Seit heute (!) US-Truppen Europe auf Bereitschaftsstufe "Charly" ... mT - 500 Beiträge pro Seite

[golden-bear]

... von "Bravo". Völlige Entspannung="Alpha", kurz vor einem Krieg ist es Stufe "Delta". Nun sind die Amis seit heute auf Charly. Die britische SAS bereitet sich darauf vor, binnen drei Wochen fähig für akute Wüsteneinsätze zu sein. In Nahost wird es immer düsterer... :-(


TROUBLE IN THE HOLY LAND
Next Mideast war
in the offing?
Reports say U.S., Britain, Israel
making preparations for battle


By Jon Dougherty
© 2001WorldNetDaily.com

U.S. military forces in Europe, which are
currently at threat condition "Bravo," are set to
be upgraded to condition "Charlie" by Jan. 20,
while other elements of U.S. European theater
forces -- as well as British special forces troops --
may be headed to Israel "within a few weeks,"
sources have told WorldNetDaily.

According to a host of reports from various
European and Middle East military sources, all
of whom requested anonymity for security
reasons, European Command, or EUCOM,
forces last week were placed on alert status
"Bravo" -- with "Alpha" being the lowest and
"Delta" being the highest -- "across the board,"
which included all U.S. forces stationed in the
European theater -- Germany, Italy, Kosovo,
Bosnia and elsewhere.

Other sources said the alert status would be
upgraded to "Charlie" -- the second highest
level -- at "2400 hours European time, Jan. 20,"
the day President-elect George W. Bush is to be
sworn into office, due to developments taking
shape in the Middle East.

Another source said the U.S. V Corps -- which
includes the U.S. Army`s 1st Armored Division
and the 1st Infantry Division, plus supporting
artillery, engineer, medical and supply units --
"are moving en masse to Grafenwoehr" -- a
sprawling training center near Nuremberg --
and that Patriot missile batteries may be moved
to Israel.

A spokesman for the U.S. Army, Lt. Col. Dave
LaPan, confirmed that EUCOM`s alert status
was upgraded to "Bravo" last week, noting that
"they go up and down all the time."

Another U.S. Army spokesman said he was
"unaware of any pending change to the threat
conditions in the United States European
Command." While he said he had "no specific
knowledge" of the troop movements, he added,
"I can tell you that we frequently train at
Grafenwoehr. … It would not be at all unusual
for [those units] to move there."

When asked if the Pentagon planned such
training exercises -- which typically cost
millions of dollars -- well in advance, the
spokesman said, "Yes, yes, way in advance."

But, after some hesitation, he added, "As far as I
know, there would be no relation between" the
movement of those forces "and any raise or
elevation of the threat condition."

"I`m unaware of the things that you`re talking
about in advance," he said.

When asked if WND could quote him as saying
the particular exercise at Grafenwoehr had been
planned in advance, he replied, "I wouldn`t say
that, because I don`t know that there is an
exercise going on."

According to EUCOM, there is no record of a
major January 2001 exercise involving the
numbers of troops that comprise the U.S. Army`s
V Corps.

But, sources told WND, the divisions reportedly
being deployed to Grafenwoehr are "taking with
them more than just enough stuff for a
weekender. They`re taking contamination
outfits, protection gear, all of it -- lock, stock and
barrel."

Also, sources said, "the 69th Air Defense
Brigade" -- a two battalion Patriot missile
brigade -- "is going through the process of
deploying overseas, meaning leaving Europe,
and they`re going to Israel."

One source said U.S. Patriot batteries are
already -- and routinely -- stationed in Israel and
Kuwait.

However, by deploying the 69th, "this means
that those two battalions -- which are the
umbrella of air defense protection for that army
-- are being taken away from them, leaving them
naked. That doesn`t make a lot of military sense,
but when you add up all the little pieces … it
seems that the European Command is saying,
`Once the 69th is deployed, this will send a
signal to all terrorists … that the U.S. is
definitely taking sides in a fight [in the Middle
East] that all sides now admit is a war.`"

The same source also said British SAS special
forces troops were preparing to deploy "to a
desert climate" within three weeks.

Meanwhile, a separate report said the U.S.
military has ordered soldiers with families
living in Israel to send them home, but both the
Pentagon and the State Department denied that
report.

"At this juncture, we don`t feel that that decision
is merited," one State Department spokesman
told WND. "Whenever something happens, we
go through all the options ... and decide on the
best course of action."

The spokesman said the last time Washington
issued an "authorized departure" for U.S.
citizens to leave Israel "was in December 1998,
the last time we conducted a sustained bombing
of Iraq." The time before that was in 1991 during
the Gulf War.

