Hypocrisy times 10

The deceit going on in Iran is beyond belief. What an about-face! This is what the piece of shit (Ahmadinejad) said only a few days ago.

Iran's president said Friday that Egypt's popular uprising shows a new Islamic Middle East is emerging, one that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claims will have no signs of Israel and U.S. "interference."

He also urged Egyptian protesters to persevere until there is a regime change. "It's your right to be free. It's your right to exercise your will and sovereignty ... and choose the type of government and the rulers."

Iranian authorities say they fear a repeat of protests that broke out in 2009 following a disputed election [EPA] (Click for larger image)

Iranian lawmakers condemn protests; call for execution of leaders

Tens of thousands of protesters marched through the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Monday in defiance of the government.

Iranian lawmakers denounced Monday's protests in Tehran and called for the execution of two opposition leaders for inciting the demonstrations, Iran's state-run Press TV reported Tuesday.
Members of the Iranian parliament issued fiery chants against opposition leaders and former presidential candidates Mehdi Karrubi and Mir Hossein MoussavPress TV aired video Tuesday of lawmakers chanting "Moussavi, Karroubi ... execute them."

Lawmakers also named former President Mohammad Khatami in some of the death chants.

Iranian leaders have praised Egypt's revolution, but Monday when protesters in Iran took to the streets the government cracked down hard.

Last week, the Iranian government rounded up activists after Karrubi and Moussavi called for supporters to gather at Azadi Square -- the site of mass protests by Iran's opposition movement after the disputed 2009 presidential elections.

Despite the security crackdown, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in Tehran Monday.

Patrolling security forces battled protesters with batons and tear gas for much of the day.

The large crowd was largely cleared from the city's streets by nightfall and the main squares near Tehran University remained free of police, security forces or protesters

Dozens of demonstrators were detained during Monday's protests while internet videos showed others had been chased and beaten.

One person was shot and killed during the protests, according to Iran's semiofficial Fars news agency. Several others were injured and listed in serious condition as a result of the shooting, which the Iranian government blamed on "agitators and seditionists."

Video uploaded to YouTube showed throngs of demonstrators marching, burning posters of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and in one instance beating a man who appeared to try to remove a poster from the hands of protesters.

Other YouTube video showed police in riot gear pursuing dozens of people running away from the baton-wielding officers.

Other videos show similar protests going on in other cities in Iran such as Shiraz and Isfahan.

CNN cannot independently verify the authenticity of the videos and witnesses declined to be named for fear of retribution.

Reporting from Iran proved extremely difficult Monday -- foreign journalists were denied visas, accredited journalists living in the country were restricted from covering the demonstrations and internet speeds slowed to a crawl in an apparent attempt to both limit protest organizing and restrict information from being transmitted out of the country.

Catherine Ashton, the European Union foreign policy chief, released a statement Tuesday urging Iranian officials to "fully respect and protect the rights of their citizens, including freedom of expression and the right to assemble peacefully."

CNN's Reza Sayah and Mitra Mobasherat contributed to this report

Hypocrisy times 10

The Messiah is getting worried

On a tip from Keith.

The Messiah is getting worried

First it was high speed trains

Now this.

President Obama pitches $18 billion wireless broadband plan

By Cecilia Kang

MARQUETTE, Mich. — In this remote snow-swept college town rejuvenated in parts by Internet commerce, President Obama on Thursday outlined a plan to create similar economic stories through the expansion of super-fast wireless Internet connections.

Speaking at Northern Michigan University, Obama unveiled an ambitious blueprint to use $18 billion in federal funds to get 98 percent of the nation connected to the Internet on smartphones and tablet computers in five years.

To get there, the federal government will try to bring more radiowaves into the hands of wireless carriers to bolster the nation's networks and prevent a jam of Internet traffic. He said he hoped to auction airwaves currently in the hands of television stations and government agencies to raise about $27.8 billion.

And with the money raised, the government would fund new rural 4G wireless networks and a mobile communications system for fire, policy and emergency responders. The remaining funds raised — about $10 billion — would go toward lowering the federal deficit over the next decade.

First outlined in his State of the Union speech, the plan is part of a push to reshape the nation's infrastructure of deteriorating roadways and manufacturing plants into one with high-speed railways and high-speed Internet networks the president said are essential to compete globally in years ahead.

"To attract the best jobs and newest industries, we've got to out-innovate, out-educate, out-build and out-hustle the rest of the world," Obama said in his speech.

The plan is ambitious and complicated and relies heavily on the participation of cautious television broadcasters who are loath to easily give up their greatest asset — spectrum, experts say.

Specifically, $10.7 billion would go toward building an interoperable public safety network so first responders can communicate, send video files and e-mails during disasters and national security threats.

The administration also plans a one-time allotment of $5 billion from a federal phone subsidy to be used for wireless broadband expansion in rural areas. About $3 billion would go to a government research and development program for ways to use mobile Internet access for emerging technologies and applications in health, education and energy.

