Right Truth

Terrorism, Religion, Obama, and America

Barack Obama, when elected President of the United States of America, wants to use foreign troops in the American military, specifically Ugandans. Aurora reports, "In all fairness, the recruitment process has already been taking some unconventional turns lately as the Dearborn military recruitment center turns to recruiting non-citizen Muslims (June, 2008)"

Ugandans, who want a career in the United States military, can sign up at the annual convention of the Uganda North American Association (UNAA), scheduled to run between August 29 and August 31. [...]

Barack Obama has been accused of being Muslim, having Muslim sympathies, while he claims to be a Christian. We have discussed here many times the 'confusion' of Obama. His entire life has been one long journey of searching for an identity. Now I read that All-India Congress Committee member Brij Mohan Bhama, was told by friends that Obama carries a miniature Hanuman idol in his pocket for luck.

“After hearing that, I decided to gift Mr. Obama a larger, gold-plated version along with the wishes of thousands of his supporters in this country,” said the leader struggling to lift the 15 kg, 21-inch brass idol. (Mr. Bhama, The Hindu)

Hanuman: Simian Symbol of Strength! (The Monkey God), is a Hindu god

Embodiment of Strength & Tenacity Hanuman, the mighty ape that aided Lord Rama in his expedition against evil forces, is one of the most popular idols in the Hindu pantheon. Believed to be an avatar of Lord Shiva, Hanuman is worshipped as a symbol of physical strength, perseverance and devotion.

Zee writes:

... this idea of having Ugandans serve with American men and women most emphatically defiles the United States military, not to even consider how it undermines our security. This reeks to high heaven of some pureed-brain, pentagon putz’s wet dreams of turning the US Military into some UN circus adjunct.

Here at Right Truth we believe in individual responsibility, personal responsibility, for the security of ourselves, our families, our communities, and our country. With thanks to Mr. R. J. Godlewski and the Independent Counterterrorist Training program offered FREE to everyone, it seems this concept is catching on around the U.S.

Hundreds of police, firefighters, paramedics and even utility workers have been trained and recently dispatched as “Terrorism Liaison Officers” in Colorado and a handful of other states to hunt for “suspicious activity” — and are reporting their findings into secret government databases. (National Terror Alert and Denver Post)

This is good news, since Joe Lieberman and others believe the United States may be attacked in 2009.

“Our enemies will test the new president early,” Lieberman, I-Conn., told Face The Nation host Bob Schieffer. “Remember that the truck bombing of the World Trade Center happened in the first year of the Clinton administration. 9/11 happened in the first year of the Bush administration.” (CBSNews)

The head of the U.N. nuclear agency Mohamed ElBaradei, said Iran could create a nuclear weapon in six months. Yet, Barack Obama thinks he can 'talk' to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and everything will be just peachy.

In a purely symbolic gesture to the world (and Obama), Iran is to dig 320,000 graves in border districts to allow for the burial of enemy soldiers in the event of any attack on its territory. Also, there was a mysterious explosion today in Iran, near Tehran. Obama is going to help us evolve and a people. (*gag*) Does that include Ahmadinejad?

... National interest, not self-enlightenment, ought to be our moral compass; "change" that makes our country stronger and more prosperous is the standard. Whether it makes one a more aware voter or cognitive citizen is merely a beneficial byproduct. (Family Security Matters)

Rumors of clandestine operations against Iran by American Special Forces continue. The U.S. apparently drafted a secret plan to make it easer for the Pentagon’s Special Operations forces to launch missions into the snow-capped mountains of Pakistan to capture or kill top leaders of Al Qaeda. (NYT)

We better do what we can to take down the terrorists before a Barack Obama can be elected. He may want to use that money for other things, like income distribution.

Al-Qaeda still like airplanes, and rumor has it Al Qaeda has acquired the means, and the technical know-how, to build a crude, simple, but brutally effective nuclear bomb ... and now they intended to deliver it ... in a surprise attack using private jet planes, according to the UK.

We have regular reports of 'questionable' attacks on individuals and groups here in the U.S., like this chemical attack in Kansas City. Trial runs? Accidents? Individual criminal attacks?

UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has rejected recent warnings by foreign governments about the threat of terrorist attacks in the United Arab Emirates.

A Mossad 'spy' was sentenced to death in Iran and a top US commander briefed on IDF’s four-front strategy in potential Iran war context, while  Iranian sources report Iranian official circles have become obsessed with suspicions of Israeli and American undercover agents infiltrating to prepare impending attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities while US and Israeli military chiefs talk in Jerusalem.

