Bertie Ahern says: Al-Qaeda watched 'closely' - Shannon not Al-Qaeda Fly Trap

by redjade Mon Aug 01, 2005 15:29

As I said, we’ve had our top people working on this since January — well, in between grand jury appearances — and we think we’ve come up with something. Try this one on for size: “A Global Struggle Against Violent Extremism.”

Stop laughing, please. We had the sharpest minds of this administration working on this for eight months. The least you can do is show some respect . . .

Look, it solves the acronym problem that some have pointed out. GSAVE. We’re going to “save” people . . .

I said stop laughing.

You, in the back, you have a question?

Yes, it may be true that we’ve alienated most of the civilized world. And I hear what you’re saying about Iraq creating a whole new generation of terrorists and crazy people bent on killing Americans. And I hear what you’re saying about people now having to be searched in New York subways. What’s your point?

Of course, we’re doing lots of stuff to keep you safe from terrorism. For example, we have the color-coded chart. And we’ve kept Cat Stevens out of the country. And now, we’re going to have a new slogan . . .

You want to know, how is a slogan going to keep us safe?

Good question. And right now, I’d like to take the opportunity to tell you that we do have plenty of cookies in the back of the room . . .

more at
http://ydr.com/story/mike/79264/

by redjade Mon Aug 01, 2005 15:25

Who ever said we were ... at War?

By Juliette Kayyem, Special to the Los Angeles Times

The idea of a global war on terrorism proved its worth. It got us to Afghanistan (rightfully, in my opinion). It then mysteriously carried us into Iraq to eradicate a terrorist threat that did not exist until we got there. It provided the legal justification for the administration's controversial detention and interrogation policies, and it served as the defense for them after they were uncovered. And in November of last year, it won an election.

Ivo Daalder of the Brookings Institution recently found that Bush used the term "war" three times as often in the six months leading up to the 2004 election as in the six months after. In the month before the election, he invoked it 71 times. But since the polls have closed, it's only been important enough to raise an average of 11 times in any 30-day period.

Even in his last publicized news conference, there was no GWOT, and the term "war" was mentioned only once. In contrast, Bush used the d-word (diplomatic or diplomatically) nearly a dozen times.

War, it seems, is so 2004. Despite Vice President Dick Cheney's insistence that the insurgency in Iraq is in its "last throes," it is difficult to look at the summer of 2005 as a success story for counterterrorism efforts. In London, Israel, Egypt and Iraq, civilians and military personnel are being targeted at alarming rates.

http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/insight/article/0,1713,BDC_2494_3964364,00.html

by iosaf Sun Jul 24, 2005 16:37

Relax. calm down.
A lot of mistakes are being made and have been made in London since june on questions of internal security and foreign policy and civil protection and terrorist investigation.
Stop making the mistakes.
One of the main mistakes is to accept the US hollywood idea that you are fighting a super power.
You are not. Another is to think "you are safe nowhere" now.
You never were. and summer 2005 was going to be hot. ( I told you so)
Before you went on holidays, en masse, your own land was off the visitor list. The commercial press have very serious roles to play in how collective and mass emotions are built, and sustained. & they are sadly guilty of ratcheting up "fear" at the same time of ignoring "fear" of the "clamp-downs" on traditional islam in the muslim world by regimes who are opposed by those religious types for being, less than wholesome on many areas of rights. "for our benefit?"
And it won't take too much fear on either side to cause yet more problems and mistakes in the immediate future.

tog a bog é. we have collectively in the West experienced less carnage than Baghdad in a week, and we are all flapping so.

by redjade Sun Jul 24, 2005 16:14

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23 July

23 July

23 July

23 July

24 July

by redjade Sat Jul 23, 2005 13:16

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by I&I - "oh brave new world..." Tue Jul 19, 2005 21:58

english boy like many, mixed up perfume into bombs, they say, his mother they wheel out, she gets scared, they go for the grandparents. U$ media.
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=94420
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=94267
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/4734813/detail.html
http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=94185
And Jamaica changes the headline on its newspaper.
Not many muslims in Jamaica, but curiously amongst the converts to Islam in Britain in the last ten years have figured many afro-caribbeans as the british multi-cultural census records them. Is that a UK reaction to Malcolm X? Or is the nation of Islam?
No. none of those. and not the iraq war. and not the price of a cup of tea. or a wrap of smack. or a barrel of oil.
Jamaicans are more relaxed than that. They made Bob Marley and he said it so many ways didn't he?

