Imperious Rangel - Will Pelosi Blow The Whistle?

Olmert hangs on but how much longer can he do so considering the prospective charges against him? Politicians don't go easily and crooked ones even less so. (See 1, 1a and 3 below.)

Saudi Interior Minister appeals to his nation to disavow extremism. (See 2 below.)

A New York Times editorial calls for Rangel's investigation to continue because of an alleged sweetheart deal. Rangel is accused of arranging special tax favors for an oil company which then contributed mega bucks to Rangel's pet project. This is how imperious politicians operate in D.C. Congress is nothing shy of a massage parlor. It will be interesting to see if Pelosi blows the whistle on Rangel whose ethical skin needs scrubbing.

Rangel, Chairs The House Ways and Means Committee - one of the most powerful of all because it deals with tax policies. Rangel, in another matter, also failed to report income on several properties he owned. Rangel is one of the oiliest, slickest politicians around so it is ironic that he is accused of being involved in an oil deal. With The New York Times on his tail even Pelosi might not be able to save him. He represents Harlem so there is little chance his constituents will turn against him.

It will also be interesting to see whether the New York Times pursues Rangel or will someone get to them. Stay tuned.(See 3 below.)

Growing up in days when government, lawyers, politically correct do gooders did not control our lives. Humorous but sad and ever so true. (See 4 below.)

Now that a lot of people are getting killed, Peter Foster writes: 'it is time to be concerned about terrorists attacking India.' I think I understand what he means. It seems, however, he is suggesting numbers count more than the act itself.

Without overreacting, the ball is now in Obama's court and his testing has begun. It is possible his innate intelligence will eventually dictate his actions and he might be tougher than his campaign speechifying suggests. On the other hand, Obama's heart on his sleeve could dictate his behaviour and he might seek a meaningless visit with terrorists and try to reason with them.

It will be interesting to see whether he "changes!"

Meanwhile India is being welcomed to the same world Israelis live with daily. It will probably happen here again as well. Eventually terrorism might goad the world into action. If not the tragedies will continue, casualties will mount and eventually could culminate in a nuclear confrontation. Most people today cannot spell Chamberlain much less know who he was.

One thing is for sure and I have written and said it over and over again - feed a bully (read terrorist) and increase his appetite.)(See 5 and 5a below.)

In times like these a little humor can go a long way. This is about a nosy thief! (See 6 below.)

Stratfor offers brief review and analysis of Mumbai. (See 7 below.)

I seldom give market advice but in the past few months many, many of my friends have been having knee, shoulder and hip surgeries and thus I suspect titanium stocks might be a good buy. I play tennis as often as my own knees permit and there is more titanium in my fellow tennis player's bodies than in our racquets. At least we are out there playing.

Dick




1) Attorney-General plans to indict Olmert
By DAN IZENBERG


Ehud Olmert is now much closer to standing trial on criminal charges than any Israeli prime minister has ever been.



Mazuz also intends to charge Olmert's longtime close aide, Shula Zaken, according to the ministry's statement.

The Justice Ministry statement said the hearing would be held at a time agreed upon by both sides. If the experience of former president Moshe Katsav is anything to go by, Olmert's hearing should take place in about four months.

Kadima leadership candidate Tzipi Livni did not respond publicly to the attorney-general's decision and her spokesman was unavailable for comment.

But Kadima officials revealed that she did try to pressure Olmert to suspend himself via ministers and MKs who were once close to him and are now loyal to her such as Finance Minister Ronnie Bar-On and Vice Premier Haim Ramon.



If Olmert suspends himself, Livni would take over because of her status as vice prime minister.

Livni will remain silent until noon Thursday, when there will be a Kadima faction meeting in which the party's MKs might collectively call on him to let Livni become prime minister and improve her chances of winning the February 10 election.

Olmert's lawyers, Eli Zohar, Nevot Tel-Tzur and Ro'i Blecher, said the prime minister vigorously denied the allegations and was shocked to see the state mention suspicions against him that he had never been questioned about during his 10 interrogation session with police investigators.

The prime minister's spokesman, Amir Dan, said it had been obvious the prosecution would have to indict him "after it suffered a severe blow in the Talansky affair and forced a serving prime minister to resign."

In the Rishon Tours affair, Olmert is suspected of collecting $85,000 more than the cost of speaking tours he made abroad on behalf of nonprofit organizations and working trips he made in his ministerial capacity. He allegedly double-billed or overcharged the nonprofit organizations and the state and used the money to finance private trips for himself and his family or to upgrade flights.

