Larnaca /Gaza mercy boat is damaged by Israeli Navy and docks in Lebanon - will Hezbollah start 2nd Front ?

SS Dignity, was greeted by a small cheering crowd as it pulled into the southern Lebanese port of Tyre with clear marks of damage near the prow yesterday.




The International Herald Tribune quotes Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor that an Israeli navy ship intercepted the boat, which he said ignored an Israeli radio order to turn back as it approached Gaza early Tuesday.(It was 53 to 90 miles from the coast - reports vary - where were the German NATO patrol vessels one wonders)

Palmor saids the boat tried to outmaneuver an Israeli navy ship (?) and crashed into it, lightly damaging both vessels. The navy then escorted the boat out into the territorial waters of Cyprus.

But passengers and crew of SS Dignity, Gibralter registered and with a British captain, Denis Healey disputed the Israeli account, saying the Israeli vessel rammed the ship.

"We were prevented from entering Gaza ... by Israeli patrol boats that tracked us for about 30 minutes. They shone their spotlight on us and then all of a sudden they rammed us approximately three times, twice in the front and once in the side," said former U.S. Representative Cynthia McKinney who was on board SS Dignity.

Thousands of Lebanese Hezbollah supporters stood in pouring rain on Monday in South Beirut to protest Israel's air assault on the Gaza Strip, which entered its third day. The demonstrators thronged a huge square and nearby streets, carrying Palestinian, Lebanese and yellow Hezbollah flags and banners supporting the Palestinian people.

In 2006 Hezbollah rockets reached Hadera, a city 27 miles north of Tel Aviv, and Israeli intelligence believes the Lebanese militia now has rockets that can reach 125 miles, far beyond Tel Aviv — meaning the vast majority of Israelis are in range.

The NYT reports that Lebanese Army soldiers found and dismantled eight Katyusha rockets on Christmas Day that were pointed south toward Israel.

The rockets were found near the southern town of Naqura, in the border region where an expanded UN peacekeeping force has been monitoring an uneasy truce since the war in the summer of 2006 between Israel and Hezbollah, the Shiite militant group.

Haaretz reports that The official Lebanese news agency said on Sunday that Israel Air Force warplanes flew over south Lebanon and set off somic booms. It said that there had also been intensive activity by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles flying at intermediate altitudes over the south.

Lebanese security sources were quoted as saying that Hezbollah was unlikely to respond militarily to the IDF operation in Gaza. Lebanese officials told the London-based Al-Hayyat newspaper that "It is not in Hezbollah's interest to do so." The officials added that protests in Lebanon against the Israeli genocidal mission were "restrained" and "under control".

Of course they are.

US war on Pakistan - Rocket attacks surge. Paris - Expect the Unexpected

On Monday 16th December 2008 CBS report 2 missiles struck the village of Tabi Tolkhel (Tapi Tool ? )in the North Waziristan tribal region near Miramshah- said to be one of a surge of the CIA run U.S. missile attacks on militant targets in Pakistan's northwest border region.

Ajab Khan, a village resident saw the aftermath of the missile strike and saw two bodies brought out, and that three wounded people were taken away in a vehicle. Suspected Taliban militants surrounded the house afterward, Khan said - a common occurrence after such strikes. Three local intelligence officials confirmed the account, citing informants.

The BBC report the strike and say reassuringly "Drone attacks are believed to have been largely on-target, hitting Taleban and al-Qaeda hideouts in the north-western Waziristan tribal region. "

The al Qaeda-linked Haqqani family and Taliban warlord Hafiz Gul Bahadar operate in North Waziristan where 60% of the CIA UAV airstrikes have hit . The Haqqani Network is said to have a strong presence in Miramshah region of North Waziristan controling large parts of the tribal area and run a parallel administration with courts, recruiting centers, tax offices, and security forces.

The CIA website The Long War report that they have established multiple training camps ( al Qaeda operates 157 known training camps, ) and safe houses used by al Qaeda leaders and operatives, as well as by Taliban foot soldiers preparing to fight in Afghanistan.

This airstrike coincided with the visit of ex Presidential candidate U.S. Sen. John Kerry, the next Foreign Relations Committee chairman, who was in Pakistan on Tuesday, the latest in a string of U.S. officials to visit India and Pakistan since the attacks in India's commercial capital last month.

Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond ,69, Republican from Missouri (at 33 years of age, he was the youngest governor in the history of Missouri) also arrived in Islamabad on Monday for meetings with Pakistani officials. Bond is one of only a few federal elected officials with a child serving in uniform - his son Sam has served in the Marines in Iraq.