It appears the US and Israel are not waiting until Obama can be elected. They know that he will do nothing to save either nation and security depends on action BEFORE he could take office.

So whether Barack Obama is Christian, Muslim, Hindu, anything or nothing ... we KNOW that he is as far LEFT as a candidate can get. We know that he is anti-war (or should I say anti-military, anti-security). We know that he is a man searching for an identity, hoping that the puppet-masters behind him will launch him into the most powerful position in the world -- President of the United States of America. Even then he will STILL not know who he is, he will still be wishy-washy, flip-flopping, shifting with the sands and tides. No firm foundation.

How can a man, who does not know his race, who does not know his religion, who does not know his own thoughts --- lead this nation forward? He cannot.

Barack Obama CANNOT be good for America.

Other reading:

NY TIMES HIGH TREASON: LEAKING CLASSIFIED INFO AGAIN, at Atlas Shrugs

Anti-Obama blogs being treated as spam by Google, and Google Shuts Down Anti-Obama Sites on its Blogger Platform, by Stop the ACLU

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

Trackposted to Perri Nelson's Website, Rosemary's Thoughts, third world county, The Random Yak, DragonLady's World, The World According to Carl, Rosemary's News and Ideas, The Pink Flamingo, Beagle Scout - Support the No More Excuses Energy Act, CORSARI D'ITALIA, Democrat=Socialist, Stageleft, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Iran preparing for US attack as Hezbollah moves on Israel?

Hizballah received 35 new Iranian speedboats shortly before current crisis (a DEBKAfile exclusive) (hat tips to Michael)

The Iran-backed Hizballah offensive closes in on the Israeli border

Fighting rages in Mt. Lebanon, Damour south of Beirut and northern town of Tripoli.

Syria hardens positions, retracts peace feelers to Israel

DEBKAfile’s Middle East sources report that in the last 48 hours, Damascus has broadcast new, intransigent policy positions through diverse channels under the influence of Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert’s legal plight and the swift victories its ally, Hizballah, has achieved in Lebanon:

1. Leaders in Olmert’s position are only capable of making war – not peace, according to leaks from Damascus to Arab media. For this reason, Syrian officials claim after the fact that they exposed the secret meeting scheduled to take place between Israeli and Syrian officials in Turkey for sabotage, knowing it would go nowhere.

2. The Israeli prime minister’s offer to give up the whole of Golan for peace was likewise leaked by Damascus to discredit the prime minister at home.

3. Another message informed Jerusalem that any accommodation with Damascus was contingent on a peace deal with Beirut – or rather the real masters of Lebanon, Iran-backed Hizballah.

4. Israel must rescind the disputed Shebaa Farms enclave on Mount Hermon.

5. Syria’s relations with Iran are none of Israel’s business. This is a reference to the demands for the Assad regime to cool its ties with Tehran as a prerequisite for a peace deal.

6. As for the American-Israeli demand that Syria stop hosting terrorist headquarters, Damascus advises Israel to make do with the Hamas political chief Khaled Meshaal’s last statement. He said that Hamas is prepared to accept - though not recognize - Israel within the pre-1967 war boundaries and offer a long-term informal truce. Syria finds nothing further to discuss with Israel on the subject of Hamas.

Gaza missile kills a 70-year old Israeli woman in Moshav Yesha (DEBKA)

Iran preparing for U.S. attack

Al Qods Braces for US Punishment (hat tip Michael)

Iran's supreme ruler Ayatollah Ali Khamenei gave the order in person: The Revolutionary Guards (IRCG) must urgently complete all their arrangements for withstanding US reprisals for Tehran's interference in Iraq in whatever form they come: missile, air or commando attacks.

While keeping their heads down, they must be ready to strike back. [snip]

Qods Force's units - inside Iran and outside in Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon and Sudan - were prompted by his conviction that military action against the Islamic republic is the next realistic option.

He took his last cue Monday, May 5, from the accusations leveled by a US military spokesman that Iraqi Shiite extremists were being trained in IRGC-QB camps near Tehran.

Air Force Col. Donald Bacon said: "We have multiple detainees who state Lebanese Hizballah are providing training to Iraqis." The main Al Quds camp is located near Jalil Azad not far from Tehran.

In Lebanon, Tehran's terrorist arm, Hizballah, and in Gaza, the Palestinian Hamas and Jihad Islami were told to get set to attack Israel as part of an Iranian rejoinder to an American attack.

One of the precautionary steps the supreme ruler ordered, according to DEBKA-Net-Weekly's intelligence sources, was to move out of harm's way the main Al Qods command and training facilities in Iran. They were transferred to regular military bases across the country and among temporary installations in remote villages and locations in the east and north.

