The Iranian's Have Nukes Already

Following a hat-tip from Lucyna and my own hunch I went shopping. Seems the Iranians have already 8-12 nukes. 3-4 obtained from Kazahkastan and 3-4 from Ukraine. See here for the detail.

This story is not getting traction with the ancient media (ht Adolf) - where as it should.

It makes it easier to understand why the Iranians are provoking the US, Europe and Israel.

They know there is only limited capacity and capability for military action at present - better to provoke a limited response and in the settlement post war the Iranian regime is strenthened.

See here: from here

If his sources are correct and Ahmadinejad is leaking that Iran has nuclear weapons, it would appear he is intent on creating a crisis now! Many believe Ahmadinejad is setting a trap for the west because western military action at this time would likely be of a limited nature since the west is unprepared for a full scale occupation of Iran. Such a confrontation would likely end in a negotiated settlement leaving the regime in power, but would also likely include internationally agreed to security arrangements with the regime, a very dangerous proposition indeed

Finally the Truth from Ahmed Zaoui

Zaoui featured tonight in a TV One advertisement; standing outside Mt Eden Prison.

Saying..."It's all about me"

Yep, right this time Ahmed. It's only ever been about you and your jihadist mates.

Truly Bizarre is Right

I was staggered and stunned to hear on last night's late TV News that the Government had sent officials to Japan to advise traders and Japanese investors not to invest in the NZ bond issues - known as uridashi bonds.

WTF is going on when a Government with an open economy tells investors not to invest...particularly foreign investors. Normally countries/economies of our size are begging for foreign investment.

As John Key said it is truly bizarre when the NZ Government behaves like this.

The problem is the interest rates are so high Japanese investors cannot ignore them.

The solution is lower interest rates. To do that the Government's contribution should be to reduce its own monopolistic activities crowding out the private sector and further free up the economy (so we have real competition) from the vast state owned apparatus still in place (all the major energy generation bar one is state owned).

The state owned electricty sector should be floated - piece by piece - that would give something for foreign investors to mull over and would give the NZX a big fillip.

Finally and its a biggie - reduce taxes Michael. Better you let the people have their own money than making them go to those nasty foreign banks and borrow.

Alasdair Thompson of the EMA has had a brain freeze today if he supports the Government intervention. He knows better...another week at the beach or are you still at the beach?

al-Qaeda Dead Named

Among the dead in the Predator attack in Pakistan was the son-in-law of the al-Qaeda second in command, al-Zawahri, Abdul Rehman Al-Misri al Maghribi. Maghribi was responsible for al Qaeda's media department.

As I said earlier - good intelligence - good execution. Good guys 4 - Bad guys nil.

Another was Midhat Mursi al-Sayid 'Umar, an expert in explosives and poisons who carried a $5 million US bounty on his head under the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Rewards for Justice programme.

The FBI says 'Umar ran a training camp at Derunta in Afghanistan and since 1999 had proliferated training manuals containing crude recipes for chemical and biological weapons.

The third man identified was Abu Obaidah al Misri, al Qaeda's chief of operations in Afghanistan's eastern Kunar province, where US and Afghan forces regularly come under attack from militant groups.

Pakistani Intelligence is said to be still trying to identify a fourth al Qaeda member believed to have been killed in last Friday's airstrike.

Bollard Should Attack Ministers For Profligacy

News today that two new gaols being built under Damien O'Connor's stewardship are over budget by $141 Million should appall us all. This is an extraordinary overrun.

Clearly things are out-of-control in the Government. For one of the prisons the overrun amounts to $153,000 per bed!!! That's the overrun not the cost.

When considered in the context of Chris Carter's out of control cell phone bill and his vast travel account manoevering his man about the country for weekend trysts it is safe to assume Labour see the taxpayer's as cows to be milked.

There is no sense of accountability at all. Alan Bollard is best to direct his guns at out of control Ministers - that is where he can effect quick change. Get the Government out of our lives and stop them making up ludicrous nitpicking laws which are foist on ever eager Councils to implement and rate. It is the monopoly and oligopolistic suppliers that are driving inflation. Not mum and dad buying a renter or moving to a better suburb.

I should add - it usually the Government owned Kiwibank that is leading the rush to have the lowest rate to lend mortgage money....not those nasty foreign owned banks.

'El Jefe' Field Report Delayed Further

News today that the Beehive (Floor 9) confirms the Ingram Report into the extra-ministerial and property development activities of the Labour Member for Mangere and former Labour Minister is delayed at least a month will surprise no-one.

This is standard issue for Helen Clark and her Government. The model (being faithfully followed) is: Promise an quick and fulsome report. Delay, delay, delay - release at an appropriate moment behind a smokescreen of something else.

The longer this goes on the more likely it is that Field is a gone-burger. Clark is waiting to find a good time to execute him. This will bring her mate Charles Chauvel to the House. A dandy if ever I saw one.

