JQAdams

give. me. a. break.

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 21:51:18 -0500

“The U.S. Air Force is blocking its personnel from viewing the New York Times website and other major publications that have published information from the cables WikiLeaks leaked. An Air Force rep said the measure is intended to “keep classified material off unclassified computer systems.”

This is just silly.

laliberty: via dalefogden.org

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 10:19:48 -0500

laliberty:

via dalefogden.org

rustbelts: August, 2009. Interesting! It’s fun to find...

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 10:18:44 -0500

rustbelts:

August, 2009. Interesting!

It’s fun to find quotes like this. Undoubtedly there are some about Saddam Hussein, bin Laden and many others we can find from many prominent politicians. Go back far enough and you’ll find them about Hitler (sorry Godwin) and Stalin and others.

They’re unfair. McCain was conducting diplomacy. He used the neutral word “interesting.” He didn’t say Qadaffi was a “great man” or a “statesman” or “wonderful for his people” or any such nonsense. He met with him and called him interesting.

There are many valid criticisms of John McCain when it comes to Libya policy and other areas. This isn’t one of them.

BBC: Saudi Arabia Bans All Protests

Sat, 05 Mar 2011 10:46:28 -0500

BBC: Saudi Arabia Bans All Protests:

thepoliticalnotebook:

The statement from the interior ministry, announced on state TV, declared:

Regulations in the kingdom forbid categorically all sorts of demonstrations, marches and sit-ins, as they contradict Islamic Sharia law and the values and traditions of Saudi society.

It also said that the police are

authorised by law to take all measures needed against those who try to break the law.

This comes after the financial incentives rolled out last month by King Abdullah ($37 billion in benefits, a 15% raise for public employees, and extra funding for things like housing and studying abroad.

And so it begins…

"Two U.S. Navy warships, with 800 Marines aboard, will arrive off Libya within a day or two for..."

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 18:39:17 -0500

“Two U.S. Navy warships, with 800 Marines aboard, will arrive off Libya within a day or two for possible humanitarian operations, and an additional 400 Marines have been dispatched, according to Josh Diddams, a spokesman for the Marine Corps at the Pentagon. Admiral Gary Roughead, the chief of naval operations, said two aircraft carriers are already in the region and a third, the USS George H.W. Bush, is preparing for deployment there from Norfolk, Virginia.”

- Obama Says Pentagon Examines `Full Range’ of Libya Options - Bloomberg

That’s enough for a no-fly zone.

Human Rights groups say at least 6,000 people have been killed by the Gaddafi regime.

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 16:11:18 -0500

Human Rights groups say at least 6,000 people have been killed by the Gaddafi regime.:

thelibyanrevolution:

If you really think about the population of Libya which is six million, 6000 people is a HUGE number. HUGE. Just to put it into perspective, it would be as if:

10,000 Tunisians died, or 83,000 Egyptians died, or 307,000 Americans died.

These numbers are COLOSSAL. Gadaffi is no longer just killing people, he is committing genocide.

Killing one percent of the population in an armed conflict is not genocide. Calling it genocide cheapens the word and the crime. But it is completely unacceptable behavior that calls for intervention by foreign powers.

shortformblog: In Libya, it’s official. They mediate crazy with...

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 11:26:07 -0500

shortformblog:

In Libya, it’s official. They mediate crazy with crazy. Way to go, Hugo Chavez. You now have an opportunity to bring the level of discourse you have with your people in Venezuela to Libya. There’s a Charlie Sheen joke in here somewhere, but we’ll leave it to you guys to make said joke.

INCREDIBLE PICTURES OF THE LIBYAN REBELS STORMING BREGA Dude...

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 15:56:00 -0500

INCREDIBLE PICTURES OF THE LIBYAN REBELS STORMING BREGA

Dude looks like a normal guy. Nice jeans, nicer shoes.

INCREDIBLE PICTURES OF THE LIBYAN REBELS STORMING BREGA

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 15:55:31 -0500

INCREDIBLE PICTURES OF THE LIBYAN REBELS STORMING BREGA

"Two U.S. amphibious assault ships have reached the Mediterranean Sea, a U.S. official said on..."

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 15:51:27 -0500

“Two U.S. amphibious assault ships have reached the Mediterranean Sea, a U.S. official said on Wednesday, as Washington intensifies pressure on Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to end his four-decade rule.”

- U.S. assault ships clear Suez, enter Mediterranean | Reuters

Wow. I can’t imagine the circumstances under which we would deploy Marines from the Ponce and Kearsarge, but this is nonetheless a Very Big Deal.

Videos Posted by uprising of February 17, 2011 - to make it a day of anger in Libya: the events of Brega 02/03/2011

Wed, 02 Mar 2011 15:24:07 -0500

Videos Posted by uprising of February 17, 2011 - to make it a day of anger in Libya: the events of Brega 02/03/2011:

This is an absolutely incredible video of desert combat in Libya. From the page: “URGENT battle erupted in a region near the city of Brega Ajdabiya and the despotic regime that uses aircraft and heavy weapons” (translated from the Arabic by Google Translate).