In all, 25-30,000 fighting men, the estimated size of the al Qods Brigade, have been scattered in concealed quarters. By the beginning of this week, only sentries were left at the deserted al Qods' primary training center in the north and its main headquarters at Imam Ali University which is housed in the Sa'dabad Palace. The seminaries and dormitories of the religious city of Qom were cleared of foreign guerilla recruits undergoing retraining and indoctrination.

So too were the Manzariyah training center east of Qom, and the facility outside Isfahan, where terrorists from Iraq, Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip are instructed in the use of explosives and the arts of sabotaging such strategic targets as roads, bridges and army bases.

Here, al Qods instructors ran courses in the expert application of the powerful roadside bombs which have killed so many American soldiers in Iraq.

Dismantled too was the Al Qods base near the northern town of Mashhad, where trainees were taught how to sneak into military and civilian airfields and blow them up and methods of hijacking airliners and destroying them. The facility near Shiraz was vacated, as was the Revolutionary Guards main training and instruction center for marine warfare at Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf. Some of the trainees there specialized in underwater combat and mine-laying.

While their home sites were dismantled, Qods officers and men were told to go to ground in Iraq - especially in the south; in Lebanon – at four Hizballah training facilities in the Lebanese Beqaa Valley on the Syrian border; and in Sudan - at three training facilities near Khartoum and at Port Sudan.

Gaza, Beirut, Iran

From Israpundit:  The significance of the Hezbollah coup, by Ted Belman

Analysis: Between Gaza and Beirut
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH, JPOST

[..] No doubt , if true, the US wants to destroy Hamas to weaken Iran. This is the best response to the Hezbollah coup, the US could mount to.

The lesson to be drawn from what happened in the Gaza Strip and Beirut is that whenever the US openly backs an Arab, he or she is immediately discredited on the Arab street. Abbas and Saniora are the victims of their public affiliation with the US.  [snip]

Israel will eventually have to act, as Lebanon turns into Iranian colony
Alex Fishman, YNET NEWS

[snip] 

The closer Iran gets to acquiring nukes, time will be running out for Israel, as an Iranian base in Lebanon is a base for eliminating the State of Israel. Under such circumstances, Lebanon will be the Iranian platform of retaliation and deterrence against us. We should keep in mind that Israel’s ability to take care of this base while Iran does not yet possess nuclear weapons is completely different from the abilities we shall have once Iran does possess nukes. Therefore, the question is not whether we should be taking care of this problem, but rather, when.

And from CTV.ca:  Violence in Lebanon spreads to hills near Beirut  (hat tip Michael)

Hezbollah militants continued to fight government supporters in the mountains overlooking Lebanon's capital on Sunday, having pulled out of central Beirut after earning a number of concessions from the U.S.-backed government.

For four days, Sunni-Shiite clashes in Beirut resulted in Hezbollah seizing a large section of Muslim West Beirut in a demonstration of its military might.  (continue reading)

So we have Gaza, Beirut, Iran, throw Syria into the mix, then include Russia who is helping to  build Iran's nuclear facilities, add a dash of China ... And what you've got is FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE.  Or maybe all this falls into the category of SEE no evil, HEAR no evil, and SPEAK no evil on the part of limp politicians???

 

Hezbollah & Iran: A Convergence of Interests

Hezbollah & Iran:  A Convergence of Interests, thanks to Insights Into Today's Middle East

Iran backed Hezbollah in EuropeIran backed Hezbollah in South America
A civil war guided by Iranian interests
Iran backed Hezbollah in Europe
Iran backed Hezbollah in South America
Facts about Hezbollah

Iran backed Hezbollah gunmen seized nearly all Muslim sectors of Beirut, the Lebanese capital, on Friday in the country's worst clashes since the 15-year civil war. At least 11 people have been killed and more than 20 wounded in three days of street battles. [1]

A civil war guided by Iranian interests

· “For the past months, the Head of the Iranian revolution, the Iranian president and the Iranian vice-president have been saying that Lebanon is a land where imperialism and Zionism need to be defeated,” said Antoine Basbous, political analyst in an interview on Friday. “This country has been designated as the scene of operations, a land of Jihad.” [2]

· “The Iranians through their Syrian portals have invested 30 billion dollars to turn Hezbollah into Iran’s military branch in the Mediterranean. […] The Shia movement has 40,000 to 50,000 missiles, good military training, social and sanitary structures and an Iranian-modeled society. Among the Shia civilians, more are dressing like Iranians and repeating the same slogans.” [3]