However, the U.S. State Department issued a
travel advisory for U.S. citizens in Israel, the
Gaza Strip and the West Bank Jan. 12, warning
that the "U.S. Government has indications that
there is a heightened threat of terrorist
incidents" in the Jewish state.

"Violent clashes and confrontations continue to
take place throughout the West Bank and Gaza.
U.S. Embassy and Consulate employees have
been prohibited from traveling to the West
Bank, Gaza, commercial districts of East
Jerusalem and the Old City of Jerusalem, except
for mission essential business," the State
Department said.

"When you look at all the signals coming out of
Iraq, for example," one source told WND, "they
are significant. In effect, he [Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein] is saying, `We`re going to
bring a lot of pain to Israel,`" noting that Saddam
has deployed Republican Guard divisions "50
miles south of Baghdad and two divisions near
the border with Syria."

"When you look at these signals, it`s 10 years
ago again," the source said, noting that other
sources "who don`t know each other are all
saying the same things."

"From all indicators, it looks like" the U.S. is
making preparations for conflict in the Middle
East.

On Wednesday, separate published reports said
Israeli commanders were pressing Prime
Minister Ehud Barak`s government for full
mobilization of military reserves to "augment
the standing army and relieve active duty forces
from duty in Gaza and the West Bank so they
can train for what commanders view as an
inevitable regional war."

Sources also confirmed earlier reports that Israel
was reinforcing its northern border with tanks,
armored personnel carriers and troops in
expectation of attacks that would come from
guerrilla and terrorist forces in Lebanon.



If you`d like to sound off on this issue, please
take part in the WorldNetDaily poll.



Jon Dougherty is a staff reporter for
WorldNetDaily.com.

[golden-bear]

Syria Gearing Up For Major
Israeli Air Force Attack
Ha`aretz
http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/htmls/kat6_3.htm

DAMASCUS (Ha`aretz) - Redeploying troops and anti-aircraft missiles ... The Syrian armed forces have been on the highest state of alert since the start of the year, in anticipation of an Israeli attack against Syria in the weeks before Israel`s prime ministerial election.

Syrian President Bashar Assad, with the backing of senior members of the Syrian military and intelligence, ordered defensive redeployments throughout the front, including areas deep in Syrian territory. As part of the redeployments, the Syrians are shifting air defense systems, including surface-to-air missiles, and are reinforcing critical positions.

On several Israeli decision-making levels, including intelligence analysis and political circles, the Syrian actions are being seen as part of serious Damascus concerns that the Israeli air force will launch a large-scale strike against Syrian positions, both in Lebanon and inside Syria.

The Syrians worry that Israel will use an attack by the radical Shi`ite organization, Hezbollah, against Israel`s border with Lebanon, as an excuse to launch a retaliatory attack against Syria. The "excuse" could be cross-border raid, rockets shot across the border at northern Israeli towns, bombing IDF vehicles or kidnapping Israeli Defense Forces` soldiers.

Israel has accused Syria of not doing enough to rein in Hezbollah, and blamed Damascus for allowing large shipments of Iranian aid to be flown to Hezbollah guerrillas through Syrian airports.

Israel has not retaliated for several Hezbollah attacks since it withdrew from its self-declared security zone in southern Lebanon last May. But it has threatenned a major action after the kidnapping of three IDF soldiers from a contested area on the northern border last October. Damascus is concerned that Israel will target Syrian air-defense systems, especially its surface-to-air batteries.

According to Israeli Military Intelligence and the General Staff, Syrian concerns, albeit exaggerated, are not part of a Syrian diversion in a plan to initiate an attack against Israel.

Damascus fears Israeli decision-making circles are keen to recapture some of the deterrent power lost iin the IDF withdrawal from Lebanon, and that this tendency will only increase as the February 6 elections draw near. Recent IDF operations are being interpreted by the Syrians as preparations for initiating an attack.


Comment

From Mike Nelson 1-22-01

WHEN Damascus is utterly destroyed please remember that it was prophecized over 2,000 years ago. Isaiah 17:1 "The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap." This kind of devastation has never befallen Damascus. Archeologists call Damascus the `longest continuously occupied city in the world". In its long, long history, Damascus has never, ever been so thoroughly destroyed that it has ceased being a city. But, certainly, in this coming war with Israel, Damascus could be this thoroughly destroyed if she were attacked with Israeli nuclear weapons.

Mike Nelson


MainPage
http://www.rense.com

[GOLDONLY]

@Golden-bear

In jedem Falle hat Bush jun. die alten Krieger um sich
gescharrt. Die Europäer werden wie immer sich im Krebsgang
rückwärts bewegen und auch genauso tölpelhaft wie zuvor
in den nächsten US-Privatkrieg mit hineingezogen.

Somalia ??? Wie war das noch ..

Hungernde Bevölkerung, der unbedingt geholfen werden muß !!

