MithraPride

courtesy of the AP wires :

Britain-Terror Plot
British foil plan to wreak terror and kill thousands over the
Atlantic
Eds: AMs. LEADS throughout with ages of suspects, plan to hide
explosives in sports drink bottles, CLARIFIES that cities were
likely targets.
By JENNIFER QUINN
Associated Press Writer
LONDON (AP) -- British police said Thursday they thwarted a terrorist plot, possibly just days away, to blow up U.S.-bound jetlinersover the Atlantic and kill thousands. Chilling accounts leaked by investigators described a plan on the scale of 9/11 that would use liquid explosives concealed as sports drink bottles and common electronic devices to bring down as many as 10 planes in a nearly simultaneous strike. The bombs were to be assembled on the aircraft apparently using a peroxide-based solution detonated by such devices as a disposable camera or a music player, two American law enforcement officials told The Associated Press. The officials spoke on condition of
anonymity because Britain asked that no information be released.
A federal law enforcement official in Washington said that at least one martyrdom tape was found during ongoing raids across England on Thursday. Such a tape, as well as the scheme to strike a range of targets at roughly the same time, is an earmark of al-Qaida.
British authorities arrested 24 people based partly on intelligence from Pakistan, where authorities detained up to three others several days earlier. More arrests were expected, the official said. The suspects were believed to be mainly British Muslims, at least some of Pakistani ancestry, and the official said some had gone to Pakistan recently.
A senior U.S. counterterrorism official said the suspects, whose ages ranged from 17 to the mid-30s, were looking to sneak at least some chemicals on the planes in sports drink bottles. Teams of at least two or three men were assigned to each flight, the schedules for which they had researched on the Internet, the official said.
American investigators praised Britain for preventing a catastrophe. "If this plot had actually occurred, the world would have stood still," Mark Mershon, assistant director of the FBI, told the AP in New York.
Terror threat levels were raised to some of their highest levels and hundreds of flights were canceled worldwide. Passengers stood in line for hours and airport trash bins bulged with everything from mouthwash and shaving cream to maple syrup and fine wine.
Governors in at least three U.S. states -- California, New York and
Massachusetts -- ordered National Guard troops to help provide
security.
"We want to make sure that there are no remaining threats out
there, and we also want to take steps to prevent any would-be
copycats who may be inspired to similar conduct," said U.S.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
Experts said the nature of the plot could herald a new age of terrorism where attackers have access to explosives that are easy to carry and conceal. Emergency security measures quickly implemented on Thursday provided a stark vision of the possible future of air travel.
Mothers tasted baby food in front of airport security guards to prove it contained no liquid explosives. Liquids and gels were banned from flights. Travelers repacked their luggage in airports, stowing all but the most necessary items in the hold.
Although plots to blow up airliners using liquid explosives are not new -- such an attempt was foiled more than a decade ago -- the U.S. government has been slow to upgrade its security equipment at airport checkpoints to detect explosives on passengers.
U.S. authorities did not say how long the security measures would last. "We are taking the step of preventing liquids from getting into the cabin to give us time to make adjustments," Chertoff said.
The raids in Britain on Thursday followed a monthslong investigation, but U.S. intelligence officials said authorities moved quickly after learning the plotters hoped to stage a practice run within two days, with the actual attack expected just days after that.
The test run was designed to see whether the plotters would be able to smuggle the needed materials aboard the planes, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Targeted were United, American and Continental Airlines flights from Britain to major U.S. destinations, which counterterrorism officials said probably included New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the individuals plotted to detonate liquid explosive devices on as many as 10 aircraft.
"This nation is at war with Islamic fascists who will use any
means to destroy those of us who love freedom, to hurt our
nation," President Bush declared.
The plane bombings could have come just ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks carried out by al-Qaida. The terror group's leader Osama bin Laden and his No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, are believed hiding along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and have repeatedly issued tapes threatening new attacks.
"In terms of scale, it was probably designed to be ... a new
Sept. 11," said Jean-Charles Brisard, a French private investigator who works with lawyers of many Sept. 11 victims. "It involved the same tools, the same transportation tools and devices."
The close call also shifted attention once more to Britain's Islamic community just over a year after the London transit attacks. Three Britons of Pakistani descent and a Jamaican convert to Islam carried out those deadly bombings with a peroxide-based explosive that trained operatives can make using ordinary ingredients such as hair bleach.
In Pakistan, an intelligence official said the arrest of an Islamic militant near that border several weeks ago played a role in "unearthing the plot." The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said some suspects arrested in Britain were linked to al-Qaida. However, authorities stopped short of accusing al-Qaida directly for the plot.
A senior Pakistani government official, also speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment on the matter, said "two or three local people" suspected in the plot were arrested a few days ago in the Pakistani cities of Lahore and Karachi.
