YouTube declines Lieberman Request to Remove Terrorist Videos

Senator Lieberman wrote to Google asking that particularly objectionable material be removed from YouTube. They declined. I agree. They should not take them down. Who should be active though are citizen activists who disagree with the repulsion that is international terrorism to flag the objectionable videos and have them removed. The government should stay out. What if young people got active and began caring about the images of American troops in harms way? What if young people set a goal to be vigilant and flag a set number of objectionable videos per day? What if young people had private competitions determined to stop the hatred expressed by terrorists? Nahh, never mind.

May 19, 2008

Dr. Eric Schmidt
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
Google, Inc.
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043

Dear Dr. Schmidt:

YouTube is being used to share videos produced by al-Qaeda and other Islamist terrorist groups. The purpose of this letter is to request that Google implement its own policy against this offensive material, remove these videos from YouTube, and prevent them from reappearing.

Today, Islamist terrorist organizations rely extensively on the Internet to attract supporters and advance their cause. The framework for much of this Internet campaign is described in a bipartisan staff report released last week by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (“Committee”), which I am privileged to chair, titled Violent Islamist Extremism, the Internet, and the Homegrown Terrorist Threat. The report explains, in part, how al-Qaeda created and manages a multi-tiered online media operation that produces content intended to enlist followers in countries all over the world, including the United States. Central to this media campaign is the branding of content with an icon or logo to guarantee authenticity that the content was produced by al-Qaeda or allied organizations like al-Qaeda in Iraq, Ansar al-Islam (a.k.a Ansar al-Sunnah) or al-Qaeda in the Land of the Islamic Maghreb. All of these groups have been designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) by the Department of State.

Searches on YouTube return dozens of videos branded with an icon or logo identifying the videos as the work of one of these Islamist terrorist organizations. A great majority of these videos document horrific attacks on American soldiers in Iraq or Afghanistan. Others provide weapons training, speeches by al-Qaeda leadership, and general material intended to radicalize potential recruits.

In other words, Islamist terrorist organizations use YouTube to disseminate their propaganda, enlist followers, and provide weapons training – activities that are all essential to terrorist activity. According to testimony received by our Committee, the online content produced by al-Qaeda and other Islamist terrorist organizations can play a significant role in the process of radicalization, the end point of which is the planning and execution of a terrorist attack. YouTube also, unwittingly, permits Islamist terrorist groups to maintain an active, pervasive, and amplified voice, despite military setbacks or successful operations by the law enforcement and intelligence communities.

YouTube posts “community guidelines” for users to follow, but it does not appear that the company is enforcing these guidelines to the extent they would apply to this content. For example, the community guidelines state that “[g]raphic or gratuitous violence is not allowed. If your video shows someone getting hurt, attacked, or humiliated, don’t post it.” Many of the videos produced by one of the production arms of al-Qaeda show attacks on U.S. forces in which American soldiers are injured and, in some cases, killed. Nevertheless, those videos remain available for viewing on YouTube. At the same time, the guidelines do not prohibit the posting of content that can be readily identified as produced by al-Qaeda or another FTO.

I ask you, therefore, to immediately remove content produced by Islamist terrorist organizations from YouTube. This should be a straightforward task since so many of the Islamist terrorist organizations brand their material with logos or icons identifying their provenance. In addition, please explain what changes Google plans to make to the YouTube community guidelines to address violent extremist material and how Google plans to enforce those guidelines to prevent the content from reappearing.

Protecting our citizens from terrorist attacks is a top priority for our government. The private sector can help us do that. By taking action to curtail the use of YouTube to disseminate the goals and methods of those who wish to kill innocent civilians, Google will make a singularly important contribution to this important national effort.

Thank you for your immediate attention to this critical matter and I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,



Joseph I. Lieberman (ID-CT)
Chairman, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

Iraqi Troops Regain Sadr City

Iraqi troop mans a checkpoint in Sadr City.