Rein zufällig gehörten dem alten Bush dort gewaltige
Landstriche. (Meines Wissens)
Deutschland hat bei dieser schwachsinnigen Aktion auch mal
eben ca. 100 Mio DM in den Wüstensand gesetzt.

Beim Arschlecken kann man wenigstens kein BSE bekommen ...
Oder doch ??

GOLDONLY

[howling wolf]

da fällt mir doch was zu ein:

Saddam Hussein und Joschka Fischer treffen sich im Magen von Bill Clinton.

Sagt Saddam zu Joschka:
Na, hat er Dich auch gefressen ?

Antwortet Joschka:
Nee, ich komme aus der anderen Richtung.

hw

[alterhaase]

wenn nichts mehr geht muß Krieg sein,
oder ist schon (Autobahn, Wirtschaft, Landwirtschaft, Liebe ...)

man braucht auch gar nicht mehr hingehen,
kommt ins Haus, GEZ 33,80 DM im Monat, noch Fragen ?

[hic]

Hieß das nicht früher
anstelle alpha, beta.....

DEFCON 1 .....bis DEFCON 5

???????????????????????????????

Aber das Schorsch Dabbeljuh so schnell damit anfängt,
hätte ich nicht gedacht ......

[Sovereign]

Als Freizeitstratege gebe ich mal meinen Senf dazu:
Die DEFCON-Codierung bezeichnet meines Wissens die gesamte NATO und wird vom NORAD (kennt sicher jeder: Ist dieser atombombensichere Bunker in den Rocky Mountains)ausgesprochen.

Die von golden-bear angesprochene Terminologie bezieht sich nur auf die US-Truppen in Europa und ist dem internationalen Fliegeralphabet entnommen: Alpha-Bravo-Charly-Delta-Echo-Foxtrott usw.

[golden-bear]

Und da haben wir womöglich schon das von Goldonly leider zu Recht erwartete Szenario der Pre-War-Propaganda; kennt man ja vom angeblichen Racak-Massaker im Vorfeld und zur Rechtfertigung des Kosovo-Krieges, oder aber von den erfundenen Brutkästen-Babys, welche die Iraker anno 1990 angeblich auf die Straße warfen.
Hier nun also die Variante zur Vorbereitung des Nahost-Krieges der USA im Jahre 2001:


US Says Iraq Has
Rebuilt Arms Plants
By Steven Lee Myers and Eric Schmitt
New York Times
http://www.iht.com/articles/8366.htm
1-23-01


WASHINGTON - Iraq has rebuilt a series of factories that the United States has long suspected of producing chemical and biological weapons, according to senior government officials. The new intelligence estimate could confront President George W. Bush with an early test of his pledge to take a tougher stance against President Saddam Hussein than the Clinton administration did.

The factories - in an industrial complex in Falluja, west of Baghdad - include two that were bombed and badly damaged in American and British air raids in December 1998 to punish Mr. Saddam for his refusal to cooperate with United Nations weapons inspectors, the government officials said.

The new intelligence estimates were mentioned, but without any such specific details, in a report on weapons threats released on Jan. 10 by the outgoing secretary of defense, William Cohen. It warned that Iraq at least had rebuilt its weapons infrastructure and may have begun covertly producing some chemical or biological agents.

Last week, the officials provided details on what they said was the reconstruction of the two factories and the resumption of the production of chlorine at a third in the same complex.

The factories have ostensibly commercial purposes, but all three were previously involved in producing chemical or biological agents and were among those closely monitored by the UN inspectors, the officials said. One of the rebuilt factories, for example, is making castor oil used in brake fluid, the Iraqis say, but the mash from castor beans is used to make a deadly biological toxin called ricin, the officials said.

Since the air strikes in 1998, Mr. Saddam`s government has refused to allow a new team of international weapons inspectors to begin work in Iraq. Officials said that without on-the-spot inspections, the United States did not yet have firm evidence that the factories were now producing chemical or biological agents. "There`s no smoking gun," one said.

But a senior military officer who closely follows Iraq and Mr. Saddam said, "We don`t know for sure, but given his past known behavior, there`s probably a pretty fair chance that`s what`s happening."

Throughout the campaign and transition, Mr. Bush and his national security advisers pledged to confront Mr. Saddam more aggressively than Mr. Clinton did.

Some of the same men - particularly General Colin Powell, the new secretary of state, and Vice President Dick Cheney - helped President Bush`s father lead the international coalition that ousted Iraqi forces from Kuwait a decade ago. But Mr. Saddam remains in place and poses a problem that is in many ways more complex, with arms inspections blocked and many of America`s allies questioning the current sanctions against Iraq.

