Venezuelan President Chavez on Al-Jazeera

Special Dispatch - U.S. & The Middle East
August 8, 2006
No. 1235

Venezuelan President Chavez on Al-Jazeera: Israel Uses Methods of Hitler, the U.S. Uses Methods of Dracula; I'm a Nasserist who has Crossed Deserts, Ridden Camels, and Sung Along With the Bedouin; Al-Jazeera Plays a Role in Liberating the World

DISCLAIMER: The different points of views of MEMRI and its contributors are not supported nor do they reflect the views and beliefs of the Bosun Locker or any entity affiliated with the Bosun Locker.

To view this Special Dispatch in HTML, visit: HTML of Chavez on Al-Jazeera .

In an interview with Al-Jazeera TV that aired on August 4, 2006, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez expressed his solidarity with the entire Arab people on the occasion of his birthday, stating that his heart "beat along with millions of Arab hearts." He goes on to talk about how Israel is "doing what Hitler did to the Jews," how the U.S. is "like Count Dracula - always in search of blood and petrol," how Nasser was "one of the greatest people in Arab history," and how Al-Jazeera plays "a role in liberating the world."

The following are excerpts from the interview.

TO VIEW THIS CLIP, VISIT: Video of Chavez appearance on Al-Jazeera .

"I Have Crossed Deserts, I Have Ridden Camels, and I Have Sung Along With the Bedouin"

Hugo Chavez: "I want to congratulate the people of Qatar, and its leader, my friend and brother, Prince Hamad. From this pulpit, I send my brotherly congratulations to the entire Arab people. I'm celebrating my birthday in the heart of the Arab homeland, on Arab land. What a happy coincidence! My heart beats along with millions of Arab hearts. I could have been an Arab. I have crossed deserts, I have ridden camels, and I have sung along with the Bedouin. I have learned in those years to love and respect the Arab people."

[...]

Israel's Aggression is "Perpetrated in the Manner of Hitler"

"We feel that the Israeli aggression against the Palestinians and against Lebanon is directed against us too. This aggression is unjustified. It is perpetrated in the fascist manner of Hitler. Israel is justified in criticizing Hitler and his aggression - and we criticize this as well - but now they are doing what Hitler did to the Jews. They are killing innocent children and whole families. They dismantled the legitimate government of Palestine, and thwarted tremendous efforts to achieve peace and establish a Palestinian state.

"Now they are attacking Lebanon, and have destroyed more than half of it, according to the latest information. They have assassinated hundreds of innocent people, and to what end? There is no justification for this. I am telling you with all honesty that the hand of the Americans is spurring them on. This hand is behind the Israeli aggression. It is imperialistic aggression. The real threat to the world is the imperialistic threat posed by the U.S., and Israel is one of its imperialistic instruments in this part of the world."

[...]

"On this day, as I am celebrating my birthday, I demand, on behalf of the people of Venezuela, that Israel withdraws from the land of Palestine and from Lebanon. There must be an immediate cease-fire. We must give room for diplomacy, and respect law and human rights. We cannot go back to living in caves. This will be terrible for the future of humanity."

[...]

"Once again, the mask has fallen from the Satanic imperialistic face of the U.S. They used their veto to prevent the Security Council from activating the mechanism of the U.N. in order to put an end to this aggression."

[...]

The U.S. is "Like Count Dracula - Always in Search of Petrol and Blood"

Interviewer: "Mr. President, could this lead us to say, as has been claimed, that this is an American war by proxy, rather than an Israeli war against Lebanon and Palestine?"

Hugo Chavez: "Yes, I have no doubt about this."

[...]

"In 50 years, the U.S. consumed the energy consumed by humanity in 150 years. Now, they are working to take control of the petroleum of the peoples, in order to consume it, just like Dracula. They are like Count Dracula - always in search of petrol and blood. Why? Because they want to preserve something transient - the American imperialistic way of life."

[...]

"The American Empire is the No. 1 Enemy in the Way of the Kingdom of Peace and Justice"

"In all honesty, I say that it is the U.S. that should formulate a plan for post-imperialism. American society cannot and should not come to an end, but the imperialism of the fascist elite will. We must defeat imperialism in this century, so that this elite will not annihilate the world. Either we succeed in 1,000 different ways to end imperialism, or else imperialism will use 1,000 different ways to annihilate the world. This would constitute the end of mankind, the end of our hopes. Jesus Christ called on us to live in the Kingdom of Peace, but there can be no peace without freedom. I'm a Christian, and I believe that Jesus came to announce to us the coming of the Kingdom of God, and the Kingdom of God is peace, equality, and justice. The American empire is the number one enemy in the way of the Kingdom of Peace and Justice."

[...]

"How can this be achieved? The answer has to do with the strategy that will allow us to reach our goal - reaching what Jesus called the Kingdom of Heaven. How? This can be done in a multi-polar world. The answer is that we must create a multi-polar world. This is the spirit of the foreign policy of Venezuela, my dear friend and brother, Muhammad."

[...]

"Nasser was One of the Greatest People of Arab History"

"Someone talked to me about his pessimism regarding the future of Arab nationalism. I told him I was optimistic, because the ideas of Nasser are still alive. Nasser was one of the greatest people of Arab history, to say the least; I am a Nasserist, ever since I was a young soldier."

[...]

"My Heart is With Al-Jazeera and its Media People... You Have a Role in Liberating the World"

"Whenever I meet an Al-Jazeera reporter, I feel like giving him an interview or a statement. Allow me to say to the Al-Jazeera staff that I am amazed by them. As someone who fights for a just world, it is an honor for me to be here, and to sit across from you in these studios, and among these colleagues and brothers in Al-Jazeera. I say to the media people I have met here, and with some of whom I shook hands, that you are an example and a model of honor, bravery, and the fight for justice. You are committed to the code of journalistic work, and to the breaking of the monopoly over the media, and the distortion of the truth, despite all the pressure."

[...]

"My heart is with Al-Jazeera and with its media people, its employees, and its workers. You should continue to serve as an example, and present the truth to the world, because the truth is that you have a role in liberating the world."

*********************

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent, non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East. Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background information, are available on request.

MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used with proper attribution.

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
P.O. Box 27837, Washington, DC 20038-7837
Phone: (202) 955-9070
Fax: (202) 955-9077
E-Mail: memri@memri.org
Search previous MEMRI publications at http://www.memri.org/

Technorati Tags: Hizbollah … Middle East … Terrorism … Ahmadinejad … Hugo Chavez … Venezuela … Iran … Islam … Terrorist … Anti US … South America … Latin States… Martyrdom fighters … Fighters of Muhammad ... Anti-Semitic ... Al-Jazeera

Hebollah Terrorists in America

Courtesy of CBNNews.com – (CBN News) - DISCLAIMER: The different points of views in this article by Dale Hurd CBN News, Hebollah Terrorists in America , are not supported nor do they reflect the views and beliefs of the Bosun Locker or any entity affiliated with the Bosun Locker.

The leader of Hezbollah has declared America the enemy. Many Arabs and Muslims in America openly support Hezbollah.

Is this a potential threat to our safety?

Several thousand people marched through the Detroit suburb of Dearborn a few weeks ago, chanting "Hezbollah" and holding up photos of Hezbollah leader Sheik Nasrallah and posters comparing President Bush to Hitler.

Similar protests took place in San Francisco, New York, and other cities.

The U.S. government calls Hezbollah a terrorist organization, but don't tell that to these Americans.

Osama Siblani publishes the Arab-American News, the largest Arab-American newspaper in the United States. He said, “No, They are not terrorists. Absolutely not. No. They are freedom fighters.”

(Nadine Naber, a Jordanian Christian and professor of Arab American studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor said, "Hizbullah was born as a result of resistance to illegal Israeli occupation. "We don't have to look far to know that ethnic cleansing of Arabs is not out of the question. All we have to do is look to Palestine and Iraq." Source Arab-American News )

Adding that the U.S. tries to use religious differences to weaken Middle Eastern nations, Naber called for not only an end to U.S. funding of Israel's military, but also for fair reporting.

