Right Truth

War at the top of the world.

Twenty-five percent of the world's untapped oil supplies is estimated be located in at the North Pole in the sea under the polar cap.   The US Geological Survey report  (press release here), the largest-ever survey of energy resources north of the Arctic Circle, found that the area holds an estimated 90 billion barrels of oil and 1,670 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.  For most people this would be great news.

The U.S. must worry about "protecting endangered species, native communities and the health of our planet",  before one snowflake can be disturbed.  Where exactly is the crude and who ownes it?   From Bright Green Blog, Christian Science Monitor:

Who owns it?

Recent years have seen a race among the Arctic powers – the United States, Russia, Denmark, Canada, and Norway – to lay claim to the ocean floor at the North Pole.

But the USGS estimates that most of the oil is not at the pole, but near Canada, Russia, and the United States. The USGS found that more than half of the oil resources are in just three regions: Arctic Alaska (30 billion barrels), the Amerasia Basin (9.7 billion barrels) and the East Greenland Rift Basins (8.9 billion barrels).

More than 70 percent of the natural gas is thought to occur in three regions – the West Siberian Basin, the East Barents Basins, and Arctic Alaska.

So it looks as though Arctic Alaska has the greatest energy potential, with Russia also having an important stake as well, particularly in natural gas. But there is undoubtedly also some oil and natural gas in Arctic regions whose sovereignty is disputed.

The Globe and Mail, a Canadian daily, provides a breakdown of exactly where and how much all the oil and natural gas is

While "Flag-planting has nothing to do with ownership, said David Caron, director of the Law of the Sea Institute at the University of California, Berkeley", that is exactly what Russia has done. 

Russian Vladimir Putin is trying to tap the Arctic's vast potential oil, gas and mineral wealth -- gas, oil and diamonds. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in July, toured a new Arctic oil rig intended to boost Moscow's position in the intensifying competition for northern energy reserves.  President Dmitry Medvedev  signed a law enabling the Kremlin to handpick companies to develop the vast oil reserves believed to be located in the Russian Arctic.

Russians,  in early August used a minisub to plant a Russian flag to the bottom of the ocean, 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) beneath the North Pole. 

Denmark has sent an icebreaker on geological mission to study the seabed north of Greenland to see if it might be an extension of the island (which is owned by Denmark).

The Healy, a U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker, is mapping the seabed north of Alaska. Canada has announced the creation of two new Arctic military bases and has budgeted the equivalent of five billion U.S. dollars for eight new icebreakers to protect its interests. (National Geographic News)

"None of the countries have fully articulated it [ownership]."

"None of the countries have fully articulated it."

Traditionally, countries are granted exclusive oil and gas rights to territorial waters within 200 nautical miles (230 miles/370 kilometers) of their coastlines.

But territorial-waters claims may be extended if the nation's continental shelf extends farther from land.  (continue reading about ownership)

Traditionally, countries are granted exclusive oil and gas rights to territorial waters within 200 nautical miles (230 miles/370 kilometers) of their coastlines....

But territorial-waters claims may be extended if the nation's continental shelf extends farther from land.

Russia has begun a push to claim a vast chunk of disputed Arctic territory in an aggressive campaign to win control of the region's oil and gas resources.  (TimesOnline)

A Russian research submersible prepares to dive beneath the Arctic ice to search for the region’s riches

A state-sponsored expedition, led by a Moscow geographical institute, is in the region gathering scientific data in an attempt to prove that vast swathes of the seabed belong to Russia.

Norwegian energy authorities have completed a seismic survey of Arctic waters near the scenic Lofoten islands

One third of the undiscovered oil is in Alaskan territory, according to the U.S. Geological Survey -- but that's another story and since the Democrat-controlled Congress adamantly refuses to let drilling occur for the oil known to exist in and off-shore Alaska.  Also, Alan Caruba asks, "Can you imagine gifting the United Nations with $50 trillion in Arctic oil taxes? That is what the U.S. Senate proposes to do if it ratifies LOST."

  ...  Worse yet, we stand to lose any of the wealth it will generate if the same Congress signs the United Nations Law of the Sea Treaty, whose acronym, LOST, could not be more accurate. The Joint Chiefs of Staff have endorsed it, apparently oblivious to the fact that the mighty U.S. Navy can go anywhere it wants in the world. Even the Bush administration has marshaled no arguments against it.  [snip]

“The Arctic may hold 90 billion barrels of oil, more than all the known reserves of Nigeria, Kazakhstan, and Mexico combined, and enough to supply U.S. demand for 12 years.” One would have thought Joe Carroll’s Bloomberg News report would have evoked some interest by the public and other media outlets. Instead, news of the U.S. Geological Survey was greeted mostly by a giant collective yawn.  (--Alan Caruba)

On August 2, 2007, two 26-foot-long Russian submersibles, Mir-1 and Mir-2, descended through a hole in the ice at the North Pole.