In his inaugural address Saturday, Mr. Bush did not mention Iraq specifically but vowed to "confront weapons of mass destruction, so that a new century is spared new horrors." In an interview before taking office, he suggested his administration would not tolerate an Iraq rearmed with nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.

"Saddam Hussein must understand that this nation is very serious about preventing him from the development of weapons of mass destruction and any thought in his mind that he should use them against our friends and allies in the Middle East," Mr. Bush said.

Condoleezza Rice, Mr. Bush`s national security adviser, was receiving intelligence briefings at the White House on Sunday and did not return a phone call requesting comment.

Since the election, neither Mr. Bush nor his aides have detailed how they intend to change Mr. Clinton`s diplomatic and military strategy against Iraq.

Some advisers, including Mr. Cheney and the new secretary of defense, Donald Rumsfeld, have previously advocated a more hawkish approach.

But even some of Mr. Bush`s advisers acknowledge that containing Mr. Saddam, much less isolating him, will be increasingly difficult.

American and British planes continue to patrol the no-flight zones over northern and southern Iraq. Such patrols are routinely fired upon - indeed, Iraq launched a surface-to-air missile at one only hours before Mr. Bush took office on Saturday, prompting American jets to respond by striking anti-aircraft batteries and a radar site.

Such strikes help ratchet up Iraqi anger at the United States. On Sunday, the Iraqis said that the American strikes killed six civilians in Samawa, an assertion that American military officials did not immediately dispute, while noting they had not intended to strike civilian targets.

The sanctions imposed against Iraq after it occupied Kuwait in August 1990 are gradually losing international support, with even some American allies exploring ways to end them. Diplomats and businessmen from countries as varied as Russia, Turkey and Italy have defied the ban on commercial flights into Baghdad.

The rising price of oil has also allowed Iraq to raise billions in revenues, significantly easing the strains placed on its economy after the Gulf War. Intelligence reports suggest that Mr. Saddam has been able to divert $500 million to $1 billion a year and raise another $1 billion to $2 billion in illicit smuggling.

Iraq`s military remains a shadow of the force that invaded Kuwait in 1990, but American intelligence officials strongly suspect that Mr. Saddam is using at least some of that money to rebuild parts of his military as well as his weapons programs.

Two government officials said that Iraq has successfully created front companies that are now being used to purchase and smuggle into Iraq equipment, weaponry and spare parts that are prohibited under the sanctions, including tires for Iraqi jets and transmissions for its tanks. One official said these companies were also helping to procure illicit items used in nuclear, chemical and biological programs.

Mr. Saddam`s government has asked the United Nations to approve purchases for equipment or material - including things needed to produce chlorine - that American officials suspect are being diverted to prohibited weapons programs.

As a condition for ending the war, Mr. Saddam`s government agreed to destroy its nuclear, biological and chemical weapons programs, as well as production of long-range missiles able to launch them. Despite years of cat-and-mouse games with the Iraqis, the previous team of UN inspectors succeeded in destroying large quantities of weapons and discovering covert programs to create chemical and biological weapons. But for more than two and a half years there have been no meaningful inspections inside Iraq.

Copyright © 2000 the International Herald Tribune All Rights Reserved

[golden-bear]

Israel Warns Syria Of Massive
Attack If Hizbullah Strikes
By Steve Rodan - Middle East Newsline
Sprecial To WorldTribune.com
http://www.worldtribune.com/Archive-2001/me-syria-01-24.html
1-24-01


JERUSALEM - Israel has relayed warnings to Syria through both the United States and the European Union that a Hizbullah attack on the northern border would result in massive retaliation that would change the balance of power in the Middle East.

Israeli government sources said the warning was relayed over the last few weeks via countries that are friendly to Syria. These include the United States, France, Germany and Italy. Most of these governments, they said, supported Israel`s right to launch a massive counterattack against Hizbullah.

"Some of the governments, particularly the United States, made it clear to Syria that it pulls the strings of Hizbullah," an Israeli source said. "In contrast, they played down Iran`s role in Hizbullah operations."

The message, the sources said, was that Israel is holding Syria responsible for any Hizbullah attack on the Jewish state. As a result, Israel would target Syrian positions in Lebanon should the Shi`ite militia attack.

The warning said that Israeli retaliatory attacks would be massive and would alter the balance of power in the region. The sources said the wording was meant to convey the prospect of the destruction of the regime of President Bashar Assad.

On Wednesday, Assad is scheduled to arrive in Teheran on his first trip to the Islamic republic. Iran is Syria`s strategic ally and has pledged to help Damascus in any war with Israel.

At the same time, Israel has increased security measures along the northern border. They have fired at suspected infiltrators, conducted air reconnaissance flights and sent up balloons with intelligence-gathering equipment along the border.