He told the Chicago Tribune that if the FBI wants to go after Hezbollah supporters in Dearborn, "…they better bring a fleet of buses. I, for one, would be willing to go to jail."

Hezbollah is an Iranian creation, and although it has a measure of independence, it's considered Iran's proxy army in southern Lebanon. As many as 15,000 of Dearborn's Arabs come from the Hezbollah stronghold of Bint Jbeil, Lebanon.

In fact, the current mayor in Bint Jbeil, Haj Ali Bazzi, is from Dearborn. He has an American passport and a Michigan driver’s license.

The dominant Islamic leader in Dearborn is Mohammed Ali Elahi, an Iranian-American whose Web site displays photos of Elahi with Hezbollah spiritual leader Sheikh Fadlallah and former Iranian President Rafsanjani, who once suggested nuking Israel.

Debbie Schlussel, a Detroit columnist and attorney, was the first to call attention to Elahi’s Web site and to his ties to Iranian government officials.

(You may view Debbie's account of the rally in Dearborn here: Honoring Hezbollah )

“I went to his Web site, and I found even more outrageous pictures of him with Ayatollah Khomeini--who we know held many Americans hostage for 444 days," Schlussel said. "We have pictures of him delivering prayers to the Iranian parliament. We have pictures of him with the former President of Iran, Mr. Khatami.”

Yet Elahi is respected by many in the Detroit area, and even does a regular column for the Detroit News.

He spoke with CBN News terrorism expert Erick Stackelbeck.

“We need to have another interview,” said Elahi, “of talking about Hezbollah – whether that is a terrorist organization or not. I know that, legally, in the U.S. now, Hezbollah is on that list. And whether we agree with the law or disagree, we have to follow the law of the land.”

Before 9/11, Hezbollah killed more Americans than any other terrorist group: 300 murdered in six separate attacks, including 241 Marines in the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing. Now, with America's building confrontation with Iran over its nuclear program, the New York Post reports that Hezbollah is prepared to activate terrorist sleeper cells in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and Detroit.

No less than nine Federal prosecutors are investigating Hezbollah ties in the Detroit area alone. And the FBI has issued a nationwide alert for local and state police to be vigilant in investigating Hezbollah sympathizers.

Barbara Newman, a former investigative producer for ABC news, is co-author of Lightning Out of Lebanon: Hezbollah Terrorists on American Soil.

Newman said, "Hezbollah makes al-Qaeda look like Sunday-schoolers. They're the best light infantry in the world, and they're dangerous, and they're all over America.”
"It's an army that was started in 1982 by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards,” Newman explained. “And they wanted to impose the same type of regime on Lebanon as they have in Iran. They're a mortal enemy of the West and of democracy."

Hezbollah fighters have also already fought the United States in Iraq, and Newman says it’s building improvised explosive devices that kill GIs.

"The FBI just told me that Hezbollah is making the most advanced ones that are coming into play. Plus, they're training. They have offices there. It's not widely known," she said.

Arab and Muslim Americans who support Hezbollah have expressed anger that their patriotism is being questioned. But critics wonder how it's possible to support both Hezbollah and the United States.

Technorati Tags: Hizbollah … Middle East … Terrorism … Patriotism … Iran … Islam … Terrorist … Anti US … Anti Israel … Anti Semetic… Martyrdom fighters … Fighters of Muhammad ... homeland security … Hezbollah …terrorism … terrorist … war on terror ...

Breaking News: Arrests made in Phoenox Sniper(s) case

Courtesy of Fox News and AZ Central: Police reported have arrested two men Friday in an investigation into a series of fatal shootings that have terrorized Phoenix-area residents.

Sgt. Chuck Trapani, a Mesa police spokesman, earlier said “we’ve had a break in one of our major cases” but would not disclose any details.

Local news reports indicated that two men may have been apprehended in the connection to the recent crimewave of shootings in the Phoenix area. A press conference is expected later this morning.

More to follow later today.

Report: Fox News; AZ Central
Technorati Tags: Phoenix … Sniper … Armed … Violent Crime … Arizona … Domestic Terrorism

Seattle Shooter charged under State Hate-Crime Law

I heard on KTTH Talk Radio, Boze and Sytman Morning Show, that the man who was accused in last week's shooting rampage at the Jewish Federation office that left one woman dead and five injured was expected to be charged today. There has been much discussion if this shooting was a hate crime or not.

King County Prosecutor, Norm Maleng, said Haq is charged with five counts of attempted first-degree murder; one count of first-degree kidnapping, involving a teenage girl who was briefly taken hostage; one count of first-degree burglary for allegedly entering a locked facility to commit a crime; and one count of malicious harassment under the state's hate-crime law. Source: KIROTV, Channel 7, Seattle

From what I understand, King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng now has 30 days to decide whether to seek the death penalty in that case. Norm the ball is in your court now. I realize that the liberals in the Pacific Northwest would rather explain the murders away as that of a deranged and troubled individual. Stay strong and do what is right.

Here is the latest information from the Seattle Times (Excluding the reference to the hate-crime.) Apparently, Seattle Times did not want the offend our liberal Seattle residents:

• Charges filed in Jewish Federation shootings Among the charges Naveed Haq faces is aggravated first-degree murder, which is punishable by either the death penalty or life in prison.
• Woman recounts escaping building
• Heroic victim released from hospital
• Charging papers and other court documents (PDF - 11MB)
• Jewish Federation's response to charges

Technorati Tags: Seattle … Hate Crime … Armed … Violent Crime … Jewish Federation … Muslim … Domestic Terrorism

Hugo Chavez Receives Iran's Highest Honor

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez awarded Iran's highest honor, urges world to defeat U.S.
By NASSER KARIMI (AP)

TEHRAN, Iran

Iran awarded Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez its highest state medal on Sunday for supporting Tehran in its nuclear standoff with the international community, while Chavez urged the world to rise up and defeat the U.S., state-run media in both countries reported. "Let's save the human race, let's finish off the U.S. empire," Chavez said. "This (task) must be assumed with strength by the majority of the peoples of the world." For the complete story please visit WNTV, Channel 13, Albany, NY

Technorati Tags: Hizbollah … Middle East … Terrorism … Ahmadinejad … Hugo Chavez … Venezuela … Iran … Islam … Terrorist … Anti US … South America … Latin States… Martyrdom fighters … Fighters of Muhammad

Iranian Assistance to Hizbullah

Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
Special Dispatch-Iran/Lebanon
July 31, 2006
No. 1220

DISCLAIMER: The different points of views of MEMRI and its contributors are not supported nor do they reflect the views and beliefs of the Bosun Locker or any entity affiliated with the Bosun Locker.

Iranian Assistance to Hizbullah - Iran Revolutionary Guards Officer: Hizbullah Has Iran-Trained Diver, Naval Commando Units; We Have Constructed Command Rooms for Hizbullah; Iranian Martyrdom Forces Have Been Sent To Lebanon

To view this Special Dispatch in HTML, visit: www.memri.org .

On July 29, 2006, the London Arabic daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat published a detailed article on assistance extended to Hizbullah by Iran's Revolutionary Guards, as reported by a high-ranking Revolutionary Guards officer who had trained Hizbullah naval units. According to the officer, Hizbullah has a diver unit and a naval commando unit. He further claims that Revolutionary Guards officers assisted Hizbullah in the July 14, 2006 firing of a C802 missile at an Israeli Navy ship, and had also helped Hizbullah construct underground facilities - including command and control rooms - which are being operated by Revolutionary Guards officers along with Hizbullah fighters.

In addition, Iranian news agencies have published a number of reports about groups of Iranian volunteers sent to Lebanon to aid Hizbullah in its fight against Israel.

The following are excerpts from these reports on Iranian assistance to Hizbullah.