Its estimates don't include how much money it would return to broadcasters who give up airwaves in voluntary "incentive auctions." Those television broadcasters will get a cut of the proceeds, the administration has promised though it hasn't offered more details.

But broadcasters want more guarantees auctions will be voluntary and they are searching for details on how much they would receive from the auctions.

Those details, however, are crucial for broadcasters, said Gordon Smith, president of the National Association of Broadcasters.

"We aren't against the plan but want to make sure this is truly voluntary, and we want to hold harmless those who don't want to participate," Smith said.

They are sitting on what is considered beachfront spectrum that is ideal for powerful Internet connections from a flood of Droids, iPhones and Xoom tablets hitting the market.

"It is not at all clear that incentive auctions will take place," Gigi Sohn, president of the public interest group Public Knowledge, said in a statement. She praised the federal attention to mobile broadband technology but said, "even under circumstances of familiar auction procedures, estimates of revenue can vary greatly from what is actually achieved."

Some lawmakers point to a questionable track record for federal programs to expand broadband connections.

As Obama toured Marquette's Getz's Clothiers, a retailer that has expanded its business on the Web thanks to broadband Internet for Marquette's population of 20,000, the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing on oversight of recent funding for broadband programs.

More than $7 billion in stimulus funds have been distributed to broadband grants in rural areas and lawmakers grilled recipients and government officials over economic gains from those grants.

"Before we target any more of our scarce taxpayer dollars for broadband, it is critical to examine whether the money already being spent is having an impact, as well as how we can minimize waste, fraud and abuse," said Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.), chairman of the energy and commerce committee.

Because the funds for new mobile broadband networks would come from auctions and not from the U.S. Treasury, it "has a better-than-even chance of happening," Paul Gallant, an analyst at investment firm MF Global said.

The White House said the funds won't come out of taxpayer pockets, pointing to its expectations of auction proceeds.

Obama chose to visit Marquette because of the town's success in attracting commercial partners such as Intel to build a mobile broadband network based on WiMax technology on the university campus. Northern Michigan University partnered with towns nearby to expand cell towers so that elementary schools, police and residents could also access wireless networks fast enough to access streaming videos without a wireline connection.

"If you can do this in the snowy wilderness of the Upper Peninsula, we can do this all across America," Obama said.

First it was high speed trains

King chides Napolitano for belated embrace of the term "terrorist"

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said "terrorist" and "terrorism" more than 60 times in her opening statement Wednesday before the House Homeland Security Committee. At least that was the count of committee chairman, Rep. Peter King of New York. He pointed out that she, rarely if ever, used the words last year and asked if the administration had backed away from the phrase "war on terror." 

Napolitano said her use of the word evolved from working with law enforcement and intelligence agencies and had nothing to do with any policy changes. (Just exactly what does that mean…they had to explain to her what a terrorist was?) Later, Rep. Paul Broun, Republican of Georgia, criticized the administration for working to eliminate the words "jihadist" and "Islamic extremist" in reference to terrorist acts. Broun said that political correctness has led to more grandmothers and children being patted down at airports than potential terrorists. "I have yet to see a grandma with chemicals in her bloomers," he said.

King chides Napolitano for belated embrace of the term "terrorist"

No simple solutions

Egypt today

This latest episode in Egypt smells like the Iran of 1979.

☟

 They couldn't wait to get rid of the Shah. Overjoyed they were with the prospects of Khomeini who promptly pursued the Iran-Iraq war. What they accomplished .... essentially trading one dictator for another who was even more ruthless. The country's been run by Mullah's who rule with and iron fist ever since. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is only a "puppet president" but is nonetheless dangerous, not to mention insane.

Sooner or later push will come to shove and Iran will be bombed. Either by us or Israel. Thousands of Iranians will most likely be killed.

Egypt should take another cold hard look at the situation before going off half cocked. 

Mubarak is no prize package but then again he certainly is no Saddam Hussein either. If the Muslim Brotherhood fills the vacuum all bets are off. 

A prelude of things to come

Muslim Brotherhood blames Israel for Egyptian unrest

No it ain't the Klu Klux Klan 

Mohammed Ghanem one of the Muslim Brotherhood leaders in Egypt called on his country to stop pumping gas to Israel and prepare the Egyptian army to wage war against Israel.

In an interview on the Iranian television station al-Alam, Ghanem blamed Israel for supporting President Hosni Mubarak's regime but warned that neither the Egyptian police or army will be able to stop the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Muslim Brotherhood is the largest opposition group in the country and criticized Mubarak in the latest parliamentary elections of rigging the votes. While they have not come out vocally in the recent wave of anti-government protests, many believe they are purposely maintain a low profile until the time is right to attempt to take over the government.

Bottom line.

A Muslim could step on a nail and swear to Allah an Israeli put it there.

No simple solutions