· 0230 GMT December 31, 2006

· Russia-Ukraine Gas Crisis Ukraine says it has sufficient gas reserves to last the winter in the event of a shutdown of Russian supplies.

· From what we can gather from a Tass story, Russia is preparing to shut down Ukraine supplies at 1000 Moscow time January 1, 2006.

· Ukraine says it will buy 40 billion cubic meters, half its needs, from Turkmenistan at a price of $50/1000-cubic-meters (MCM). Ukraine has offered Russia $80/MCM and says it is prepared to negotiate graduated increases in price.

· Russia offers a $3.6 billion loan to Ukraine to meet higher gas prices that Russia will charge, Ukraine says no thanks.

· Ukraine suggests that if Russia insists on higher gas prices, Ukraine could raise the rent it charges the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Russia says that is a separate issue that has been negotiated, signed, sealed; and any attempts to tamper with the base agreement could have serious consequences.

· Pravda says Europeans are paying $230/MCM for Russian gas. US prices according to US DOE http://www.eia.doe.gov range from $400 to $600/MCM depending on if it is for industrial use (low end), power generation (middle range) or residential use (high end). we are not energy specialists, so we may not be comparing oranges to oranges here: please be warned.

· Baluchistan In retaliation for the operation against Baluch tribals that is not taking place, the Baluch National Army says it killed two Frontier Corps soldiers. Four Baluch political parties condemned the operation that is not taking place against Baluch tribals in Dera Bugati. Baluch sources say 250 mortar shells were fired by security forces in the non-existent operation in Dera Bugati. Marvelous things these mortar shells: the authorities can say no operation is taking place, but the shells kill you just as dead as the ones fired in operations..

· Note to Pakistan security forces: we assume there is a considerable degree of exaggeration in the number of shells claimed, but folks, you all need to improve your spotting and ranging. Locals say in a 7 1/2 hour bombardment, 17 people were injured. Someone needs to go back to the training ranges.

Profiling: A Story

·  So once again we are being told how angry American Muslims are that they are being profiled because the US government has been checking for radioactivity at American mosques and other places Muslims may gather. Here is a real life story about profiling.

· In the late 1980s the Punjab insurgency was in full swing in India. In Delhi, the police were on the lookout for a daring duo of terrorists who rode around on a scooter doing various nefarious deeds. Don't laugh about the scooter business: these things are amazingly maneuverable in tight, crowded urban conditions and can go almost anywhere a bicycle can. They are better for in-city operations than 4 wheeled vehicles.

· So, one of the terrorists was short, fat, and clean shaven. The other was tall, with full beard and long hair as featured by most Sikhs.

· Amazing co-inky-dinky, the description fit your editor and his good buddy, to a T, W, and Q.

· Accordingly, whenever we were out and about in town, we drove slowly - not a difficult feat for your editor, he kept his scooter speed down to 40-km/hr as he prefers to avoid accidents rather than survive them. On sighting a police roadblock, we'd slow down even further so the police could get a good look at us. We'd look the cops right in the eye, and nod respectfully to them as we passed the block.

· Over a 2-year period, we were stopped exactly - zero times. Had we been stopped, you would have seen no attitude from us, because there were these two dangerous guys on the loose, and we fit the bill of goods. We'd have cooperated fully with the cops, congratulated them for doing their duty in keeping the public safe, sympathized with their miserable lives and working conditions, and carried on.

· We did not write letters to editors about feeling uncomfortable and singled out and why was  profiling going on and blah and blah.

· American Muslims need to do the same and stop whining and complaining about profiling. Nowhere does it say in the American constitution that you have to made to feel comfortable by anyone. When Muslim men - and the occasional woman - are busy blowing up people, it is not profiling to give Muslim men extra attention.

· What the American Muslim community needs to do is to report to the authorities any piece of data that could lead the police to defeat the terrorists. You are Americans first and Muslims second. It is your duty to fight terrorism. No ifs and buts.

· Of course, if you are stopped by police and abused because you are Muslim or look Muslim, you have every right - as an American - to complain. There are procedures to deal with security personnel abuses.

· Remember, with the exception of some attacks, the victims of Islamic terrorists are - Muslims. If terrorists were to release radioactivity in downtown Washington, are radioactive particles going to check the religion, nationality, political beliefs of each passerby before infecting them? They are going to harm everyone impartially. That means You Too.

· Speaking of Radiological Attack Lets just say your editor doesn't lose a minute's sleep over the possibility, and nor should you.

