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Monday, 9 October 2006
Do We Really Have A Dog In This Hunt?
Update: Since this topic has reared it's ugly head I am bumping this post from Aug 22, 2006 up.

One question that might occur to some will be, can we expect China, Russia and the EU to react differently to this latest news from North Korea than they have concerning Iran?

Will they drag their feet and support nothing besides deadline after deadline, and stall on any real actions, like Sanctions?

One answer could be, what does North Korea have that they want? Iran has vast Petroleum reserves to dangle as bait, but Kim Jung Il has nothing but instability to offer.

As I noted in my last post.

China says it 'resolutely opposes' North Korean nuclear tests, appeals for return to talks

Oh and as Stratfor.com has mentioned

Beijing has deployed
additional troops to the border, but that is to seal the frontier


That does not mean they are going to invade it may very well be true it only means,
its primary concern is to keep the North Korean people
from spilling across the border into northeast China.



But there is an Old Chinese Proverb which says

When the Dragon belches all Frogs Fart


I do believe Pekiing just belched.




North Korea seems to be popping in and out of the News these days. Of course the proliferation of nuclear arms is a concern for the United States.

We do not want them to get into the hands of terrorists, but as for a threat by North Korea?

Take a look at this map.

I can see how North Korea, would be a concern, for The People's Republic of China, The Russian Federation, South Korea, Japan, and even Taiwan, but I can only see a small tip of Alaska and if the North Koreans hit there, they would have to deal with Green Peace. ;-)

So I am FLAT against any UNILATERAL talks as a matter of fact I wonder what would happen if we decided this was a Regional Problem and in the purview of the Fist Rank Nations bordering North Korea.

Just tell North Korea, South Korea, China, Russia and Japan this was their problem and we would lend our good services in support of whatever agreement they could come to.

It has been over 50 years since the combat with North Korea, and that was really a surrogate war with the Soviet Union.

We happen to have won that conflict, not the Battle of Korea but the Prolonged Conflict between Marxism and Capitalism.

North Korea has nothing we need, or want but they certainly would like the US to pay them off to play nice.

Maybe we should stop playing their game.

Additional Notes: There has been talk of a Democratic Victory this Fall large enough to give that Party control of at least the House. Should that occur, Nacy Pelosi,might end up as Speaker of the House and thereby third in succession to the Presidency. Shall we take a lot at one of her policies as regards Natitonal Security?

"The United States does not need a multi-billion-dollar national missile defense against the possibility of a nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missile.


Really?


"What we need is a strong nonproliferation policy with other nations to combat the most serious threat to our national security and to the safety of the world ? weapons of mass destruction falling into the hands of terrorists who would smuggle them into our cities.


Which seems to be working SO well


Can you say Pre 9/11 thinking?


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Posted by ky/kentuckydan at 9:38 AM CDT
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Updated: Monday, 9 October 2006 9:26 PM CDT
Red Alert: North Korea: Underground Nuclear Test Reported
Reports spread Oct. 9 that North Korea tested a nuclear device in the eastern
part of North Hamgyong province at 10:35 a.m. local time. China has indicated
it did detect a small underground test, although the South Korean military
has not raised its alert level. Australian Prime Minister John Howard said
his government has confirmed there has been seismic activity from North
Korea, although he has not received reports on its magnitude.

The U.S.
Geological Survey detected a 4.2 tremor in North Korea, which is smaller than
expected and not big enough to make North Korea an unequivocal nuclear power.


If a test did occur, the most immediate U.S. response will likely be
a strong condemnation and a call for a U.N. mandate for sanctions. If there
is no U.S. military response, Pyongyang will see that as an acceptance of
North Korea as a nuclear power.

Many questions remain, however. Even
if this were a nuclear test, it is not clear that it was a weapon rather than
a device. A nuclear device produces an in-place blast from a mechanism of
indeterminate size and structure. A weapon can be fitted on a missile or on
an aircraft, and is therefore highly compact and ruggedized.

China's
response will be hesitant. China does not seem ready to cut off food or fuel
to North Korea, particularly before winter sets in. Beijing has deployed
additional troops to the border, but that is to seal the frontier. Beijing
will be angry, but its primary concern is to keep the North Korean people
from spilling across the border into northeast China.