The warning appears to have worked for now, the sources said. They said Syria has restrained Hizbullah plans to abduct Israeli soldiers and civilians as well as shell military positions along the northern border.

Israeli sources said Hizbullah plans to imminently attack the Jewish state. They said they expect Syria to provide the green light at the opportune moment.

Last week, an envoy of French President Jacques Chirac urged Lebanon and Syria to restrain Hizbullah. Yves Aubin de la Messuziere, head of the French Foreign Ministry`s Middle East and North African affairs, relayed a message from Chirac to Assad that urged all parties to practice restraint.

The sources said the Syrian military has been on the highest state of alert and that Damascus has moved its deployment of air defense systems and including surface-to-air missiles. But they said this did not increase chances of an imminent war.

On Tuesday, Syrian sources confirmed to the London-based Al Hayat daily that their military has been on alert. The sources said the United States has urged Syria to restrain Hizbullah as a first step to reduce tension and renew peace talks.

In another development, the London-based Al Quds Al Arabi daily reported on Tuesday that Iraq has withdrawn two of its divisions from near the Syrian border. Jordanian sources told the newspaper that the Iraqi deployment sparked concern in Israel and the United States and has led to counter-threats.

The sources said Iraqi President Saddam Hussein heeded an appeal from Jordan`s King Abdullah and withdrew the Iraqi forces. But the Jordanian sources said Saddam stressed that he was not acting out of fear of Israel.

[golden-bear]

Saddam Has Built Two Atomic
Bombs Says Iraqi Defector
By Jessica Berry
http://www.telegraph.co.uk
1-28-01


Saddam Hussein has two fully-operational nuclear bombs and is working to construct others, an Iraqi defector has told The Telegraph.

The defector, a military engineer who fled Iraq a year after United Nations arms inspectors left the country, says that he helped to oversee the completion of the weapons programme. He is currently in hiding in Europe. International nuclear officials are investigating his evidence, which contradicts recent reports that the Iraqi dictator`s plans were still at a preparatory stage.

Saddam`s efforts to build atomic weapons were delayed by the UN Special Commission (Unscom) inspectors who were forced to leave in November 1998, but scientists resumed the work immediately after their departure.

According to the defector, who cannot be named for security reasons, bombs are being built in Hemrin in north-eastern Iraq, near the Iranian border. Last week, the defector said: "There are at least two nuclear bombs which are ready for use. Before the UN inspectors came, there were 47 factories involved in the project. Now there are 64." The information has alarmed security experts, who were aware only that the area around Hemrin was well-guarded.

The defector said: "The area is restricted to the Special Security Organisation. Some of it is under the control of the military industrialisation ministry which is in charge of building up Saddam`s weapons arsenal, but one area is entirely under the control of the nuclear energy organisation. They are digging shelters there."

The nuclear programme is shrouded in secrecy. The chain of command leads directly to the presidential palace and Saddam`s closest aide, Abed Hmoud, a Baath Party stalwart who runs the Iraqi dictator`s private office. According to the defector, General Raad Ismail, the head of the Committee for the Use of Nuclear Weapons, answers directly to a Dr Khaled, the director-general of the al-Athir factory, who oversees the final stages of construction of weapons.

The factory was attacked in air raids by Britain and the United States in 1998, but has since been rebuilt. Also involved is Awad al-Benck, who is responsible for procurement in the presidential office. Involvement of such senior men means that the programme is top secret. The defector says that apart from the scientists, only four or five people know what is happening. One security expert said: "This is vital information. The fact that General Ismail is involved can only mean that the programme is complete."

Melissa Fleming, a spokeswoman for the UN-founded International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, said that the IAEA was unable to confirm that the Iraqi dictator was complying with Unscom resolutions. Mrs Fleming said: "I will bring this to the attention of the members of the agency immediately. We want to investigate this as soon as possible."

The fresh evidence comes only a week after President George W Bush took office. In his inaugural address, he promised to confront weapons of mass destruction, without mentioning Iraq. Under Anglo-US policy, any attempt by Saddam to build nuclear or biological weapons could lead to military action.

Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State and a Gulf war veteran, and Vice-President Dick Cheney are both known to favour a radical approach in dealing with Iraq. General Powell said of Saddam last week: "His only tool, the only thing he can scare us with are those weapons of mass destruction, and we have to hold him to account."

The new White House spokesman, Ari Fleischer, said: "The President expects Saddam Hussein to live up to the agreements he`s made with the UN, especially regarding the elimination of weapons of mass destruction."