In Spring 2006, Canada Southern Petroleum, a company with significant reserves inside the Arctic Circle, received a takeover offer of $7.50 per share, nearly a 60 percent premium on its stock price. By the time the company was sold four months later to another Canadian firm, it went for $13.10 a share. (CNN)

Now we have concerns about the Northwest Passage:

"The Northwest Passage is actually passages, there's more than one," explained Scott Borgerson, a former lieutenant commander in the US Coast Guard who is now with the US Council on Foreign Relations. "For the shipping routes what's at stake is potentially an incredible shortcut between the North Atlantic and the North Pacific that is many thousands of miles shorter than going through either the Suez or Panama canals."

By some estimates, the new shipping routes could cut 8000 kilometres, or up to 40 per cent, off the distance from journeys between Europe and Asia. A new Arctic route would force competitive shipping charges on both the Suez and Panama canals and save companies million of dollars, Borgerson told the Herald.

The debate over the Northwest Passage is becoming supercharged with the realisation that the Arctic is a treasure trove of natural resources, oil, gas and coal - the very fossil fuels, ironically, contributing to global warming.  (The Sydney Morning Herald)

From Oil and Gas Online:

To learn more about the USGS Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal and to see results of the assessment, please visit http://energy.usgs.gov/arctic.

For a podcast interview about the USGS Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal, listen to episode 55 of CoreCast at http://energy.usgs.gov/arctic.

Al-Maliki granted the Islamic Iranian regime covert permission to attack Camp Ashraf.

Breaking -- Anti-Mullah is reporting that Sources from inside Iran have advised that earlier today, the Islamic regime has fired missiles at, and sent mortar shells into Camp Ashraf, where the Mojaheddin (MEK) in Iraq are sequestered.

Indications arose that something was about to happen when Islamic Iranian forces announced a high level state of emergency in the Khuzestan region and moved additkional missile launchers to Shalamcheh, one of their military sites on the Iranian side of the border.

Reports state that on his recent visit to Iran, Iraqi premier, Al-Maliki, agreed to arrest and try some 150 or so MEK members who were at Camp Ashraf for having killed both Shias and Kurds for Saddam Hussein.

When some Sunni leaders (and apparently US forces) nixed this idea and protected the MEK members, Al-Maliki granted the Islamic Iranian regime covert permission to attack Camp  Ashraf.

Continue reading here.

Other reading: 

Debbie Schlussel: Let Their Breasts Sag: "Axis of Evil" is Huge Trading Partner of Evil: Under Bush, U.S. Exports to IRAN Swelled 1800%!! Included Arms and Bras 

Chgo Trib’s ‘Honor Killing’ Report Omits Islam Connection, Stop the ACLU ,

I hear Members of Congress Saying 'If We Could Only Nuke Iran': Ron Paul,

Heartbreak in Liberal Land: Obama Votes for FISA Bill, Stop the ACLU, 

In Switzerland some 115,000 people have signed a proposal to ban the building of minarets..

WCCR Suspects “Sinister Activities” May Be Behind Recent Earthquakes in Lebanon,

Russia will be forced to make a military response if the US-Czech missile defence agreement. is ratified, the Foreign Ministry said today.

Another Tack: A masjid grows in Brooklyn, 

Here Come the Russians Again (oh Boy) 

Babies who dislike spicy food may be designated as racists!

15 things you should know about “The Race”

The Misnomer of Radical Islam - America's Security Blunder

The Misnomer of Radical Islam

America’s Security Blunder

by Martel Sobieskey

There is the erroneous assertion that Radical Islam is not connected with mainstream (moderate) Islam in any way, that the religion of Islam has been “hijacked by a few extremists” that the vast majority of Muslims do not agree with the Islamofascists. Such thinking is a terrible error and a grave threat to America’s national security, especially in this age of nuclear terrorism.

So what is Radical Islam and what should it be properly named? Radical Islam is actually the Islamic Military. The so-called radicals are not a fringe element; they are fully supported by the worldwide Islamic community (Ummah). If they were a fringe element, they would have been defeated long ago. The fight rages on because of strong support from the moderates both covertly and overtly. This means the Islamic Military (wrongly labeled radicals) is intimately connected with moderate Muslims who we have mistakenly labeled as innocent bystanders.

Moderate Muslims are not innocent bystanders. Moderate Muslims provide the base of operations which makes it possible for the Islamic Military to continue their terrorist operations. Hate America, demands to replace constitution with the Koran, and outbursts for Sharia law are preached openly from nearly every Mosque in America under the guise of freedom of speech and religion. Freedom of speech and religion has morphed into a weaponized tool of Islamic psychological warfare which is defeating America’s will to protect her national security. Any American who says Islam is less than perfect may become the victim of an unfair lawsuit by a “moderate” Muslim organization.

Why can one be so certain about this fact? The answer is the Koran. The Koran fuses together both moderates and their military. No Muslim dares to contradict the Koran because the penalty is -- death and loss of personal salvation. The moderate Muslims of every nation, including those in America fully support their Islamic military because worldwide conquest is the primary religious duty of all Muslims. Fellow Americans if you believe that your local Muslims are not secretly harboring in their hearts an agenda for the conquest of America by Islam then you are dead wrong, and understand nothing about the Koran.