Graphic source: Reuters

I'm wondering if the Times is coming around to presenting the war in a more realistic light. They featured a headline story, "Iraqi Troops in Push to Regain Control of Sadr City," and actually, it was mostly accurate. The journalists are Michael R. Gordon and Stephen Farrell while they received assistance from "Anwar J. Ali, Mudhafer al-Husaini and an Iraqi employee of The New York Times contributed reporting." Since the story really is showing what on-site bloggers have been saying for some time, they may be coming around. And, I wonder what the exact arrangment of journalists and writers is? In other words, do the Westeners sit at the pool eating bon-bons while the local stringers actually go out and get the news? The story at least sounds like it has first-hand elements so somebody was out there. The important aspect of an article such as this is that it emphasizes that Iraqi troops pushed deep into Sadr City and they operated without the involvement of American ground forces, which is really a major turnaround from not all that long ago. Who would have thought that the Times would run a story with the sentence: "No American ground forces accompanied the Iraqi troops, not even military advisers." This was an Iraqi operation with the Americans in the supportive but physically rearward position. I hope its the first of many, many more to come.

Bin Laden Whines Again: Yawn

Bin Laden is emphasizing Palestine and its liberation. In order to be liberated, he accuses fellow Muslims of allowing Palestinians to die. The solution, as he sees it, is to attack fellow Muslims in order to liberate Palestine. The question is why he shifting to an emphasis on Palestine, and not the liberation of the Holy Land? Is it because he knows now that he can not win in Iraq now that AQ is on the run, and traditionally, Palestine was a rallying cry amongst Muslims worldwide? I think so.

EEF Poster

Graphic source: Electronic Frontier Foundation

A few groups are stretching the boundaries of freedom and protecting the free expression of ideas. In a previous post, I noted the importance of the Electronic Frontier Foundation on behalf of Wikileaks case, an instance of a whistle-blower issue, on behalf of telephone consumers to prevent the NSA from spying on citizens, and in the case of commercial search engines which may be storing personal information about people.

Dutch Give Up Liberties to Extremists

This is a tamer example of a cartoon by the satirist.

Graphic source: Gregorius Nekschot

A Dutch cartoonist, who works under the pseudonym Gregorius Nekschot, was arrested on suspicion of violating hate speech laws, and insulting people because of their religion, according to Amsterdam public prosecutor spokeswoman Sanne van Meteren. Each is a crime punishable by up to a year in prison under Dutch hate speech laws-—or two years for multiple offenses. Both the cartoonist, and his Dutch publisher, Uitgeverij Xtra, have received death threats so apparently the cartoonist may be threatened but his right to free speech and artistic expression can be silenced. Not surprisingly, Nekschot is known primarily for cartoons mocking Muslims and leftists, but he is a satirist who targets "any strong ideology" including other religions. Nekschot has a web site but has also been featured on the Web site of Theo van Gogh, the filmmaker who was murdered by a Muslim radical in November 2004. The cartoonist's pseudonym, "Gregorius" refers to Pope Gregory IX, who instituted the Papal Inquisition, and "Nekschot" means literally "shot in the neck," a method used by "fascists and communists to get rid of their opponents." Let's hope the Dutch who opposed totalitarianism before will have the good sense to protect their liberties against Islamofascism.

Aynak Valley Attracts Chinese Mining Investment

Graphic source: Times Online

Afghanistan copper deposits worth $88 billion have attracted Chinese investors and if China moves in I would hope the U.N. or international pressure would force the Chinese to provide security in the region. In the Aynak valley, al-Qaeda trained and planned the 9/11 attacks that triggered the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

With such an infamous past, a Chinese mining company begins its foray into the Afghanistan economy. The valley’s floor contains one of the world’s largest untapped copper deposits, estimated to be worth up to $88 billion which is more than double of Afghanistan’s entire gross domestic product (GDP) in 2007. A 30-year lease was sold to the China Metallurgical Group for $3 billion, making it the biggest foreign investment and private business venture in Afghanistan’s history.

