Right Truth

Hundreds of British schoolgirls facing genital mutilation

It's almost 2010 and who would believe that a Western nation like the UK would have a huge problem with female genital mutilation?  Well, that's what happens when you have immigration problems, allow multitudes of Muslims to flow into your country and fail to require them to live by the cultural standards of their new country rather than allowing them to continue barbaric cultural atrocities of their former homeland.  Assimilation must be mandatory. 

Girls are still at risk this Christmas as 'cutters' are flown in from abroad to perform the illegal procedure.

Hundreds of British schoolgirls are facing the terrifying prospect of female genital mutilation (FGM) over the Christmas holidays as experts warn the practice continues to flourish across the country. Parents typically take their daughters back to their country of origin for FGM during school holidays, but The Independent on Sunday has been told that "cutters" are being flown to the UK to carry out the mutilation at "parties" involving up to 20 girls to save money.

The police face growing criticism for failing to prosecute a single person for carrying out FGM in 25 years; new legislation from 2003 which prohibits taking a girl overseas for FGM has also failed to secure a conviction.

Experts say the lack of convictions, combined with the Government's failure to invest enough money in education and prevention strategies, mean the practice continues to thrive. Knowledge of the health risks and of the legislation remains patchy among practising communities, while beliefs about the supposed benefits for girls remain firm, according to research by the Foundation for Women's Health, Research and Development (Forward).

As a result, specialist doctors and midwives are struggling to cope with increasing numbers of women suffering from long-term health problems, including complications during pregnancy and childbirth. (The Independent)

You should read the entire article.  My response is simple.  The UK has failed to insist on assimilation of immigrants from the Middle East and as a result they have a mess.  The United States and other Western nations should learn an important lesson.  The UK can turn this around but it will not be easy.  Muslims in the UK have learned that they can get away with almost anything, play the underdog card, cry discrimination, hide behind their religion...

The young girls are paying the price for the UK's timidity.

Make note:

2/3’s of Protestant Pastors Consider Islam ‘dangerous’.

From Logan's Warnings:

For years I have been saying to look towards the UK to see what is coming our way in regards to Islam, and the similarities of the Sharia movement can be seen in this video. The good news is that UK Muslim Anjem Choudary states that US Muslims are about 5-10 years behind in this push. Meaning that we still have time to nip this in the bud. Stating that it is not “all” Muslims and then ignoring the problem does not cut it. 

.

Another warning:

Once again Muslims are using Jesus in their Islamic sales pitch. What they fail to mention is that under Islam, Jesus will come back as a Muslim and destroy Christianity. So please explain how there is common ground between Christianity and Islam. In the end they are polar opposites.

Don't be fooled, Jesus and Mohammad have nothing in common, just as Islam and Christianity have nothing in common.

The national health care system in the UK is in shambles, people laying in urine, bugs on the floor, not enough nurses or doctors, people dying from simple infections, patients waiting forever to be seen by a doctor and then waiting to get needed tests.  Just what that system needs is an overload on females with life-long medical problems caused by FGM, female genital mutilation.  We're not living in the dark ages any more.

U.S. reaches out to followers of Muqtada al-Sadr

A top Sadrist political leader in Baghdad, Qusay al-Suhail, told The Washington Times that he and his colleagues have been approached five times in the last five months by emissaries seeking to arrange meetings with senior U.S. military and civilian officials at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

"Yes, the Americans tried to talk to me and other Sadrists several times," Mr. al-Suhail said. "They try to talk to us as individuals, but we made it clear that there is no use to talking to us when you are an occupying power."

Two U.S. officials familiar with the outreach efforts confirmed that the U.S. Embassy is trying to reach an understanding with the Sadrists, who represent one of the largest factions among Iraq's Shi'ite majority and have legions of followers in a Baghdad slum known as Sadr City.

The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the topic, said that in return for a political understanding, they are willing to release, in coordination with the Iraqi government, thousands of Sadrist prisoners. 

The outreach represents a major turnaround in U.S. policy toward Mr. al-Sadr, who is the descendant of one of the Shi'ite sect's most famous clerical families.  (continue)

The above excerpt is by Eli Lake at The Washington Times, via Albrecht Gero Muth. 

Iran's Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri - Dead at 87

Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, described by Voice of America as the dissident cleric, helped found the Islamic Republic, but later became one of the government's most vocal critics.  As thousands flock to mourn the Grand Ayatollah, offering protesters a fresh rallying point for confrontation with the government, the Iranian regime is on high alert.

Iraqis remain worried about Iranian influence in their country five months before the US begins the massive drawdown of its troops from Iraq and the United States shares that worry, especially after the seizure of the long-disputed oil field in Maysan Province in southeastern Iraq.

Long sidelined by Iran's ruling elite, Ayatollah Montazeri continued to find an audience among those eager for views questioning the current leadership.

In comments widely circulated on the Internet after the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June, the ayatollah questioned the validity of the vote and criticized the crackdown on those protesting the outcome.

Montazeri's role as a spiritual guide to Iran's opposition mirrored the outsider position he played in helping overthrow the Shah in 1979 and ushering in the Islamic Republic he would come to criticize.

A favorite of Iran's first Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Montazeri was expected to succeed him.  But the two had a falling out over what Montazeri saw as the government's brutal treatment of Iranian opposition forces and an increasing authoritarianism.

"He was brave as far as the participation of women in social life and political life, as about the equality and other issues." (VOA)

Video from Al Jazeera.

I wonder how he felt about Iran trying three hikers for espionage, or how he feels about their nuclear program, and most recently how he feels about Iranians invading Iraq over the past years and now taking over an oil field and raising the Iranian flag? 

Admiral Mike Mullen said Sunday he does not assume Iran's brief seizure of an Iraqi oil well is part of an orchestrated plan in Tehran and he's worried about "the clock now running" on the Obama administration's efforts at trying to keep the lines of communication open with Iran.

As of Sunday night, the Iranian troops have partially retreated from the oil field.

According to the New York Times:

Iraq claims that it dug oil wells on the Fakka field during the 1970s before the Iran-Iraq war. But Iran says the area near the well that its soldiers had occupied — known as Well No. 4 — is on the Iranian side of the border.

At least four other oil fields in Iraq are within several hundred yards of the Iranian border or straddle the line.

Border disputes between the countries, which set off the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, have become more common in recent months as Iraq has moved to sell development rights to fields near the Iranian border, including Fakka.

Look for protests to increase again in Iran as the mourners fill the streets.  They surely will regale each other with what the dead Ayatollah believed and stood for.  It will encourage them that there may be hope for regime change, that one day they may be free to express their true feelings and wishes without being killed in the streets like young Neda.

Poor Yemen

The United States will send six more Muslim terrorists from Guantanamo Bay Cuba to Yemen.  These six are a prelude to the release of dozens more – there are currently 97 Yemenis there making up a large portion of the total 210 detainees.

What has happened to terrorists in Yemen in the past?  In 2006 23 "dangerous individuals" -- including a man identified as the mastermind of the attack on the USS Cole in 2000 -- escaped from a Yemeni prison -- at least 13 were "convicted al Qaeda terrorists, some of whom were involved in attacks on U.S. and French ships in 2000 and 2002.    

Over the years the cycle is the same:  Terrorists are arrested, spend a short time in Yemeni prisons, ultimately escape to continue in their terrorist ways  Some may be re-captured and imprisoned again, only to escape again.  Sending al-Qaeda terrorist detainees from Gitmo to Yemen is like sending them home to start all over.

Original reports today stated that the U.S. has launched two missile strikes against Al Qaeda targets in Yemen.   The New York Times reported that the US gave military hardware, intelligence and other support to Yemeni forces to carry out the raids.

We're told that Yemen is the poorest Arab nation, limited natural resources, a crippling illiteracy rate, high population growth,  fighting al-Qaeda, Shi'ite rebels in the North and separatist groups in the South, -- that they need financial assistance from the US to reintegrate detainees.  Nothing like good old American money -- hate Americans -- love their money.

From the Congressional Research Service report for Congress January 22, 2009:

Over the past several fiscal years, Yemen has received on average between $20 and $25 million annually in total U.S. foreign aid. For FY2009, the Administration has requested $28.2 million in assistance for Yemen, an increase from its $20.7 million aid package in FY2008. Between FY2006 and FY2007, Yemen also received approximately $31.5 million from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Section 1206 account. Section 1206 Authority is a Department of Defense account designed to provide equipment, supplies, or training to foreign national military forces engaged in counter-terrorist operations.

We're also told that Yemen is suffering falling oil income, water shortages and a humanitarian crisis, instability in a region that includes oil superpower Saudi Arabia and one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.  

Yemen said on Thursday its security forces and warplanes foiled a planned series of suicide bombings by attacking targets including an al Qaeda training center in the southern province of Abyan and sites in Arhab district.

About 30 al Qaeda militants were killed and 17 arrested in Abyan and in Arhab, northeast of the capital Sanaa, it said.  [snip]

The four Yemenis were found in a hospital in Aden and placed under arrest, the ministry said. Their families had taken them there after the attack in Abyan.

That was Yemen being helpful this week.  Next week will be something different.  A little history:

The prevailing climate of lawlessness in much of Yemen has provided opportunities for terrorist groups to maintain a presence in outlying areas of the country. Many experts believe that, since the 1980s, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has tolerated the presence of radical Islamists in the country and has used their presence to bolster his credibility among Islamist hardliners.2 As the ancestral home of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, Yemen provided, and then welcomed home, thousands of so-called “Arab Afghan” volunteers who fought alongside the mujahidin (Islamic fighters) against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. During the 1994 civil war, President Saleh dispatched several brigades of “Arab Afghans” to fight against southern late secessionists. In the mid to 1990s, Yemeni (and many foreign) militants, many with ties to Al-Qaeda, began striking targets inside the country. One group, known as the Aden-Abyan Islamic Army, which was formed by a former Bin Laden associate, was responsible for the December 1998 kidnaping of 16 foreign tourists (4 of whom died in a botched rescue attempt) and the 2002 attack on a French oil tanker (Limburg) near the southern Yemeni port of Mukalla.

2 “Yemen’s Deals With Jihadists Unsettle the U.S.,” New York Times, January 28, 2008.

The USS Cole Bombing:

On October 12, 2000, an explosives-laden motorboat detonated alongside the U.S. Naval destroyer USS Cole while it was docked in the Yemeni port of Aden, killing 17 U.S. servicemen and wounding 39 others. Nearly 8 years after the attack, many details on the attack remain a mystery. In 2000, agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) uncovered some of the perpetrators of the terrorist bombing. One suspect, Abd al Rahim al Nashiri, a Saudi national of Yemeni descent who served as Al Qaeda’s operations chief in the Arabian Peninsula, was captured in the United Arab Emirates in November 2002 and handed over to the Central Intelligence Agency. According to the Washington Post, Al Nashiri had spent several months before his capture under high-level protection from the Yemeni government.3 Another Al Qaeda member, Walid bin Attash (also referred to as Tawfiq bin Attash), has been named by the U.S.
Department of Justice as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Cole attack. Both Al Nashiri and Attash have appeared before military tribunals in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba where they have been held for several years under U.S. military custody.  A third organizer of the Cole bombing, Jamal al Badawi, has been, to the frustration of U.S. officials, held under Yemeni custody despite two previous successful escapes (April 2003 and 2006) from his captors. After his second escape in 2006 (along with 22 other Al Qaeda convicts), in what many believe was an officially sanctioned prison break, Badawi turned himself in a year later, pledged his allegiance to President Saleh, and promised to cooperate with the authorities and help locate other militants. In October 2007, soon after his return to custody, the Yemeni government reportedly released Badawi from house arrest despite vocal protestations from the
Bush Administration. Yemen has refused to extradite Badawi to the United States (Article 44 of the constitution states that a Yemeni national may not be extradited to a foreign authority), where he has been indicted in the U.S. District Court in New York on murder charges.4 According to one former FBI official, Badawi was “the guy who recruited the bombers.... He was the local
mastermind.”5 At this time, it is unclear if Badawi is still incarcerated.  According to U.S. State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack, “This was someone who was implicated in the Cole bombing and someone who can’t be running free.” Yemeni officials claim, however, that Badawi is now cooperating with the government in attempts to capture a new generation of more lethal jihadists. According to Rashad Muhammad al Alimi, Yemen’s Interior Minister, “The strategy is fighting terrorism, but we need space to use our own tactics, and our friends must understand us.” 

³ “Probe of USS Cole Bombing Unravels: Plotters Freed in Yemen; U.S. Efforts Frustrated,” Washington Post, May 4, 2008.  (more)

Read about the 2008 US Embassy Bombing;  Al-Qaeda in Yemen;  the Al-Houthi Revolt in Southern Sa'da Province and more.

Yemin, like Pakistan, is nearing a failed state situation.  As a true failed state, Somalia is a source of hundreds of thousands of refugees who flee to Yemen each year over treacherous waters, and now a haven for pirates threatening the vital international
shipping lanes of the Bab al Mandab strait, which oil tankers traverse carrying an estimated three million barrels per day.  

Yemen's relations with the United States?  From the CRS report, January 22, 2009:

Traditionally, U.S.-Yemeni relations have been tepid, as the lack of strong military-to-military ties, commercial relations, and support of President Saleh has hindered the development of strong bilateral ties. During the early years of the Bush Administration, relations improved under the rubric of the war on terror, though Yemen’s lax policy toward wanted terrorists has stalled additional U.S. support.

Yemen continues to harbor a number of Al Qaeda operatives and has refused to extradite several known militants on the FBI’s list of most wanted terrorists. (Article 44 of the constitution states that a Yemeni national may not be extradited to a foreign authority) According to a report in the Washington Post, three known Al Qaeda operatives (Jamal al Badawi, Fahd al Quso, and Jaber A. Elbaneh,), sought under the FBI’s Rewards for Justice program, are in Yemen.24 Before his incarceration, Elbaneh was roaming freely on the streets of Sana’a despite his conviction for his involvement in the 2002 attack French tanker Limburg and other attacks against Yemeni oil installations. In 2003, U.S. prosecutors charged Elbaneh in absentia with conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. One expert, Ali H. Soufan, a former FBI supervisory special agent, argues that “If Yemen is truly an ally, it should act as an ally. Until it does, U.S. aid to Yemen should be reevaluated. It will be impossible to defeat Al Qaeda if our “allies” are freeing the convicted murderers of U.S. citizens and terrorist masterminds while receiving direct U.S. financial aid.”²⁵

²⁴ “Bounties a Bust in Hunt for Al-Qaeda,,” Washington Post, May 17, 2008.

²⁵ “Coddling Terrorists In Yemen,” Washington Post, May 17, 2008.

What are we Americans to conclude from all of this?  Simple:  It's NUTS to send Muslim terrorists detainees from Guantanamo Bay Cuba to Yemen.  It's as good as turning them loose.

One Jew is Worth 1,000 Palestinians

Hamas and Israel are putting the finishing touches on a deal to free Gilad Shalit, held prisoner for over 3 years, in exchange for 1,000 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.  Last we heard release of Marwan Barghouti – a popular West Bank Fatah leader held by Israel since 2002 - was the hold up on the deal. Egypt and Germany are trying to mediate the prisoner exchange.  

Palestinian political scientist Bassem Zubeidi says Hamas is insisting that Barghouti be included in the prisoner swap. If Hamas succeeds, he says, it would boost the credibility of the Islamist organization, which has been largely relegated to the tiny Gaza Strip since a violent falling out with Mr. Abbas's Fatah party in 2007.  (Christian Science Monitor)

While it gags us to see those 1,000 terrorists freed, we all want Gilad Shalit freed.  Everything is a trade off these days.

Tracking the Muslim terrorists

There is something big in the works by Muslim terrorists.  I'm not the only one who feels this way.  It has been over eight years since the attacks of September 11, 2001.  Several big potential plots have been uncovered and thwarted around the world.  An attack described as bigger than September 11, 2001 was thwarted with the arrest of Najibullah Zazi.  In addition, numerous home-grown jihadis have been identified and many captured, tried and punished.  At least one home-grown jihadi has had success, Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan.  Political Jungle notes:

I'm seeing a pattern....

