Now we're part of Nato ?

by % Wed Aug 01, 2007 22:39

he's not talking about invading Iran or Kurdistan is he?
& yep - ISAF has changed considerably since its legal international mandate & the Bonn conference and resolutions. Let's pretend the delegitimisation of international instruments of arbitration which followed the illegal war on Iraq did that. Ok? so no more delegitimisation. Enough mid asia and middle east a bit more africa...

he UK coverage - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6926663.stm
the US (left wing as US democrats are supposed to be. imagine that. "leftwing" http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/01/us/politics/01cnd-oba...ml?hp
the US right wing press (those who don't want women or blacks in the white house )
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Aug01/0,4670,ObamaTerr....html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,291681,00.html
Now let's get the "overseas terrorists" thing into perspective - how long has it been since homeland terrorists did the USA? do we have a date on that? is it history yet?

by no! Wed Aug 01, 2007 22:16

This is being spun in the US media Democrat Presidential selection hustings as a sign Mr Obama "the black man" is tougher than Hilary Clinton "the white woman". But basically it works like this - when these people talk of "striking Pakistan without Pakistani permission" that makes village square sense up to a point. People strike Pakistani villages all the time and no-one asks Musharaff if it's ok. Coz I'll be really simple here with you - the Brits weren't good at drawing borders . & so Mr Obama wouldn't be talking about doing a Waco style school eviction in Islamabad or a bit of low collateral (few human deaths) precision bombing in Karachi. http://indymedia.ie/article/83379 Oh no. He'd be up on the part of the map called the "border lands" where as you know no-one is telling you the Emir is still limping around. For the benefit of those who don't know who the Emir is, he's a member of a Saudi dynasty with astonishingly fine manners who got together one of the most impressive insurgencies ever and the only one the Soviet Empire couldn't end, a feat which the CIA thought to take credit for. He's gone a bit religious dippy in the last couple of years of course but from Beijing to Galway you'll find his image on PC hard-discs striking some funny pose & being mister numero uno of worldwide terror and nastiness. He's the sort of character you treat with very serious respect because behind his notorious sense of humour and verse quoting and smoting and stuff - he knows he doesn't wash his own linen & he knows farmers don't really get a look in. Mr Obama has obviously never been to Bodenstown though the Irish lobby seemd to think he was groovy for saying something about the Ulster question.
http://indymedia.ie/openwire?search_text=obama&x=0&y=0

Thank you Mr Obama.
You can fuck off right now.

by gurgle Wed Aug 01, 2007 12:34

There are several missions in Afghanistan it's a busy place & always has been.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Assistance_...istan
this is ISAF
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Security_Ass...Force
the Irish people are with the EAPC which has 49 member states the 26 of Nato and 23 others of which Ireland is one. You can't really call it NATO coz Russia is in it. It's very big and not formally a military alliance coz like you've got Switzerland in it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euro-Atlantic_Partnership_...uncil

I thought there were only 5 little Irish flags. Gosh - 7 of them you say. fancy that. The man from Kosovo is on his own probably has a special continental quilt with the flag on it. They probably play the same sort of music you get on close encounters too. Scouring the tora bora for lost aircraft carriers. Anyway you should write this all out and demand answers from 9mm Willy O Dea - it's his department.

by Rahood Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:33

NATO = ISAF

http://www.defence.ie/WebSite.nsf/Speech+ID/368E1A5ADF7...ument

June 27th 2006:"Approval was also given today for Ireland’s continued deployment to the UN authorised International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. Ireland has participated in ISAF since July 5th 2002 and 7 personnel are currently serving there. All personnel are stationed in the Kabul area. Three personnel are employed at ISAF HQ while the remaining four personnel are working with the Kabul Multinational Brigade (KMNB). The three personnel at ISAF HQ hold staff appointments in the information operations section. The four Defence Forces personnel employed with KMNB are solely engaged in liaison duties between KMNB, the Afghan National Directorate of Security, the Kabul city police and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and their liaison remit is strictly confined to information exchange concerning security issues directly related to the ISAF mission."

http://www.david-morrison.org.uk/afghanistan/irish-expe...n.htm
An article in the Irish Examiner on 2 March 2007, entitled Irish bomb expert takes on the Taliban, reported:

“The army has sent its top explosives expert to battle the Taliban in war-torn Afghanistan. The senior officer will head a contingent of seven Irish soldiers to serve with ISAF, the International Security Assistance Force, in the country.

“The technician is Ireland’s top bomb disposal expert and routinely attends bomb alerts with Defence Forces Explosives Ordinance Disposal (EOD) unit.”

Ireland has had 7 military personnel serving with ISAF since 5 July 2002 - this is merely the latest deployment of 7 personnel.

No doubt the proper approval procedure was gone through in 2002. But, since then, ISAF’s mission has changed utterly. In 2002, ISAF was a peacekeeping force in and around Kabul; today, it is engaged in offensive military operations against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan. What was approved in 2002 was the provision of military personnel to a peacekeeping force as ISAF then was, not to the “warfighting” force led by the US/UK that ISAF has since become.

by Green dissenter Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:02

Eight Green Party members have indicated their strong opposition to the Irish Government's participation in the Iraq war, and Ireland's increasing tendency to support the militarisation of Europe, and counterproductive military responses to world's security and humanitarian crises. The UN is being largely ignored and replaced by a resurgent NATO and US military aggression.
In a letter published in the Irish Times and Irish Examiner on 31 July 07, the following Green Party members spoke out.
Signed by the following Green Party Members:
Patricia McKenna, former MEP, Cllr. Niall O’Brolchain, Cllr. Chris O’Leary, Cllr. Betty Doran, Cllr. Malcolm Noonan, Edward Horgan, Kristina McElroy and Anita Curtis.

The "Militant Tendency" of the Green Party are now in Government.
The word from the Green Grapevine is that senior party members of this Militant Tendency are planning some action to Gag or attempt to silence democratic criticism within the Green Party. Attempts are being made to isolate the humanists and principled people within the Green Party.