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On Tuesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that Iran has increased its capacity to enrich uranium dramatically. Without a doubt, this will bring them one step closer to having the ability to produce nuclear weapons.

From the Islamic Republic News Agency:

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Tuesday that Iran’s nuclear program belongs to all humanity.

Speaking in the special ceremony marking Iran’s National Nuclear Day, he said the country’s nuclear program is regarded as the most significant event in the contemporary era.

Iran has successfully tested new cheaper nuclear devices in smaller dimensions that are five fold faster than the present models, he said.

The news on installations of several thousands of centrifuges is minor than the technological breakthrough Iran has made, said the president.

“We have attained remarkable achievements and success in production of magnetic alloy with new devices,” he said.

“Our new technological achievements will make a breakthrough in the country’s industrial sector in the near future,” said the president.

All are well aware of the fact that Iran’s nuclear program has turned to the most significant event in the contemporary era which goes beyond geographical borders to which the world calculations have tied up, he said.

Big powers believe that they have monopolized the nuclear energy and they can trample upon the rights of other nations, he said.

Iranian nation did not pay attention to their hue and cry and overcame all sanctions and with reliance upon almighty God and the youth fully mastered the nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, said the president.

Iran’s nuclear technology is totally indigenous and no one can deprive us from such blessing because it is in the mind and heart of our scientists, he said.

The global arrogance have resorted to hue and cry to force us to give up our legitimate rights, underlined president Ahmadinejad.

After the world war II, the triumphant countries draw up a new relations to govern and dominate the whole world in order to plunder the wealth and natural resources of the world nations, said the Iranian president.

He said the reason why they create obstacles on our path of success and developments.

“The enemies for many times threaten to take military action against Iran to urge us suspend our nuclear program but to no avail”, said the president.

At a later event, Ahmadinejad also stated:

“In addition to installation of 6,000 new centrifuges, there are also reports about other new achievements which would be announced tonight at TV news program,” Ahmadinejad said.

With these advancements, I don’t think that there is anyone that can argue Iran’s threat to the West, but more importantly one of our closest allies, Israel.

A few days ago I made a post about a Hamas video and discussed how many people think American politics is ugly, when in reality compared to many parts of the world, our politics is quite civil.

A great deal of my political interests (in the foreign realm) lay in the politics of the Middle East, so I’ll probably tend to keep most of my international political discussions on those topics, however if you have something you’d like to submit, I’d be more than willing to post it.

Today’s video comes from Lebanon. This is by no means a new video, but it is extremely powerful in showing how a little propaganda can make such a destructive organization like Hezbollah seem like it is only protecting the best interest of the Lebanese people.

There are some things that have to be pointed out about this video.

First, this video was featured on Al-Manar (translation: The Beacon), which is one of the Hezbollah propaganda networks (the other being Al-Nour, which is their radio arm).

This is important to note, because this isn’t just an internet video. Following the 34-day fight with Israel, this video was an extremely important tool for boosting Hezbollah’s credibility, making them appear to be the party that will stand up for the Lebanese people and take on the Israelis.

Second, take note of the Katyusha rockets displayed throughout their video. It’s quite interesting how they can take such a primitive piece of Iranian weaponry and make it appear to be the tool that under Hezbollah leadership, can protect them from anything.

There are a lot of messages within this video that could be elaborated on further, including the music, the location in Lebanon and even the people in the video. However, if people want to give their takes on those items, I’ll leave that to the message board.

However, the one thing I want anyone who watched this video to take away is an understanding of how terrorist organizations like Hezbollah are using these sugar-coated propaganda videos to promote their cause and gain credibility amongst their people.

Whenever I watch videos like these (I have watched well over 300 different propaganda videos from the Middle East alone) I cant help but reflect on how thankful I am that we have media that will challenge other media sources, without having to worry about getting killed.

But more importantly, this video should serve as a reminder of how dangerous Iran (who funds Hezbollah) already is. Just imagine how powerful Hezbollah will be, should Iran fully develop a nuclear weapon. Not only would our key ally in the region (Israel) be in danger, but I have no doubt that our ties with the more friendly Arab nations would be put in serious jeopardy.

I welcome your thoughts on this.

Hizballah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Monday said that his terrorist army’s targeting of Israeli civilian centers has made it possible for the Jewish state to be “eliminated,” The New York Sun reported. “Can Israel be eliminated?” Nasrallah asked Hizballah supporters during a rally in Beirut. “Yes and a thousand yeses, Israel can be eliminated.” During the summer of 2006, Hizballah fired more than 4,000 rockets at Israeli civilians in fighting ended by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which called for the terrorist army’s disarmament. The Security Council has since expressed “grave concern” over reports of continued arms smuggling to Hizballah. Click here to learn more about Hizballah’s threatening behavior (source: AIPAC)

I was reading this story the other day, which I found incredibly sad, but found myself with a few questions that I thought really needed to be addressed regarding this case.

From CNN:

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) — Jamiel Shaw was just three doors from his house on March 2. His father told the 17-year-old high school football star to be home before dark. That is exactly what he was trying to do when, just before dusk, gunshots rang out.