Muslim Men are Missing

Homeland Security is Alarmed

ISLAMBERG HAS BECOME A GHOST TOWN.....

Penetration Even At The Pentagon: Muslim Spies Setting Muslim Policy ....

We're told that the Muslim men from Islamberg are now in Pakistan getting explosives training... "Now that the recruits at Islamberg have been trained in the basics of guerilla warfare, they have been deployed to Pakistan for advanced courses in explosives and weapons of mass destruction.  They will be returning home soon."

You won't see the MSM investigating or reporting anything indepth on Islamberg.  You can read all about it and see images taken by Dr. Paul Williams here.

Our President Barack Hussein Obama isn't doing America any good.  With plans to bring the remaining Guantanamo Cuba detainees to American soil for trial in American courts, Obama would be well to remember the September 23, 2009, attempt by Michael C. Finton, a prison convert to Islam, (aka Talib Islam) to trigger a bomb packed in a van that he parked outside of the Paul Findley Federal Building in Springfield, Illinois.

The NEFA Foundation has released the 23rd report in the "Target: America" series; a PowerPoint presentation examining  ...  (Counterterrorism Blog)

Richard at Freedom's Zone reports:

Obama's Affection for Islam (Does it play a role in his decisions affecting our national security?)

Given Barack Hussein Obama's decision to bring Islamic terrorists to American soil (also here), and risk having our courts turn them loose to commits acts of terror on America from inside the country, it seems appropriate to remind readers of Obama's Muslim roots and his adoration of Islam.

From an August 07, 2009 YouTube compilation (some quotes are without context, but the words are indeed those of Barack Obama and the meaning is clear):

Obama admits that he is a Muslim. Obama bowing before a Muslim king. Obama talking about his Muslim family. Obama quoting from the Koran. Obama defending Islam. Obama visiting a Mosque. And many more clips of Obama and his Muslim connections.

Little wonder his administration won't make any references to Islamic terrorism and bends over backwards to accommodate the American left's aiding and abetting of radical Islam.

Cross posted from Hyscience

 

The terrorists have a new battle field, the Internet.  Iranian terror gang hacked Twitter last night.  Anti-Islam and anti-terror blogs and websites are hacked on a regular basis.  Terrorists get access to terror training materials and terror recruiting groups via the Internet.

Beware of Imams in sheeps clothing.  New Dark AgeAlert:  Muslim televangelist take his message to millions.  

Amr Khaled is trying to modernise the face of Islam  BBC: Amr Khaled's unique brand of Muslim preaching has made him one of the most popular preachers in the world.

Such is his appeal, he was recently named the 13th most influential person in the world by Time Magazine.

Slowly but surely women in Islam are speaking out.  Rusty at the Jawa Report shares:  "Al Qaeda's #2 wife" Omayma Hassan Ahmed Mohammed Hassan" just sent me this pic. She wants all sisters to break out from the chains of the mujihadeen."

All of this while the president is worried about a non-existing boondoggle called climate change and the good folks at Fort Hood are getting lectures on Islam as they try to recover from Hasan's massacre there.  Several politicians who get it have written a letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates:

17 December 2009

 

The Honorable Robert Gates

Secretary of Defense

The Pentagon

Washington, D.C.

 

Dear Secretary Gates:

 

It has come to our attention that the Department of Defense has invited Louay Safi, a top official at the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), to give lectures on Islam to our troops at Fort Hood. If this is indeed true, we respectfully request that you end this practice.

 

According to the Justice Department, ISNA is a prominent member of the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization with a network of known and suspected Islamic terrorist organizations spread throughout the world. The Brotherhood and its partner organizations regularly espouse violent jihad and anti-Semitism.

 

More specifically, ISNA was identified by the Justice Department at the successful Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing conspiracy trial as an unindicted co-conspirator. Literature distributed by ISNA at its annual convention in Washington in July featured books and pamphlets portraying prosecution of terrorist and terror-supporters as “anti-Muslim bigotry;” revisionist history that denied Arab and Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israel; and anti-Semitic tracts.

 

Safi himself has been connected to an entity called the “Safa Group.” Search warrants executed in 2002 were supported by an affidavit alleging its involvement in moving large sums of money to terrorist fronts. He was also caught on a 1995 FBI wiretap of Sami al-Arian. Safi was concerned that an executive order, issued by President Clinton prohibiting financial transactions with terrorist organizations, would negatively affect al-Arian. In April 2006, al-Arian pled guilty to a charge of conspiring to provide services to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad – a specially designated terrorist organization.

 

The Muslim Brotherhood is dedicated in its own words to “a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and ‘sabotaging’ its miserable house by their hands.” What better way to carry out its plans to “sabotage” our efforts than to have one of its own invited to lecture on Islam to the very troops called to defend this country against those the Brotherhood supports. We ask that you immediately stop any lecturing by Louay Safi or ISNA affiliated speakers.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

W. Todd Akin                                            Sue Myrick

Member of Congress                              Member of Congress

 

Trent Franks                                              Todd Tiarht

Member of Congress                               Member of Congress

 

Cathy McMorris Rodgers                        Jeff Miller

Member of Congress                              Member of Congress

 

Phil Gingrey                                             Paul C. Broun

Member of Congress                             Member of Congress

 

Rodney Alexander                                 Steve King

Member of Congress                            Member of Congress

 

Kenny Marchant                                     John B. Shadegg

Member of Congress                             Member of Congress

 

Ralph M. Hall

Member of Congress

Yes my friends, there is something big on the terrorist's agenda.  They are recruiting, training, planning, and unfortunately they have assistance from the dhimmis inside the United States and in our very own government.

Muslim spies in our government and Pentagon, helping make US policy.  Gates thinking what the victims of Islamic terror need is ... a lecture on Islam from a Muslim.  Be on the lookout, be aware, be afraid.

Iraq’s Shia Militias cooperating: JAM and BADR laying groundwork for Great Shia Iraqi Revolution

Iraq’s Shia Militias cooperating:
JAM and BADR laying groundwork for Great Shia Iraqi Revolution
 
Right Truth, 18 December 2009.

Writing in yesterday’s edition of the Irish Times Michael Jansen states about the 8 December 2009 Baghdad bombings: “… , some Iraqi analysts blame militiamen inducted into the police and army who remain loyal to the Shia Badr and Sadr militias. The Badrists belong to the armed wing of the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council while the Sadrists follow cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. These two groups have formed an electoral alliance in a bid to wrest control from Mr al-Maliki and his Dawa party which is aligned with Sunni and tribal groups.”

Right Truth readers will recall that, in the Iraq Situation Interim Report on 19 July 2007, Sheikh Ali al-Muthaba who, as Senior Commander of the JAM Political-Military Affairs and Special Operations Command, played a critical role in aligning JAM with the U.S. Army during the 2007 surge in Iraq, strongly recommended to Muqtadr al-Sadr “an alliance with SIIC,” concomitant to wit he proposed the amalgamation of JAM and BADR. Further pointing out, at the time, that any rapprochement between the two rival Shia factions, dominated by different branches of the same family, may have to await the death of Dr. Abdul-Azaiz al-Hakim. Dr. Hakim’s death in 2009 and replacement by his son Amar, al-Sadr’s cousin, seemingly having opened up new vistas for cooperation in the run-up to the next Federal elections in March 2010, when both, al-Sadr and Hakim hope to return to government. 
 
At the same time, as previously reported by RIGHT TRUTH, al-Sadr has made Sheikh Ali available to Mullah Omar in Afghanistan, in an effort to replicate the success he had in helping facilitating al-Sadr’s survival. One will recall that, when on 10 January 2007, President Bush announced the Iraq surge, JAM was viewed as America’s Enemy Number One, with all expecting for al-Sadr to be arrested or shot. Not necessarily so, Sheik Ali advised the Bush White House, as early as January 2007 and the U.S. Senate in his statement on 1 February 2007. A subsequent quiet understanding between JAM and the U.S. Army helped pave the way, along with the insertion of additional U.S. forces and the Anbar Awakening Councils turning on al-Qaeda, for General Petraeus’ success in Iraq. Now, with the surge commencing in Afghanistan Sheikh Ali is engaging the Obama White House in a coordinated effort to replicate the Iraqi success story. It seems that both, al-Sadr and Mullah Omar take heed from the President's Nobel address, in which he promises support for "Movements of Hope and History" in their historic sturggles against subpression. One should, thus, not be surprised should an understanding be found, which will help facilitate the Taliban’s return to power which, with Sadrists and Taliban at the helm, would bridge the extremist divide across the Shia-Sunni divide.
 

Joe Biden Speaks

Stabilizing Pakistan and defeating al-Qaeda are America's main strategic interests in South Asia, according to VP Joe Biden.  I'm not a big fan of Biden, most times he has diarrhea of the mouth, speaking before thinking. 

...  ‘Al Qaeda’s not in Afghanistan,’ said the US vice president.

His response led to a discussion on how US policy-makers insisted that their main strategic interests were in Pakistan, yet they were spending 50 times more money in Afghanistan.

Asked to explain why, the vice president said: ‘Yes. And our focus should be Pakistan and Al Qaeda in Pakistan and Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.’

He then explained that those were America’s strategic interests but ‘we would be in real trouble if a vacuum is created and there’s chaos in the government and Afghanistan falls’.The consequences of such a failure were unfathomable, he added.

‘No one knows what the Iranians do with that. No one knows what the Pakistanis do with that, no one know what the Russians do with that, no one knows what the Chinese do with that, no one knows what the Indians do with that.’

That’s why, Mr Biden said, he believed that the US troop surge in Afghanistan would also help stabilise Pakistan. The Americans were in constant contact with the Pakistanis on this particular issue, he added.  (DAWN.com)

We've been told lately by some in the administration that there are only 100 al-qaeda in Afghanistan.  My response to that is: (1) How do we know there are only 100?;  (2) If we know there are only 100, then we must know where they are, and if we know that why... don't we take them out?  Could it be our ridiculous ROE, rules of engagement?

While the debate rages in Washington, the Marines on the ground are mostly on their own. Even with Paz’s squad being attacked from three sides, a bombing run is not automatic. The Marines not only have to prove that civilians won’t be hurt, they also must guarantee that the bombs won’t so much as scratch civilian homes.  (more)

As Murdoc Online says, "And now the best way to make sure your house doesn’t get bombed is to invite in some Taliban fighters."   Where’s the strategic victory in that?"  You might want to read a story in Marine Times on the new rules of engagement in Afghanistan and Murdoc Online's comments.

My opinion, if those are our rules of engagement, just bring all our troops home from the Middle East.   If we are not going to go all out to gain a decisive victory, why are we there at all?

There is no doubt that Pakistan and the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan are our biggest concern in the region right now.  However, even as Joe Biden seems to realize, the entire region could blow at any time considering each country and their particular idiosyncrasies and problems.

Lockerbie bomber, Abdel Baset Ali al-Megrahi -- GONE WITHOUT A TRACE

You remember the Lockerbie bomber, Abdel Baset Ali al-Megrahi, who was released by the Scottish government on August 20,2009 and allowed to return to Libya.   Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi was released from prison on compassionate grounds, despite his conviction for the murder of 270 people when Pan Am flight 103 exploded in mid-air over Lockerbie in 1988.   The world was told he had only 3 months to live.  Now he is missing, gone from the hospital and his home. 

Libyan officials could say nothing about the whereabouts of Abdul Baset Ali al-Megrahi, and his Scottish monitors could not contact him by telephone. They will try again to speak to him today but if they fail to reach him, the Scottish government could face a new crisis.

Under the terms of his release from jail, the bomber cannot change his address or leave Tripoli, and must keep in regular communication with East Renfrewshire Council.

Politicians on both sides of the Atlantic and relatives of the 270 people who died in the 1988 bombing expressed anger about al-Megrahi’s disappearance. Richard Baker, Labour’s justice spokesman in the Scottish Parliament, said the whole affair was turning into a shambles and putting Scotland’s reputation at risk. “This flags up just how ludicrous it is that East Renfrewshire Council, a local council thousands of miles away from Libya, is responsible for supervising al-Megrahi’s conditions of licence,” he said.  (Times Onlilne, National Terror Alert)

I had many questions about his release and whether he was actually dying.  Apparently he was not as close to death as was reported back in September.  There were rumors that the one and only doctor to examine al-Megrahi and declare him on death's doorstep was paid for his diagnosis.  There were also rumors that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown knew about this wicked release and was complicit in a deal -- release of the terrorist for a huge oil deal -- two years prior to the release.   

There is still the question of what the US knew about his release.

This is a travesty.

Children Sing Praises to Allah

At Lantern Road Elementary School in Fishers, Indiana, in a failed effort to teach inclusiveness through their holiday program by having references to Christmas, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Las Posadas and Kwanzaa -- the school went too far in having children sing "Allah is God" but no reference to Jesus or Christian God.

Here’s what the children were assigned to sing:

“Allah is God, we recall at dawn,
Praying ‘til night during Ramadan
At this joyful time we pray happiness for you,
Allah be with you all your life through.”

But when it came time to perform the “Christian” part of Christmas, children were assigned to say:

“I didn’t know there was a little boy at the manger. What child is this?
I’m not sure if there was a little boy or not.
Then why did you paint one on your nativity window?
I just thought if there was a little boy, I’d like to know exactly what he (sic) say.

Micah Clark, executive director of the Indiana AFA, launched an Internet protest once he heard about the allegations. “What surprised me here is that we’ve had a secular scrubbing of Christmas for so long and the school apparently didn’t see the problem with kids singing to Allah,” he told FOX News Radio. “You won’t even mention Jesus and you’re going to force my child to sing about Allah?  (Read it all at Fox News, hat tip Marcus Wilder)

Once again political correctness and deference to Islam wins out over tradition and Christianity.  Do the teachers at this school want the little girls to wear headscarves, hijabs, be dominated by men who think it's fine to marry girls no matter you young they are?  I sure hope not, because that is Islam, that is Allah.

I see no problem with mentioning all the different religious celebrations, but leaving Christ out of Christmas and praising Allah as God is beyond forgivable.

Islam is the religion of Hamas, who is digging up the bodies of Christians because they "pollute the earth".  Yeah, let's have our children worship that god.  (hat tip Weasel Zippers)

All in the name of Allah, the filthy rat king.....

(JPost)- Every three minutes a Christian is being tortured in the Muslim world, and in 2009 more than 165,000 Christians will have been killed because of their faith, most of them in Muslim countries, according to a human rights organization that is visiting Israel starting Sunday.

Majed El Shafie, who will head a delegation of human rights activists, members of parliament from Canada and religious personalities at the Van Leer Institute in Jerusalem.

"Hamas digs up the bodies of Christians from Christian burial sites in the Gaza Strip claiming that they pollute the earth,"said Reverend Majed El Shafie, President of One Free World International (OFWI), who will head a delegation of human rights activists, members of parliament from Canada and religious personalities.

During their visit to Israel the delegation will hold a conference on human rights and persecuted minorities at the Van Leer Institute in Jerusalem. The conference will provide new statistics on the persecution of minorities in Muslim countries.

El Shafie said that between 200-300 million Christians are being persecuted in the world, 80 percent of whom lived in Muslim countries and the rest in communist and other countries.

Members of the delegation will meet with Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Danny Ayalon and Mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat in the hope of enlisting Israel to champion their cause. Rest here>>>

  

Franklin Graham is in trouble with Muslims again for saying "...true Islam cannot be practiced in this country".  He is absolutely correct.  You can read his exchange with Campbell Brown here.

Parents need to be alert and aware of everything going on in their children's schools.  No Praising Allah.

All in the name of Allah, the filthy rat king.....

(JPost)- Every three minutes a Christian is being tortured in the Muslim world, and in 2009 more than 165,000 Christians will have been killed because of their faith, most of them in Muslim countries, according to a human rights organization that is visiting Israel starting Sunday.

Majed El Shafie, who will head a delegation of human rights activists, members of parliament from Canada and religious personalities at the Van Leer Institute in Jerusalem.

"Hamas digs up the bodies of Christians from Christian burial sites in the Gaza Strip claiming that they pollute the earth,"said Reverend Majed El Shafie, President of One Free World International (OFWI), who will head a delegation of human rights activists, members of parliament from Canada and religious personalities.