The organizations on whose behalf Olmert spoke abroad included Akim, Israel Bonds, Yad Vashem, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the March of Life, the Soldiers Welfare Association, Keren Hayesod, the World Jewish Congress and ORT.

When he flew to speak for more than one organization on the same trip, Olmert allegedly charged each one the full price of the ticket. Sometimes, he brought other people along with him and charged the various organizations the full price of their tickets, too.

Zaken and another employee in Olmert's office, Rachel Raz-Risbi, were allegedly responsible for telling each organization it would have to pay the full price of his ticket. Olmert's travel agency, Rishon Tours, would send the bills and receipts to the organizations in accordance with instructions from Zaken and Raz-Risbi.

In some cases, the price that was charged to individual organizations was allegedly "significantly" higher than the cost of the actual ticket. In others, the travel agency supposedly published a fictitious itinerary for Olmert's trip.

Olmert behaved the same way toward the state, according to the Justice Ministry statement. When he went on a trip that included a speaking tour and ministerial work, he would charge the nonprofit organization and the state the full price of the ticket.

In doing so, he also deceived the state comptroller, to whom he had to give a report on his income, and the Tax Authority.

Olmert is suspected of having obtained something by deceit, fraud and breach of faith, making false entry in the documents of a corporate body, and deceitfully concealing income. Zaken faces indictment on the first three of the above charges.

The Rishon Tours affair is one of six criminal investigations being conducted against the prime minister. Ironically, it is also the most recent. It began in June as an offshoot of the Talansky affair, in which Olmert is suspected of receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars, some of it in cash, from an American Jewish supporter and businessman, Morris Talansky. On September 7, the police completed their investigation of the two affairs and recommended indicting the prime minister.

The Talansky investigation has become bogged down because Talansky has refused to return to testify in Israel as he is currently under investigation in the US and is concerned that information he divulges in his trial here might be used against him there.

The police have also completed the investigation of the Bank Leumi affair, in which Olmert is suspected of having intervened in a public tender for the sale of the core ownership of the bank to help a business acquaintance. In this case, the police have recommended closing the file.

The other investigations involve Olmert's term as minister of industry, trade and labor. He is suspected of making political appointments and giving favorable treatment to businessmen seeking government grants for new factories who were represented by his close friend, Uri Messer.

Another investigation involves Olmert's purchase of a home in Jerusalem's German Colony at a price below market levels. He is suspected of repaying the contractor by persuading the city to ease restrictions and grant him better building terms than he would have otherwise received. These cases are still under police investigation.

MKs from Meretz, Labor, Hatikva and the Likud released statements on Wednesday night urging Olmert to suspend himself following Mazuz's declared intention to put the prime minister on trial.

MK Zehava Gal-On (Meretz) called on Olmert to suspend himself, saying every day the prime minister stayed in office was "pointless," because he "lacks the moral and public virtues that are necessary in order to lead."

MK Ophir Paz-Pines (Labor) also called on the prime minister to resign.

"This is a tragic day for the State of Israel. We've reached a new low point," Pines said in a statement.

"Olmert should immediately suspend himself as he publicly and explicitly promised to do. It is wrong for a person accused by the state of criminal charges to continue sitting in the prime minister's seat," Pines added.

Right-wing politicians such as MK Arye Eldad (Hatikva) were supportive of Mazuz's plan to put Olmert to trial.

"The public knows that a criminal is leading Kadima's government," Eldad said, adding that he was disappointed with the slow-moving legal system.

Eldad said he was "constantly amazed at Olmert's chutzpa - as he continues to give away territories to the Arabs and promises withdrawals, while his only mandate is over the attorneys who will represent him during his trial."

MK Michael Eitan (Likud) expressed concern with the implications for Israel's foreign policy.

"Olmert should announce he is freezing all negotiations until a new government is elected," he said.

"A transitional government led by an indicted man is a government that lacks the legal and moral legitimacy required to lead a nation in diplomatic moves with far-reaching consequences," Eitan said.

Another Likud MK, Yuli Edelstein, also praised Mazuz's plan to put Olmert on trial, but said it came too late.

"His political verdict should have been given a long time ago, but his party members wouldn't let go of their seats and backed his corrupt actions," Edelstein said.

Gil Hoffman contributed to this report.

1a) Livni urges Olmert to take leave as threat of indictment looms
By Tomer Zarchin



Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi Livni on Thursday called on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to suspend himself immediately in light of the indictment facing him over the Rishon Tours scandal.