0230 GMT December 30, 2006

• President Musharraf and his Generals: Clarification Some readers found our South Asia correspondent's comment about President Musharraf and his generals too cryptic. We should have clarified that the information means the Army's corps commanders, who are Pakistan's praetorian guard, are planning on staging a coup. The coup leaders will be pro-American commanders. Our correspondent indicates to us that the information comes from an A1 source who has a track record of correct predictions.
• We were expecting a pro-American coup last year, but your editor lost interest in the story' in any case, the coup did not take place.
• President Musharraf and his Mullahs To appreciate what the situation in Pakistan is like, consider this news item sent by reader marcopetroni. Following the discovery of linkages between the London bombers and Pakistani religious schools, under western pressure Mr. Musharraf ordered the registration of all religious schools and the expulsion of all foreign students. "Foreign" applies also to Pakistan nationals who have citizenship of other countries.
• Okay, so the deadline is approaching and the result is? 7,000 of 12,000 schools have refused to register, and have announced that the order barring foreign students is un-Islamic, so the schools are not going to follow the order.
• Look no further to appreciate the depth of Pakistan's problems today. For almost 30 years Pakistan let religious fundamentalism grow to become a weapon against India, and now basically the fundamentalists do as they please.
• Why are people picking on the Russians just because Moscow has upped the price it charges Ukraine for natural gas by 4 times? Isn't there something called a free market?
• Of course there is, is the response, but we are worried because Russia plans to use its energy resources as weapons in a quest to regain its superpower status. For example, Belarus, a close Russian ally that may one day even rejoin Russia, gets gas at 1/5th the price demanded of the Ukraine. Ukraine is obviously being punished because it has decided to look to NATO and the EU instead of to Russia. Russia could next start dictating terms to Western Europe, which is becoming increasingly dependent on Russian hydrocarbons.
• Our response: And?
• This is called "life", people. You want something, they have what you want, and the rest is free market. Free market doesn't mean the Russians cant cut deals with allies. Look at the foreign and military aid America gives to Israel and Egypt. Russia is giving aid to Belarus, and its nothing more complicated than that. You don't want to be hostage to Russian hydrocarbon policy, find alternatives. Nuclear, which Europeans and Americans alike are doing their best to avoid, is an alternative.
• Your editor's oil heat bill for December came in: $11/day for a day-time average of 57F and nighttime average of 48F, for a 850 square-foot house. And it hasn't been a cold winter so far. That's 12% of your editor's take home income when he is teaching full-time. Your editor doesn't see the editorialists picking on the oil producers.
• Personally, as far as your editor is concerned, he feels safer the Russians are trying to return to superpower status by charging market price for hydrocarbons, whereas in the past their superpower status was determined by a whole bunch of nuclear warheads aimed all over the globe.
• UN Official Says Iraq Election Fair and there is no justification for a revote.
• Nonetheless, the Iraq Election Commission has said it will welcome inspection by more international experts, who are being picked right now.
• Question for the mainstream media: where is your moral equivalence now, good buddies? So we should expect that should Zaraqawi types take over Iraq they will, like, hold free elections under international watch?
• Mainstream Media Outraged by US government paying Iraqi newspapers to run favorable news, we are told. No mention about media's habitual reliance on paying stringers to do the dirty reporting in Iraq, when many of the stringers seem to have dubious ties to the insurgents. Naturally the insurgents don't have to pay media to place negative stories about the US in their newspapers, media is doing this all on its own.
• This said, we believe the US government should have required identification of the source of the stories. US government cannot compare itself to mainstream media, by saying media does not identify the antecedents of its stringers or the bias of its reporters. This kind of comparison is lying saying: "Sure, I am a dirty liar, but HE is a dirty, filthy, no good liar."
• We heard a journalist say that its wrong of the US government to use taxpayer money to plant stories in the Iraq press. We see the journalist's point. What we want to know is, why should the US government use taxpayer's money to enable and protect private journalists working in Iraq, when these people are owned by large private entities seeking to make a private profit? Seems to us the US government is as much subsidizing media as it is subsidizing Iraqi media.
• As, our journalist friends will say, but it is the right of the American people to know, and we cannot do our work unless the government enables and protects us.
• So lets get this right: we the taxpayers have to pay so that you, the media, can go to Iraq and pursue your agendas, and dictate to us what news we will hear, AND you, the media, gets to make a profit on top of that?
• Maybe this makes sense in La-La Land, it makes no sense to us.
• Bill Roggio, the Iraq Blogger we often carry because he's one of the very few who gives a detailed picture of the war, gathered $30,000 from his readers, his wife, and a friend, and went to Iraq to cover the US Marines' Euphrates Valley campaign. Mike Thompson writes to us to inform that some journalists are suggesting the source of his money be investigated: his positive reports about the US military arouse suspicion, apparently.
• Here again you see a double standard. $1000 a day is quite a reasonable cost for a regular journalist's media owner to pay for his expenses in Iraq. That's aside from his salary - Bill got nothing for going to Iraq and probably lost money because he couldn't do his day job. So should we be investigating the sources of the media's money?
• By the way, we the taxpayers subsidize  the journalists another way. Their expense money, salaries, and money they pay stringers is all counted as an expense. So it is deducted from the media's revenues before tax is paid.
• Seems to us we taxpayers have the right to a fair and balanced picture of what's happening in Iraq.
• Here's a figure from China The country's food grains production for 2005 is 480 million tons, as against a need for 495 million tons. with a population of 1.3 billion, this means demand is 380 kilograms per capita.
• Indian per capita supply of food grains is, very approximately, 180 kilograms per capita.
• So the average Indian is getting half as much to eat as the average Chinese?
• Intuitively, we don't see that as being right, which would imply the Chinese production figures are exaggerated.
• Any thoughts?

