The Many Faces of US Politics...

[Groucho]

watch that boy behind you on the grassy knoll

[mannix]

Imagine a Pakistani spy killing two American homeboys that were going to rob him and then calling for his friends to come and rescue him, they kill another American on the way with their car.
Life in jail?  Death penalty?
One thing would be certain, there would be no question of him walking. Pakistan is in a tough spot, either bow to the power and hand him over or else things happen in the country to destabilize them.

[Groucho]

Pakistan frees CIA contractor after 'blood money' deal

By Omar Waraich in Islamabad


Thursday, 17 March 2011


Raymond Davis was in Pakistan spying on a militant anti-Indian group believed to be responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks


One of the biggest crises between Pakistan and the United States has been defused after a Lahore court released Raymond Davis, a CIA contractor facing charges of double murder, after a blood-money settlement was paid to families of the victims.


While the release of Mr Davis cools tensions, after plunging relations to a low point, it is likely to inflame an already enraged Pakistani public and media. Islamist parties took to the streets in protest last night.

Each of the two men's families were paid $700,000 (£437,000) by the CIA, senior Pakistani officials told The Independent. Under Pakistan's laws, a Sharia-based provision allows the families of murder victims to forgive the accused in exchange for monetary compensation. The "blood money" laws have been invoked in a majority of murder cases in Pakistan.

The arrangement was the result of lengthy direct negotiations between the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the CIA. Last night, the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, denied that the American government had paid the money.

Mr Davis was a CIA contractor working in Pakistan without the ISI's authorisation, spying on the banned Pakistani militant outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, an anti-Indian group that is held responsible for the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.

The blood money formula was first devised by Husain Haqqani, Pakistan's ambassador to the US, who is well versed in Islamic law. He discussed the proposal with US Senator John Kerry, who subsequently took it with him for discussions with Pakistani leaders. In late February, the CIA and the ISI opened direct negotiations with each other, discussing how to reach a settlement. By circumventing the issue of diplomatic immunity, the blood-money formula helped the Pakistani government to save face, said Pakistani officials.

Washington had always said Mr Davis enjoyed immunity from prosecution under the Vienna Convention. The Lahore court disputed this, ruling last week that he had no immunity.

The victims of the families were persuaded to accept the compensation by the ISI, said a senior Pakistani official. Some family members had earlier said they refused to accept compensation. By getting them to do otherwise, the Pakistan government was able to see through its insistence that Pakistani courts be used to settle the matter. The Punjab provincial government was on board.

Amid the negotiations, the ISI was also able to secure an unprecedented two-year extension for its chief, Lieutenant-General Ahmed Shuja Pasha. The message to the civilian government, which had already given army chief General Ashfaq Kayani a three-year extension, was that it would not be prudent to switch spy chiefs during such a crisis. General Pasha had been due to retire in two days.

The Saudis were also approached to play a mediatory role, but refused to do so, a senior Pakistani official said. It was hoped they could cool tensions between the CIA and ISI, ask the religious right which has been demonstrating on the streets to relax, and urge the Punjab government headed by the brother of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, a key Saudi ally, to co-operate.

Mr Davis is a former special-forces soldier who had worked with Blackwater in Iraq, and arrived in Pakistan in October 2009. The role of contractors in Pakistan was at the heart of the dispute between the CIA and the ISI. It is unclear whether the ISI was able to secure its demand that the CIA withdraw all contractors from Pakistan.

The contractors are a part of the CIA's vast covert war inside Pakistan. Though it protests in public, Pakistan has quietly allowed the CIA to routinely fire drone missiles targeting militants in the tribal areas along the Afghan border. But the agencies clashed over the use of contractors who were spying on militant outfits known to have longstanding ties with the ISI.

[hsthompson]

Just came across this, A Brief History of the USA
http://stagevu.com/video/yngojirxeiuw

[Denn Forever]

You'll win no friends using a Michael Moore artice/video hs. Enjoyable as he is.

Any unbiased sources out there? One both sides would acknowledge is unbiased?

[hsthompson]

Eh? Wasn't attempting to win any friends or forward any political viewpoint, just seen that video and thought I'd post it here for others to see. Anyway, I don't know if there is such a thing as unbiased!

[Denn Forever]

Eh? Wasn't attempting to win any friends or forward any political viewpoint, just seen that video and thought I'd post it here for others to see. Anyway, I don't know if there is such a thing as unbiased!

I was being a bit of a smart arse but I'm hoping that people on both ends of the spectum could direct me to a news source that  unbiased. 

May not be a source, but I'd like to know.

