Reports of Nerve Gas in Yemen

Armies of Liberation (via The Jawa Report) reported on the violence in Yemen:

The live stream on AJ has dozens if not hundreds down. Also internet cut. One dead is ID’d as well known poet from Murad.

Gas victims shaking unable to move, having convulsions. Ambulances blocked. Foaming at the mouth.

There's much more at Global Voices including this:

One protester reportedly died in that attack, and up to 70 were injured. Protesters say that security forces also used what they thought was tear gas to disperse the crowd. However, a few doctors treating the injured said they had never seen these symptoms with people affected by tear gas, including convulsions, loosing muscular control and even paralysis.

Then there are the tweets (h/t Global Voices):

@ionacraig: I'm no chemicals expert but symptoms last night did not inc. eye & skin irritation like teargas. Ppl just passed out after trouble breathing

@ionacraig: Four people ended up in ICU with brain edema from the gas last night, according to doctor. #yemen #yf #sanaa

@JebBoone: At Sana'a Uni now. All out war. Gas, riot trucks, stone throwing, shooting, tires burning, fighting b/t protesters and Soldiers. #Yemen #YF

@qahwagi_m: one of the bottles of gases used in the attack on Tagheer square in #Sanaa is CN gas

CN is a type of tear gas according to Wikipedia; however, the symptoms identified above are not consistent with CN or other tear gases. Australia's Sky News notes the reports of nerve gas. The way nerve gas works is to cause all of your muscles to convulse. The antidote causes your muscles to relax. You literally can't move for a couple weeks. Is there any indication that antidotes were given to the victims?

BigPeace reported a couple weeks ago that Iran was "using a new “tear gas” that renders those exposed into a state of semi paralysis and violent sickness." My guess is that all the tyrants have the stuff now.

Update: After speaking with some of the Yemeni protesters, I now believe it's likely that American made CN tear gas was used against them.

Related articles

• Yemen uses nerve gas on protesters (tipggita32.wordpress.com)
• Nerve gas used against protesters in Yemen? (americablog.com)
• Yemen protests swell on "Friday of no return" (theglobeandmail.com)
• Soldiers In Yemen Fire At Protesting Students (npr.org)

Socialist Underpinnings of Egyptian Revolution

Over at The Graph, Brooks Bayne has written about The Socialist Roots Of The Egyptian Protests:

These Egyptian grassroots political activists, most of them socialist/Marxist/unionist, used the momentum of the recent “revolution” in Tunisia to kick-off their January 25th protests. But who was behind the protests in Tunisia? Were the same people responsible there? If you look at the people who were appointed to the new Tunisian government, that should be obvious. Socialists.

Interesting stuff. I'd like to see what P/Oed Patriot has to say on this. He's unearthed socialist and communist roots here in the US.

Related articles

• Why Were U.S. Socialists Rallying in Support of Egypt This Weekend? (theblaze.com)
• "Revolution in Egypt - Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire" and related posts (newzeal.blogspot.com)

They Insult the Prophet

The Daily Mail has posted video of the stoning death of 19 year old Siddqa and her alleged lover Khyyam (h/t Atlas Shrugs). I've embedded the video below. It's graphic. Here's how the Daily Mail reported the story:

TALIBAN SPOKESMAN: 'Anyone who knows about Islam knows that stoning is in the Koran, and that it is Islamic law. There are people who call it inhuman - but in doing so they insult the Prophet. They want to bring foreign thinking to this country'

Horrific video footage has emerged of Taliban insurgents stoning a couple to death for alleged adultery in northern Afghanistan.

Hundreds of villagers can be seen on the video standing around as the woman, Siddqa, is buried up to her waist in a four foot hole in the ground.

Two mullahs pass sentence before the crowd begins to throw rocks at her head and body as she desperately tries to crawl free.

I don't know what to say. The barbarism of the Taliban has not yet been eradicated.