Al-Reuters Confirms Al-Qaeda Members Killed at Pakistan Village Airstrike

Very late in the piece Al-Reuters finally reports the truth behind the airstrike. It says Pakistani officials have confirmed Egyptian members of Al-Qaeda were killed and that Al-Zawahiri (also an Egyptian) was expected at the house for the evening. There is no confirmation Al-Zawahiri was not killed. Some bodies were quickly removed to another place. Apparently there is DNA analysis going on - by who and on who and with what material is not known.

As I blogged yesterday - the intelligence was good and the mission execution was excellent.
Perhaps now Northern tribesman Jewellers will choose their dinner guests more carefully and keep their wives and children out of town when bad guys come calling - particularly those with a price on their head.

The pity is the blogosphere is 36 hours ahead of the MSM - where do you go for your news?

Zaoui's Group Alleged to be Behind the Massive Italian Terror Operation

As I blogged earlier the NBR alone in NZ has covered the story from Italy about a major Al Qaeda affiliate group planning a massive global terror campaign.

The conspirators are Algerians - members of GSPC the major armed militant organisation in Algeria. This group is also often referred to as GIA, Ahmed Zaoui's old mob. (GIA is the terror group Zaoui was convicted of heading by the French and Belgian courts). For proof/reference go to the oracle itself Amnesty International - haha. Cannot duck that one boys.

Wikipedia has a good summary as well.

Methinks the SIS were/are on to something - be great to have a linkage with Ahmed Zaoui in old footage meeting his buddies Yamine Bouhrama, Achour Rabah and Tartaq Sami - the conspirators.

NBR (a non Daily) Alone Carries Story Regarding Italians Preventing a Major Terrorist 'Spectacular'in the US.

The NBR carries the story here revealing the superb action by the Italian authorities in breaking open a conspiracy to mount a major terror action in the US. A key element was wiretaps. The plan was devastation on a scale greater than 9/11.

Two points are very interesting:

1 - The Mainstream media have ignored this - especially in the US. Presumably it does not fit the stories and editorials against the Bush Administration's plans to tap the 'phones of US citizens. The media are trying to generate a ground swell to impeach Bush for 'spying on Americans'. Bush meantime is proving every day his focus is on taking whatever steps are necessary to prevent Americans from being blown up by Al Qaeda - particularly on US soil.

1b - In NZ the story was broken by a weekly - interestingly a conservative, and some might say rightwing publication.

2 - The Conspirators were Algerians - I wonder whether our resident Algerian subject of hagiographic lefty love was previously (is) associated with these Algerian conspirators. More on this in a later blog.

A postscript is Tony Blair has advised MP's in the UK he favours making MP's (along with the rest of the populace) subject to wiretaps - any previous understandings of privilege or bans will go.

Al Qaeda Fighters Killed in Pakistani Attack

I caught the briefest mention on the late TV News last night that 4-5 'foreigners' were killed in the remote villlage attacked (allegedly by Predator fired missiles). As we all know 'foreigners' in those parts is code for Al Qaeda. Nothing in the mainstream media today following the brief mention last night that Al Qaeda was there and done.

This story obviously does not fit the MSM view of the world where the better story is ''CIA cocks up missile attack and kills innocents". The New York Post - in direct contrast to their Democrat loving, anti-anything Bush, pro-islamist, counterparts across the river at the NY Times, report the deaths of Al Qaeda fighters and that Al-Zawahiri was invited to the establishment but sent Aides at the last minute. Seems the intelligence was good and the good guys did the bad guys. It is a pity our press did not keep up. Preferring the anti-US - CIA are buffoons line.

Hat-tip and help Adolf

Fran O'Sullivan on Fire

It has been a pleasure to read Fran O'Sullivan's columns in the NZ Herald in 2006. Long may she continue. She has been apposite and has really taken the fight to the Government, particularly key ministers and bureaucrats - notably Bollard.

Fran's 'New Year Resolutions' was very good - a good agenda for the Government if they chose to follow it. Today's message to Bollard is timely and to the point. The sooner he stops jawboning the general economy and aims squarely at the out of control government sector the more likely we are to have a soft landing.

The tragedy in all this - Fran O'Sullivan's columns are suscriber only.

Update: Hat-tip Premium Content carries the story...

Sorry Helen Tone Wants Your (coveted) Job

President Clinton has endorsed Tony Blair's suitability for UN Secretary-General, available once Kofi Annan retires 31 December 2006. In a remarkable continuance of the 'third way' they co-authored, the pals are sticking together. This spells doom for Helen Clark's thrust at the role. What a sad end for the south pacific franchisee to the 'third way' (basically poll the people and give them what they think they want, while railing at tilted windmills) - Clark won't have the gravitas of Blair or the patronage of President Clinton. Perhaps Sue Kedgely can ask her old boyfriend Kofi to put in a good word for Helen.