encouragement to kill.'

It's not ''feel-good'' utopianism to explore the roots of terrorism. It's downright pragmatic. You may not be able to change the heart of evil through knowledge. But it can lead to more effective strategies in fighting terrorism, which is why it so intellectually dishonest when conservatives accuse people interested in what fuels terrorism of wanting to ''offer therapy (to) our attackers,'' to quote Karl Rove's psychobabble

to read the full article on Alternet click Here

and thanks go as always to Daily Dissent for linking to my site . if your in The US there is no better place to stay informed

Independent US panel says 'Bush Was Unready for Postwar Iraq'

An independent panel headed by two former U.S. national security advisers said Wednesday that chaos in Iraq was due in part to inadequate postwar planning

"A dramatic military victory has been overshadowed by chaos and bloodshed in the streets of Baghdad, difficulty in establishing security or providing essential services, and a deadly insurgency,"

full story from ABC News Here

Suspected Bomber arrested with Taser gun

'Suspected bomber Yasin Hassan Omar has been arrested by police in Birmingham investigating the failed 21 July attacks in London'



Omar, 24, suspected of the attack near Warren Street Tube station, was held in a dawn raid after being stunned with a Taser gun, the BBC has learnt.
It is believed a rucksack he was carrying at the time was thrown out of a window by officers.

Full story at the BBC

News is also coming in of a raid taking place NOW by armed officers in Stockwell i will bring you more when i have it

This is not about taking sides

I have just read an article in the Guardian discussing the need to look at dialogue as a means to go forward in the battle against terror.

It seems when George Bush said those famous words "you are either with us or you are with the terrorists", some people took this as the new 11th commandment .But as most political commentators will accept the world is never that simple.

There are millions of us in the world who not only feel disgust that someone would choose to blow themselves up, taking many lives with them, but we also hold at the same time the view that dropping cluster bombs on a town called Fallujah is also disgusting .

when a poll suggests that 85 percent in britain connect the London attack to Iraq, that doesnt mean that 85 percent support the terrorists or as is claimed "justify the terrorists"

To understand what motivates someone to become a terrorist is not to justify a terrorist

I agree without question with Tony Blair when he says that there is no justification for suicide bombings . you dont need to be Einstien .. he is right

I also agree without question that the war in Iraq and the deaths of 25000 innocent Iraqi's has no justification ....

I know , we have had WMD, we have had Saddam was a bad bad man , we have had "the war on terror" but none of these arguments stand firm to much scrutiny

the best argument given has to be that saddam was a bad man .. and i for one dont argue this point . but when you look at the numbers of dictators in the world and wonder why Saddam and Saddam alone was selected, you have to admit it does look a little shaky

Yes he was bad , he wasn't the worst

The article brings up an important point that often gets overlooked . Both sides in any argument usually 'only' have an incredible ability to remember facts that help their case

ask someone who supports the people of Palistine why they feel so angry and they will quite likely tell you the story of a 12-year-old Palestinian boy, crouching behind his father, trying to avoid the Israeli bullets that killed him

ask an Israeli the same question and again they may tell you the story of two young Israeli men who crossed a boundary into Palestinian territory. They were killed, torn apart by an angry crowd.

But neither will have much of a memory for the facts of the other , both these stories are true , both these stories are well documented

So Mr Blair yes .. you are right , there is no justification for suicide bombing , there is no justification for ALMOST all killing

The 'terrorists have commited acts of evil even against their own people yes and against us

But just because the actions of the coalition in Fallujah were not broadcasted on main stream TV, dont think that we have not noticed that too.

To say they are evil is one thing you know we all agree on. Nobody from the left or the right will disagree with you there.

To imply that our hands are squeaky clean is yet another


anyway here is the Article

Yet another day of Carnage in Iraq

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying employees home from a factory in Abu Ghraib, west of Baghdad, on Tuesday, killing up to 17 people, police and hospital sources said.
A source at a Baghdad hospital said it had received the bodies of 17 people killed in the attack. Police sources said 12 people had been killed and nine wounded.
The police sources said the al-Faris factory worked on reconstruction projects. Insurgents often target Iraqis seen as working for the U.S.-backed authorities.
U.S. and Iraqi forces are battling an insurgency led by Sunni Arabs resentful of the Shi'ite and Kurdish-led government in Baghdad

The true spirit of the Liberal Americans shows through

For the first time, a majority of Americans, 51%, say the Bush administration deliberately misled the public about whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction — the central justification given for invading. The administration's credibility on the issue has been steadily eroding since 2003 after stores of the weapons weren't found.

Here

Al Qaeda or Al Fayda

These gentlemen are the moral equivalents of America's founding fathers." (Ronald Regan while introducing the Mujahideen leaders to media on the White house lawns. (1985)

"Americans are asking: why do they hate us? They hate our freedoms-our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other." George W. Bush, in his speech in US Congress in the aftermath of 9/11. (2001)

These two statements reflect the so-called transition of freedom fighters of which US administration was proud to the same one's being called enemies of US. When Tony Blair in the aftermath of 7/7 uttered his feelings that our resolve to uphold our values is stronger than their resolve to break it, he was referring to the people with same ideology and politics whom Regan praised to the sky and about whom GW Bush had the totally contrary view.


read the rest of this article Here

the U.S. defies order to give up Abu Ghraib abuse photos

'Lawyers for the Defense Department are refusing to cooperate with a federal judge's order to release secret photographs and videotapes related to the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal. '

The lawyers said in a letter sent to the federal court in Manhattan late Thursday that they would file a sealed brief explaining their reasons for not turning over the material, which they were to have released by Friday. ''

full story Here

The ever growing case for the link with Iraq

Though there are some that can never see the wood for the trees ,the evidence in the minds of the public, the politicians ,the security services and "non partisan research groups" continues to grow towards an understanding that the failed policies on iraq have not helped and have only made things worse.



This is an interesting piece just published in the Toronto Sun written by Eric Margolis whose web site i would recommend to anyone .

A small snippet below

"Two weeks ago, from London, I wrote that the underground bombings were the despicable but inevitable retaliation by angry young Muslims for Britain's invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Unsurprisingly, I received a good deal of flak. Still, an embarrassing leaked report from MI-5,
Britain's security service, and a study by Chatham House, a leading UK non-partisan research group, confirmed links between the attacks, Afghanistan and Iraq. Polls show a majority of Brits agreed. "

85 percent in britain connect London attack to Iraq

Nearly 85 per cent of all Britishers believe that the 7/7 London blasts were connected with Britain's participation in the US-led Iraq war, with a quarter of them believing, that it was a direct outcome of the war

The YouGov survey for the 'Daily Mirror' and GMTV revealed that 23 per cent of the total population believes that the Iraq war was the "main cause" of the attacks, while 62 percent said it was only a "contributory factor", the 'Daily Mail' reported.