Revolutionary Guards Assistance to Hizbullah

The following are excerpts from the Al-Sharq Al-Awsat report on aid extended to Hizbullah by Iran's Revolutionary Guards:(1)

"Hundreds of Hizbullah fighters currently confronting Israel's military array took part in special training courses at the Revolutionary Guards bases in Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad and Ahvaz. According to a high-ranking [Revolutionary] Guards officer, who trained one of the Hizbullah naval units, Hizbullah has many surprises up its sleeve. Until now, there has been no direct confrontation between Hizbullah and the Israeli navy, [but] one of the Israeli navy's ships was attacked with C802 missiles with the help of Revolutionary Guards [fighters] stationed in Lebanon. Hizbullah has a divers' unit and a naval commando unit [equipped] with Chinese-made Ho-Dong speedboats, which are capable of dealing [serious] blows to the Israeli navy."

The Iranian officer added that "thanks to the presence of hundreds of Iranian engineers and technicians, as well as North Korean experts brought [into Lebanon] in the guise of [domestic] servants by Iranian diplomats and by the staff at the Iranian representations and offices in Lebanon, Hizbullah has managed to build a 25-kilometer underground [tunnel]. Each opening in this [tunnel] measures 12 to 18 square meters, and has a mobile floor and a semi-mobile ceiling. Each four openings are connected by a passage that allows fighters to pass easily [from one opening] to the other.

"The [Revolutionary] Guards has also built Hizbullah underground storerooms in the Beka' Valley, at a depth of no more than eight meters, which hold huge amounts of missiles and ammunition. In the Beka', there is [also] a central command room operated by four Revolutionary Guards officers and four Hizbullah [fighters]. Each sector has its [own] command and operations room.

"Hizbullah's missile unit includes some 200 technicians and experts trained in Iran. Hizbullah has three missile units, each supervised by a staff of 20."

2,500 Iranian Suicide Fighters Await Khamenei's Order

The following are reports recently published by Iranian news agencies regarding groups of Iranian volunteers sent to Lebanon to assist Hizbullah in its fight against Israel:

On July 25, 2006, the Iranian Farda news agency quoted a report by the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA), stating that Hizbullah-Iran has recruited some 2,500 suicide fighters who are awaiting an order from Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to set out to Lebanon.

Hizbullah-Iran spokesman Mojtaba Bigdeli added that the Hizbullah-Iran Chairman Mohammad Baqr Kharrazi will "soon be stationed in Lebanon in order to support Hizbullah-Lebanon and to express solidarity with the resistance and with the oppressed Lebanese nation, and [also] in order to follow developments [more] closely...

"Some 2,500 people who are fully willing to carry out istishhad [martyrdom] operations have signed up through groups connected to Hizbullah-Iran, so that the list [of martyrs] is now ready, and they await an order from the Supreme Leader [Ali Khamenei]..."(2)

Enlisting Volunteers Online

On July 26, 2006, the Iranian news agency Alborz announced that volunteers could sign up online for the "Army of the Fighters of Muhammad." The report explained that the Army of the Fighters of Muhammad was recruiting fighters to be sent to Lebanon, and that those interested in signing up could also call a telephone number in Tehran (88938821). According to the report, the minimum age for enlisting is 16.

Two Groups of Martyrdom Fighters Sent To Lebanon

On July 18, 2006, the Alborz news agency reported that "two groups of Iranian martyrdom fighters, who have received guidance and training, have been sent to Lebanon in order to participate in the [war on] its fronts.

"Ali Mohammadi, spokesman of The World Islamic Organization's Headquarters for Commemorating the Shahids (martyrdom fighters), stated: 'These two groups, which include 27 people selected from among 55,000 who signed up, were sent to Lebanon in order to participate in the war front against the Zionist regime... These forces have undergone various forms of training... Their mission is to arrive in Lebanon by any means possible, and to carry out martyrdom operations in the event that Lebanon is occupied by the Zionist regime.'

"The sending of these troops, he noted, was on a completely volunteer basis... These people were sent to Lebanon privately, and they have no organizational connection with Hizbullah... It should be noted that these 27 people have mastery of English and Arabic. They are to remain in Lebanon until further notice...'"(3)

Mehr News Agency: "Two Teams [Have Been] Sent to Syria In Order to Reach The Regions Of Conflict In Lebanon"

According to another report, by the Mehr news agency, on the dispatching of two suicide fighter groups to Lebanon, spokesman Mohammadi said that "two teams, one with 18 people and the other with nine, traveled separately... to Syria, in order to reach the regions of conflict in Lebanon by any means possible..." Mohammadi noted that "all 27 [team members] have mastery of Arabic, and some of them can even speak English... We have no organizational connection with Hizbullah or any other group. These people set out with the aim of helping the Lebanese people, and they are acting independently..."(4)

Endnotes:
(1) Al-Sharq Al-Awsat(London), July 29, 2006, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat report on aid
(2) Farda News Agency (Iran), July 25, 2006, They await an order from the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei
(3) Alborz News Agency (Iran), July 18, 2006, They are to remain in Lebanon until further notice...
(4) Mehr News Agency (Iran), July 17, 2006, as reported by the Iranian news portal These people set out with the aim of helping the Lebanese people
*********************
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent, non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East. Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background information, are available on request.

MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used with proper attribution.

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
P.O. Box 27837, Washington, DC 20038-7837
Phone: (202) 955-9070
Fax: (202) 955-9077
E-Mail: memri@memri.org
Search previous MEMRI publications at www.memri.org

Technorati Tags: Hizbollah … Middle East … Terrorism … Ahmadinejad … Lebanon … Shia … Iran … Islam … Terrorist … Persia … Hizbullah-Iran … Muslim… Martyrdom fighters … Fighters of Muhammad … Ali Khamenei

Phoenix Sniper update 7/28/2006

Phoenix police continue their efforts to inform the public about a pair of serial predators in metropolitan Phoenix. Phoenix police are looking for at least two serial killers, the "Baseline Killer" has been linked to a series of sexual assaults, robberies and six killings. The "Serial Shooter" has been definitively connected to four incidents - the Dec. 29 wounding of a man and the shootings of several dogs and a horse. But, the shooter is believed responsible for five killings and 17 shootings targeting people, including a nonfatal Saturday shooting of a Mesa, Arizona man riding his bicycle to work.

Phoenix police have compiled a list of sniper related shootings on their department website:

The lead homicide detective at Phoenix Police Department has advised on this case that as this investigation on a series of possibly related shootings continues, incidents have been added to this list, making it a total of 34 possibly related incidents.

Anyone with information is asked to call Phoenix Police at 602-262-6141 or Silent Witness.

Incidents:

1.Phoenix - 700 W Camelback Rd...............05-24-05, 0030hrs - Homicide
2.Phoenix - 1610 N 83rd Ave......................06-26-05, 0108hrs - Criminal Damage Shooting
3.Tolleson - 1500 N 83rd Ave.....................06-29-05, 0332hrs - Homicide
4.Tolleson - 504 N Georgia Way.................06-29-05, 0850hrs - Animal Shooting
5.Tolleson - 204 W Alzora Way...................07-19-05, 1800-0530hrs - Animal Shooting
6.Phoenix - 3002 n 87th Ave.......................07-20-05, 0008hrs - Animal Shooting
7.Avondale - 2311 N 107th Ave...................07-25-05, 1900-0140hrs - Animal Shooting
8.Tolleson - 907 N Alzora Way....................07-25-05, unk time - Animal Shooting
9.Tolleson - 901 N Lizanne Way.................08-05-05, unk time - Animal Shooting
10.Phoenix - 6828 W Heatherbrae Dr.......08-06-05, 1234hrs - Animal Shooting
11.Glendale - 5001 N 61st Dr......................11-11-05, 2145hrs - Animal Shooting
12.Glendale - 5102 N 65th Ave...................11-11-05, 2148hrs - Animal Shooting
13.Phoenix - 3029 E Glenrosa Ave.............12-29-05, 2223hrs - Animal Shooting
14.Phoenix - 900 W Woodland Ave............12-29-05, 2339hrs - Shooting
15.Phoenix - 200 N 10th Ave......................12-29-05, 2339hrs - Homicide
16.Phoenix - 100 S 10th Ave.......................12-29-05, 2339hrs - Homicide
17.Phoenix - 3401 E Granada Rd................12-30-05, 0010hrs - Animal Shooting
18.Phoenix - 3400 E Van Buren St.............12-30-05, 0015hrs - Shooting
19.Phoenix - 2802 N 34th St.......................12-30-05, unk time - Animal Shooting
20.Phoenix - 4000 W Camelback Rd.........03-10-06, 0130hrs - Shooting
21.Phoenix - 427 N 44th St..........................05-02-06, 2205hrs - Shooting
22.Scottsdale - 6100 E Thomas Rd.............05-02-06, 2200hrs - Homicide
23.Phoenix - 4820 N 89th Ave....................05-30-06, 2305hrs - Shooting
24.Phoenix - 7002 W Indian School Rd......05-31-05, 0137hrs - Shooting
25.Phoenix - 8600 W Camelback Rd..........05-31-06, 0146hrs - Shooting
26.Phoenix - 7800 W Indian School Rd......06-08-06, 2332hrs - Shooting
27.Phoenix - 10100 W Camelback Rd........06-11-06, 2225hrs - Shooting
28.Phoenix - 901 E Indian School Rd.........06-20-06, 0158hrs - Shooting
29.Phoenix - 4403 E Van Buren St.............06-20-06, 0221hrs - Shooting
30.Phoenix - 2515 E Van Buren St.............07-01-06, 0123hrs - Shooting
31.Phoenix - 1600 E Oak St.........................07-01-06, 0153hrs - Shooting
32.Phoenix - 2535 E Indian School Rd.......07-03-06, 0312hrs - Shooting
33.Phoenix - 4200 N 44th St.......................07-08-06, 0240hrs - Shooting
34.Phoenix - 5012 E Van Buren St.............07-08-06, 0303hrs - Shooting

Serial Crimes News Conference

The police news conference was held on Tuesday, July 11, 2006, that covered the serial crime spree and can be viewed at this link. Watch the News Conference Video

Safety Tips - Consejos de Seguridad

Additional information:

The Phoenix Snipers now have made the Washington Post. With no suspects or motives the police appear to have little to go on. It was not until mid-July 2006, that authorities finally held a news conference to discuss the troubling crime wave.

Phoenix in terror as serial killers compete for notoriety The desert city of Phoenix, the fastest-growing metropolis in the United States, is being terrorized by two serial killers .....

Snipers grip Phoenix in fear - Yahoo! News A series of sniper-style murders, rapes and robberies has paralyzed the southwestern desert city of ... LOS ANGELES (AFP) - A series of sniper-style murders, rapes and robberies has paralyzed the ...

Snipers Grip City of Phoenix in Fear????? A series of sniper-style murders, rapes and robberies has paralyzed the southwestern desert city of Phoenix, Arizona in fear as police remain unable to find clues.....

Phoenix Snipers Update The Phoenix Sniper story was regionalized for a time. “Do you think it is crime or domestic terrorism? How do we differentiate between the two?” When the DC Snipers started their reign of terror, they started small by experimenting on how to kill and worked up the nerve to go big time.....

Technorati Tags: Phoenix … Sniper … Armed … Violent Crime … Arizona … Domestic Terrorism … Scottsdale … Tolleson … Serial Killers … Phoenix Crime spree

Deans Blasts Iraqi PM As 'Anti-Semite'

CNSNews.com - The Republican National Committee calls it "incredibly troubling" that Howard Dean - the chairman of the Democratic Party - would call the Iraqi prime minister an "anti-Semite."

The RNC accused Dean of trying to "score cheap political points by attacking the democratically elected prime minister of Iraq." On Wednesday, the same day that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki addresses a joint session of Congress, Dean said, "The Iraqi prime minister is an anti-Semite," adding that the U.S. doesn't "need to spend $200 and $300 and $500 billion bringing democracy to Iraq to turn it over to people who believe that Israel doesn't have a right to defend itself and who refuse to condemn Hizballah."

Senate Democrats have also criticized Maliki and questioned his ability to bring stability to the Middle East. Link to additional Los Vegas Sun Article

Bosun's comment: As usual, the Democrats are on the wrong side of history

Technorati Tags: anti-Semite … Middle East … Terrorism … Howard Dean … Iraq … Iraq Hater … liberal … Islam … Terrorist … Maliki … demagog … Democrat

Gov Perry: Security Operation Reduced Border Crime by at Least 65%

State-Led Security Operation Reduced Border Crime by at Least 65%: Five-County, Multi-Agency Effort is Second in Series of Planned Operations

Hattip: Government Technology Net

AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry today announced the completion of Operation Laredo, a multi-agency border security operation to target international criminal enterprises and reduce crime and violence in a five-county region along the Texas-Mexico border. Across the five counties, which included Duvall, Jim Hogg, LaSalle, Webb and Zapata counties, law enforcement officials report a 65 percent to 75 percent reduction in all crimes.

“I am pleased at the tremendous results of this operation, which greatly reduced all types of crime, led to dozens of arrests, and shut down the activities of international crime syndicates across a five-county region,” Perry said. “Last month we completed a similar successful effort in the Del Rio area, which provided a model for operations that will be conducted in every county along the Texas-Mexico border. The international drug cartels and human smuggling rings will not know when or where law enforcement operations like this will occur or how long they will last. The message we are sending to criminals who exploit our border is that the cost of doing business in Texas is going up substantially.”

The operation brought together the sheriffs from the five counties, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Public Safety, the Texas National Guard, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Civil Air Patrol, the Texas National Guard and the Governor’s Division of Emergency Management.

State assets involved in the operation included a team of DPS Highway Patrol troopers with communications support personnel, a DPS SWAT team, DPS helicopters and crew members providing 24-hour support, a team of Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens and ground Units with all-terrain vehicles.

“We are proving that the Texas model works: when we increase law enforcement patrols and coordination, we see a decrease in every kind of crime which protects our border and our communities. Criminals are forced off the streets, fewer Texans make emergency phone calls to local sheriffs, and drug smugglers shut down their operations because the risk of being caught is too great,” Perry said.

The effort was conducted as part of Operation Rio Grande, Perry’s comprehensive border security initiative that coordinates local, state and federal assets. Planning began weeks before the operation was launched, and intelligence to support the operation was coordinated through the state Border Security Operations Center.

Technorati tags: America … Immigration … Rick Perry, Texas Governor … Border Crime … Border Patrol … Enforcement … Border Control … Illegal Immigration … Immigration Crimes … Texas … Liberalism … Illegals

Chavez visits Ahmadinejad

Neal Cavuto at Fox News wonders about Venezuela's leader, Hugo Chavez, plans to visit with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

It certainly appears that Chavez is moving away from the United States rapidly and aligning himself with the "Axis of Evil." Cavuto asks, "With this latest development, Chavez is becoming a world threat powered by Venezuela’s vast oil supplies?"

The close link between Chavez and Iran should not come at a surprise. In a La Nueva Cuba news article several months ago Financial Crimes consultant Kenneth Rijock claimed of a possible Hezbollah, North Korea, Iran, and Chavez government connection. Rijock claims that Iran has plans to ship missiles to Chavez in oil tankers so as not to be suspected. Chavez may then transfer the missiles to Cuba.

Privately, Rijock told me that Isla Margarita, a semi desert island just off the coast of Venezuela, is home to Venezuela's Hezbollah contingent, Lebanese - Venezuelans. Rijock believes that when foreign agents enter Isla Margarita, they sometimes take up temporary residence in Cuba. Hezbollah has a significant increase and influence in South America as discussed by Jeffrey Goldberg, reporter-at-large for The New Yorker magazine who wrote did an interesting 2 - part article, "IN THE PARTY OF GOD."

It seems logical to this blogger that Chavez may also be forming an alliance with the Hezbollah operatives in South America. You may want to read about Hezbollah operations in Lebanon, South America, and their aspirations in regards to the United States:

• Part 1 - Are terrorists in Lebanon preparing for a larger war?
• Part 2 - Hezbollah sets up operations in South America and the United States

There is a lot more to Chavez than meets the eye. Perhaps he is on a collision course with the United States.