South Korea
will, of course, suspend cooperation in Kaesong and Kumkang and will probably
put its forces on alert. With the drawdown of U.S. troops in South Korea, the
South Korean army is now the border patrol. U.S. military units remaining
will have to go on heightened alert and rush Patriot surface-to-air missile
batteries to the peninsula. South Korea could deploy high-level officials to
North Korea

Japan will work for U.N. for sanctions and Chapter 7
invocation. Japan also will heighten its military posture and increase
diplomacy with China and South Korea in an attempt to show a united front
against North Korea

North Korea will go on high alert nationwide. The
military will assume a high-readiness posture, and the North Koreans will
proclaim their entry into the nuclear club, using sanctions to tighten
control and rally domestic backing. Pyongyang might quickly invite the
International Atomic Energy Agency in to make its nuclear status
"legitimate." It will petition international bodies to accept the new
reality.

In any event, North Korea will view the test as a victory.
It will mark the acceptance of the government as a nuclear state. Further
negotiations will have to take place under this new reality. North Korea
cannot be isolated forever. North Korea has bet that anything less than a
complete military invasion is a capitulation. Pyongyang will press for
acceptance, similar to Pakistan. China and South Korea will be key; both
desperately want to avoid any military action. They will end up negotiating
with North Korea, finding a way to make the North comply with international
regulations.

 

Stratfor Premium members can access regular updates, in-depth analysis and expanded coverage on this issue by logging in at www.stratfor.com. If you are not a Premium member and are interested in gaining full access to Stratfor, please click here to take advantage of our special introductory rates.


Send questions or comments on this article to analysis@stratfor.com.



China says it 'resolutely opposes' North Korean nuclear tests, appeals for return to talks

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Posted by ky/kentuckydan at 5:24 AM CDT
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Updated: Monday, 9 October 2006 6:00 AM CDT
The Open Trackback Alliance XLV
UPDATE: Denmark Exports Soaring
After blogger Judith Klinghoffer and an army of Davids declared a "Buy Danish" campaign to combat the Muslim boycott. The Guardian says "fervent rightwing Americans" participated in the buying spree and implies that the cartoonists were responsible for the deaths of 139 people.(like it was the cartoonists who killed those people instead of the ones who shed their blood, how like the Progressive TransNazi viewpoint)


For your listening pleasure while you browse

"Der er et yndigt land" (There Is A Lovely Land)


Words by: Adam Gottlob Oehlenschlager
Music by: Hans Ernst Kr?yer
Adopted: 1844

"Derer et yndigt land" was first performed for a large gathering of Danes in 1844, and became popular quickly with the Danish people. It was adopted later that year by the Danish government as a national anthem, but not the sole national anthem. This anthem is on equal status with "Kong Christian",which is both the national and royal anthem.

When the Danish anthem is usually performed or sung, the first verse is played in its entirety, then it is followed by the last four lines of the last verse. (This is true whether the lyrics are sung or not



Recentlty I have been posting music to Illustrate the Diversity of America, this week I have a different motive to express Solidarity with DENMARK


I maintain my Support of Denmark, and will later today, post links to and my thoughts about a Danish Editorial "We are being pissed upon by Per Nyholm "

I think I shall title my Post, "There is no "But" in "Freedom of Speech".




When I first started upon my journey through the blogverse I created a
Statement of Purpose
Now upon reading it, one can realize that I did not hold to every detail of that original statement, but from it's basic premise, I have never swayed, in my belief that the Blogs are in fact the Committees of Correspondence of the Second American Revolution.

And that it is a Revolution of Information, no longer can we afford and allow elite gateways to control what we can see, hear and discuss.

For I believe that those bloggers who find their way, here and in particular from the Blogs associated with Sam.

HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY.

Some of us are more Serious, some of us are more lighthearted and some post the common ordinary things that make one smile and recall that Life without the simple things to treasure is meaningless.

And it is important that all have a platform from which to speak.

As I understand this process you can link to this post and trackback to this post on ANY subject or post you think important. It is open. I will repeat this every Monday.

The Committees of Correspondence welcomes your intelligent comments. And also welcomes you to join the

OPEN TRACKBACK ALLIANCE


This week I also have shortened my usual introduction for a more inportant message.




In it's struggle for Freedom of Speech.

Sign the Petition NOW!

JEG opstille hos Danmark!