Livni, who also serves as foreign minister, summoned an emergency meeting of Kadima on Thursday to discuss the repercussions of a potential indictment against Olmert.

"The prime minister must take leave. There is no other option," Livni said.
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"This is a dramatic day," Livni said. "The Kadima Party cannot afford to follow these norms. There has been a change in Israel. This isn't Olmert's personal matter but a public matter."

The Kadima head added that this was a difficult day for the state following the attorney general's announcement Wednesday night that an indictment against Olmert is imminent.

"Despite the discomfort and despite the fact that none of us is eager to do so, Kadima was established in order to impart worthy norms of behavior," Livni said, calling on faction members identified with Olmert to put aside their allegiance. "We have no other choice," Livni said. "We are here together and we have to work as a faction."

Attorney General Menachem Mazuz told Olmert on Wednesday that he is considering filing an indictment against him for allegedly using state funds from multiple state bodies to finance private trips abroad.

Mazuz told Olmert's former bureau chief, Shula Zaken, he is considering indicting her, as well.

The attorney general made his decision a few weeks ago but prefered to wait until Olmert returned from his just-completed Washington D.C trip. He will issue a final decision on the matter pending the outcome of a hearing he will hold for Olmert.

The Rishon Tours affair involves suspicion that during Olmert's stint as minister of industry, trade and labor (2003-2006), and as mayor of Jerusalem (1993-2003), he financed his own and his family's private flights through money obtained fraudulently from public bodies. He may face charges of fraud, breach of faith and falsifying corporate documents, and income tax evasion.

Olmert's attorneys, Eli Zohar, Navot Telzur and Roy Blecher said in response to Mazuz's announcement: "The prime minister utterly rejects the suspicions against him in the matter of Rishon Tours. The decision to summon the prime minister to a hearing on this matter, when other affairs are still under investigation and/or no decision has been made, is a surprising and even unreasonable one."

Mazuz ordered a criminal file opened against Olmert in June in the Rishon Tours affair, with suspicions emerging that he had allegedly defrauded several organizations, among them the AKIM organization for developmentally delayed children, Israel Bonds, Yad Vashem, the Simon Weisenthal Center, the March of the Living, Keren Hayesod, the World Jewish Congress and ORT. Olmert is suspected of demanding, through Zaken and another staff member, Rachel Raz-Risbi, reimbursment from two or more groups for his flights as well as from the state.

It is believed that some $85,000 accumulated in an account at Rishon Tours, which was used for Olmert family trips abroad and for upgrades.

Olmert's attorneys were informed Wednesday by letter of suspicions that with Olmert's knowledge and on his instruction the bodies funding his trips were systematically presented with false documents stating that they were paying for his flight and occasionally for those accompanying him, and that it was concealed from these bodies that other groups were also being asked to pay for the trips.

In their statement Wednesday, the prime minister's lawyers also said Olmert was "shocked to read in Attorney General Menachem Mazuz's letter details and claims about which he had not been questioned...in complete opposition to the statement by the attorney general, the prime minister was presented with no evidence on which to base the idea that he was aware of the alleged acts."

According to the State Prosecutor's Office, these alleged acts of fraud were also commited against the state, since some of his trips were made as part of his ministerial post and were funded by the state. Olmert is suspected of presenting false documents to officials in the Industry, Trade and Employment Ministry.

The State Prosecutor's Office claims that by these alleged acts, Olmert also unlawfully received payment or benefit deriving from his post.

Olmert is also suspected of fraudulently concealing this income from the State Comptroller. The State Prosecutor further suspects that Olmert concealed the income from the tax authorities in his annual tax returns.

The State Prosecutor notes that Olmert's conduct in general constitutes taking advantage of his position over the years for monetary benefit with trips paid for by public organizations and by the state in a manner opposed to norms and rules obligating a minister and a public servant, and that such acts constitute fraud and breach of faith.

The State Prosecutor's Office has also not yet decided whether to indict Olmert on allegations that he accepted illicit funds over many years from a Long Island businessman, Morris Talansky. In his preliminary deposition in Jerusalem on May 27, Talansky testified that he gave Olmert $150,000, mostly in cash, for political campaigns and travel expenses.

Contacts with American authorities to allow Talansky to complete his preliminary testimony have not yet been concluded. Talansky has said that because of the investigation against him in the United States, he does not intend to come to Israel to complete his testimony unless he is given a kind of immunity, because of concerns his testimony here may implicate him in the U.S.