[golden-bear]

Hussein Says Iraq Ready To
Put An End To Isreal
1-31-01
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20010130_760.html

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A senior Iraqi army general, ratcheting up his country`s propaganda assault on Israel, has said Iraqi artillery units could hit targets deep inside Israel if they were moved to a site near the Jewish state`s border. Lieutenant-General Yassin Taha Mohammed, head of artillery units, said that Iraq was able to upgrade its mortars and missile launchers to give them a range of about 40 km (24 miles), which would not violate U.N. arms control restrictions. "Our artillery forces are ready any time to hit targets deep inside the Zionist entity (Israel) whenever we are ordered to do so," he told Iraq`s weekly al-Rafidain newspaper on Tuesday. "We have been able to improve the range of mortars to reach as far as 40 km (24 miles)...and improve munitions," he said.

President Saddam Hussein has called on Arab countries bordering Israel to give his troops a piece of land close enough to attack Israel with his artillery. He has also said Iraq is ready to put an end to Israel. Baghdad, theoretically at war with Israel, fired Scud missiles from its own territory at Israeli cities during the 1991 Gulf War.

Another Iraqi newspaper, al-Jumhouriya, said on Tuesday that Baghdad had proof that its anti-aircraft missiles had hit one of a group of Western planes patrolling the no-fly zone in northern Iraq on January 24. The paper said Iraqis living in the area where the plane was hit saw an aircraft on fire and columns of smoke coming from it. Jumhouriya said Iraqi radar had sighted several U.S. aircraft flying in the area later to rescue the plane`s pilot. Iraq frequently alleges it has hit Western aircraft flying over its territory, claims which are routinely denied by Washington and London.

U.S. and British planes patrol no-fly zones set up to protect Muslim Shi`ites in south Iraq and a Kurdish enclave in the north from possible attack by Baghdad`s forces. Baghdad does not recognise their right to impose the no-fly zones. The aircraft frequently bomb targets in the two zones, and have intensified their attacks since Baghdad stepped up its defiance of the restrictions two years ago.

[GOLDONLY]

Alles läuft nach Plan.

Beliebtes Argument einen Krieg vom Zaun zu brechen:
Angebliche Bedrohung ... Schutz der Bürger ... etc.

Kennen wir alles schon, klappt aber trotzdem immer wieder.

Wir lernen schon die Kinder im Kindergarten:
Wer einmal (immer) lügt ...
Dreimal dürft ihr raten, wen ich meine !!

GO

[columbus]

Was ist mit dir los, Goldbär? Wenn ich irgendwo etwas von dir lese - immer sind es Untergangsszenarien oder Verschwörungen. Hast du Probleme? Nach dem Motto: Mir gehts Scheiße, also muß die Welt untergehen, damit es den anderen auch Scheiße geht? Habe auch das Gefühl, dass du unbedingt Gold pushen willst? Also alles nur Werbung? Bitte jetzt als Antwort keine seitenlangen kopierten Texte. Liest eh keiner.

[jeffery2]

@columbus, die Welt ist mindestens so schlecht wie beschrieben. Trotzdem wer von uns unentwegten soll denn Gold pushen? Das wäre ja dann dem Sinne nach schon lange geschehen, aber d a s Portmoinnee haben wir nicht und die geneigten Leser dieser Zeilen auch nicht. Beim NM geht das schon eher, wo ein paar Orders für eine Wunderboxaktie oder einen Kintoppvermarkter Bewegung in den Kurs bringen können.
J2

[howling wolf]

@golden-bear:

ich oute mich jetzt mal als Leser Deiner seitenlang kopierten Beiträge.

Hätte columbus besser mal die Indios in Ruhe gelassen, dann würde uns Greenspam
und die anderen Konsorten von der grossen Insel heute nicht auf die Nerven gehen... hw

[golden-bear]

@columbus
Ob´s mir "scheiße" geht?
Nein, im Gegenteil habe gestern meine leitende Position gekündigt, weil ich was Besseres und Spannenderes gefunden habe.
Und das die Menschheit sukzessive weiter blind (bis auf eine Minderheit) in die Katastrophe rast, weiß ich ich schon lange, deswegen freue ich mich aber dennoch auf meinen Urlaub im sonnigen Süden demnächst. Gold pushen? Wär´ schön, wenn ich kleines Licht (was die Macht hierzu anbelangt) das könnte... ;-)

[GOLDONLY]

@golden-bear

Deinen Schritt bin ich schon vor 6 Jahren gegangen.
Aktuell haben wir 20 Grad. (Costa del Sol)
Frei nach H.Marcuse. Nur ausserhalb einer Gesellschaft kann man frei sein. (bezw. denken)
Falls Du hier in die Nähe ziehst, melde Dich ...