45245 Total Signatures 12:45 AM CDT October 02, 2006 We can do better pass the word~!




From Agora a call to Support the Manifesto online by signing another Petition, why not sign both?


MANIFESTO: Together facing the new totalitarianism
Created by Mark Jefferson on March 1st, 2006 at 5:42 pm AST

After having overcome fascism, Nazism, and Stalinism, the world now faces a new totalitarian global threat: Islamism.
We, writers, journalists, intellectuals, call for resistance to religious totalitarianism and for the promotion of freedom, equal opportunity and secular values for all. "

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On Monday
Robin Williams is an Idiot from Planck's Constant
OTA - Vices Are Not Crimes from Planck's Constant
More than 6 million Palestinians died since 2000 from Planck's Constant

Y'al come back now, Y'heah? ;-)
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Posted by ky/kentuckydan at 12:54 AM CDT
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Updated: Wednesday, 11 October 2006 4:14 PM CDT
Saturday, 7 October 2006
Unemployment falls; wages up 4 percent
By Patrice Hill THE WASHINGTON TIMES October 7, 2006
The nation's unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent last month, down from 4.7 in August, and average wages rose by 4 percent over the previous year -- the best performance for both measures in five years.
The monthly Labor Department report released yesterday revealed that 51,000 new jobs were reported last month, a disappointing figure, but job gains were stronger than reported earlier for the previous year and a half.
"The economy is actually stronger than these employment numbers suggest," said Bernard Baumohl, executive director of the Economic Outlook Group, a Princeton, N.J., economic-advisory firm. The figures were mixed and elicited widely varying reactions from financial markets and analysts.***continued


The figures were mixed and elicited widely varying reactions from financial markets and analysts?

The stock market declined after focusing on the weakness in job growth, which was the lowest new-jobs figure since Hurricane Katrina blew a hole in the economy last year, and included sizable job losses in manufacturing and retail trade as factories and stores continued to retrench.


Now something here really puzzles me. "The stock market declined after focusing on the weakness in job growth".

A revision in the number of jobs created in August, to 188,000, and a huge revision adding 810,000 to the number of jobs created between March 2005 and March 2006 sparked fears of inflation in the bond market and suggested an underlying strength in the labor market that is unlikely to dissipate anytime soon.


I would very much like for someone to make up their minds, how can there be a "weakness in job growth"."an underlying strength in the labor market that is unlikely to dissipate anytime soon? I mean how is that possible?

And it does seem that both contradictory statements are uttered in tones of dire portent?

About that "The stock market declined after focusing on the weakness in job growth"?

Does that seem odd when<

Dow Jones industrial average surges to new closing high as oil prices plummet

By Ellen Simon
ASSOCIATED PRESS

2:15 p.m. October 3, 2006

NEW YORK – The Dow Jones industrial average finally reached new heights Tuesday, extending Wall Street's seven-year recovery with a record closing level after climbing into uncharted territory in trading earlier in the day.
The index of 30 blue chip stocks ended the session at 11,727.34, wiping out the previous record of 11,722.98.
Earlier, the Dow crossed its old trading high of 11,750.28, rising up to 11,758.95. Both of the previous records were set Jan. 14, 2000.


Yes the DOW Jones has broken it's Historical high twice recentlyand,

Tuesday's advance came on the second straight day that oil prices fell sharply, helping to calm fears about inflation and possible interest rate increases. But the market as a whole has been choppy, with traditionally defensive stock sectors such as pharmaceuticals and utilities leading the market higher since its May and June decline, said Doug Johnston, head of U.S. trading at Adams Harkness in Boston.

“I think we break out to the all-time high, then we could get a blow-off correction off of that,” Johnston said.


What obstacle had to be overcome for the Stockmarket to reach such heights?

To reach new highs, the Dow had to recover not only from the high-tech collapse, but also recession and the effects of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. The stock market was further shaken by corporate scandals at companies including Enron Corp. and WorldCom Inc., and the Dow sank to a five-year closing low of 7,286.27 on Oct. 9, 2002, nearly 38 percent off its record high close.

The market's recovery was helped by more than four years of solid corporate profit growth, and more recently, the Federal Reserve's decision to halt its more than two-year string of interest rate hikes
************************************************
The decline in oil prices was the catalyst of the day. A barrel of light crude settled at $58.68, down $2.35, on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

Oil prices have had a stunning fall from their intraday high for the year of $78.40 a barrel, reached in July. Other commodity prices have dropped as well, with gold descending from prices earlier this year that it hadn't seen for three decades.