Justice officials said Wednesday that the claim that Mazuz is delaying his decision regarding Olmert until after the elections is unfounded. The officials also said that even if Olmert is charged on other counts, it has been decided not to wait with an indictment until the conclusion of the investigations by the state prosecutor on these matters.

Sources said Wednesday that the investigation by State Prosecutor Moshe Lador of suspicions that Olmert interfered in the privatization of Bank Leumi to benefit a friend is at a very advanced stage and a decision is expected soon.

The police are still investigating allegations that Olmert, while serving as the industry, trade and labor minister, allegedly granted large state investment funds to a company which his close associate and former law partner, Uri Messer, had been hired to represent.

Olmert's media adviser, Amir Dan, said "After the State Prosecutor's Office took a hard blow in the Talansky affair and after they brought down a sitting prime minister, it is clear that the Justice Ministry cannot make do with anything else, and there were no other expectations in this matter. As with Talansky's deposition, now too the State Prosecutor's Office is presenting a mistaken, one-sided picture, which will crack and collapse."

Mazuz may be asked soon for an opinion regarding Olmert's possible incapacitation. A senior judicial official said Wednesday that "the matter depends mainly on Olmert," and that Mazuz has said that incapacitation is a matter for public and political discourse, and not a legal issue.



2) Saudi Interior Minister Appeals to Religious and Education Establishments to Fight Ideological Extremism in the Country

Saudi Interior Minister Prince Na'if bin Abd Al-'Aziz has recently published statements in the Saudi press condemning extremism and terrorism in Saudi Arabia and calling for their eradication. In the statements, Prince Na'if contended that his country was not exerting sufficient effort to combat extremist ideologies, and called on Saudi clerics, intellectuals, and institutions of higher education to intensify measures to counter these ideologies.

Following are excerpts from some of Prince Na'if's statements:


Every Citizen Must Act As If He Were a Senior Security Officer

During an October 2, 2008 meeting with senior officials of the Saudi Ministry of Interior, held in his Jeddah residence, Prince Na'if stated: "I appeal to the clerics, the intellectuals, and to all my compatriots - each according to his position and ability - to help [fight terrorism]. An [ordinary] citizen must act as if he were a senior [member of the] security [forces], since a security [officer] is a citizen by virtue of his being a security [officer], and everyone has a responsibility [to act as if he were a security officer]… Everyone should realize that we are dealing not just with people, but with an opposing ideology…" [1]

Prince Na'if also warned about the danger inherent in the Al-Qaeda ideology, stressing that it still posed a threat to the security of Saudi Arabia. [2]


Saudi Mosques Have Failed at the Task of Combating Ideological Extremism

In an address delivered October 15, 2008, at a symposium on what he termed "ideological security," Prince Na'if stated that, as far as security was concerned, Saudi Arabia's efforts to combat terrorism had been both courageous and successful, but that in combating ideological extremism, the Saudi mosques had failed to fulfill the task expected of them - that is, preaching tolerance. He contended that the global increase in crime demanded close cooperation between security [apparatuses] and educational institutions. [3]


Saudi Universities Must Address the Problem of "Ideological Security"

During a meeting with the teaching staff of the Umm Al-Qura University in Mecca, on the sidelines of the aforementioned symposium, Prince Na'if called on [Saudi] universities to "address [the problem of] ideological security using theoretical and practical means available to them." He added: "…In addition to private universities, there are 20 government universities in Saudi Arabia, all capable of promoting the kind of education that would destroy misconceived ideas and replace them with those derived from the Koran, which are correct… We are asking our universities… to carry out research that will help to topple [the current] deviant ideologies, which have nothing to do with Islam and [only] harm it. Among the elements that must fight [such] deviant ideologies, the foremost are our clerics, led by the Mufti… Furthermore, 15,000 mosques in Saudi Arabia hold Friday prayers, and all of them can use their pulpits to guide the public along the right path and prevent it from going astray…" [4]


Terrorism Has Come To Be Regarded as an Integral Part of Islam - And To Be Attributed to All Muslims

Several days later, Prince Na'if reported that 991 extremists had been accused of involvement in terrorist [activities] in Saudi Arabia, and that they would stand trial. He explained that in addition to accusing [Saudi] society of heresy, "these criminal murderers have carried out over 30 terrorist operations against civilians… security personnel, and the motherland…"

Prince Na'if proceeded to describe the damage that terrorists had caused Saudi Arabia, explaining that not only had their activities harmed the country's reputation worldwide, but that terrorism had come to be regarded as an integral part of Islam and to be attributed to all Muslims. He went on to praise Saudi security forces' efforts to combat terrorism, stating that so far they had managed to prevent over 160 terrorist operations. [5]

It should be pointed out that the Saudi Shura Council is currently debating a bill that would punish extremists involved in terrorism and in other activity undermining state security. A Shura Council source disclosed that "the new law will deal with all forms of organized crime as well as with terror-related activity, and the punishment of those involved in such activities will be death."