0230 GMT December 29, 2006

Baluchistan Province, Pakistan

· From Our South Asia Correspondent Our South Asia correspondent, Mandeep Singh Bajwa, sends this cryptic note in response to our question asking what is going on in Baluchistan.

• "CIA is certainly training Balochi insurgents in Oman. There seems to be a tacit understanding between them and RAW to co-operate fully when the time comes. If Musharraf doesn't play ball or the US feels Afghanistan needs an outlet to the sea, then both agencies will unleash their full force upon the Province.
• I've just heard that a group of Punjabi Corps Commanders in Pakistan including the Quetta and Lahore ( an American favorite) ones are exploiting the Balochistan and Kalabagh situations to create conditions for Musharraf to be eased out a la Ayub in 1969. The situation in Balochistan is very serious."
• Accompanying the comments is a detailed article by Mr. B. Raman, a retired No. 2 of India's intelligence agency, the RAW. Our problem with running the article is that while Mr. Raman is a highly informed writer, he is well-versed in information warfare and we usually hesitate because we are not in a position to say which part of his articles are wholly factual, and which are skillful weavings of fact and disinformation.
• Why the Baluch are in Revolt The Baluchis have traditionally been neglected by Islamabad - and also more or less left to their own devices under traditional tribal agreements. Currently, however, they are alienated from the center because of 3 factors. [1] Because of massive development projects at the port of Gwader, Baluchis are worried they will become a minority in their own province. This has happened with Karachi, which in the 1950s was mostly Sindhi, but today is less than 10% Sindhi. [2] The fall of Afghanistan and the Taliban, a Pakistan creation, has resulted in the Pakistan Army building new bases in the province, threatening loss of prime land as well as another influx of Punjabis, who are the dominant ethnic group in Pakistan. [3] Baluchistan has seen little revenue from the steadily increasing production of natural gas, which the province has in abundance. For various reasons the little arable land that exists has been severely degraded. and Pakistan's population keeps growing at an explosive pace. The result of these 3 factors is that the youth of Baluchistan have no jobs, and no prospect of any.
• For the above reasons, and many others, two Baluch nationalist groups, the Baluchistan National Army and the Baluchistan Liberation Front, have been attacking Pakistan security forces in the province, with the aim of declaring an independent Baluchistan. An earlier attempt for independence, 1972-76, was defeated by the army.
• India supported the first Baluch War of Independence as the locals call it, but was bought off by the Shah of Iran. Iran, with its eastern 1/3rd populated by Baluchis who also doing like their center, had an obvious interest in helping Pakistan end the Baluch revolt.
• This time around, however, the Indians are not to be bought off. They are seeking payback for Kashmir, where the Pakistanis almost paid the Indians back for Bangladesh.
• The US and Baluchistan Odd as it may seem, the US has also been supporting Baluch insurgents. The reasons are many and complex. [1] Protect Afghanistan from Pakistan. [2] Wrest control of Gwader - at the mouth of the Persian Gulf - from China, which is backing Pakistani development of the port to the hilt because (a) China is expanding its influence, and (b) because China wants to protect its oil lanes. [3] Control the outlets for Central Asian hydrocarbons, which are going to become increasingly important over the next 25 years.
• Orbat.com has, of course, pointed out that an independent Pakistani Baluchistan becomes a knife in Iran's guts because Iranian Baluchistan will seek to unite with its ethnic kin.
• To further understand the US position, we need to understand that in the US's estimation, Pakistan is already a failed state. The question then becomes one of managing a transition to a different configuration. That Pakistan is the fighting element of fundamentalist Islam just as Saudi is the banking arm makes the future of Pakistan a matter of great urgency.
• Baluchistan is not the only problem in Pakistan. In the Northwest Frontier Province we are witnessing what the BBC calls a war without end, as Pakistan tries - and fails - to control the tribals. That is another complicated situation which we will discuss at another time.
• Mr. B. Raman on Baluchistan Mr. Raman says that the increasing attacks on Pakistan security forces has led the Pakistan Army to launch CI operations in Baluchistan. Two tribes are opposed to the center: the Marris and the Bugatis. Orbat.com readers will recall the rape of a woman doctor by Pakistan Army personnel at the Sui Gas Works, which almost led to open war between the Bugati tribe and the Pakistan Army. This situation was never resolved to the satisfaction of the Bugatis, and the Pakistan Army's actions against the tribe simply added fuel to the fire. We are not clear why the Marris are in revolt.
• Be that as it may, Mr. Raman says the government's attempt to drive a wedge between the two tribes has failed. Indeed, they are reaching out to other Pakistan dissidents, such as the Shias of Kashmir. [Interpretation: India's RAW is trying to link up the two groups.] The Baluch have been sympathetic to the Uigar nationalists of Sinkiang, but do not want to be seen as anti-Chinese. [Interpretation: India's RAW has not been able to link up the two groups.]
• So the situation continues to get worse.
• Just Another Incident in Pakistan In this connection we would like to bring the attention of our readers to an incident that has just taken place in Pakistan. A laborer cut the throat of his married daughter because, he said, she had engaged in adultery. Neighbors say she had done nothing of the sort: these were allegations cooked up by her husband, from whom she ran away because of mistreatment. Okay, this is horrible, but its just another honor killing in a part of the world when honor killing is rampant.
• The incident does not end there, however. He then proceeded to cut the throats of his 3 daughters, 8 and under, so that they should not commit adultery when they grow up, and thus dishonor him. He did this, one by one, as his terrified wife watched, and as he repeatedly threatened her not to raise the alarm or else he would kill her. She was cradling their 9-month old son as this gentleman went about his work. He then left her with the bodies of her children for the night.
• In the morning the alarm was raised, the police took him away, and apparently he showed no remorse at all.

