New York Times David Rohde, held hostage by the Taliban for 7 Months and 10 days, recounts his harrowing experience. His kidnapping was kept secret during his entire captivity.
Over those months, I came to a simple realization. After seven years of reporting in the region, I did not fully understand how extreme many of the Taliban had become. Before the kidnapping, I viewed the organization as a form of “Al Qaeda lite,” a religiously motivated movement primarily focused on controlling Afghanistan.
Living side by side with the Haqqanis’ …

A major offensive against the Taliban has begun. War in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The stakes are high in this nuclear armed country. “This time the military has said there will be no deals” with the Taliban. Take a look.
Military spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas and Information Minister Qamaruz Zaman Kaira said at a joint news conference that the army had encircled the area from three directions.
Abbas said the operation involving some 30,000 ground troops would last between six and eight weeks.
After months of aerial bombing …

This is a Bill Gertz exclusive from the Washington Times and a must read. Remember Chinagate?
President Obama recently shifted authority for approving sales to China of missile and space technology from the White House to the Commerce Department — a move critics say will loosen export controls and potentially benefit Chinese missile development.
The president issued a little-noticed “presidential determination” Sept. 29 that delegated authority for determining whether missile and space exports should be approved for China to Commerce Secretary Gary Locke… Henry Sokolski, director of the Nonproliferation Policy …

More smart power?
WASHINGTON -Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s failure to win Russian support for tougher talk on Iran exposed a divide between the two powers on how best to push Iran into accepting limits on its nuclear ambitions.
The setback does not doom the Obama administration’s hopes for diplomatic progress this year on Iran. Nor does it nix another high-priority administration goal: reversing a recent slump in relations with Moscow.
But it muddies the outlook for persuading Iran that painful penalties loom if the regime fails to satisfy U.S. and …

Read with caution, not confirmed.
@CNNkimsegal 7 innocent people are in danger of execution in Iran. The DEADline is 18 oct. Pls watch video for info: about 2 hours ago from TweetDeck
RT @royasmusic: PLS SIGN AND KEEP RT’ing Petition! Safar & Baha’i 7: http://tinyurl.com/yh8a5fg & http://tinyurl.com/ykkevf3
RT @lissnup: RT @royasmusic: – I am Mohammad Naderi, I was killed by plain cloth security Sept 2009.
RT @Beshnaveed: Pls Don’t Forget the #HumanRights of our Irainan Brothers& Sisters being taken away Stop the Executions!
RT @anemone2708: Irshad Manji …

Lewis in not telling the “whole story” about the Maryland law, and using Linda Tripp as a favorable example might not have been a great idea considering the charges against Tripp were dropped.

Read with caution, not confirmed.
If this regime stays there will be more and more executions in Iran. 120 ppl aged under 17 on death row b4 protests started
Before these protest began Iran was No,2 after China on chart of countries who execute most number of ppl. Regime must go
@Chewka_xoxo thr will B no human rights while ths regime is in place. Best way save Iranian ppl is 2 remove them
@Iran1st That is true.
@chwn wht do U suggest, sit at home & make phn calls? Only way ths …

Michael Yon links to this must-read article written by Anthony Lloyd in Afghanistan. Please donate to Michael Yon to support his vital on-the-ground war reporting. Click here to donate to his next dispatch.
Anthony Lloyd, the famed British war correspondent and author has seen much in war. Years ago, when I read his book My War Gone By, I Miss It So, the idea of taking up the pen and going to war had never been in the question. After reading Anthony’s book it was definitely out …

In a firefight in Wanat, Afghanistan on July 13, 2008 an estimated 200 Taliban fighters overran the remote outpost and claimed the lives of nine American soldiers.
Cpl. Jason Bogar was among those killed that day. He was 25.
Following is his final letter to his family.
TO MY FAMILY
I feel my days are numbered so I want to say all this while I still can. I pray to god no-one will ever have to read this but as death is all around me if it falls …

Read with caution, not confirmed.
Must get some rest, have to give lecture tomorrow and I think I have Flu about 2 hours ago from TweetDeck
@GreenQuran They needed Iran under their control to block Soviet Union so they didn’t care what became of the Iranian ppl
Reasons why this regime must go: 120 children aged under 17 on death row as we speak.
@Arianirani Well last President of Israel was an Iranian, so only fair President of Iran should be Jewish #
I agree Mossadegh was …

Read with caution, not confirmed.
They don’t even let them rest in peace in Iran: “Baha’i Cemetery Ruined for the 18th Time”
RT @AtlSafa: Basij will merge into IRGC ground forces
RT @RTfromIran: So lets put r heads 2gthr & find out, how 2 comunicate safely in #Iran,spread important messages fast
RT @persianbanoo: 7/7- Amir-Mehdi died on the way 2 Shohada hospital. ths event has not bn reported on official police reports
RT @persianbanoo: 6/7- nervous & throw the boys out of the van. As they sped away they ran over …

As diplomacy talks are set to begin today between Iran and the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany (the G5+1) to deter the Iranian regime from pursuing their nuclear weapons program, the Obama-Clinton foreign policy strategy appears to have strengthened Iran’s murderous regime.
Last Friday, President Obama revealed that another Iranian uranium-enrichment facility is buried at an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps base near Qom. President Obama has known about this formerly secret facility since he became President-elect and was selecting his foreign policy team that would …