Prince Na'if said in this regard that various crimes, including bombings, kidnappings, and terrorizing people in the Saudi Kingdom, were crimes of haraba. Such crimes, defined in the Koran as acts of "spreading corruption and chaos around the world," are characterized by the shari'a as especially grievous, and as punishable by death. [6]

[1] 'Okaz (Saudi Arabia), October 3, 2008.

[2] 'Okaz (Saudi Arabia), October 13, 2008.

[3] 'Okaz (Saudi Arabia), October 16, 2008.

[4] Al-Hayat (London), October 18, 2008.

[5] 'Okaz (Saudi Arabia), October 21, 2008.

[6] http://www.arabnews.com, November 24, 2008.

3) New York Times Editorial



More questions are being raised about the doubtful ethics of Representative Charles Rangel of New York, the chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee. The latest sniff of scandal — a breakfast meeting with a donor seeking tax protection — provides more grist for the House ethics inquiry that’s supposed to be under way into Mr. Rangel’s tangled affairs.

.

According to a report in The Times on Tuesday, Mr. Rangel breakfasted last year with a major donor to his pet legacy: a school of public service at City College of New York that will bear Mr. Rangel’s name. The donor, an oil-drilling executive, says he then escorted the chairman across the dining room of the Carlyle Hotel to meet his company’s waiting lobbyist — a special pleader intent on protecting an off-shore tax loophole.

As events progressed, the loophole was protected, the donor pledged $1 million to the Rangel school and the principals deny that there was any quid pro quo.

Mr. Rangel first called for an ethics inquiry after disclosures about his cut-rate rents in rent-stabilized apartments in Harlem. Then there was the news that Mr. Rangel owned a Dominican villa on which he failed to disclose rental income or pay federal taxes. Mr. Rangel plainly violated congressional regulations when he used his official letterhead to solicit support for his academic center from scores of business and foundation leaders. Throughout, Mr. Rangel has proclaimed his innocence.

Mr. Rangel also says he has no recollection of the lobbyist breakfast encounter, while company officials say it involved only a few minutes and ended with Mr. Rangel restating his opposition to closing the loophole.

Nevermind that the congressman had earlier denounced the boondoggle for costing taxpayers tens of millions annually. He maintains he since concluded that a change would amount to an unfair retroactive tax increase. The Times’s David Kocieniewski reports that congressional colleagues were shocked by the reversal.

We hope that Speaker Nancy Pelosi is shocked into action. She should insist that the ethics investigation move forward — and that Mr. Rangel relinquish his chairmanship during the inquiry. If Mr. Rangel continues to resist, the speaker should permanently reassign the gavel. In a deep economic crisis, the committee, and the country, cannot afford the distraction.

4)TO ALL THOSE WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's !!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored-lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets,not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking .

As chilren, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags. Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with suuar in it, but we weren't overweight because......

We WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem .

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut,broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

This gener=tion has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned

HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

And YOU are one of them!
CONGRATULATIONS!

You had the luck to grow up as a kid, before the lawyers and the government regulated our lives along with the do gooders and forward this your kids so they will know how brave their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

5) Mumbai attacks: The world can't ignore India's Islamist terrorists any longer
By Peter Foster

India has suffered a gathering wave of Islamist terror attacks over the last five years, but it wasn't until yesterday afternoon that the terrorists really made the outside world sit up and take notice.


Firemen tackle a fire at the Taj Mahal hotel
By targeting one of India's most iconic hotels, The Taj Mahal Palace on Mumbai's waterfront and holding hundreds of its wealthy foreign guests hostage, the Islamists have touched an international nerve at a delicate moment in the story of India's resurgence.

Despite the spate of attacks in recent years, including the 2006 train bombings in Mumbai that killed 180 people and bomb attacks this year in commercially sensitive locations of Bangalore and New Delhi, India has managed to retain its international image as a 'safe' place to visit and invest.

