Intel from Bin Laden’s compound?

(Daily Mail) — A crack SAS team has captured two top Taliban commanders without a shot being fired in a secret dawn raid in Afghanistan.

The 12 elite troops seized Maulawi Rahman and Maulawi Mohammed at a high-walled compound north of the remote town of Babaji in Helmand province.

Both men, who surrendered without a fight, are said to have been close confidants of Osama Bin Laden, the terror mastermind killed by US Special Forces in Pakistan last month.

The two are also believed to have been behind many bomb attacks on British and US troops in Afghanistan.

Rahman and Mohammed – members of the Quetta Shura, the Taliban’s Pakistani-based high command – were held along with three henchmen, and 80kg of raw opium packed in bales with a street value of £128,000 was also seized.

The SAS soldiers, armed with M16 assault rifles and Heckler & Koch 9mm pistols, used steel-wire ladders to scale the walls of the Taliban compound while the terror leaders, along with a number of women and children, were asleep.

A source said: ‘Even though the SAS team was in full combat gear and armed to the teeth, they did not fire a shot and none was fired at them.

‘These are very significant arrests of two of the Taliban’s key commanders. They are at the top of the Taliban hierarchy and among their most senior figures.

‘Their detention is a damaging blow to the insurgents and will severely downgrade their ¬ability to direct operations in Afghanistan.’

(AINA) — A Military court in Egypt has sentenced three Christian Copts to 5-years imprisonment on charges of possession of firearms and pocket knives. The Court released all other Muslims and Copts arrested following clashes on May 19 over the re-opening of St. Mary and St. Abraham churches in Ain Shams West (AINA 5-24-2011). Copts Emad Ayyad and Ayman Youssef Halim were convicted of carrying firearms. Emad Ayyam’s son, Ayad Emad Ayad, was convicted of carrying a pocket knife.

Eight Copts, mostly students, were arrested in Ain Shams West and charged with rioting, violence and causing injury to citizens. Three of the Copts were also charged with possession of firearms and knives. Police arrested three under-age Muslims on charges of throwing stones at the army.

Defense lawyer Abraham Edward said “This is a very unjust, severe and cruel verdict.” He said that as lawyers they are unable to fathom what is going on. “Today’s case is very strange, a case where there is not one shred of evidence to indict them. If this case went in front of the International Court of Justice they would all be set free.” He criticized the five-year prison sentence handed down to Ayad Emad Ayad for carrying a pocket knife. According to the law this is punishable by a six months suspended sentence.

More “Arab Spring” blowback.

SANAA, May 28 (Xinhua) — The Yemen-based al-Qaida wing on Saturday declared the provincial capital city of southern Abyan province as the capital city of its “Islamic Emirate” in a statement the group read in front of local residents.

The al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has almost taken over all parts of Abyan province after it seized the province capital city of Zinjibar on Friday, according to the residents.

A local government official told Xinhua that the “fighters of AQAP took over the whole city of Zinjibar on Friday and on Saturday the group seized 30 police cars after two police camps surrendered to AQAP.”

“They (AQAP) transported the 30 police cars to the neighbor city of Jaar, which is believed to be the stronghold of the group, ” he added, requesting anonymity.

Meanwhile, a doctor of al-Razi Hospital in Jaar told Xinhua that the death toll among al-Qaida militants from the Friday’s clashes with government forces rose to four as dozens of the militants were still suffering serious injuries.

Residents from several cities of Abyan said blackouts have hit the majority part of the province since earlier Friday.

An aid to the Abyan governor said the governor was not available to reach for security reasons.

Late on Friday, the AQAP militants gunned down five Yemeni policemen, including a high-ranking officer, hours after they took over several government buildings and two state-run banks in Abyan, according to a local security official.

Islamists are obsessed with killing Joooos.

(ProPublica) — An officer in Pakistan’s intelligence service chose a Jewish center as a target for the 2008 Mumbai attacks and then helped launch a new plot against Denmark, according to the star witness in a terror trial in Chicago.

In his second day of testimony, David Coleman Headley, a confessed Pakistani-American terrorist, revealed more details about close ties between Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence Directorate (ISI) and the Lashkar-i-Taiba terror group, which allegedly carried out the attacks that killed 166 people, including six Americans.

