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310 thoughts on “The Quest for Somali Oil

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  • Ben Franklin

    Stratfor and CIA cronies outed by Wikileaks….

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9111784/Stratfor-executive-boasted-of-trusted-former-CIA-cronies.html

    Fred Burton, vice president of intelligence at the Texas firm, also informed members of staff that he had a copy of the confidential indictment on Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks.
    The second batch of five million internal Stratfor emails obtained by the Anonymous computer hacking group revealed that the company has high level sources within the United States and other governments, runs a network of paid informants that includes embassy staff and journalists and planned a hedge fund, Stratcap, based on its secret intelligence.
    It operates something of an employment revolving door with branches of the Washington establishment. Mr Burton was previously deputy chief of the counter-terrorism division in the state department’s diplomatic security service.
    The emails indicated that the company pays for information. One email released by WikiLeaks described a £4,000-a-month payment made to a Middle Eastern source, and another carried bits of gossip dropped by a retired spy.
    Derided as a “shadow CIA” by Mr Assange, one email from chief executive George Friedman also suggested it used methods redolent of spy agencies.

  • deaf dumb & blind fool

    Any thoughts on Mr Burby and the parliamentary committee on super injunctions?

  • Mary

    From an Aussie wag.
    .
    Just saying good bye .. leaving town
    http://tiny.cc/ayoli
    .
    To help save the economy, the Australian Government will announce next month that the Immigration Department will start deporting seniors (instead of illegals) in order to lower Social Security and Medicare costs.
    .
    Older people are easier to catch and will not remember how to get back home.
    .
    I started to cry when I thought of you.
    Then it dawned on me … oh, crap …
    I’ll see you on the bus!
    I want the front seat

  • Neil Saunders

    As for Mr. Burby I would try the ‘ex’ of a ‘ruler’ of a very rich south eastern oil ‘state’ that once owned a hotel on Park Lane and is a good friend of heir to
    the throne !!

  • Mary

    Oddie. Give me one Jenny Tonge for a million Janet Daleys.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janet_Daley
    .
    She is expert at conveying the messages for the USUKIsNATO axis and is always on the box spouting forth. I see that she has a connection to Buckingham ‘University’ (private) where Geoffrey Alderman, arch Zionist, also resides.

    Liberal Democrat Voice have not taken my and several others’ comments. So liberal and so democratic! A ghastly crowd.

    Huhne,about to stand trial for perversion of the coourse of justice, has helped himself to a £17,000 severance pay award. Mo morals. Mo scruples. And he is supposed to be a multi millionaire.
    .
    Ex-minister Chris Huhne getting £17,000 cabinet pay-off
    Chris Huhne resigned as energy secretary earlier this month
    .
    Former energy secretary Chris Huhne is claiming a £17,000 pay-off after leaving the cabinet to fight charges of perverting the course of justice.

    The Cabinet Office confirmed Mr Huhne would receive a severance payment of three months of his ministerial salary.
    /..
    {http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-17202387}

    Ministers are entitled to such payouts when they leave, but these are not automatic and the MP must claim them.

    Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said it was a decision the Liberal Democrat had taken “alone”.

    “It’s his decision. It’s an individual decision. He’s decided to take that severance pay,” he told LBC radio.

  • ingo

    Passerby you said
    “1- There is no British National Transitional Council.
    2- There is No British Free Army.
    3- No UN resolutions in support of the above.
    4- civil Disobedience is incitement to insurrection and before the chaps know, they have been shoved into a cell, out of a job, caught for drunk driving, their adulterous affairs made headlines of the tabloids, in the worst case scenario shoved under the tube, or even worse than worse than (Teutonic accent required) zhat Dr. Kelly-ed or stiffed and put into a hold all adorned in bondage gear.”

    Who needs a national transitional council? Or a UN resolution, which would be nobbled in any case. My point is that Unions are pussy cats, utter simpletons, it refelcts how much they do know about the various acts that have been passed to muzzle protest.
    The fact that they are calling for it to happen at a time and place when London is swarming with tourists and when any cause under the sun will be highlighted by NGO’s, has not cropped his tiny union braincell.

    But, he has announced it to his leftleaning friends and lifestyle socialists with enough time for them to chat about it, get arrested and put on ice for the duration of the Olympics, what a chap, so useless and so prominent, wonder what they have on Mc Clusky for him to be so uncaring/unhelpfull to his fellow uninists and campaigners.
    I suppose he will be sitting up every night in meetings and plan his little ‘catch the anarchists’ game with his media infested Met friends.