This deal is so large, the price tag equalled 20 per cent of all foreign aid to the country since 2001, and the annual royalties of $400 million represent 45 per cent of its state budget. The obstacles are huge in this insecure area and the valley is without basic infrastructure. As in the case of Chinese investment in Africa, no one knows the effect of investment in Afghanistan, according to Integrity Watch Afghanistan, a non governmental organisationwhich, is ill-equipped to absorb huge sums of money or even to consider the social and environmental costs. Afghanistan's largest product is opium so it remains to be seen what effect huge and legitimate mining operations might have on the poverty stricken region.

“Afghanistan has abundant known mineral resources,” said Stephen Peters, of the US Geological Survey, which completed a two-year survey of the country last year. The positives are intriguing to consider though, and may act as a corrective to extremism. The mining will create jobs for 5,000 people, 90% Afghans. Up to 4,000 jobs will be created to build a railway to the Pakistani border, and several thousand security guards will be recruited from surrounding villages. The Chinese are contractually obligated to build mosques, schools, hospitals, markets, and small bazaars.

The site was discovered in 1974 by the Soviets, who built the now derelict buildings, mapped the area and took thousands of rock samples.

Their plans were thwarted by Mujahidin rebels who surrounded Aynak and cut it off from the outside. General Hatiqulluh Luddin, who led the rebels around Aynak and still commands 30,000 men in the area.

The Afghan civil war thwarted any development in the area.

When the Taleban took over in 1996 they showed no interest in Aynak and allowed al-Qaeda to turn it into its main training camp.

Only after the Taleban’s overthrow did Aynak arise again when a team from the British Geological Survey arrived to start recovering and organising the 78 reports and 1,300 maps on Aynak, which were mostly in Russian and based on obsolete Soviet methodology.

Germany As Target and Breeding Ground for Terrorism

In Germany, the threat of Islamic terrorism remains "consistently high" according to an annual report by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Islamic militants consider Germany as an "operational area" and Islamists regard Germany as a "crusader" as an ally of the United States and Israel. American, Israeli, Russian, and British institutions are also targets. For example, militants were arrested on 4 September 2007, when three individuals allegedly planned attacks on American institutions in Germany and were caught with bomb-making material. In addition, by 2007 there were 30 nationwide active Islamist organisations. Among these groups, 1,390 were active followers of the Muslim Brotherhood, and about 900 were from the Lebanese Shia radical group Hezbollah.

Moving to Mosul

The Coalition is expected to begin operations against al-Qaida operatives in Mosul. The strategy is a typical one which will begin with U.S. military airstrikes. After about three or four weeks the infantry is expected to stage raids and search neighborhoods. In addition to al-Qaida members, the Ansar al-Sunna organization inhabits the area as well. At least three U.S. military brigades will accompany at least a full brigade from the Iraqi military against an estimated 5,000 militia members. Analysts have stated that there may be as many as 7,000 armed men affiliated with al-Qaida or other radical organizations. Operation Lion's Roar nets more than 1,000 suspects.

The Iraqi security forces launched the Operation as a first step in the operation.

This is Al Qaeda's last major ratline into Syria which spans westward from Mosul into Tal Afar and the crossing point at Sinjar.

As the ratline is dismantled, "just under 200" Tier 1 and Tier 2 al Qaeda and Islamic State of Iraq operatives have been detained, stated Major General Mark Hertling, the commander of Multinational Division North.

Tier 1 operatives are operational leaders. Tier 2 operatives are foreign fighters or weapons facilitators, bomb makers, and cell leaders.

The Sahwa, or Awakening, forces in Ninewa are mobilized in the province. Fawaz al Jarba, the leader of the Mosul Sahwa Council, said more than 11,000 tribal fighters were prepared to assist security forces.

McCain First-Term Withdrawal

McCain commented on a possible first-term withdrawal scenario if elected. If he is reading about the new breed of evolving U.S. warfare, the timing may be sooner.

