Reports of fighting between al Qaeda in Iraq and Sunni militants surfaced Tuesday, the latest hints of rising tensions between the two allied groups.Other reports have emerged this year of tensions between Sunni fighters and the Sunni-dominated al Qaeda in Iraq, particularly from Anbar province, long a favored turf for indigenous Sunni insurgents and foreign fighters infiltrating Iraq from Syria.

This story is interesting in light of PNW's assertion that experts think this is a non event. Of course, giving up Zarqawi was perhaps the start of a trend that may be growing now. Unfortunately, it won't matter without reciprocal sacrifices on the part of the Shia.

Is al Qaeda in Iraq fighting a Sunni backlash? - CNN.com

In a recent poll of international travellers, 70 per cent of respondents said they feared US officials more than terrorists or criminals. Another 66 per cent worried they would be detained for some minor blunder, such as wrongly filling out an official form or being mistaken for a terrorist, while 55 per cent say officials are "rude."

The poll results... rate the US by a 2:1 margin as the world's "most unfriendly" destination for foreign travellers.

Overseas travel to the US has slumped 17 per cent since 2001, even as world travel to other countries reaches historic growth levels. The decline has cost US$94 billion ($127 billion) in visitor spending, US$16 billion in tax receipts, and some 194,000 American jobs.

A 7.6 per cent drop in travel from Britain, a 23.3 per cent fall from Japan, 19.2 from France and 20.7 per cent from Germany - the top US tourist origin markets - between 2000 and 2005.

America's war on tourists - 28 Apr 2007 - NZ Herald: World / International News

The parliamentary report featured a handful of cases of mistaken identity, the most prominent of which was the ordeal of Maher Arar, a Canadian citizen suspected of terrorist ties and packed off to his native Syria in 2002.

“But the Canadians say there’s absolutely no evidence,” countered Edward J. Markey, D-Mass.

“I would certainly not apologize to him, sir.”

The CIA, he added, is not “in the business of cleaning up afterwards. We’re in the business of pre-emption.”

But, Delahunt persisted, “What about those who are clearly eventually determined to be innocent?”

“Mistakes are made, sir.”

“Mistakes are made.”

“That’s right,” Scheuer said. “They’re not Americans, and I really don’t care.” He spread his arms, smiling. “It’s just a mistake.”

Maybe I can't handle the truth, but is it really necessary for you to be an asshole?

CQ Homeland Security - A CIA Man Speaks His Mind on Secret Abductions

An Egyptian court this week sentenced blogger Abdel Kareem Nabil Suleiman to four years in prison. He is the first person in Egypt to be jailed for internet-based journalism. He was charged with "inciting hatred of Islam" and insulting Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on his blog, where he wrote under the pseudonym of "Kareem Amer".

Snip from AP coverage of the sentencing on Thursday:

Nabil [Kareem Amer], wearing a gray T-shirt and sitting in the defendants pen, gave no reaction and his face remained still as the verdict was read. He made no comment to reporters as he was immediate led outside to a prison truck.

Seconds after he was loaded into the truck and the door closed, an Associated Press reporter heard the sound of a slap from inside the vehicle and a shriek of pain from Nabil.

This is deeply wrong. Egypt, frankly, is not supposed to be some Talibanesque backwater governed by ignorant religious radicals who are so afraid of the transparent flaws of the belief system they are promoting that they have to go around cracking down on anyone who criticises them. The problem of statist Islamic radicalism, from which Egypt has suffered more than any western country, simply cannot be resolved unless people in muslim communities are able to stand up and tell these people just how stupid and wrong they are. By throwing this person in prison, the Government of Egypt sides with the ideological goals of Al'Queda and Islamic Jihad. It is time, unfortunately, for the International Community to start looking at Egypt sideways. They are not running a free country and they are not contributing to a positive future for the world.

Boing Boing: Egypt: blogger Kareem Amer gets 4 years for insulting Islam

This article is more important than it sounds.

“24,” by suggesting that the U.S. government perpetrates myriad forms of torture, hurts the country’s image internationally. Finnegan, who is a lawyer, has for a number of years taught a course on the laws of war to West Point seniors —— cadets who would soon be commanders in the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan. He always tries, he said, to get his students to sort out not just what is legal but what is right. However, it had become increasingly hard to convince some cadets that America had to respect the rule of law and human rights, even when terrorists did not. One reason for the growing resistance, he suggested, was misperceptions spread by “24,” which was exceptionally popular with his students. As he told me, “The kids see it, and say, ‘If torture is wrong, what about “24”?’ ” He continued, “The disturbing thing is that although torture may cause Jack Bauer some angst, it is always the patriotic thing to do.”

Gary Solis, a retired law professor who designed and taught the Law of War for Commanders curriculum at West Point, told me that he had similar arguments with his students. He said that, under both U.S. and international law, “Jack Bauer is a criminal. In real life, he would be prosecuted.” Yet the motto of many of his students was identical to Jack Bauer’s: “Whatever it takes.” His students were particularly impressed by a scene in which Bauer barges into a room where a stubborn suspect is being held, shoots him in one leg, and threatens to shoot the other if he doesn’t talk. In less than ten seconds, the suspect reveals that his associates plan to assassinate the Secretary of Defense. Solis told me, “I tried to impress on them that this technique would open the wrong doors, but it was like trying to stomp out an anthill.”

The Politics of the Man Behind '24' | The New Yorker

VICE PRES. CHENEY: We also have to work, though, sort of the dark side, if you will.

Anyone know anyone who does original hard core drum and base? Because you seriously couldn't ask for better sample fodder... Hell, industrial'd work too.

The Vice President appears on Meet the Press with Tim Russert 09/16/01

"We will disrupt their workday with a mildly offensive blinking neon light!"

"Death to America!!!!"

"Death to America!!!!"

Osama Team Hunger Force

The head of the Cartoon Network resigned Friday following a marketing stunt that caused a terrorism scare in Boston and led police to shut down bridges and send in the bomb squad.

He said he regretted what had happened and felt ''compelled to step down, effective immediately, in recognition of the gravity of the situation that occurred under my watch.''

They're going to screw up the cartoon network!

Cartoon Network Chief Quits Over Marketing Stunt - New York Times

Possibly Noteworthy posted a selection of videos from Iraq to his blog that give different perspective on the war. This is the first one. See his blog for the rest...

Referred by Armed Forces Journal -- a sampler of war videos.

Put simply: Happy viewing. Although navigating the world of online war videos is at best a haphazard venture, there is enough material to provide as clear a view into the lives of combat, boredom and pointless amusement of the soldiers in Iraq as one will find anywhere.

On this particular video:

A characteristic and terrifying example of the invisible menace posed by insurgents is a YouTube video in which a camera lying on a barracks floor during an intense mortar attack captures troops praying and screaming as rounds land ever closer to their position.

YouTube - American soldier crying for their life in America war irak

Clearly Boston officials still don't understand...

"It's clear the intent was to get attention by causing fear and unrest that there was a bomb in that location," Assistant Attorney General John Grossman said at their arraignment.

I wonder if it's illegal to make intentionally false statements like that in an arraignment.

"The appearance of this device and its location are crucial," Grossman said. "This device looks like a bomb."

Some in the gallery snickered.

Fortunately, the defendants don't seem to be taking their situation too hard. If I was facing years in prison I don't know if I'd be this silly about it.

"What we really want to talk about today -- it's kind of important to some people -- it's haircuts of the 1970s," Berdovsky said.

Courier News Online - 2 released as Boston officials seek restitution for cartoon hoax