rs
Dagobah Resident
What happens if you perform a perfect shuffle on two news articles? [A perfect shuffle is a reference to a deck of cards where when you shuffle the cards, first one card from the left goes to the pile then one card from the right then the left, right, in perfect order.]
I laminated the following two articles in a perfect shuffle by paragraph until I ran out of paragraphs. The result worked so well its scary.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060216/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3248119.stm
The only edits were to replace the article "he" with a name where it would have been confusing. Other than that the below is just cut and pasted, first yahoo then bbc then yahoo...
Begin perfect shuffle:
--------------------------
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Shiite-dominated Interior Ministry announced an investigation Thursday into claims of death squads in its ranks as police found a dozen more bodies, bringing the number of apparent victims of sectarian reprisal killings here to at least 30 this week.
President George W Bush has deplored the "freedom deficit" in the Middle East and said the United States must remain focused on the region "for decades".
The probe was announced after U.S. military officials indicated there was evidence to support the allegation of death squads. The 12 men found on Thursday had been bound and shot in the head execution-style.
"Our commitment to democracy is being tested in the Middle East," [Bush] said in a televised Washington speech in defence of US democracy.
At least 27 other people were killed in violence across Iraq, including three tribal sheiks slain in a drive-by shooting. Three supporters of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr died in a mortar barrage, and gunmen killed two owners of a convenience store that sold beer. Islamic extremists often target shops selling alcohol or DVDs deemed pornographic.
Mr Bush said dictators in Iraq and Syria had "left a legacy of torture, oppression, misery and ruin".
Sunni Arabs have been complaining for months that kidnappings and murder by Shiite-led commandos operated by the Interior Ministry are driving many Sunnis into the ranks of the insurgents. Shiites insist that they must retain control of Iraqi security forces in the next government.
Turning to Iran, [Bush] warned that "the regime in Tehran must heed the democratic demands of the Iranian people, or lose its last claim to legitimacy".
In the death squad case, Iraqi security officials said the Interior Ministry probe would focus on a single incident involving 22 Iraqi policemen who U.S. authorities said were detained last month before they were able to kill a Sunni Arab man north of Baghdad.
But some governments in the region were "beginning to see the need for change", [Bush] said, citing Morocco, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Yemen.
"They were dressed as Iraqi highway patrolmen but only four of those individuals were planning to conduct a kidnapping and subsequent murder of a Sunni individual," Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch told reporters Thursday.
[Bush] also stressed that "Islam is consistent with democratic rule" in his speech to the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington.
Maj. Gen. Joseph Peterson, who commands the civilian police training teams in Iraq, gave a slightly different version to the Chicago Tribune for a story Thursday about the death squad.
[Bush] said that to say Islam and democracy were incompatible was "cultural condescension".
Peterson said the 22 men were wearing police commando uniforms but turned out to be employed by the Interior Ministry as highway patrol officers. He said four were believed to be ringleaders while the 18 others were likely following orders. All were picked up at a checkpoint.
The BBC's Rob Watson in Washington says the [Bush] speech may come to be seen as a defining moment in the Bush presidency.
"We continue to believe that there's more of these out there," [Peterson] said.
Mr Bush compared his drive for global democracy with the legacy of his Republican predecessor Ronald Reagan, whose tough stance against communism helped democracy to take root in Eastern Europe in the 1980s.
But Lynch said this could have been an isolated incident.
The lack of freedom in many Middle Eastern countries today had terrible consequences for the peoples of those countries, [Bush] said, blaming it for poverty and the oppression of women.
"We have no indication they have done this in the past," [Lynch] said. "All we know this is an isolated incident. We are not saying it couldn't have happened (previously), but we are not aware of it."
"Iraqi democracy will succeed, and that success will send forth the news, from Damascus to Tehran, that freedom can be the future of every nation," [Bush] said.
Maj. Gen. Hussein Kamal, who announced the investigation, said the four policemen identified by Peterson as ringleaders had been transferred to the U.S.-run
Abu Ghraib prison in western Baghdad and the rest were held in Iraqi jails.
[Bush said] "The establishment of a free Iraq at the heart of the Middle East will be a watershed event in the global democratic revolution."
Kamal, Iraq's deputy interior minister in charge of domestic intelligence, hinted that the scope of the probe could go beyond the 22 policemen arrested last month.
[Bush] warned that it would be reckless to accept the status quo, so the US had adopted a new "forward" strategy in the Middle East.
"After Iraqi authorities were informed by the Americans about the so-called commando forces engaging in assassinations, the interior minister immediately formed an investigation committee to uncover what has actually happened," Kamal said.
"The good and capable people of the Middle East all deserve responsible leadership," [Bush] said.