French Interior Minister Nicholas Sarkozy said the group "appears to be of Pakistani origin," but did not give a precise source for the information. Britain's Home Office refused comment.
A British police official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation, said the suspects were "homegrown," though it was not immediately clear if all were British citizens. He said authorities were working with Britain's large South Asian community.
Tariq Azim Khan, the Pakistani minister of state for information, said "these people were born and brought up in the United Kingdom. Some of them may have parents who were immigrants from Pakistan."
Raids were carried out at homes in London, the nearby town of High Wycombe and in Birmingham, in central England. Searches continued throughout the day, and police cordoned off streets in several locations. Police also combed a wooded area in High Wycombe.
Hamza Ghafoor, 20, who lives across the street from one of the homes raided in Walthamstow, northeast of London, said police circled the block in vans Wednesday and that they generally swoop into the neighborhood to question "anyone with a beard."
"Ibrahim didn't do nothing wrong," Ghafoor said, referring to
a suspect. "He played football. He goes to the mosque. He's a nice
guy."
The British government raised its threat assessment to its highest level -- critical -- which warns that a terrorist attack could be imminent. The U.S. government, following suit, raised its threat assessment to red alert, also its highest level, for commercial flights from Britain to the United States.
------
Associated Press Writers Pat Milton and Tom Hays in New York,
Lara Jakes Jordan in Washington and Jay Lindsay in Boston
contributed to this report.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APTV 08-10-06 2027EDT
=============================================
Asia-Typhoon
Strongest typhoon to strike China in 50 years makes landfall,
killing at least 30
Eds: AMs. UPDATES with detail on increased death toll, RESTORES
earlier material. RECASTS overline.
By JOE McDONALD
Associated Press Writer
BEIJING (AP) -- The most powerful typhoon to hit China in five
decades raged across its southeastern coast Thursday, capsizing
ships and destroying homes after 1.5 million people evacuated. At
least 30 people were killed and dozens were injured. At least 28 people were killed in Cangnan County in coastal
Zhejiang province, where Saomai made landfall, the Xinhua News
Agency said Friday. The government earlier reported two deaths in
Fuding, a city in neighboring Fujian province. Xinhua didn't say
how the latest deaths occurred, but said 7,300 homes were
destroyed.
Officials said at least 80 people were injured and 19 reported
missing across the region. The typhoon was also blamed for at least
two deaths in the Philippines earlier.
Torrential rains were forecast in the next three days as the
typhoon churned inland across crowded areas where Tropical Storm
Bilis killed more than 600 people last month.
Saomai, with winds up to 135 mph, made landfall at the town of
Mazhan in coastal Zhejiang province and was moving northwest at 12
mph, Xinhua said, citing weather officials.
Eight Taiwanese sailors were missing after two ships capsized in
a harbor in Fujian, while four Chinese were missing after their
ship struck a reef, the agency reported. Seven others were reported
missing in the Philippines after giant waves and heavy rains
generated by the typhoon battered coastal villages, officials said.
Saomai, dubbed a "super typhoon" by Chinese forecasters due to
its huge size and high wind speeds, was the eighth major storm of
this year's unusually violent typhoon season. Saomai was the most
powerful typhoon to hit China since the founding of the communist
government in 1949, Xinhua said, citing the Zhejiang provincial
weather bureau.
Before the storm's arrival, 990,000 people were evacuated from
flood-prone areas of Zhejiang and 569,000 from the neighboring
coastal province of Fujian, Xinhua said. It said a total of 70,000
ships had returned to port in the two provinces.
The area is about 950 miles south of Beijing, the Chinese
capital, which was not affected by the storm.
In the Philippines, more than 200 houses built on stilts were
destroyed and a child was killed and another was reported missing
as waves up to 10 feet tall ravaged the coast of Bongao, the
capital of southern Tawi-Tawi province, before dawn Wednesday,
provincial Gov. Sadikul Sahali said.
"There is floating debris everywhere," Sahali said.
At least six members of a family also were reported missing
after their house was buried in a landslide on Sarangani island,
part of southern Davao del Sur province, the Office of Civil
Defense said.
Elsewhere, a man was killed as big waves washed away about 200
shanties in seaside villages in Talisay city on central Cebu island
early Wednesday, the civil defense office said.
Saomai, named for the Vietnamese word for the planet Venus,
passed across Japan's Okinawa island group on Wednesday with winds
up to 89 mph, prompting airlines to cancel 141 flights and
affecting 24,000 passengers.
China's weather bureau had forecast unusually heavy typhoon
action this summer, saying warmer than normal Pacific currents and
weather patterns over Tibet would create bigger storms and draw
them farther inland.
Bilis triggered flooding and landslides as far inland as Hunan
province, hundreds of miles from the coast.
Most of the deaths happened in areas away from coastal
communities that have elaborate dike networks and a long history of
evacuating flood-prone areas.
Typhoon Prapiroon lashed China's southern coast last week,
killing at least 80 people in floods and landslides in Guangdong
province and neighboring Guangxi.
Even as Saomai stormed ashore, Chinese forecasters were already
closely watching Tropical Storm Bopha, which trailed behind it
farther out in the Pacific. Bopha was about 110 miles southeast of
Guangdong late Thursday and moving west with winds of 29 mph,
according to the Hong Kong Observatory. (Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
APTV 08-10-06 2036EDT