Brown blames Lashkar-e-Taiba for Mumbai attacks

India has blamed a Pakistan-based militant group called Lashkar-e-Taiba for last month's attacks in Mumbai. The U.S. has said Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has long been active in the Pakistani-Indian dispute over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, has forged links with al Qaeda.

Prime Minister Superman Gordon Brown was in New Delhi having a friendly chinwag with PM Manmohan Singh, and made clear to the prest that he had made it clear to Mr Singh he had no doubt the Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba was responsible for the co-ordinated attacks in Mumbai.

He said it was "time for action not words" from the Pakistani authorities in rooting out the threat of terror, which was spreading from there and neighbouring Afghanistan around the globe.

He also said 3/4 of UK terror attacks planned by MI5 have connections with Pakistan - the number of such plots ranges from 6 through, 12 - 15 -20 to 30 and have / have not increased 5 fold since April.

Guradian exposes secret document about secret unit doing secret work to secretly infiltrate web forums and taint Al Quaida "brand"

Stef points to a very odd story in Tuesday's Guradian Revealed: Britain's secret propaganda war against al-Qaida - BBC and website forums targeted by Home Office unit .

If this story about a ," Whitehall counter-terrorism unit .. targeting the BBC and other media organisations ..."taint the al-Qaida brand", it is an outrageous scandal and waste of money.

In time honoured fashion ," secret Home Office paper" has been seen , preusmably in secret by the Guradian.

This crack elite counter-terrorism experts group is/will/are already "channel(ling) messages through volunteers in internet forums" as part of their campaign.

John Reid before he really set about the whisky bottle set up a Research, Information and Communication unit, [RICU] to counter al-Qaida propaganda at home and overseas. It is staffed by officials from several(?) government departments.

This secret report read in secret by the Guradian crack expert team of journalistic anti terrorism RICU observers got to see the title of this secret document ... "Challenging violent extremist ideology through communications" - the use of "Challenging" dates the document as post June 12th 2007, says our crack team of expert, elite mathematical crytpographic gifted team of archair generalists ..

Oh Christ the will to live has gone ... read the fucking article. or even listen to the author Guradian Home Affairs Editor whisper about it on their exclusive audio newsclip.

But then of course if you go here you can find out about a secret Foreign Office unit staffed by civil servants led by Norman Reddaway , closely linked to MI6 , approved by PM Ted Heath to conspire against those concerned public (especially the ‘Keep Britain Out’ campaign) opposed to Britain joining the EEC in the early 1970s. Also read ‘Britain’s Secret Propaganda War’ (a title curiously stolen by the Guradian piece) by Paul Lashmar and James Oliver published in 1998 - Amazon

This secret unit was said to be given the name : Information Research Department, or IRD for short. Allegedly Heath's secret tool for getting an unwilling public and Parliament to accept entry and General de Gaulle to say "Non!"

When William (later Lord) Armstrong, who was head of the Civil Service, found out about the unit and it’s ‘dubious activities’, which he considered ‘scandalous’, he went to Heath and demanded funds were withdrawn. Dr David Owen had it closed down after Labour got in after the 1974 general Election.

Sleepless night for this guy then ....

Cabinet declares State of Emergency - Troops Out at Heathrow Terminal 5 - Terror threat to London 'on scale of 9/11'

More Later ....Holiday makers riot - Tube chaos

David Davis - Another silly conspiracy theory from Lord Patel

There are many observers, players, commentators, on the Westminster scene puzzled by ;
1. David Davis MP's resignation
2. The response of David Cameron in actively campaigning for and with him
3. The muted response from his Party
4. The total and rapid unwillingness of the Labour Party to field a candidate
5. The total and rapid unwillingness of the Liberal Party to field a candidate
6. The curious case of Shami Chakrabarti very publicly swinging the non - political Liberty behind David Davis's campaign
7. The curious and shadowy role of an expensive and very well connected PR company, Fleishman-Hillard in so swiftly erecting David Davis's website (not to mention the source of funds to do it etc.,)
7 (a) The clumsy attempt to conceal the role of Fleishman-Hillard
8. The extraordinary coverage that the BBC gave to David Davis across the spectrum, Radio 5 Live phone in (1.5 hr), You and Yours (1 hr), Womans Hour (20 mins), Question Time (1 hr), Any Questions (1 hr) (plus repeat and Any Answers), Newsnight ...not to mention endless news items covering the election without any opposing or dissenting views
9. The role of the new Total Politics magazine that has so mysteriously appeared, fully financed by unknown sources, and with the ubiquitous help of Shami Chakrabarti OBE CBE , Governer of the Ditchley Foundation along with Lady Dame Jane Baroness Pauline Neville Jones.