  • Rob Royston

    If that horse could talk, what tales it could tell. It deserves our sympathy.

  • Neil Saunders

    I can only agree with Mary on Jenny Tonge. Why is there such an ‘orchestra’ against her when so little is said about Senator Lindsey Graham’s ‘I want to destroy Iran’ comment on
    ‘Face the Nation’. But then then they did award an Iranian film with an Oscar !!

    Back on topic it would be interesting to hear Craig’s take on Somalia and the whole ‘Arab
    (more like ‘Magreb Spring’) being a repeat of the ‘Sramble for Africa’ given his recent travel. An interesting piece appeared in the Tanzanian ‘Citizen’ by Amengeo in this vein.

  • Passerby

    Ingo,
    Your sense of irony has a taken a retrograde step back into the German mode. That was the whole point of the bloody comment, don’t you think that the moron who is calling for this kind of “action” is doing so under instructions?
    ,
    The wild cat days are gone, now for any kind of “protest” you need to apply in triplicate to various authorities and get a permission slip before you can even step outside of your home or there will be a control order slapped on your butt quicker than you can say; Control Order!
    ,
    BTW do you remember the good old Joe the snitch Gormley?
    ,
    ,
    ,
    Mary,
    Having met Jenny I agree with you, however I would not change a jenny for a million Janets, I may think about changing a hair of Jenny for a million Janets.
    ,
    So far as the Huhne affair goes, does it not remind of the court of Mubarak kind of a setup?
    ,
    ,
    Neil Saunders,
    Senator Lindsey Graham’s ‘I want to destroy Iran’ comment on
    ‘Face the Nation’

    The good senator in the pay of AIPAC is only doing his job genuflecting to the wishes of the Isreal.
    ,
    What a world do we live in? Has evil triumphed over good? Has Satan defeated God? Whereupon right and good are persecuted, punished, and wrong and evil are lauded and promoted?

  • Uzbek in the UK

    @ Mark Golding – Children of Iraq

    .
    Well done Mark.
    .
    Keep writing to Mr Putin and let us know if his KGB excellence responds to you. Just bear in mind that you are writing to the man who advocates one of the most brutal regimes in the world and acting quick to prevent any type of positive developments in post USSR.
    .
    With regards to his so called Putin’s assassination attempt, may I suggest to you reading something on assassination of Comrade Kirov (Stalin’s right hand) and also fortunately not materialized so called “Doctors Case” in Russian “Delo Vrachey” when NKVD (KGB’s predecessor) was planning yet another purge of senior Communist Party members and Soviet inteligencia. Time passes by but KGB never changes despite whatever it is called.

  • Uzbek in the UK

    @ Fedup
    .
    And I presume you have never heard of Chechen’s deportation in 1930th when it is believed that over half million of Chechens died.
    .
    And I also presume that you have never heard of 150 years old of Russian war in Caucasus (mainly with Chechens).
    .
    And I also presume that you have never heard that Basaev’s (now assassinated Chechen commander) war in Dagestan was planned and directed from Lubyanka (KGB/FSB headquarter).
    .
    Yes, I presume that ignoring all above and much more you can ONLY blame Uncle Sam for over million of Chechen death.

  • Uzbek in the UK

    @ Mark Golding
    .
    Well Chechnya is not just trap for Putin but at some point in the past (2001 to be precise) served solely to boost his Acting President rating. He was not very much known before departed Yeltcin decided to step down from Kremlin throne and pass affairs to Putin. Only after Putin managed to evict Chechen rebels from Dagestan (that as mentioned to Fedup was planned and directed from KGB/FSB) and started second military campaign in Chechnya Putin’s rating rocketed and despite being former KBG officer he was elected to be president with overwhelming majority back in 2001.
    .
    You might also want to look up organization and execution of bombings of two residential apartment blocks in Moscow in 2001 (that some in Russia consider to be planned and executed by KGB) to lay foundations to second military campaign in Chechnya.
    .
    All in all I am very disappointed by your actions and even more by your incentives of portraying Putin as a good guy. To fight one evil with even worse evil is proven to be dangerous gamble.