Yesterday the caption at this site and photo had the headline "Satan did this". It has altered in the last 24 hours. Aint that odd.

by redjade Tue Jul 19, 2005 18:10

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or is that spin?

by redjade Tue Jul 19, 2005 12:19

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by 23 Mon Jul 18, 2005 13:39

Britain's involvement in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan contributed to the terrorist attacks in London, a respected independent thinktank on foreign affairs, the Chatham House organisation, says today.

According to the body, which includes leading academics and former civil servants among its members, the key problem in the UK for preventing terrorism is that the country is "riding as a pillion passenger with the United States in the war against terror".

It says Britain's ability to carry out counter-terrorism measures has also been hampered because the US is always in the driving seat in deciding policy.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/attackonlondon/story/0,16132,1530817,00.html

full report (pdf)
http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Politics/documents/2005/07/18/Chathamreport.pdf

by redjade Mon Jul 18, 2005 13:09

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by woah-------------- wait a moment. Sun Jul 17, 2005 13:33

That "bombmaker wanted an irish job" headline is a bit silly. If you want to play your part in making money in the commercial media and your part in securing our collective future, do *not* attract unwanted attention to the profile of grant assisted students from north africa in the universities of europe. Those students are very much part of the long term solution. You don't need to "shake them and see", you don't need to start your local DIT heads interrogating the new muslim kid on their political beliefs or much much worse encouraging local plod to do the secret service intelligent bit.

by redjade Sun Jul 17, 2005 13:25

and it continues...

by redjade Sat Jul 16, 2005 17:10

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by sTEVE Sat Jul 16, 2005 15:57

al QUEDA AND THE CIA are the same fukin thing do your homework people its not muslims its the fuking UN
and those american cunts


the new world order

by hmmm Fri Jul 15, 2005 16:27

200 in Ireland according to media (above) vs '300 Islamist extremists' in the USA.

Disproportional, no?

'In March, the FBI had identified more than 1,000 people suspected of being al Qaeda sympathizers in the United States, according to documents obtained by ABC News. At any given time, government sources say, the FBI has about 300 Islamist extremists who are under investigation or surveillance.'
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/print?id=936554

by redjade Fri Jul 15, 2005 15:55

Ireland and US sign up to crime and terror pact
-Irish Times
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2005/0715/2118217175HM8USSIGN.html

A bilateral agreement on mutual assistance in combatting ordinary crime and terrorism was signed by the Minister for Justice, Michael McDowell, and the US ambassador yesterday.

The agreements seal a deal between the US and the EU signed on June 25th, 2003. Individual agreements have to be signed with each of the member states, and Ireland is the 11th to do this. Legislation to give effect to the agreements will be brought forward in the Criminal Justice (Mutual Assistance) Bill, to be published in the summer.

They update and supplement agreements on extradition and co-operation in the detection of crime, which have been in operation for 20 years. The agreements allow the two governments to form joint investigation teams, to take evidence in court from expert witnesses via video-link, and to search for suspect foreign bank accounts.

[....]

Mr McDowell stressed that these arrangements had nothing to do with the US detention centre in Guantánamo Bay, and that ordinary crime was as much a target as terrorism. "They will contribute to enhanced co-operation which is vital if we are to meet the challenge posed by modern transnational crimes such as terrorism, drug trafficking and fraud," he said.

Referring to EU measures to combat terrorism, such as data retention, Mr McDowell said that telecommunication information would be very important in the investigation of the London bombing.