WARNING: Graphic

Related articles

• Shocking: Video Surfaces of Taliban Stoning Couple for Alleged Adultery (theblaze.com)
• New Taliban Stoning Video Released (mypetjawa.mu.nu)
• Afghanistan Officials Promise Investigation After Video Surfaces of Stoning Deaths (foxnews.com)
• Afghan pledge on Taliban stoning (bbc.co.uk)

Tunisia's Impact on its Neighbors

Unrest in Tunisia could inspire revolts around the region:

Tunisia's North African neighbors are worried. The strongmen and monarchs running Egypt, Algeria, Libya and Morocco fear that discontent may spread. Why? StrategyPage.com noted in a report issued after Ben Ali's exit that, "In most Arab countries, a group of able politicians makes deals with the wealthier families and agrees to run the place for their mutual benefit ... with the rest of the population considered ignorant peasants, to be manipulated and taxed indefinitely." With the Internet, however, the manipulated classes are no longer so ignorant. The authoritarians know they confront a social and political time bomb.

Related articles

• Tunisia's Uncertain Impact (bigpeace.com)
• Will Tunisia's unrest have a ripple effect? (cnn.com)
• Tunisia: how does it compare to other coutries in the region? (guardian.co.uk)

When States Default: Then and Now

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting article titled: When States Default: 2011, Meet 1841:

Land values soared. States splurged on new programs. Then it all went bust, bringing down banks and state governments with them. This wasn't America in 2011, it was America in 1841, when a now-forgotten depression pushed eight states and a desolate territory called Florida into the unthinkable: They defaulted on debts.

History repeats itself, but things are always a little different. One difference between then and now is that back then bonds were sacrosanct. When GM's bondholders took a hair cut during the GM bailout, an example was set. That example is that bondholders need not be paid back in full. This will wreak havoc on the bond markets once sovereigns begin partially defaulting on their bond obligations. And, of course, they'll try to avoid doing this as is the case in Portugal where debt worries have driven up bond yields:

Investors are worried the government won't be able to meet its debt obligations and may need a bailout like those provided to Greece and Ireland last year.

Papering over your debt with other people's money, or, as in the case of Portugal, the money of other countries, is always the preferred option. But western countries have shown themselves unable to rein in the root cause of all of this debt: spending; therefore, I believe that they are merely deferring the day of reckoning.

Related articles

• Five Lessons from Ireland (biggovernment.com)
• European Default Fears to Spread to U.S. and Japan, Buiter Says (businessweek.com)
• Is a Bond Crisis Inevitable? (lewrockwell.com)
• Portuguese borrowing costs hit record (guardian.co.uk)
• Debt markets take fright at EU plans for bondholders and renewed Belgian crisis (guardian.co.uk)

North Korea in the News

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) will chair the Foreign Affairs committee when Congress returns in the New Year, and she has already made enemies around the world. North Korea has insulted her by calling her 'human scum':

...the Korean Central News Agency, the mouthpiece of Pyongyang in a country with no free media, said Wednesday that Ros-Lehtinen's calls for North Korea to be relisted as a state sponsor of terrorism were "intolerable as it is malignant vituperation against the dignified DPRK and its system."

"Ros, man representing the U.S. conservative hard-liners, is human scum as he earned ill-fame as an anti-communist fanatic," the KCNA wrote. "He is a political illiterate ignorant of the background against which the nuclear issue cropped up on the Korean Peninsula and the processes to settle it."

BREAKING: North Korea is still irrelevant.

Related articles

• Friday's Extra-Early Mini-Report (washingtonmonthly.com)
• North Korea brands US politician 'human scum' (telegraph.co.uk)
• N Koreans 'ready for sacred war' (bbc.co.uk)

CableGate Reaches Thailand, Will Civil War Follow?

Image via Wikipedia

Thai Queen Accused Of Backing 2006 Military Coup: US Cable

A former Thai prime minister with close ties to fugitive ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra accused the queen of being behind a 2006 coup that ousted his ally, a leaked US diplomatic cable showed.