There was however, a curiously congruent and interlocking series of events also going on, which received virtually no coverage and certainly no discussion....Criminal Evidence (Witness Anonymity) Bill.

June 18th The Lords Davis ruling on anonymous witnesses published (but of course known of within Government circles)
June 18th - Also the day when David Davis applies for the Chiltern Hundreds

June 21st (Saturday) war criminal Jack Straw announces he is going to rush through legislation to allow anonymous witnesses

June 23rd Judge Paget halts trial using anonymous witnesses

On BBC June 24th Commissioner Bob Quick, for example, called the ruling “catastrophic” and criticised the criminal justice system for “too much principle and not enough pragmatism”. (This was the guy who with Sir Ian Blair couldn't remember how any terrorist plots there were when asked by MP's. see Counter terrorism Bill ..and the Old Bill... Fiction is stronger than the truth )

June 26th “Chaos as Law Lords ruin trials” (The Sun, 25 June); “Anarchyis unleashed” (The Sun, 25 June); and “Terrorists, murderers and other violent criminals will escape justice unless emergency laws are passed within weeks” (Daily Mail, 26 June).“Britain could witness unrestrained violence like the slaughter in Zimbabwe” ( Sun 25 June). (All these quoted in Liberty brief Page 4 - "Thankfully" says Liberty n contrast to the Press "Thankfully, the response of Government and opposition parties to the decision did not follow suit. It was, in contrast measured and informed."

June 26th the Government makes routine sotto voce outline the plans for legislation with dates for debate in Commons on 8th July and Lords on 10th July (Bill published July 3rd). This after cross party "consultation".

26th June East Riding of Yorkshire council announced the long, long , varied and entertaining list of accepted candidates and date of election to be 2 weeks on Thursday 10th July.

So the Bill is to be debated (?) 8/9/10th July which means press comment could be 9th/10th/11th but curiously enough they were busy looking at Gemma Garretts teeth and tits and Elvis and the Cow girl.

Of course David Davis gets his seat back, without actually having said a fucking thing, except a few mildly critical remarks about useless CCTV pictures, and DNA databases. But he and Shami had very effectively hi-jacked the so called debate on "civil liberties" - and she hen goes on to pat herself and David on the back (see top).

Debate on the Criminal Evidence (Witness Anonymity) Bill, somehow, slips by and " 42 days or not 42 days " has monopolised any concern about stealing fundamental liberties and freedoms and the proper conduct of trials. Psyops success, in fucking spades.

What about dear sweet, doe eyed, scarf adjusting, Shami Chakrabarti offering TLC to DD in late at night , heart to heart's on the cellphone? The ex Home Office lawyer whose non-political Liberty winds up supporting a politician's election, one who agrees to 28 days and the loss of habeas corpus.

Shami Chakrabarti the ex Home Office lawyer who leads the non-political Liberty but ends up helping edit Total Politics ?

Shami Chakrabarti the ex Home Office lawyer who leads the non-political Liberty who provided a brief for the Government which agrees in principle to the Criminal Evidence (Witness Anonymity) Bill.

Shami Chakrabarti the ex Home Office lawyer who leads the non-political Liberty who provided a brief for the Government written by Jago Russell & Michael Spencer which agrees in principle to the Criminal Evidence (Witness Anonymity) Bill.

Prior to his post at Liberty, Jago Russell worked as a legal specialist in parliament where he advised select committees on a range of matters including counter-terrorism laws and corporate accountability. He has particular expertise in international and comparative human rights law, the UK government’s anti-terrorism policy, constitutional and criminal justice issues and has written and spoken on these and other matters for parliamentary and wider audiences.

Nu Labour has an eye for colourful ladies they can promote Baronesses, Vadera, Amos, Scotland .... arise Baroness Shami Chakrabarti of the Pashminas .... you have earned it.... and who knows maybe to join her soulmate and phone-sex pal David will reluctantly pass on his seat at the next election to a Tory hopeful and pass onwards and upwards as Baron Davis of the Blinding Diversion

Of course Liberty will need a new leader ... someone with the right ideas.. step forward Jago Russell.

PS : Here's a nice summertime job for a media studies student .. and god knows there are plenty of them... A good detailed annotated Timeline, fleshed out with details of all press coverage / comment , of the above.