During their visit to Israel the delegation will hold a conference on human rights and persecuted minorities at the Van Leer Institute in Jerusalem. The conference will provide new statistics on the persecution of minorities in Muslim countries.

El Shafie said that between 200-300 million Christians are being persecuted in the world, 80 percent of whom lived in Muslim countries and the rest in communist and other countries.

Members of the delegation will meet with Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Danny Ayalon and Mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat in the hope of enlisting Israel to champion their cause. Rest here>>>

Gitmo: Coming To America

Islamic militants stone man to death for adultery in Somalia as villagers are forced to watch. Good thing for Tiger Woods he lives in America.  Good thing also for the terrorists who want, need, crave, to see us suffer and die, because they are coming to America.  As Ralph Peters says, "But "punishment" isn't even in our vocabulary. "

This barbaric scene belongs in the Dark Ages, but pictures emerged today of a group of Islamic militants who forced villagers to watch as they stoned a man to death for adultery.

Mohamed Abukar Ibrahim, a 48-year-old, was buried in a hole up to his chest and pelted with rocks until he died.

The group responsible, Hizbul Islam, also shot dead a man they claimed was a murderer.

Gruesome end: Hizbul Islam group members pelt Ibrahim until his face is a bloody mess and he dies. His face has been pixellated on grounds of taste.  (See more pictures and read entire article at the Daily Mail)

Some Guantanamo Inmates to Move to Stateside Prison.  White House officials say U.S. President Barack Obama has ordered the federal government to purchase a state prison in Illinois where he plans to house around 100 Gitmo detainees.

Photo: AP  An aerial view of the Thomson Correctional Center is seen in Thomson , Illinois (File)

The prison is located in Thomson, a rural town about 240 kilometers (150 miles) west of Chicago.  The 1,600 cell correction center there was built in 2001 to house maximum security inmates, but is nearly-empty.  

We the people don't have much of a voice any more, at least it doesn't seem anyone is listening in Washington.  A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds that 51% are against bringing the terrorists to US soil, specifically in Illinois, 39% of voters in the state favor housing the prisoners at the Thomson Correctional Center, a near-empty maximum security facility 150 miles west of Chicago. Ten percent (10%) are not sure. 

Look for the expected excuse that "this will show the world" blah blah blah.  Expect to hear how many jobs will be created or saved for Illinois.  That's right people, it's spinach, it tastes bad, smells rank, but your government says it will be good for you, so open wide.

As Mr. Conservative says, "This will bring Evil and great danger to the Heartland of America."  At the top of the terrorist wish list is coming to America, now they get their wish, along with the 5 who will be tried in New York City.

But wait! There’s more! These notorious killers now benefit from the U.S. Constitution. Where else on Earth can they find “due process of law,” and free legal counsel? A thing called “discovery,” in which the prosecutor and defense attorneys exchange information before trial, means that their ACLU attorneys will probably have access to highly classified U.S. government secrets they can leak to the New York Times and use in their clients defense.

 

Military commissions were created for a good reason. The administration needs to crank them up now and start trying these detainees to finally serve justice. Sending them to the Land of Lincoln is a travesty that will be remedied in the 2010 mid-term elections.  (Gregory D. Lee)

 

President Obama's approval index is the lowest ever, minus 15.  Look for that to drop even lower with this decision.  (Even Fidel Castro says "Obama's smile can't be trusted".)  People wonder what happens next?  Will the detainees be released, and if so, then what?  Well, we already know 'then what':

The repatriation of Kuwaiti National Fouad Al Rabiah to his homeland is a further attempt by the Obama Administration to reduce the number of detainees held at Guantanamo Bay as much as possible before his self-imposed one-year deadline arrives in January.

 

What disturbs me is the administration’s haste to reduce the number of Guantanamo detainees without regard to the reasons these people became detainees in the first place. Upwards of half of all previously released detainees have returned to the jihad battlefield, and there is no reason to believe Al Rabiah won’t do the same.

The U.S. counterterrorism strategy appears in retreat.  (Gregory D. Lee, Townhall)  

The truth is the terrorists do not fear any punishment from the United States.  Ralph Peters, "Avengers for Allah" writes:

When we lie and deny that religion has anything to do with Islamist terrorism, we're not doing Muslims a favor. We empower the worst elements in the Islamic world.

But we don't want to hurt the feelings of fanatics. So we insist that Maj. Nidal Hasan, the Fort Hood avenger for Allah, was upset. And the deeds of Gitmo inmates had nothing to do with religion (although we rush to pander to their beliefs). Al Qaeda and the Taliban just want political power. And so on.

But men don't rush to die to achieve political power they won't live to exercise. The current epidemic of massacres is about faith gone homicidal. It's about uncompromising hatred in Allah's name, a hatred unappeasable on this earth.

And it's about punishment, that word we no longer dare think. Wahhabi Islam delights in tormenting women (paging Dr. Ali bin Freud). Our response to the general deprivation, enforced masking, lifelong imprisonment, random beating and cult murder of a half-billion human beings? "What right do we have to judge the culture of others?"

We're not only fools, but cowards, too. [snip]

Faced with supremely dedicated enemies blazing with faith, we make excuses for their love of death. Then we wonder why we don't make progress.

The recent bombings in Baghdad, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Kabul and elsewhere were committed by uncompromising believers. Compromise is our false god, not theirs.

No, Col. Peters, we're not all cowards and fools -- just the ones who are presently in charge of this great nation.  They are bringing the terrorists to America, putting us all in greater danger.  The uninformed, the inexperienced, those who are making things up as they go -- they are in leadership of America.  God help us all.

It is those same people in Washington who blame all the attacks on America and all the recent home-grown terrorists on -- Americans themselves, on Anti-Muslim Propaganda.

I beg to differ.  We have bent over backwards and then some for Islam here in America.  And what do we get in return?  We have a Muslim jihadi in Knoxville Tennessee planning a massacre at a mall, but no prosecution (even though he has been on the counterterrorism radar for years), because he had not actually done anything yet.    And we have gatherings like this:

The "moderate" Islamists of Hisb ut-Tahrir will be holding a forum this Sunday, December 20th @ 5:00 - 6:30 PM in the Chicago suburb of Lombard. They will be at 433 E. St. Charles Rd (corner of St. Charles Rd & Grace St.). By "moderate" I mean they wish to establish shariah law "through peaceful means". After that their stated agenda is to get rid of democracy (harem, you know) and then proceed to institute the death penalty for apostasy, adultery, blasphemy, etc.  (Jawa Report)

Not that we can change President Obama's mind, but at least express your feelings:

If you haven't done so, contact your representative and senators at 202-224-3121 or through House.gov and Senate.gov, and then the White House at 202-456-2111 or WhiteHouse.gov/contact.

  

Fidelity, Naturally.

Fidelity, Naturally.

By R.J. Godlewski

© December 13, 2009, All Rights Reserved.


 

“Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”
Helen Keller

    For the world, today marks the sixth anniversary of the capture of Saddam Hussein. At least, the sixth anniversary of the announcement of Saddam’s capture to the world. For me, however, the day marks something a bit more sinister; it was six years ago today that I watched my beloved Sara slowly pass away from our midst after battling throat cancer for several years. Indeed, since its inception in late 1996.

    I have moved on, as much as any loving husband could. My life since that fateful day has been a rollercoaster of emotions. I came back to my native Michigan to spend the holidays with family, arriving in northern Michigan just four days before Christmas. I had forgotten about how horrible Michigan’s economy was and had no idea that I would remain here for six years and counting.

    Since then, I have written four novels, two counterterrorism books, a couple of professional articles, and several hundred Internet commentaries and personal rants. I have authored The Independent Counterterrorist for two years plus – though on temporary hiatus – and am halfway through earning my degree after waiting nearly three decades. I have been busy, yes, but my life hasn’t been any more enjoyable.  Just different.

    Add to this mix, “volunteering” to aid with the care of my Alzheimer’s stricken father – whose death was harder to deal with than watching Sara’s body slowly decompose – and just a few months ago, losing my faithful companion Rocky after nearly fifteen years since finding him abandoned in a culvert in Western Oklahoma. Like I said a rollercoaster of emotions to deal with.

    Life, for me leastways, is like being a running back on a football field with Paradise as the end zone. Between us and the security of the bench, rests numerous obstacles all trying to tackle our efforts. Occasionally, we get our face planted into the turf but we pick ourselves up knowing that God has given us a few attempts to gain yardage. At other times, we call a truly remarkable play and our lives excel past that of the competition. Few are capable of scoring on a single play, however.

    Because the end zone is so remote and brutal to obtain, most of us understand the raw effort and conditioning required to achieve it. We dislike those who flaunt the field upon each play, for we know that “next time” there may not be reason to celebrate so audaciously. Behind every first down rests several sacks. Behind every play rests years of practice.

    Our culture, however, seems to dismiss the reality of preparation and fidelity to purpose. We equate good plays with good games. Winning the battles as being more important than winning the war. We simply set ourselves up for interception by doing so. God is calling our plays, but being rookies we fail to grasp the significance of the competition. Only after we pluck the grass out of our helmet do we understand the concept of education.

    By being superficial, we ignore the true glory of the “Great Game”. And a game it is. We ignore the entertainment value of the enterprise by focusing too much on marketing and sponsorship. We demand the best equipment, the proudest uniforms. We strive for endorsements – for recognition of a particular cause. What we never seem to notice, is that the end zone is a community effort. We are so fixated on being the first to break the plane that we never observe those laying down the blocks to permit our passage. Do we even bother to notice that they happen to be wearing uniforms?

    Whether we are blessed enough to reach the end zone in one attempt or must struggle to beat the clock, our success demands fidelity to purpose. Perhaps even a few Hail Marys. There are many out there who prefer to gain the spotlight, who seem to soak up all the attention. Look closely, however, and you will see nothing but audacious rookies. Society made them first round draft picks.

    We find within our midst athletes who destroy their marriages and entertainers who destroy their bodies. Authorities who abuse their office and politicians who abuse their constituency surround us. Scientists have begun to invent faith and journalists have long since invented truth. Educators have indoctrinated more than taught and clergy have often perverted the playbook. It’s the two-minute warning and our front line consists of nothing but mascots but our attention rests on the challenge flag, hoping that some infraction of justice will bail us out of our predicament. Save the replay, folks, you already know that you simply dropped the ball.

    That puppy in the above photograph is my new companion, Bronson. I named him after the late actor Charles Bronson, but I have no death wish. ;o) He reminded me of Rocky so much that I had to have him, but his character and his coat are uniquely individual. Bronson is his own dog. I have included the photograph because, well, because he just seems so damn cute that I wanted to share the picture. Perhaps the image will rub off on you.

    Bronson’s look of curiosity, playfulness, and patience is a good start for playing out our “game”. Being part Australian Cattle Dog and part Border collie certainly attests to the raw energy that we all need to survive our daily encounters. His young, asymmetrically growing body highlights the goofiness it takes to accept the many challenges ahead. Yes, Bronson is rapidly becoming my little buddy and best friend but I did not replace Rocky with him. While Rocky was around, I envisioned no other dog. The same holds true of my life with Sara.

    For fourteen years, I could not find myself thinking of life with another woman – even if it took two years to get Sara to look at me. Many threw themselves into my direction but I innocently ignored their advances. Sara might have noticed from time to time but I was simply too focused on her to see the world evolving around me. Our relationship was not perfect – far from it – but our imperfections were ours to behold. We learned to accept each other for who we were and before the end, we realized that nobody else had ever been there as much as we were for one another. That’s fidelity – growing deeper in love each and every day despite the injuries, the botched plays, and the occasional tardiness in practice.

    Much the same can be made of patriotism. Our relationship with America may not be perfect or precise, but we shouldn’t ever be gazing out at other countries with envy. By calling ourselves Americans, we must accept that our allegiance is a never-ending devotion to the greatest nation on earth. We understand that hype and spectacle is never a substitute for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The world is awash with pseudo-journalists of the tabloid variety and we know that as soon as we begin flirting with some other nation, they will immediately broadcast our infidelity throughout the planet for the entire world to criticize our indiscretions. I don’t know about you, but I could not live with that. As far as I’m concerned, there is no other nation but America and her values are the greatest.

Diplomacy and the War on Terror

As most bloggers do, I get tips from readers, news agencies, publishers, and on and on.  I have also been privileged to get insider information from those 'in the know' in the military, Washington, diplomatic circles.  The important thing I must do is know when I'm getting real information that you, the reader, will benefit from or if I'm just being used to push someone's message and agenda.  I received three very interesting messages and I will post them below with certain delicate information deleted.  You can judge for yourself.

First on Osama Bin Laden:

1. Osama Bin Ladin is in Syria.

2. Osama Bin Laden enjoys Saudi support.

3. United States is aware.

 Second, on Evolving Taliban Strategy (the War Plan)
 

Ongoing JAM  Jaish al Mahdi (Arabic جيش المهدي) support for Taliban references. As does Mookies (Muqtada al-Sadr) visit with Mullah Omar. (referenced in speech at State in March 2009)
 
1. Indications are that the Taliban is, in principal, prepared to engage the U.S., constructively. This is not altogether too surprising, as it is the Taliban who, for some time, have labored to establish direct contact with the U.S. Government, only to be rebuffed by the Americans. The change in U.S. position, allowing for indirect contact to emissaries of Taliban leadership, has been well received.
 
2. The Taliban does see the potential for common cause against al-Qaeda. I delight in advising that in exchange for me to be available to dispense advice to the Taliban, in capacity of senior JAM commander, and in full coordination between the Hoyatoleslam Moqtadir al-Sadar and Mullah Omar, the Taliban supports JAM contra AQ/ I. Together, we condemn and work against undue civilian casualties of Iraqi civilians in Iraq. As a result, we have a good visual on operations being run out of Syria.
 
(I shall readily admit that I take pride in helping establish direct contact between radical Shias and radical Sunnis. Hoping to see Sadrists, Taliban and Hezbollah cooperate from within the councils of government.)))
 
3. The Taliban further sees the potential for common cause against the Karzai Government, on account of the government’s illegitimacy, corruption and outright incompetence. Within this context, the Taliban is pleased by the President’s admonition at Oslo: “I believe that peace is unstable where citizens are denied the right to speak freely or worship as they please; choose their own leaders or assemble without fear. Pent-up grievances fester, and the suppression of tribal and religious identity can lead to violence. ….It is telling that the leaders of these governments fear the aspirations of their own people more than the power of any other nation. And it is the responsibility of all free people and free nations to make clear that these movements -- these movements of hope and history -- they have us on their side.”
 
4. The Taliban consider it legitimate, under the concept of “just war,” to take  up arms against those forces, who stand against Afghan liberation and self-determination. (They’re looking to quiet acquiescence.) They take further encouragement from the President, who states: “I believe that force can be justified on humanitarian grounds.” Every effort shall be made to recast the Taliban effort in those terms, as a “movement of hope and history.” They do realize that they have somewhat of an issue in the general perception.
 
5. The Taliban is prepared to be guided by international standards in conducting the national liberation of Afghanistan. Again, the Taliban are encouraged by the President’s words: “I believe that all nations -- strong and weak alike -- must adhere to standards that govern the use of force ….. Where force is necessary, we have a moral and strategic interest in binding ourselves to certain rules of conduct. And even as we confront a vicious adversary that abides by no rules, I believe the United States of America must remain a standard bearer in the conduct of war.”
 
6. The Taliban are prepared to take a wait-and-see attitude on actual troop deployments and posture. Holding that there need not be a direct conflagration. The Taliban is encouraged by the President’s words: “The concept of a "just war" emerged, suggesting that war is justified only when certain conditions were met: if it is waged as a last resort or in self-defense; if the force used is proportional; and if, whenever possible, civilians are spared from violence.”
 
7. Taliban is prepared to retarget.

 
 

Third, Background to above:
 

Cross-reference the two excerpts and draw your own conclusions.
Please note the pitting of the People’s aspirations versus entrenched corrupt Governments. (“Movements of Hope and History.”) inter alia “Humanitarian Intervention”
 
 
1. The President at Oslo, 9 December 2009:

...“I believe that peace is unstable where citizens are denied the right to speak freely or worship as they please; choose their own leaders or assemble without fear. Pent-up grievances fester, and the suppression of tribal and religious identity can lead to violence. ….It is telling that the leaders of these governments fear the aspirations of their own people more than the power of any other nation. And it is the responsibility of all free people and free nations to make clear that these movements -- these movements of hope and history -- they have us on their side.”