Our Opinion: Moral Equivalency in the Terror War

• We mention this because a whole lot of western journalists seem to think, with regard to the War on Terror, that there is moral equivalency between the west and the Islamic terrorists, and they must report both sides impartially.
• We'd like to remind these bottom-feeders of humanity that if the fundamentalists had their way, practices like the above would become the norm wherever the fundamentalists rule - we saw what happened in Afghanistan. Its easy for the journalists to claim to be impartial, because it isn't their wives and daughters that are being treated as above.
• There is no moral equivalency in this war. Not to speak up against the fundamentalists in Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Indonesia, wherever, is to enable them, is to support them.
• At no point do we then jump to the conclusion that any journalist who questions the methods by which the Terror War is being countered is a traitor. It is the right of every free citizen, American or European or Indians or whatever, to question the means and the methods.
• We are talking about the habit of many journalists to say: "Oh, this is your point of view, you know, and the other side has their point of view, you know.". Hitler has his point of view. Stalin did too. Mao, ditto. Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Rwandan leaders, Saddam, ditto, ditto, ditto.
• There is no moral equivalency whatsoever. By all means, disagree with and dispute how the Terror War is being fought. We at Orbat.com have had growing reservations about the methods and have not been shy in expressing our thoughts. But if you think the fundamentalists are just plain folks with their point of view, which is as valid as most western folks' point of view, western journalists show just one thing: how morally bankrupt and degenerate they are.

0230 GMT December 28, 2006

· Baluchistan Province, Pakistan Vehicular movement throughout the entire province was suspended as part of a strike to protest Pakistan Army and security forces operations against insurgents.

· The government continues to deny there is any army operation, which means the people of Baluchistan are obviously very ignorant and very stupid because they are staging a province-wide strike on account of "alleged" [quote from Jang of Pakistan] operations.

· Orbat.com is not particularly concerned about the operations. After all, government forces and infrastructure have been attacked, obviously the government has to respond. What we are concerned about is the thoroughly bad habit the Pakistan government has gotten into of denying anything that is inconvenient, and going on denying it even when the world knows otherwise.

· An example is the tiresomely repeated denials that terrorists were using Pakistan as a base. There is no Al Qaeda in Pakistan. There is no Taliban in Pakistan. On and on went official spokespersons. That doesn't stop Pakistan from touting its cooperation with the US in killing/arresting the non-existent terrorists, more of whom have been eliminated in Pakistan than just about the rest of the world put together.

· Official figures on insurgent activity in Baluchistan in 2005, from Jang: 187 bomb blasts, 275 rocket attacks on government installations, eight attacks on gas pipeline and 19 bomb explosions.

· Israel Launches 8 Retaliatory Strikes against sites from which homemade rockets have been launched against Israel.

· The Palestine Authority has called for all parties to respect the ceasefire agreement signed with Israel, but Islamic Jihad has rejected the ceasefire and continues to fire rockets at Israel, mainly against civilian targets.

0230 GMT December 27, 2006

· Sri Lanka Truce Under Pressure as incidents continue. 13 sailors have been killed by road mines while they travelled in a convoy. The Tamil rebels say they have nothing to do with the attack.

· The latest involves the shooting of two militants by security forces, who say the militants attacked them first. Earlier a prominent Tamil politician was murdered; both sides accuse each other of the deed. Before that a roadside bomb killed several government troops.

· Trouble in Somalia First there was fighting in Mogadishu between militias. Now a minister in the new government who is also a warlord has announced a legislative council for the capital, and accused the President of anti-national activities. The President, who has yet to enter Mogadishu with his fledgling government because of security concerns does not accept the capital's council.