Bleh couldn't be bothered to read through all that but it's been all of the news as of yesterday.

This might have been mentioned in that huge block of text but people are only being allowed bare essentials as handluggage and no liquids are allowed. They're also being giving see-through plastic bags to take things onto the plane with and their handbags/backpacks/etc. will have to be put in with the main luggage.

Quite scary hats off to the spies and such who foiled this plot, security is super tight as I've pointed out above but we may be looking at restricted handluggage for a good few years now.

Some liquids are being allowed if it's proved they are what people say they are by testing them. You're better off just mailing said containers to your final destination before you go to the airport though. I had to do that with my pocket knife when I went on vacation, worked ok for me.

One of the local deejay's here got in trouble with some local Muslim groups for his comments on this situation and the radio station sided with him only because his show's ratings are the highest in the area by a 50% margin.

So yeah, political correctness is officially dead in Sacramento.

As for this, it seems like we get one of these every few years. Won't be long before we have to change into "Approved" clothing at the airport.

Last I checked, only drinks you could carry on with you were baby formula, breast milk and juice ONLY if a small child was traveling with you AND you had to drink some of it first.

Best sound of the day we had was, "I breast feed my baby so I didn't have to bring any extra containers..." boobies FTW!

Army War Objector Plans to Go to Base

Published: 8/11/06, 7:45 PM EDT

SEATTLE (AP) - Shortly after returning from Iraq last year, Army Sgt. Ricky Clousing gathered a few belongings and sneaked out of Fort Bragg, leaving only a note quoting Martin Luther King.

After six months spent seeing the "daily physical, psychological and emotional harassment of civilians," the 24-year-old said he was confused and disenchanted with the United States' role in the war.

On Friday, he said he planned to turn himself over to authorities at Fort Lewis, south of Seattle. He declined to say when, but his attorneys said it would happen Friday afternoon.

"I stand here before you today about to surrender myself, which was always my intention," Clousing told several dozen friends, family members and war veterans who gathered at the University of Washington campus.

If Clousing turns himself in at Fort Lewis, "he surrenders to military control," Fort Lewis spokesman Joseph Hitt said. If military police find that Clousing is either a deserter or absent without leave, he will be sent back to Fort Bragg in North Carolina, the post he walked away from.