…“I believe that force can be justified on humanitarian grounds.”

2. Sheikh Ali al-Muthaba, State Department, 27 March 2009:
“Key Point #2. …

What we are witnessing in the Islamic world is the awakening of the disenfranchised lower classes. Disenfranchised in economic, political and religious terms. The mass revolutionary potential of the awakening lower classes being turned inward, against corrupt political elites, rather than outward, against us. And, yet, we support corrupt political elites against the awakening lower classes, yearning to be rid of the tyrant’s yoke. And we wonder why we find ourselves in the crossfire?

My political friends, in both the Sunni insurgency and among the Shia militias, have warmly received the promise of the positive signal inherent in President Obama’s enlightened approach to their Freedom Struggle. Informed by both, the Indonesian and Kenyan Liberation struggles, the President’s quest, not to reform a corrupt system, but to build anew, incidentally abroad as at home, is encouraging. The Peoples of the World are encouraged to find that the President does not consider an enlightened humanism to define American exceptionalism, but the world's destiny.

It is time to match the President’s rhetoric with goal-oriented action.

If the President truly considers “society” to be at the center of Governance, and not “government,” following in the tradition of Thomas Paine, then let us firmly put the “Rights of Man” on the front burner of a new American Foreign Policy. That presupposes a pro-democracy agenda, based on human rights and civil liberty, in advance of the normative, without regard for the expeditious. The message equally directed to Iran, PDRK and Sudan, as to PR China, Saudi Arabia, Egypt.

The President does hold within his grasp the possibility to win the “Wider War,” by transforming the Middle East and, in transforming the Middle East, by transforming the World, with the objective of forging an “Alliance of Democracies,” concomitant to which reform of the United Nations becomes feasible. That presupposes a re-alignment of America’s allies, friends and partners, a re-alignment predicated on a re-assessment of the U.S. national interest.”

 
I leave the discussion up to you readers ... 

On Human Rights Day 2009: A Look at Iran

On Human Rights Day 2009:  A Look at Iran

Realite' EU

Since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected President of the Islamic Republic of Iran in 2005, the human rights situation there has deteriorated dramatically. [1] In the aftermath of the Iranian elections on June 12, 2009 the human rights situation has deteriorated even further. [2] Between June 12, 2009 and August 2009, 115 people were executed. [3] Torture, systematic arrests, and imprisonment are usual occurrences. Iran currently has the distinction of having the world's highest record of public hangings and executions. [4] Ahmadinejad has raised he number of executions from 86 in 2005, when he took office as president for the first time to 346 in 2008. [5] 

In its recently released 2009 annual Report, Amnesty International highlights that the death penalty has been used extensively by Iran and that the Islamic Republic is "one of a tiny minority of states where juvenile offenders continue to be executed". [6

Death penalty and torture

• Following the June elections, authorities banned demonstrations. Security and intelligence as well as Basij militias brutally attacked demonstrators, using batons, tear-gas, pepper-spray, water cannon, chains, and live ammunition and plastic bullets, killing an undetermined number. [7]

• Since November 22, 2009, five Iranians connected to the protests following the elections have been sentenced to death. [8]

• After Iran's presidential elections, Iranian authorities arrested more than 4000 Iranian protesters. [9] In July 2009, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that Iranian authorities were using prolonged, harsh interrogations, beatings, sleep deprivation and threats of torture to get false confessions from detainees. [10]

• More than 100 people are in jail after being arrested in the aftermath of the elections. These include more university professors and student leaders, as well as former government. Cellphone services have been cut off or drastically reduced, a step taken by Iranian authorities to diminish communication whenever there is a protest. [11]

• Shortly before a recent anti-government rally in Tehran on December 7, 2009, an event that takes place every Saturday since the death of Neda Agha-Soltan in June 2009, Iranian authorities arrested over 20 mothers who were mourning children killed in the demonstrations since the presidential elections. [12]

• In November 6, 2009, Human Rights Watch asked that Iran's judiciary investigate cases of sexual assaults in prison and prosecute those responsible instead of covering up crimes. Human Rights Watch reported of three cases of sexual assault in Iranian prisons on prisoners arrested since Iran's presidential elections. [13]

• Malcolm Smart, Director of Amnesty International’s (AI) Middle East and North Africa Program, said in October 2009: "In dealing with the aftermath of the elections, the Iranian authorities are continuing to commit violation after violation after violation of fundamental human rights. They are trying to muzzle their own people and cow them into silence." [14]

• In 2008, Iran executed seven juvenile offenders. Iran is the only country to have formally executed youths this year (November 2008). According to a report issued by Human Rights Watch, "Iran leads all countries of the world in executing juvenile offenders, accounting for more than 80 percent of such executions during the past three and a half years. At least 130 juvenile offenders are on death row in Iran." [15]

• Amnesty International says that in 2007 the number of executions "rose sharply". In its "2008 Report", AI stated that 335 people were executed, although the true figure is believed to be higher. In its "2007 Report", AI reported that 244 people have been killed; however the organization also believes that the true number might have been significantly higher as well. [16] In July 2008, 29 men were hanged on a single day; however the authorities announced the names of only 10 of them. Human Rights Watch together with the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran released a report in September 2008 that stated that "the number of executions has nearly quadrupled under Ahmadinejad's presidency" and that there has been an "almost 300-percent increase" between 2005 and 2007. [17]

• In July, 2007, Ja'far Kiani was stoned to death for being convicted of adultery more than a decade ago [18], despite an order from the head of the Judiciary granting a temporary stay of execution. At least nine women and two men remained at risk of stoning. [19] In January 2008, AI demanded the end to Iran's "grotesque and horrific" stoning executions. Article 204 of Iran’s penal code "dictates that the stones are large enough to cause pain, but no so large as to kill the victim immediately." Iranian authorities deny that stoning is still carried out as death penalty. [20]

• The AI report said: "Women suffer disproportionately. They are not treated equally before the law and courts… and they are particularly vulnerable to unfair trials because they are more likely than men to be illiterate and therefore to sign confessions to crimes they did not commit." [21]

• At least eight people had their fingers or hand amputated after conviction of theft, AI reports. [22] In June 2008, Ahmad Batebi, a leader of the Iranian Student Movement and an activist for human rights in Iran, said: "torture, human rights violations, and abuses towards women still are prevalent in Iran." Having spent more than nine years in jail, Batebi was witness to physical and mental abuse of prisoners inside Iran. [23]

• Security and Intelligence services routinely detain activists and dissidents for interrogations. These arbitrary detentions, without charges, can last for months. In 2007, three Iranian Americans spent four months in detention under interrogation. Human Rights Watch in a report from September 2008 said that there are three Iranians with academic ties to US institutions were held and being interrogated. [24]

Freedom of expression and speech

• Iranian authorities have ordered foreign journalists should not leave their offices to cover the protests which have taken place after the presidential elections. The IRGC and the police have announced that they will move against any "illegal" rally taking place in Tehran. [25]
  
• In a ranking issued by Reporters Without Borders, Iran dropped to number 172 out of 175 countries within the press freedom index. "Automatic prior censorship, state surveillance of journalists, mistreatment, journalists forced to flee the country, illegal arrests and imprisonment – such is the state of press freedom this year in Iran," said Reporters Without Borders. [26]

• Following the presidential elections, Iran is witnessing restrictions on the use of communications technology, including telecommunications, satellite broadcast and internet access. [27]

• In its report, AI stated that Iranian authorities "maintained tight restrictions on internet access." AI further reported that journalists, academics and bloggers were detained and sentenced to prison or flogging and several publications were closed down. [28] Also in its annual report, Reporters Without Borders stated that Iran "remained the Middle East's biggest prison for journalists." [29]

• Iranian authorities were especially restrictive on coverage of women's right issues, anti-government demonstrations, the ailing economy and the development of nuclear technology. Numerous laws restrict press freedom, like the 2000 Press Law, which forbids the publication of ideas that are contrary to Islamic principles. Under Article 513 of the penal code, offenses deemed to be an "insult to religion" can be punished by death or by prison. [30]


• According to Reporters Without Borders, more than fifty journalists were prosecuted or imprisoned in 2007. [31] The institution further said that in November 2007 the Supreme Court confirmed a death sentence on freelance journalist Adnan Hassanpour – accused for "undermining national security", "spying" and being a mohareb (fighter against God) – was probably arrested because of his ties with journalists working for the American funded radio stations Radio Farda and Voice of America. [32]

Freedom of Religion

• Iran's ethnic minorities, such as Arabs, Azerbijanis, Baluchis and Kurds, who are campaigning for recognition of their cultural and political rights, are being repressed. [33] Amnesty International reports that Iranian authorities continue to harass and persecute Baha'is and members of other religious minorities. [34]

• The Iranian government has created a threatening atmosphere for all religions but the Shia Muslims. Government imprisonment, harassment, intimidation and discrimination based on religious beliefs continue. [35]

• In September 2008, the Iranian parliament voted for a draft bill called "Islamic Penal Code", which "would codify the death penalty for any male Iranian who leaves his Islamic faith. Women would get life imprisonment." The majority voted in favor of this new law: 196 votes for, seven against. [36] Shortly after the draft bill on apostasy, the EU issued a declaration to Iran "unveiling their concerns over the deterioration of religious freedom." The EU statement also expressed distress over the arrests of members of religious minorities: "The European Union is deeply disturbed by the arrests […] of Iranian converts to Christianity and members of the Baha'i community. It calls for their immediate and unconditional release and the cessation of all forms of violence and discrimination against them." [37]

• On May 11, 2008, the house of Mojataba Hussein, a Christian convert, was raided by Iranian authorities. He was arrested and remains behind bars. His family has no information concerning his incarceration or condition and requests for a visit by his family have been denied. [38]

• Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which Iran has ratified, says: "Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief." [39]

---

References below the fold

Baby it's cold in Oslo

It may be cold here in Tennessee, but US President Barack Obama got an icy reception in Oslo.  Obama's approval ratings are dropping below historical lows for any president.  His base is angry with him over Afghanistan, health care public option, and other things.  The Black caucus is angry with him.  Arabs around the world are disappointed with him.  Now the very people who awarded him the Nobel Peace Price are fed up.

Obama flew into Oslo (probably left the jet running for a quick getaway), collected his award, gave his speech (which didn't please his base at home or the audience who seemed to be sitting on their hands rather than applauding),  ...   no press conference, no staying around for the gala concert in his honor, and no attending a dinner with the King of Norway.  Norwegians are incensed over what they view as his shabby response to the prize by cutting short his visit. 

 

According to a poll published by the daily tabloid VG, 44% of Norwegians believe it was rude of Obama to cancel his scheduled lunch with King Harald, with only 34% saying they believe it was acceptable.

"Of all the things he is cancelling, I think the worst is cancelling the lunch with the king," said Siv Jensen, the leader of the largest party in opposition, the populist Progress party. "This is a central part of our government system. He should respect the monarchy," she told VG.  (UK Guardian)

What is the first lady wearing?  A lamé  moo-moo?

More pictures and story at Sidney Morning Herald.

 

  (hat tip to Marcus Wilder for the cartoons)

Christmas In Iraq

In December 2008 Iraq celebrated it's very first Christmas complete with Santa Clause, decorations, trees, gifts.  I was fascinated with this celebration in a Muslim country.    Again this year Iraq celebrated Christmas, calling it Jesus Day.  God bless those Iraqis.  From Baghdad Iraq I give you Jesus Day:

On the banks of the Tigris, Santa Claus -- wearing a tatty red robe, stringy white beard, and frightening caucasian mask -- was being mauled by children as he tried to pass out some trinkets. Poets on a nearby stage recited odes to Jesus, beneath a massive banner emblazoned with Christ's image.

Watching over the artists were hundreds of heavily armed security officers, lining the closed street around the park and dotting the rooftops of nearby buildings.

This is what is known as "Jesus Day" (officially the "Master of Souls" festival) in Baghdad.

It was the second annual festival but the first to feature Christian imagery so prominently. Like other religious minorities, Christians in Iraq have found themselves the targets of militants in recent years. There were groups from eight churches in Baghdad invited to the festivities and they were brought there on buses for their own safety.

(continue reading at AINA, by Joao Silva, New York Times)

From last year:

Baghdad celebrates first public Christmas

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- From a distance, it looks like an apparition: a huge multi-colored hot-air balloon floating in the Baghdad sky, bearing a large poster of Jesus Christ. Below it, an Iraqi flag.

Santa and his helpers stand under palm trees at Baghdad's first public Christmas festival.

No everything isn't perfect in Iraq for Christians, but this is a very good sign.

Iraq: Exit, Stage Left

The White House has condemned coordinated bombing attacks in Baghdad Iraq today that killed at least 127 and injured 200 people.   In August and October  more than 1,000 people were killed or injured in Iraq.  Among the dead were several women, children, college students and police.

Two car bombs exploded near the labour and interior ministries, two more struck in central Baghdad, and another at a police patrol in Dora, in the south of the city. 

Zeina Khodr, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Iraq, said the attacks are another embarrassment for the government.

"We just spoke to a high raking official who said he was worried that the security forces were infiltrated," Khodr said. (AlJazeera)

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is running for re-election on a platform of Iraq is more secure.

The passage of Iraq's new election law in Iraqi parliament means that U.S. combat troops are a step closer to beginning their phased withdrawal from the country next year, with all but 50,000 of the 115,000 leaving in 2010, the remaining troops leaving in 2011.  Gen. Ray Odierno said the troop withdrawal could begin 60 days after the country's national elections, which I believe were originally scheduled for February 27 but are now scheduled for March 6, 2010. (Image:  Iraqis gather at the site of a bomb attack near the Labour Ministry building in Baghdad. Photograph: Hadi Mizban/AP)

Six members of an anti-Al Qaeda militia, the Sahwa (Awakening) movement a/k/a Sons of Iraq, were gunned down in broad daylight Monday as they were manning a checkpoint in Nadeem village, 30 kilometres (19 miles) north of Baghdad. Control of the Sahwa passed to Iraqi authorities last October and since January their wages -- said to have been cut from 300 dollars under US leadership to 100 dollars -- have been paid, often late, by the government. 

On Sunday, in the town of Rashad, 175 kilometres north of the capital, a Sahwa member was killed when a bomb struck his car, said police Colonel Ahmed Mahmud.

Three others were wounded in the attack, including the local leader of the Sahwa (Awakening) militia, Shujaa Taji al-Rayashi, the apparent target.

And on November 16, gunmen in Iraqi army uniforms launched execution-style attacks west of Baghdad, killing 13 members of a tribe that was led by a Sahwa leader.  (AINA)

The Iraqi Oil Ministry will auction off 10 oil field contracts this week in spite of the violence.

Executives from leading international companies are due in Baghdad on 11 and 12 December for the auction, at which the government is offering 20-year service contracts for 10 untapped oilfields. [snip]

 ... the five supermajors, national players including Gazprom, Rosneft, Sonangol, Petronas and Statoil, and a raft of major European players such as Eni and Total all eligible to bid.
(Image: Debtis: a soldier stands in the middle Cairo Street in northern Baghdad, one of the targets of this morning's attacks )

Iraq is a number of prized fields, including Majnoon and West Qurna Phase 2, each with proven reserves of nearly 13 billion barrels.

The 10 fields up for grabs are East Baghdad, Badrah, Middle Furat, Majnoon, West Qurna, Gharaf, Halfaya, the Eastern field, Najmah and Qayarah. (Upstream Online)

Are any of those oil companies American???

President Barack Obama seems to be following former President George W. Bush's example of a surge while American forces are seeing higher number of dead, and the 100th British soldier was killed this week in Afghanistan.  Also I see that the Afghan government is hitting us up for more money today, supposedly to build up their large army.

We can only hope and pray that security holds in Iraq, that the Iraqi military and police continue to step up, that the elections go off without a hitch in 2010 and that the surge in Afghanistan works as well as the on in Iraq, so far.