Daily Note

US troops have killed five Mahdi Army fighters in western Baghdad since May 14 as the Mahdi appear to be giving up and seeking an easier environment. US troops killed five Mahdi Army fighters in the western district of Kadamiyah after receiving sniper, small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire. 599 Mahdi Army fighters have been confirmed killed in and around Sadr City since March 25,

NATO Cyberwarfare Center Announced

NATO plans to set up a cyberdefense center in Estonia and when considered in conjunction with the recently set-up U.S. effort it demonstrates just how important this area is becoming. Estonia experiences one of the most significant cyberwarfare attacks to the country is an obvious choice to head up the effort. The Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence will operate out of Tallinn, Estonia, with a staff of 30. Half of the specialists come from its seven sponsoring countries: Germany, Italy, Spain, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Estonia.

New York Times Admits Wall

Graphic Source: Multinational Forces

Just in the past couple of days The York Times has appeared to hint that events in Iraq might be going better than they have stated previously. They even published the Multinational map which showed the actual dimensions of the Wall. Even if they are not celebrating with the military there is progress that the mass media may be coming around to admitting progress, as tentative as it may be, is occurring in Iraq. That's a big first step.

Daily Note

ز'ير] [أل-سّد] [في] [سولت] [أل-هق] على قبض عمليات 2 [أق] قادة كبريات على الطريق عامّة بين [مكهموور] منطقة و [أل-قرا] منطقة قرب [مكووك] قرية, 40 [كم] غرب [مكهموور]. اعترف المعتقل هم قتل وخطف مدنيّ.

10 مهدي جيش قتلت مقاتلات أثناء صدامات في [سدر] مدينة وثلاثة كثير مهدي مقاتلون كان في مكان آخر في بغداد.

قتل 593 مهدي يتلقّى يكون أكّدت في [سدر] مدينة منذ مارس - آذار 25.

إئتلاف دعا قوّات في هواء إضرابات ضدّ [تليبن], يقتل اثنا عشر مناضلات.

راجستان قد أطلق شرطة الرسم تخطيطيّ من 25 [ير ولد] رجل مع إرتفاع متوسّط الذي يكون شككت أن يكون خلف جايبور انفجارات في أيّ 80 الناس كان قتلت.

Za'eer al-Assad Fi Saulat al-Haq operations captured 2 AQ senior commanders on the high road between Makhmour district and al-Qayara district near Makook village, 40 km west of Makhmour. The detainees confessed they killed and kidnapped civilians.

10 Mahdi Army fighters during clashes in Sadr City and three more Mahdi fighters were killed elsewhere in Baghdad.

A video posted on 14 May 2008 shows an aerial bombing.

593 Mahdi have been confirmed killed in Sadr City since March 25.

Coalition forces called in air strikes against the Taliban, killing a dozen militants.

Rajasthan police have released the sketch of a 25-year-old man with medium height who is suspected to be behind the Jaipur blasts in which 80 people were killed.

حركة الجهاد الإسلامي , Movement of Islamic Holy War Slaughters at Least 80

Graphic source: AFP/Graphic

حركة الجهاد الإسلامي , or, the Movement of Islamic Holy War slaughtered at least 80 people and wounded 200 with seven nearly simultaneous bomb blasts in Jaipur. The trademark blasts appear similar to AQ and since the Movement's founding in 1992 there have been close ties between the two groups.

AQ linked networks or publically declaring Osama Bin Laden their Emir, killed over 10,000 Indian civilians before 9/11. India has a small contingent of troops in Afghanistan and the bombings may be in retaliance for Indian presence there.

I've advocated the greater presence of India in the region especially since its economy is booming and perhaps this latest horrendous attack is an impetus for more direct involvement on the part of India. India could expand its role in Somalia, Darfur, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippians. By the same token, India would be entitled to a greater influence in how the international community is fighting the global Takfiri (excommunicated Muslim) threat. Why not?

Daily Post, Explosions in India

Graphic source: The Long War Journal, an AQ propaganda banner.

Iraqi security forces detained 142 "gunmen" since Operation Lion's Roar began in Mosul on May 10. US and Iraq forces captured seven al Qaeda operatives in Mosul. Iraqi security forces killed one "gunman" and captured 24 in Baghdad. Sheikh Majid Abdul-Razzaq Soliman, the chairman of the Iraq Chieftains & Notables Council of the Dulaimi tribe, said the US and Europe must help stop the "growing Iranian influence" in Iraq.