That all changed yesterday as the international news networks were filled with the voices of terrified Americans and Europeans, some of them on their mobile phones direct from the Taj Mahal Hotel, even as the bombs exploded nearby.

Such images will cause damage to India's status as an international investment destination at time when the economy is already suffering serious fallout from the global credit crunch.

Foreign capital, highly instrumental in India's economic resurgence, is fleeing India's economy at an alarming rate (more than £10bn this year), driving up the cost of borrowing and curbing the investment on which India's 'economic miracle' depends.

Mumbai attacks: More than 100 dead, including six foreigners
Reaction from international leaders
India bombings timeline, 2003-2008

Without China's trillion-dollar trade surpluses, India just doesn't have the spare cash to cut taxes and announce multi-billion dollar internal investment programs to prop up domestic demand.

It's an unquantifiable factor, but the fact that every serious investor and businessman to visit Mumbai will know the Taj Palace Hotel like a home from home, will only serve to increase the jitters caused by these attacks.

What will really terrify India's political leaders, however, is the certain knowledge that there is virtually nothing they can do to stop this type of low-tech attack from recurring again and again.

Since 2003, India's homegrown Islamist terrorist have struck with growing frequency - before yesterday's attacks they have bombed Jaipur, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and New Delhi this year alone - and without a single serious break-thorough by Indian police.

What began as a localized threat from Pakistan-backed mujahideen in Kashmir conflict has now spread across India, putting down indigenous roots in socially disenfranchised Muslim communities who have benefited less than most from the years of economic boom.

From a security perspective India is all but ungovernable: a vast landmass that shares porous borders with unstable Islamic states containing a shifting population of 1.1bn people, many of whom go through their entire lives without their names appearing in an official register of any kind.

With cash being the norm for living transactions and with many living in vast slums (45 per cent of all Mumbai's residents live in a slum, for example) it is perfectly possible for people to 'disappear', as the Indian police's failure to solve a single terror major attack in the last five years attests.

Add to this chaotic background the fact that sections of India's disgruntled 130m-strong Muslim minority have proved highly receptive to the extremists message and you are left with near perfect-storm conditions for an outbreak of terrorist activity.

India's political and security leaders have long privately acknowledged and feared this fact; unfortunately for India, yesterday was the day that the terrorists succeeded in bringing it to the attention of the entire world.

5a) Obama's First Test
By Gregor Peter Schmitz

The series of terror attacks in Mumbai comes at a sensitive time for the US. President Bush is no longer in a position to lead, and President-elect Barack Obama has not yet been given the reins. Still, the attacks represent Obama's first foreign policy test.

The mood was a festive one on Wednesday in Washington D.C. Just like every year before Thanksgiving, US President George W. Bush "pardoned" a turkey -- this year's version was named Pumpkin. President-elect Barack Obama and his wife Michelle, for their part, joined TV legend Barbara Walters for a chat. The atmosphere was relaxed -- they talked, for example, about how the Obama daughters would be in charge of making their own beds when they moved into the White House in January.



Bush and Obama quickly issued statements. "President Bush offers his condolences to the Indian people and the families of the innocent civilians killed and injured in the attacks in Mumbai," the White House statement said. "The US government continues to monitor the situation…and stands by ready to assist and support the Indian government." Terror experts from the State Department and the Defense Department quickly began analyzing the situation.

The Obama statement was in a similar vein. "These coordinated attacks on innocent civilians demonstrate the grave and urgent threat of terrorism," Obama spokesman Brooke Anderson said. "The United States must continue to strengthen our partnerships with India and nations around the world to root out and destroy terrorist networks."


Obama also quickly got on the phone with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who briefed him on the situation. But the exact circumstances of the series of attacks, which killed over 100 people and injured some 250, were unclear on Wednesday evening in Washington. A previously unknown group calling itself Deccan Mujahideen sent out e-mails to media organizations claiming responsibility for the attack. But there are a number of groups in India that could be behind the Deccan Mujahideen, including groups from neighboring Pakistan.

This much is certain: If it is indeed confirmed that Americans and Britons were targeted and that the attacks were inspired by al-Qaida's radical ideology, then the difficult transition phase in Washington has become even more complicated. "If the terror threat spreads from Pakistan and Afghanistan to the important American ally India, that's an enormous problem for the United States," ex-presidential advisor David Gergan said on CNN Wednesday night.