"There are 25,000 Muslims in Ireland. Ninety-nine point nine per cent of them have nothing but contempt for this. The central tenets of Islam are opposed to the taking of innocent life."

by redjade Fri Jul 15, 2005 13:58

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by redjade Fri Jul 15, 2005 13:57

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by DV8 Thu Jul 14, 2005 17:19

(Because it's Pay Per View.)

Paying €10,000 a day for US military overflights has not really registered on the taxpayers' radar
25/06/2005

As US military aircraft entertain the crowd at the Salthill air show this weekend, many may wonder why we are spending €10,000 a day to help them fight the war in Iraq, writes Tom Clonan

As Salthill prepares to host its annual air show tomorrow, a number of protest marches are scheduled to demonstrate against the presence of US and British military aircraft in the line-up.

This year's display will include a US military UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and an RAF Tornado fighter, aircraft types deployed by coalition forces in Iraq.

However, those concerned about foreign military aircraft in Irish airspace would do well to divert their gaze from Salthill this weekend and consider more dramatic military developments at higher altitude in Ireland's skies.

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), under Government direction, is providing vital navigation support - free of charge - to US military aircraft passing through our airspace on their way to Iraq.

By picking up the cost of these navigation charges, the Irish taxpayer, perhaps unwittingly, is making a considerable cash contribution towards the US war in Iraq.

Figures released to the Labour Party last month reveal that the Department of Transport has paid the IAA almost €10 million over the past five years in respect of foreign military aircraft passing through Irish airspace.

Such payments are made by the taxpayer to reimburse the IAA for a Government decision to exempt all foreign military aircraft from "en-route" air traffic control charges through Irish airspace.

This decision is based on Ireland's participation in a Eurocontrol (the European organisation for the safety of air navigation) multilateral agreement.

The Eurocontrol agreement is a reciprocal arrangement whereby its parties exempt military aircraft from charges for communications and navigation services facilitating their passage through "friendly" airspace.

Ireland does not enjoy much by way of reciprocity through this agreement. Indeed, the only Irish military aircraft that regularly enters foreign airspace is the Government jet.

The figures released by the Department of Transport are significant in that they reveal a doubling and trebling of annual payments for foreign military overflights by the Irish taxpayer over the last two years.

In 2003, as the US and Britain invaded Iraq, Government repayments to the IAA shot up from an average of €1 million per annum to almost €2.2 million. These charges reflect a doubling of military activity in Irish airspace coinciding with the start of US and British military operations in the Gulf.

Last year alone the Irish taxpayer paid over €3.6 million to the IAA in respect of military overflights.

This represents an average payment by the Irish taxpayer of approximately €10,000 per day for the facilitation of foreign military activity within our airspace.

Most Irish citizens associate military traffic through our airspace with the transit of US military personnel bound for Iraq through Shannon airport. However, the vast majority of those troops - 110,766 during the first four months of this year - travel on chartered civilian aircraft that pay full landing and associated charges to the relevant authorities.

Indeed, the revenues accruing from these charges prompted one Minister to state that the transit of US forces through Shannon was "good for business".

This being the case, it highlights the fact that the dramatically increased overflights in question - being paid for by the Irish taxpayer - comprise aircraft with specific military functions. These would include high-altitude bombers, strike aircraft, in-flight refuelling aircraft, reconnaissance and target-acquisition aircraft.

For operational and security reasons, the international military do not normally disclose the aircraft-type, unit designation or onward destination of military aircraft passing through non-aligned airspace. The US military is no exception in these matters.

It is clear, nevertheless, based on intelligence estimates and circumstantial logic, that the majority of military traffic overflying Irish territory consists of US air force aircraft. It is also extremely unlikely that all of the military aircraft passing through our airspace are bound for RAF Lakenheath, Mildenhall, in Britain, or Ramstein and Spangdahlem airbases in Germany.

Routine US flights to European airbases are reflected in the lower numbers of overflights recorded in Ireland prior to 2003 and the invasion of Iraq.

The lack of a clear inventory of the type of military aircraft passing through our airspace - suggesting increased operational sensitivity and secrecy - coupled with the exponential increase in air activity at this time strongly suggest that many of the military aircraft in question are participating in the war in Iraq.