· Just Another Day in Baluchistan The authorities say they have dismantled six of 13 rebel training camps and deny civilians have been hurt in the operations, which again involved helicopter gunships. A cache of weapons and ammunition has been seized.

· Rebels fired between 8-15 rockets, depending on the news sources, at security forces targets, no injuries. One bomb went off damaging two power pylons, and two more bombs were defused before detonation.

· Russian Gas Attack Not Terrorism say authorities. 78 people were sickened by the gas planted in a chain store. Authorities say the matter is related to a business dispute.

· Taiwan Opposition Kills Defense Bill For 42nd Time says Reuters. This is a special appropriations bill originally for $18-billion, but trimmed to $9 billion as a compromise, for purchase of US and other equipment. The former ruling KMT, now in opposition, and another party that also favors reunification with the mainland say the purchases are too expensive and will provoke China.

· We've brought this up before: its no use thinking about what the US will do if PRC attacks Taiwan when a significant fraction of Taiwanese are not prepared to fight China. We anticipate as PRC grows stronger Taiwan will get even more intimidated, till it reaches a point where it votes for reunification. Don't expect the US to object: US will breathe a great big sigh of relief and say democracy has won.

· Windsofwar.com Briefing for 1 AD [annotated by orbat.com] A Jewish couple from Nazareth traveled to the West Bank town of Bethlehem in observance of the tax regulations instituted by Caesar Augustus, head of the Italian government. Housing shortages forced the couple to stay in a stable.

·  King Herod [provincial governor reporting to Rome] ordered a massacre of all boys age 2 and under living in the Bethlehem area [because of massive law and order disruptions due Palestine residents saying the Messiah was coming and would lead a revolt against Rome and restore the rights of the Palestine people.]. Some families fled to Egypt to escape the slaughter.

· Dignitaries from the Iraq-Iran region had an audience with King Herod, and then visited a young Jewish boy, presenting him with gifts. In a diplomatic slight, the dignitaries returned without meeting with Herod as he had requested.

0230 GMT December 25, 2006

· PRC Jails anti-Japan Activist for 12 years, for his role in the protests against Japanese history text-books. He subverted state power.

· Some of the protests did not have official sanction. At the same time, we are left wondering: is this person being so severely punished because the government does not want activists to get in the habit of mobilizing people on issues, however supportive of Chinese policy they may be?

· Orbat.com has approvingly talked about the US drive to push democracy worldwide. We think it would be nice if the US government took us ordinary people into confidence and told us what it is doing to bring democracy to China?

· The answer to that is, of course, there is nothing to tell ordinary people. The US makes a few pro-forma noises every time a prominent pro-democracy activist is persecuted, and that is it.

· Concerning China we are told by the government: "Be realistic. You cant change China through antagonism and pressure. We have to use persuasion."

· Orbat.com's reply: "Really?". So if the US imposes trade embargoes on China, PRC will simply trade with someone else? First, no one can replace the US in China's trade; second, if the US embargoed China, it would simply be a matter of time before the rest of democratic world had to follow.

· Each time this argument comes up, US business says: "But look at the economic benefits you gain!".

· Please explain these economic benefits to us, Charles. I recently bought an outdoor light for $10, made in China. Impressive; I saved some money, so I could buy a wrench, made in China. So I am the gainer by one wrench.

· Um, Charles, I could have bought a wrench made in India. It would have been 10-20% more. That's okay, my standard of living would not have collapsed.

· I don't doubt the world is better for free trade. That doesn't mean we should be putting money before principle.

· And if you say that capitalism will bring democracy in China, you'd have a lot more credibility with me if you permitted free trade with Cuba, Syria, North Korea, and Iran.

· Iran Reacts To Russian Enrichment Offer From the Jang of Pakistan, possibly via an AFP feed. "We have not received any particular plan yet,'' Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters.  "Its quite clear that Iran will positively look at any proposal that recognize right of having nuclear enrichment on its soil."

· Er, Hammy old buddy old friend, last we heard Russia was not part of Iran. The Russians offered to let you relocate your uranium enrichment facilities in Russia.

· Call Me George, says Charles That would be the future Charles III, Monarch of the Realm and blah blah. Charles is not a lucky name for the English monarch. Both Charles I and II lost their thrones, and one lost his head. Then there's Charles III The Pretender, who never became king, but he too had an unlucky end: defeated at Culloden, he fled for his life back to France where, as one source puts it, "The remainder of his life was spent in drunken idleness and debauchery." [http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Charles_Edward_Stuart]

· So a move has been put underway to permit Price Charles to assume the throne under another name. His favorite, it is said, is George. That is a middle name for him, as it was for his grandfather, the much-loved George VI who was actually named Albert. bbc.com tell us six English monarchs, including Victoria, have taken other than their given first names.