The crisis could be Obama's first big foreign policy test. The world is going to dissect his response. The president-elect has already been in the spotlight for days because of the worsening financial crisis. Given the extent of the economic catastrophe, the January 20th inauguration date seems too far in the future for an ever-growing number of Americans. For three straight days, Obama has held press conferences in order to introduce economics experts who will advise him and stimulus programs that should help the country out of the crisis. His message was clear: "Help is on the way."


ATTACKS IN INDIA

At least 60 people were killed and more than 250 people injured in a series of bombs in the Indian capital New Delhi just three days before the popular Hindu festival of lights Diwali.

September 8, 2006
Two devastasting bomb attacks on a Muslim festival killed at least 37 people in the western Indian state of Maharashtra. More than 100 people were injured, some seriously.

July 11, 2006
Seven bombs exploded on packed regional trains and railway stations in the western city of Mumbai (Bombay). A total of 187 people lost their lives and more than 700 were injured in the repeated blasts.

February 19, 2007
A terrorist attack on a train killed 69 people. The so-called "Peace Train" was travelling from New Delhi to the Pakistani city Lahore. An estimated 60 passengers were injured by the two bombs.

August 25, 2007
Two bombs exploded in a street restaurant and at a laser show in a city park, killing 42 people and injuring 50 in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad.

May 13, 2008
At least 63 people were killed and 118 injured during a terror attack in the north-western city Jaipur. Eight bombs were detonated within minutes in the city center of the popular tourist destination.

July 26, 2008
Sixteen bombs exploded, one after another, in the western Indian city Ahmedabad killing at least 56 people and injuring 150.

October 30, 2008
More than 80 people were killed in Assam in north-eastern India's most brutal bombing attack to date. Security services suspected seperatists and Muslim extremist groups were behind the plot.

November 26, 2008

Terrorists killed at least 100 people and took hostages during a series of attacks in Mumbai. An estimated 250 people were hurt. The Islamist organisation Deccan Mudschaheddin claimed responsibility for the attack, news agencies reported.
Now, Obama may also be forced into taking responsibility for foreign policy earlier than expected. Indeed, the attacks could be seen as a personal warning directed against him. During the campaign, his vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden attracted attention for announcing that, in the first six months of his presidency, Obama would be tested on the international stage.

Forcing Obama's Hand?

Al-Qaida may have a special interest in providing such a test. Obama's middle name "Hussein" and his popularity in Arab countries could pose a serious threat to the organization. Contrary to Bush, Obama is difficult to portray as an American infidel. Al-Qaida lieutenant Ayman al-Zawahiri in his remarks on the American election was forced to provide more creative criticism, calling Obama a "house negro." Terrorists may in fact be trying to force Obama into reacting harshly, so that he appears to the world as war-minded as Bush.

But the events have not caught the team unprepared. The US security forces have repeatedly outlined the possibility of a terrorist attack during the transitional phase. American Secretary for Homeland Security Michael Chertoff has long warned of the dangers of handing over power in times of war -- and gave a reminder that former presidents like Bill Clinton and George W. Bush had to react to terror attacks early on.


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For that reason, ever since the election, Obama has received the same secret service briefings as the president. The FBI has also started unusually early with their security checks on potential white house employees -- in contrast to Bush's first time in office. Back then, many of his closest security advisors had not completed their checks by the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

And the Democratic president-elect has also moved with caution when selecting his cabinet. He asked Secretary of Defense Robert Gates -- a Republican with close links to the Bush family -- to stay in office for at least another year. That provoked grumbling among the left wing of the Democrats. But Obama found it more important to avoid an abrupt change in the global security policy given the two US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the ongoing terror threat. The Wednesday attacks have validated his approach.

Still, despite the early chorus of praise, Obama remains a novice in foreign affairs -- and he will need advice from old hands. "There are a lot of things that keep me up at night," Obama said in the interview with Barbara Walters: the financial crisis, the US auto industry's decline and the energy crisis. Now he knows all too well that foreign crises too can rob a president of his sleep.

6) BURGLARY IN FLORIDA (You just can't make this stuff up!!)

When southern Florida resident Nathan Radlich's house was burglarized recently, thieves ignored his wide screen plasma TV, his VCR, and even left his Rolex watch. What they did take, however, was a generic white cardboard box filled with a grayish-white powder. (That's the way the police report described it.)

A spokesman for the Fort Lauderdale police said that it looked similar to high grade cocaine and they'd probably thought they'd hit the big time. Later, Nathan stood in front of numerous TV cameras and pleaded with the burglars: 'Please return the cremated remains of my sister,

Gertrude. She died three years ago.'