I noticed the Oil Price dropped reflect at the pumps in my City $1.969/gal. Gas under $2/gal?

Fantastic!

But doesn't it seem like some are trying desperately to create an image of crisis?

They must be grateful for the recent Dirty IM scandal in Congress, because I really think to an unbiased observer (which I admit I am not) that the Economy is not cooperating at all.

We all better go fill up our gas tanks now, and if you would like a new and better job? Sounds like a good time to look for one and don't forget this

and average wages rose by 4 percent over the previous year and that looks pretty good when compared with this inflation rate chart, it means our salaries buy more now, That's good isn't it?
Or maybe not there must be someway to make that a bad trend too.




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Posted by ky/kentuckydan at 7:12 AM CDT
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Updated: Saturday, 7 October 2006 7:24 AM CDT
Friday, 6 October 2006
Race clashes hit Windsor
Hat Tip John_R from It's All About Bush… at No Pasaran

Race clashes hit Windsor

Tensions: Dozens of officers have been stopping and searching white gangs who have clashed with Asians in Windsor after the Medina Dairy was fire bombed. Extra police are being drafted into the Windsor area today after three nights of violent clashes between white and Asian youths.

Gangs have fought battles in the streets using baseball bats and pitchforks. A Muslim-run dairy which wants to build a mosque was petrol bombed. Continued







While on the Continent,French cops state the obvious
French Muslims wage civil war. Intifada franchouille. Tant qu'ils s'etripent entre fwancais, je n'en ai strictement rien a foutre.

As the interior ministry said that nearly 2,500 officers had been wounded this year, a police union declared that its members were "in a state of civil war" with Muslims in the most depressed "banlieue" estates which are heavily populated by unemployed youths of north African origin.

It said the situation was so grave that it had asked the government to provide police with armoured cars to protect officers in the estates, which are becoming no-go zones.


Muslims are waging civil war against us, claims police union
Radical Muslims in France's housing estates are waging an undeclared "intifada" against the police, with violent clashes injuring an average of 14 officers each day.


Interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy was warned of an 'intifada'


As the interior ministry said that nearly 2,500 officers had been wounded this year, a police union declared that its members were "in a state of civil war" with Muslims in the most depressed "banlieue" estates which are heavily populated by unemployed youths of north African origin.

It said the situation was so grave that it had asked the government to provide police with armoured cars to protect officers in the estates, which are becoming no-go zones.

The number of attacks has risen by a third in two years. Police representatives told the newspaper Le Figaro that the "taboo" of attacking officers on patrol has been broken.

Instead, officers – especially those patrolling in pairs or small groups – faced attacks as soon as they tried to arrest locals

"We are in a state of civil war, orchestrated by radical Islamists. This is not a question of urban violence any more, it is an intifada, with stones and Molotov cocktails. You no longer see two or three youths confronting police, you see whole tower blocks emptying into the streets to set their 'comrades' free when they are arrested."

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Posted by ky/kentuckydan at 11:37 PM CDT
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Updated: Friday, 6 October 2006 11:41 PM CDT
Fire, gas release at chemical plant forces thousands to evacuate in eastern US
If this is not the most serious chemical disaster in American history, it will certainly hit the top of the list.

I first heard about it this morning via a eye witness report from the area called in to George Norry on Coast to Coast. The caller reported flames reaching up 100 to 150 feet in the air with a chlorine plume over the area, preventing firefighters from being able to approach the fire.

A reverse 911 call system has been enabled to advise the residence to evacuate. It being the middle of the night, most would be in bed asleep.

Concern was expressed that a storm front might drive the toxic plume in the direction of the large population of the State Capital.

There is a very comprehensive post on this disaster at Liberty Rocks
SPECIAL REPORT: Extremely Dangerous Chemical Fire in Apex, N.C. - Evacuations, fire out of control, emissions of Chlorine Gas?

One of the officials being interviewed right now referred to people trying to get close to the fire, and the town manager literally said, if you are going to go close to ?write your name on your forehead, and put the names of the next of kin in your pocket because you are going to end up extremely ill or at best be arrested.?