[hsthompson]

Not sure of what would be classed as an unbiased news source in the US, everything there is so business driven so it's difficult for them to remain unbiased. Over here I would say the BBC is usually unbiased these days generally speaking because it's a public service. Do you not watch much news or what? (not being smart)

[Tyrones own]

The Humanitarian side to the brave men and Women of the US military that is way too often over looked!
Didn't catch it on the 6 o'clock news strangely enough nor much emphasis on the discipline, dignity and over all
respect shown to one another by the people of Japan during this crisis either for that matter



Empty Piers -- March 22

From Submarine Group 7 Public Affairs, Mar 22, 2011



The piers were completely empty in Yokosuka today, marking the first time in memory that not a single U.S. Navy ship was in port.  The men and women of U.S. 7th Fleet were at sea focused on Operation Tomodachi, delivering relief to the people of northeast Honshu. A total of 19 ships, 140 aircraft and 19,703 Sailors and Marines of the U.S. 7th Fleet continued to conduct relief operations. To date the Navy has made 349 deliveries of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies to 84 landing sites.

In the last 12 hours, the USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group to include USS Chancellorsville (CG 62), USS Preble (DDG 88), USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62), USS McCampbell (DDG 85), USS Mustin (DDG 89) and USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG 54) along with USS Cowpens (CG-63) and USS Shiloh (CG-67) along with USS Harpers Ferry (LSD 49), USS Germantown (LSD 42), USS Tortuga (LSD 46) along with USS Essex (LHD 2) delivered 23 tons of HADR supplies via various helicopters to the hard hit area of near Hachinohe.

Both the USS Ronald Reagan and USS Essex conducted replenishment today with the USNS Matthew Perry (T-AKE 9) to receive more HADR supplies, provisions and fuel.

Sailors and Marines aboard USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), USS Chancellorsville (CG 62), USS Preble (DDG 88) and the ships from Destroyer Squadron 15 collected personal donations from the crews to supply displaced Japanese citizens with essential goods for survival. The items were transported to various landing zones throughout the Aomori Prefecture by crew members of embarked Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS) 4.  More than 100 blankets, 237 pants, 450 shirts, 311 jackets and sweaters, 748 pairs of socks, 154 towels, 57 pairs of shoes, 166 undergarments, 76 hats, 8 scarves, and 34 pairs of gloves were donated in just a few hours. Sailors even donated over 20 stuffed animals for children.

Commander Task Force 76 developed port clearance plans for the Hachinohe port.  USNS Safeguard is enroute Hachinohe to assist the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force with clearing debris from the port.

USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19), flagship for the United States Seventh Fleet, remains in the vicinity of Okinawa to conduct transfers of supplies and personnel to augment the staff.

USS George Washington is operating at sea near Shikoku.  USS Lassen is proceeding towards Sasebo where it will continue its maintenance availability.

Families of Seventh Fleet Sailors are continuing to voluntarily depart Yokosuka and Atsugi as part of the Military Assisted Departure for Department of Defense personnel.  U.S. Pacific Command leader Adm. Robert Willard addressed residents at a town hall meeting in Yokosuka this evening.

[Declan]

http://www.vanityfair.com/society/features/2011/05/top-one-percent-201105?currentPage=1

Interesting article in Vanity Fair - All are equal just some are more equal than others

[dec]

Obama releases the long form of his birth certificate.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/04/27/obama.birth.certificate/index.html

I don't think that will convince the lunatic birthers or the almost half of Republican voters who think he was born outside the US.

[Tyrones own]

Had he shown it from the get go like he was supposed to instead of spending
an astronomical amount of money to conceal his secretive past,
The birthers would never have gotten of the ground 

[dec]

Had he shown it from the get go like he was supposed to instead of spending
an astronomical amount of money to conceal his secretive past,
The birthers would never have gotten of the ground 

You underestimate the birthers. They wouldn't be deterred by something as trivial as evidence.

[Tyrones own]

Had he shown it from the get go like he was supposed to instead of spending
an astronomical amount of money to conceal his secretive past,
The birthers would never have gotten of the ground 

You underestimate the birthers. They wouldn't be deterred by something as trivial as evidence.

Jaysus give them time to digest this...it only showed up today
After 2 1/2 years of him trying to run from it.

[dec]

Had he shown it from the get go like he was supposed to instead of spending
an astronomical amount of money to conceal his secretive past,
The birthers would never have gotten of the ground 

You underestimate the birthers. They wouldn't be deterred by something as trivial as evidence.

Jaysus give them time to digest this...it only showed up today
After 2 1/2 years of him trying to run from it.

They won't need to digest it, it will be straight on to the next phase of the conspiracy. They didn't accept the Certification of Live Birth which proved that he was born in Hawaii and they won't accept this.