Moderate Muslims may not carry weapons and murder innocent people hands on, but they play the role of “wolves in sheep’s clothing”. Moderate Muslims use two primary strategies to make conquest for Islam. The first is dawa, which is influence peddling, “wining and dining” and manipulation. You make conquest by “pleasing” your opponent, “buttering them up” -- bribery and back room dealings are common place. There is a “ton” of Muslim oil money buying preferential treatment for Islam in America. The second is taqiyya, which is outright deception and lying. Deception and lying to infidels as a strategy of conquest is one of Islam’s most valued “weapons”, a precedent set by the prophet Mohammed himself. Americans hear this deception everyday with proclamations that “Islam is a religion of peace.” This phrase is an excellent example of successful psychological warfare which has caused Americans to let down their guard, and made us very vulnerable to future terrorist attacks, even possible nuclear attacks as several experts have pointed out.

Recent history proves that the “so called peaceful Muslims” work as a team with their Islamic Military. They immigrate to a country touting what peaceful law abiding citizens they are, establish themselves, build mosques, increase their numbers and “bingo” terrorists acts start occurring in the host country. Do the attacks in Spain, England, France, Thailand, Bali, the Philippines, Holland, Sweden and the USA ring any bells here? All these attacks have been preceded by the establishment of moderate mosque communities which in turn became footholds from which the Islamic military could launch their terrorist attacks. The larger the percentage of Muslims that occupy a country the greater the havoc they wreak. The situation is directly proportional. Reducing the percentage of Muslims that dwell in the host country is the most effect way of stopping terrorism. Western governments must evaluate this fact very seriously if they wish to win the war against Islamofascism long term.

Have we Americans become gullible fools? As long as we fail to deal aggressively and comprehensively with the intimate Koranic connection between the moderate Muslims and their Islamic military we can never stop the terrorist attacks. Have you ever wondered why, so numerous the complaints worldwide, that Muslims are not assimilating into their host nation? It is because they are not there to assimilate -- they are there to conqueror the host country for Islam as their Koran requires. Fellow Americans please read the Koran for your self. Don’t take my word on it. You will learn first hand that anyone who tells you that Islam is a religion of peace is insulting your intelligence. The Penguin Classic edition, The Koran, translated by the Arab Scholar N. J. Dawood is a well respected version having sold over a million copies worldwide.

The best description of the symbiotic Koranic relationship between the moderates and their military comes from the Muslims themselves. They have a saying, “the poisonous fish swim in the sea”. The “poisonous fish” are the militants and the “sea” is the moderate mosque community. For example, for their 9/11 operation, the Islamic Military (poisonous fish) used the Al Farouq mosque in New York as the “sea” from which they “swam” to pulverize the trade towers. The next poisonous fish may be swimming from the sea of your local Mosque community with a nuclear explosion. Wake up Americans we are not fighting with bows and arrows anymore. We must take aggressive preventative measures to stop the Islamic military’s “euphoric” obsession to make a nuclear attack on American soil.

It is a great mistake to continue calling the Islamic military radicals because the term “radicals” has blinded us to think that the moderates are not in cahoots with their Islamic Military. In so doing we have violated the primary dictum of warfare which is to know and understand one’s enemy. Consequently, we have failed to understand that the Islam of Osama Bin Laden is main stream Islam – not a radical fringe. Osama Bin Laden is one of the generals of the Islamic military which is fully supported by the worldwide community of moderate Muslims, including American Muslims. Both moderate Muslims and their military have the same goal which is the Islamic conquest of the entire world -- this is the primary religious duty of all Muslims as required by the Koran. Americans desperately need to understand this fact if they wish to protect their country from great harm.

Martel Sobieskey has 35 years research experience in the field of religious conditioning and its relationship to warfare. He is greatly alarmed that American politicians, educators, and security personnel have failed to comprehend the deeply entrenched Jihadist religious conditioning inherent in Islam.

___________________________________________________________________________________

DEBBIE NOTE: Right Truth is thankful to Martel Sobieskey for publishing his articles here at Right Truth. We look forward to publishing future articles. Regular readers at Right Truth know that I completely agree and support the material set forth in this particular article. We have found a kindred spirit my friends.

This article is posted at Real Clear Politics, your votes are appreciated

Israel CAN take out Iran's nuclear sites ... (updated)

Woooooo Hooooo !

There doesn't seem to be much excitement in the media about a possible dry-run by Israel in preparation for taking out Iran's nuclear facilities.  Actually there were two military exercises carried out by Israel that could be dry-runs for an attack on Iran, the latest in May 2008.  This does not include the 'Operation Orchard' attack, the target of the raid a nuclear site in Syria being run in collaboration with North Korean technicians.

If this is true, why would the United States be leaking the information?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials say Israel carried out a large military exercise this month that appeared to be a rehearsal for a potential bombing attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, The New York Times reported on Friday.

[snip]

A Pentagon official who the Times said was briefed on the exercise, said one goal was to practice flight tactics, aerial refueling and other details of a possible strike against Iran's nuclear installations and long-range conventional missiles.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said a second goal was to send a clear message that Israel was prepared to act militarily if other efforts to stop Iran from producing bomb-grade uranium fail.