Breaking News:
The Associated Press

Published: October 6, 2006


APEX, North Carolina Authorities asked about 16,000 residents to evacuate this Raleigh suburb early Friday after a hazardous material fire at an industrial plant.

No injuries were immediately reported, although a spokeswoman for Rex Hospital in Raleigh said the hospital expected to receive as many as 11 people needing oxygen.

Officials said the fire started around 10 p.m. Thursday (0200 GMT Friday) at EQ Industrial Services, a hazardous waste business that town manager Bruce Radford said had a variety of volatile chemicals inside, including chlorine.

He said when he arrived at the scene, a chlorine cloud rose 50 feet (15 meters) in the air. He estimated that 20 to 30 explosions had occurred at the plant.

"This is truly awful," he said early Friday. "It is the worst potential hazardous materials fire that you can expect."

Several thousand people were evacuated, and others were told to remain in their homes. The town issued a mandatory evacuation for anyone who lived within a mile of the business. Schools in Apex were to close Friday.

Radford said some residents who live near the fire had not heeded the evacuation order and were walking on the streets near the fire. He begged them to get away from what he called a "black, smoky cloud" that was covering downtown Apex.

"They are taking their own lives at risk," Radford said. "They are putting themselves in very grave danger by being around this smoke. If you see this smoke, get away from it."

The Web site for EQ Industrial Services says the company operates a fleet of specialized industrial cleaning equipment to deal with both hazardous and non-hazardous wastes.

EQ officials were on site and assessing the situation, said a man who answered the phone at the company's emergency response headquarters in Ypsilanti, Michigan. He declined to give his name or elaborate.

Apex is a city of about 28,000 near Raleigh.

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Posted by ky/kentuckydan at 4:03 AM CDT
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Updated: Friday, 6 October 2006 5:03 AM CDT
Thursday, 5 October 2006
Fatah Leader: Abbas Will Destroy Israel in Stages
From Iris.org.il to my email in box to you.
Just an informative sidestep around the Mainstream Media gatekeeping censorship.

Fatah Leader: Abbas Will Destroy Israel in Stages




Senior Fatah (PLO) leaders continue to endorse the Phased Plan for the destruction of Israel, while all of the authorities see no evil:



Fatah Member: Abbas Recognition of Israel Political

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ stated recognition of Israel’s right to exist is part of a “political calculation” aimed at ultimately destroying the Jewish state, a terror group leader and member of Abbas’ Fatah party told WND in an interview.



The leader said the Fatah party does not recognize Israel and that any final accord that doesn’t include flooding the Jewish state with millions of Palestinians will not be supported by the Fatah party and will lead to Palestinian civil war.



“The base of our Fatah movement keeps dreaming of Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jaffa and Akko,” said Abu Ahmed, Fatah member and leader of the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades in the northern Gaza Strip. “There is no change in our position. Abbas recognizes Israel because of pressure that the Zionists and the Americans are exercising on him. We understand this is part of his obligations and political calculations.”









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Posted by ky/kentuckydan at 5:43 PM CDT
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Updated: Thursday, 5 October 2006 5:47 PM CDT
Wednesday, 4 October 2006
Dirty Bombs: Weapons of Mass Disruption

By Fred Burton

Since the 9/11 attacks catapulted al Qaeda to
the top of the evil-doers' list in the United States, one constant question
has remained: What is al Qaeda planning now? High among the public's fears,
fanned by certain events widely reported in the media, is that the jihadist
network or another like-minded group or individual will unleash a
radiological dispersion device (RDD), commonly referred to as a "dirty bomb,"
on U.S. soil.

Among the events that heightened this public interest in
RDDs early on was the intense media coverage of the May 2002 apprehension of
so-called al Qaeda "dirty bomber " Jose Padilla.

Since 9/11, the public awareness of RDDs -- and interest in
attacks that might utilize them -- has ebbed and flowed in cycles that often,
though not always, are initiated by incidents or statements that get a great
deal of media coverage. After the initial excitement dies down, the awareness
and concern gradually falls -- until the next incident.

We now find ourselves in one of those periods of heightened awareness, this one spurred
by Internet rumors of al Qaeda operatives and materials coming into the
United States via Mexican smuggling routes for the purpose of creating an "American Hiroshima."