Austria, a neutral state and like Ireland a member of Nato's Partnership for Peace (PfP) Organisation, denied Nato aircraft access to its airspace during the 1999 Serb air campaign. It does not exempt foreign military aircraft passing through its airspace from routine air traffic control charges.

Many PAYE workers and other taxpayers in Ireland would be alarmed at their tax deductions forming such a significant material contribution to the US war in Iraq. This is particularly so when such funds - up to €10,000 per day - are needed in areas such as healthcare and education.

In such circumstances many would demand that the US military pay its own way through our neutral airspace.

Dr Tom Clonan is a retired Army officer. He currently lectures in the school of media, DIT

© The Irish Times

by Damien Moran - Dublin Catholic Worker (Personal Capacity) Thu Jul 14, 2005 16:52 dublincatholicworker at yahoo dot co dot uk

"It is a great money-spinner for Shannon and should be welcomed.
Pat Breen, CLare Fine Gael TD


Gordon Deegan's article above made page 2 of the Irish Times and page 8 of the Irish Examiner yesterday.

This piece comes shortly after Dr. Tom Cloonan reported in the Irish Times that the Irish taxpayer is subsidising the Iraq war occupation and plunder to the sum of €10,000 per day by paying the Irish Aviation Authority overflight fees which have been waived by the Irish gvt. as a part of the Eurocontrol agreement (Mutual waiving of military flight fees between US & European States, even though the only Irish military plane to enter US airspace is the gvt. jet - a rare occasion apart from a St. Patrick's Day visit)

See Link below for more info.
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/opinion/2005/0625/905285319OP25CLONAN.html

Unfortunately Gordon did not look for (or the editors omitted)a response from any sector of the peace movement.

I am not sure whether the other main newspapers covered the new figures released. Once upon a time RTE would report the quarterly figures but they seem to agree with Bertie: it's a 'dead issue'.

The unfortunate reality is that the campaign to end the US military use of Shannon is now an very difficult feat, more so now than it has ever been in the past. Shannon revenues from military flights are increasing (helping minimise the overall losses last year), dutyfree/local hotel business is profitting, Ted Castle (TOP Oil)is smiling all the way to the bank with his refuelling warplanes portfolio bulging with dollars

Please refresh my memory but I do not think any sector of the Peace Movement have been to Shannon in 2005 (I hear rumours of a concert coming up in Sept.?). I vaguely remember members of MAMA laying a wreath on March 20th, the 2nd anniversary of the official outbreak of war in the Iraq. Even if our presence is small, we should have a presence at Shannon at least once a month for a few hours if not on a weekly basis. Reminding the authorities that business cannot go as usual while thay facilitate warmongers is an important responsibility for the peace movement to assume and help organise/sustain.

There is little or no presence on the streets of Dublin or anywhere in Ireland informing/engaging the public about what is happening and what they can do to resist it, e.g. Boycott TOP Oil, invite speakers to their local community groups/churches/schools/uni.'s, hold a weekly public vigil/demo. at a relevant site, e.g. Gvt. buildings, IAA on Burgh Quay, US/British/Coalition gvt. Embassies, Shannon Airport/Town, or Ennis town centre for a bigger audience, taking names for a petition.

I understand the political context is extremely difficult and I do not believe I'm caught up in February 15th mass mobilisation euphoria (which I looked at on TV from Limerick prison post-ploughshares action). However, I do believe 'small is beautiful' and neccessary (and inevitable when the peace movement in most countries has collapsed, despite the ongoing bloodshed in Iraq).

Remaining vigilant and steadfast, communicating the truth we now know about the Iraq shock/awe/massacre/occupation whenever we can is going to be the source of this campaign's resurrection.

Our Catholic Worker/Pitstop Ploughshares community are still awaiting a re-trial (October 24th) for the disarmament of a US Navy plane at Shannon on Feb. 3rd 2003. Our initial trial in early March led to the jury been discharged by the judge after our defence team successfully argued we could not have a fair trial.