Details emerged about the two top AQ operatives who were killed yesterday. Abu Suleiman al Otaibi is a Saudi national who served as a senior leader in al Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq prior to meeting his end in Afghanistan. He was the former leader of the legal system of al Qaeda in Iraq's political front, the Islamic State of Iraq.The other individual was Abu Dejana al Qahtani, also a Saudi national. He is the brother of Abu Nasir al Qahtani, one of four al Qaeda operatives who escaped from Bagram prison in 2005.

An AQ-affiliated group, Harkat ul Jihad al Islami Bangladesh, or HuJI-B, killed 60 and wounded 200 in multiple bombings in India.

Kirkuk Goes Badly for AQ

Violence in Iraq’s Kirkuk province has plummetted by 70%, and Coalition forces have “virtually destroyed” AQ.

Army Col. David Paschal, commander of 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, noted four developments:

-- Precision targeting against insurgent leadership;

-- The growing capabilities and capacities of the Iraqi police and army;

-- Establishment of a “Sons of Iraq” program, in which citizens aid in the security effort; and

-- Partnership with Kirkuk’s provincial reconstruction team, composed of State Department and military personnel working along with experts from other governmental and nongovernmental agencies to aid local development.

The Coalition has killed or captured 20 high-value targets. U.S. soldiers also captured 63 “persons of interest” in the area.

The Iraqi security forces have improved dramatically and the Sons of Iraq program has contributed 400 men from two months of police training.

Kirkuk is the northern oil center of Iraq and it has exceeded all the pre-war level of exports.

Kirkuk may turn over provincial control to the Iraqis in November or December.

Finally, the Iraqi government also is hosting a small-loans program, anywhere from about $2,500 to $10,000, for small businesses to operate.

Review of Owning the Olympics: Narratives of the New China, eds., Monroe E. Price & Daniel Dayan

I read this work as an Early Reviewer on LibraryThing.com. I do not believe this is a work for the casual reader and the writers are assuming prior knowledge of media studies in general, and a familiarity with contemporary Chinese affairs.

That being said, this is a worthwhile work for the initiated. The "New China" is revealed today as an Olympic status country in the limelight as a global media event. I can claim to be an expert in neither field (http://blogsmithconsulting.blogspot.com/)--China or media studies--but I would be able to address media studies and am generally knowledgeable in global affairs as an historian. I would therefore characterize a more or less typically educated reader.

My opinion of the book then is that it will be more useful for a rather select audience of readers interested in China, and in particular, for those whose expertise lies in media studies. Most of the selections read like conference papers dedicated to those two fields and there is a cross-pollination of readings and knowledge which may be tedious for those outside the two fields.

As in many conferences as in an edited work such as this there is a range of quality and usefulness in the presenters and topics. I found Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom to be the most helpful since he concentrated on the analysis of the 2008 Chinese Olympic event that relate to history. The casual reader could profit by dipping in the selections and discovering which topics are of interest. The basic import of the text though is for a more specialized audience, and they would profitably benefit from the entire text.

Lastly, a word should be noted on what the book is not. It is not a general book on the "New China," it is not about the Olympics per se, or sports as a category. The reader should realize that this is an academic work for specialists although at points there may be a nugget or two for the more general reader. As the news media has picked up on the conflicts and controversies regarding China as a site for the Olympics, and symbolic protests occurred, I found myself dipping more into the work to provide a context and background for the news coverage. You may too.

Catching Up in Afghanistan as Sadr City Winds Down

قتلت 13 [تليبن], نائب ال [مولّه] [نزير], كبريات [تليبن] زعيمة في [وزيريستن] جنوبيّة, كان في [بكتيكا]. 2 [أق] قتلت زعيمات يهرب [كلأيشن] في العراق, بما في ذلك زعيمة سابقة في الدولة إسلاميّة العراق, كان أيضا.
إئتلاف قتل قوّات [مولنا] [إيقبل] و12 [تليبن] في [بكيتكا]. كان 12 من ال 13 [تليبن] يقتل من باكستان. كان 9 من [تليبن] من [وزيريستن] جنوبيّة, 2 من [بونجب], و1 من حيدراباد.