· This is all fine, and helps squash the superstition that the British monarch will end with our Charles. But there is a problem, and Charles, we say this as friends and admirers. We supported you 100% when you were forced to marry the beautiful but witchy Diana, and when you suffered in silence subsequently. We rejoiced when you were finally united with you true love, Camilla. Both times we got a lot of flack from Diana lovers. So if we warn, it is solely with your interests in mind.

· Mommy Dearest does not like talk, any talk, of her demise. She plans on living forever. Care to remember how long her mom lived? Oh, we have no doubt you'll live long enough to be wheeled by Camilla to your coronation, after which you'll have a few years before William takes over. At the same time, you know it does not do to get on Mumsie's wrong side.

· May we suggest a hasty retreat and an announcement that of course you expect Mom to outlive you, that bit about George was just drunken talk.

· And You Can Call Us George Too When your editor came to America, there was no multiculturalism, and thank goodness. By unanimous vote your editor was renamed "George".

· This proved to be a bit of a problem when the first Mrs. Rikhye (1 year, 9 months) was divorcing your editor and was signing the papers. "I know no Ravi," she cried, "had I known one, I would have stayed married to him, as I like the name. But it is George I married and it is George I shall divorce." A bit of retyping by the law firm and "aka George" was added to the papers.

· A great lady, as all the Mrs. R's have been. Fantastic cook, though it was a fluffy omelet that was the cause of the first rift. Madam had spent a good while making up a European style fluffy omelet and your editor couldn't eat it. To him the best omelets were made by Indian Railways: large, flat and greasy. We Punjabis are Real Men, no fluffy anythings for us. Next thing you know our minds will get warped and we'll be parading around in frilly lace underwear and red high heels.

· Lets just say words were exchanged, dishes were broken, your editor hied off to emergency on his bike to get his face fixed, where he and  the duty nurses laughed merrily at his story. There were no abused husbands in those days, either. And a good thing too.

· A husband  beaten by his wife was a source of much mirth. The only way you could save your honor was to laugh louder than anyone else and make it sound much worse than it had been: "And then she ripped out the kitchen sink with one hand and threw it straight at my - um - middle...ha ha" - you get the idea.

· Ah, the good old days. America just aint the same, Dusty.

0230 GMT December 25, 2005

· Russia Offers To Host Iran Uranium Enrichment Facilities The Russian contribution to reducing Iran's ability to proliferate is welcome and commendable.

· The problem is that a uranium bomb is a red-herring. Iran's first bombs will be plutonium, so shifting the uranium facilities to Russia - assuming Iran agrees, which it will be not - will not solve anything.

· US Demands Egypt Opposition Leader Be Freed after Aymon Nour was jailed for five years. Government alleges he committed election fraud.

· Ethiopia Starts Withdrawing Troops from Eritrea Border Under threat of international sanctions, Ethiopia has begun withdrawing troops from the Eritrea border.

· Eritrea set off the current crises when it started mobilizing because of frustrations that the UN had not forced to hand over Badme to Eritrea, as required by a UN border demarcation panel.

· Presumably now pressure will turn on Eritrea to let the UN do its job of border monitoring.

· Muslim Man Planning Killing of British War Hero sentenced to 10 years, according to a report sent by reader marcopetroni. The soldier earned a Military Cross for leading a bayonet charge against entrenched insurgents. He and his men killed 16 and captured 8.

· A Muslim resident of the UK decided the soldier had to be killed. The man also was soliciting information on a Jewish and a Hindu businessman; they were also to be killed.

· Quoting from the article, marcopetroni notes the irony whereby the would-be-killer got a fair trial, but the soldier had to testify from behind a screen to protect him from other would-be killers.

· Alex Larsen on the F-22 "While it's obvious that USAF fighter tactics center around BVR attacks that leave Soviet and Chinese-designed aircraft unable to respond, it should also be noted that the Raptor is a very formidable dogfighter. Leaving aside standard dogfighting tactics that usually have pilots working to get the kill that have Raptor pilots using their thrust vectoring to get a sharper angle of attack, and thus the kill, I've seen a Raptor pull off some maneuvers that I hadn't ever believed a jet could pull off. One  was where the Raptor in question used its nose as a pivot point and executed what could only be described as a vertical J-turn and then continuing on in the exact opposite direction from whence the maneuver started. For all the supposed maneuverability of the Su-33, even the best moves it can pull are petty parlor tricks for an F-22."

· Arab Nations Move against Terrorists Reader Mike Thompson sends us excerpts from an article in www.strategypage.com - unfortunately there is a problem with the link, so you'll have to look around till you find the article in the Counterterrorism Operations section.