Officials at Fort Bragg did not return an Associated Press call for comment Friday.

Speaking earlier from a friend's home in Seattle, Clousing said he won't participate in what he considers to be a "war of aggression" that has "no legal basis to be fought."

Clousing sneaked out of Fort Bragg in June 2005. Beginning last fall, his lawyers said, they contacted Fort Bragg and later Fort Lewis to try to negotiate a discharge. But neither installation claims responsibility for him, attorney Lawrence Hildes said. Finally, Clousing decided to just show up at Fort Lewis.

His planned return comes just ahead of a hearing scheduled next week at Fort Lewis for an officer charged last month with conduct unbecoming an officer and missing troop movement after he refused to deploy to Iraq. First Lt. Ehren Watada, 28, has said that his research convinced him that the war was illegal.

Watada could face nearly eight years in prison and a dishonorable discharge if convicted, his attorney has said.

Clousing, who was trained as an interrogator with the 82nd Airborne Division, deployed to Baghdad in December 2004 and was in Mosul when he said he witnessed the killing of a young Iraqi man.

His convoy had stopped to help another unit when the man came up in a vehicle, Clousing said.

"He slowed his car down, took his hands off the steering wheel and braked immediately," Clousing recalled. As the man started turning the vehicle around, another soldier "fired off four to five rounds into the side of the vehicle."

Clousing rested his head in his hands as he described helping a medic pull the injured man from the vehicle, then watching as soldiers tried to stanch his bleeding.

"The boy, looking up at me, was literally dying in front of my eyes as I looked down at him," he said.

Clousing said he approached unit leaders about the shooting but was treated as an inexperienced soldier who "needed to shut up."

Upon returning to Fort Bragg in April 2005, Clousing said he talked with military chaplains and counselors, stressing that although he did not want to be discharged from the service, he felt he could no longer support the Iraq war.

Clousing said he's not opposed to all war and because of that chose not to apply as a conscientious objector.

"My intent was solely to learn how to come to grips with what I was a part of and what had happened and what is happening," he said.

He sneaked out of Fort Bragg in the middle of the night, taking books, clothes and a surfboard.

He left a note on his door, with King's quote: "Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' But conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but because conscience tells one it is right."

You know with this resant thign with planes i htink I'll stick to airships, Chocobos, and driving.

- Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on! I refuse to fight, I'm a conscientious objector.
- A what?
- You know, a coward.
</Futurama>

I have a friend who works with someone who's dating someone in the special police or something... anyway this isn't public knowledge but apparently they were just gonna try and get the bombs on the planes as a test then blow up several planes in Heathrow Airport on Spetember 11th. Luckily UK Intelligence > all and foiled their plans

Baby milk is allowed if tested by the parents first, didn't hear about any juice though.

Tianshii wrote: Best sound of the day we had was, "I breast feed my baby so I didn't have to bring any extra containers..." boobies FTW!

Boobies are always ftw

Soooo....what exactly do people who go AWOL think the US Army is before they join? The Red Cross?

Eviticus wrote:Soooo....what exactly do people who go AWOL think the US Army is before they join? The Red Cross?

Perhaps they believe they will not be ordered to commit war crimes.

After WWII we hung Japanese for the simple act of starting a war with us. We called it a breach of the peace. Explain please the difference between Japan hitting Pearl Harbor and our invasion of Iraq.

I will not list the war crimes that have made the paper in the last week. You have read about them I am sure.

According to the UCMJ, one has the obligation to resist illegal orders. That is neither a right nor a privelege, but an obligation.

Now can we please get away from reality? Its so unpleasant.

Well one could argue that Iraq had bad leadership that threatened "world peace" or whatever. Saddam was refusing to let UN inspectors in and such, ne? Wasn't he also killing lots of people?

Whereas in WW2 the US weren't doing shitall until Japan bombed Pearl Harbour (bit of an own goal really).

Sugami wrote:Well one could argue that Iraq had bad leadership that threatened "world peace" or whatever. Saddam was refusing to let UN inspectors in and such, ne? Wasn't he also killing lots of people?