Only 12 per cent of the Britishers were of the view that the attacks on underground trains and a bus were "not a significant cause" of Britain's involvement in the Iraq war, the survey found out.
According to the paper, the UK government had consistently rejected the argument that the bombings were the result of Britain's involvement in Iraq, insisting that extremist Islamic terror attacks began long before the invasion.
While, a majority of people, nearly 58 per cent, said that they did not believe the security forces could have done any more to prevent the attacks, 71 per cent thought the police could not have done anything to prevent the attacks.

Blair accepts Link to Iraq

It took long enough to say what was already obvious to the rest of us but Tony Blair has accepted that Iraq could be motivating the recruiment of terrorists

'He acknowledged Iraq was being used to recruit terrorists, but insisted the roots of extremism were much deeper.'

more Here

The insurgents are joining the Iraqi police

It is so keystone cops i dont know if i should laugh or cry

'Iraq's police force is recruiting insurgents and former criminals to its ranks, according to a report released by the US defence department'

"Even more troubling is infiltration by intending terrorists or insurgents. There is sufficient evidence to conclude that such persons indeed are among the ranks of the [police]."

Erm .. well that would kind of explain the problem !

I am very rarely speechless but this one has got me

Full story Here and for good measure also Here

Yet another 'Al-qaeda' statement

DUBAI : A group linked to Al-Qaeda said on Friday it carried out the latest London attacks, warning it will not relent until all "infidel" forces quit Iraq, according to an Internet statement.

"Our strikes in the heart of the British infidel capital are nothing more than a message to all European governments that we shall not relent until all infidel forces quit Iraq," the group known as the Brigades of Abu Hafs al-Masri said.

"This is a warning to all those who follow the policies of the president of infidel America," said the statement, whose authenticity could not be confirmed.

real ? who knows .. probably not

More details of the Guantanamo hunger strike

More details are emerging from lawyers in New York, about a hunger strike by detainees at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

The US military has confirmed that a number of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay have refused nine consecutive meals.

The Centre for Constitutional Rights said the lawyers first heard of the strike from prisoners frustrated by their indefinite detention and what they described as the inhuman conditions at Guantanamo, specifically in a facility known as camp five.

According to the lawyers, prisoners had said that as well as a hunger strike, they were planning to boycott showers and recreation time.

They had listed nine demands which they said they were planning to put before the Guantanamo command.

The demands called for respect for their religion, including an end to what they described as desecration of the Koran and religious discrimination, and fair trials with proper legal representation.

They also said they needed adequate supplies of food and clean water, and needed direct sunlight and not to be forced to go for months without seeing daylight.

It is not known if Australian terror suspect David Hicks is among those participating in the hunger strike

Saddam to be executed soon

An Iraqi government newspaper said Saturday that toppled President Saddam Hussein was expected to be sentenced and executed within weeks. The government-financed al-Sabah daily quoted unidentified sources close to a special court hearing Saddam's case that the verdict will be issued in the next three weeks against the former leader and his top former aides. The sources said they expected the first death penalty against the former regime officials to be handed to Saddam after the special court convicts him on 12 charges of "crimes against humanity." Here

Italian court issues arrest warrants for 6 more CIA agents

An Italian court on Monday issued arrest warrants for six more purported CIA operatives, accusing them of allegedly helping plan the 2003 kidnapping of a radical Egyptian Muslim cleric

more Here

Blair "desperately sorry" over shooting of innocent

watch the speech as shown on the BBC

Here

The four powers behind the al-Qaeda conspiracy

From the Times newspaper. a fascinating read Here on the manufactured 'fear' that comes along with the use of that word 'Al-qaeda' .

For the few of you that dont know 'Al-qaeda' means 'The Base' and applied to terrorist training camps in Afghanistan that were in use by Osama Bin Ladens group , those camps were bombed and 'the base' no longer exists .

The terrorist groups being formed each day now , have NO link to Osama , No link to 'The base'
To call these groups Al-qaeda is like calling a fat Japanese gentleman in a Karaoke bar the real Elvis just because he happens to be singing jail house rock

They are copies , the horrific attacks in London and the tragic bombing's in Egypt are not the work of some world wide group .. they are separate events carried out by seperate groups with no link in between , there is no evidence to suggest that Osama Bin laden and his group (if even alive) had any idea these attacks would happen.

to create a climate of fear by using the A word everytime something goes bang adds a certain justification to actions that can not exist if these events are taken in isolation

anyway if you still don't know the four powers behind the Al-qaeda Conspiracy then you have spent to long reading me instead of the article.

Brazil demands answers

UPDATE : A man shot dead by police hunting the bombers behind Thursday's London attacks was a Brazilian electrician.

there are no links between this man and terrorism and the Brazillian govenment is asking 'strong questions' of the britsh government on how one of there citizens lawfully working in the UK could have been shot by the police

the Brazilian Government has released a statement

"we look forward to receiving the necessary explanation from the British authorities on the circumstances which led to this tragedy".

more details Here

Man shot in London was Brazilian

The details are slowly coming out on the shooting of a man in London by Police yesterday

the police have said the man has been identified "as Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes, 27. "
i am not keen on jumping to conclusions but it would 'appear' that the male wasn't Muslim and could well have been of Catholic decent

the police statement added

"We believe we now know the identity of the man shot at Stockwell Underground station by police on Friday 22nd July 2005, although he is still subject to formal identification.
"We are now satisfied that he was not connected with the incidents of Thursday 21st July 2005.
"For somebody to lose their life in such circumstances is a tragedy and one that the Metropolitan Police Service regrets."

whilst also stating that brazilian diplomats have been informed

full story Here

Good example set by the Muslim Council of Britain

The Muslim council of Britain has released a press statement on the tragic shooting of a British Muslim yesterday. Here

considering the events taking place in the UK i feel the response from the Muslim council has been measured and sensible and they are showing good leadership at this time for those of the Muslim faith .