We have just produced a 35 minute dvd/video entitled 'Peace On Trial' charting the events surrounding our trial last March. It features Dennis Halliday (Former UN Asst. Sec. Gen.), Bishop Thomas J Gumbleton, Kathy Kelly (Voices in the Wilderness), Kelly Dougherty (Veterans Against Iraq War/Former National Guard), and Mairead Corrigan Maguire (Former Nobel Peace Laureate).
More info. on the news section of www.irishantiwar.org

If you would like a vid/dvd send an email to ploughsharesireland@yahoo.ie

Through dedicated affinity groups doing small acts of nonviolent resistance (like the brave Rossport 5) the Shannon issue can also be put back on the political/public agenda.

All that is required is solidarity (Court, Prison, Financial, Musical, etc.) from the Irish public
(I believe the majority still hold a position against Irish participation in the war ), and especially anti-war activist folks from different groups/political creeds, etc.

'Because I do it with one small ship, I am called a terrorist. You do it with a whole fleet and are called an emperor.'

~A pirate, from St. Augustine's "City of God"

by paid subscription Wed Jul 13, 2005 19:20

Increase in US troop traffic at Shannon
Gordon Deegan
Irish Times

Almost as many US troops have passed through Shannon airport during the first six months of this year as in the whole of 2004.

Figures released by the Shannon Airport Authority yesterday show that from January to June, 153,381 troops stopped over at Shannon en route to US bases in Europe, the Middle East and the US.

This compares to the 158,549 troops that passed through Shannon last year in what was a record year for US troop movements through Shannon.

The troop traffic continues to be a major revenue generator for the airport authority, with the authority believed to have received €18 million in income from the US government to date this year.

In spite of the massive rise in passenger numbers on commercial airlines this year, revenues from the military traffic continue to play an important role, as losses incurred by Shannon last year would have been much higher but for the revenues generated by the military traffic.

Shannon recorded a loss of €2.5 million on a turnover of €95 million in 2004 and the loss could increase in future years.

The figures released yesterday show that 23,461 troops passed through on 169 flights last month, compared with 21,991 during the second quarter of 2004.

However, figures for the second quarter in 2005 are down on the numbers that passed through the airport in the first quarter of this year. The figures released by Shannon show that 95,984 passed through on 690 flights in the first quarter. The 34,647 that passed through in January are just short of the 35,405 troops that used the airport in the first quarter of last year.

The airport has received an estimated €63 million in revenues from the US government over the past four years arising from its campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Some 453,388 US troops have stopped off at the airport since the start of 2002.

It is estimated that there are currently 150,000 US troops in Iraq. An unknown number of troops that flew to Iraq via Shannon have not made the return journey, as about 1,700 soldiers have been killed in action since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003.

Clare Fine Gael deputy Pat Breen yesterday endorsed the troops using the airport. He said: "It is a great money-spinner for Shannon and should be welcomed. It is commercial business and the facilities at Shannon are not just on offer to the United States, but to any country."

Mr Breen went on: "I don't believe that Shannon is playing a role in US military operations. Ireland is a neutral country and it is a commercial decision to accept the troop business."

by redjade Wed Jul 13, 2005 14:49

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Jul 10 2005

by redjade Mon Jul 11, 2005 13:57

Sunday, July 10, 2005

Of all the utterly stupid things I've heard lately, one of the utterly stupidest has to be the idea that Ireland would "have to" introduce ID cards if Britain does.

Er, why?

The "informed political source" quoted in today's SBP explains it on the grounds that "we have a common travel area and a land border between the two jurisdictions". Big deal. Denmark manages to get by without one despite sharing a land border with Germany and a common travel area with a lot of countries.

I suspect that the Brits are leaning on Dublin because they don't want the hassle of resident Irish telling them "I don't need a British ID card, I'm Irish" - particularly in the Six Counties. The introduction of an Irish card that northern nationalists could obtain instead would neatly resolve that problem. The British may be pressuring Dublin with the threat of dissolving the common travel arrangement. Dublin should call their bluff.

more at
http://ceadaoin.blogspot.com/2005/07/of-all-utterly-stupid-things-ive-heard.html