Headley said his ISI handler, a man known only as Major Iqbal, made key decisions and was a mastermind of the plot along with Lashkar chiefs. Major Iqbal deployed him on the last of five reconnaissance missions in India to scout targets that Iqbal said would definitely include the Chabad House, a Jewish community center where gunmen later killed three American rabbis, Headley testified. The pregnant wife of one of the rabbis was also killed.

“Major Iqbal told me the Chabad House would be added on whatever list [of targets] there was because it was a front office for the Mossad,” Israel’s intelligence agency, Headley said. He added that Major Iqbal “seemed upset the [Mumbai] airport was not included” as a target.

Nothing suggests that the claim about the Mossad was true.

Headley described in understated tones how terrorist leaders congratulated him for his work casing luxury hotels and other targets chosen to ensure Americans and Jews would die. Asked his reaction to the three-day televised slaughter, he responded: “I was pleased.”

Keep reading…

HT: Jay

Which one is royalty again?

(NY Post) — As newly minted princess Kate Middleton greeted Michelle Obama in the ornate surroundings of Buckingham Palace Tuesday, it was hard to believe she was wearing a $340 dress from British retailer Reiss — a frock any commoner could buy.

Middleton’s appearance in the nude-hued “Shola” dress sparked a shopping frenzy, causing the retailer’s Web site to crash and the dress to immediately sell out. And now style watchers are hailing the Duchess of Cambridge as “the pauper’s princess” — the first stylish royal to embrace affordable trends, and the perfect recession-era symbol.

“Kate is a princess of our times,” says Zanna Roberts Rassi, senior fashion editor at Marie Claire. “She’s more of a people’s princess than Diana. Diana was understated, but she liked her labels. Kate’s heralding this almost changing of the guard, from the stuffy royal family to this modern-day princess that we can all relate to.”

While Michelle Obama has also been applauded for wearing clothes from affordable stores such as J.Crew and H&M, she also favors big-name designers such as Jason Wu and Isabel Toledo. The floral Barbara Tfank dress she wore to meet Middleton this week cost at least $2,000.

Egyptian demonstrators perform the Friday prayers at Cairo's Tahrir Square on April 1, 2011 as tens of thousands of Egyptians gathered, issuing calls to "save the revolution" that ousted president Hosni Mubarak and to rid of the country of the old regime. AFP PHOTO/STR (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)

Shameless.

WARSAW, Poland (AP) – Capping an extensive trip to Europe, President Barack Obama said Saturday that the United States must always “leave room” to throw financial and moral support behind nations fighting for freedoms even during times of employment troubles and high gas prices at home.

In Poland, which Obama hailed as world model of democratic transition, he said it is the responsibility of the U.S. to support the sometimes wrenching, roiling push for democracy and human rights around the globe. In defending his drive to improve U.S. relations with Russia, Obama also made clear to protect Poland’s security against any threats in its neighborhood, leaving no doubt about the NATO code of members: “We defend each other.”

The president sought to build his case that America and the international community have a vested stake in the Arab revolt that is defining much of North Africa and the Middle East. He said the U.S. cannot dictate outcomes but can help, and he cited Poland as inspiration.

“Poland’s story demonstrates how a proud and determined and enthusiastic people can overcome extraordinary challenges and build a democracy,” the president said at a brief news conference as his six-day trip to Ireland, England, France and Poland neared its end.

(Times Live) — A Tunisian court has ordered the Tunisian Internet Agency (ATI) to block all pornographic websites, which became accessible after the lifting of censorship in January.

The court ordered the censorship of X-rated sites following a suit filed last week by three lawyers, who argued that such sites were a danger to young people and were contrary to Muslim values.

According to the Tunisian Internet site Business news, seven pornographic sites have appeared among the 100 most visited sites in the north African country since the end of censorship. Five of them are among the 50 most consulted.

This ban, if it is upheld, would be the second case of censorship of the Internet since the fall of the authoritarian regime of president Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali on January 14.

At the beginning of May, several sites and Facebook profiles were blocked by the ATI on the orders of a military tribunal, although the reason was not clear.

Heh.

But when an Israeli even looks at a Palestinian the wrong way the OIC goes ballistic.

UNITED NATIONS – An influential association of Islamic states has complained about a European draft resolution that asks the UN Security Council to condemn Syria and demanded that part of the text be deleted.