The next morning, the bullet-riddled corpse of a local drug dealer known as Hoochie Pevens was found on Nathan's doorstep. The cardboard box was there too; about half of Gertrude's ashes remained.

Scotch taped to the box was this note which said: Hoochie sold us the bogus blow, so we wasted Hoochie. Sorry we snorted your sister. No hard feelings. Have a nice day.

And you thought California was the land of fruits and nuts!


7)RED ALERT - Possible Geopolitical Consequences of the Mumbai Attacks Thursday

Brief Summary:

If the Nov. 26 attacks in Mumbai were carried out by Islamist militants as it appears, the Indian government will have little choice, politically speaking, but to blame them on Pakistan. That will in turn spark a crisis between the two nuclear rivals that will draw the United States into the fray.

Brief Analysis

At this point the situation on the ground in Mumbai remains unclear following the militant attacks of Nov. 26. But in order to understand the geopolitical significance of what is going on, it is necessary to begin looking beyond this event at what will follow. Though the situation is still in motion, the likely consequences of the attack are less murky.

We will begin by assuming that the attackers are Islamist militant groups operating in India, possibly with some level of outside support from Pakistan. We can also see quite clearly that this was a carefully planned, well-executed attack.

Given this, the Indian government has two choices. First, it can simply say that the perpetrators are a domestic group. In that case, it will be held accountable for a failure of enormous proportions in security and law enforcement. It will be charged with being unable to protect the public. On the other hand, it can link the attack to an outside power: Pakistan. In that case it can hold a nation-state responsible for the attack, and can use the crisis atmosphere to strengthen the government’s internal position by invoking nationalism. Politically this is a much preferable outcome for the Indian government, and so it is the most likely course of action. This is not to say that there are no outside powers involved — simply that, regardless of the ground truth, the Indian government will claim there were.

That, in turn, will plunge India and Pakistan into the worst crisis they have had since 2002. If the Pakistanis are understood to be responsible for the attack, then the Indians must hold them responsible, and that means they will have to take action in retaliation — otherwise, the Indian government’s domestic credibility will plunge. The shape of the crisis, then, will consist of demands that the Pakistanis take immediate steps to suppress Islamist radicals across the board, but particularly in Kashmir. New Delhi will demand that this action be immediate and public. This demand will come parallel to U.S. demands for the same actions, and threats by incoming U.S. President Barack Obama to force greater cooperation from Pakistan.

If that happens, Pakistan will find itself in a nutcracker. On the one side, the Indians will be threatening action — deliberately vague but menacing — along with the Americans. This will be even more intense if it turns out, as currently seems likely, that Americans and Europeans were being held hostage (or worse) in the two hotels that were attacked. If the attacks are traced to Pakistan, American demands will escalate well in advance of inauguration day.

There is a precedent for this. In 2002 there was an attack on the Indian parliament in Mumbai by Islamist militants linked to Pakistan. A near-nuclear confrontation took place between India and Pakistan, in which the United States brokered a stand-down in return for intensified Pakistani pressure on the Islamists. The crisis helped redefine the Pakistani position on Islamist radicals in Pakistan.

In the current iteration, the demands will be even more intense. The Indians and Americans will have a joint interest in forcing the Pakistani government to act decisively and immediately. The Pakistani government has warned that such pressure could destabilize Pakistan. The Indians will not be in a position to moderate their position, and the Americans will see the situation as an opportunity to extract major concessions. Thus the crisis will directly intersect U.S. and NATO operations in Afghanistan.

It is not clear the degree to which the Pakistani government can control the situation. But the Indians will have no choice but to be assertive, and the United States will move along the same line. Whether it is the current government in India that reacts, or one that succeeds doesn’t matter. Either way, India is under enormous pressure to respond. Therefore the events point to a serious crisis not simply between Pakistan and India, but within Pakistan as well, with the government caught between foreign powers and domestic realities. Given the circumstances, massive destabilization is possible — never a good thing with a nuclear power.

This is thinking far ahead of the curve, and is based on an assumption of the truth of something we don’t know for certain yet, which is that the attackers were Muslims and that the Pakistanis will not be able to demonstrate categorically that they weren’t involved. Since we suspect they were Muslims, and since we doubt the Pakistanis can be categorical and convincing enough to thwart Indian demands, we suspect that we will be deep into a crisis within the next few days, very shortly after the situation on the ground clarifies itself.