· After the 2006 war with Israel Hezbollah has been rearming itself and has increased its capacities using the Syrian passage. “Hezbollah has become a key player in the region. It is taking power today by turning Lebanon into a second Gaza, a center of regional confrontation at Damascus’ and Tehran’s disposal,” Basbous said. [4]

· The Lebanese Sunni Grand Mufti, Muhammad Rashid Qabbani, said that with these recent attacks Iran was threatening the union of the Muslims in Lebanon. He called Hezbollah "an armed gang of unlawful" which have carried out "ugly attacks" against the citizens of Lebanon. Shiite clerics however defended Tehran and accused the Lebanese government for the escalation. [5]

Iran backed Hezbollah in Europe

· Hezbollah is also active in Europe and poised to launch bloody reprisals in Britain for any Western attack on Iran, Richard Kemp, a former British intelligence chief, warned in November 2007. Kemp said the Iranian-backed group had established sleeper cells in London to carry out revenge attacks. He said: “The big question is how capable Hezbollah groups are in Europe. What I can say is that Hezbollah is probably the world’s most effective terrorist organisation, and that includes Al Qaeda.” [6]

· Hezbollah arrived in the European Union in the 1980s, along with refugees from the civil war in Lebanon. In the 80s and 90s, Hezbollah kidnapped more than 80 Westerners and killed hundreds of people in Lebanon, Israel, Europe and South America in terrorist attacks. Despite its deadly track record and a 2005 European Parliament resolution recommending the banning of the Iranian-funded group, it is still legal on the Continent. In Germany alone there are 900 Hezbollah supporters known to security authorities. [7]

France, Spain, Belgium and Sweden are preventing the EU from jointly designating Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. [8]

Iran backed Hezbollah in South America

• Hezbollah has taken root in South America, fostering a well-financed force of Islamist radicals boiling with hatred for the United States and ready to die to prove it, according to militia members, U.S. officials, and police agencies across the continent. From its Western base in the Tri-border Area, or Triple Frontier, a remote region that borders Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina, Hezbollah has mined the frustrations of many Muslims among about 25,000 Arab residents whose families immigrated largely from Lebanon. Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Tri-border has become a top-level, particularly as tension mounts with Iran, Hezbollah’s main sponsor. [9]

• On July 18, 1994 Argentina faced it’s deadliest terrorist attack when the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires (AMIA, Asociacion Mutual Israelita Argentina) was targetted. The blast reduced the community centre to rubble, killing 85 and wounding more than 200. Argentinian prosecutors allege Iranian officials orchestrated the bombing and entrusted the Lebanon-based Hezbollah to carry it out. Among the wanted by Argentina are former Iranian intelligence chief Ali Fallahian, former leader of the elite Revolutionary Guards Mohsen Rezaei, and Hezbollah militant Imad Moughnieh, one of the world’s most sought terror suspects. [10] In late 2006, an Argentinean special prosecutor released a detailed report on the AMIA bombing, issuing arrest warrants for high-level Iranian officials and Hezbollah members involved in the attack. The Argentinean investigation concluded that Tehran transferred at least $152,812 to accounts controlled by Mohsen Rabbani, a Shiite cleric who at the time held diplomatic immunity as a cultural attache at the Iranian embassy in Buenos Aires. [11]

• Operating out of the Tri-border Area, Hezbollah is accused of killing more than 100 people in attacks in nearby Buenos Aires during the early 1990s in operations personally masterminded by Moughnieh. [12]

• The Iranian president asked his interlocutor to send his regards to Hizbullah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah and the organization's membership. [13]

Facts about Hezbollah

· Hezbollah—or “Party of God”—emerged in Lebanon in 1982 and became the region’s leading radical Islamic movement, determined to drive Israeli troops from Lebanon. Hezbollah now serves as an inspiration to Palestinian factions fighting to liberate occupied territory.

· Hezbollah was established by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. In its early days, Hezbollah had a contingent of some 2,000 men sent to Lebanon in 1982 to aid the resistance against Israel. [14] Inspired by the success of the Iranian Revolution, party leaders also dreamt of transforming Lebanon’s multi-confessional state into an Iranian-style Islamic state.