The U.S. military has been fighting a tough battle to rebuild a legitimate Iraqi security force that it hopes will eventually replace American-led coalition forces and maintain order throughout the country.
[Bush said] "For too long, many people in that region have been victims and subjects. They deserve to be active citizens."
There is no shortage of Iraqis, particularly in Baghdad, who say family members have been kidnapped and killed by men wearing police uniforms.
Mr Bush warned that if freedom remained stifled in the Middle East the region would remain "a place of stagnation, resentment and violence ready for export".
"Interior Ministry special forces detained my brother and four cousins two weeks ago from (Sunni Arab) al-Aqsa Mosque in northern Baghdad's Shula neighborhood," 24-year-old security guard Ayad Ali Mahdi said.
[Bush] praised efforts by some governments in the region, but singled out others for words of warning or encouragement.
"After two days, their bodies were found in pickup truck on a highway. It was horrific. Their bodies were tortured and mutilated by drills and an oxyacetylene welder," Mahdi said.
Egypt: "Has shown the way toward peace in the Middle East, and now should show the way toward democracy in the Middle East"
The relative of another victim described how two dozen men wearing security forces uniforms broke into his northern Baghdad home last month, pushed his pleading wife aside and dragged out his two brothers, the only men at home at the time.
Iran: "The regime must heed the democratic demands of the Iranian people, or lose its last claim to legitimacy"
"We contacted many police stations searching for them but couldn't find any trace. After nine or 10 days, we heard 36 dead bodies were found near (the southern Iraqi city of) Kut, and I found my brothers among them," said Sunni Arab taxi driver Youssef Abdul-Karim, 35.
Iraq and Syria: Dictators "left a legacy of torture, oppression, misery, and ruin"
"They were blindfolded, handcuffed and severely tortured. One of my brothers had drill wounds in his head, while the other was shot in the head and chest."
Jordan: "Held historic elections this summer"
A Sunni Arab political group, the Iraqi Islamic Party, welcomed the Interior Ministry investigation and said perpetrators should be brought to justice.
Kuwait: "Has a directly elected national assembly"
Iraq's human rights minister, Nermine Othman, said Interior Ministry officials have been behind numerous execution-like murders, either by taking part in the roundups and killings or providing police uniforms, information on potential victims and weapons to culprits.
Palestinians: "Palestinian leaders who block and undermine democratic reform, and feed hatred and encourage violence are not leaders at all. They're the main obstacles to peace..."
I laminated the following two articles in a perfect shuffle by paragraph until I ran out of paragraphs. The result worked so well its scary.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060216/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3248119.stm
The only edits were to replace the article "he" with a name where it would have been confusing. Other than that the below is just cut and pasted, first yahoo then bbc then yahoo...
Begin perfect shuffle:
--------------------------
BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Shiite-dominated Interior Ministry announced an investigation Thursday into claims of death squads in its ranks as police found a dozen more bodies, bringing the number of apparent victims of sectarian reprisal killings here to at least 30 this week.
President George W Bush has deplored the "freedom deficit" in the Middle East and said the United States must remain focused on the region "for decades".
The probe was announced after U.S. military officials indicated there was evidence to support the allegation of death squads. The 12 men found on Thursday had been bound and shot in the head execution-style.
"Our commitment to democracy is being tested in the Middle East," [Bush] said in a televised Washington speech in defence of US democracy.
At least 27 other people were killed in violence across Iraq, including three tribal sheiks slain in a drive-by shooting. Three supporters of anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr died in a mortar barrage, and gunmen killed two owners of a convenience store that sold beer. Islamic extremists often target shops selling alcohol or DVDs deemed pornographic.
Mr Bush said dictators in Iraq and Syria had "left a legacy of torture, oppression, misery and ruin".
Sunni Arabs have been complaining for months that kidnappings and murder by Shiite-led commandos operated by the Interior Ministry are driving many Sunnis into the ranks of the insurgents. Shiites insist that they must retain control of Iraqi security forces in the next government.
Turning to Iran, [Bush] warned that "the regime in Tehran must heed the democratic demands of the Iranian people, or lose its last claim to legitimacy".
In the death squad case, Iraqi security officials said the Interior Ministry probe would focus on a single incident involving 22 Iraqi policemen who U.S. authorities said were detained last month before they were able to kill a Sunni Arab man north of Baghdad.
But some governments in the region were "beginning to see the need for change", [Bush] said, citing Morocco, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Yemen.
"They were dressed as Iraqi highway patrolmen but only four of those individuals were planning to conduct a kidnapping and subsequent murder of a Sunni individual," Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch told reporters Thursday.