Meanwhile, an audio statement was released Sept. 28 by al
Qaeda leader in Iraq Abu Hamza al-Muhajer,

who called for scientists to join his group's efforts
against U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq, advising them that the large U.S.
bases there are good places to "test your unconventional weapons, whether
chemical or 'dirty' as they call them."

Considering the ease with
which an RDD can be manufactured, it is only a matter of time before one is
employed. In fact, it is quite surprising that one has not been successfully
used already. Certainly, the time is ripe to discuss what RDDs are and are
not -- and to consider the mostly likely results of such an attack.


Dirty Bombs are RDDs

An RDD, simply, is a device that
disperses radiation. Depending on the motives of those involved in planning
the incident, such a device could be a low-key weapon that surreptitiously
releases aerosolized radioactive material, dumps out a finely powdered
radioactive material or dissolves the radioactive material into water. It
would be intended to slowly expose as many people as possible to the
radiation. However, unless large amounts of a very strong radioactive
material are used, the effects of such an exposure are more likely to be
long-term rather than sudden and dramatic: people dying of cancer rather than
acute radiation poisoning.

By its very nature, however, this kind of
RDD will not generate immediate panic or the type of press coverage coveted
by most terrorists. Therefore, they more likely will opt for a RDD that
delivers a more "spectacular" punch -- a dirty bomb, in other words. The
opposite of a surreptitious device, a dirty bomb is intended to immediately
cause panic and mass hysteria.

A dirty bomb is simply a RDD made of a
traditional improvised explosive device (IED) with a radiological "kicker"
added. In a dirty bomb attack, radioactive material not only is dispersed,
but the dispersal is accomplished in an obvious manner, and the explosion
immediately alerts the victims and authorities that an attack has taken
place. The attackers hope notice of their attack will cause mass panic.


Effects of a Dirty Bomb

Perhaps the biggest
misconception about dirty bombs -- and there are many -- has to do with their
effects. Although radioactive material is utilized in constructing them, they
are not nuclear or atomic weapons. They do not produce a nuclear chain
reaction and, therefore, the employment of such a device will not produce an
"American Hiroshima." In fact, there can be a wide range of effects produced
by a dirty bomb depending on the size of the IED and the amount and type of
radioactive material involved. Environmental factors such as terrain, weather
conditions and population density would also play an important role in
determining the effects of such a device.

Generally, a dirty bomb
that uses a large quantity of highly dangerous radioactive material such as
plutonium-238 or cesium-137 will produce more (and stronger) contamination
than a device that uses less material or material that is not as radioactive.
However, the most highly radioactive materials are the hardest to obtain and
the most difficult to work with. Some materials are so dangerous that even
suicide bombers would die before they could use one if they were not properly
shielded. For example, in September 1999, two Chechen militants who attempted
to steal highly radioactive materials from a chemical plant in the Chechen
capital of Grozny were incapacitated after carrying the container for only a
few minutes each; one reportedly died.

There are, however, many
more-common, less-dangerous materials, such as americium-241 or strontium-90,
that would be easier to obtain and work with. It is therefore widely believed
that terrorists wanting to construct a dirty bomb would be more likely to use
one of them.

According to experts from organizations such as the
National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, unless a large
quantity of a very highly radioactive material is used, not many people will
be immediately killed by the radiation released by a dirty bomb. Rather, the
initial casualties will be a result of the explosive effects of the IED, just
as they would be in a conventional IED attack without a radiological
component. While exposure to very strong sources of radiation at close range
could cause fatalities, a dirty bomb by design disperses its radiation over a
larger area. Therefore, most of the deaths caused by the radiation in a dirty
bomb will most likely be from causes like cancer that will take years to
develop. Most people who quickly leave the area contaminated by the dirty
bomb will have minimum exposure to radioactivity and should not suffer
permanent health consequences.

Keep in mind, however, that a dirty
bomb is intended to cause a panic -- and the explosion of such a device in a
heavily populated urban area could very well result in a panic that could
kill more people than the IED or the radiation it disperses.