· Hezbollah receives substantial amounts of financial, training, weapons, explosives, political, diplomatic, and organizational aid from Iran and Syria. Published reports that say Iran provides hundreds million dollars of aid annually are probably exaggerated. Iran probably provides financial assistance and military assistance worth about $25-50 million. Hezbollah is closely allied with, and often directed by, Iran, but has the capability and willingness to act independently. [15]

• Underscoring the heightened sense of Iran as a dangerous player, on July 18, 2006, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair accused Iran of supporting Hezbollah with weapons, “very similar if not identical to those used against British troops in Basra” in Iraq. Blair also accused Syria of supporting Iran “in many different ways” and both countries of providing financial support. Israel, the United States, the Europeans, and many Arab states have long claimed that Hezbollah receives its weaponry from Iran, a claim that many Iranian officials admit in private is true. [16]

• Senior Hezbollah official Kassam Allaik said Iran had its own groups in Lebanon, rebuilding bridges, roads, and mosques. Lebanon’s Finance Minister Jihad Azour also acknowledged that Iranian money is going directly to Hezbollah. Allaik, head of Hezbollah’s construction arm, Jihad Construction, has admitted that Iran is providing funds directly to Hezbollah to help the reconstruction effort. [17]

• Senior terror leaders in Gaza, including militants from Palestinian Authority President Abbas's Fatah party, admitted they are working to copy Hezbollah warfare tactics: “We are turning Gaza into south Lebanon,” Abu Ahmed, northern Gaza leader for the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terrorist group, said. He also said: “We are importing rockets and the knowledge to launch them and we are also making many plans for battle." [18]

• Ahmed added: “We have warm relations with Hezbollah, which helps with some of the training programs…We don’t have anything to be ashamed of—that we are dealing with Hezbollah and that we are receiving training and information from them.” [19]

_______________________________________________________________________

References:

[1] « Hezbollah gunmen seize control of Beirut neighborhoods," by Bassem Mroue, Associated Press, 9 May 2008.

[2 ] «Une guerre civile atroce et cruelle se dessine» au Liban, Libération, 9 May 2008,

[3]Ibid.

[4]Ibid.

[5] « Eskalation im Libanon. Die Hizbullah kämpft für ihr Telefonnetz » by Rainer Hermann, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 9 May 2008, No. 108, S. 6

[6] Groves, Jason : « Hezbollah will avenge Iran strike », Daily Express, 25 novembre 2007

[7] "Die etwas andere Partei," by Alexander Ritzmann, Financial Times Deutschland, 4 May 2007

[8] Ibd.

[9] Gato, Pablo; Windrem, Robert: « Hezbollah builds a Western base,” Telemundo/Msnbc.com, May 9, 2007

 

[10]Gato, Pablo, Windrem, Robert : « Hezbollah builds a Western base », Telemundo/Msnbc.com, 9 mai 2007

[11] Keaten, Jamey : « Iran role in Argentina bombing examined », Associated Press, 5 novembre 2007

[12] Levitt, Matthew ; Lipton, Jake : « Dangerous Partners: Targeting the Iran-Hizballah Alliance », Policy Watch, No. 1267, 31 juillet 2007.

[13] Ibid

[14] Westcott, Kathryn : « Who are Hamas », BBC News, 19 octobre 2000

[15]GlobalSecurity.org

[16]Sciolino, Elaine : « Iran backs Hezbollah in Lebanon », International Herald Tribune, 19 juillet 2006

 

[17]Whittington, James : « Iran "sending funds to Hezbollah" », BBC News, 2 novembre 2006

[18]Klein, Aaron : « Hamas training in Iran, Lebanon », WorldNetDaily, 2 janvier 2007

[19] Ibid

Iran's agent Hezbollah ... and Lebanon

Hezbollah, agent of Iran, renews fight in one front against Israel -- Lebanon. Courtney at Great Satan's Girlfriend puts her unique reporting to work in "Powers and Coups":

Street fighting in Beirut? What's up? Is Little Satan's rowdy BDay Bash kickoff kicking something else off? Is Great Satan on another regime changing rampage?

Nope. Maybe.

Recent events could easily be interpreted that there is a 3 way battle going for Lebanon's very soul. And it's at the airport.

Lebanon's gov (what hasn't been blown up by Syria) is making a stand against a Resistance movement that seems more adept at resisting their own legit gov than any foreign chicanery.

Lebanon's Cabinet took action against Hiz'B'Allah - sacking the security chief at Rafik Hatriri Internat'l Aerodrome. General Wafiq Shucair lost his gig when the gov freaked about HBA real time super spy tech deployed at the airport.

Hey - that's fair - either he knew about such hanky panky - which would suggest some type of ties or even worse - he was totally obliviously conned. Either sucks on a resume'. (continue reading, you know you want to)

Also see "Appropriate Lesson" by Courtney at Great Satan's Girlfriend.