[Bush] also stressed that "Islam is consistent with democratic rule" in his speech to the National Endowment for Democracy in Washington.
Maj. Gen. Joseph Peterson, who commands the civilian police training teams in Iraq, gave a slightly different version to the Chicago Tribune for a story Thursday about the death squad.
[Bush] said that to say Islam and democracy were incompatible was "cultural condescension".
Peterson said the 22 men were wearing police commando uniforms but turned out to be employed by the Interior Ministry as highway patrol officers. He said four were believed to be ringleaders while the 18 others were likely following orders. All were picked up at a checkpoint.
The BBC's Rob Watson in Washington says the [Bush] speech may come to be seen as a defining moment in the Bush presidency.
"We continue to believe that there's more of these out there," [Peterson] said.
Mr Bush compared his drive for global democracy with the legacy of his Republican predecessor Ronald Reagan, whose tough stance against communism helped democracy to take root in Eastern Europe in the 1980s.
But Lynch said this could have been an isolated incident.
The lack of freedom in many Middle Eastern countries today had terrible consequences for the peoples of those countries, [Bush] said, blaming it for poverty and the oppression of women.
"We have no indication they have done this in the past," [Lynch] said. "All we know this is an isolated incident. We are not saying it couldn't have happened (previously), but we are not aware of it."
"Iraqi democracy will succeed, and that success will send forth the news, from Damascus to Tehran, that freedom can be the future of every nation," [Bush] said.
Maj. Gen. Hussein Kamal, who announced the investigation, said the four policemen identified by Peterson as ringleaders had been transferred to the U.S.-run
Abu Ghraib prison in western Baghdad and the rest were held in Iraqi jails.
[Bush said] "The establishment of a free Iraq at the heart of the Middle East will be a watershed event in the global democratic revolution."
Kamal, Iraq's deputy interior minister in charge of domestic intelligence, hinted that the scope of the probe could go beyond the 22 policemen arrested last month.
[Bush] warned that it would be reckless to accept the status quo, so the US had adopted a new "forward" strategy in the Middle East.
"After Iraqi authorities were informed by the Americans about the so-called commando forces engaging in assassinations, the interior minister immediately formed an investigation committee to uncover what has actually happened," Kamal said.
"The good and capable people of the Middle East all deserve responsible leadership," [Bush] said.
The U.S. military has been fighting a tough battle to rebuild a legitimate Iraqi security force that it hopes will eventually replace American-led coalition forces and maintain order throughout the country.
[Bush said] "For too long, many people in that region have been victims and subjects. They deserve to be active citizens."
There is no shortage of Iraqis, particularly in Baghdad, who say family members have been kidnapped and killed by men wearing police uniforms.
Mr Bush warned that if freedom remained stifled in the Middle East the region would remain "a place of stagnation, resentment and violence ready for export".
"Interior Ministry special forces detained my brother and four cousins two weeks ago from (Sunni Arab) al-Aqsa Mosque in northern Baghdad's Shula neighborhood," 24-year-old security guard Ayad Ali Mahdi said.
[Bush] praised efforts by some governments in the region, but singled out others for words of warning or encouragement.
"After two days, their bodies were found in pickup truck on a highway. It was horrific. Their bodies were tortured and mutilated by drills and an oxyacetylene welder," Mahdi said.
Egypt: "Has shown the way toward peace in the Middle East, and now should show the way toward democracy in the Middle East"
The relative of another victim described how two dozen men wearing security forces uniforms broke into his northern Baghdad home last month, pushed his pleading wife aside and dragged out his two brothers, the only men at home at the time.
Iran: "The regime must heed the democratic demands of the Iranian people, or lose its last claim to legitimacy"
"We contacted many police stations searching for them but couldn't find any trace. After nine or 10 days, we heard 36 dead bodies were found near (the southern Iraqi city of) Kut, and I found my brothers among them," said Sunni Arab taxi driver Youssef Abdul-Karim, 35.
Iraq and Syria: Dictators "left a legacy of torture, oppression, misery, and ruin"
"They were blindfolded, handcuffed and severely tortured. One of my brothers had drill wounds in his head, while the other was shot in the head and chest."
Jordan: "Held historic elections this summer"
A Sunni Arab political group, the Iraqi Islamic Party, welcomed the Interior Ministry investigation and said perpetrators should be brought to justice.
Kuwait: "Has a directly elected national assembly"
Iraq's human rights minister, Nermine Othman, said Interior Ministry officials have been behind numerous execution-like murders, either by taking part in the roundups and killings or providing police uniforms, information on potential victims and weapons to culprits.
Palestinians: "Palestinian leaders who block and undermine democratic reform, and feed hatred and encourage violence are not leaders at all. They're the main obstacles to peace..."