We Must Do Something About...Leprechauns

Doing something about something that does not exist, that seems to be the motivation in Washington these days.  We hear both political parties saying, "We must do something about global warming."  It's just as crazy to hear people say that as it would be to hear anyone say "We must do something about leprechauns, or unicorns, or bigfoot, or ghosts".  I suppose if money could be made from doing something about leprechauns there would be a push in that direction too.

A total of 190 nations are somehow wrapped up in this myth.  Only days after the climate-gate emails prove to anyone with a reasonable mind that this is a hoax, that science has been altered and even created, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ruled that greenhouse gases endanger human health, allowing it to regulate planet-warming gases without legislation from the Senate, where a bill to cut U.S. emissions by 2020 is stalled.  (Reuters)

"This is very significant in the sense that if...the Senate fails to adopt legislation (on emissions), then the administration will have the authority to regulate," Yvo de Boer, head of the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat, told Reuters in Copenhagen.

Taking away from our freedoms, ruining our economy, causing businesses to fail, forcing Americans to pay more for everything, and giving the government permission to control every aspect of our lives is just as crazy as it is to say, "It is time to demand—or at least to expect–reciprocity from the Muslim world on religious tolerance; tolerating the intolerant is unwise, or as the Jewish sages tell us: Being kind to the cruel results in cruelty to the kind. Thus, if there can be no churches or synagogues built in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc.—then why should the Swiss or the Europeans [or Americans] allow new, blockbuster size mosques, and sound-splitting loudspeakers emanating from minarets?"  (Dr. Phyllis Chesler)   The answer of course is "we should not". 

Controlling Us All In The Name Of Saving Us All.  All in the name of man-made global warming which isn't happening.  I see leprechauns. 

Nations have been shamed, forced, maneuvered, negotiated into joining the global warming scam.  Even Saudi Arabia called for an independent investigation into “climategate” Monday, warning that the scandal over stolen e-mails threatened to undermine the global-warming negotiations in Copenhagen.  The United Nation’s [I wish they were as elusive as global warming and unicorns] Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has promised to investigate the scandals [meaning the hacker or insider, not the science], although its chairman said Monday that it provided no basis for questioning the science behind global warming.  (Politico)

Reasonable people would expect there to be an investigation of all things global warming, including the so-called science, Reverend of the church of global warming Al Gore, and every money-making scam falling under that umbrella, starting with President of the United States Barack Hussein Obama, about whom Salon said, "They don't come any greener."  Well I sure can't argue with that, although I mean green as "in over his head, not ready for prime time, not prepared for leadership."

Climate-gate has provided proof that the science is fake, fixed, created.  Enter the term "peer review" - more magical than Jesus:

A fascinating symptom of the climate-change religion is the Believer who comes down with a case of something approaching holy worship of the phrase "peer review". Magic, magic "peer review" - all-powerful and truth-finding.

Only 45% of Americans believe in global warming, but that fact has been hidden.

The few reasonable people who speak out are not only demonized but have a bounty on their head.  Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donohue is a wanted man -- at least according to the liberal activist group 

Shown here is the ad asking for damaging information about Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donohue. (Velvet Revolution)

The campaign against the Chamber was launched in response to the group's opposition to climate change legislation and health care reform, and its plan to spend $100 million lobbying against these and other initiatives.  (Fox)

Global warming has become the latest 'too big to fail' project and it's proponents will do whatever it takes to push legislation through.  On the Senate floor, Majority Leader Harry Reid compared passing government-run health care to ending slavery.  Global warming deniers are treated even worse.

The truth shall set us free - not some man-made myth.

Iran will break off cooperation with IAEA - Iran successfully simulated the detonation of a nuclear warhead

On November 27, 2009 DEBKAfile reported that Tehran may break off cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency-IAEA and withdraw from the Non-Proliferation Treaty after the IAEA's 35-nation board of governors Friday, Nov. 27 censured Iran and called on Tehran to halt the construction of its second enrichment site at Fordo near Qom.  Today German intelligence reports that Iranian scientists have successfully simulated the detonation of a nuclear warhead in laboratory conditions, in an effort to sidestep an underground nuclear test like the one that brought the world down on North Korea's head earlier this year.

 ...  by quitting the NPT, Iran would free itself of international obligations with regard to its nuclear activities. Our sources note that this will not change much. Anyway, while holding talks on its program with six world powers and throwing an occasional bone to IAEA inspectors, Tehran does as it pleases and conceals most of its nuclear activities heedless of world censure.

Nonetheless, the United States and most other world powers connived with Dr. ElBaradei to blind the world to the true state of Iran's rogue program.  (DEBKAfile)

DEBKAfile's Iranian and intelligence sources report that this development is alarming because detonation is one of the most difficult technological challenges in the development of a nuclear weapon. Mastering it carries Iran past one of the last major obstacles confronting its program for the manufacture of a nuclear warhead.

After this breakthrough, the German BND intelligence believes it will take Tehran no more than a year to perfect its expertise and stock enough highly-enriched uranium to make the last leap toward building the first Iranian nuclear bomb or warhead. DEBKAfile's military sources confirm that simulated detonation of a warhead takes Iran to the highest level of weapons development.  (DEBKAfile)

Israel and the US should have no fear though,  President Barack Obama has reminded Tehran that it has until the end of the year ... or??? 

For now, "Iran defiantly refuses to abide to latest IAEA resolution", Realite' EU 

On November 27, 2009, the IAEA’s Board of Governors issued a resolution against Iran calling for it to cease enriching uranium. On December 2 the Islamic Republic defiantly rejected the resolution, reacting angrily to calls that it put an immediate halt to its nuclear program. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said the resolution was passed "with insistence and political ambitions of certain members states.! [1] The only countries to vote against the resolution were Cuba, Venezuela and Malaysia. [2]
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described the IAEA resolution as "illegal". Ahmadinejad further announced that the Islamic Republic would enrich high-enriched uranium (HEU) itself, overruling the IAEA’s latest resolution. [3] He also said that Israel could not do a "damn thing" to stop Iran’s nuclear weapons development program. [4]

Ahmadinejad’s announcement comes after a uranium exchange deal that has been agreed upon during talks in Geneva in September 2009, in which Iran was supposed to ship 75 percent of its low-enriched uranium (LEU) to Russia and France for further enrichment in order to be then converted into fuel for Iran’s nuclear medicine program. [5] Teheran has since retreated from the deal and president Ahmadinejad has been publicly outspoken about his ambitions: "By the grace of God, the Iranian nation will produce 20 percent enriched uranium and anything it needs (itself)." [6]

The resolution is specifically aimed at Iran’s once secret nuclear facility near the city of Qom and demands that Iran freezes the project immediately. The resolution is the first against Tehran in almost four years. [7] The resolution contains a strong call on Tehran to implement the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, as well as providing the international community with necessary transparency needed to prove the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program. [8]

Quick Timeline: Iran’s non-compliance

Iran's non-compliance with demands from the international community has intensified since the latest resolution was issued by the IAEA.

• In July 2006, the IAEA adopted Resolution 1696, which demands that Iran suspends its uranium enrichment. [9] The resolution offered Iran one month (from July 31 to August 31, 2006) to stop its uranium enrichment program and all other "research and development" activities or face the threat of sanctions. [10] Iran, however, failed to respond in a satisfactory way to this resolution. [11]

• Iran's failure to comply with the IAEA’s demands of the previous resolution, the UN Security Council in December 2006 issued Resolution 1737. [12] The resolution placed economic sanctions on Iran and prohibited UN member states from supplying Iran with materials or technology that might be used for Iran’s nuclear weapons development program. [13]

• In March 2007 the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1747. [14] Iran reacted with defiance, government spokesman Gholam Hossein Elham said: "We don’t welcome (UN) to adopt another resolution, but there’s no need to worry. […] Suspension is completely impossible and cannot be brought up, they have already given up this; in this respect, sanction is not new and will have no effect on people’s progress." [15]

• In March 2008 the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1803 due to Iran’s refusal to suspend uranium enrichment and heavy-water-related projects. [16]  

The UN Security Council has repeatedly demanded that Iran halts its uranium enrichment program. Continuing and accelerating the process toward a more concentrated form of uranium would reveal that Iran was "positioning itself for the production of nuclear arms." [17]

Iran’s nuclear ambitions

On November 29, 2009, Iran declared plans to build 10 uranium enrichment facilities. The West has signaled it is running out of patience with Iran’s continuing nuclear ambitions. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband labeled Iran’s announcement as a provocation: "This epitomizes the fundamental problem that we face with Iran," he said. [18] He added: "[…] Instead of engaging with us Iran chooses to provoke and dissemble." [19]

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said that time was running out for Iran to avoid sanctions over its nuclear program. "The fact that 25 countries from all parts of the world cast their votes in favor shows the urgent need for Iran to address the growing international deficit of confidence in its intentions," Gibbs said. [20]

Ali Larijani, Iran's Parliament Speaker said Iran will review its relations with those countries that voted in favor of the IAEA resolution against the Islamic Republic. [21]

---

References below the fold:

Iran Releases Britons but Continues to Hold Numerous Hostages

Iran Releases Britons but Continues to Hold Numerous Hostages

via Realite' EU

Even as Iran on Wednesday (Dec. 2) released five members of a British sailing team, the Islamic Republic still holds other foreigners – U.S. citizens, Iranian-Americans and a French national – who are being kept on a variety of questionable charges.

The release of the British sailors ended a week of detention after their yacht strayed into Iranian waters. The release thwarted a second major diplomatic incident in less than three years between Tehran and Britain, amid increasingly difficult negotiations between Iran and Western powers over its nuclear ambitions. [1]

In March 2007, Iranian authorities detained 15 British naval personnel in the Persian Gulf, claiming the crew was trespassing in Iranian waters. They were held for 13 days before they were freed with a pardon from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.[2]

Iranian authorities seized the sailors after their 60-foot racing yacht strayed less than 500 yards inside Iranian territorial waters. The group was sailing from Bahrain to Dubai in late November when they were stopped by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps naval vessels.[3]

The crew’s sponsor, Team Pindar, said in a statement Monday that the sailors aboard the "Kingdom of Bahrain" yacht were captured Nov. 25 -- a day before they were to take part in the Dubai-Muscat Offshore Sailing Race, a 360-nautical-mile race.[4]

The crew was identified as Oliver Smith, 31, of Southampton; Oliver Young, 21, of Saltash in Cornwall; Luke Porter, 21, of Weston-super-Mare in Somerset; David Bloomer, originally from Ireland; and Sam Usher. [5] According to Iran's official news agency, IRNA, the sailors were turned over Wednesday to British representatives in Tehran. [6]

The incident in March 2007 also occurred during a time of escalating tensions between Iran and Western powers. The Iranians claimed the British crew was trespassing in its waters while U.K. officials said they were in Iraqi waters at the time. Iran goaded Britain with the capture, televising footage of some of the personnel apologizing for being in Iranian waters, before eventually sending them home in new suits. The crew members later recanted their apologies.[7]

Other foreigners who continue – or are believed -- to be held by Iranian authorities include:

Three University of California at Berkeley graduate students hikers, all Americans - Joshua Fattal, Shane Bauer, and Sarah Shourd - were arrested after they apparently crossed an unmarked border from Iraq into Iran during a hike through Iraq’s Kurdistan region in July 2009.[8] They have yet to be released despite heavy diplomatic pressure by the United States.

An Iranian-American scholar, Kian Tajbakhsh, has been detained since July 9, 2009. He was charged with spying and in October was sentenced to a 15-year prison term. Charged with crimes against national security, Tajbakhsh was the only American citizen included in a mass show trial of more than 100 people arrested in the aftermath of the disputed presidential election in June.[9]

He appealed that sentence and was transferred to solitary confinement and remained there, losing weight and suffering “huge psychological and physical pressure,” [9]according to a family member. While appealing his sentence he is facing a new charge of spying. Mr. Tajbakhsh, taken before the Revolutionary Court, said that he had already denied the spying charge in the previous court, which nevertheless imposed the 15-year sentence. In the new court, a judge read new charges against him of “spying for the George Soros foundation,” a reference to the Open Society Institute. Previously in 2007, he spent four months in an Iranian prison for “endangering national security.”[10]

U.S. citizen Robert Levinson, a private investigator and a retired FBI agent, has been missing in Iran for more than two years. He vanished just weeks before Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps took 15 British seamen hostage. Levinson was working as a private investigator in Dubai. He was last heard from on March 8, 2007, when, on a business trip, he checked into a Kish Island hotel in the Persian Gulf, and then checked out to return to the United States the following day. At the time of his disappearance Mr. Levinson was looking for leads about cigarette smuggling. [11]

Iranian authorities have said repeatedly they don’t know what might have happened to him. The State Department has consistently denied Levinson was working for the U.S. government and has unsuccessfully pressed Tehran for information about his whereabouts. In April, the Iranian lawyer hired by Mr. Levinson’s family told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that he could not rule out the possibility that Iranian “legal and intelligence bodies” were involved. [12]

In December 2007, Levinson's wife and other relatives traveled to Iran and met with officials who provided no details regarding his whereabouts. [13]

Retired Iranian-American businessman Reza Taghavi, 71, was arrested by Iranian officials in May 2008. He has been imprisoned since May 2008 without a trial or formal charges. [14]

French citizen Clotilde Reiss, a 24 year-old-graduate student at the eminent Lille Political Sciences Institute, was arrested at the Tehran airport on July 1 as she was leaving for home via Beirut after a five-month stint as an assistant teacher at Isfahan University. She is accused of spying. She was held in Tehran's notorious Evin jail following her arrest. She was one of more than 100 defendants at a televised mass trial Aug. 8. After the trial, she was sent to the French Embassy in Tehran where she still awaits the verdict in her trial.[15]

References below the fold:

Patient Evil e-book Chapter Sixty-One

Patient Evil

An R.J. Godlewski and Right Truth Blog Exclusive eBook

 

PART II

Chapter Sixty-One

    “I’m just going to the can!” Jonas ignored the muscular guard trailing after him and preferred that the rifle-toting security agent would not inspect the restroom located in his tiny room. “I ran out of toilet paper and the janitor won’t be in until the morning.”

    The ruse worked. At least the guard retreated somewhat to his post.

    “At least you’ll be safe from the smell!” Winking, Jonas grabbed the door handle and flung the barrier open, casting a wayward glance towards the large blue plaque that bore the inscription UNISEX, and entered the enviously large restroom. Pausing for a second to secure the door behind him, he positioned himself in the center of the room and sought out his options.

    Okay, Jonas. How are you going to get away from these assholes?

    A brief inspection of the vent in the ceiling proved that it could not accept his bulk even if he could somehow manage to find his way up. He thought about sneaking his way out and scurrying away when the guard’s attention was distracted but the realization that the hallway was several yards deep shot down this option. Fat desk jockeys shouldn’t run away from pissed off people bearing guns.

   Time was becoming an issue for the captive analyst. Soon someone would be inquiring as to why he was taking so long to defecate. He amused himself with the thought of waiting until the guard arrived and then throwing a bucket of his excrement into the man’s face. No, that would make him really pissed!

    Jonas knew that the guard in question was his principal adversary. No one bothered to show up to question him now and where his confinement was located was an abandoned part of the building. Take down the guard and he could simply walk his way out to safety. How?

    His benefit was probably being obese; few would believe that an overweight analyst would be a threat to a conditioned and trained guard so a solitary sentry was all that his superiors placed his care under.

    Jonas paced the center of the room. “How do I get rid of the guard? What do I do once he’s gone? Why am I talking to myself?”

    The janitor’s closet at the far end offered opportunity and Jonas chose to explore it. The gratuitously unlocked compartment offered little in the way of an exit. It was barely large enough for a wheeled mop bucket – of the puke yellow variety that doubled as a caution sign; a galvanized metal bucket similar to something Dorothy would have used before she realized that she was no longer in Kansas; several mops of varying degrees of neglect; a large pipe wrench; and a dozen rolls of toilet paper.

    Jonas was just about to close the door when his mind began to chuckle over a thought. More of an escape plan, really, but one that required every bit of ingenuity and strength that his overweight ass could muster.

    He glanced into the direction of his confinement, mentally analyzing where the guard would be standing, the position of his rifle, and how close the guard stood to the small room. It was a desperate gamble, his plan, but after half a year being confined to a small room with only brief escapes to the polygraph room, the cafeteria, and the dispensary, he was ready for just about anything.