the statement in full


'MCB expresses deep concern over mistaken killing in Stockwell
The Muslim Council of Britain expresses its deepest condolences to the family of the innocent man who was shot dead yesterday by the police in Stockwell, South London. “While we accept that the police are under tremendous pressure to apprehend the criminals who are attempting to cause carnage on the streets of London, it is absolutely vital that utmost care is taken to ensure that innocent people are not killed due to overzealousness,” said Sir Iqbal Sacranie, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain. The MCB has received numerous calls from distressed British Muslims since the killing in Stockwell. We have also received several reports of young Muslim men who were going about their everyday business being forced to the ground by plain clothes officers and who are now very fearful. “We are all going through a difficult period. Following yesterday’s release of the CCTV images, all of us – Muslim and non-Muslim - must be united in helping the police identify and bring to justice those who are plotting the mass murder of innocent Britons. At the same time, the police also have a duty of care to ensure that they do everything humanly possible to protect innocent members of the public and prevent needless deaths,” added Sir Iqbal. The MCB understands that this killing is now being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission and urges everyone to await its findings. '

Draft constitution highlights how little has changed

It seem's if you want to change the middle east then the cool thing to do is invade , install a puppet regime and tell them what to do ..

but this doesnt seemed to have worked in the case of Iraq , we announced here previously that the draft constitution being prepared in Iraq seems to be willing to place womens rights in the country in a position even worse then it was under Saddam

now it seems that the US attempts to make the Middle east safer for Israel has also failed , as many already knew , the wounds run much deeper than can be solved by the barrel of a gun

the new draft states that Iraq is willing to allow any person on earth to apply for Iraqi nationality aslong as they comply with a few simple points

(1) he has lived in the country for at least ten years
(2) he has good character and behavior
(3) he has no criminal judgements
(4) and that he is not from Israel

exact quote as follows

"Any individual with another nationality (except for Israel) may obtain Iraqi nationality after a period of residency inside the borders of Iraq of not less than ten years for an Arab or twenty years for any other nationality, as long as he has good character and behavior, and has no criminal judgment against him from the Iraqi authorities during the time of his residency on the territory of the Iraqi republic. "

does it seem to you that after all this time , the Iraq being formed has the potential to be even worse then the Iraq pre 2003

for a full read of the 'draft constitution' click Here (pdf file)

News flash :Bombs blast Egypt

News is coming in of a series of explosions that have rocked Egypt , so far at least 36 people are known to be dead and at least100 injured

early opinion looks to be suggesting car bombs

"There was shrapnel everywhere, the front of the hotel had been completely blown away, a couple of bodies lying down on the front of the road - I have no idea if they were alive or severely injured,"

for the full udpating story goto the BBC

Muslim Council of Britain asks government to recognise the role of Iraq

The Muslim Council of Great Britain today asked the British Government to 'recognise the role that the Iraq war is playing in radicalising young Muslims'

"There is no doubt that Iraq is a important factor in the disenchantment that we have seen among some Muslim youths," said council spokesman Inayat Bunglawala.

"It's about time that the government acknowledged, that the government must not completely ignore the Iraqi factor," he said.

full story Here

The latest 'last throws'

Fresh attacks in Iraq have left at least 15 dead today .There were two suicide bombings around Baghdad, one at an Iraqi army check point killing one soldier . Another army checkpoint was hit later by a suicide car bomber killing six.

Meanwhile, three members of an Iraqi provincial council were assassinated in Baghdad as they headed to an internet cafe in the western neighborhood of Khadhra.
And in the capital's Sadr city, a government employee was killed in a drive-by shooting

full story Here

Wanted

Police have today issued these four images of the suspected attackers from yesterday . they ask anyone who can identify the suspects to call the anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321.

Shoot to kill !

A young british male who had been under surveillance since the failed attack in London yesterday has been killed by armed police on a train full of people at Stockwell Tube station






It appears that the man 'wearing a bulky jacket' refused to stop when requested by police and a chase began as the man jumped the ticket barrier and three armed police officers ran after the man.

The male ran onto a train at Stockwell station but was running so fast that he tripped .
Two of the Police officers jumped on top of the man and held him down whilst the third fired five shots into the head of the male using a black handgun . Many passengers on the train are in shock at this time .

It is coming to light that there has been a change in the instructions issued to armed police due to the new ' suicide bomber' threat to the UK . Under normal procedure the armed officers would aim for the chest in order to disable the suspect but it seems 'secret guidance' has been issued that allows the officers to shoot to kill

'Police knew the underground would be attacked yesterday'

The Daily Mirror is claiming that Londons 'scotland yard' had prior knowledge of yesterday's attack

The paper states that an informant gave police 'certain information' that suggested an attack this week. but the 'informant' was unable to give more details on times or locations

It seems the police concluded that the attack would be Thursday as it would match with the attack two weeks ago

The underground was flooded with 'undercover armed police' yesterday and armed units were dispatched(to Farringdon station) but were unable to get there in time

Also of note in the Mirror story is an unconfirmed police statement "They think the terrorists may have not yet been fully trained but were sent into action anyway"

Some interesting quotes from the BBC reporters

These quotes have built up through the day on the issue of the latest London attack....

'According to an eyewitness here people have spoken of smelling smoke on the northbound Victoria Line and an eyewitness has spoken of people running off and leaving their shoes and belongings when they smelled that smoke'

'That has all been evacuated and that's all the information that they are giving us at the moment'

'One man said he had been told a person had thrown a rucksack on a Tube train and jumped out just before the doors closed, that there was a bang with smoke and people had fled.'

'At the same time she said she heard a small detonation and the smell of smoke. I couldn't quite work out from her whether she was talking about just smoke from a fire... she had to leave in a hurry and the police were taking her away.

She seemed to give the impression that it may have been tear gas or something. It would be consistent with a tear gas grenade, a small bang, a flash and the smell of acrid smoke. That was what she seemed to be describing. '

Among those hoping for the all-clear to be given is Reverend Nabil F Shehadi who was asked to be on hand by the Bishop of Kensington.

"People so far have just been asking how they can get home," he said. "The ironic thing is that my next position is as vicar of Beirut and I'm wondering which is safer

'On first sight there are similarities to what happened two weeks ago.

But the timing is slightly odd, much later in the day rather than rush hour for maximum damage.'

'I'm standing less that 100 yards from the Oval Tube station. Whatever the police have found down there, they are not telling us. '

these quotes in the main have come from the BBC

US Extends Patriot Act by 10 years !