"There is an operations room in Tel Aviv with the aim of destabilizing the Arab world. (It is) run by..."

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 18:19:54 -0500

“There is an operations room in Tel Aviv with the aim of destabilizing the Arab world. (It is) run by the White House”

- Ali Abdullah Saleh, President of Yemen (source: NPR).

This guy, I swear…
(via darling80m)
This is where all Arab despots eventually go.

"Tuesday’s decision will allow al-Nahda (The Awakening), a moderate Islamist movement that had..."

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:02:10 -0500

“Tuesday’s decision will allow al-Nahda (The Awakening), a moderate Islamist movement that had been banned for two decades under toppled President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s rule, to participate in upcoming elections.”

- Tunisia’s Islamists to form party - Africa - Al Jazeera English

Democracy in action. It’s messy, but it works more often than it doesn’t.

"What Gorbachev and de Klerk did was not always pretty, and neither man is much celebrated in his own..."

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:01:01 -0500

“What Gorbachev and de Klerk did was not always pretty, and neither man is much celebrated in his own country these days. But each relinquished the power of an abusive elite without subjecting his country to a civil bloodbath. Afterward, they did not flee to the comfort of Swiss bank accounts. On the contrary, they managed a feat that is almost unthinkable in most of today’s erupting autocracies: after succumbing to democracy, they contributed to its legitimacy by becoming candidates for high office — and losing, fair and square.”

- How to Lose a Country Gracefully - NYTimes.com

This is a brilliant article.

"Cameron said he had asked the ministry of defence to work with its allies over plans for a no-fly..."

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 13:59:32 -0500

“Cameron said he had asked the ministry of defence to work with its allies over plans for a no-fly zone over Libya, a move that would see fighter jets used to patrol and shoot down Libyan aircraft ordered to attack protesters.”

- Britain considers Libya no-fly zone - Europe - Al Jazeera English

"David Cameron, the British prime minister, has said the international community cannot let Libyan..."

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 13:59:14 -0500

“David Cameron, the British prime minister, has said the international community cannot let Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi “murder” his own people, as he justified considerations for a no-fly zone over the riot-torn country.”

- Britain considers Libya no-fly zone - Europe - Al Jazeera English

Cameron was waiting for British citizens and subjects to leave Libya before endorsing a no-fly zone. The US is taking the same approach. If Qadaffi continues along his current path there will be a NATO-enforced no-fly zone.

The Arab revolts have been bad for Al Qaeda, too

Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:02:23 -0500

The Arab revolts have been bad for Al Qaeda, too:

theweekmagazine:

Arab autocrats aren’t the only losers in the uprisings that have, so far, toppled the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt. According to several analysts and counter-terrorism officials, the pro-democracy revolts have been just as bad for Al Qaeda and other militant Islamist groups. Though Al Qaeda leaders are publicly embracing the revolutions, they’ve essentially stood by and watched others achieve their goal of overthrowing secular regimes. Has Islamist terrorism become marginalized?

Al Qaeda can’t compete against freedom: The “exhilarating” revolutions upsetting regimes across the Arab world may bring the “end of the ‘war on terror,’” says Peter Beinart in The Daily Beast. As democratically elected governments take over, Osama bin Laden’s “worst nightmare” is coming true: Without “corrupt flunkies for the U.S. and Israel” to rally Arabs against, Al Qaeda has no appeal.

But at the opposite end of the spectrum, the terrorism risks could also be greater than ever. Read the rest of the opinion.

newsflick: Qaddafi Digging His Own: By Gary McCoy

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 14:21:05 -0500

newsflick:

Qaddafi Digging His Own: By Gary McCoy

"For many specialists on terrorism and the Middle East, though not all, the past few weeks have the..."

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 14:16:48 -0500

“For many specialists on terrorism and the Middle East, though not all, the past few weeks have the makings of an epochal disaster for Al Qaeda, making the jihadists look like ineffectual bystanders to history while offering young Muslims an appealing alternative to terrorism.”

- Al Qaeda Finds Itself at a Crossroads - News Analysis - NYTimes.com

As Regimes Fall in Arab World, Al Qaeda Sees History Fly By

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 08:36:32 -0500

As Regimes Fall in Arab World, Al Qaeda Sees History Fly By :

theatlantic:

For nearly two decades, the leaders of Al Qaeda have denounced the Arab world’s dictators as heretics and puppets of the West and called for their downfall. Now, people in country after country have risen to topple their leaders — and Al Qaeda has played absolutely no role.

In fact, the motley opposition movements that have appeared so suddenly and proved so powerful have shunned the two central tenets of the Qaeda credo: murderous violence and religious fanaticism. The demonstrators have used force defensively, treated Islam as an afterthought and embraced democracy, which is anathema to Osama bin Laden and his followers.

So for Al Qaeda — and perhaps no less for the American policies that have been built around the threat it poses — the democratic revolutions that have gripped the world’s attention present a crossroads. Will the terrorist network shrivel slowly to irrelevance? Or will it find a way to exploit the chaos produced by political upheaval and the disappointment that will inevitably follow hopes now raised so high?

Read the rest at the New York Times

A beautiful thing.