Target Centermass

Author: Gunner

  • Allawi, Shias: No Delay on Iraq Vote

    Despite yesterday’s petition for delay, Iraqi officials are insisting that the January 30 balloting for the 275-member National Assembly should proceed.

    Iraq’s main Shia parties insisted today that elections should go ahead on January 30 as planned, rejecting mounting calls from Sunni and secular politicians to postpone the polls because of guerrilla violence.

    The dispute threatens to widen sectarian divisions in a country already racked by lawlessness and widespread unrest. A statement by 42 Shia and Turkmen parties, including the influential Dawa Party and Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), said a postponement would be illegal.

    Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, said if the election was postponed, “this would mean that the terrorists have been able to achieve one of their main objectives”.

    The Shia statement followed a petition yesterday by 17 Sunni and secular groups for a delay of up to six months to ensure the broadest possible participation in the elections.

    The parties that backed the petition drawn up after a meeting yesterday at the house of elder statesman Adnan Pachachi included the Iraqi National Accord of Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and the two main Kurdish parties.

    Allawi’s spokesman said today the Prime Minister took very seriously his obligation to hold elections by the end of January, as mandated by Iraq’s interim constitution and a UN Security Council resolution. But the statement left open the possibility of a postponement.

    “The Prime Minister is aware of the statement made by some parties yesterday, calling for a delay in holding elections,” spokesman Thaer al-Naqib said. The statement said Allawi believed “the key to a building real and lasting democracy and stability in Iraq is ensuring all Iraqi citizens can vote”. It added that “he does not believe that a delay will necessarily make such broad participation any easier to achieve”.

    I agree with Abdul Aziz al-Hakim’s statement that a delay would appear a victory for the terrorists.

  • Dad’s Drinking Crackdown Backfires

    Oh, I just love these sweet Thanksgiving-with-the-family type stories.

    A father’s attempt to teach his daughter a lesson about drinking backfired when the teen led officers to a stash of drugs and weapons inside their New Jersey home, US police said.

    Kevin Winston, 46, called police in the early hours after his 16-year-old daughter came home drunk and unruly.

    When police arrived, however, the girl allegedly told them she feared for her safety because her father stored drugs and weapons in the home.

    The girl led officers to a crawl space above the ceiling where they found four semi-automatic guns and more than 600 vials of cocaine, a spokesman said.

    Mr Winston was charged with numerous weapons and drug charges. His five daughters were placed in the custody of a relative.

    “He called us on her and ended up getting locked up himself,” said Newark Police Director Anthony Ambrose.

    If one is in possession of illegal weapons and drugs, I think a generally good rule of thumb is don’t ever call the cops, even when one’s little brat is three sheets to the wind. Ah, Turkey Day, Jersey-style.

  • Ukraine: Viktor’s Victory Beginning to Vanish

    The controversy around the Ukrainian presidential election continues to swirl, as Ukraine’s parliament is now calling for a do-over.

    Ukraine’s Parliament passed a non-binding resolution Saturday to annul the results of this week’s presidential election, CNN reported.

    The lawmakers also voted to dissolve the nation’s Central Election Commission that declared the winner of the election, which has been widely condemned by international observers as being rigged.

    That commission ruled Viktor Yanukovych, the government’s hand-picked, pro-Moscow successor, had won the election.

    Parliament’s Saturday resolution said the results did not reflect the will of the Ukrainian voters and should be made invalid. It also said new elections are needed.

    It is not presently clear which governmental entity has the authority to void the election, the Parliament, President Leonid Kuchma, or the nation’s high court, which has stayed Yanukovych’s inauguration pending the outcome of an investigation.

    This is beginning to make the Bush-Gore 2000 results look as cut and dried as they really were.

  • Big 12 Championship Set

    Oklahoma vs. Colorado, as Missouri has just taken out Iowa State 17-14 in overtime.

    The Cyclones fell just short of becoming the seventh team to reach the championship. To date, three teams from each division have reached the championship, with Nebraska, Colorado and Kansas State from the north and Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma from the south. All six have won at least one title, with Oklahoma and Nebraska winning twice. The Sooners will go to Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City next Saturday with the opportunity to win their third Big 12 championship in five seasons.

  • Iraq Sunnis Want Election Delayed

    Despite the election being set for January 30, some in Iraq are now petitioning for a delay.

    Several political groups in Iraq are calling for the postponement of national elections, scheduled for January 30. The parties, mostly Sunni Muslim, Kurdish and secular groups, cited security concerns as their reason for calling for the delay.

    Saying that the interim government cannot guarantee the safety of voters at polling stations, the groups are calling for the postponement of Iraq’s elections by up to six months.

    A petition was signed Friday in Baghdad at the home of influential Sunni Muslim elder statesman Adnan Pachachi. Three interim government ministers attended the meeting.

    The petition is the latest effort waged mostly by Iraq’s minority Sunni population to delay the elections, fearing that violence in Sunni Muslim areas, such as Fallujah, Baquba, Samarra, Tikrit and areas around Baghdad, would prevent Sunni Muslims from voting in January. Several Sunni groups have threatened to boycott the elections, if they are held in January.

    Numerous Sunni clerics associations have repeatedly called for the elections to be postponed. However, most of Iraq’s majority Shiite Muslim population want to move forward with the elections, following decades of oppression under Saddam Hussein, who is a Sunni Muslim.

    A senior official with Iraq’s Interior Ministry said holding the elections in January as planned would be a blow to insurgents in Iraq, who are attempting to prevent the elections from being held. The official said postponing the elections would only fuel the insurgency.

    So now the threatened Sunni boycott is based on the expected security situation in January? Previously, it was to be based upon our going into Fallujah. We’ve done that and they’re still only threatening. The Sunnis want the election delayed because it will further entrench their minority status. The terrorists want the elections delayed indefinitely because it will bring the government to the people.

    These elections need to go forward as soon as possible, and, right now, January seems possible.

  • Ags Fall 26-13

    Better than the last four years and the Horns, but still disappointing. Just a frustrating day in the trenches, as we were outplayed at the line of scrimmage on both sides.

    Now to wait for the bitterness to fade before I can look back and savor this team’s improvement from last season and wonder about which bowl and opponent the Ags will draw.

  • End of the Third Quarter

    … and a bizarre quarter it was. The Ags now trail 19-13 after a blocked punt for a touchdown, along with a strange 1-point safety on a blocked extra point. Tack on two field goals and a non-productive Aggie offense and there you have it.

    Not over yet, and certainly not the embarrassment of recent years, but the Ags look tired on defense and their offense needs to step up and accomplish something.

  • Halftime

    An Aggie lead 13-6 on a last-minute, 98-yard fumble return. The third quarter will be crucial, as the Longhorns have come out of the half roaring almost all season, outscoring their opponents 92-3 in the third. Meanwhile, it’s been the worst quarter for the Ags, who have edged their opponents 46-40.

    Oh yeah, Turkey Day leftovers and Aggie football. Such a sweet day to be a Texan.

  • Gig’em, Aggies!

    Or at least make it respectable this year against the Horns.

  • Quote of the Week, 25 NOV 04

    Holy crap, I’m late this week.

    Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action arrives, stop thinking and go on.

    —Andrew Jackson