Many of our polititacal leaders, when confronted with just how many laws we have broken and people we have tortured and killed in pursuit of the war on terror have said, "We aren't as bad as Sadam." When we get to be as bad as Sadam THEN can we go home?

Our embargo on Iraqui oil, and the corrupt "oil for food" program killed over 100,000 CHILDREN. Sadam never killed that many adults. As a mater of fact, over 140,000 people have died of violence since we first invaded Iraq.

Today Iraq is a failed state, embroiled in civil war, and a major terrorist training ground. Methodlogy developed in Iraq has now been used against us in Afganastan. It was a secular state under Sadam. Bin Laden, far from being friendly with Sadam, put a price on his head.

Please remember that Sadam was one of our best friends right up until George Seinior gave him permission to invade Kuwait. We probably trained some of his torturers for him.

Sugami wrote:Whereas in WW2 the US weren't doing shitall until Japan bombed Pearl Harbour (bit of an own goal really).

Sugami, we, the French, and the Brits, with minor help from the Dutch had Japan's economic back up against a wall. The Japanese were fighting a war of anti colonialism and economic survival. Well OK, anti European colonialism, they were all for Japanese colonialism. "Asia for the Asians" was a wartime slogan.

But hey, to put it in today's terms, "They just hate our freedom". Why not? It works for Boy George.

P. S. for at least two decades before 1941, graduates from Japan's version of West Point had to turn in a battle plan to attack one of four targets. I do forget what the other three were, but #1 was Pearl Harbor. Immagaine our surprise when they actually did it!!!

Now can we PLEASE leave reality to the fricking news?

Everyone knows theres a difference between terrorist and Muslims. We just dont know what it is yet.

(Pheonxhawk is currently on a 28 hour post and has not slept in 27 hours. Please disregaurd anything he say's as he will more than likely slap himself for it after he gets the proper amount of sleep.)

And whats the deal with Bannana's I mean come on people, how can they be Yellow and Taste good!

PheonixHawk, that first sentance is not funny. In fact, it's extremely offending.

Eviticus wrote:PheonixHawk, that first sentance is not funny. In fact, it's extremely offending.

PheonixHawk is in the military and fed a strict diet of propaganda. He must be forgiven.

One very objectionable thing Boy George has done is to paint a face on terroism. That face is Muslim. No one outside of Oklahoma remembers Timothy McVey. He has also made it a religous war for his right wing "Christian" allies, good Christans protecting the Holy Land by fighting the evil Moslem hordes. Hey, Joe Lieberman believes it and he is Jewish.

Tsybil wrote:Sugami, we, the French, and the Brits, with minor help from the Dutch had Japan's economic back up against a wall. The Japanese were fighting a war of anti colonialism and economic survival. Well OK, anti European colonialism, they were all for Japanese colonialism. "Asia for the Asians" was a wartime slogan.

I don't get it... so Japan was in a financial crisis because we wouldn't buy their exports or something? So they decided to bomb pearl habour? Huh?

Hehe my dad is so anti-muslim it's almost funny... sure there was something to add to that but I forget what it is...

Sorry about that Eviticus. Yeah not nearly as funny now that its no longer 3:30 am. (Going on 10 am now and still no sleep.) Secondly I do have some Muslims in my family, so I know that whole "Muslim and Terrorist are the same thing." Is Bull Sh*t. Yet Tsybil does have a point. You guys just don't understand that everytime some knuckle head country starts sh*t even if its just a rouse, who's life becomes more misereable than it already is? Us Marines. Like that March in England where muslims were talking about doing a second 9/11 over there. How they were threatining to kill all that opposed them. What the news didnt show, is us Marines packing our sh*t, hoping agains all hope we wouldnt have to be dispatched there. Honestly it's like our job to be baby sitters to other countries. Aww the Iraqi's starting stuff, Send the Marines, oh a Tsunami his Indonesia, Send the Marines. Aww you stubbed your friggin toe, Send the Marines. God I cant wait till my 4 years are up so I can end my term of service.

