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Israel / Lebanon
Jul. 17th, 2006 11:57 pmNow, I know many people reading this already have well-established views on the Middle East situation. And I know that there's a wide range of opinions out there. So I'm not going to try to revisit the rights and wrongs of the whole mess. However, having said that...
I can't help feeling that Olmert's been suckered. He's at the head of a new government and he had to show he was tough on security. Hezbollah seem to have known that, too.
Soldiers are kidnapped, Israel retaliates. Which means striking at Lebanon, as Hezbollah's mostly based there.
We're now up to 12 Israeli dead and up to 200 Lebanese dead, according to the BBC. Still no sign of the captured soldiers. Which means that Olmert's written himself into a corner - now that he's committed so much force and things have escalated, he can't just stop without a good reason (such as recovering those two hostages, which doesn't seem likely to happen soon...).
It's worth noting that Hezbollah has now proved that it can easily hit Haifa with rockets. Which seems to have been a shock to Israel. They've obviously had the capability to do this for a while - they just chose not to, until now.
And every bomb that falls on Lebanon seems to push the Lebanese public - Christian and Muslim - further away from any sympathy with Israel's position. Even the elements that previously condemned Hezbollah now seem frustrated and furious...
Hezbollah have obviously been planning elements of this for a while. They arranged a suitable provocation - and I suspect Israel reacted more-or-less as expected. Despite the military imbalance, that doesn't put Israel in the best position, does it?
I can't help feeling that Olmert's been suckered. He's at the head of a new government and he had to show he was tough on security. Hezbollah seem to have known that, too.
Soldiers are kidnapped, Israel retaliates. Which means striking at Lebanon, as Hezbollah's mostly based there.
We're now up to 12 Israeli dead and up to 200 Lebanese dead, according to the BBC. Still no sign of the captured soldiers. Which means that Olmert's written himself into a corner - now that he's committed so much force and things have escalated, he can't just stop without a good reason (such as recovering those two hostages, which doesn't seem likely to happen soon...).
It's worth noting that Hezbollah has now proved that it can easily hit Haifa with rockets. Which seems to have been a shock to Israel. They've obviously had the capability to do this for a while - they just chose not to, until now.
And every bomb that falls on Lebanon seems to push the Lebanese public - Christian and Muslim - further away from any sympathy with Israel's position. Even the elements that previously condemned Hezbollah now seem frustrated and furious...
Hezbollah have obviously been planning elements of this for a while. They arranged a suitable provocation - and I suspect Israel reacted more-or-less as expected. Despite the military imbalance, that doesn't put Israel in the best position, does it?
[football] World cup final
Jul. 9th, 2006 09:43 pmZidane is not going to be a popular man tonight. Hell of a way to retire from the game...
Nice headbutt, though.
Nice headbutt, though.
Doctor Who
Jul. 8th, 2006 07:46 pmStarted well. Could have been better, could have been worse - it looked like one scene was cut and I've got some quibbles with the finish (and a couple of the RTD touches)...
...but definitely could have been worse
( Read more... )
...but definitely could have been worse
( Read more... )
(no subject)
Jul. 3rd, 2006 08:08 amExtending the 28-day limit for police to hold terror suspects without charge "would have helped in cases such as the recent anti-terror raid in Forest Gate"
Interesting statement. Does that mean they'd have been able to hold them longer without admitting they'd got the wrong people? They didn't actually try to hold them for 28 days anyway, did they?
Because it sounds like a sneaky way to claim that they did have the right people, honest, they just weren't able to find the evidence in time...
Interesting statement. Does that mean they'd have been able to hold them longer without admitting they'd got the wrong people? They didn't actually try to hold them for 28 days anyway, did they?
Because it sounds like a sneaky way to claim that they did have the right people, honest, they just weren't able to find the evidence in time...
Human Rights and all that jazz
Jun. 29th, 2006 06:38 pmUSA - Guantanamo tribunals declared 'illegal' by the Supreme Court
UK - Anti-terror control orders "the antithesis of liberty", quashed by High Court
I happen to believe that both of these decisions are a Good Thing. I'm not saying that these people are innocent and should be released - but they deserve a trial, just like everyone else.
Indefinite detention without trial - without a chance to challenge the evidence against you - should not be an option. Partly because it's an abuse of human rights. Partly because it's been tried before and just doesn't seem to work.
Interesting to see that the two judgements were within a day of each other, btw...
UK - Anti-terror control orders "the antithesis of liberty", quashed by High Court
I happen to believe that both of these decisions are a Good Thing. I'm not saying that these people are innocent and should be released - but they deserve a trial, just like everyone else.
Indefinite detention without trial - without a chance to challenge the evidence against you - should not be an option. Partly because it's an abuse of human rights. Partly because it's been tried before and just doesn't seem to work.
Interesting to see that the two judgements were within a day of each other, btw...
[football] Oh, and I note that...
Jun. 25th, 2006 10:15 pmThe Wikipedia page for referee Valentin Valentinovich Ivanov has already been updated, vandalised and now semi-protected...
Not a popular man right now.
Not a popular man right now.
[football] Portugal it is, then...
Jun. 25th, 2006 09:59 pm...but what a shambolic game that was. Some good football in there, but the number of cards... and the referee...
Lots of bad feeling on both sides, but one image picked up by the ITV coverage that seems to sum it up:
Gio Van Bronckhorst (Holland), who'd been sent off and was sitting next to Deco (Portugal) - who'd also been sent off. Both of them play for Barcelona and while their national teams were bickering, they seemed to be in total agreement about something, presumably exchanging rants about the ref...