  • Passerby

    Uzbek in the UK
    Yes, I presume that ignoring all above and much more you can ONLY blame Uncle Sam for over million of Chechen death.
    ,
    Back on the day shift, going for it then. Uncle Sam has been killing enough million of; Korean, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Iraqi, Afghanis, Libyans, …… it never got the time to to go Chechnya to do the job itself.
    ,
    So far as your anti Russian and anti Iran sentiments, and pro US, Isreal propaganda goes, anyone ever posting on this board knows your brand of reactionary politics that can only be thought of by a provincial pots.
    ,
    Stop harassing Mark with your numerous postings without so much as waiting for the first one to be answered.

  • Uzbek in the UK

    @ Passerby
    .
    I see you too in all your glory of salivating a debate.
    .
    I am not harassing Mark but just noting my objection and disappointment with his views on Putin and his confusion over issues that are in fact not the same as he understands them.
    .
    Talking about Uncle Sam’s sins one should not forget millions killed by Russian’s-Soviets including Russian’s-Soviets themselves. I understand that you have no respect for freedom of choice and for self determination of people and that your blatant hatred of US imperial ambitions blinded you from distinguishing between one evil and another. I understand that for you all those who oppose US are good irrespectively of their own merits.
    .
    Let me know if I am wrong about you.

  • Passerby

    Uzbek in the UK
    piss off with your “salivating”, and “barking” shit. You seem to believe that you can abuse others and get away it, listen provi boy, this aint going to be, Capisce?
    ,
    So far as the tally of murder goes, no entity can even rival; the corrupt and blood thirsty US, stop peppering the board with your unreasonable hatred of Russia and all things Eastern. USSR is gone and buried, somehow in your sick mind you live the past in the present.
    ,
    There is no empire other than the evil US Empire and if you cannot see that, then you are indeed in need of some psychiatric attention. Your repetitive whines that mirror the official lines of propaganda in the “media”, are much more suited in the Sun among your own peer group of Sun Readers, who will be pleased about your handy work.

  • Mary

    This crap appeared recently on the BBC website.
    Experts delay call on releasing controversial H5N1 work
    Research into the H5N1 virus has to be carried out in highly controlled conditions
    .
    Editor’s concern over bird flu
    Bird flu ‘censorship’ decision
    Mutant bird flu research halted
    .
    Experts have delayed a decision on whether controversial research into the H5N1 bird flu virus should be released.
    .
    At issue is how the work could be released while guarding against its abuse by bioterrorists
    .
    /..
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/17078818
    .
    Wait for a new flu type vaccine and anti-viral to appear so that BigPharma make another killing like last time.**
    .
    Must not let the terrrrrists get the formula. What nonsense. In the same vein as that odious Peter Clark late of the Met who told Leveson today that he cancelled an inquiry into phone hacking in 2006 because he had a big terrrrrism problem following the 7/7 ‘bombs’. Yates followed on line from Bahrain where he is a government adviser as crawler Nicholas Witchell so kindly told us.
    .
    ** {http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1202389/Government-virus-expert-paid-116k-swine-flu-vaccine-manufacturers.html}

  • Mary

    Ref my earlier post with Banksy’s comments on advertising, I see that WPP (Martin Sorrell) have made record profits.
    1 March 2012
    .
    WPP profits reach record in 2011
    Sir Martin said there could be a tougher trading climate in 2013
    WPP benefits from market problems
    .
    The world’s largest advertising group, WPP, has reported record profits, and says events such as the Olympics should boost business this year.
    .
    Pre-tax profits were £1.008bn in 2011, up 18.5% on the previous year, with revenues topping £10bn.
    .
    WPP said that 2011 had been a record “on virtually whatever measure you care to name”.
    .
    Fast-growing markets in Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East saw revenue growth of 12% or more.
    .
    The company said the UK had performed strongly, against market trends, but the rest of Western Europe proved more difficult.
    .
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17217362
    .
    Here is Sorrell at the UK Israel Business Breakfast. June 2011
    {http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.240973219257971.60572.191758617512765&type=3}

  • Uzbek in the UK

    @ Passerby
    .
    May I remind you that it was in fact you who started abusing others who disagree with you. Instead of arguing on substance you prefer to abuse your opponents and blame them being Zionists.
    .
    It is not much an issue who killed more (although even here Russia/USSR/Russia again fells slightly behind US) but as much as current Russian KGB led leadership is not in any matter, morally or otherwise, better than US.
    .
    And trust me on this one – my hatred toward Putin is NOT unreasonable. If you ever lived in USSR/Uzbekistan you would have understood me better. As I say here you again clearly demonstrate your carelessness towards freedom of choice and self determination. You in fact support only those REGIMES that oppose US. Note here REGIMES not people.
    .
    On past vs present issue, I believe that it was Oscar Wilde who said that ‘One’s past is what one is. It is the only way by which people should be judged.’ I presume that the same applies to the empires.