It
should also be noted that the radiological effects of a dirty bomb will be
larger than the killing radius of the IED itself, and will persist for far
longer. The explosion from a conventional IED is over in an instant, but
radiation from a RDD can persist for decades. While the radiation level may
not be strong enough to affect people who are exposed briefly in the initial
explosion, the radiation will persist in the contaminated area and the
cumulative effects of such radiation could prove very hazardous. (Here again,
the area contaminated will depend on the type and quantity of the radioactive
material used. Materials in a fine powdered form are easier to disperse than
solid blocks of material and some radioactive materials possess a far longer
half-life than others.) Due to this contamination, it will be necessary to
evacuate people from the contaminated area in many, if not most, cases
involving a dirty bomb. People will need to stay out of the area until it can
be decontaminated, a process that can be lengthy and expensive.


Therefore, while a dirty bomb is not truly a weapon of mass
destruction (WMD) like a nuclear device, many authorities refer to them as
"weapons of mass disruption" or "weapons of mass dislocation" because of the
fact that they temporarily render the contaminated areas uninhabitable. The
vast expense of decontaminating a large, densely populated area, such as a
section of Manhattan or Washington, would also make a dirty bomb a type of
economic weapon.

The Actors

Due to the ease of
constructing a dirty bomb -- which is really just an IED plus a source of
radioactivity -- such a device could be employed by almost any terrorist
actor ranging from a "lone-wolf" domestic terrorist to a transnational
militant organization such as al Qaeda. However, when considering that the
effects of such a device are more likely to be symbolic and economic, the
equation begins to shift toward the al Qaeda side, as symbolic targets that
harm the U.S. economy are dead in the center of the jihadist network's
targeting sweet spot. Al Qaeda also has a history of planning to use such
weapons.

In his recent statements about using dirty bombs against
U.S. bases in Iraq, al-Muhajer did not present a novel idea. Many in the
jihadist universe have a strong fascination with WMDs, and many jihadist Web
sites, such as chat rooms and online magazines, regularly post information on
how to produce chemical agents, biological toxins, RDDs and even improvised
nuclear weapons. Some posts provide instructions on where to obtain
radioactive material and, in cases where it cannot be obtained, even purport
to provide instruction on how to extract radioactive material from commercial
materials, such as distilling radium from luminescent industrial paint.


More specifically to al Qaeda, evidence uncovered in Afghanistan
following the U.S. invasion demonstrated that the group was actively pursuing
a WMD program that included research on chemical, biological, nuclear and
radiological weapons. Based on this evidence, and information obtained from
the interrogations of captured high-level al Qaeda members, U.S. intelligence
agencies have specifically and repeatedly warned since late 2001 that al
Qaeda intends to produce and employ a RDD. When these reports surface, the
flow cycle of public concern over RDDs begins anew.

Despite the
simplicity of manufacturing dirty bombs, however, they are not often used,
possibly due at least in part to their ineffectiveness. Governments such as
that of Iraq that experimented with dirty bombs for military purposes
abandoned them because they were not effective enough to be militarily
significant as a weapon or provide much of a deterrent.

Perhaps the
group that has used or attempted to use RDDs the most is the Chechen
militants. In November 1995, Chechen militants under commander Shamil Basayev

placed a small quantity of cesium-137 in Moscow's Izmailovsky
Park. Rather than disperse the material, however, the Chechens used the
material as a psychological weapon by directing a television news crew to the
location and thus creating a media storm. The material in this incident was
thought to have been obtained from a nuclear waste or isotope storage
facility in Grozny.

In December 1998, the pro-Russian Chechen
Security Service announced it had found a dirty bomb consisting of a land
mine combined with radioactive materials next to a railway line. It is
believed that Chechen militants planted the device.

The Bottom
Line


Analytically, based upon the ease of manufacture and the
jihadist interest in dirty bombs, it is only a matter of time before
jihadists employ one. Since the contamination created by such a device can be
long-lasting, more rational international actors probably would prefer to
detonate such a device against a target that is outside of their own country.
In other words, they would lean toward attacking a target within the United
States or United Kingdom rather than the U.S. or British Embassy in their
home country.

Since it is not likely to produce mass casualties, a
dirty bomb attack would likely be directed against a highly symbolic target,
such as one representing the economy or government, and designed to cause the
maximum amount of disruption at the target site. Therefore, it is not out of
the question to imagine such an attack aimed at Wall Street or the Pentagon.
The bomb would not destroy these sites, but would deny access to them for as
long as it takes to clean up the sites.

