Movin on Up!
this blog has moved to a better provider. you can find us @:

http://mrx.typepad.com/no_names/

Moussaoui's Momma
Pleads for France to save her little fella.

Moussaoui's mother, Aicha el-Wafi, told a news conference in the southern city of Montpellier that she "would like France to truly show its position."


"My son is French, born in France. For the moment, there is no reason to condemn him to death," said el-Wafi, accompanied by her French lawyer, Francois Roux.


France's position has long been bent over, but then again they may be growing some yarbles.

On Monday, the Foreign Ministry repeated its insistence that France cannot interfere with or intervene in a trial and said it was up to Moussaoui or his lawyers to provide for his defense.


Cecile Pozzo di Borgo, a ministry spokeswoman, said Moussaoui at first refused French consular protection shortly after he was arrested but then accepted a meeting with French officials in July 2002. He had not asked for any consular support since, she said.

I hope we don't execute him so he can live long and die an old broken-down non-martyrable death.

Soviet Stirrings
First off Why aren't you reading Chrenkoff's views on what Russian President Vladimir Putin thinks is the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.

I don't blame you if you don't come back, but if you do...

This is an update on my last post about Belarus being the next ex-soviet republic to choose true independence from Russia.

BBC News Reports that Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has thanked his Russian counterpart for his support during a meeting in Moscow.

"I want to thank you... for the huge support you are giving us at a difficult time for us in our history as a sovereign and independent nation," the Belarussian leader told Mr Putin.

LMFAO - Belarus is as sovereign as Ukraine was before the Orange Revolution. Corrupted and in the Moscow's hip pocket.

When asked about Ms Rice's remarks, he said he "didn't care for Rice or her statements".

"But it is heartening that she is aware this country, Belarus, does exist and that she knows its location," he said. "When she flew over it she must have seen there are no terrorists in Belarus," he added.

But how about arms for terrorists? As recently as 2002 they were accused of being "Europe's Armory For Terrorism," in a Washinton Post article written by Mark Lenzi, a Fulbright scholar working in Lithuania and studying U.S. relations with Belarus at the time.

Without a doubt no world leader benefited more from the September terror attacks than Lukashenko, Europe's last dictator, whose ultimate wish is to reunite the Soviet Union. Just as world scrutiny and condemnation were beginning to mount after his rigged and falsified presidential election of Sept. 9, the tragic events two days later took Washington's quick glance away from this little-known and backward country.

--

Lukashenko's efforts to sell weapons to generate much-needed income for his beleaguered economy appear to have no bounds. For a country of only 10 million people, it is unsettling that Belarus is ranked year after year among the top 10 weapons-exporting countries. To put in perspective how much military equipment left over from the Soviet Union Lukashenko has at his disposal, consider the following fact: The Belarusian army has 1,700 T-72 battle tanks. Poland, a new NATO member with the most powerful army in Central Europe and with four times the population of Belarus, has only 900 T-72s.

Despite strong denials from Lukashenko, Belarus has been a key partner of Saddam Hussein in his effort to rebuild and modernize Iraq's air defense capability. Belarus has violated international law by secretly supplying Baghdad with SA-3 antiaircraft missile components as well as technicians. Given that Iraq has repeatedly tried to shoot down U.S. and British aircraft patrolling the U.N. no-fly zone -- with more than 420 attempts this year alone -- covert Belarusian-Iraqi military cooperation is disturbing and should set off alarm bells in Western capitals.

Former Belarusian defense minister Pavel Kozlovski, obviously someone with firsthand knowledge of Minsk's covert arms deals, recently summed up Belarus's cooperation with Iraq and other rogue states by saying, "I know that the Belarusian government does not have moral principles and can sell weapons to those countries [such as Iraq] where embargoes exist. This is the criminal policy of Belarusian leadership."


Ukraine recently admitted to selling arms to Iran and China in 2001.

LONDON (AFP) - Ukraine admitted that it had exported nuclear-capable cruise missiles to Iran and China, amid tense diplomatic debate over Tehran's alleged quest for nuclear weaponry.