This blogger will not miss Neal Cavuto's show this evening and listen to Cavuto's discussions about Chavez and the impact of Chavez' aspiring ambitions for his Bolivarian elite socialist party.

Despite recent political tensions with the United States, Venezuela, the world's No. 5 oil exporter, has remained a key supplier of crude to the US market. Most Venezuela-watchers have predicted for the past several months that Chavez was moving his country toward a command economy on the Cuban model. Low and behold last week Chavez and a close Castro ally, promoted moderate Mercosur as an alliance to counter U.S.-backed free-trade deals being promoted by Washington in the region.

It seems like Chavez and his close Marxist ally, Castro are trying to move Mercosur to the left. Venezuela has followed Cuba and is transforming into a radial government before our vary eyes.

Recent article of interest:

• NewsMax - Latest News From Latin America - Gutierrez had been compared to Venezuela’s troubled pro-Castro President Hugo Chavez during his ... being one of the three members of the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement ... Argentina has only recently shown signs of recovery, with industrial ...
• World Press Review - Chavez: Seeking to Integrate Latin America on His Terms - People's Trade Treaty, an alternative to the Free Trade Agreement ... Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is showing signs that he ... nationalization announcement just days after meeting with Chavez and Cuban President Fidel Castro ...

Additional articles appearing in The Bosun Locker in regards to Chavez and his Bolivarian elite socialist party:

• Chavez at it again, cites friendship with Carlos the Jackal - According to Reuters, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez took center stage at OPEC's meeting in Caracas on Thursday and used the gathering to lambaste Washington and tout his extremist socialist views. In a wandering 90 minute speech, Chavez showed ... The Ramirez family is indeed close to Chavez and his Bolivarian elite socialist party. In May 19, 1999 » Show details
• When Weapons Trade Turns Sour - Because of our latest problem with Chavez, regarding his plan to sell his aging fleet of F-16 aircraft to the highest bidder, one has to wonder why Venezuela has them in the first place. According to an article in the China Daily, dated January 11, 2006 » Show details
• Venezuela moving up on the radar screen - Venezuela Weighs Selling U.S. Jets to Iran Caracas, Venezuela (AP) ... , perhaps Iran, in response to a United States announced ban on arms sales to President Hugo Chavez's ... ? General Alberto Muller, a senior adviser to Chavez, told The Associated Press he had recommended » Show details
• Chavez Ortega alliance - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday backed the favorite to win Nicaragua's November ... jackass lefti dictator, Chavez, firmly in place in Venezuela and raising the ante with his trade » Show details
• Chavez is getting more weird - As reported in Newsmax , Hugo Chavez the lefti dictator of Venezuela has threatened to blow up his oil fields if attacked and also is making his poor countrymen paranoid. This loony, Chavez, has been ratcheting up his anti-United States rhetoric. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday again raised the specter of U.S. designs » Show details
• Chavez at it again: Threatens to kick out US... - Hugo Chavez the lefti dictator of Venezuela has threatened to kick out the US ambassador Brownfield ... I'll kick you out of here," Chavez said on his regular Sunday television program. Despite political ... . But Chavez says he wants to wean Venezuela off its economic reliance on the United States. Show details
• Chavez at it again: Possibly - Venezuelan President beats his chest for mullahs of Iran Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, ... indicated that at the opening of a hydroelectric station on the Caroni River, Chavez, publicly asked Europe ... or deny that Chavez said it or that he would back the mullahs......» Show details

Technorati tags: United States ... Socialist ... Chavez ... Americas ... Venezuela ... Asymmetric warfare ... Rijock ... Iran, ... Hugo Chavez ... Bolivarian ... President Bush ... Energy independent ... Dictators ... imperialist aggression ... anti-globalization ... Hezbollah ... news feed ... journalists ... Opinion

MEMRI: Ahmadinejad - "Lebanon is the Scene of an Historic Test"

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
Special Dispatch - Iran
July 26, 2006
No. 1212

DISCLAIMER: The different points of views of MEMRI and its contributors are not supported nor do they reflect the views and beliefs of the Bosun Locker or any entity affiliated with the Bosun Locker.

Iranian President Ahmadinejad on IRINN TV: "Lebanon is the Scene of an Historic Test, Which Will Determine the Future of Humanity"

To view this Special Dispatch in HTML, visit: Lebanon is the Scene of an Historic Test, Which Will Determine the Future of Humanity.


The following are excerpts from an interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which aired on the Iranian News Channel (IRINN) on July 23, 2006.

TO VIEW THIS CLIP, VISIT: Interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: "In my opinion, Lebanon is the scene of an historic test, which will determine the future of humanity. Everyone must be put to the test. Everyone. It is inconceivable for anyone who calls himself a Muslim and who heads an Islamic state to maintain relations under the table with the regime that occupied Jerusalem. He cannot take pleasure in the [Israeli] killing of Muslims yet present himself as a Muslim. This is inconceivable, and must be exposed. Allah willing, it will. You will see.

"This is a mirror that will reveal everyone's true essence. This is not one of those ordinary tests. Not at all. It will expose everything. A bunch of people with no honor rule some countries in the region. People are being killed before their eyes, while they play games, giving compliments to one another. They think they can let time go by until this issue is forgotten, and then return to the scene. No, they are mistaken.

"In this case, they must make their position clear. Of course, some of them have taken positive positions, but others have buried their heads in the sand. Their true character will be exposed in this scene. For them, this is 'the Day that all things secret will be tested.' They will reach this day. The hypocrisy must be exposed."

[...]

"England was the founder of this sinister regime. It is an accomplice to all its crimes. America, which supports it now, is an accomplice to all its crimes. They are the ones who started this fire. They are the ones who support [Israel], and encourage it to strike at the people in such a manner. They say: 'They took two of our soldiers.' Fine, but you took 5,000 of theirs. Sit together and have a prisoner exchange. But you are destroying the life of an entire people, and harming innocent people - all for two soldiers? Do you value human life at all?

"They even lie to those wretched people whom they have collected from around the world and brought to the occupied lands. In fact, their leaders are having a good time around the world. After all, they are not in the battlefield. They are outside the scene. They have collected a bunch of people and put them there to serve as their shields, so they can realize their colonialist, domineering goals."

*********************

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent, non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East. Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background information, are available on request.

MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used with proper attribution.
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
P.O. Box 27837, Washington, DC 20038-7837
Phone: (202) 955-9070
Fax: (202) 955-9077
E-Mail: memri@memri.org
Search previous MEMRI publications at MEMRI Website

Technorati Tags: Hizbollah … Middle East … Terrorism … Ahmadinejad … Lebanon … Shia … Iran … Islam … Terrorist … Persia … 12th Imam … Muslim

No Peace for Lebanon due to Hizbollah

The next time you wish to blame Israel for the war between Hizbollah and the sovereign country of Lebanon, please remember this: Ha'aretz.

It turns out that even the mumbling of George Bush, in between bites, that Syria must be told to cut "that shit" out, is not exactly practical. Syria will be willing to negotiate if the boycott and threat on the nation is lifted, and the international investigation into the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is called off and all plans to bring the accused before an international tribunal are scrapped. Some of these conditions, especially canceling the international tribunal, is the precondition with which Hezbollah confronted Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Siniora in return for its cooperation in government and peace along the border with Israel.

This is a non-starter, and it comes from inside Lebanon. Please tell me, what does Israel have to do with Syria and the murder of Hariri?

This is a war not of Lebanon and Israel, but of Iran and Syria against the world. You can be certain of this.

Source: Ha'artz and The Washington Times (registration may be required, but it is free).

Category: (Military) News, Middle East and News.

Phoenix Sniper update 7/22/2006

The Phoenix Snipers now have made the Washington Post. With no suspects or motives the police appear to have little to go on. It was not until mid-July 2006, that authorities finally held a news conference to discuss the troubling crime wave.