  • Passerby

    This comes under you cannot make this up category:
    ,
    Syrian rebels reportedly retreat from Bab Amr in face of army onslaught
    ,
    Firstly, the “activists” are now relabeled as rebels. the photograph shows an Earth and sand bag barricade, in front of a damaged building that sports a fluttering flag of the old Syria.
    ,
    The decision of the rebels for tactical withdrawal from the Bab Amr suburb of Homs, over with, the article plaintively goes on about the relentless onslaught of the Syrian Army, that has prompted the rebels’ decision.
    ,
    Then it follows;
    In a statement posted on a Facebook page run by Bab Amr activists, the rebels cited dire humanitarian conditions in the area and called on the Red Cross to be allowed to deliver humanitarian aid to an estimated 4,000 civilians who remain trapped in the neighborhood.
    ,
    “We, the Bab Amr brigade, have decided to strategically withdraw for the sake of the civilians remaining inside the neighborhood,” the statement said. “The humanitarian situation is at its worst, as there is no food whatsoever, no medicines, no water and no electricity. There is no communication in the area thus making matters much worse.”
    ,
    The statement added: “We are also lacking in enough arms to defend the civilians.”

    ,
    Apparently the activists, who are telepathically in contact with the rebels (remember there is no communications) are relaying the message of the rebels, who have been hiding among the civilians and taking shots at the Syrian army are lacking enough weapons to to defend the civilians from the army targeting the rebels hiding among them.
    ,
    How can this contradictory shit be passed as journalism? (note the source)

  • Old Lag

    Uzbek in the UK: I’m not sure Passerby gives two hoots about US imperialism, unless it’s to wish it were being conducted by people in pointy white hats. What he seems to ‘hate’ – feel scared of/wish to attack – is this board. Or perhaps he is just bored! In any case, as you so well say about Putin, acting quick to prevent any positive developments, and in this case, trying to blow a smokescreen of spleen and nonsense around the facts.

    I’m not sure why the understanding that one bloody-handed cheating tyrant
    is much the same as another can be such a hard one, but perhaps many well-meaning people are genuinely unaware of Putin’s track record, for example.

  • Passerby

    Uzbek in the UK,
    You are still going on about: the past, gone , finished, over and done with, and further still resurrecting Oscar Wild, into the bargain.
    ,
    Your personal experience of “freedoms” or lack thereof means jack shit to the poor bastards who are getting bombed daily by the current Evil empire US. Your take on all matters have been frozen in time and your world view is based on this static notions that have no relevance to the current matters of life or death that is facing vast swathes of humanity because of the untethered and out of hand US.
    ,
    the cost of your penchant for “freedom” somehow is born not by you, but the poor widows and orphans in Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Saudi, Bahrain, Syria, Gaza, West Bank, Somalia, Libya,……….. . Stop lecturing me about the evils of USSR, it is in the past.
    ,
    Move on with the times and stop seeing US through your rose tinted glasses, US is a bully and all bullies are vile and despicable regardless of their banter and attributes.

  • Passerby

    Old Lag,
    Stop projecting your own sentiments onto others. “pointy white hats”, wow! Did you write that one all by yourself or did someone else helped you? The extent of unconscious drivel only too well manifested by reference to KKK!

  • mark golding

    Uzbek In The UK,
    .
    You are writing about good and evil and you have given me examples in your posts. I have to admit I am blinded by this absolute concept. Evil to me is a lack of good, in the same way as darkness is a lack of light.
    .
    Thus you are wrong about me.
    .
    In an earlier post I committed myself and concluded that the direction of foreign policy, that path the West is taking, can only lead to destruction and death, regardless of fights, crusades, warfare or campaigns that have gone before. I not only have to be accountable for such a dire vision of the future, I must try to avert it, in my own way.
    .
    I am therefore committed to gathering my resolve and attempt to change the direction of others blinded by their own vision of utopia, a right that exists for all of us and a responsibility I must now bear.
    .
    Sorry for your disappointment.

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