Due to the history of RDD
threats, the U.S. government has invested a great deal of money in radiation
detection equipment, and has strategically located that equipment along the
border at ports of entry and near critical sites. If the rumors of
radioactive materials being smuggled over the Mexican border are true, the
terrorists would want to detonate the device in a city close to the border
out of fear that this network of detection systems would allow the material
to be detected and seized by U.S. authorities before it could be employed.


The Importance of Contingency Plans

The possibility of an RDD attack underscores the importance of having personal contingency plans.


This is especially important for those who live or
work near one of these potential targets. In the case of a dirty bomb attack,
it will be important to stay calm. Panic, as we have said, could potentially
kill more people than the dirty bomb itself. The best countermeasure against
irrational panic is education. People who understand the capabilities and
limitations of dirty bombs are less likely to panic than those who do not.


People caught in close proximity to the detonation site, then, should
avoid breathing in the dust as much as possible and then calmly leave the
area, paying attention to the instructions given to them by authorities. If
possible, they also should bathe and change clothes as soon as possible, and
implement their personal or family emergency plan. People not in the
immediate vicinity of the dirty bomb should seek shelter where they are --
making sure to close windows and doors and turn off air conditioners --
unless they are instructed to go elsewhere.

However, should
communication from the authorities break down or the authorities not provide
instruction, the three most important things to remember about protecting
oneself from radiation are time, distance and shielding. That means
minimizing the time of exposure, maximizing the distance between the person
and the radiation source and maximizing the amount of shielding between the
person and the radiation source.

Send questions or comments on this article to analysis@stratfor.com.


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Posted by ky/kentuckydan at 7:08 PM CDT
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Updated: Wednesday, 4 October 2006 7:23 PM CDT
Let's Kill All The Lawyers.
Henry VI, part 2 | Act 4, Scene 2

The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers.


That statement may sound extreme, but after reading the following I did yearn for an honest hempen noose.





'Tis better to have loft and lost...




Via Volokh (where commenters have a lot to say, and are about to start arguing about coffee), humorist and California judge William Bedsworth comments on the New Jersey college-student-falls-out-of-bed-loft case we covered August 16:

Tragically, "There were no warning labels on the bed, and it had never a€˜cross[ed his] mind™ or a˜occurred toa™ plaintiff that he could fall or that the bed was dangerous in any way. He testified that had he seen a warning, he would have been a€˜aware of the hazard that was present™ and slept closer to the wall, as he had done after the accident. Honest. Says so right in the opinion.



And he had an expert, George Widas, who testified that industry standards in the bed-making industry require that the manufacturer affix a warning a€œthat says make sure that you protect yourself from this fall hazard.a€ According to Widas, the warning label should have had a€œblack letters on an orange backgrounda€ and included a warning that both identified the hazard and explained how to avoid it.



So the label should have said -- in Day-Glo green letters on a phosphorescent-pink background -” THIS IS A BED. USE ONLY WHILE AWAKE. Or perhaps a€œIF YOUR IQ IS NOT THIS TALL, YOU CANNOT RIDE ON THIS BED. Or how about an arrow pointing downward, with the legend FALLING IN THIS DIRECTION COULD BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH. FALL ONLY UPWARD OR TO THE SIDE. ...




I ran across this article on a website called

Overlawyered Chronicling the high cost of our legal system

No truer words have yet to be written.

For the poor individual who needed a warning label to inform him that he might be injured if he fell off a bed?

I have only one word.

Vasectomy!

Please, PLEASE do not breed, improve the gene pool, by removing yourself.

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Posted by ky/kentuckydan at 6:33 AM CDT
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Updated: Wednesday, 4 October 2006 6:48 AM CDT
Tuesday, 3 October 2006
News Blackout on Muslim Riots in France, Belgium & UK
Now Playing: News Blackout on Muslim Riots in France, Belgium & UK
From Iris.org.il to my email in box to you.
Just an informative sidestep around the Mainstream Media gatekeeping censorship.

News Blackout on Muslim Riots in France, Belgium & UK


There is currently "youth" rioting occurring in England and France, and there were three riot nights in Belgium last week, with barely a mention in the mainstream media. I have documented that the European term "youths" is a euphemism for "Muslim," but occasionally this fact is obvious given that the UK incident was centered around a mosque.

Didn't we see this Last Fall?













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Posted by ky/kentuckydan at 10:28 PM CDT
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Updated: Thursday, 5 October 2006 5:53 PM CDT

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