Investigators said that the Baseline Killer, named for his initial crimes along Baseline Road here, launched his crime binge last August. Since then, police said he has killed five women and one man, and committed seven rapes and eight robberies. Descriptions of him vary, leading detectives to theorize he may wear disguises. They said he occasionally engages victims in conversation before abducting them at night from places such as car washes and bus stops. And Phoenix is on edge, not just because of that killer, but also because of another one known as the Serial Shooter. Together, the two have killed at least 11 people in the past year, police said..... Source: Washington Post

Additional information:

Phoenix in terror as serial killers compete for notoriety The desert city of Phoenix, the fastest-growing metropolis in the United States, is being terrorized by two serial killers .....

Snipers grip Phoenix in fear - Yahoo! News A series of sniper-style murders, rapes and robberies has paralyzed the southwestern desert city of ... LOS ANGELES (AFP) - A series of sniper-style murders, rapes and robberies has paralyzed the ...

Snipers Grip City of Phoenix in Fear????? A series of sniper-style murders, rapes and robberies has paralyzed the southwestern desert city of Phoenix, Arizona in fear as police remain unable to find clues.....

Phoenix Snipers Update The Phoenix Sniper story was regionalized for a time. “Do you think it is crime or domestic terrorism? How do we differentiate between the two?” When the DC Snipers started their reign of terror, they started small by experimenting on how to kill and worked up the nerve to go big time.....

Technorati Tags: Phoenix … Sniper … Armed … Violent Crime … Arizona … Guardian Angel … Domestic Terrorism

MEMRI: The Middle East Crisis

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
Inquiry & Analysis-Iran
July 21, 2006
No. 288

The Middle East Crisis - Local, Regional, and Global; Conventional and Nuclear
By Y. Carmon, A. Savyon, N. Toobiyan and Y. Mansharof*

To view this Special Dispatch in HTML, visit: MEMRI - The Middle East Crisis .

"Only now it is beginning. The day of rejoicing for the peoples of the region is drawing near... The world is on the brink of great changes, and the Muslims' victory over the aggressors is imminent." Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, IRNA, July 18, 2006

The current crisis in the Middle East has been brewing for months on two different levels - nuclear and conventional - and in three arenas: local, regional, and global.

No matter whether the crisis continues and expands or is stopped and temporarily settled - it already contains the seeds for the emergence of a new order in the Middle East, as well as the potential for global confrontation. In this new order, the U.S.'s traditional allies - Saudi Arabia and Egypt - are about to lose their regional preeminence to Russia's ally, Iran. Russia is repositioning itself vis-à-vis the U.S. as a highly influential superpower in the Middle East as well as in Europe, where it is the primary supplier of oil and natural gas.

The new order emerging in the Middle East will bring East-West relations back to a competitive mode reminiscent of the superpowers' rivalry during the Cold War era in the familiar theaters of the Middle East and Europe.

In the current crisis, Israel and the U.S. are confining themselves to the local arena and the conventional level, whereas Iran and Russia are acting on all levels and in all arenas, and are making significant achievements on all fronts.

Background and Development of the Crisis

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's accession to power marked the beginning of the "Second Islamic Revolution."(1) Ahmadinejad and his extremist conservative supporters (the religious establishment, the Revolutionary Guards, the Basij, and the politicians affiliated with them) created a power center that strives to significantly promote Iran's position as a regional power, primarily by accelerating the development of nuclear and missile capabilities.

Throughout the last year, the West has attempted to check this development, but to no avail. The main obstacle to forming a diplomatic front against Iran's nuclear armament efforts has been Russia, which has persistently opposed, and is still opposing, the imposition of sanctions on Iran.

In the last few weeks and months, the West has stepped up the pressure on Iran in this regard, and on June 6 Iran was even presented with an ultimatum: either agree to give up uranium enrichment in exchange for the incentives package, or Iran's nuclear dossier will be referred back to the U.N. Security Council - a step that will open the possibility of imposing sanctions on Iran, and perhaps even other punitive measures.

As Western pressures increased, Iran's threats against Israel and the U.S., and at times against Europe as well, grew in their severity. On June 16, it was reported that a military pact had been signed between Iran and Syria, in which Iran agreed to defend Syria against Israeli attack, to fund weapons purchases from Russia, China, and the Ukraine for Syria, and to supply the Syrian army with artillery guns and ammunition, military vehicles, and Iranian missiles. Syria, for its part, agreed to extend its previous agreements allowing Iranian trucks delivering weapons into Lebanon to pass through Syria unhindered. In addition, the Iranian and Syrian defense ministers decided on the establishment of a joint liaison office and on maintaining open communication channels in military and security matters. In a press conference following the signing, the defense ministers stated that the agreement establishes "a joint [Iranian-Syrian] front against the Israeli threats," and that "Iran regards Syria's security as its own." At the same time, the editor of the Iranian conservative daily Kayhan, who is close to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, repeatedly called to take action against "Zionist" commercial and diplomatic targets throughout the world.

On July 2, the Hamas organization, which receives significant support from Iran (and from Syria), carried out an attack on Israeli soil in which it kidnapped an Israeli soldier and killed two others. Israel's response was relatively restrained, and the incident did not develop into a crisis.

On July 12, Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani, who is in charge of Iran's nuclear dossier, was forced to hold the meeting with Javier Solana (which he had managed to evade a week earlier). In the meeting, he repeated Iran's position that it will only give its answer to the ultimatum on August 22, 2006. In response, Solana announced, on behalf of the "5+1," that the Iranian nuclear dossier would be referred back to the Security Council. Larijani then returned from Brussels to the Middle East, landing in Damascus for a meeting with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad.

On that same day - July 12 - Hizbullah carried out an attack on Israeli soil in which it kidnapped two soldiers and killed several. This time, Israel responded with massive force, and the current local, conventional crisis was ignited.

Russia and the Iranian Nuclear Program

The G8 Summit, convened on July 15, 2006, was to discuss the Iranian nuclear program and the steps to be taken against Iran. On the eve of the summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that "bringing excessive pressure on Iran regarding the nuclear issue would [only] lead to a dead end."

Due to Russian pressure on the one hand, and to Israel's escalation of its response to the Hizbullah attack on the other, the Middle East crisis was introduced into the summit's agenda, and subsequently became the primary issue on the agenda.

In discussions on Iran's nuclear program, Russia consistently defended Iran's interests and repeatedly expressed opposition to exerting pressure on Iran, demanding that a solution be reached by diplomatic means alone. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov even defended Iran's right to defer its response until the end of August. Moreover, the Russian speakers defended not only Iran but also its protégés, Hamas and Hizbullah, and Lavrov went so far as to say that "there is no evidence of Iranian cooperation with Hizbullah." (It should be noted that Russia does not include Hizbullah and Hamas in its list of terrorist organizations.) Russia thus positioned itself as the superpower which is the patron of the Iran-Syria-Hizbullah-Hamas bloc.

While resolutely supporting Iran on the nuclear issue, Russia was willing to cooperate with the other G8 members in resolving the local Hizbullah-Israel crisis (in cooperation with Iran and Syria...).

The U.S. got its way in that the G8's final statement endorsed the American position regarding the resolution of the local crisis (that is, the return of the kidnapped soldiers). But regarding pressures on Iran to give up its nuclear program, the U.S. lost, since the Russian pressure at the summit and the Iranian pressure on the ground (via Hizbullah and Hamas) compelled the G8 summit to set this issue aside. President Bush even expressed his satisfaction over the G8's consensus regarding the handling of the local crisis (i.e. the consensus that the Israeli soldiers must be released), despite the fact that, regarding the global nuclear issue, the U.S. was so sorely beaten.

Russia is now trying to capitalize on its success at the summit and to improve its global status by becoming a regional mediator in the local crisis - with the support of the Americans. To achieve this status, it is willing to pay by making real efforts to resolve the crisis; the deputy to the Russian foreign minister has already set out on a visit to Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Israel in order to "find a way to end the tension and the confrontation in the Middle East." This, even while Russia's consistent support of Iran's nuclear program severely increases the threat to Israel's existence.