Findalis asks, "Has Hezbollah Bitten Off More Than It Can Chew?" Excellent analysis:

Hezbollah wants one thing. Total control of Lebanon. To create an Islamic Republic of Lebanon. This state would give Hezbollah total control of the Lebanese military. Its tanks, artillery, and planes. It would give Iran a puppet state on Israel's northern border, to match the puppet state now on Israel's southern border in Gaza.

With 2 puppet states so close to Israel, there would be nothing to stop Iran from attacking Israel either directly, through their proxies or both. A nightmare scenario of an nuclear attack from Iran compounded with attacks from both Lebanon and Gaza. (continue reading at Monkey in the Middle)

Background at BBC:

The more immediate causes of Lebanon's current - and apparently unending - political crisis go back to the war between Israel and the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah in the summer of 2006.

After standing up to the powerful Israeli military for a full month, Hezbollah declared it had achieved a "divine victory".

Its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was the new hero of the Arab street. (BBC)

Check out Bob's Blog for updates on Lebanon. Bob's Blog reports today: (hat tip Michael)

Beirut has fallen…

Beirut has fallen under the yoke of Nassrallah militiamen. A victory some are calling it. Hordes of militiamen running in the streets shooting at civilians and residential areas. TVs, newspapers and magazines are being closed down. Checkpoints are being built. Welcome to the new age, the age of Hezbollah iron grip!

Dream on! Hundreds or even thousands of militiamen cannot occupy a city. Pitiful street thugs will never close down free press and Tvs. Dream on, for today is the start of the end of what was once called a resistance, but now is only a milita, specialized in terror and blackmail, holding a whole city, and economy of the whole country hostages for some political gains. (continue reading)

Blogging Beirut reports today:

Updated 17:58 Lebanon Time

- Reporting from Corniche Beirut: The second you cross the green line - just as I made my way past the St. Georges Hotel - you're greeted with heavily armed men with automatic weapons and vests in groups, some on scooters. One large group was gathered near the entrance of La Plage in front of the Intercontinental Vendome. They don't bother you - they don't even stop to ask questions - you can ask them for directions if you'd like - they're polite i think ;) . After a brief stop at McDonald's, I made my way to a shop to buy some chips. M&Ms, Maltesers, Lay's Salted Chips, and a Sohat = 3250 LL (2 USD). As I was paying, a scooter zooms up to the store carrying two armed men. I am not sure if I am meant to feel fear / discomfort. They came in to buy some mouneh. I paid, put my stuff in a bag, and walked out nonchalantly. Got into my car and drove off into the smoke billowing from burning tires under the Marina Tower.
(continue reading)

Also see ISREAL AT 60 WHIPPING BOY OF THE UN

Iran: It's now or never ...

Iran will go nuclear by the end of this year, 2008, according to several folks in the know. If they are correct, what should the United Stated do, what should Israel do, and when should they do it? The answer to all those questions seems to ride on this: How would a U.S.-Iran confrontation play out in the presidential campaign here in the United States? Sad but true my friends. It doesn't seem that the safety of Americans in Iraq, or the safety of Israel, or the safety of American interests within Iran's reach, are determining factors in whether to take out Iran's nuclear facilities -- it's politics.

John Bolton, America’s ex-ambassador to the United Nations, has called for US air strikes on Iranian camps where insurgents are trained for war in Iraq.

Mr Bolton said that striking Iran would represent a major step towards victory in Iraq. While he acknowledged that the risk of a hostile Iranian response harming American’s overseas interests existed, he said the damage inflicted by Tehran would be “far higher” if Washington took no action.

A US military spokesman revealed last week that the elite Quds Force of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had drafted in personnel from Lebanon’s Hizbollah to train fighters from Iraq’s Shia militias.
(The Telegraph and National Terror Alert)

Adm. Michael G. Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said: "Iran is not going away. We need to be strong and really in the deterrent mode, to not be very predictable."

The administration is signaling the Iranians that they need to stop supplying and training Shiite militias in Iraq -- or run the risk of U.S. retaliation. The Maliki government in Baghdad, worried about the danger of escalation, is passing this message to Tehran, but so far the only consequence has been that the Iranians have broken off talks in Baghdad that were aimed at stabilizing the situation. (Washington Post)

But in a spooky turn of events, "The risk of a U.S.-Iranian confrontation is growing in part because Saudi Arabia and other U.S. allies in the Middle East are so eager for it."