The political turmoil in Thailand left almost a hundred people dead earlier this year. The king is generally seen as a neutral party although he's old and dying. To have his queen accused of orchestrating the 2006 coup may generate sympathy for Thaksin's Red Shirts who were ousted in that coup. Some are predicting another coup in Thailand is coming, so it's unlikely that this would ease the tensions.

While I don't know if the redacted names and titles in a post from Bangkok Pundit are the Queen, it seems likely that these cables could precipitate a civil war (notes: 1. the Peoples Alliance for Democracy (PAD) are the political opponents of Thaksin. 2. this cable was written in Nov 2008):

9. (C) XXXXXXXXXXXX believed PAD continued to aim for a violent clash that would spark a coup. He asserted that he had dined on October 6 with a leading PAD figure (NFI), who explained that PAD would provoke violence during its October 7 protest at the parliament. The unnamed PAD figure predicted (wrongly) that the Army would intervene against the government by the evening of October 7. XXXXXXXXXXXX asserted to us that PAD remained intent on a conflict that would generate at least two dozen deaths and make military intervention appear necessary and justified.

10. (C) We mentioned to XXXXXXXXXXXX the claim by Thaksin associate XXXXXXXXXXXX that Thaksin had been the target of an assassination plot (ref C). (Note: Subsequent to the Ambassador's meeting with XXXXXXXXXXXX, another Thaksin ally related the same claim, and said Thaksin himself had spoken of this plot. End Note.) XXXXXXXXXXXX suggested XXXXXXXXXXXX's list of conspirators -- including two prominent judges -- was not credible, but XXXXXXXXXXXX said he could confirm (presumably because of first-hand discussion with an organizing figure) that certain enemies of Thaksin (NFI) had sought to kill him. XXXXXXXXXXXX said he had been surprised to learn that the contract on Thaksin's life entailed a relatively low payment of only several hundred thousand Baht (in the range of 10,000 USD), although it also entailed resettlement abroad for the person(s) directly involved.

It's interesting to know that our State Department can write dispassionately about "a conflict that would generate at least two dozen deaths." I suppose that's just part of the job.

Related articles

• WikiLeaks cables: You ask, we search (guardian.co.uk)
• Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, World's Longest-Reigning Monarch, Celebrates 83rd Birthday (PHOTOS) (huffingtonpost.com)

Obama Administration Supporting Communists Abroad

Image via Wikipedia

From a profile of Brazil’s new radical president Dilma Rousseff we learn that President Obama skipped the left-of-center party to throw his support to the hard-left party:

When [Dilma Rousseff's] campaign for presidency kicked off in February 2009, the campaign presented her as the one to continue Lula’s largely market friendly policies and social welfare programs. She told voters that she was “going to follow Lula’s path.” In March 2009, following a meeting with Barack Obama in the United States, Obama promptly asked his campaign strategists to reject a request by Brazil’s Social Democrats (PSDB) and to instead advise Dilma’s campaign.

The significance of this move cannot be overstated. president Obama used his authority to transfer Democratic Party support from a comparatively moderate, leftist party, to a full blown ally of the Communist Party of Brazil. Lula’s Workers’ Party, which includes major communist and Trotskyist factions, has been openly allied to the Communist Party since 1989.

Related articles

• Dilma Rousseff: 'I will govern for all Brazilians' (telegraph.co.uk)
• An interview with Dilma Rousseff, Brazil's president-elect. (slate.com)
• Brazil picks an ex-guerrilla as president - MiamiHerald.com (news.google.com)

Our "Allies" the French

The French are questioning the role of the US dollar in international monetary policy. Reuters reports that France's Sarkozy thinks the international community should consider SDRs:

France, which took over the presidency of the G20 group of industrial and developing nations last month, is sounding out governments on ways to reform a monetary system dominated for decades by the U.S. dollar with the aim of creating greater global stability.

"We need to start thinking about the relevance of a system based on accumulation of dollar reserves," Sarkozy said, adding that France would float proposals during the next year.