'The House voted overwhelmingly Thursday to extend the USA Patriot Act, the nation's main anti-terrorism tool, just hours after televisions in the Capitol beamed images of a new attack in London. '

Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, the top Democrat on the committee, said that while "I support the majority of the 166 provisions of the Patriot Act," the extensions could lessen accountability. "Ten years is not a sunset; 10 years is semi-permanent

full story from ABC News

Military officials confirm Hunger strike at Guantanamo

This story was reported here yesterday but with a fresh information coming to light today US Military officials have confirmed that a hunger strike is taking place at the camp

A spokesman for the Miltary said "Indications are that this is a temporary effort by some detainees to protest their continued detention,"

For more details goto The Washington post

Saddam complains of no access to a lawyer

A video was released today of a recent unknown court appearence by Saddam Hussein

Saddam seemed to have a number of issues he wished to raise along with the claim that he had been denied access to his lawyers

"The lawyer only sees his client when there is an investigation session. Is this the law?" Saddam said

other points of note from the ex dictator include

'Saddam complained that when he greeted the judges, he got no response.
"When someone like me says 'Peace be upon you,' and no one responds, then this is a big insult for someone like Saddam Hussein," he said.'

'Saddam also said his arrest and detention by the Iraqi government was a joke, since the Americans were the ones with power.
"I am under detention. This is what is being said. It is a game," he told the judge, in an apparent reference to being held at a U.S. military base' Yahoo news

Facts so far : The new London attack

from early indications the Devices were Put together in a way "very similar" to the devices used two weeks ago

again we have the use of rucksacks

again the targets are the same (three tube trains and a bus)

there is speculation that the devices used on this attack are from the same "batch" as 2 weeks ago

the devices are "home made"

detailed chemical analysis is taking place to confim that it was "explosive"

the events :

a small explosion reported reported on an unerground train at shepherds bush

at the oval a man is seen running from the scene after witnesses heard a bang on a train

warren street "bang" heard at the front area of the train ,

hackney road . explosion reported on top deck of a bus

the statement has been made that searches for chemical and other agents have been made and "none were found"

apart from that , there is little confirmed at this point

Statement from Tony Blair on todays failed attack on London

After the events today in london as usual the internet has gone into hyperdrive and sorting the pure fiction from the facts at this point is impossible

I have therefore decided not to (as yet) point to any links or come to any conclusions . for that check almost any news site

below is a link to downing street and the full statement as made by Tony Blair incase anyone missed it

Number 10

If you know where osama is call this number

the US today have launched a fresh advertising campaign "to increase awareness of financial rewards being offered for information leading to the apprehension of wanted terrorists."

the radio and television advertisements are scheduled to run for three months and to be shown in afghanistan

The adverts "remind the Afghans that these men are not only enemies of Afghanistan, but also of the world, and that in recent years, terrorists have been responsible for the murders of large numbers of their citizens," a State Department statement said

it is very dificult to not see this as an act of desperation in the search for the elusive bin laden

Yahoo News

US defence asks Congress to raise recruitment age to 42 !

the US Defence department quietly asked congress on monday if they would raise the age limit for recruits 'for all branches of the service'

it is well known that the US military has for some time had major recruitment problems so defence officials have responded with these new “urgent wartime support initiatives”

for all the info check out Army times

180 Afghans at Guantanamo on 'hunger strike'

two Afghan males recently released from Guantanamo have reported that upto 180 prisoners at the camp are on hunger strike .

Habir Russol and Moheb Ullah Borekzai, claim they were released from the prison camp in Cuba on Monday
A Pentagon official ,Navy Lt. Cmdr. Flex Plexico, denied knowledge of the hunger strike but stated he would investigate

'Borekzai later told The Associated Press the detainees were protesting because "some of these people say they were mistreated during interrogation. Some say they are innocent."
"They are protesting that they have been in jail nearly four years and they want to be released," he said.'

full story at Yahoo News

Man who tried to assassinate Bush no longer escapes capture

Reuters are reporting that Georgian police have failed to capture the man they believe is guilty of throwing a grenade during a speech the President made whilst visiting the country in May.

Local reporters talk of a gun fight between the police and the suspect in which 'One policeman was killed and the suspect was wounded'

'U.S. officials said at the time that the grenade only failed to explode because of a malfunction and landed within 30 meters (100 feet) of the President as he spoke to tens of thousands of people in Tbilisi's Freedom Square'

Update CBS is reporting that the man has now been captured

'The incident occurred Wednesday evening in a village outside the capital Tbilisi.The suspect fled into the woods, but was later captured, ministry spokesman Guram Donadze told The Associated Press'

UK Government 'stops' Iraq war book from publication

Sir Jeremy Greenstock who was London's ambassador to the U.N during the Build up to the Iraq war has written a book "The Costs of War" and this memior was due for public release this september.

in the book sir Greenstock describes the decision by the United States to go to war as "politically illegitimate"

but the british government has delayed publication citing "privileged conversations with Prime Minister Tony Blair have been violated"

it seems the book will only be cleared for publication once the author removes portions of the book that draw on private conversations with Blair and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.

full story Here

Iraq to become more "islamic" than it was under saddam

a working draft of the new iraqi constitution appears to be heading towards creating an islamic state very different than the multi religious dictatorship the country had under saddam



"Iraq constitution cedes a strong role to Islamic law and could curb women's rights, particularly in personal matters like divorce and family inheritance. "

it seems discussions are taking place on reversing some laws defined last year in the interim Constitution in particular the requirment that at least a quarter of the Iraqi Parliament should be made up of women

this seems another example of true democracy being impossible when delivered by the barrel of a gun

more information Here

3 UK soldiers "to face war crimes trial"

News is just breaking that three british servicemen have been charged with "inhuman treatment of detainees in Iraq". The charges have been brought under the International Criminal Court Act of 2001

the trials will take place in the United Kindgdom and not at the usual international court at the Hague

no details as yet have been released regarding the alleged offences

for more information goto the BBC

update :

Defence Secretary John Reid said in a statement that allegations against British servicemen should be investigated but that the men were innocent until proven guilty.

He said: "Today the independent Army Prosecuting Authority has brought charges under British military law that will be heard in a British court-martial."

"Anyone accused is innocent until proved guilty and it is for the courts martial to consider the evidence in any case and reach a verdict.

"Inhuman treatment of a person protected by the Geneva Conventions has been an offence under English law since 1957."

New Al Qaeda statement warns europe of fresh attacks

Al-Qaeda has made a new statement warning European nations to pull their troops out of Iraq before the 15th of august or face more attacks like london ..


a small sample of the statement follows ....