"Behind closed doors, we are praying that the Iranians will make a mistake so that you will have a reason to attack," one Saudi told me this week. Another prominent Arab official said he hopes the United States will strike Iranian training camps just over the border from Iraq. (Washington Post)

Benjamin Netanyahu, the former and possibly future prime minister of Israel, said the “civilized community of nations” must not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons, even though he said:

“We are benefiting from one thing, and that is the attack on the Twin Towers and Pentagon, and the American struggle in Iraq.”

Thousands of dead Americans and millions more slaughtered Iraqis, along with a war torn and divided country is beneficial to Israel, according to Mr Netanyahu.

The newspaper also reported he later added that the events “swung American public opinion in our favor.” (Haaretz)

Haaretz also says, "Vice President Dick Cheney’s recent trip through the Middle East came in preparation for the U.S. attack, the source said."

David Ignatius in his article "Where The Wild Cards Are", discussed the political debate on Iran:

Usually, we assume that the nation rallies around the party of war, but that's less certain in this case. America is war-weary, and it mistrusts President Bush. So a military skirmish with Iran might backfire, adding to public dissent -- much as happened with the Nixon administration's attack on Viet Cong sanctuaries in Cambodia in 1970.

Adding to the combustible mix is Hillary Clinton's hawkish position on Iran, which has support from the center-right of the party even if she drops out. Her rhetorical threat to "totally obliterate" Iran if it launched a nuclear attack against Israel was sharper than anything that has come out of the Bush White House. The anti-Iran stance from centrist Democrats blunts John McCain's appeal as the tough-guy candidate. But it complicates the Democrats' argument for withdrawing U.S. troops rapidly from Iraq, since the main beneficiary of such a move would be Tehran.

The Yankee Sailor, "Building a case for war in Iran, Part 1 and Part 2"

News continues to roll in that the United States may be nearing a decision to strike Iran. In my previous installment, I discussed the storm of tough talk currently unleashed from Washington. In this installment I’ll lay out some of the other events in the region in recent weeks.

First, an intriguing report was published alleging that Washington authorized the execution and funding of a covert offensive against Iran in recent weeks.

Six weeks ago, President Bush signed a secret finding authorizing a covert offensive against the Iranian regime that, according to those familiar with its contents, “unprecedented in its scope.”

Bush’s secret directive covers actions across a huge geographic area – from Lebanon to Afghanistan – but is also far more sweeping in the type of actions permitted under its guidelines – up to and including the assassination of targeted officials. This widened scope clears the way, for example, for full support for the military arm of Mujahedin-e Khalq, the cultish Iranian opposition group, despite its enduring position on the State Department’s list of terrorist groups.

Similarly, covert funds can now flow without restriction to Jundullah, or “army of god,” the militant Sunni group in Iranian Baluchistan – just across the Afghan border — whose leader was featured not long ago on Dan Rather Reports cutting his brother in law’s throat. (continue reading at Yankee Sailer)

So, I ask you ..... is it NOW OR NEVER???

It's now or never, come hold me tight

Kiss me my darling, be mine tonight

Tomorrow will be too late, it's now or never

My love won't wait. -- Elvis Presley

Other reading:

Stupid Liberal Idiot Destroys Pro-Life Display, Stop the ACLU

Politics Sucks

Today we are told there is "video evidence of North Koreans working at a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor just before it was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike last September." The Syrian facility is code-named Al Kibar. “The belief is that the reactor was nearing completion,” said one official familiar with the content of the briefings. “It would have been able to produce plutonium.” ... "Syria was building a nuclear reactor complex much like the North Korean nuclear reactor complex at Yongbyon."

Sources familiar with the video told the Times and the Post that the Syrian reactor’s core design was identical to a North Korean reactor at Yongbyon, including its configuration and number of fuel rod holes. (National Terror Alert)

You can be sure this will become a political talking point, with both sides trying to use it for their benefit in some strange Twilight Zone way.

The timing of the administration’s decision to declassify information about the Syrian project has raised widespread suspicions, especially in the State Department, that Vice President Dick Cheney and other administration hawks were hoping that releasing the information might undermine a potential deal with North Korea that would take it off an American list of state sponsors of terrorism. (more)

My response: SO? If releasing this information and video will shine light on North Korea's refusal to comply to agreements previously made about revealing ALL of their nuclear facilities, and keep them on a list of state sponsors of terrorism -- GOOD.

The big question for American voters should be ... what would Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or John McCain do if presented with a similar situation during their presidency? Would they be willing to take out a facility similar to this one? Would they support Israel's right to take it out? These questions are very important, because we DO have a situation with Iran that will need to be addressed by one of these people.