Western diplomats said the complaint from the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) highlighted the uphill battle Western powers face as they struggle to bring a divided Security Council together to criticize Damascus.

Britain, France, Germany and Portugal circulated the draft resolution to the 15-nation council this week. Veto powers Russia and China and four other non-permanent members have voiced concerns about the draft, which rebukes Syria for its bloody crackdown against anti-government protesters.

The editors of Wonkette seen nodding approval.

(Life News) — Sarah Palin’s son Trig is in the news again following the liberal blog Wonkette bashing her and saying her son, who has Down Syndrome, is “retarded” and “somewhat alive.” Now Hustler published Larry Flynt has gotten in on the attacks.

Flynt is no stranger to controversial comments over the years as the head of the soft-cord pornographic magazine and a free speech advocate, but his comments about Sarah Palin’s son may be some of the most over-the-top remarks he’s made to date.

In a new interview with the London Independent newspaper, Flynt rambled from topic to topic until he settled on Palin, who is considering whether to run for the Republican nomination for president this year.

“Sarah Palin is the dumbest thing. But I made a fortune off of her. [He made a porn film called Nailin' Palin, based on her],” he said.

Then, he went after Trig, saying, “She did a disservice to every woman in America. She knew from the first month of pregnancy that kid was going to be Down’s Syndrome. It’s brain dead. A virtual vegetable.”

Flynt followed up on the Wonkette theme — that Palin is supposedly exploiting Trig by having him with her at some political events — by saying, “She carries it to all these different political events against abortion, she did it just because she didn’t want to say she’d had an abortion. How long is it going to live? Another 12, 15 years? Doesn’t even know it’s in this world.”

“So what kind of compassionate conservative is she? I don’t think anybody will want her near the White House,” Flynt added.

The London Independent reporter, Johann Hair, was left speechless:  “I am so thrown by the unpleasantness of all this I don’t even interject.”

In its attack on Palin and her disabled son, the Wonkette post commented on his birthday and said, “What’s he dreaming about? Nothing. He’s retarded. His mom went to a lot of trouble to leak amniotic fluid over 8 states to make sure that he arrived in this world somewhat alive.

Shameless pandering brought to a new low.

Dear Colleague:

Please join us as an original co-sponsor of the resolution expressing the sense of Congress that the federal government should take steps to counter anti-Muslim sentiment. Over the last decade, the American Muslim community has confronted a festering level of suspicion which has manifested itself in hostile government policies and bias from the general public. A CBS/ New York Times poll released in mid-September showed that as many as 20 percent of Americans said they have negative feelings toward Muslims because of the September 11^th terrorist attacks. While Congress has confronted some of the more violent manifestations of this bias, the general climate faced by the community has continued to create barriers to full participation in public life that should be addressed by official government policy.

We believe that this sense of Congress is a logical step toward sending the message that the American Muslim community should be able to enjoy the rights guaranteed under the Constitution to the same extent as all other Americans. Communities should be protected from the threat of violence and suspicion that was at the heart of last January’s thwarted attack against the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Michigan. They should also be able to rely on law enforcement’s fundamental integrity and respect for First Amendments protected rights. Ultimately, the American Muslim community should be able to rely on the federal government to lead the effort in fostering an open climate of understanding and cooperation. Only through a balanced examination of the challenges facing the nation will we establish a strong policy framework for protecting security, while respecting the Constitution and the interests of affected communities.

It is essential that the federal government send the message that we all must work together to guarantee the security of our country and that no community should be singled out for suspicion. We hope that you will join us in sending that message by co-sponsoring this resolution. To cosponsor or to find out more information, please call Keenan Keller of the Judiciary Committee Democratic staff at 5-6906.

Sincerely,

Rep. John Conyers, Jr.

Rep. Andre Carson

Rep. Hansen Clarke

HT: Jay

Stephen Harper can do no wrong in my book.

(JPost) — Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman spoke with Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird during a telephone conversation on Friday and thanked him and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper for their pro-Israel stance at the G8 summit. Lieberman said during the conversation that “Canada is a true friend of Israel.”

Group of Eight leaders had to soften a statement urging Israel and the Palestinians to return to negotiations because Canada objected to a specific mention of 1967 borders, diplomats said on Friday.

