Israeli soldiers returning from the war in Lebanon say the army was slow to rescue wounded comrades & suffered from a lack of supplies so dire that they had to drink water from the canteens of dead Hezbollah guerrillas. “We fought for nothing. We cleared houses that will be reoccupied in no time,” said Ilia Marshak, a 22-year-old infantryman who spent a week in Lebanon. Marshak said his unit was hindered by a lack of information, poor training & untested equipment. In one instance, Israeli troops occupying 2 houses inadvertently fired at each other because of poor communication between their commanders. “We almost killed each other,” he said. “We shot like blind people. ... We shot sheep and goats.”In a nation mythologized for decisive military victories over Arab foes, the stalemate after a 34-day war in Lebanon has surprised many. Sounds similar to what American Soldiers experience. Poor leadership and in the end they will find out it was all for Lies with nothing to win ... http://www.msnbc.msn.com censor News |
Editor - 13:14:00 08-18-06 |
Hizbollah stumps up cash for Lebanese war victims |
Hizbollah handed out bundles of cash on Fri to people whose homes were wrecked by Israeli bombing, consolidating the Iranian-backed group's support among Lebanon's Shi'ites and embarrassing the Beirut government. "People already had faith in Hizbollah, this will strengthen their faith," said Ayman Jaber, 27, with a wad of $12,000 in banknotes Hizbollah had given him. Israeli and US officials have voiced concern that Hizbollah will entrench its popularity by moving fast with Iranian money to help people whose homes were destroyed or damaged in the 34-day conflict with Israel. Hizbollah has not said where the funds are coming from to compensate people for an estimated 15,000 destroyed homes. The scheme appears likely to cost at least $150 million. The Lebanese government has yet to launch anything similar. Several mass funerals took place in the south for at least 250 people killed during the war, including 30 in Srifa and 29, among them two Hizbollah fighters, in Qana, residents said... http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=2330564
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Editor - 12:55:00 08-18-06 |
Judge Sentenced For Exposing Himself |
A former judge convicted of exposing himself while presiding over jury trials by using a sexual device under his robe was sentenced Friday to four years in prison. Donald Thompson had spent almost 23 years on the bench and had served as a state legislator before retiring from the court in 2004. He showed no reaction when he was sentenced. At his trial this summer, his former court reporter, Lisa Foster, testified that she saw Thompson expose himself at least 15 times during trial between 2001 and 2003. Prosecutors said he also used a device known as a penis pump during at least four trials in the same period. Thompson, 59, was convicted last month of four felony courts of indecent exposure for incidents that took place in his Creek County courtroom. It don’t mention if he will be put on a Sex Pervert list like others would... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/18/national/main1912298.shtml?source=RSS&attr=U.S._1912298
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Editor - 12:40:00 08-18-06 |
Afghan Official Says 10 Killed in Coalition Airstrike Were Police Officers, Not Militants |
A top Afghan border police official said Fri that 10 people killed in a US-led coalition airstrike had been identified as police officers, despite the US military saying it believes it hit insurgents fleeing the scene of an attack. The military said it was investigating Thursday's coalition airstrike in southeastern Paktika province but was confident that the trucks struck by coalition aircraft were those of "extremists" who had attacked coalition and Afghan forces, killing one Afghan soldier. "I completely reject what the coalition is claiming," said Gen. Abdul Rahman, Afghanistan's deputy chief of border police. "All these people who have been killed were very active and smart officers." Meanwhile, the coalition said insurgents had killed a US-led coalition soldier and wounded another in an ambush on their patrol near Asad Abad, the capital of eastern Kunar province, on Thursday. It did not give the nationality of the soldiers, but most of the coalition troops in Kunar are American.... http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2330540
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Editor - 12:32:00 08-18-06 |
Businesses accused of helping the Bush Administration eavesdrop on customers could be in for a legal bruising. Good, serves them right for being so willing to spy on people |
Telecommunications and Internet companies accused of working with the Bush Administration's domestic eavesdropping program could be in for more legal headaches, after a federal judge ruled Thursday that the warrantless wiretaps violated the constitution. U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor in Detroit dealt a major blow to the White House in a 43-page opinion that said President George W. Bush exceeded his authority and that the program violated the First and Fourth Amendments protecting free speech and privacy. She ordered the National Security Agency to immediately halt a secret program that monitors telephone calls and e-mails of Americans that are in contact with suspected terrorists. FUTURE FIGHT. The federal government plans to appeal the case, which appears headed for the Supreme Court. The American Civil Liberties Union, which brought the suit against the NSA, agreed to temporarily allow the wiretapping program to continue, while ... http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2006/tc20060818_382622.htm
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Editor - 12:13:00 08-18-06 |
China abortion activist on trial |
The trial of an Chinese activist who raised concerns about forced abortion and sterilisation has taken place. Chen Guangcheng, under house arrest since September 2005, is charged with public order offences. It is not clear when a verdict will be announced. He had accused officials in Shandong of breaking family planning laws in their enforcement of the one-child policy. Before the trial, three lawyers connected to his case were arrested, but two have now been released. One of them, Li Fangping, told the BBC that Mr Chen had been represented, against his will, by two state-appointed lawyers in the closed-door proceedings. His wife told the news agency AFP she had not been allowed to attend the trial, which according to reports lasted about two hours. ... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5262748.stm
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Editor - 08:22:00 08-18-06 |
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post The Good, The Bad and The Ugly |
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