Pat Dollard reports:  "Russia seems worried about the Israeli Air Force activity. 100 F-15s & F-16s doing a 900 mile dry run?"

Dude…muuwahahaaaaa…..I’ve been saying all along that all this bravado and spewing of hateful rhetoric coming from Tehran, and all of this U.N. hand wringing and attempted appeasement will be shattered in a day when Israel decides to just strike out on their own.

Pat Dollard also has videos of Middle east expert Ambassador Dennis Ross, and Jennifer Griffin brings Pentagon reaction, and talks a bit about the GBU-28 bunker busters we sold Israel

Steve Emerson on Fox News TV discussed the options America has.  The U.S. can either keep their trap shut and let Israel do what she needs to do.  Israel can ask for help, or ask for permission, ... but both of these choices leave the U.S. and other Western Nations open to saying no, and discouraging Israel from taking action.  Also asking for permission or notifying the U.S. ahead of time is simply alerting the world to what Israel has planned.

My advice to Israel:  DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO ---  DON'T ASK PERMISSION  ---  UNLESS YOU NEED ASSISTANCE AND BELIEVE YOU WILL GET IT.

How Would Iran Retaliate if it Comes to War ?, asks John E. Carey

Iran has many options to retaliate against any attack by Israel and/or the United States.

Most terrorism experts say a direct face-to-face confrontation between Iran and the United states is not in the best interests of Iran.  They say what is most likely is a mixture of global, terrorist inspired attacks. [snip]

Tehran has warned its arch-enemy Israel of a “strong blow” if it takes forceful measures, after the US media reported military exercises by the Jewish state were a possible practice for a strike against Iran.  [snip]

 ...   Russia might beef up support to Iran in a number of sectors. [snip]

Christian Science Monitor reporter Scott Peterson discussed this issue of a possible Iranian retaliation at some length in an article today.  Among the experts he spoke to is  Magnus Ranstorp at the Center for Asymmetric Threat Studies at the Swedish National Defense College in Stockholm.

“One very important issue from a US intelligence perspective, [the Iranian reaction] is probably more unpredictable than the Al Qaeda threat,” said Ranstorp.  (continue reading)

.
UPDATE:  Anti-Mullah: 

Iran wants their terror cells ready to retaliate should an Israeli attack take place.

While Jewish locations are the reported target, soft, easy civilian locations are a high priority and as in suicide bombs around the world, non-intended (at least not officially) casualties will hit surrounding areas.

The likelihood of IEDs on our highways and freeways, aimed at specific vehicle targets carrying people is a certainty.

At the same time, these will be used to target oil tankers or railroad cars ostensibly carrying products owned by Jewish organizations.

Notwithsatnding Obama's idealistic/idiotic desire to be fair to TERRORISTS and deal with them using our legal justice system, these same terrorists will DEFINITELY not act within the confines or laws or statutes since none exist to cover the carrnage they plan. Way above what "murder" laws can encompass or handle.  (continue reading)

On another subject:  I love headlines.  Here's one from  The Outraged Spleen of Zion (love her images), "I'd love you even if you were the color of a baboon's ass"

Go read the article and check out the links.

Sunday Reading List, April 27, 2008

Politics:

Obama official blogger a hardcore Marxist:

In the same week the Obama campaign quietly removed from its official website a page managed by a fundraiser tied to the Islamic terrorist group Hamas, its official blogger has come under attack as a "hardcore Marxist" for hanging a Communist Party flag in his Harvard campus apartment and publishing in a self-professed 'revolutionary Marxist' journal.

William Russell for Congress and the Upcoming Schedule of Political Pistachio Radio

On 'climate change' and 'energy':

National Chicken Council Commends Texas Governor for Filing First Request for Waiver of National Renewable Fuel Standard, PRNewsWire

Russia Now World’s Largest Oil Producer, Ahead of Saudi Arabia, Peace and Freedom II

Needless to say, refiners in Russia are maximizing crude runs to benefit from the strong margins. However, due to the strong domestic demand and the skewed export tax system, exports of gasoline and diesel have been falling. In turn, all these factors have helped send oil prices to record levels in recent days.

New World Order, Investors Business Daily:

Geopolitics: With the discovery of vast troves of oil south of our border, it's probable that U.S. strategic interests will shift to our hemisphere. For the Middle East, that's a warning. For the Americas, it's an opportunity

War:

Questions Linger on Scope of Iran’s Threat in Iraq from Peace and Freedom II

Space, Navy

Navy Limits Nominations to Space Program

For what may be the first time since the inception of the American space program, the Navy is restricting nominations to the astronaut corps. The move comes nearly 50 years after Alan B. Shepard, a naval aviator, became the first American in space.

Abortion:

The Blog of the Day is Rosemary’s Thoughts. Rosemary also has an important petition for you to sign. (Stop the ACLU)

The Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (CIANA) will make it a federal offense to transport a minor girl across state lines for the purpose of obtaining an abortion if done to evade a parental notification or parental consent law that is in effect in the girl’s home state. In addition, the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act will require, in a state without parental consent laws, that before an abortion provider performs an abortion on a minor girl who is the resident of a different state, that provider must notify a parent......