Pheonixhawk wrote:Sorry about that Eviticus. Yeah not nearly as funny now that its no longer 3:30 am. (Going on 10 am now and still no sleep.) Secondly I do have some Muslims in my family, so I know that whole "Muslim and Terrorist are the same thing." Is Bull Sh*t. Yet Tsybil does have a point. You guys just don't understand that everytime some knuckle head country starts sh*t even if its just a rouse, who's life becomes more misereable than it already is? Us Marines. Like that March in England where muslims were talking about doing a second 9/11 over there. How they were threatining to kill all that opposed them. What the news didnt show, is us Marines packing our sh*t, hoping agains all hope we wouldnt have to be dispatched there. Honestly it's like our job to be baby sitters to other countries. Aww the Iraqi's starting stuff, Send the Marines, oh a Tsunami his Indonesia, Send the Marines. Aww you stubbed your friggin toe, Send the Marines. God I cant wait till my 4 years are up so I can end my term of service.

yeha I agree....that is the one thing I hate, every time somethign happens, USA plays mother -.-

Oh and btw all. I'm sorry. I don't mean to complain about my life. I don't mean to say I have a harder job than everyone else just because I'm a Marine. It just feels that way you know. I mean, I really don't have much I can say in my life. Other than hey, Ill take a bullet for you if I know your in the right. Why would I join the Corps? Because anytime some group of "People" threaten my home, I will make sure I stop them with all of my might, before they can hurt my friends and family. I joined because I don't see my life as worth much. So dying is fine with me. So long as its for a good cause. Im not saying ill do some stupid like throw my life away. I'm saying I just want want to use it wisely to help others enjoy theres.

With that said. The majority of the People giving us Marines a Galka sized headache, are the Muslims and the Koreans. Im not racist in any way, but those guys are making my life a pain in the arshe. Every time someone dies in my Battalion im the one stuck in a office for hours doing a report on them. It was the most painful thing ever to do a report on my friends who got blown up from the bomb attack in thier office... I knew them in Boot Camp, knew 1 of them before we joined. And now all I can tell his parents are, he died in a war that doesnt need to be fought. Theres always gonna be more terrorist. Always. So why are we still fighting? I have no clue...

(Sorry for going off topic there.)

Sugami wrote: I don't get it... so Japan was in a financial crisis because we wouldn't buy their exports or something? So they decided to bomb pearl habour? Huh?

Japan is a small, overpopulated country, and as industralized in the 30s as any european nation.

Like most wars, it was over natural resources. The European colonial powers, aided by America, itself a colonial power in the pacific to this day, held countries and resources the Japanese wanted.

Asia for the Asians meant Asia for the Japanese.

Footnote: During WWII Ho Chi Min fought a gurrela war against the Japanese that drained them of men and material. He begged us for arms. We turned him down. After the war, we helped install all the old European colonial powers to their orignal holdings. The Brits mostly started pulling out. The French dug right back into "French Indo-China". Now known as Viet Nam.

I think you know the rest of that story.

Let's say there will be 10 terrorist attacks and 5 civil wars in the next 20 years. I don't think our government believes they can stop them all. But what if through our intervention we limit it down to 4 terrorist attacks and 2 civil wars?

We get involved, bad stuff happens. We don't get involved, bad stuff will still happen. I think the reason why we do it is because we know we can't save everyone, but we have the power to help some of them.

Because you've really helped out Iraq so far...

http://www.pointlesswasteoftime.com/games/wargames.html

I've always thought this article was amusing. War is hell no matter how you look at it.

I like to argue and debate, some times I side with the devil's advocate just so I can keep arguing. I find it fun. However at the moment, I think the article Sakino posted sums up just about everything. Yup, I'm done.

Eviticus wrote:I like to argue and debate, some times I side with the devil's advocate just so I can keep arguing. I find it fun. However at the moment, I think the article Sakino posted sums up just about everything. Yup, I'm done.

lol my favorite part is this:

"I want my Mission Objectives to change every 30 seconds, without anyone letting me know. I want little talking heads to pop up on my screen - commanders, politicians, allies, military intelligence - each giving me different sets of victory parameters, all of them conflicting and many of them written in bullsh*t a$$-covering doublespeak"