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Another Day in the Empire : "After presidential selectee hopeful and neocon psychopath Tom Tancredo once again suggested bombing Mecca and Medina as “the best way he can think of to deter a nuclear terrorist attack on the US,” according to the International News, a Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group declared his threat “unworthy of anyone seeking public office in the United States.” In fact, as a psychopath, Tancredo has the required skillset for office, although as a one percenter at the bottom of the potential selectee heap he won’t be taking up residency at the White House. "

A Nail in Maliki Government's Coffin? - by Ali al-Fadhily

South Korea turns against 'arrogant' Christian hostages - Independent Online Edition > Asia : "The kidnap of South Korean church volunteers by the Taliban has caused deep divisions back home, forcing into the open a dark truth: many Koreans resent Christians and the speed with which they have become a dominant force in the upper echelons of society. "

McClatchy Washington Bureau | 08/03/2007 | At U.S. base, Iraqis must use separate latrine : "Here at this searing, dusty U.S. military base about four miles west of Baqouba, Iraqis — including interpreters who walk the same foot patrols and sleep in the same tents as U.S. troops — must use segregated bathrooms. Another sign, in a dining hall, warns Iraqis and 'third-country nationals' that they have just one hour for breakfast, lunch or dinner. American troops get three hours. Iraqis say they sometimes wait as long as 45 minutes in hot lines to get inside the chow hall, leaving just 15 minutes to get their food and eat it. It's been nearly 60 years since President Harry Truman ended racial segregation in the U.S. military. But at Forward Operating Base Warhorse it's alive and well, perhaps the only U.S. military facility with such rules, Iraqi interpreters here say."

IraqSlogger: US-Iraqi Forces Raid NDF HQ : "Baghdad, Aug 3, (VOI) – A joint U.S.-Iraqi force raided the headquarters of Khalaf al-Ilyan's Sunni National Dialogue Council (NDC) on Thursday and ransacked its contents, an NDC media source said on Friday. 'The raiding force deliberately smashed the furniture and doors of the building, located in the al-Jamea neighborhood, western Baghdad,' the source, who preferred to remain anonymous, told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). "

U.N. ambassador slams U.S. arms sales -- The Washington Times, America's Newspaper : "NEW YORK — Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations criticized a Bush administration plan to sell heavy military equipment and weapons to Israel and select Arab countries yesterday, saying the sale would only increase regional support for Iran."

Why the latest good news from Iraq doesn't matter. - By Phillip Carter - Slate Magazine : "In 1975, Army Col. Harry Summers went to Hanoi as chief of the U.S. delegation's negotiation team for the four-party military talks that followed the collapse of the South Vietnamese government. While there, he spent some time chatting with his North Vietnamese counterpart, Col. Tu, an old soldier who had fought against the United States and lived to tell his tale. With a tinge of bitterness about the war's outcome, Summers told Tu, 'You know, you never defeated us on the battlefield.' Tu replied, in a phrase that perfectly captured the American misunderstanding of the Vietnam War, 'That may be so, but it is also irrelevant.'"

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Afghans 'wounded in air strike' : "About 50 Afghan civilians have been wounded in an air strike by US-led forces on a group of Taleban leaders holding a meeting in Helmand province."

A Week in the Death of Iraq - washingtonpost.com : "When will I die? That's the question circling in my head when I awake on Wednesday. I'm sweating, as usual. My muscles ache from another long night of no electricity in weather only slightly cooler than hell. As I dress for work, other questions assail me: How will I die? Will it be a shot in the head? Will I be blown to pieces? Or be seized at a police checkpoint because of my sect, then tortured and killed and thrown out on the sidewalk?"

allAfrica.com: Somalia: Ethiopia Engages in Secret Talks With Islamists (Page 1 of 1) The leaders of Somalia's routed Union of Islamic Courts and the Ethiopian government have reportedly been having undisclosed dialog, according to Asharqalawsat, the Arabic online newspaper based in London. The paper reported that no results have yet to come out from the secret talks. An Islamist leader, who asked to remain anonymous, confirmed that Ethiopia and Somalia's Islamists were negotiating, but he did not say if the talks have been done through telephone or meeting, Asharqalawsat said.

Tancredo's stance reflects US designs: religious parties Tancredo's stance reflects US designs: religious parties By Asim Hussain LAHORE: Religious parties have taken exception to US Presidential Candidate Tom Tancredo's threat to attack Makkah and Madina, saying that his statement reflects the real American designs. Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Vice President Senator Sajid Mir said that Tancredo's threat was the result of the apathy of the Muslim rulers. He said that absurd and highly provocative Tancredo's statement was an expression of sheer insanity and arrogance. "It is high time for Muslim countries to dissociate themselves from the so-called US-led war against terror and chalk out a collective strategy to combat US designs," he added. read the whole story here