    Jonas grabbed the smaller bucket, tossed in the pipe wrench, and proceeded to slide roll after roll of industrial grade toilet paper onto the handle until the wrench was effectively hidden from view.

    Pausing for a moment to stare at his reflection in the mirror, Jonas summoned his courage and unlocked the restroom door and began his slow, deliberate walk back towards the guard cradling the bucket as if it were a tearing bag of groceries.

   As Jonas methodically marched off his steps, the guard appeared to scrutinize the bucket his charge was carrying. Upon recognition of the white rolls of toilet paper, the guard seemed to acquiesce and spun his body counterclockwise to open the door for the burdened analyst.

     Jonas struggled to restrain his breathing and to forestall any suspicion on the part of his target.  Time seemed to lengthen as the analyst considered whether it was too late to abandon his attempt at freedom.

    Slowly, immeasurably slowly, Jonas moved his left hand into the bucket and rested it at the bottom of the stack of toilet paper rolls.

    “Found you a year’s supply, eh?” laughed the guard.

   “Well, you know…” Jonas feigned a slight misstep and launched the rolls into the hallway.

    As the guard retreated a bit, offering the analyst a chance to gather his runaway quarry of ass wipe, Jonas shoved the bucket as hard as he could into the guard’s midsection as he simultaneously extracted the pipe wrench from its hiding place and pirouetted around bringing the sturdy tool into contact with the man’s back.

    Stumbling onto the floor, searching for his rifle first and then his sidearm, the guard’s consciousness was silenced from another appropriately placed swing of the wrench.

    Fueled with an intoxicating mixture of adrenaline and fear, Jonas retrieved the guard’s weapons and proceeded to lug the unconscious man into his small room. Quickly closing the door behind them, Jonas found a roll of duct tape and proceeded to bind the guard’s hands and feet as well as secure the man’s mouth, ignoring for the moment the blood dripping from the back of the helpless man’s head.

    Satisfied that the guard was no longer a threat, Jonas stood up, now heavily armed, and thought of his prospects for survival. Okay, my dear Jonas. You’ve just attacked a federal agent. What now?

   

What War is.

What War is.

By R.J. Godlewski

© December 2, 2009, All Rights Reserved

“The enraged British invented a punishment for mutineers known as the ‘devil’s wind.’ They lashed the man over the muzzle of a cannon and fired a ball through his body, blowing him to bits and demolishing his hope of an afterlife.” Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards, & Pyrotechnics: The history of the explosive that changed the world by Jack Kelly. Pg. 190.

    Feverish and suffering from a throat that felt like it was enlarged ten sizes too big, I caught President Obama’s televised speech on Afghanistan last night. I figured that there was little harm in listening; I was already terribly sick and ill tempered. What I came away with, however, defies my flu. I heard my president say everything possible except that we were in war to win. Odd, I thought.

    Here was a man who refused to give up on the Chicago White Sox when they were in third place in the weakest division of the American League. Certainly, national security is more important than a mediocre baseball team. At least I think so. What of America’s perennial forgiveness of athletes such as Tiger Woods? Would we be so accommodating of his “transgressions” were he a loser? Similarly, is our fascination with the White House “party crashers” simply because of their gall or the fact that they actually succeeded in penetrating our vaunted secret service?

   Not that I have ever been a fan of Barack Obama, but I listened attentively for the words that would aid me in ignoring my 103° F. fever and swollen nasal passages. They did not come. Even when my raspy voice tried in vain to sound my opposition, the president never once admitted that he sought to win in Afghanistan – the same president who sounded so confident that he could override our Constitution and commandeer our healthcare industry by August (then September, then yearend, then…).

    What I did hear was that President Obama was going to shortchange our military by 10,000 troops and reserve a surrender date for the convenience of our enemies. The post-speech analysis wasn’t any better on my health. One liberal pundit excitedly recalled how President Truman kept General MacArthur from nuking China during the Korean War. Oh, that worked wonders. China is now our principal economic threat and Korea is still a divided and troublesome peninsula fifty-six years after politics’ “Police Action” created 450,360 allied casualties simply to regain the status quo.

    I wonder how many professional football teams would win if we declared, “We’re only going to field eight players in the second half.” How many baseball teams would win if the manager broadcasted the fact that he would pull his team after the seventh inning stretch? Would a NASCAR driver win if his sponsors shut down his support after one hundred laps in the Daytona 500?

    Americans, in particular, fail to grasp the significance of war – and human survival. Our antiseptically liberal political environment views any conflict as nothing more serious than another Nintendo game. When we’re bored, we can always hit “reset” or simply turn off the game until we’re more inclined for the challenge. Wars do not offer such a reset button – but civilization may very well, especially within the nuclear age.

    Perhaps the most egregious trait of modern American society is that – in this Nintendo (or Playstation or …) World of ours – we have become too far removed from the basic animal instincts that govern our survival. We’re simply too interested in conveniences for our own good. We shell out big bucks for TiVo for God forbid should we miss a show by spending quality time with our kids. We spend an equal fortune for an Internet-capable cellular phone for God forbid should we have to wait until we arrive back home or at our office to check for emails.

    How many out there reading these words can remember the television weatherman scribbling on a chalkboard as I do? Or remember hearing the National Anthem when a channel signed off for the night? And yet, despite these seemingly antiquated memories, they arose after seeing our fellow countrymen walk upon the moon. For all of our video games, iPhones, TiVos, and high-speed Internet, we have yet to break the bonds of earth gravity again. Did I mention that we reached the moon during one of the most brutal wars in U.S. history?

    I did not hear the president speak of victory last night because, frankly, I do not know if he even understands the concept of success in any endeavor beyond stoking his own glorified image. He won a battle – the 2008 presidential campaign (by default, the GOP didn’t field a true conservative candidate) – but he has lost every war in which he participated (if you can’t win when you’re the only team on the field, then something is seriously wrong).

    At this point, it might be prudent to consider what war is. Clausewitz says, “War is thus an act of force to compel our enemy to do our will”. While this might suffice, it is just a tad too broad. After all, could it not be considered that Congress is at war with the rest of us? Are they not trying to force social programs down our throat? Getting back to President Obama’s omission of victory, is it not also readily apparent that he does not believe that we are at war with radical Islamists who are very much trying to force us into doing their will? They are certainly at war with us – from their perspective.

    Sun-tzu came closer to reality: “Warfare is the greatest affair of state, the basis of life and death, the Way [Tao] to survival  or extinction.” War is definitely what separates us from an untimely death or extinction. It is why we are born kicking and screaming, why we are enthralled over traffic accidents (“Oooh, thank God that wasn’t us!”), and why we high-five one another when the opposing quarterback gets his face planted into the turf. We want to be on the winning team. We need to be on the winning team. Nothing else will suffice our bloodthirsty souls.

    This leads us to consider the most singularly accurate definition of war, that of General William Tecumseh Sherman. War is simply hell. It is the embodiment of everything that we, as humans, seek to run away from. We want paradise, not conflict. Victory, not defeat. Success, not failure. Entitlement, not earnings. War, however, is also a debt on these things that we do seek.

    If we seek paradise, then we must rid from our presence those who wish to sabotage our efforts. If we seek victory in any endeavor, then we must have taught ourselves the consequences of defeat. If we want success, we must ensure that few others beat us to the table of fortune. If we seek only entitlement, at some point someone will decide for us that we aren’t entitled to a damn thing. War thus ensures that we shall always remain a shareholder in these ambitions.

    War is, frankly, the price we are willing to pay to remain who we are. It is bloody, brutal, horrendously costly, and diabolically unpredictable. So who isn’t? We thrive on doing unto others before they have a chance to do unto us. We eat the flesh of other species, murder our way into Wal-Mart on Black Friday, and watch NASCAR and “professional wrestling” just to see the carnage. When we say that we seek peace and tranquility, we are lying to everyone but us – and even then, our consciousness would never admit to the fact.

    War is sacrificing the souls of others to ensure that our lives are made better. Citizens generally admit to this by honoring veterans and service people. Politicians deny it by embracing the concept of surgically clean battles. Conservatives value victory through superior firepower. Liberals value elitism through subjugating the inevitable. President Obama seems to value indecisiveness and American mediocrity.

    There remains no cure for the common cold, but I would have been healed straightaway had I heard the president say:

    “America is in a battle for its very survival. We will, therefore, seek to win at any cost. We will fight our enemies wherever they are found and we will not abandon this effort until every one of them is fish bait for carp. We will apologize if we inadvertently destroy a city or two, and we will make amends to all civilians injured in our effort to remain free – but only after a lasting peace is achieved. Make no mistake about it, we are at war against radical Islam and innocent Muslims will bear the brunt of our aggression.

    “We are involved within a brutal war that will cost billions and take thousands of lives. We would prefer to fight calmly and with great precision. We would prefer a battle that is civil, practical, and short. We would prefer to embark upon a conflict that is considered ethical by the standards of our national psyche. However, what war is?”

*****

R.J. Godlewski is an independent counterterrorism consultant, the director of the private International Nuclear Emergency Response Team [INERT], and the author of several novels, commentaries, and professional articles. He is also the author and architect of the Independent Counterterrorist training program. His analytical specialties are Middle East terrorism and improvised explosive devices. He is a member of the National Military Intelligence Association, the Golden Key International Honour Society, and the National Rifle Association as well as a veteran of both the United States Navy and Navy Reserve.

Rapid escalation followed by withdrawal

Hurry up, then get out, or as President Barack Obama stated in his speech last night on Afghanistan, rapid escalation followed by withdrawal July 2011.  As the New York Post observes, the word "win" was nowhere in his 4,581-word prime-time address.  I don't like Obama, I think he is dangerous for this country.  However, I've always said if he does something right I'll be the first to give him credit.  This is not one of those times.  

Obama will send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan.   Gen. Stanley McChrystal recommended 40,000 troops to prevent a collapse of the war effort.

We should declare that we want to win this war and then put everything we've got into doing just that.  If that is not our goal, then we need to get our men and women out now.  Obama is trying to have it both ways, trying to please the right while appeasing the left.  It's not working.

The reviews are in and if this were a Broadway play it would be quickly closed down and the lights turned out.

Spiegel Online: "Never before has a speech by President Barack Obama felt as false as his Tuesday address announcing America's new strategy for Afghanistan."   Obama used West Point and the cadets as stage props who were instructed ahead of time how to respond to the speech:

Just minutes before the president took the stage inside Eisenhower Hall, the gathered cadets were asked to respond "enthusiastically" to the speech. But it didn't help: The soldiers' reception was cool.

One didn't have to be a cadet on Tuesday to feel a bit of nausea upon hearing Obama's speech. It was the least truthful address that he has ever held. He spoke of responsibility, but almost every sentence smelled of party tactics. He demanded sacrifice, but he was unable to say what it was for exactly.

An additional 30,000 US soldiers are to march into Afghanistan -- and then they will march right back out again. America is going to war -- and from there it will continue ahead to peace. It was the speech of a Nobel War Prize laureate.  [snip]

Obama's magic no longer works.  [snip]

The American president doesn't need any opponents at the moment. He's already got himself.  --Gabor Steingart, Spiegel Online.

Obama Approval on Afghanistan, at 35%, Trails Other Issues.  Decline from 49% in September far exceeds that for other issues and for approval more broadly. (Gallup poll)

Obama's half-hearted surge his base is not happy:

Trust of Americans

Controversial film maker Michael Moore, darling of the American left wing, was harsh in his criticism. "With just one speech ... you will turn a multitude of young people who were the backbone of your campaign into disillusioned cynics," he wrote in an open letter on his Web site. In the letter he asked whether Obama really wanted to be the new "war president."

And Internet organization MoveOn.org, which helped get Obama into the White House, suggested that it's more than five million members call the White House in protest. "The President needs to hear that we want to bring the troops home, not send more," the Web site wrote.

Meanwhile the president's advisors were busy trying to put a positive spin on the decision, arguing that the trust of the Afghan people would be strengthened through the increased troop numbers.

But it's the trust of Americans that Obama should be most worried about.  --Gregor Peter Schmitz, Spiegel Online. 

It's not easy being President.  Campaigning, saying what potential voters want to hear -- that's easy.  Our troops on the ground will pay the price.

Charles Krauthammer, "It was a strange speech."
..

It's all about the boobs

Howie at The Jawa Report says "First rule of blogging is and always will be: Tits = Hits baby....  Let's see did I get the words boobies, tits, hot, nekkid...."  (Glad we would never stoop to that level here at Right Truth, ha)  He is of course correct, but this article is not just about those kinds of boobs, it's about the boobs that are running this country (see below).  But first Howie forgot to mention the sure-fire, hit-getting words "sex and falsies".   I mention sex because until recently the MSM seems to have an orgasm every time they mention Obama or Michelle.  I mention falsies because Mrs. Peperium was the only one to report on the First Lady's boobs:

Interestingly, since all of Washington's eyes were focused on organic and sustainable, no one noticed the most obvious non-organic and totally unsustainable item of evening, the First Lady's breasts.  They were totally false.  More than that, they weren't even sustainable. She only wore them during dinner.

..

..

 

It figures that if one of the Obamas was going to grow a pair, it'd be the wife.  (read it all and read Patum Peperium every day)

There were plenty of other boobs at that dinner, just fill in the blank starting with VP Joe Biden, about whom Thomas Sowell says: 

There has probably never before been as drastic a decline in the quality of vice presidents as there has been when Dick Cheney was replaced by Joe Biden. Yet the New York Times is lionizing Biden as a wise counselor to President Obama. When you support the liberal agenda, that makes you brilliant ex-officio in the media, whether or not you are vice president-- and whether or not you have even common sense.

The Boob in Chief is taking his cue from Geraldo Rivera, himself a boob who always uses our military as a backdrop for his 'reports' from the battle field (shame on him) and shame on Obama:

“Their primary mission will be to protect our enemies.”

President Obama will be using the window dressing of the United States Military tonight as he delivers his post dither Afghanistan speech. Ralph Peters writes what I have been thinking.

In the art-auction world, the trick to selling a bad painting is to put it in a terrific frame. That’s the logic behind President Obama’s West Point speech tonight.  (continue at Wide Awake Cafe)

The Boob Candidate Barack Obama lied about Afghanistan during the campaign... As Powerline puts it today:

Democratic voters supported Obama on Afghanistan (as, to take another example, gay rights) because they believed he didn't mean what he said.

The Boob President insinuated in the campaign that the world would think more highly of us with him as president.  How's that working out:

If they hated us under Bush. . .

... they scorn us under Obama.

The President is “Obama the Impotent,” according to Steven Hill of the Guardian. The Economist calls Obama the “Pacific (and pussyfooting) president.” The Financial Times refers to “relations between the U.S. and Europe, which started the year of talks as allies, near breakdown.” The German magazine Der Spiegel accuses the president of being “dishonest with Europe” on the subject of climate change. Another withering piece in Der Spiegel, titled “Obama’s Nice Guy Act Gets Him Nowhere on the World Stage,” lists the instances in which Obama is being rolled. The Jerusalem Post puts it this way: “Everybody is saying no to the American president these days. And it’s not just that they’re saying no, it’s also the way they’re saying no.” “He talks too much,” a Saudi academic who had once been smitten with Barack Obama tells the Middle East scholar Fouad Ajami. ... (continue at Sense of Events, good stuff)

 

TSF Magnum on the boob apologist.

Obama and the Law of Gravity

So, has the apology tour done any good for America? Does the world like us now that Obama has said he doesn't like us? Fouad Ajami: The Arabs Have Stopped Applauding Obama

The Pew Global Attitudes survey for 2009 doesn't show that the world likes us. In some places, they dislike us even more than they did.

In Pakistan, a place of great consequence for American power, our standing has deteriorated: The unfavorables rose from 63% in 2008 to 68% this year.

The New York Times definitely falls into the boob category:

The New York times didn’t want to publish any of the scandalous “Climategate” emails because they “were never intended for the public eye” but has no problems writing about a “black jail” at Bagram.

It’s almost like they’re selective about their willingness to publish controversial items.  (Murdoc Online)

More on the boob Charles Johnson, LGF.