Canada’s right-leaning Conservative government has adopted a staunchly pro-Israel position in international negotiations since coming to power in 2006, with Harper saying Canada will back Israel whatever the cost.

Diplomats involved in Middle East discussions at the G8 summit said Ottawa had insisted that no mention of Israel’s pre-1967 borders be made in the leaders’ final communique, even though most of the other leaders wanted a mention.

“The Canadians were really very adamant, even though Obama expressly referred to 1967 borders in his speech last week,” one European diplomat said.

So much smugness and elitism packed into one vile little creature masquerading as a journalist.

HT: Townhall

If only Andrew Sullivan wasn’t gay, they both share the same creepy obsession with Palin.

Jay Leno: Are you dating anyone?

Meghan McCain: No. I’m in, like, dating Babylon. Like, I go on dates with men and, literally, like Sarah Palin will come up in like the first 20 minutes, and that doesn’t put me in the mood. Like, talking about Sarah Palin. And they just want to know gossip, and I’m just kind of taking a little hiatus from dating right now, because I just don’t want to talk about Sarah Palin.

HT: Other McCain

The man, the myth, the legend, Jason from Story Balloon will be blogging here for the next few days. Please say hello, he’s a Pisces, loves long walks on the beach and punching hippies.

Wouldn’t you really love to hear Paul Ryan say, “Don’t bring a knife to a gun fight”?

HT: Ace of Spades Headquarters

Like DeMint said earlier, “Obama stocked the NLRB with union thugs.”

(AP) — Federal regulators say union activists have the legal right to display giant inflatable rats outside companies during labor disputes.

The National Labor Relations Board says putting up a 16-foot-tall rat balloon is allowed even if the business is not directly involved in the conflict between the union and another employer.

The Carpenters union and other labor groups often use the giant rat as a form of street theater. The goal is to shame companies that hire outside contractors who refuse to use union workers or pay union-scale wages.

The case was closely watched by business groups who claim the giant rat is too coercive and confrontational. But the labor board says the rats are a form of symbolic speech that don’t interfere with business activity.

(TPM) — Republicans are working on multiple fronts to stop President Barack Obama from making companies bidding on federal contracts disclose their donations to third-party political groups.

The chairmen of the House Oversight Committee and the Small Business Committee have introduced legislation that would ban the federal government from collecting or using information about the political expenditures of federal contractors, allowing them to keep their political donations to third party groups secret. Yesterday, the House passed an amendment to the 2012 defense bill which would prevent federal agencies from collecting such data.

Introduced by Reps. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Tom Cole (R-OK) in response to a leaked draft of an executive order the Obama administration was considering which would have mandated federal contractors disclose their donations to third-party groups, the legislation is titled the “Keeping Politics Out of Federal Contracting Act of 2011.”

A companion bill is being introduced in the Senate by Susan Collins (R-ME), Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Rob Portman (R-OH).

Center for Competitive Politics President Sean Parnell called Cole’s amendment to the defense bill a “strong rebuke to the executive branch’s effort to bring politics into the federal contracting process and enable the creation of a Nixon-style Enemies List.”

Issa said the legislation “preempts an executive order designed to silence and intimidate job creators and Americans who are passionate enough to a support cause.”

So predictable.

Quote For The Day II – Andrew Sullivan/Atlantic

“If someone gives it a chance and watches it, watches the film, I think they will be surprised at the caricature that’s been drawn and the contrast to reality. I just think every aspect of it is so powerful, you cannot walk away from this film looking at Sarah Palin the same way. You just can’t,” - Meg Stapleton, on the upcoming propaganda movie, “Triumph Of The Will” ”The Undefeated.”

“Triumph Of The Will” is a Third Reich propaganda film chronicling the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg.

So he doesn’t secretly love da Joooos?

(PressTV) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has warned against plots hatched by the United States to save Israel, urging world nations to remain vigilant.

“The US seeks to save the Zionist regime (Israel) with deceit. Everybody should know that the survival of the Zionist regime and its existence even in one span of the Palestinian soil is like preserving a cancerous tumor in the body of regional nations, and [is] a permanent threat against them,” said President Ahmadinejad in the Iranian city of Qom on Thursday.

He added that the Iranian people and world nations are awakened and demand justice, freedom and the complete elimination of Israel, IRNA reported.