This message is the final warning to European states. We want to give you a one-month deadline to bring your soldiers out from the land of Mesopotamia (Iraq),"
After August 15, "there will be no more messages, just actions that will be engraved on the heart of Europe.
"It will be a bloody war in the service of God," "It's a message we are addressing to the crusaders who are still present in Iraq -- Denmark, the Netherlands, Britain, Italy and those other countries whose troops continue to criss-cross Iraqi territory.
"These are our last words. The mujahedeen, who are on the lookout, will have other words to say in your capitals."

more information on the new statement can be found at Yahoo.com

it feeels there is little new in the "new" statement .. haven't we had the "there will be no more messages" bit before

this message appears to have come from the same "claimed" branch of alqaeda that announced over the internet responsibility for the London attacks on the 7th (Europe Division)

it should be noted of course that this particular group has already been open to some doubt , many muslim experts have said the style of the statement and basic errors in previous statements when quoting from the Quran doesn't fit with previous authentic statements

UK invests 1 billion to improve WMD : oops i mean deterrent

the BBC has reported "The UK's Trident nuclear arsenal is to get a £1bn boost over three years to ensure it is "reliable and safe" for its remaining two decades of service."

I wonder when Hans Blix will arrive ?

Patients left to fend for themselves in chaotic wards.

More than two dozen doctors walked out of one of Baghdad's busiest hospitals on Tuesday to protest what they said was abuse by Iraqi soldiers, leaving about 100 patients to fend for themselves in chaotic wards. Here

"I stayed quiet but relatives of the patients told him to calm down before pulling him out of the room. Just then, four more soldiers came in and pointed a rifle at my head. At that point I became scared and begged them to leave me alone."
Ministry of Defense officials were not available for comment on the incident despite repeated requests. "

the situation in Iraq is far beyond a joke . the climate of intimidation grows each day from every and any source .

if you live in Iraq . who could make you safe ? it seems everyone has their own agenda ...

your Constitution or you life

A member of Iraq Constitution Panel was Killed today .

"The attack occurred as the committee drafting the constitution was holding a meeting at Baghdad's Convention Center on the edge of the heavily fortified Green Zone, home to the U.S. Embassy and Iraqi government offices. The meeting was immediately adjourned when the head of the commission Humam Hammoudi got the news"

building a constitution is hard enough without having to keep all those trying alive , this was one of few sunni's that were willing to have any part in this "government"

full story Here-

Unnamed, Unnoticed (Iraqi suffering examined)

The lack of "official" figures, however, shouldn't absolve the media from their blindness to Iraqi suffering, since available figures, incomplete as they are, are staggering for a guerrilla war. Reliable sources have certainly done their best to count, sources like IBC, Brookings, and the Iraqi and American epidemiologists who estimated in a study published in the British medical journal the Lancet that 100,000 Iraqis might have died in the war by September, 2004 Here

Update:

well well well ... i do alot of moaning about the media bias in the war with iraq but for once i must give credit

the BBC are running with the headline story "Conflict 'kills 25,000 Iraqis'" that will teach fox for calling them biased

Here

Angry Iraqi citizens start to form their own militia

Iraqis have begun barricading themselves in their homes and forming neighborhood militias in an effort to fend off relentless suicide attacks

"The plans of the interior and defense ministries to impose security in Iraq have failed," Khudair al-Khuzai told parliament during a heated session following the latest blast. "We need to bring back popular militias," he said

Here

FBI Monitored Web Sites for 2004 Protests

"It's increasingly clear that the government is involved in political surveillance of organizations that are involved in nothing more than lawful First Amendment activities,"

It raises very serious questions about whether the FBI is back to its old tricks."

"It's one thing to monitor protests and protest organizers, but quite another thing to refer them to your counterterrorism unit

Here

Britain debates new terrorism laws

As predicted by so many the United kingdom takes the next step today towards copying America's Patriot act Here

Not mentioned(unless updated) in the article but much discussed on English Television is the concept that "Terrorist web sites" will become illigal to access.

Being patriotic as i am and not wanting to break the law i decided it best to check out what they mean . so i decided to look up "terrorist" in the most common UK english dictionary....

According to the tenth edition of the Concise Oxford Dictionary `terrorist' is a person who uses violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims

lets double check and try websters....

Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary describes the word terrorism as the `systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion.

hmm ok

well this seems to fit well with the UK and US policies on Iraq over the last decade ..
Some could even assume that political aim might be called oil ?
The violence .. well lets call that "shock and awe" shall we
The intimidation .. did a certain bush tell saddam he had 24 hours to leave the country even Though it seems saddam was willing to hold United nation's monitored Democratic elections
Coercion now that an interesting word

I seem to remember i certain Mr Rumsfeld being asked the question .. "sir what constitutes victory in this war on terror , how will we know we have won ?"
the reply ...

"Victory is persuading the American people and the rest of the world that this is not a quick matter that’s going to be over in a month or a year or even five years,"

so victory is convincing the american people that this isnt going to end soon(if at all) so you better get used to all these bombs and deaths and once you have got used to it . then .. we have won !

That sounds like coercion to me

It seems to be safe i am going to have to avoid all government web sites in the US and UK for fear of arrest

(I wonder how long it will be before the first legal challenges if this becomes law)

My point ?

Well terrorism is a tactic, its exact definition is arguable to the extreme . The insurgents in Iraq and many people in the middle east view Bush and Blair as terrorists and politics aside they are not breaking any literary rules

How do they suppose to enforce this ?

How do you know what "they" have choosen to be "terrorist web sites"?

Again .. who knows ?

WAS IT SUICIDE ?

the Daily Mirror in London has picked up on a few details of the London bombings that dont make sense . i have to admit many of the issues raised by the Mirror have entered my mind too

Here

strange facts :

Why did they buy return train tickets to Luton ?
Why did they buy pay & display tickets for cars ?
Why were bombs in bags and not on their bodies?
why were None of the men heard to cry "Allah Akhbar!" - "God is great" - usually screamed by suicide bombers as they detonate their bomb. ?
why did they carry wallets containing their driving licences, bank cards ?

none of this fits the pattern that would be expected from suicide bombings

Additionally, two of the bombers had strong personal reasons for staying alive.
Jermaine Lindsay's partner Samantha Lewthwaite, 22, mother of his one-year-old son, is expecting her second baby within days. Mohammed Sidique Khan's wife Hasina, mum of a 14-month-old daughter, is also pregnant.

the mirror believes that the bombers may have been duped into thinking they would surivive
and the theory sounds plausible ..

thats the problem "plausible" , many things are plausible .

the one thing that the mirror doesn't seem to have included is that it is clear from the photographs released of the underground trains that no attempt was made by the bombers to remove the rucksacks . the blast pattern matches clearly with devices in rucksacks detonated whilst being worn .. so if they thought they would survive surely they would have removed the pack before setting the timer ? .

it seems clear to me that they had no idea at all of what they were doing .