GO

[golden-bear]

The Myth Of The Saddam A-Bomb
By Justin Raimondo
Antiwar.com
2-2-01

The Myth of the Saddam Bomb and other fairy tales for
grown-up children...
The no-nonsense military affairs columnist Colonel David
Hackworth, who gives his readers a grunt`s-eye view of
what the perfumed princes of the Pentagon are up to,
writes that "war is in the wind. But you wouldn`t know it
if you get your news from Brokaw, Jennings and
Rather." Ah, but you would know it if you get your news
from Antiwar.com: we`ve been covering the developing
story of the coming Mideast war for weeks, in our news
section as well as in this column, and Hackworth
confirms rumors of war with the news that US troops are
on the move.
LOCKED AND COCKED
"The Israelis are leaning forward in their foxholes," writes
Hackworth. "Their troops are locked and cocked, and
their logistical types have been roving the world with
checkbooks at high port, buying bombs and bullets
aplenty." All of it paid for by you, the American
taxpayer, but I digress: "Now," says Hackworth, "the
USA is rushing to the rescue." Europe has been stripped
of Patriot missiles, which have been deployed to Israel:
"But while we`re providing that troubled country with
theater missile-protection," he opines, "we`ve left our
soldiers stark naked, unable to stop a single Scud." Our
policymakers think this is a small price to pay for the
protection of Israel, although the families and friends of
our servicemen and women stationed overseas might
have a different opinion.
CLINTON`S MIDEAST LEGACY
According to Hackworth`s sources, "`Our ground combat
forces in Germany ñ a complete armored corps ñ have
moved out in to the field `to train.` An insider there says,
`Training, hell. We`re contingency planning for a fight in
the Middle East.`" The process started while Clinton was
still desecrating the White House, and seems to have
escalated sharply since Dubya took the reins. I kind of
like the way Hackworth puts it: "The Bush bunch was
presented with the problem on Jan. 20. Just the way JFK
inherited the Bay of Pigs debacle from Ike, and Clinton
had the Somali disaster dumped in his lap by Bush the
Elder." While Hackworth is careful not to
over-editorialize, the clear implication is that US
intervention on the side of Israel will end in a debacle ñ
but that it won`t really be Dubya`s fault. After all, he
"inherited" the problem. Besides, Hackworth avers, we
can "thank our lucky starts he has Colin Powell and Dick
Cheney" by his side: they, perhaps, can avert what is
sure to be a disaster of epic proportions.
THE "DEFECTOR" SPEAKS
I don`t think so. While Powell is said to be a closet
isolationist, he was the first to step up to the plate in the
administration`s right-off-the-bat rhetorical offensive
against Saddam Hussein, and Cheney soon chimed in. In
case you haven`t noticed, the propaganda campaign of
the War Party has already shifted into high gear, and you
can tell they`re serious because they`re hauling out the big
guns. Instead of just making vague statements about how
Saddam would like to recreate his "weapons of mass
destruction," a series of recent polemics disguised as
news stories claim that he already has nuclear weapons ñ
two nukes, to be exact, according to an anonymous
"defector" cited in the London Telegraph.
THAT`S ENTERTAINMENT
When all else fails, and the War Party cannot garner
enough interest in having yet another go at our favorite
Mideast punching bag, they bring up the question of the
Saddam Bomb. Having Satanized the Iraqi leader to the
point where people are bound to believe anything about
him, they evoke the image of a nuclear-armed madman
burning with hatred and ready, willing, and able to
incinerate his two least favorite Israeli cities. (Never mind
that he hasn`t got a delivery system capable of reaching
that far: grade-B movie scenarios such as this are rife
with loose ends, but usually you`re supposed to be too
entertained to notice.) "There are at least two nuclear
bombs which are ready for use," our mysterious
"defector" said last week. "Before the UN inspectors
came, there were 47 factories involved in the project.
Now there are 64."
GIMME SHELTER
Now, wait a minute: are there even that many factories
still operating in Iraq? With a strict embargo on any items
of "strategic" value, no matter how remotely connected it
may be to any possible military use, how are these
factories supplied, and, more obviously, how have they
escaped satellite surveillance, not to mention detection by
constant overflights of US and British warplanes? The
construction of a nuclear device would require the
creation of a distinctive industrial complex, including a
huge source of electric power, a railroad siding, and a
network of access roads, all of which would make the
plant highly visible and instantly detectable. If Saddam
already has not one but two nukes ready to be lobbed in
Israel`s general direction, how in heck did we miss it?
"They`re digging shelters there," our "defector" raves, as
if the Iraqis have no reason to build air-raid shelters after
suffering a full decade of continuous bombing. But there
is, unfortunately, no shelter from the constant barrage of
war propaganda that we have been subjected to this bitter
season: it inundates us like the snow that has enveloped
much of the Northeast, and even as far south as Georgia