Lots of bad feeling on both sides, but one image picked up by the ITV coverage that seems to sum it up:
Gio Van Bronckhorst (Holland), who'd been sent off and was sitting next to Deco (Portugal) - who'd also been sent off. Both of them play for Barcelona and while their national teams were bickering, they seemed to be in total agreement about something, presumably exchanging rants about the ref...
It's Friday.
Time to do something interesting.
Time to do something interesting.
This week...
Jun. 16th, 2006 06:53 pm...has been a crazy mix of medical stuff, family stuff, train travel, work and Other Things.
I watched an England game. In a pub. While wearing an England shirt. It's an interesting experience. A bit like Rocky Horror (everyone knows the songs, everyone knows their cue...) but with more beer and less black. I'm not so sure how it compares in terms of fishnet and suspenders. Best not to ask.
Had an interview on Tuesday, for an internal vacancy. Heard today that, yes, I got the job. Quite happy about that.
Other stuff is not quite so good, but will sort itself out.
And somewhere, there's a pub. It's calling me, y'see. I can hear it. Or some of the people in it, anyway. And not just because of the phone posts. :)
I watched an England game. In a pub. While wearing an England shirt. It's an interesting experience. A bit like Rocky Horror (everyone knows the songs, everyone knows their cue...) but with more beer and less black. I'm not so sure how it compares in terms of fishnet and suspenders. Best not to ask.
Had an interview on Tuesday, for an internal vacancy. Heard today that, yes, I got the job. Quite happy about that.
Other stuff is not quite so good, but will sort itself out.
And somewhere, there's a pub. It's calling me, y'see. I can hear it. Or some of the people in it, anyway. And not just because of the phone posts. :)
For ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
davefish, among others...
vitaly_stranger points out that Dust Heaven are playing this year's Castle Party.
They're rather good. More precisely, they were very good when I saw them at WGT. Hmm.
davefish, among others... vitaly_stranger points out that Dust Heaven are playing this year's Castle Party.They're rather good. More precisely, they were very good when I saw them at WGT. Hmm.
(no subject)
Jun. 14th, 2006 10:59 pmOrange Wednesday.
X-Men 3.
I don't feel I was robbed. Not as good as the second one, but some nice moments. Some unexpected ones, too - I'd been avoiding spoilers and was rather surprised at a couple of the twists.
Nice take on Madrox. Silly helmet on Juggernaut.
X-Men 3.
I don't feel I was robbed. Not as good as the second one, but some nice moments. Some unexpected ones, too - I'd been avoiding spoilers and was rather surprised at a couple of the twists.
Nice take on Madrox. Silly helmet on Juggernaut.
Another great day for the Met (part 2)
Jun. 10th, 2006 09:59 amQuestions are being asked about the way police and intelligence services handled an anti-terror raid in east London after the release of two men
"Two brothers Abul Koyair, 20, and Mohammed Abdul Kahar, 23 who was shot in the raid, were freed without charge on Friday evening"
After the raid, the papers talked about a cyanide bomb. There were initially press reports that one brother had shot the other (whereas it now appears that he'd headed downstairs to see who was breaking into his house, not realising that it was the police - who then shot him, in circumstances that'll undoubtedly be investigated).
Oh, and government officials said both suspects had "extensive criminal records" - although Julian Young, Mr Koyair's solicitor, has stated that his client has no such record - and the government officials stopped making any such claims a couple of days back...
Let's not forget that they also detained the neighbours - and if the quote about a police officer striking one of them across the head with a gun butt is true, that was also a complete mess.
And let's also remember this particular quote:
One senior security source said: "We are absolutely certain this device exists and could be used either by a suicide bomber or in a remote-controlled explosion."
"Two brothers Abul Koyair, 20, and Mohammed Abdul Kahar, 23 who was shot in the raid, were freed without charge on Friday evening"
After the raid, the papers talked about a cyanide bomb. There were initially press reports that one brother had shot the other (whereas it now appears that he'd headed downstairs to see who was breaking into his house, not realising that it was the police - who then shot him, in circumstances that'll undoubtedly be investigated).
Oh, and government officials said both suspects had "extensive criminal records" - although Julian Young, Mr Koyair's solicitor, has stated that his client has no such record - and the government officials stopped making any such claims a couple of days back...
Let's not forget that they also detained the neighbours - and if the quote about a police officer striking one of them across the head with a gun butt is true, that was also a complete mess.
And let's also remember this particular quote:
One senior security source said: "We are absolutely certain this device exists and could be used either by a suicide bomber or in a remote-controlled explosion."
Another great day for the Met (part 1)
Jun. 10th, 2006 09:49 amAsian police officers "and in particular Pakistani Muslim officers" need special anti-corruption training, according to an internal police report. The report was commissioned to "investigate why complaints of misconduct and corruption against Asian officers are 10 times higher than against their white colleagues", but has now been leaked to the press.
That's going to make Asian officers feel so much more welcome, isn't it? It also seems to skip one very important point - complaints of misconduct are very high, but the report remains silent on whether or not they're found to be justified.
Are confirmed corruption/misconduct reports also uncomfortably high, or are the majority of these just wild claims, targeting officers who look/sound a bit different from the norm?
That's going to make Asian officers feel so much more welcome, isn't it? It also seems to skip one very important point - complaints of misconduct are very high, but the report remains silent on whether or not they're found to be justified.
Are confirmed corruption/misconduct reports also uncomfortably high, or are the majority of these just wild claims, targeting officers who look/sound a bit different from the norm?