Conflict in the world

Japan installed the final piece of a missile defense system for Tokyo on Saturday, a day after North Korea test-fired a barrage of missiles.

A Japanese soldier stands guard as the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) surface-to-air interceptors arrive at the Iruma airforce base in suburban Toyo. Japan completed deploying a ballistic missile defence system in the Tokyo area, a day after North Korea reportedly fired short-range missiles off its west coast, news reports said.(AFP/JIJI PRESS) AP

Alleged Toronto terror attack was to be bigger than London bombings, expected evidence shows in trial...

According to the allegations, the so-called Toronto 18 were attempting to secure a safe house to store weapons and practise military drills, and embarking on a mission to destroy the West – one they should be willing to die for.

Details of the alleged plot, which also included storming Parliament Hill and beheading politicians, ... "shocking and sensational." [snip]

"They're probably expecting what happened in London or something," he said. "... Some bombing in a subway kills 10 people and everybody gets deported. We're not doing that. ... So our thing it's, it's much, much greater on a scale ... you do it once and you make sure they can never recover again." (transcripts, video tapes, wire taps, The Star.com)

Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said Sunday that he was pulling his fighters off the streets nationwide and called on the government to stop raids against his followers and free them from prison. The Iraqi government quickly welcomed al-Sadr's apparent move to resolve a widening conflict with his movement.

Plans to bomb Iran on April 4th or 6th? from Above Top Secret and Lew Rockwell:

... rumors from Russia continue to swirl around the Middle East that the Cheney-Bush junta has decided to bomb Iran on April 4th or 6th, targeting not only nuclear-power research facilities but ships, planes, antiaircraft installations, and the Iranian pentagon. Apparently the nuclear-power reactor being built by Russian companies will be spared, but not much else. Will it happen?

No, we won't bomb Iran on the 4th, or 6th, or any time in the near future -- and Iran knows this.

Don't forget about the Arab Summit -- or as Great Satan's Girlfriend calls it "Pseudo Summit"

It's time! The 2008 Arab League Summit is about to to commence their annual shindig in Damascus for the very first time ever! Since agreeing to hook up every year - the Summit has been a top draw deal for ME despotries, horrid and benign - featuring the head honcho heads of state.

Arab Unity is always on the agenda - followed quickly by Arab Solidarity and of course, Arab Resistance. Hoping to be the host with most, Dr General Pres for Life Bashar Al Assad and his sycophant car bombing nepotistic regime must have been hi fiving each other for winning the honor to have the AL Summit hang for the first time ever in Damascus.

Great Satan's Girlfriend points out that not many show up for Assad's little party. Darn, all those invitations tossed in the trash. All those visions of greatness dashed.

We expect children to play nicely together, but we accept adult leaders of countries to bicker among themselves. Why, even Blacks in the US are split down the middle: Obama, not Obama ... Obama, not Obama... Hillary whining like a baby, WAHHHHH, it's MY TURN to be PRESIDENT!!! I've EARNED IT. I put up with 35 years of Bill's crooked womanizing.... I won't go home without MY PRESIDENCY!!!

Russia and more

U.S. Puts Russia On Notice, Strategic Forecast:

U.S. President George W. Bush, fresh from meetings with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili on Wednesday, announced American support for Georgia’s NATO bid. Specifically, Bush announced that he would lobby the NATO allies to grant Georgia a Membership Action Plan (MAP), the first step toward joining the alliance. Bush’s statement contained sufficient equivocation that MAP is hardly a foregone conclusion and formal membership is anything but imminent, but Russia has nonetheless been put on notice. NATO is preparing to march east yet again.

For the past month the West and Russia have been at a crossroads. After 10 years of heavy investment of political capital by the Kremlin into supporting its Balkan ally, Serbia, the West ran roughshod over Russian concerns by recognizing the independence of Kosovo, a renegade Serbian province. That decision blew a hole through the image of Russian power. In the midst of an internal transition of power and reeling from the Kosovo defeat, Moscow needs a means of striking back at the West to demonstrate its potency. To flex its muscles, Russia can encourage separatism in U.S. allies, complicate the United States’ Middle East policy with selective weapons sales and technology transfers, and manipulate European energy supplies. [snip]

The West has the advantage of political, economic and military superiority, along with the flexibility to dabble anywhere along the Russian periphery, and with a little elbow grease and luck, even within the Russian Federation itself. Remember, it is Russia — not the United States — that is riddled with potential secessionist regions. And it is the United States — not Russia — that sits safely on the other side of an ocean from its potential competitors. (continue reading)

The Start of Cold War II?

Legislators in the Georgian breakaway republic of Abkhazia signed a statement on Thursday accusing Georgia of aggression and warning of the possibility of war in the Caucasus. In Moscow, the Russian parliament urged the government to send additional peacekeepers to both Abkhazia and Georgia’s other breakaway republic, South Ossetia.