Gang members pulled up in a car and asked Shaw if he was in a gang. Shaw didn’t have time to tell them “no.” He was mowed down before he could answer, police say.

This kid obviously wasn’t a thug, and it doesn’t seem as if he had any affiliations with any gangs. In fact, his father made compromises with him to ensure that he would get good grades, stay out of trouble, and get into college, which he did.

Another unfortunate to twist to this story involves the mother of Shaw:

More than 7,500 miles away, Army Sgt. Anita Shaw was serving her second tour in Iraq. Her commanding officer called her into his office and told her to sit down next to the chaplain. He then informed her that her son had been killed on the streets of Los Angeles

It’s incredibly sad to think that while she is away defending our country, here her son is, trying to stay out of trouble and didn’t even get a chance to defend himself.

Again, there is no doubt that this is an incredibly sad story, however there is one segment of the article that really stands out to me that nobody seems to be discussing.

Blue-and-white flowers — his school colors — adorned his casket, and photos of Shaw over the years were displayed at the service. Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven” played as mourners entered the church.

Why would any school in a gang-ridden neighborhood choose their school colors to be blue and white, especially in Los Angeles.

For those of you who haven’t followed the gang wars in Los Angeles, one of the biggest players there are the Crips, which is one of the largest, predominently black street gangs.

Can you guess what the Crips main colors are? Blue and White.

From what I have read, the relationship between the 18th Street Gang and the Crips has been one that fluctuates. At some points, they are rivals, where at others they share turf.

With most gangs, one small action can lead to any truces and/or partnerships being eradicated at a moments notice. In no time whatsoever, a partnership can, has, and will again lead to an all-out gang war.

While I’m not saying that there was necessarily a rivalry between the 18th Street Gang and the Crips during the time of this shooting, what I am saying is that in a neighborhood that is notorious for gang activity, having school colors be colors of one of the largest gangs in the neighborhood makes no sense to me whatsoever.

I’m really curious to hear what people have to say about this, because to me it seems like having different school colors would be a no-brainier and something that would have been changed a long time ago.

It looks like the the girl from the infamous “3am call” video (see below) produced by the Hillary Clinton campaign isn’t even a Clinton supporter.

From CNN.com:

BONNEY LAKE, Washington (AP) — Casey Knowles didn’t much like a recent campaign commercial for Hillary Clinton — even though she’s in it as a sleeping 8-year-old.

After all, she about to turn 18 now and is a big supporter of Barack Obama.

“What I don’t like about the ad is its fear-mongering,” Knowles told ABC’s “Good Morning America Weekend Edition” on Sunday. “I think it’s a cheap hit to take. I really prefer Obama’s message of looking forward to a bright future.”

You would figure that the Clinton camp would pre-screen those people in their video, who will naturally become stars in their own right, to ensure that they aren’t going to kill any of the video’s momentum.

This girl isn’t spectacular, she could have been replaced with any Clinton supporter. Even so, I don’t think that this is that big of deal, but its still quite funny.

Usually, when I think about the terms “girls”, “video”, “Clinton” and “3am,” a Hillary ad isn’t usually the first thing that comes to mind.

It looks like China has been spending a great deal of time, effort, and energy trying to figure out the security vulnerabilities of the computer systems of the United States government, particularly those at the Department of Defense.

From CNN.com:

ZHOUSHAN, China (CNN)  — They operate from a bare apartment on a Chinese island. They are intelligent 20-somethings who seem harmless. But they are hard-core hackers who claim to have gained access to the world’s most sensitive sites, including the Pentagon.

In fact, they say they are sometimes paid secretly by the Chinese government — a claim the Beijing government denies.

“No Web site is one hundred percent safe. There are Web sites with high-level security, but there is always a weakness,” says Xiao Chen, the leader of this group.

This of course, is something that isn’t that shocking to anyone who has followed computer security, and the politics behind. Should we be surprised that the Chinese government would deny the fact that they pay hackers to test for vulnerabilities? Absolutely not. I wouldn’t be shocked if the United States has similar programs, with similar objectives.

What is concerning though, is the level of computers that many of these hackers have been able to get to. While it is a big deal when a foreign hacker gets into the computer of the FDA, etc, it’s a catastrophe when word is leaked that foreign computers have been able to penetrate some of the security layers at the DoD.

 The apartment has cement floors and almost no furniture. What they do have are three of the latest computers. They are cautious when it comes to naming the Web sites they have hacked.

But eventually Xiao Chen claims two of his colleagues — not the ones with him in the room — have hacked into the Pentagon and downloaded information, although he wouldn’t specify what was gleaned. CNN has no way to confirm if his claim is true.

I think that CNN actually confirmed their claim a few days ago in this article, reporting:

Pentagon officials said a chunk of China’s spending went to cyberwarfare, because 2007 saw several “intrusions” believed to be from the Peoples Liberation Army. In the incidents, unclassified U.S. military computer systems were broken into and information was taken, according to Pentagon officials.