Thirteen Taliban, including a deputy of Mullah Nazir, a senior Taliban leader in South Waziristan, were killed in a clash with NATO and Afghan forces in the eastern Afghanistan province of Paktika. In a separate clash, two al Qaeda leaders, including a former leader in al Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq, were killed during fighting in neighboring Paktia province.

US and Afghan forces killed Maulana Iqbal and 12 other Taliban fighters in a major clash in Pakitka province. Twelve of the 13 Taliban killed during the fighting were from Pakistan, The Hindu reported. Nine of the Taliban were from South Waziristan, two were from Punjab province, and one was from Hyderabad in Sindh province. The bodies of the Taliban fighters have been sent back to Pakistan for burial.

Ten-Point Summary of Miniter's Losing Bin Laden

A quick ten-point list of contents:

1) The never-before-told story of the Saudi government attempt to assasinate bin Laden; 2) Why Bill Clinton refused to meet with his first Director of Central Intelligence; 3) Drawn from secret Sudanese intelligence files, the never-before-told story of bin Laden's role in shooting down America's Black Hawk helicopters in Mogadishu, Somalia--and how Clinton manipulated the news media to keep the worst off America's TV screens; 4) How Clinton ignored intelligence and offers of cooperation against bin Laden from several Muslim countries; 5) The 1993 World Trade Center attack--why Clinton refused to believe it had been bombed; why the CIA was kept out of the investigation; and how one of the FBI's most trusted informants was actually a double agent working for bin Laden; 6) Why the CIA never funded bin Laden--despite the liberal myths; 7) The untold story of a respected congressman who repeatedly warned Clinton officials about bin Laden in 1993--and why he was ignored; 8) Revealed for the first time: how Clinton and a democratic senator stopped the CIA from hiring Arabic translators--while phone intercepts from bin Laden remained untranslated; 9) How the Predator spy plane--which spotted bin Laden three times--was grounded by bureaucratic infighting; and, 10) Plus much more, including appendices of secret documents and photos, as well as the established links between bin Laden and Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

Round-Up

تلت تسعة مهدي كان في [سدر] مدينة: أربعة مهدي قتلت مقاتل كان ب [أير وبون] فريق بما أنّ هم زرعوا بتفجّر يشكّل [بنترتور] حافة الطريق قنبلة; قتلت ثلاثة كان بما أنّ هم هاجموا العائق موضع فريق على طول [قودس] شارع; وقتلت اثنان كان بما أنّ هم أطلق النار صاروخ. خمسة كثير مهدي جيش قتلت مقاتل كان ب [أير وبون] فريق في بغداد جديد بما أنّ هم صنّفوا لهجوم, وثلاثة أكثر كان قتلت بما أنّ هم أوصلوا هجوم في [أدهميه].

قتل 562 مهدي يكون أكّدت في [سدر] مدينة منذ مارس - آذار 25.

[أوس] قتل قوّات اثنان [أل] كبريات - [قدا] عميلات في أفغانستان. أبو سليمان [أل] [أتيبي], سابقا زعيمة في [أل] - [قدا] إسلاميّة دولة العراق, وأبو [دجنا] قتلت [أل] [قهتني] كان أثناء يتنازع في [بكتيا] محافظة.

Nine Mahdi were killed in Sadr City: four Mahdi fighters were killed by an air weapons team as they planted an explosively formed penetrator roadside bomb; three were killed as they attacked the barrier emplacement teams along Qods Street; and two were killed as they fired rockets. Five more Mahdi Army fighters were killed by air weapons teams in New Baghdad as they grouped for an attack, and three more were killed as they conducted attacks in Adhamiyah.

562 Mahdi are confirmed killed in Sadr City since March 25.

US forces killed two senior al Qaeda operatives in Afghanistan. Abu Suleiman al Otaibi, formerly a leader in al Qaeda's Islamic State of Iraq, and Abu Dejana al Qahtani were killed during fighting in Paktia province.