SUICIDE bomber Lindsay Jamal’s wife last night insisted: “They’ll have to prove to me he did it.”
Pregnant Samantha Lewthwaite, 22, refused to accept Jamal was the fourth London bomber, responsible for 26 deaths. She sobbed: “He wasn’t the sort of person who’d do this. I won’t believe it until I see proof.”
The Sun

these facts could also fit with a highly evolved descendant of MK-Ultra .

who knows ?

if your interested in the backgrounds of the four "suicide bombers" more detail can be found Here

seem odd to you ? (incase you missed it)

This article was published many months ago , but it looks like the story is finally making it into the main stream media so i have decided to publish it again for reference

it seem's that yet more evidence is building up to suggest Abu Musab al-Zarqawi the number one "terrorist" in iraq was captured a few months ago Here



"Al-Zarqawi has been arrested by Iraqi police and US military close to the border with Syria, Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported"

What's odd you say ?

Well it seem's as soon as America's number one target was detained , he was quickly released ! Now remember The United States has offered a $25 million reward for al-Zarqawi's capture or death so why was he released ?

Stupidity is what they want you to believe . the story goes as follows Here but those wanting the short version the answer is they failed to recognise him !

Sorry i dont buy that .. and to put it futher i smell a rat !

"we will have to respond with nuclear weapons" !

China is prepared to use nuclear weapons against the US if it is attacked by Washington during a confrontation over Taiwan,
“If the Americans draw their missiles and position-guided ammunition on to the target zone on China's territory, I think we will have to respond with nuclear weapons,” said General Zhu Chenghu
“We . . . will prepare ourselves for the destruction of all of the cities east of Xian. Of course the Americans will have to be prepared that hundreds . . . of cities will be destroyed by the Chinese.”

full story Here

Somebody hand Cheney dictionary please !

At least 58 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack in the town of Musayyib , for those keeping count that is four more then died in London (is this getting coverage on you TV ? )

today's attack comes on the back of a string of others recently




15 July: Suicide bombs kill 16
13 July: Bomb kills 26 children
10 July: 20 army recruits killed
26 June: 35 die in Mosul attack
25 June: Suicide attacks kill 23
20 June: Several attacks, 31 dead
2 June: Multiple bombs kill 24
30 May: 27 dead in Hilla
11 May: 70 dead in Tikrit, Hawija
4 May: Irbil bombing kills 60

speechless

Here

on route to suicide

Police in London released this CCTV image of the 4 British suicide bombers at Luton train station , the back backs carry the deadly explosives.

the calm expressions on the faces give no clue that they and 54 others are only hours from death

LAST THROWS ??

Nine suicide bombs rock Baghdad

At least 20 people have been killed and almost 100 wounded in a wave of suicide bomb attacks in the Iraqi capital.
The nine attacks across Baghdad used cars and motorbikes loaded with explosives to target security forces.
Iraq's military bore the brunt, with attacks in quick succession on patrols in the north and city centre Here


another major attack inside the claimed safe "green zone" .. did somebody say last throws ?

London Attack . Chemist found, Eygpt and US Linked

The "chemist" who the police claim made the explosives for the London Boming has been arrested (at british request) by the police in egypt

the FBI have been asked by Scotland yard to investigate the claim that Magdi Mahmoud al-Nashar spent time studying at a university inside the US

what the news doesn't appear to be saying (yet) is that the explosives found have been defined as "TATP" the very same chemical's as used by Richard Reed (the shoe bomber) and as yet still undectable by normal scanning methods

A house in leeds (England) has been raided and with trace samples taken and has been confirmed as a match (ie the London bomb's were made at this house) Here

Magdi is under interrogation in egypt by british MI6 officers has denied having any connection to the attacks

Letter from the insurgents

this isnt a news story just my thought for the day

I have come accross a letter to "the british people" from the insurgents in iraq being posted on a large number of web sites since the 8th of july .(the day after the London attack)

the letter does not claim that they had anything to do with the horrific attack's on london the day before ,if they did then i would not be discussing them here and i would be calling the authority's

(whom i am sure already know considering the the first web site that actually did claim responsibilty was closed down within 10 mins of posting) .

I have no more support for what the insurgents do then i do for what the US and UK administrations have done to iraq
(i may understand what motovate's the insurgents but i would never endorse it)

the letter is the what you would expect (the other side of the argument put forward by bush and blair) which doesn't personally offend me here living in London , and i for one see no reason not to publish it

.especially as "freedom of speech" is one of those things we are ment to be defending

but the flip side is however open minded and not easily offended by "words" that i am , i do understand that some people are not able to see the bigger picture

they honestly dont see the connection when we say why is it that the children killed in iraq this week don't get the same coverage as those poor soul's that lost there lives in london . some people find a way to twist and turn that thought into some idea that you just said something bad.

to me that is ignorance . but ignorance is not something we should punish . It hurts alot when you are the victim of "terrorism" i myself had 2 very close calls from bomb's exploded by the IRA and to lose a loved one that way is beyond comprehension.

what doesnt translate in some people is that hurt must be the same from the other side and the families of those that died dont care if it was a terrorist or a cluster bomb fired by the US or British army . they care that someone they love is dead and quiet naturally they hate the side that did it

so out of respect for those that don't understand . i have decided (it wasnt an easy decision) not to publish the letter ( though it is easy to find if you wish to search for it ) and anyone who can't find it and want's the link email me and i will send you a link to a random one of the 200 or so web sites that are already posting it

as an after thought it's a strange world were the publication of "words" risk's creating so much offence but the deaths of thousands of innocent people barely makes it onto the news....

Save your life , wear a uniform

The Iraqi government said Thursday far more civilians than soldiers or police were killed in violence over the first six months of this year.