While these intrusions are probably entrances on some of the Pentagon’s lower-security ports, the fact that they have been able to get to even those layers is extremely impressive and should raise may red flags (though, since we’re talking about China, maybe a blue flag?) Remember, computers are connected through a series of networks, so if you can get to one of the less secure systems, I would imagine its not impossible to penetrate deeper into the system.

With word of these threats, one cant help but wonder what steps the Department of Defense is taking to ensure that these hackers cant penetrate these systems even further.

From a spending perspective, it looks like the White House has caught on to the need for more secure computer systems in government, as illustrated in the FY 2009 budget request from the White House:

New details on federal IT spending plans, made available by the Office of Management and Budget today, show that $103 out of every $1,000 requested for IT spending next fiscal year — or about $7.3 billion in total — will be devoted to improving IT security. That is 9.8 percent more than what was slated for fiscal 2008, and 73 percent more than the $4.2 billion budgeted for cybersecurity in fiscal 2004.

Is $7.3 billion enough for securing the United States’ most sensitive files? I doubt it.

Unfortunately, the advantage that hackers have is that they are part of an international network, which is comprised of what are, undoubtedly, some of the greatest technology minds around.

This means that in most situations, for every one step the US government takes, odds are there is a hacker following right behind, finding vulnerabilities.

It’s a complicated problem, and unfortuntately I don’t see there ever being a 100% secure solution for the DoD, taking into account the size of the organization.

Most of the time that I criticize people for being hypocrites, it is all in good fun and just my way of lightly sharing my disagreement.

However, when it comes to the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), I don’t think that there are enough words out there for me to describe my confusion and shock at some of their actions.

While they claim to have a motive for each action, I don’t think that there has been one that actually makes sense.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with ELF, its an underground eco-terrorist organization that has carried out some vary effective attacks, all under the claim that what they are doing is for the benefit of the environment; its basically their way of stopping polluters for polluting anymore.

In the past, they have torched Hummer dealerships, completely charred neighborhoods in Maryland, and the list goes on.

Today, ELF has once again carried out another set of attacks on homes in Washington that are by no standards small, but more importantly, are not seen as good for the environment by those at ELF.

From CNN.com:

(CNN) — Fire engulfed five luxury homes Monday morning at a subdivision north of Seattle in what could be a case of ecoterrorism, officials said.

A sign with the letters “ELF” was found at the scene of the fires in the “Street of Dreams” development in Woodinville, Washington, said Chief Rick Eastman of Snohomish County Fire District No. 7.

Eastman did not say if the sign is believed to be from the Earth Liberation Front, which the FBI has called an ecoterrorist group.

“Built green? Nope black!” the sign reads, according to an image from CNN affiliate KING-TV in Seattle. The sign calls the homes “McMansions.”

With all due respect, I don’t think it takes a statement from an official to realize that this is the act of ELF.

Regardless, this organization that tries to paint itself as the premier defender of the environment has quite the insane way of getting things done.

First (the obvious), ELF carries itself in such a way that is so hypocritical to their mission, that I don’t think that anyone who has even the smallest sense of logic would consider their actions to make sense.

I haven’t crunched the numbers, but I think that it is safe to assume that that the amount of dangerous gases that were released into the environment by the burning of these homes, with all the chemicals that they have on them, paint, etc, is probably much smaller than the amount that any house, even those of the size targeted, would generate over the course of a few years.

Second, what sort of organization that would like to be seen as credible does everything anonymously? When they don’t disclose their names, they might scare a few people, but at the same time they are also making themselves look like cowards. Come on, even Osama Bin-Laden, public enemy #1 release tapes with his face and demands every now and then.

Groups like ELF and ALF (Animal Liberation Front) are ones that I always find myself joking about when I’m filling up my tank, but whenever they take action like this, there is really nothing to joke about – these people are just complete idiots.

One of these days, they’re going to get too close to the kerosene.

I came across this article today, pretty interesting. Sometimes we lose focus of a “global war on terrorism” when the media focus is only on Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan.

(more…)

I don’t think that I’ve ever heard anything on the news pertaining to Yemen, but despite its lack of coverage, there are a lot of important developments within that country that could have an impact on the overall war on terror. One example is the story below:

SA’ADA, Jan. 6 — Incidents of mysterious killings between civilians and government troops are increasing from day to day, tribal and media sources said, adding that a serious incident took place inside the province’s government complex where the governor’s security guards assaulted sheikh Yaser Mujalli, a prominent tribal leader in the restive province. (more…)

 

From the Asia Times Online:

Al-Qaeda claims Bhutto killing
By Syed Saleem Shahzad

KARACHI - ”We terminated the most precious American asset which vowed to defeat mujahideen.” These were the words of al-Qaeda’s top commander for Afghanistan operations and spokesperson Mustafa Abu al-Yazid, immediately after the attack that claimed the life of Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto on Thursday (December 27).

Bhutto died after being shot by a suicide assailant who, according to witnesses, also detonated a bomb that killed himself and up to 20 others at a rally in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. Bhutto, with Western backing, had been hoping to become prime minister for a third time after general elections next month.

For rest of article, click here: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/IL29Df01.html