· " Jordanians were very angry at the November 9th al Qaeda suicide bombings in Jordan. The attacks killed mostly Jordanians and other Arabs. Jordan, with hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Sunni Arabs in residence, and even more Palestinians, had been one of the few Arab nations left where most of the people approved of al Qaeda. No more. Jordanians now want revenge, and al Qaeda appears to realize this. A week after the attacks, Abu Musab al Zarqawi, the Jordanian who heads al Qaeda operations in Iraq, tried to persuade everyone that the attacks were actually carried out by the CIA and Mossad (Israels CIA). Nobody in Jordan believed him, and this month, a team of Jordanian counter-terrorism commandoes was dispatched to Iraq. These Jordanian special operations troops have apparently operated inside Iraq before, but it is believed that this time their mission may have more to do with Zarqawi, and those directly for the November 9th attacks.

· Arab countries are also helping shut down terrorist transportation networks, by assisting European nations in busting smuggling gangs. While most of the people these gangs move, from Moslem countries to Europe, are just seeking economic opportunities, some are criminals and terrorists. The gangs kept out of trouble in Arab countries, often bribing local officials to facilitate the movement of their customers. But the current anti-al Qaeda climate, and increased hostility towards Islamic radicals in Moslems countries, have made the smuggling gangs targets wherever they operate. As a result, several gangs have been hit hard, and terrorists have lost a convenient, if expensive, way to move between countries."

· Just Another Day in Baluchistan Quote from Jang of Pakistan "Miscreants detonated a bomb outside a police station, blew up a railway track and ambushed a military convoy with rockets in Balochistan while the main transmission line supplying power to the province was damaged after another bomb planted at a pylon exploded in Dera Ghazi Khan’s tribal area."

· Meanwhile, President Musharraf says there is no army operation in Baluchistan. Implication being all media and eyewitness accounts saying that operations are underway are false.

0230 GMT December 24, 2005

· Mexico's Immigration Rules [Thanks to reader marcopetroni] So Mexico is encouraging Latin nations to band together to resist some of the provisions of the new US immigration legislation - passed against President Bush's wishes - for example, making it a felony to illegally enter the US.

· Bad, bad, bad America!

· Except it turns out Mexico already does the same thing.

· Not Bad Mexico, but stupid Mexican government. Did they think someone wouldn't notice?

· CIA Director's Visit to Turkey Blogger Dan Darling of www.windsofchange.net draws attention to the CIA chief's visit to Turkey. Among the reasons he has gone there, say local newspapers, is to alert Turkey to possible US air strikes on Iran and Syria.

· What to us seems significant is that the Turkish Kurd exile party, the PPP, has been using their safe havens in northern Iraq to launch attacks into Turkey.

· The US has been working to prevent Turkey from attacking the PPP camps in Iraq.

· We fully support the US's efforts. For Turkey to move into Iraq will mean war against a sovereign nation. Such drastic action is justified, depending on the circumstances. The US attacked Afghanistan to destroy Al Qaeda and Bin Laden.

· There is, however, a big difference as of the present. The Taliban government was hand in glove with Bin Laden and refused to hand him over - they would try Bin Laden, they said, and if they found him guilty, he would be punished. [Of course, and the Moon is made of green cheese.]

· The Iraqi government has nothing to do with the Turkish PPP. The Iraqi Kurds appear to keep these ethnic kin at arms length.

· As such, Turkey will have to first exhaust all options to work cooperatively with Iraq, and show Iraq is acting in bad faith, before it can even think of an invasion.

· That said, the PPP has no right to attack civilians inside Turkey. It is at war with the Turks, but the minute it deviates from military targets to civilian ones, it becomes a terrorist organization; and of course, those familiar with the PPP will point out that's exactly what the PPP is.

· So the PPP has to be neutralized, or "persuaded" to change its ways. The US is the logical party to take charge of the problem.

· Mr. Bush, Wiretaps, and Impeachment Some House democrats are calling for Mr. Bush to be impeached for the wiretapping affair.

· This is smack on the nose affair, not an impeaching affair, for heaven's sake. There are no mala fides here. Mr. Bush is doing what all Presidents do, which is seeking to expand their powers. So now its turning out his take on what powers he is entitled to under the Constitution, the law, and Congressional approvals is different from what a growing number of people are saying. The correct Congressional response is to tell the President: "No, you cannot assume anything that suits you. If you need more powers to fight the Terror War, tell us what you need and let's negotiate." Most Congresspeople of both parties are, in fact, saying just this.

· The absolutely wrong response is  suggesting that Mr. Bush be impeached.

· Now, of course, some people want payback for Mr. Clinton's impeachment. Also, there is the "San Francisco Democrat" influence that does not accept the premise we are at war. To them events after 9/11 have simply been an excuse for Mr. Bush and his oily friends to enrich themselves and he needs to be punished.

· The problem is if the left is allowed to get away with its agenda, it will distract from the real debate that needs to take place between the three branches of Congress. There is no question of impeachment going anywhere. Meanwhile, those who want to chastise Mr. Bush will find a debate within moderate bounds is more likely to give the result they want.