In June, Interior Minister Bayan Jabr told the AP in an interview that 12,000 Iraqi civilians had been killed over the past 18 months

"We suspect that an average of 100 bodies end up in hospitals every week, none of which are counted or identified,"

last throws ? Here

You Kill , We Kill

Israeli helicopters have fired missiles at targets in the Gaza Strip as what seem's to be a revenge attack after an Israeli woman is killed by a Palestinian rocket . The rocket attack Hamas said was carried out in revenge for the killing of an Islamic Jihad leader by the Israeli army in Nablus. BBC

this tit for tat battle again highlights the urgency of the problem in Gaza but the world governments seem under the constant illusion that this issue will just go away

"We didn't kill those kids" Al-Qaeda say

Al Qaida in Iraq purportedly issued a statement denying it was behind a horrific attack on a poor east Baghdad neighbourhood that killed 18 children and teenagers.

"We, al Qaida organisation in Iraq, announce that we are not in the least responsible for the New Baghdad operation that took place on Wednesday," said a statement posted and signed by Abu Maysara al-Iraqi, al Qaida spokesman.

as you might imagine this story is a little hard to track down as most of the main media outlets are not reporting it but a few details can be found Here and Here

upadte: more translation from the latest statement

"We in the Organisation of Al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia announce that we have no link whatsoever to the operation in new Baghdad, which took place Wednesday,"

"Our way in the Al-Qaeda organisation of fighting the enemies of God, the Crusaders and their tails of (Iraqi) army and police, is well known,"

"Our Sheikh Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who supervises personally all operations from planning to execution, is very keen on making sure that ordinary people are not targeted,When the Crusaders gathered following the attack, another penetrated the crowd and detonated an explosives-belt"

"'No more Bush-it.' "

A man arrested in downtown Houston last year for carrying a sign criticizing President Bush filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday, accusing police of violating his free-speech rights
Chris Kelly, 43, is suing officer David Weaver, 37, 10 unidentified officers and an unidentified supervisor for arresting him and issuing a misdemeanor citation listing his offense as "Carrying a poster bearing the legend 'No more Bush-it.' "
Kelly, who said he was a salesman before becoming disabled, said Wednesday that he was surprised the officers appeared unaware of the constitutional right to free speech.
"I thought that police officers would be the first ones instructed on understanding that this is one of the gifts our country gives us," he said. Full story here

you know once in a while I have to close my eyes and remember this is the United States of America , Not china or north korea ! how can Bush stand up and say...

"America is a Nation with a mission - and that mission comes from our most basic beliefs. We have no desire to dominate, no ambitions of empire. Our aim is a democratic peace - a peace founded upon the dignity and rights of every man and woman. "

erm ok george .. you missed the bit about that not applying to the dignity and rights of your own people

it seems we have come along way since Franklin D. Roosevelt said to the american people

"Four freedoms: The first is freedom of speech and expression - everywhere in the world. The second is freedom of everyone to worship God in his own way, everywhere in the world. The third is freedom from want . . . everywhere in the world. The fourth is freedom from fear . . . anywhere in the world."

MOD asks permission to devalue human life

"Can the Government give serious consideration for the British armed services to opt out - like the French forces - from our commitment to the European Convention on Human Rights?"

so we claim we are fighting for freedom and democracy and for human rights .

if we opt out of the convention on human rights we are becoming what we claim we are fighting

since the start of the war in Iraq i have heard far to many stories from credited and respected journalists of innocent people being shot for a simple acts such as hanging their washing out to dry at the wrong time
some nervous soldier shouts "sniper" and next thing the inocent is dead

the only recourse the innocents family has against british forces is the convention (if you are killed by US forces your family has no recourse at all)

If this is what the Ministry of Defence wants then this it what the Ministry of defence will get , of that i am sure

but remember accidents do happen in battle and entire families can be destroyed by the split second reaction of a soldier and without justice why wouldnt that family want to "hit back" at those that did this .

to claim to be defending "human rights" by taking away the "human rights" of those we claim to be defending is orwellian to the extreme

do we really need to explain to those in power the obvious cycle of event's that makes someone turn to extremist actions

Here

Stopping time

Britain , Europe and much of the world will stand still for 2 mins today at midday , planes won't fly , TV's wont broadcast even trains won't move .. just for 2 mins

it's become a tradition and is seen as a moment to reflect and show respect to those that have died (in this case the 52 people killed in the london attack)

I am not one to break tradition and some people do need something like this to be able to move on.
although it has entered my mind of what it would be like if we showed the same respect to everyone in the world who has died in this "war on terror" and after each new death we repeated this gesture , it would be like time standing still . i have yet to understand why Place of birth = value of life .

"There are some things which cannot be learned quickly, and time, which is all we have, must be paid heavily for their acquiring. They are the very simplest things, and because it takes a man's life to know them the little new that each man gets from life is very costly and the only heritage he has to leave"

-Ernest Hemingway

everyone deserves his time . i wonder how many today will pay equal thought to all those needless deaths , in a perfect world they all would Here

British man" Mastermind behind 7/7 attack"

the The times is also claiming that one of the recruit's was a "primary school teaching assistant" .

the normal lives these bomber's led until this point should make you question . why ?

it seem's to some the answer is obvious but for those that are able to influence our policies . they refuse to even make the connection .

The daily News is made up of British politician's claiming they are "shocked" that the suicide bomber's were british and at the same time the British people (as you can see by the lack of reaction in london to the bombing) have been expecting and predicting this since 2002

i cant remember when the gap of understanding between government and people has been so wide as it is now

EMAIL : Karl Rove

Dont just read the news , be the news

If you live in the US and you want to do something ...

goto Daily dissent now

follow the instruction's on how to email Karl Rove , tell him exactly how you feel
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Downing street Lists all al-qaeda attacks since 1993

the British government has just released a new document

one day after the confirmation of the first ever suicide bombers to hit western europe ,one day after the tragic news that the London Bombers were home grown .

now maybe i am a little cynical but "they" wouldnt be trying to convince us that there isn't a connection between last thursdays horrific attack and our policy on iraq

it's not like the BBC are saying

"Downing Street are clearly trying to make the point that these attacks were being carried out by Islamic extremists well before the military action in Afghanistan or Iraq"

oops they did say that

of course nobody could claim there is a failure to mention any attacks on Afghanistan or Iraq..

oh .. i see ...

there is no mention of Iraq or Afghanistan at all . hmm maybe we are not fighting "terrorists" there at all

anyway . without further delay lets go straight to Downing street for the latest news

hang on a second Tony ! If there has not been any "significant terrorist attacks" in Iraq or Afghanistan then can all the troops come home ?