Iran Following the G8 Summit

Thanks to the local crisis and to Russia's support, Iran has already succeeded in making significant achievements on the regional and global levels - in the nuclear as well as the conventional spheres. It has come through the G8 summit unharmed, the pressures on it have been deferred for now and it can continue to enrich uranium without American or European interference.

Iran's insistence on deferring its response to the European proposal until August 22 was meant to buy it another round of talks with the Europeans (without American intervention). This would give Iran a few extra months to develop its nuclear program, after which it will be able to announce a significant upgrade in its nuclear status (in terms of uranium enrichment, missile development or even development of a nuclear weapon.) According to reports in the last few days, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad plans to make an announcement on this issue.

All these developments should be seen as another phase in Iran's efforts to create deterrence vis-à-vis Israel, even before it attains independent nuclear fuel cycle capability. As MEMRI pointed out two years ago in its analysis of Iran's strategic orientation, this deterrence consists of several components, including the establishment of ballistic missile capability (the Shihab missiles), and supplying long-range missiles (with a range of 250-350 kilometers) to Hizbullah in Lebanon.

On the regional level, Iran - with the help of its proxies, Hamas and Hizbullah - has already become a regional power which America's traditional allies (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and some of the Gulf states) fear but are unable to oppose. It is likely that, in the future, Iran will be joined by other Arab countries like Sudan, Yemen and Qatar, which, through its Al-Jazeera TV channel, is already increasing Iran's influence among the Muslim masses.

*Y. Carmon is the President of MEMRI; A. Savyon is Director of MEMRI's Iranian Media Project; and N. Toobiyan and Y.Mansharof are MEMRI Iranian Studies Department Research Fellows.

Endnote:
(1) MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis No. 253, "The 'Second Islamic Revolution' in Iran: Power Struggle at the Top," by A. Savyon, November 17, 2005: HTML link to "The Second Islamic Revolution in Iran: Power Struggle at the Top .

*********************

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent, non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle East. Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background information, are available on request.

MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used with proper attribution.
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
P.O. Box 27837, Washington, DC 20038-7837
Phone: (202) 955-9070
Fax: (202) 955-9077

E-Mail: memri@memri.org

Search previous MEMRI publications at http://www.memri.org/

Technorati tags: Iran, Germany ... Russia ... China ... United States ... MEMRI ... Tehran ... Ahmadinejad ... Middle East Crisis ... Saudi Arabia ... International diplomacy ... Chess ... Uranium enrichment ... Superpower ... Syria ... Lebanon ... Hamas ... Putin ... Hezbullah ... G8 summit

LOUIS SAHAGUN of the L.A. Times - Christians 'Laying the Groundwork for Armageddon'

Courtesy of NewsBusters, Exposing and Combating Bias in the Media. DISCLAIMER: The different points of views NewsBusters or their contributors are not supported nor do they reflect the views and beliefs of the Bosun Locker or any entity affiliated with the Bosun. Re-posted with permission through NewsBusters Terms of Use.

Louis Sahagun of the L.A. Times - Christians 'Laying the Groundwork for Armageddon'

Posted at NewsBusters by Warner Todd Huston, July 19, 2006

In a misleading expose on the various "end times" religious concepts that are increasingly in the news today, the L.A. Times' Louis Sahagun; conflates Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's violent 12th Imam ravings with several different Christian and Jewish end times concepts as if the ideas are one and the same when, in reality, they aren't even comparable.

Ignoring clear Biblical claims that no man shall know when the end times are near, (Matthew 24:35-36) Sahagun focuses on the minority of Christian leaders who claim that despite that Biblical injunction it must be near. But if it isn't they want to attempt to bring it about. Sahagun warns us...

"Their end game is to speed the promised arrival of a messiah."

After briefly mentioning Christian, Jewish and Ahmadinejad's concepts, Sahagun attempts to loosely link them all together.

"Linking these efforts is a belief that modern technologies and global communications have made it possible to induce completion of God's plan within this generation."

After this line, though, one would imagine the piece would inform us about all these "modern technologies" and how similarly they are being used to advance the end times, but the piece is oddly re-directed to further highlight the apocalyptic visions of a minority of today's Christianity and the "modern technologies" aspect is dropped for the more sensational.

After going on paragraph after paragraph about these end of times concepts Sahagun's focus on these plans makes it seem as if the entire Christian community is coalesced on creating the conditions for the end times and he fails to highlight the material differences between the various concepts. With the most egregious example, Sahagun fails to delineate the difference between the Christian ideas and that of Ahmadinijad. The 12th Imam theory is one of violence, where all nations will be conquered and forced to convert to Islam, whereas the Christian claim is of merely waiting for prophecy to be fulfilled with Christians but informing the world of what is to come -- no force, no oppression, no violence on their part.

Sahagun also perpetuates the canard that Christians think all Jews must be destroyed, too.

"But when asked to comment on the fate of non-Christians upon the Second Coming of Jesus, he said, 'That's a very embarrassing question. What can I tell you? That's a very terrible Christian idea. What kind of religion is it that expects another religion will be destroyed?'"

Unfortunately for the reader's clarity, Sahagun neglects to mention that no Christian theology claims that it will be Christians doing this destroying, but that it is God's will, not theirs be done. Unlike that of Islam that says the Muslims should take a direct hand in such violence, Christians take a more pacifistic view of preparing for the end times than do Muslims.

Close to the end of the piece, Sahagun does finally hint that not all Christians are as far out as most he describes in his article.

"So, are all of these efforts to hasten the end of the world a bit like, well, playing God? Some Christians, such as Roman Catholics and some Protestant denominations, believe in the Second Coming but don't try to advance it. It's important to be ready for the Second Coming, they say, although its timetable cannot be manipulated."

Unfortunately he uses words like "some" when describing the less driven Christians but eschews such exculpatory language when describing those he obviously feels are nuts in the rest of the piece, causing the reader to imagine those Sahagun thinks are sane are farther and fewer between than the more agitated variety of Christian end times theorist he highlights.

In a final indignity, quoting Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, vice president of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership in New York, Sahagun attempts to paint Christians as racists.

"Trouble is, there are many people who want to bring a messiah who looks just like them. For me, that kind of messianism is spiritual narcissism."

Are we to expect that Rabbi Hirschfield imagines his Messiah, the one that Judaism is still expecting to come, might arrive from Harlem, rapping his way to the rebuilt Temple Mount, or perhaps he might be a kindly Buddhist from Japan in a nice orange robe? No, likely the good Rabbi imagines that his expected Messiah will be a Jew, someone who is just like Hirschfield.

All in all this is a barely disguised hit piece on Christianity where Sahagun highlights some wild-eyed, end times theories and leads the reader to imagine that every Christian is a racist, Jew hater that wants to bring about Armageddon.

Funny, though, how Ahmadinejad's Armageddon, the one where the sword of Allah will cleanse the world of non-believers, is only described with no judgmental language attached, whereas Christian's version is called "a very terrible Christian idea".

External links to NewsBusters: Warner Todd Huston's blog Categories: Los Angeles Times Religion

Technorati Tags: Christians ... Ahmadinejad ... Liberalism ... Politically Correct ... Bias ... LA Times ... Jewish ... 12th Imam ... California ... Religion ... Freedom ... Leftist ... Politics ... Iran ... Israel ... US ... journalists ... Opinion

Sniper update

Hat tip to TTHOMAS 48 over at Stop the ACLU for providing information on how to search more effectively for "phoenix sniper." Unfortunately last night when I read the initial report off the AFP wire, I did not google "phoenix sniper news" when looking for information on the "Phoenix Snipers." Instead, I used the basic web search and came up with nothing at the time.

TTHOMAS 48, Thank you. I learned something new about effective google news searches. Use the news option instead of the web option.

The Phoenix Sniper story was regionalized for a time. As TTHOMAS 48 pointed out, perhaps it was overshadowed by the news about the Middle East. Now, the story is beginning to get national attention. In reviewing other news articles, I discovered that the Phoenix snipers have been active for quite some time. Apparently the snipers started by shooting livestock and worked their way up to human targets. I am hoping some of our Phoenix area readers will comment on their experiences and how the public is looking at it in the city of Phoenix.