Also:

Russia is calling for a Middle Eastern peace conference as a follow-up to the last international conference hosted by the United States at Annapolis. By holding this conference, Moscow is definitely escalating its involvement in Middle Eastern affairs — and increasing tension with the United States. The question is whether or not the Kremlin can sustain engagement in the Middle East. (more)

Also see Russia according to Vladimir Putin, at American Interests:

"Russia demands more respect from and equality with Washington and a free hand in world politics. In key respects, Moscow’s new foreign policy grows out of the logic of its ever more autocratic and neo-imperial political structure.” (continue reading)

News you might have missed this Easter weekend:

Obama, Ali Abunimah and Electronic Intifada from the Jawa Report:

Via LGF, we find an article by Ali Abunimah, founder of the Palestinian propaganda site 'Electronic Intifada' entitled "How Barack Obama Learned to Love Israel" on how Obama is not hard up enough for the Palestinian quest to eradicate Israel because he's just grabbing whatever backsides he has to grab and saying what he has to say to get elected (aka being dishonest, saying one thing and doing another, lying, etc.). Read it all, because the EI founder lets it all out, about Obama and his beliefs.

US Navy SEAL Mike Monsoor to get the Medal of Honor, BlackFive

How to Pay for the Dem Convention: Survivor, the Nomination, American Thinker

HILLARY'S CAMPAIGN....Matt Yglesias says he knows why Hillary Clinton refuses to concede the Democratic nomination to Barack Obama even though she's way behind in the delegate count: (The Washington Monthly)

Muslims Against Sharia call on Senator McCain to cut all ties with his bigoted supporter Rod Parsley.

Muslims Against Sharia call on Senator Obama to cut all ties with his racist supporters Jeremiah Wright and Louis Farrakhan.

Obama's Money Talks, Rhetoric Walks - Financing Jeremiah Wright, Atlas Shrugs

What Muslims Think - New book examines what the more than 1 billion Muslims think about gender, race and terrorism (hat tip Michael)

Congressional leader calls for international condemnation of China, The Independent

Support 6 Heroes at Walter Reed, The Thunder Run

France has a new nuclear sub, Peace and Freedom II

Tragedy in the Tibetan Territory, The Spitting Vessel

80,000 Well-Armed, Angry Sunnis, Hullabaloo

Sony Alpha A900 Shown Off at Photo Imaging Expo, Shipping Details Revealed, Gigmodo

Westerners, understand this mindset

An American-Muslim State of Mind. The Honor Murderer in Texas did not Pull the Trigger, from Phyllis Chesler

PRESS HERE TO LISTEN TO MY INTERVIEW WITH THE MURDERED GIRLS’ FEMALE RELATIVES.

Islam Said blames his sisters’ deaths on their boyfriends. On March 8, 2008, the Lewisville High School celebrated the lives of the honor murdered Amina and Sarah Said. Local media was there. I watched as Islam grabbed the microphone and characterized his sisters’ boyfriends as “gang members” who “killed his sisters.” He also said: “They pulled the trigger, not my dad. My dad is the victim here.” PRESS HERE

http://www.nbc5i.com/newsarchive/15546408/detail.html

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/tv/stories/wfaa080308_wz_saidsisters.36b3726f.html

It is absolutely crucial for Westerners, especially Americans, to understand his mind-set. This is a cultural and political mind-set which has nothing to do with the color of one’s skin and everything to do with one’s political ideology. Despite heated denial and much controversy, it is also a mind-set which is correlated with the practice of Islam in its current, highly politicized jihadic mode.

Thus, when anyone tries to describe the crimes against humanity which are committed in the name of Islam (the religion, not the man whom I quote above), both Muslims and politically progressive non-Muslim Westerners cry “racism.”

But this is a primitive/totalitarian tactic used to silence those who dare to expose injustice and who wish to resist terror and tyranny. The charge of “racism” is a rallying cry which is first used against dark-skinned Muslim and ex-Muslim dissidents. The lovely dark-skinned ex-Muslim feminist freedom-fighter, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, has been characterized as a “racist” in Holland and in the pages of America’s Nation magazine. This fascist tactic works best among guilty, liberal Westerners who really do want to atone for or end the world’s awful history of racism.

The West crusaded against and finally abolished slavery. Many of us remain conflicted about its terrible legacy. Muslims have never launched a campaign against their own racism. The Arab Muslim slave trade continues to this day in many forms, both in the Middle East and in the West, especially among United Nations diplomats who are posted here.

Muslim employers in Saudi Arabia are not apologizing to their Philippina servants whom they imprison and routinely force to work around the clock as domestics and sex slaves. Ethnic Arab Muslims in Sudan are not guilty about gang-raping black African girls and women in Darfur—no more than they are guilty about genocidally exterminating black Africans who are also Muslims, Christians, and animists.

It’s the same mind-set that inspires Islam Said to view his father, Yasser Abdul Said, the honor murderer, as the true “victim.” The defender of the faith (whether that faith is conceived of as one’s religion or as one’s family “honor”), is always the glorious “victim.” Yes, even suicide killers who blow up innocent civilians in Iraq, Pakistan, and Afghanistan and who gun down Jewish children in religious schools in Jerusalem are viewed as victims and martyrs. Their supporters do not view them as murderous aggressors nor do they view themselves as such.