NEW FEATURE

"Could a media system, controlled by a few global corporations with the ability to overwhelm all competing voices, be able to turn lies into truth?..."

Orwell Rolls In His Grave

watch now (real player required)Part 1 Part 2

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Is this the democratic freedom we are fighting for ?

"An Arizona Army National Guardsman whose Web log comments have criticized the Iraq war and who has filed papers to run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Jon Kyl, is the subject of a military investigation in Iraq"

its clear to me that freedom of speech means you can say what you want as long as its exactly what we want you to say. read more Here

Did someone say WMD .... at least the Hawks won't have far to invade

New evidence suggests that Soviet agents could have concealed nuclear and biological weapons of mass destruction inside the United States and other Western countries

Story Here

They had only just started out in life

26 children , lives ripped apart and all so young , in one day there lives change from the next possible Nobel prize winner to just another statistic

Here And here

TRAGIC

no known links to terrorism but tragic none the less .

At least 150 die in Pakistan crash

LAHORE, Pakistan -- Three trains have collided in southern Pakistan Wednesday morning, killing at least 150 people and injuring 800 more, police and railway officials have said CNN

I have been following the story for about an hour and it seems certain that by the time you read this the number of people killed will have grown

Latest US Poll

Washington, Jul 12 (Prensa Latina) A survey carried out by Gallup pollsters revealed 54 percent of the US public believe the invasion of Iraq has made their country more vulnerable to terrorist attacks.
According to the poll, 12 percent believed the country was very likely to be attacked in coming weeks, while 43 percent said it was probable, and 53 percent believe it was not worth going to war with Iraq.
The increase in Iraqi rebel actions and US casualties in the Arab nation has triggered harsh domestic criticism, even within Republican ranks.

I dont have any more stat's then this at the moment so i can't tell you how many people were asked or the precise date(s) the survey was taken . So from most angles this info is probably useless (like every other poll ever taken ) but if the Image is anything to go by it's Bert all the way to the Whitehouse and by the look on Bush's Face it does make you wonder if Karl Rove is just out of shot

First Galloway Now Another British Member of Parliament makes connection

CHARLES Kennedy, the Liberal Democrat leader, last night suggested that the "mishandling" of the Iraq war had created an environment for terrorism to flourish.
Politicians in the UK from all the main parties have so far gone to great lengths to avoid linking the London attacks with the war

"We have to recognise the occupation of Iraq by the multinational force itself contributes to the insurgency and attracts those from abroad who see the opportunity to spread violent fundamentalism ... And the terrorists certainly will not shrink from using Iraq to increase resentment and as fodder for recruitment." The Scotsman

Slowly . oh so slowly the facts begin to click

London Bombs May Have Been Suicide Attacks says ABC 7 News

infact the interesting point in this article is the first mention of a name

"One bomber was thought to be Shahzad Tanweer, a 22-year-old cricket-loving sports science graduate, and another was a teenager, the British news agency Press Association reported"

Jeremy Shapiro, director of research at the center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution, said "europeans had been involved in suicide attacks in the Mideast, but he knew of no suicide bombings in Western Europe previously"

other links around the world to this story
Here and Here and Here and Here

The Horror in London

Eric MargolisForeign Correspondent / Defense Analyst & Columnist
"We are horrified that anyone would attack innocent civilians packed in subway cars. But the extremists and fanatics who do so say they are exacting revenge for the 500,000 Iraqi civilians who died, (confirmed by the UN), from the ten year US-British embargo of Iraq."

"For the criminal destruction in 1991 of Iraq’s water and sewage treatment plants that cause massive cholera and typhoid. Or for the occupation of Iraq and destruction of the city of Falluja that killed tens of thousands more civilians, and, of course, for Palestine."

"we saw the frightful TV footage from the London bombing but no footage at all of the destruction of an entire Afghan village just days before by the US"

Read in full Here

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London Bombing's key facts at a glance

It is of note that although the british media has jumped on the suicide bomber thread(me included) the actual confirmed facts released by the British Police today are as follow's ... to most in the media reading these facts . the conclusion can only be one thing

THE OFFICIAL FACTS


All four suspects are British nationals. Three of the four are from West Yorkshire

All four were captured on CCTV at King's Cross station, wearing rucksacks, shortly before 0830 BST on the morning of the attacks. The footage was found on Monday night

One suspect was reported missing by his family. Some of his belongings were found on the No 30 bus in Tavistock Square

Property linked to a second man was found at the scene of the Aldgate/Liverpool Street bomb

Items belonging to a third suspect were found at the site of the Aldgate/Liverpool Street and Edgware Road bombs

It is very likely the three men whose belongings were found at the bomb scenes are dead, police sources say

Questions remain over the identity of the fourth bomber. Police do not know if he was killed at King's Cross or has fled

One man has been arrested in West Yorkshire and is being questioned in London. He is believed to be related to one of the suspected bombers

Police have searched the homes of three of the four suspects in West Yorkshire

Six search warrants were executed in the Leeds area on Tuesday. A controlled explosion has been carried out in the Burley area

A significant amount of explosive material has been found at an address in Leeds

The men boarded a Thameslink train from Luton to King's Cross. A car in Luton, which has been the subject of three controlled explosions, is connected to the inquiry

It is not yet clear how the three suspects from West Yorkshire made their way to Luton

More than 1,000 calls have been made by the public to an anti-terrorist hotline. Police have studied 2,500 CCTV tapes

Arrests over London bomb attacks(breaking news)

Arrests have been made in Yorkshire after the suspected London bus bomber leads anti-terror police to make raids in Leeds and Luton.
In Leeds a controlled explosion was carried out by army bomb disposal experts to gain access to a house, as part of a search of six premises.

Update: "all 4 bombers suicide bomber's" ," all 4 were british"

further update : "bomber's obviously dead" all 4 met up at kings cross at 8:30 am on day of bombing"



houses of the bombers have been raided ... 6 arrest warrent's issued for the rest of the cell .. documents that belong to 3 of the bomber's found at bomb site's .... seems that some kind of chemical has been found at the house ....

stay tuned

Police state " NO direct al-qaeda connection " all 4 bombers "clean skins"

This is british people angry at our policies .. this is the proof (as if we needed any) that bush n blair's "war on terror" is creating more "Terrorist's" then they are killing

it can't be emphasized enough .. British suicide Bombers is HUGE news .. there will be a backlash now



Here And Here