Eighteen Soviet-era X-55 cruise missiles were exported in 2001 -- 12 to Iran and six to China -- Svyatoslav Piskun, Ukraine's prosecutor general, told the respected London-based Financial Times daily.

Just think of what we'll hear about after Lukashenko's ousted.

Mr. Putin is scared. He knows his time is short. He and his cronies put up the facade of democracy but when you get behind the rhetoric you see that the only thing propping it up is the corruption and Soviet Era way of thought: Keep the people dumb and give them little power.

Iranian Election Report
Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani believes he will be is throwing his turban into the ring for the anxiously awaited Iranian presidential elections.

BBC News says:

he is categorised as a pragmatic conservative, someone who backs private enterprise and is in theory willing to engage with the West, but he is a conservative in terms of domestic social policy.

Too bad its all a sham.

The turnout became a major issue because of questions about the legitimacy of the election after the Council had disqualified around 2,500 reformist candidates.

The Council said the disqualifications were necessary because of the candidates' alleged indifference to Islam and to the constitution, or accused them of questioning Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's powers.


Well, Duh... who wants someone messing with the big guy's spooky powers!

Soldiers in Nicola Calipari Shooting Cleared
US military investigators in the Italian Agent shooting incident cleared US troops of blame but Italy isn't satisfied.

the BBC Reports:

A US army official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Italian and US authorities still disagree over the speed at which the vehicle approached the checkpoint and how much communication there was between those in the car and the checkpoint guards.

"The United States is ready to release the report but Italy has more questions," the official said.

I wasn't there so I can't comment on what happened but when this chick said that she was intentionally targeted I almost lost my lunch.

The US military had also said they had no knowledge of the rescue mission, dismissing as "absurd" Ms Sgrena's suggestion that their troops may have deliberately targeted her car.

Just after the incident, in an interview with Sky Italia TV, she said it was possible the soldiers had targeted her because Washington opposed the policy of negotiating with kidnappers.

Hey Giuliana, get over yourself. It was a horrible tragedy but there are more important issues to deal with than you... like Carbombs... coming at you... at high speed.

Zarqawi Slips Away Again...
but leaves behind his bodygaurd, driver and COMPUTER!!!

ABCNEWS

A source who had been inside the Zarqawi network alerted the task force to the meeting. Officials deem the source "extremely credible."

Are his own rats are turning on him?

That's Gotta Hoit!
for all you thrill-seekers out there:

Florida skydiver dies after hitting plane

Checkout the guy's name for cripe's sake!

... Like I never dug a hole before.
For anyone who's seen the movie "Casino", the murder of the two brothers who were dumped in a shallow grave while still breathing is a brutal scene. The scene is based on a true story about the murder of the Spilotro Brothers and the FBI has announced the arrest of the man they believe is responsible for the gruesome slaying. 10 others too.

The FBI-led ?Operation Family Secrets? hinged largely on the cooperation of Nicholas W. Calabrese, 62, of Chicago, whose DNA was linked to the 1986 Outfit hit of ?Big John? Fecarotta, sources said.

Fecarotta was killed because he botched an initial attempt on the life of mobster Anthony Spilotro, who was later beaten to death on June 14, 1986, with his brother Michael in a home in Bensenville, sources said.

I know I'm mixing movie lines. Sue me.

Check out Chrenkoff
If you haven't been checking out his Good news from Iraq series... well, I guess you just hate freedom.

Check out Part 26 NOW!!!


"One businessman, who asked to remain anonymous, said that the international media is partly to blame for the misperceptions of the conditions in Iraq. He explained the situation to a small group of reporters at the event: 'In Iraq, there's a bit of a problem with journalism. What you all report, and what we see, it's not sometimes the same thing. There's a difference between what I see on CNN, and what I see right next door. The difference is night and day. They dwell on the negative, and we in Iraq, especially all over the country, we are dwelling on the positive'."

I'm starting to think there's something fishy with the MSM.

What's Wrong with this Country?
Wizbang writes about the Pussified State Dept data analysts who got chewed out by John Bolton.

Via Ace