While I would like to attribute Islamic gender and religious apartheid to a cluster of factors including normalized childhood abuse, poverty, a lack of education, and to a super-aggressive and non-introspective cultural psychology, (see above), it is also increasingly clear that many wealthy and well-educated Muslims, who live in Muslim lands and in the West, share the same views. Like Islam Said, quoted at the beginning of this article, many well-educated Muslims still view women as animals, (yes, perhaps as “sacred” animals), and they still view Jews and other infidels as unclean, poisonous prey.

The very trait which has been hated in religious Jews (the desire to live “apart,” to eat differently and perhaps to also dress differently), is deeply respected, even lionized when it appears among religious Muslims. Increasingly, all across America, Muslim women are wearing headscarves and burqas—in university settings and on the streets; Muslim communities are demanding and receiving separate eating and washing facilities, separate hours for recreational facilities or separate facilities, etc.

If such outward behaviors were not intimately linked to dangerous, often murderous apartheid beliefs and behaviors, I would have no objection. But that is not the case. For example, based on extensive interviews that I have done with the female relatives of the murdered Texas teenagers, it is clear that:

a) Amina and Sarah were expected to wear headscarves. Their failure to do so, their “hidden” lives as normal American teenagers, doomed them.

b) Amina and Sarah were expected to enter into arranged marriages against their will to much older Egyptian men whom they had never met. Their refusal to do so doomed them.

c) Amina and Sarah were expected to keep quiet about the horrific sexual, physical, and psychological abuse which was heaped upon them by their father, mother, and brother. Their failure to do so doomed them.

d) Amina and Sarah were not supposed to have “boyfriends.” At the very least, their friends, both male and female, were not supposed to be Christians. The fact that they were friendly with Christian male teenagers doomed them.

e) Amina and Sarah were supposed to learn to hate America and to choose Shari’a law. Their failure to do so doomed them.

These are only some of the “rules” that Amina and Sarah were expected to obey. One of my informants has quoted their brother Islam, who often stalked his sisters, as saying: “They knew the rules. They broke them.” Islam is saying that it is their fault that his father had to kill them.

Thus, whenever you see a woman in a face veil, headscarf, or burqa, it is very likely that these rules also apply to her.

For the record: Let me again repeat what I have written before, namely, that there are many individual Muslims who are personally peaceful and who favor human rights for everyone, even for women and infidels. There are also individual Muslims who oppose and who have fled Islamic apartheid regimes. However, most Muslim religious leaders do not condemn the barbarism committed in the name of their religion. (A brave handful do).

There were also individual Germans in the Nazi era who did not personally hate the mentally ill, Jews, gypsies, anarchists, homosexuals, or American and British soldiers; a few even risked their lives to save such targeted “enemies.” However, most Germans (and Poles, Austrians, Ukrainians, etc.) chose to opportunistically profit from the persecution of the Jews and refused to risk anything in order to resist Hitler. Their failure to do so meant that they enabled and collaborated with him. To quote Edmund Burke: “All that is necessary for the forces of evil to win in the world is for enough good men (and women) to do nothing.”

I stand ready and willing to honor and to work with all those Muslims and non-Muslims who oppose Islamic gender and religious apartheid. Our lives depend upon such heroism.

The countries Americans love - not!

The countries Americans love and hate most, by Caitlin Wall, at Financial Policy on this Gallup poll, and here.

Not far behind are Great Britain, Germany, and Japan, all enjoying a rating of "very" or "mostly" favorable by more than 4 in 5 U.S. citizens. Least-favorite nations include the usual suspects: Iraq, the Palestinian Authority, North Korea, and Iran all drew favorable ratings from fewer than a fifth of respondents.

The survey reveals some noteworthy differences within groups of Americans. Self-described Republicans tend to see Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, and Israel more favorably, while Cuba, Mexico, Venezuela, China, and France are more likely to be viewed positively by Democrats. On the whole, young Americans are more likely to view Russia and China favorably, with 60 percent of those aged 18 to 34 responding favorably, while only a third of Americans 55 or older have positive feelings about those countries.

Interestingly, two countries -- Russia and Kenya -- received a roughly equal amount of favorable and unfavorable grades. Perhaps the survey serves as a snapshot of Americans' views about recent news. Both nations are in a state of flux right now, with Russia entering an uncertain post-Putin era and Kenya's image as one of Africa's most-stable countries taking a beating due to post-election violence. Depending on how the respective situations pan out, we could see a lot of movement in the numbers next time around. It's just not clear in which direction things will go. (more)

Other reading:

Declining Nation: Denver Schools Re-Define "Gifted" in Response to PC Forces, Illegal Aliens

Qatar seen bankrolling Hamas, Peace and Freedom II

Strippers Are People Too, from Peace and Freedom II

Russia and Syria, dangerous liasion

Last year we heard reports that Russia planed to build permanent bases on Syrian soil as part of a large arms deal between the two countries. Defense establishment officials fear Russian ships may try to spy on Israel's weapon systems.   Today we have this:  Heavy storm exposes Russian Syria-based spy ship off Israel shore.  With the reports that Iran continues on a nuclear path, this is very bad news for the United States and Israel.