· Rummy Says The Words Mr. Bush Won't Say So after all these months of laying low, Rummy announces that the President has authorized a reduction of forces in Iraq. Why the President couldn't make such an important announcement, and get the credit for it, we are not in a position to guess.

· One brigade of 1st Infantry Division scheduled for Iraq will not deploy at all, and one brigade of 1st Armored Division will go to Kuwait as part of the now evolving reaction force. This should bring the force down to 130,000.

· Americans Muslims Are Not Being Targeted For Simply Being Muslims, once again, as they are alleging, in light of disclosures that the US has been monitoring mosques for radiation. This is stupid talk. Certain Muslims are at war with the US, and frequently they have used mosques as places of inspiration, refuge, meeting, and planning.

· So why should the US government put the Mormon Temple off the Washington Beltway under surveillance, or the big Hindu temple in Chantilly, a Washington suburb, or the Korean church on Randolph Road or whatever. No one has used these places in attacks.

· Should that happen, then the places as required will also be put under surveillance and there is nothing more complicated about the matter.

· Cope India Turns out that not only was the US AWACS playing neutral party, but at least one of the exercises put 12 Indian fighters against 4 US fighters.

· To us what is interesting is: where today will the US fight at odds of 1:3? To get a hint as to which is the only country that could outnumber US fighters, consider some letters: A Papa, a Romeo, and a Charlie.

· F-22 We'd mentioned the Raptor in our daily updates. Mike Thompson sends us a news article that so far 180 have been authorized, which would be a bit short of two wings. A USAF wing usually runs to three squadrons of 24 aircraft or 4 of 18, with the balance of 100+ aircraft being used for training, attrition, and maintenance reserves.

· In exercises, F-22s have fought 6 on 1 and killed all six F-15s without loss to themselves. Of course, unless we know the terms of engagement we should be careful of such reports. Did the F-15s, for example, also use the AIM-120 missile?

· In general, however, because the F-22 is stealthy, other aircraft are at a severe disadvantage. Your F-22 can detect adversaries before being detected, then it simply unloads its AIM-120s pointing in the right direction and turns about to go home. In theory, at least, the first the adversary aircraft know about the F-22 is when its air-to-air missiles arrive among the adversary aircraft.

· Another very substantial advantage of the F-22 is its ability to fly at Mach plus speeds - Mach 1.4 is being mentioned - without afterburner. This makes an F-22 near impossible to catch. Moreover, if the F-22 is in trouble, it can simply break away and return for another round.

0230 GMT December 23, 2005

· White House is World Number 1 Liar Says Saddam whereas he never lies.

· Truthfully, we don't know if the White House is any kind of liar. Last we checked, its a building and buildings don't - how can we say this without upsetting a crazy - um, speak.

· If Saddam meant Mr. Bush is Number 1 liar, we have to respectfully disagree. Mr. Bush spins a great deal, as does everyone of consequence in America, or so it would seem, but he doesn't lie. If he were to do so, he'd be in big trouble.

· Now, we agree Saddam doesn't lie. When confronted about the massacre for which he is on trial, he said the people killed were a bunch of dogs who didn't deserve to live. Interestingly, his intelligence chief also beat up on dogs. When the court was told by one man the bodies of 7 of his family were stacked up outside the jail where they'd been killed, the intel chief got very excited and started yelling about dogs.

· Now come on you guys, stop this already about insulting dogs. Dogs are noble animals. Dogs don't deserve to die like dogs. Only you all deserve that fate.

· Heard on National Public Radio David Gergan, commentator, academic, and advisor to 4 presidents was on NPR yesterday. He spoke of Mr. Cheney's belief that the US presidency had been crippled due to restrictions and its power and prestige needed to be restored. Mr. Gergan opined Mr. Cheney was stuck in a time warp. Yes, in 1973-74 the president's powers were at a new low (Hint: was US president at that time and might limitations imposed on presidency have something to do with it?") but by 2001 the situation had entirely changed and its difficult to figure out what limitations he is talking about.

· Mr. Gergan also said - to a minor cheer by your editor - that Congress had abdicated its responsibility after 9/11 to act as a check on the presidency. Congress must also take its share of the blame for present situation.

· Re. Mr. Cheney and timewarps. We felt Mr. Gergan's comments were below the belt. Everyone knows Mr. Cheney is kept in frozen animation in a secret bunker and thawed out only as needed for public appearance. As far as Mr. Cheney is concerned, it is the 1970s.

· Seriously, BTW, who sent Mr. Cheney to the bunker? None other than President Bush. The Pres. has to be a lot smarter than we give him credit for, no?

· UK Sends 1100 Troops Back To Bases prior to a reduction in Iraq deployments. British have withdrawn from patrolling half their area in Iraq as 10th Iraq Division continues to get experience. The division will be fully ready in March, its commander says. The British troops back at bases are ready to go out if called on by the Iraqis.

· Meanwhile, the Polish Prime Minister says Iraqi troops in his country's zone are not ready to take over.