and Alabama, this winter. As the lights go out in
California and the heating bill arrives, war is in the icy
wind.
TYPING AT THE TIMES
The New York Times weighed in with a slight variation
on what is essentially the same story, a piece by Steven
Lee Meyers and Eric Schmitt that reads like a
Department of Defense press release printed verbatim:
the authors report the assertions of US government
officials that Iraq has rebuilt its weapons factories as if
they were fact. Their story brings to mind Truman
Capote`s crack about Jack Kerouac`s
stream-of-conscousness writing style: "That`s not writing,
that`s typing!"
VARIATIONS ON A THEME
While the Telegraph`s "defector" pinpointed the town of
Hemrin, in northeast Iraq, near the Iranian border, as the
site of the Saddam Bombs, the Times version takes us
West of Bagdhad, to the Falluja industrial complex,
where the Iraqis are reportedly cooking up a witch`s brew
of chemical and biological weapons. The article notes
that outgoing defense secretary William Cohen released a
warning, a few days before his departure, about the
reconstruction of two key factories in the Falluja
complex, one of which makes brake fluid ñ but could
also produce ricin, a deadly biological toxin. "There is no
smoking gun," one official is quoted as saying, but, as we
all know, the Iraqis are guilty until proven innocent. Why
should they use chlorine to disinfect the water supply ñ
which, in its present untreated state, is spreading disease
throughout Iraq ñ when they can use it to make
"weapons of mass destruction"? Answering questions like
this is what the weapons inspection program was all
about. But the inspections aren`t happening as long as the
sanctions stay in place, in spite of the assurances of
former arms inspector Scott Ritter that Iraq has been
effectively disarmed since 1998.
A 20-KILOTON LIE
It is interesting to note that, in the article in Arms Control
Today [June 2000] referenced in the above link, Ritter
discusses the claims of a "defector" who fled Iraq in 1995
and said he had evidence that the Saddam Bomb existed:
it was, he averred, a "20-kiloton nuclear bomb," but the
inspectors could find no evidence. Indeed, what they
found was that Iraq did not even have the components,
let alone a finished bomb and the means to deliver it. As
Ritter put it:
"It is highly unlikely that the defector`s claims concerning
an Iraqi nuclear bomb are accurate. Unfortunately,
speculation that Iraq has retained some nuclear capability
simply will not go away. It is conceivable that Iraq could
have retained certain components of a nuclear device.
However, there is no credible evidence of this, and even
if such material were retained, it would be of no use to
Iraq, given the extent to which Iraq`s nuclear program
was dismantled by the IAEA. The best way to ensure
that Iraq does not reconstitute its nuclear weapons
program is to get IAEA inspectors back into Iraq, where
they can resume their task of monitoring Iraqi
compliance."
THE MYTH THAT WOULDN`T DIE
Where do they get these defectors who come out of the
woodwork at crucial times? Who wants to bet it`s the
same "defector," recycling different versions of the same
old story when needed. For just when the verbal
pyrotechnics on both sides reach a fever pitch and war
looms on the horizon, up pops yet another Iraqi
"defector," eager for his fifteen minutes of fame ñ and
none with any proof whatsoever. But the myth of the
Saddam Bomb will never die. No matter how much UN
nuclear inspectors praise Iraq ñ as the Associated Press
headline put it ñ for its full cooperation, the War Party is
determined to keep this one alive. The only problem for
them is that, each time it is raised, and then dismissed as
arrant nonsense, the myth of the Saddam Bomb seems
less credible.
A FOREIGN POLICY FOR A DECADENT PEOPLE
This fits in with a theme I`ve been pursuing in this space
recently: what`s up with the really low grade war
propaganda that we`ve been exposed to recently? I`ve
been thinking a lot about this question lately, as the lies
I`ve had to debunk in the past few weeks have gotten
steadily more outrageous. It is, I believe, indicative of a
coarsening ñ or perceived coarsening ñ of the public`s
sensibilities, and that the oddly unconvincing,
one-dimensional nature of the stories we`ve been hearing
ñ Carla Del Ponte`s ludicrous charge that Milosevic killed
his own propagandists, the completely fabricated National
Public Radio story of the alleged Serbian "crematorium"
at Trepca, Reason magazine`s recent screed about how
"depleted" uranium is good for you ñ is due to this
cultural phenomenon, which some might call decadence.
A foreign policy for a people attuned to "reality TV"
might, in this respect, be compared to an episode of
"Gladiators," or the cartoonish spectacles of the WWF.
This cultural trend, in tandem with the general
dumbing-down of virtually all public discourse, is
Imperial America at its worst: it is a culture that a citizen
of the late Roman Empire would have recognized. While
mystified by the intricacies of the cell phone, our ancient
Roman time traveler would find our mindless hedonism
all too familiar. The politics of spectacle and sensation,
which reduces foreign policy to a gladiatorial contest, is
an ancient theme recovered and replayed here at the
"end" of history.