DEBKAfile’s military sources reveal that the Russian Amur 1 Class PM 138 naval boat, caught up in the heavy storm raging across the Middle East and Mediterranean last week, flashed a distress signal Tuesday Feb. 19. The vessel was on its way from a Syrian port to Sevastopol on the Black Sea when it was thrown off course by the high seas. A Greek Navy frigate responded to the call and escorted the PM 138 to the island of Chios.

The Russian Navy spokesmen said the ship’s crew numbered 99. It was unarmed and was heading for home port after a long stay at one of the Syrian Navy’s Mediterranean bases.

Certain facts were accidentally disclosed as a result of the storm, DEBKAfile’s military sources point out:

1. Russian naval vessels are spending long periods running into months at the Syrian military bases of Latakia and Tartous.

2. Witnesses in Greece say the vessel, described officially as an auxiliary repair craft, boasted an unusual number of antennas for gathering intelligence. Its mission was clearly to gather information on Israeli military and naval movements while cruising opposite the Israeli coast.

Our sources add that, in recent months, the Russian Admiral Kutznetsov carrier with 47 Su-33 fighter-bombers and 10 helicopters on its decks visited one of the Syrian naval bases, along with the huge Moskva missile cruiser.

Israel officials prefer to ignore this mounting Russian naval presence to the north so as not to mar relations with the Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Rescued Russian spy ship in Greek port.

Russia has hitched her star to Iran, her agents Syria, and by this relationship to Hamas, Hezbollah and terrorism.  Russia is headed down a serious path, turning away from any relationship it could have had with the United States and the West.  Russia's Vlad Putin is ticked off at the US for several petty reasons.  We need to WATCH HIM and Russia very closely. 

The following is background and experts who will be writing in the coming week on the IAEA's latest findings and what the West can do to stop them (thanks to Insights Into Today's Middle East)

On Friday, 22 February, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)  issued a report concerning Iran’s nuclear program. Contrary to Iranian public insistence that its nuclear program is non-military in nature,  the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council has unanimously adopted binding resolutions that calls on Iran to suspend its uranium-enrichment activities, as such activities have virtually no civilian use. [1].

For further information about Iran’s nuclear weapons programme: Background & Experts List

Background Information:

Timeline: Iran's Nuclear Programme, 31 Jan 2008

The IAEA-Iran Agreement (Work Plan), 15 Nov 2007

Iran's Chief Nuclear Negotiator: Saeed Jalili, Oct 2007

Experts List:

Dr. Sami Al Faraj

President of the Kuwait Centre For Strategic Studies, the oldest private think tank in the Gulf region dedicated to the study of and research in strategic issues pertaining to Gulf security from actual policy-making perspective, he is a consultant on national security and strategic planning to different governmental, parliamentary and private agencies, an international lawyer, and a frequent writer and TV and radio guest on Gulf Security, strategy, the strategic history of the Muslims, and international law issues.

Simon Henderson

Baker fellow at The Washington Institute and director of the Institute's Gulf and Energy Policy Programme, specialising in energy matters and the conservative Arab states of the Persian Gulf. He served as a foreign correspondent with the Financial Times and BBC in Pakistan in 1977-78, and reported from Iran during the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Claude Moniquet

Claude Moniquet is an expert on counter-terrorism and extremism and a specialist on Near and Middle East issues. He is the director of the European Strategic and Intelligence Center. Moniquet focuses on terror networks and their European connections. He has published several books and studies including: "The Faceless War" (2002); "Jihad. Secret History and European Networks" (2004); and "Jihad and Islamism in Belgium" (2005).

Frédéric Encel

Frederic Encel is a Middle East expert and author. Encel earned a Ph.D. in Geo-policy at the University of Paris VII and teaches International Relations at the International Institute of Public Administration and at the Institute of Political Studies in Rennes. He is a prolific author and has published several books including: "The Art of War: Strategies and Battles" (2000); "Geopolitics of Israel" (2004) "Understanding the Middle-East: A Necessity for the Republic" (2006). He also works in the field of risk-analysis.


Dr. Matthias Küntzel

Matthias Küntzel, Ph.D., is an author and a political scientist from Hamburg, Germany. Küntzel has been researching, writing and publishing on the threat of Islamic Fundamentalism and Iran. In 2006, his work on Ahmadinejad, the Bassiji movement, and Germany's policy towards Iran was published in Internationale Politik, and in The New Republic. Küntzel is also a member of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East.

Dr. Victor Mizin

Dr. Victor Mizin, Vice-President of the Moscow based Center for Strategic Assessments, member of the Center for Political and Military Prognosis of the Russian Academy of Science IMEMO Institute, and the board of the Russian NGO Committee on Critical Technologies and Nonproliferation. Dr. Mizin formally served as a member of Russia 's Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he concentrated on arms control, non-proliferation and global security.

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Reference

[1] "IAEA declines comment on Iran nuclear weapons claims," Middle East Times , 20 February 2008