The questions are, "Do you think it is crime or domestic terrorism? How do we differentiate between the two?" When the DC Snipers started their reign of terror, they started small by experimenting on how to kill and worked up the nerve to go big time. By the time they reached Montgomery County, Maryland, they were lunatics on a mission to create terror and havoc.

Lets go back to a classic example of a domestic terror that struck Japan in 1995:

The religious cult, AUM Shinrikyo (オウム真理教, literally, “AUM the True Teaching”) committed five coordinated attacks using sarin gas in the Tokyo subway. After the attacks, the Japanese police started looking at other unusual “crimes” and discovered that AUM Shinrikyo had experimented with various ways to kill, including testing ways to release Sarin gas and perfecting the elivery methods.

They used animals before they targeted and killed humans. Aum Shinriko also experimented with other poisons. The other "unusual" crimes were aired on the news but appeared random. No one connected the dots until later.

The police in Phoenix do not know who or what they are dealing with at the present time. Any readers in the Phoenix area, please let us know what is going on from your prospective.

Addition information on the Phoenix Snipers:

Phoenix Killings Spark Serial Killer Scare
PHOENIX, Arizona People aren't going out alone at night anymore. Co-workers are walking to their cars in pairs in the evenings ... The killings and wounding of at least 16 other people evoked the terror of the 2002 Washington-area sniper shootings ... WINK TV 27 minutes ago

Fifteen minutes in Havana
The sniper," I said. My trip had coincided with the Washington-area sniper shootings. The killings were covered even in Cuba ... avoid dying of thirst in the Arizona desert, or try to look after Mexican citizens' practical needs at consulates in Phoenix ... Chillico Gazette 7/18/2006

SNIPER PARALYSES PHOENIX
A series of sniper-style murders, rapes and robberies has paralyzed the south-western US city of Phoenix, Arizona as police remain unable to find clues to the crime wave. Police are searching for two distinct shooters believed responsible for 11 ... Special Broadcast Service 19 hours ago

The freedom to leave one's country
The sniper,'' I said. My trip had coincided with the Washington-area sniper shootings. The killings were covered even in Cuba ... avoid dying of thirst in the Arizona desert, or try to look after Mexican citizens' practical needs at consulates in Phoenix ... Centre Daily 22 hours ago

Mystery killers throw Phoenix into terror
PHOENIX, Arizona - People aren't going out alone at night anymore. Co-workers are walking to their cars in pairs in the evenings ... The killings and wounding of at least 16 other people evoked the terror of the 2002 Washington-area sniper shootings ... Long Beach Press-Telegram 7/17/2006

Killings terrorizing Phoenix
PHOENIX, Arizona - People aren't going out alone at night anymore. Co-workers are walking to their cars in pairs in the evenings ... The killings and wounding of at least 16 other people evoked the terror of the 2002 Washington-area sniper shootings ... Charleston Post & Courier 7/15/2006

Police rely on tips, criminals' slip-ups
Phoenix police have been trying to get to the bottom of a series of violent crimes linked to two assailants. The "Baseline ... Sniper case was a faulty lead resulting from media pressure, said Lucille Baur, a civilian worker in the Montgomery County ... AZCentral.com (Registration Required) 7/16/2006

Technorati Tags: Phoenix ... Sniper ... Armed ... Violent Crime ... Arizona ... Guardian Angel ... Domestic Terrorism.

Does Hezbollah have the ability to strike the US??

According to a Reuters report dated July 18th, Iran's Hezbollah party, which claims links to Hezbollah in Lebanese, said that it stood ready to attack Israeli and U.S. interests worldwide. Reuters Link

In the meantime, the FBI is trying to ferret out possible Hezbollah agents in the United States amid concerns that rising U.S.-Iranian tensions could trigger attacks on American soil.

American law enforcement officials are concerned the Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which has so far focused on fund-raising and other support activities inside the United States, could turn to violence in solidarity with Iran. Link to Reuters

A name recently resurfaced in our news media but did not get much attention: Imad Fayez Mugniyah (one of the leaders of Hezbollah security organization). Mugniyah has been active on the terrorism circuit for the past 20 years. According to Laura Mansfield's Notebook, America's Truth Forum, there appears to be striking similarities between Mugniyah's brand of terrorism for the past 20 years and the practices of the present-day terrorists in Iraq.

Mugniyah allegedly has been tied to kidnappings and bombings throughout the world over the past two decades, including the following:

▪ April 18, 1983 bombing of the United States embassy in Beirut, which killed 63 people including 17 Americans

▪ October 23, 1983 simultaneous truck bombings against the French paratroopers and US Marine killing 58 French soldiers and 241 Marines.

▪ September 20, 1984, he attacked the US embassy annex building.

▪ Linked to the numerous kidnappings of Westerners in Beirut through the 1980s – some were killed, some by beheading, and a few were eventually released

▪ March 17, 1992 bombings of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires Argentina, which killed 29

▪ July 1994 bombing of the AMIA cultural building in in Buenos Aires Argentina, killing 86 people

▪ Orchestrated the 2000 abductions of three Israeli soldiers in the southern part of Lebanon

▪ Abduction of Israeli Colonel Elchanan Tenenbaum. Source: Laura Mansfield

As was seen in Hezbollah's South American operations in 1992 and 1994, Hezbollah appears to have been busy in our Western Hemisphere.

In 2002, Jeffrey Goldberg, reporter-at-large for The New Yorker magazine did an interesting 2- part article, "IN THE PARTY OF GOD" that included Hezbollah operations in South America and the United States:

• Part 1 - Are terrorists in Lebanon preparing for a larger war?


• Part 2 - Hezbollah sets up operations in South America and the United States

Here is an excerpt from Part 2 of Goldberg's article:

"Roughly two hundred thousand people live in the Ciudad del Este region, including a substantial minority of Arab Muslims; in the Triple Frontier zone, there may be as many as thirty thousand. According to intelligence officials in the region and in Washington, this Muslim community has in its midst a hard core of terrorists, many of them associated with Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite group backed by the Iranian government; some with Hamas, the Palestinian fundamentalist group; and some with Al Qaeda. It is, over all, a community under the influence of extreme Islamic beliefs; intelligence officials told me that some of the Triple Frontier Arabs held celebrations on September 11th of last year and also on the anniversary this year. These officials said that Hezbollah runs weekend training camps on farms cut out of the rain forest of the Triple Frontier. In at least one of these camps, in the remote jungle terrain near Foz do Iguaçu, young adults get weapons training and children are indoctrinated in Hezbollah ideology—a mixture of anti-American and anti-Jewish views inspired by Ayatollah Khomeini.

In the Triple Frontier, Hezbollah raises money from legitimate businesses but, more frequently, from illicit activities, ranging from drug smuggling to the pirating of compact disks. Unlike the other radical Islamic groups in the Triple Frontier, Hezbollah, it is said, has the capability to commit acts of terror."

Part 2 of the series takes place in South America, not, the Middle East. It seems to me that the Atlantic Ocean offers little protection from the spread of terrorism as we witnessed in New York City on September 11, 2001.

We have been very lucky for the past five years. However, the powder keg of Lebanon may have broader ramifications. Does Hezbollah have the ability to strike here?

Be ever vigilant.

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Snipers grip the city of Phoenix in Fear????

Very disturbing story at BREITBART.COM from an AFP newfeed: Snipers grip Phoenix in fear, Dated Jul 18th.

I have not been able to find additional information on this story. Anyone in the Phoenix area who can provide additional information, citizens reactions, or other tips, please email The Bosun directly.

A series of sniper-style murders, rapes and robberies has paralyzed the southwestern desert city of Phoenix, Arizona in fear as police remain unable to find clues to the crime wave. Police are searching for two distinct shooters believed responsible for 11 murders and as many as 37 robberies and sexual assaults since last summer.

Please visit the link for information.

Technorati Tags: Phoenix ... Sniper ... Armed ... Violent Crime ... Arizona ... Guardian Angel ... Domestic Terrorism