Another boob Andrew Sullivan.  Powerline puts it this way:

Charles Krauthammer responds to a recent attack on him by Andrew Sullivan. Krauthammer demonstrates with clinical precision that Sullivan "leap[s] from nonexistent fact to blanket ad hominem without even a pause for a reality check."  [snip]

Sullivan is not only obtuse, but also the cause of obtuseness in others, as we demonstrated at some length in "Obama veers into the Daily Ditch" (May 2009).

Hopefully as with MEchelle Obama's boobs, these other boobs will not be sustainable, especially Obama who, unlike MEchelle Obama's boobs, is dangerous to the country.

Now here's your obligatory breast image:

 

Muslim Mafia - Review (update)

MUSLIM MAFIA

 

Inside the Secret Underworld That's Conspiring to Islamize America

 

BY: P. DAVID GAUBATZ and PAUL SPERRY

 

REVIEWED BY: FERN SIDMAN

 

The Muslim Brotherhood, an Egyptian based Islamic terrorist organization appears to be alive and well and cloaking itself in legitimacy in our nation's capitol under the guise of a front group say intrepid undercover agents P. David Gaubatz and Paul Sperry in their new book, "Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That's Conspiring to Islamize America" (World Net Daily Books 2009). Investigative journalism reaches new levels in doughtiness and concludes with a shocking crescendo in this tome, as Gaubatz, his son Chris and Paul Sperry infiltrate the shady Washington, DC based organization known as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR); the nation's largest and purportedly mainstream Muslim-American "civil rights" advocacy agency. The frightening facts published in this book are supported by more than 12,000 pages of confidential CAIR documents and hundreds of hours of video captured in this unprecedented undercover operation.  

Through painstaking and nuanced research of internal memos and documents the authors establish the fact that CAIR is the ideological cousin of the notorious Muslim Brotherhood and their leadership is inextricably tied to the promulgation of an explosively violent "jihadist" agenda.  Utilizing double speak and a wide variety of cleverly devised subterfuges, CAIR manages to ostensibly present itself as a law abiding, pro-American organization, however the authors expose their unbridled mendacity in its most egregious form. 

 

Mr. Gaubatz served for twelve years as a former agent with the US Air Force Office of Special Investigations and is a career military counterterrorism specialist as well as a US State Department trained Arabic linguist. Joining him on this six month long covert foray into the nefarious machinations of CAIR and it's overt ties to Muslim terrorists of all stripes are his son Chris who worked undercover as a convert to Islam and Paul Sperry, a veteran investigative journalist and author of "Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives Have Penetrated Washington". 

 

This book could effortlessly take it's rightful place among classic hair raising espionage thrillers if it's tragic geo-political realities weren't so terrifying. The authors scrupulously document CAIR's foreign fundraising sources including exceedingly large donations from the Wahabi dominated Saudi Arabian government that gave birth to the 9/11 hijackers. Not to be outdone, CAIR also assumes the role of benefactor, as the recipients of their financial largesse include such heinous terror organizations as Hamas. 

 

Moreover, the authors offer shocking revelations about CAIR's infiltration of key US law enforcement agencies including local police departments, the FBI, the CIA and the State Department as well as their heavy handed influence operations against members of homeland security committees on Capitol Hill and their insertion of Islamic spies in congressional offices.  According to the authors, FBI wiretaps reveal that, "During a secret Muslim Brotherhood meeting he organized last decade, CAIR founder and former chair Omar Ahmad expressed the need to strengthen "the influence with Congress." He argued for using Muslims as an "entry point" to "pressure Congress and the decision makers in America" to change US foreign policy in the Middle East and other policies." 

CAIR's far reaching tentacles have even permeated corporate America, say the authors, as they and their sister organization, the Islamic Society of North America blackmail Wall Street firms who do not comply with Islamic financing principles. The authors also spotlight CAIR's use of intimidation tactics in silencing their political opponents as evidenced in their efforts to unleash a vitriolic campaign to blacklist such media personalities as Bill O'Reilly, Dr. Laura Schlesinger, Glenn Beck and Michael Savage while pressuring the National Review to acquiesce to their demands.   While elected officials from both sides of the aisle, including former president George W. Bush, have legitimized the dubious organization with governmental recognition and ceremonial gravitas, CAIR's underlying credo remains seditious and rabidly anti-American until this very day.

The authors remind us that in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, President Bush appeared alongside officials from CAIR and other outwardly benign Muslim groups that weren't properly vetted at the Islamic Center of Washington in a display of "unity". The unsuspecting former president announced, "It is my honor to be meeting with leaders who feel just the same way as I do. They're outraged, they're sad. They love America just as much as I do."  These words would come back to haunt the president as facts concerning CAIR's zealous legal representation of Muslim Americans charged with terrorist activities came to the fore and as history would record, certain members of CAIR's own leadership would turn out to be unindicted co-conspirators in helping to finance terrorist organizations.  

As the burgeoning and pernicious scourge of global radical Islam continues to proliferate in an unfettered manner, it is clear that within our borders the threat to our cherished democratic values and principles are all too real. The release of this book of paramount importance by authors Gaubatz and Sperry hasn't come a moment too soon. To say that the information published in these pages is a real eye opener is an understatement of monumental proportions. It is a must read for anyone, the world over, who still clings to the hope of freedom, peace and liberty that Western civilization represents.

Update: 'Muslim Mafia' author ordered to remove documents from Web, McClatchy.

Global Warming Scientists Worship at Wrong Altar

By misleadingly manipulating data and suppressing legitimate argument in peer-reviewed journals,  the global warming scientists seem to have forgotten some important warnings:  "Thou shall not give false testimony" --(Genesis 20:16, Bible, NIV).  It's a good rule to live by -- in all things, don't lie, do tell the truth.  Like another Bible teaching, the wise man builds his house on a firm foundation, a rock, and it stands the test of time; while the foolish man builds his house on sand and eventually it falls down with a great cash.  (Matthew 7:25-27)

  ... Scientists aggressively promoting pet hypotheses often relish the opportunity to marginalise and neutralise rival theories and exponents.

The malice, mischief and Machiavellian manoeuvrings revealed in the illegally hacked megabytes of emails from the University of East Anglia’s prestigious Climate Research Unit, for example, offers a useful paradigm of contemporary scientific conflict. Science may be objective; scientists emphatically are not. This episode illustrates what too many universities, professional societies, and research funders have irresponsibly allowed their scientists to become. Shame on them all.

The source of that shame is a toxic mix of institutional laziness and complacency. Too many scientists in academia, industry and government are allowed to get away with concealing or withholding vital information about their data, research methodologies and results. That is unacceptable and must change.  (Financial Times)

What happens when these guys are caught in their lies?  The truth shall set them free?  Nope, they destroy the evidence, try to cover up.  Just like the White House does with visitor logs (and who knows what else).  Just like ACORN.  This truly is the scandal of the century.  Probably the most expensive scam in a long time.

How do you rationalize with thinking like this, you simply cannot:

Eduardo Zorita, a researcher on past temperature trends at the Institute for Coastal Research in Germany, writes,

... I may confirm what has been written in other places: research in some areas of climate science has been and is full of machination, conspiracies, and collusion, as any reader can interpret from the CRU-files. ...

These words do not mean that I think anthropogenic climate change is a hoax.

One thing that has always irked me is the most faithful in the church of global warming are the worst polluters.  They have no shame in asking us to return to the Stone Age while they continue on living the high life.  See the hypocrisy here.

Another thing that drives me nuts is saying that the global poor are the ones who are hurt by global warming, because they will continue to be systematically excluded from formal discussions of how to address problems like water shortages and crop failures stemming from global warming.    In fact, it is just the opposite.  Progress, moving forward, industrialization, modernity, will help to lift the poor up.

And what value is there in formal discussions on a pack of lies?  Well, unless those discussions are to refute those lies, lies which are destroying industries and costing the United States a fortune, which we do not have.

The Jawa Report shows how "OK" lying is with the United Nations, scientists, members of the church of global warming....   (More reason to kick the United Nations out of the United States and quit giving them money.)

Rajendra Pachauri, head of the UN's IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) commenting on the greatest scientific scandal evah:

 I assure you these are just
insignificant teeny tiny little itsy bitsy fibs.

Is there any doubt...

... that if the global warmists had succeeded in getting the US Senate to approve the Kyoto treaties some 10 years ago, that the decline in global temperatures over the last few years would ...  have been championed as PROOF of the success of the UN, success for Big Government action, and validation of everything the AGW hysterics have been saying? 

Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe, a longtime global warming skeptic and the top Republican on the Senate Environment Committee, is pushing for a full-blown investigation and has publicly said the E-mails should be a cautionary note as world leaders prepare to gather in Copenhagen next month for climate talks.  (US News)   See  New York Times, Deborah Solomon, interview: Global Warning - Questions for James Inhofe  

To the so called scientists I say, "Liar Liar.  Pants on fire!  Shame on you for scaring, terrorizing, and ripping off your fellow mankind.  Your foundation is failing, your house of cards crashing, and the truth shall set us free."

See "Come Fry With Me", by Mark Steyn.

Read A literary take on scientific corruption. 

Also seeSlowing the Left’s Lysenko-Gore Climate Change Hoax.

^{On a promising note:  Many Democrats are upset with Barack Obama and his administration and policies.  Michael more of all people, wrote an open letter to Obama.}  Arab hopes for Obama are deflated.  The Washington Post has turned on Obama. 

Very bad news for Democrats in 2010:  From Clarence Page at the Chicago Tribune blogs:

When voters were asked if they will “definitely vote” or not in next year’s congressional elections, the latest weekly tracking poll commissioned by the decidedly liberal Daily Kos shows a growing enthusiasm gap in favor of Republicans.
It breaks down like this. The first number is certain or likely to vote; the second is unlikely or certain not to vote.

Republican Voters:  81 / 14
Independent Voters:  65 / 23
Democratic Voters:  56 / 40

That means 81 percent of self-described Republicans say they are certain or likely to vote,  compared to 65 percent of independent voters and only 56 percent of Democrats. (Full cross-tabs here.)

And note that Democrats are three times more likely to say they won’t vote in 2010 than Republicans are and almost twice as likely as independents.

Leave your comment but ... Keep it clean.  Your mothers may be reading this.

Muslim Women Rise Up

As I said to many friends this weekend and as I have always believed - If Muslim women would rise up en mass against the cruelties of Islam we would soon see it defeated.  We're not seeing that quite yet, but when "Swiss voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional ban on minarets on Sunday, barring construction of the iconic mosque towers in a surprise vote that put Switzerland at the forefront of a European backlash against a growing Muslim population"... the successful vote "received an unlikely boost from radical feminists arguing that the tower-like structures are “male power symbols”. 

Let me say that if we really get down to the nitty-gritty here, it's not the minarets themselves that people were really voting against, it is what they stand for, it's one step in the right direction.  Women and men in other Western nations (especially the U.S.) should take note, from Times Online: 

“If we give them a minaret, they’ll have us all wearing burqas,” said Julia Werner, a local housewife. “Before you know it, we’ll have sharia law and women being stoned to death in our streets. We won’t be Swiss any more.”  [snip]

A similar battle has been raging in Germany over plans to build one of Europe’s biggest mosques in the shadow of Cologne cathedral. The Danes are also locked in debate over plans for two grand mosques in Copenhagen.

In an initiative that would please Switzerland’s antiminaret campaigners, an Italian town seized the headlines last week by putting up signs banning women from wearing the burqa in public.  (Times Online)

Dr. Phyllis Chesler sees this as the West "beginning to fight back":

According to the BBC, more than 57% of Swiss voters in 29 cantons supported a referendum proposal to ban the building of minarets. Partial results from the final canton indicated 68% of people there supported the ban.

Western as well as Muslim and other immigrant women who wish to assimilate have the most to lose if radical Islam takes over. Thus, early on, women led the Swiss in a poll about whether or not minarets should be banned. Only 31% of men compared to 39% of women voted for the ban. Some say this was due to a vigorous feminist campaign about women’s rights. Socialist politicians viewed the feminists as unacceptably anti-immigrant. Women viewed the minarets as unacceptably anti-woman. Julia Werner, a local housewife said:

More good news:

Britain’s most prominent Muslim businessman, who was trapped inside a burning hotel in the Mumbai terror attacks, is calling on the government to toughen measures against extremist preachers. Sir Gulam Noon, one of Labour’s most generous donors, says the door is being left open for foreign imams to radicalise thousands of young Muslims in mosques.

Finally, miracle of miracles, Thomas L. Friedman, in today’s New York Times, writing about the Fort Hood jihadist (“America vs the Narrative”) concludes thusly:

“Whenever something like Fort Hood happens you say, ‘This is not Islam.’ I believe that. But you keep telling us what Islam isn’t. You need to tell us what it is and show us how its positive interpretations are being promoted in your schools and mosques. If this is not Islam, then why is it that a million Muslims will pour into the streets to protest Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, but not one will take to the streets to protest Muslim suicide bombers who blow up other Muslims, real people, created in the image of God? You need to explain that to us — and to yourselves.”

Is the old magic not working anymore? Are people no longer as easily fooled by false allegations of “Islamophobic racism”? Do we understand that it is dangerous to tolerate the intolerant?  (more)

"The minaret is a sign of political power...

and demand, comparable with whole-body covering by the burqa, tolerance of forced marriage and genital mutilation of girls," the sponsors said. They noted that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has compared mosques to Islam's military barracks and called "the minarets our bayonets."  (MSNBC)

  ... the rights of women under Islam were pointed to as a reason to support the ban ...The Guardian reports that the pro-ban SPP

said that going to the European court would breach the popular sovereignty that underpins the Swiss democratic model and tradition … It dismissed the arguments about freedom or religion, asserting that minarets were not a religious but a political symbol, and the thin end of a wedge that would bring sharia law to the country, with forced marriages, “honour” killings, female genital mutilation and oppression of women … The prohibition also found substantial support on the left and among secularists worried about the status of women in Islamic cultures. Prominent feminists attacked minarets as male power symbols, deplored the oppression of Muslim women, and urged a vote for the ban.

 The Times reports that there’s some evidence that more women were in favor of the ban than men, too.   (Via Crooked Timber)

 

I applaud the Swiss decision, it's one step in the right direction.  But of course not everyone agrees.

MSNBC:

Muslim groups in Switzerland and abroad condemned the vote as biased and anti-Islamic. Business groups said the decision hurt Switzerland's international standing and could damage relations with Muslim nations and wealthy investors who bank, travel and shop there.

"The Swiss have failed to give a clear signal for diversity, freedom of religion and human rights," said Omar Al-Rawi, integration representative of the Islamic Denomination in Austria, which said its reaction was "grief and deep disappointment."

Have no fear, the Muslims will still be able to build mosques and practice their religion  I think this vote is simply sending a "NO Sharia" message and I hope the Muslims are listening.  One small step ...

Quote of the day from View From The Right:

[T]he Swiss People's Party, led by millionaire Christoph Blocher, has defended the Swiss nation. Where are America's patriotic millionaires?
-- Brenda Walker, Vdare, November 29, 2009

Also see:

Swiss Minarets, Syrian Vulture, Israel Imports Syrian Books, Hamas Bans Women Dancers.

Other news:

Obama and Chavez Backed Zelaya Repudiated in Honduras electionTerrorist Attack: Bomb derails

130mph Russian train, leaving 26 dead, 100 injured UPDATE: Monday morning, Another Train bombed

Go private!

"One of Labour's great triumphs with the National Health Service is that people now go into hospital to die rather than to be cured. It seems to render the whole debate about assisted suicide utterly pointless. Who needs a Dignitas clinic when you can check into a hospital in Basildon and be relatively certain to be taken out in a box?" -- Simon Heffer, The Telegraph

In Columbus, Ohio comedian Mary Walsh crashed Sara Palin's book signing to ask her about Canadian health care, (video here).  Palin's answer was, "Canada needs to dismantle its public healthcare system and allow private enterprise to get involved and turn a profit."  That's the same advice being given to the UK National Health Services:

Want to fix the NHS? Go private - When a hospital fails in the way that the Basildon and Thurrock Trust has, it should be turned over immediately to a private-sector hit squad to sort it out, writes Simon Heffer in The Telegraph.