"Does not this system make part of the world dependent on American monetary policy? Should we not reflect on the role of the SDR (Special Drawing Rights) and on the internationalisation of other currencies?" asked Sarkozy, in a speech to mark the 50th anniversary of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

French officials have said they hope to encourage greater use of the Chinese yuan as a reserve currency during their G20 presidency, including talks on a possible timetable for its inclusion in the basket of currencies which underpin the International Monetary Fund's Special Drawing Rights.

Related articles

• Thanks Barack... CHINA & RUSSIA QUIT DOLLAR! (gatewaypundit.rightnetwork.com)
• Sarkozy: G-20 Should Set Capital Flow Rules (online.wsj.com)
• Sarkozy sets stage for open season on the dollar (theglobeandmail.com)

Obama at the G-20

POLITICO reports from the G-20 meeting in Seoul South Korea where Obama was miffed by questions on US domestic policy:

Obama, speaking during a press conference at the end of the two-day G-20 summit, knocked down reports that he’s settled on a compromise with Republicans on extending the Bush tax cuts. He gave a bland endorsement of outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s bid for leadership in the new Congress. And he said he intends to push Republicans to support a range of his proposals to speed up job growth, including infrastructure investments and tax incentives for businesses.

Greenspan Warns of Weaker Dollar

The Financial Times is reporting that Alan Greenspan has warned about a weaker dollar:

Mr Greenspan argues that with China also holding down the renminbi, the upward pressure on currencies elsewhere risks a return to widespread trade protectionism. Mr Greenspan criticises China for continuing to prevent the renminbi strengthening, saying it reflects a misguided view that a weak currency is necessary for export growth and political stability. “China has become a major global economic force in recent years,” he writes. “But it has not yet chosen to take on the shared global obligations that its economic status requires.” More unexpectedly, Mr Greenspan adds: “America is also pursuing a policy of currency weakening.

Mr Greenspan does not specify which agency in the US system is implementing policies to weaken the dollar"

Ah, our old friend, quantitative easing again...

Worldwide Bankruptcy

NASDAQ is reporting on remarks from outgoing Brazilian President Lula da Silva:

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Thursday the world economy was headed for 'bankruptcy' unless rich nations raise consumer demand rather than relying on exports to power recovery.

So a left-of-center world leader thinks the US needs to consume more of the world's resources? Sounds like Lula isn't in step with America's liberal progressives.

Protesters Get Results

Video from Iran shows protesters saving two men from the gallows. Doug Ross has the goods:

This just came over the wire on Twitter:

RT @ThinkIran New Video: Sirjan #Iran Protesters Free Two Being Hanged http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URoXkXIzJpM #IranElection {unreal}

Anti-government protesters are running wild in Iran. Some of the protesters were captured on video saving two men from hangings.

The Pampered Progeny of the Privileged Strike Again

All Africa, via Gateway Pundit, reminds us of the role poverty played in yesterday's attempted airline bombing [emphasis added]:

The young man, who yesterday night attempted to ignite an explosive device aboard a Delta Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit, Michigan in the United States has been identified as Abdul Farouk Umar Abdulmutallab, the 23-year-old son of Alhaji Umaru Mutallab, former First Bank chairman. Mutallab, a former minister and prominent banker recently retired from the bank’s board.

Well if it wasn't poverty then our recent airline terrorist, Abdulfarouk, must have lacked educational opportunities, right? Well, not so much [emphasis added]:

THISDAY checks reveal that the suspect, Abdulfarouk Umar Muttalab who is an engineering student at the University College, London had been noted for his extreme views on religion since his secondary school days at the British International School, Lome, Togo.

Record Number of Journalist Deaths in 2009

Reuters reports that 2009 saw a record number of journalist deaths around the world. I thought this passage was particularly interesting:

"This has been a year of unprecedented devastation for the world's media, but the violence also confirms long-term trends," said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. "Most victims were local reporters covering news in their own communities.

"The perpetrators assumed, based on precedent, that they would never be punished. Whether the killings are in Iraq or the Philippines, in Russia or Mexico, changing this assumption is the key to reducing the death toll," he said.