Bob McCarty Writes on Baracknophobia -- the common-sense and persistent fear of a Barack Obama presidency. I hope the phobia spreads...

Bob McCarty Writes also has the following news on Jeremiah Wright:

The Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., senior pastor of the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, will discuss the role of faith in the public square in a presentation entitled, The African American Religious Experience; Theology & Practice, at a National Press Club breakfast Monday. (continue reading)

Some Americans think we should RESPECT THE RANTS OF REV. WRIGHT, ... I beg to differ. We need to shine the light on Wright and his influence on Barack Obama:

The [North Carolina Republican Party] political ad is straightforward and does not say anything racial at all. It simply brings to light Obama's 20-year relationship with Wright, who is an America-bashing racist. McCain called the ad "offensive," but he misses the mark by opposing efforts to get Obama's past out in front of the American people. (The Loft)

In other terror news: Six Suspects Will Be Tried a Third Time in Sears Tower Terror Plot

Check out a new site ScotKnight Publications: "The purpose of ScotKnight Publications is to provide seminars concerning the objectives of Islam in the modern world." Check it out.
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Trackposted to A Newt One- help us catch a monster, Woman Honor Thyself, Shadowscope, The Pink Flamingo, Leaning Straight Up, The Amboy Times, , and Pursuing Holiness, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Syria Masses Three Army Divisions on Lebanese Border and Zawahiri Calls for Terror Attacks on Israel and United States

Ehud Barak says Israel’s army and intelligence poised for instant response to Hezbollah attack, after military reports that Syria is massing three army divisions on the Lebanese border.

The Israeli Air Force, according to our sources, has prepared two command and control airplanes which are capable of carrying command centers and special forces from place to place and reacting to terrorist attacks in places far from Israel. (Debka)

Military sources report that the Syrian deployment is backed by the concentration of pro-Syrian Palestinian factions in the Beqaa valley of Lebanon, amid rising war tensions between Hezbollah and Israel.

Hassan Nasrallah declared Hezbollah would wage “open war” with Israel at the end of the 40-day mourning period the group observed for Imad Mughniyeh who was killed in Damascus February 12. His deputy has maintained that Hezbollah had “100 percent solid evidence” that Israel had killed Mughniyeh, which Israel has consistently denied.

Monday, March 24, Nasrallah will address a big memorial rally in South Beirut. The Israeli army is on high alert for a possible Hezbollah attack from Lebanon. The Magen David Adom ambulance service is on emergency standby across the country. (Debka, via National Terror Alert)

Zawahiri makes a command performance via audio tape:

Al-Qaida deputy leader Ayman al-Zawahri is calling on Muslims to strike Israeli and American interests to avenge Israel’s recent offensive in the Gaza Strip, according to a new audiotape.

In the 4-minute tape, posted on a Web site Monday, al-Zawahri accuses Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak of helping Israel in its offensive by sealing off the border between Egypt and Gaza.

He calls on Muslims to “strike the interests of the Jews, the Americans, and all of those who participated in the attack on the Muslims,” and says attacks should not be limited to areas in Israel or the Palestinian territories. (AP)

Negative U.S. media linked to increased insurgent attacks, By Shawn Waterman, United Press International

Researchers at Harvard say that publicly voiced doubts about the U.S. occupation of Iraq have a measurable “emboldenment effect” on insurgents there.

Periods of intense news media coverage in the United States of criticism about the war, or of polling about public opinion on the conflict, are followed by a small but quantifiable increases in the number of attacks on civilians and U.S. forces in Iraq, according to a study by Radha Iyengar, a Robert Wood Johnson Scholar in health policy research at Harvard and Jonathan Monten of the Belfer Center at the university’s Kennedy School of Government.

The increase in attacks is more pronounced in areas of Iraq that have better access to international news media, the authors conclude in a report titled “Is There an ‘Emboldenment’ Effect? Evidence from the Insurgency in Iraq.”

The researchers studied data about insurgent attacks and U.S. media coverage up to November, tracking what they called “anti-resolve statements” by U.S. politicians and reports about American public opinion on the war.

“We find that in periods immediately after a spike in anti-resolve statements, the level of insurgent attacks increases,” says the study, published earlier this month by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a leading U.S. nonprofit economic research organization. (Washington Times, via Peace and Freedom II)

Aso see "On The Ground: the Grunts and the Press - Some thoughts on the disconnect, and how it could be different" at Columbia Journalism Review

[snip] While there are still plenty of reporters risking their lives doing great work in Iraq, much of the political, social, and economic complexity of today’s war seems to be getting lost in the election-year crush, even as the war continues to be a major issue in the campaign.

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