As the United States Congress begins deliberations tomorrow on what will surely either be, or lead to, government run health care here in America, every citizen of voting age needs to contact their politicians and let them know, "Thanks, but NO THANKS", or we end up like the UK.

It is a further achievement of our monitoring, regulating culture that even the monitors and the regulators don't seem to have a clue how bad things are – or they certainly didn't in Basildon. This exposes one of the great pretences of the NHS: that it is there first and foremost for the benefit of patients. It isn't. It exists these days mostly for the benefit of various trade unionists who are fully paid-up members of the Brown clientele, and who earn good money as petty bureaucrats trying to "manage" things that, if they need to be managed at all, could be far better done by fewer people in much more efficient systems. [snip]

It comes down to the point that any politician who willingly allows the present inefficient – and indeed lethal – set of arrangements to pertain will have blood on his or her hands. Does that worry them less than the vested interests of the health service unions? We shall see. (Telegraph, hat tip Marcus Wilder)

One woman's story:  "‘I leant in to kiss her and literally retched’... When Edna Davies, 86, went into Basildon University Hospital in July after a fall at home she had every reason to be confident of the best care available."  Be careful what you have confidence in:

After all, she had spent several years of her career working there as a clerical officer until her reluctant retirement at the age of 76.

But by the time she was discharged more than two months later, she was covered in bruises and sores, increasingly frail, had lost weight, and could no longer care for herself, her family say.[snip]

During a spell in the hospital’s Oslo Ward she had a succession of falls from her bed, contracted two urinary infections and, at one stage, her condition deteriorated sharply as a result of a stomach ulcer.

According to her children she was left for hours on end in a ward on her own, unable to reach her buzzer to call for help, often lying in bedclothes soiled with her own excrement.

She began to appear increasingly undernourished, after allegedly being left alone with trays of hospital food she was unable to feed to herself.

During her time on the ward her glasses and watch went missing, and at times sheets appeared bloodstained, the family say.  (The Telegraph)

Yeah, let's all vote for that.  While the health care system in the UK may truly be broken (because the government can't run anything efficiently), here in the US  health care is not broken -- it has been abused (by trial lawyers for one).

The party in charge is insisting on health care that kills innocent unborn babies.  Now doe that make sense to you???  Health care for all, unless your the innocent unborn???

Then there's the claim that "unneeded procedures" is the cause of the problems we have.  Name me one "unneeded procedure"  that is more unneeded than abortion?

Don't try to convince me that the current health care bills will "save money", or "reduce the deficit", or any such lies.  Because that is exactly what those statements are, lies.

Big.  Big is the word politicians like to use for their latest boogieman.  Big oil.  Big pharmaceutical companies.  Big (fill in the blank).

I would like to present you with the biggest Big boogieman there is out there, and this one is real:  Big Government.

How about we reduce the size and impact of Big Government on American citizens for once.  Let's see how that helps small companies, how it will help to create jobs, how people will have more money to pay for what they need and want.  Big Government already takes way more from taxpayers than they should, but they are proposing at least three new taxes.  Where does it stop?

Step one - reduce government.

Other reading:

ACLU Still Fighting Christmas.

Role of ACLU Decisive in Moving KSM Trial to New York.

Indonesia minister says immorality causes disasters.

.

Ending the Long War

Ending the Long War 

By R.J. Godlewski

(pdf)

“This war differs from other wars, in this particular. We are not fighting armies but a hostile people, and must make old and young, rich and poor, feel the hard hand of war.”

“War is cruelty. There is no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over.”

“If the people raise a great howl against my barbarity and cruelty, I will answer that war is war, and not popularity seeking.”“Every attempt to make war easy and safe will result in humiliation and disaster.”  Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman

Whether one calls it the “Long War”, the “Global War on Terrorism”, or “Contingency planning for manmade disasters”, the conflict against radical Islam is a full-fledged, shooting war between those who ultimately seek peace, democracy, and individual liberty and those who seek to force their perverted will and desires upon us. Only one side can prevail.

It is quite amazing that we should accept the likes of a General William Tecumseh Sherman – a man who worked tirelessly for peace (after the fact) – when we fight amongst ourselves, but prefer to employ a modern-day Mahatma Gandhi when we are fighting an enemy that believes it is Divine Will that we should perish in the most horrendous way imaginable. We simply try to reconcile “turn the other cheek” with “there is no greater love than to lay one’s life down for his fellow man” – but only from our perspective.

We continuously seek diplomacy, as if failure to achieve peace with a people bred on belligerence somehow reflects upon our failures. Yet, peace is neither a gift nor an entitlement. It is an investment; an investment that demands much and promises very little in return. Some will grow wealthy. Others will perish in poverty. Only those with a sound strategy, however, can aspire to the ranks of the former.

For decades, our political leadership in Washington has failed to safeguard our portfolio. They have speculated too freely. Chose strategies unwisely. Mismanaged our resources criminally. Among global empires, America is not yet ready for retirement. There is still one job left for us to do before we can rock upon the front porch of freedom: defeat radical Islam.

While we continue to thrust our skulls against the brickwork wondering what we did to deserve the pain Islam has inflicted upon the United States, those who espouse such devastation merely go about their trade. They do not need to justify their brutality, their murderous destruction of innocent men, women, and children. We have given them an excuse freely through our ignorance and quickness of guilt. We are simply the motorist who apologizes after a traffic accident when blame has yet to be established. America has come to represent nothing more than a society that seeks to accommodate out of fear for inconvenience.

Gone is the nation that punched back in response to a slap. Gone is the nation that absolutely humiliated both Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan as this “degenerate democracy” obliterated the Master Race (from both the Aryan and Asian gene pool). Gone is the nation that conquered the air, the Atlantic from the air, and interplanetary space. The only thing “Super” about us now is the size of our fries and thighs.

Politicians have transformed our nation from a beacon of majesty and individualism into a cesspool of institutionalized corruption and greed. No longer do our leaders lead. No longer do our citizens strive for success. Everyone wants a steady paycheck without the requirements of steady effort. We want liberty without equity; a “no down payment” mortgage on freedom. No wonder the Islamists can strike with impunity.

Washington has come to represent the complete antithesis of the original Washington who led our nation against tyranny under unimaginable odds. He was not expected to win, but did – often by defenestration of the rules. Washington of today is expected to win, but cannot for they are more adept at bankrupting our future instead of ensuring that the terrorists do not possess one.

Instead of shoring the nation “of the people, by the people, and for the people” our elected leadership is hell-bent on “fundamentally transforming” the United States into a country “of the terrorists, by the terrorists, and for the terrorists”. Our Attorney General, Eric Holder, has transformed himself into General of the Army Holder by suggesting that he knows better how to wage war than those who have spent a lifetime waging it. Our “Organizer in Chief” believes that serving as president merely means presiding over diplomatic overtures designed to “fundamentally transform” the United States into the United Nations likes, er, Lite.

Our Washington, the inflated, senseless bureaucracy that needs Jenny Craig more than any “czar”, is incapable of fighting off the flu much less the abominable threat of a “religion” that mandates lying over tolerance; the wanton murder of innocent women and children over acknowledging free will; and the impotence of one billion  adherents who claim to express a faith of peace but fail to prove it. Left in the hands of Washington politics, our species – let alone our nation – teeters on the chasm of oblivion. Humanity is the great-undiscovered endangered species.

Fortunately, man’s latest long duration conflict need not be another Hundred Years War or even a repeat of the extremely religious – and infamously brutal – Thirty Years War. Our present conflict, whatever you wish to call it, can be ended quickly and with overwhelming victory if but a few lessons and actions are applied. Because you will not hear these thoughts from Washington, I will address them for you now. Applied effectively, they will ensure both peace and victory in our struggle against radical Islam.

* Define Islam as simply a political entity. Best intentions aside, Islam is no more a religion than ACORN is a charity. It shares more in common with the progressive wing of the Democratic Party than it does with the Roman Catholic Church (which has, at its head, a legitimate nation-state) or the Quakers. It mandates global dominance through both doctrine and culture. Every other established religion preaches conversion from within, not externally from force. Therefore, Islam and those who support it (whether Muslims or not) must be consolidated into a single cult;

* Treat captured Islamic terrorists as thugs, not as honorable prisoners. It is an affront to American taxpayers that captured terrorists are treated better than either honorable veterans or dishonorable thieves. If actionable intelligence can be obtained from the enemy – through whatever means is most effective – then they should be kept alive until they are no longer valuable towards our victory. However, pampering terrorists down at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba merely serves as media fodder for those who wish to write fiction. Instead, let’s shave off their beards, feed them whatever is on the menu (pork comes to mind), and stop pointing their ass towards Mecca (solitary confinement means that they are not supposed to have contact with anyone else);

* Learn the lessons from the Great Plains Indian Wars. Ever wonder why we expanded westward so efficiently? Because we did everything humanly possible to vanquish the Native Americans. We were not afraid to call them barbarians and treated them as such. Those who chose to aid us were treated well. Those that fought against us were either killed or rounded up and sent off to distant reservations. Today, we try too much to avoid encroaching upon Muslim soil while we let them shed blood upon ours. We need to divide and conquer;  

* Citizens are now at war. Those who steadfastly believe in Big Government refuse to admit that even “small” governments fail to deliver. The police, fire departments, and even federal investigative labs, are all relatively new developments of the human condition. For centuries, it has been the private sector that served man and we need to expand upon this reality – not restrict it. We need to enforce the Second Amendment and permit law-abiding citizens to carry personal arms of choice wherever they travel. Furthermore, we need to enforce transparency between the government (which serves) and its population (who is served). For example, withholding pertinent information on terrorist tactics and technologies from the general public under the guise of national security only reduces the concept of national defense (after all, the terrorists already know what they use and how they use it);

* Eliminate boundaries of war. Globalization has eliminated national boundaries as far as criminality goes. Not chasing terrorists across borders merely reflects upon our idiocy. If a nation does not like American special operatives chasing terrorists through their territory, then they can capture them for us. Otherwise, they should be considered as hostile nations and the gloves taken off;

* Reduce the size of government. Let’s not provide our enemies with too large of a head to cut off. We need to begin to shrink the size of government down to the bare necessities – i.e., the military, etc. When people start to quip that the problem with libertarians, for example, is that they wish to “shrink government down to unrecognizable levels”, we have a problem indeed. Government has become so large now that it is impossible to recognize what is a government function and what is not. Remember, people survived for hundreds of thousands of years before governments came into existence. We can survive just fine without Big Brother doing everything for us;

* Recognize the difference between peace and war. Peace is an eternal concept – we have never truly observed it for it is the complete absence of hostility. Conflict is, contrarily, the natural inclination of the human condition and serves our traits of competition, survival, and success. Until we can eliminate all of our enemies, there can be no cessation of hostility. Without ceasing hostility, there can be no hope for peace. Without hope, there can be no success in any endeavor. Remember, the Biblical tale of a thousand-year reign of peace came only after Heaven vanquished evil not before the war of Armageddon. Peace cannot exist until we defeat the “faith” that teaches – and was born from within – the concept of spreading ideologies through the sword.

Cover design: R.J. Godlewski

Cover art: © mixformdesign - Fotolia.com

R.J. Godlewski is an independent counterterrorism consultant, the director of the private International Nuclear Emergency Response Team [INERT], and the author of several novels, commentaries, and professional articles. He is also the author and architect of the Independent Counterterrorist training program. His analytical specialties are Middle East terrorism and improvised explosive devices. He is a member of the National Military Intelligence Association, the Golden Key International Honour Society, and the National Rifle Association as well as a veteran of both the United States Navy and Navy Reserve.

Afghanistan: Surrender, Dither, or ... UPDATED

Barack Obama's back on US soil, at least for the week, promising a decision of some kind on Afghanistan after Thanksgiving.  I'm hearing mixed messages from those who are supposed to know what's going to happen.  There is a serious rumor of surrender by giving the Taliban 5 (or is it 6) provinces on the one hand, and then there's this on the other hand  Latest word is the Taliban turned down the offer:

1. More troops are to go into Afghanistan. For the US between 20-35k. At the low end of GEN McChrystal's original request. Which is all but forgotten now.

2. Yes, there is much talk about an exit strategy, but that is years in the coming. Even the five year window is very ambitious. One should look more realistically at 2018/2020 which is also the window for Iraq.

3. Bearing in mind that most troops are going in with an eye on Pakistan.

I'm not sure Barack Obama can convince his base to send those troops or to stay in either Iraq or Afghanistan until 2020.  The numbers being discussed in the press are 32,000 to 35,000 more US troops.  We will see.  

Whispers of Surrender in Afghanistan? by Steve Schippert at Threats Watch.

It comes to our attention that the MEMRI Blog highlights an article from the Saudi al-Watan in Arabic that - according to an Afghan source - the United States is talking to the Taliban seeking to trade control of 5 provinces in exchange for the cessation of attacks on US bases. MEMRI summarizes:

An Afghan source in Kabul reports that U.S. Ambassador in Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry is holding secret talks with Taliban elements headed by the movement's foreign minister, Ahmad Mutawakil, at a secret location in Kabul. According to the source, the U.S. has offered the Taliban control of the Kandahar, Helmand, Oruzgan, Kunar and Nuristan provinces in return for a halt to the Taliban missile attacks on U.S. bases.

Kunar province borders the Khyber Pass region where the majority of US and NATO supplies pass enroute from Pakistan. And the remaining four provinces constitute fully the southern 25% of Afghanistan's territory.

This, if true, is a disturbing development.

I have tried to come up with scenarios of why someone would lie about it in a leak. What would be to gain? Who would gain, and what would they gain? Without sleeping on it, the options for such appear narrow at best.

What does seem logical is that an Afghan privy to the negotiations could have become (rightly) spooked that they might just pull it off, and leaked word in hopes that it might so anger American public opinion that the entire endeavor might be scrapped. That's the most logical explanation for motivation I see at the moment.  (continue)

BlackFive:

Since we are hearing that surrender is on the table, we better take a look at what it would take to win. The Foreign Policy Initiative has a document exploding many of the myths about Gen. McChrystal's request for a fully-resourced Counterinsurgency strategy. [snip]

it quite easily punctures many of the arguments bandied about as to why we cannot win. And they finished this paper before the reports of a possible awakening against the Taliban came out.

In the Middle East neighborhood, Iran has taken a step closer to its goal of moving its capital away from Tehran to a new, as yet unbuilt location near the town of Qom.

In Yemen, Saudi Arabia has gone to war:

A crucially important conflict, woefully under-reported in the west, has now come to a head in the Middle East. In response to an ongoing fight that could spill out beyond the Arabian peninsula, Saudi Arabia has entered into direct war with the Houthi rebels in northern Yemen.

Saudi military intervention marks the first time in the kingdom's history that its army has crossed its borders without an ally. Previously, the kingdom engaged only in proxy wars. The Saudis used royalist Yemenis to fight Nasser's Egypt in the 1960s, Iraq's Saddam Hussein to fight Iran in the 1980s, and the US to fight Iraq in the 1990s.

Indeed, Saudi Arabia has fought every "ism" that has sought to dominate the Middle East, including Nasser's pan-Arabism, communism, and today's Islamism of the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, the terrorism of al-Qaida and the Shi'ism of Iran. The tools it relied upon were oil money and Wahhabi Islam. During the 1980s, Saudi Arabia spent more than $75bn on the propagation of Wahhabi doctrine, funding schools, mosques, and charities across the Islamic world in an effort to bolster its influence.  (Guardian UK)

I've never trusted Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan and I don't trust Obama.  Frank Gaffney wonders whose side Obama and his administration are on -- America or the enemy.  Good question.  Perhaps Obama can bow to the Taliban and al-Qaeda.  Then we can all just sit back and watch the rainbows and unicorns appear.  No?

update:

President Barack Obama held a "rigorous final meeting" with his Afghanistan war council and will announce his revised strategy for the eight-year-old conflict during a prime-time address Dec. 1, CBS News confirms.

Mr. Obama will meet with lawmakers on Capitol Hill following the national address in order to shore up congressional support amid opposition by some Democrats who are worried about the strain on the U.S. Treasury and whether Afghanistan has become a quagmire, unnamed officials told Politico. (CBS)