Rules for the non-military folks

Got this by e-mail tonight, and it's too good not to put up.

Rules for the Non Military

Dear Civilians, "We know that the current state of affairs in our great nation has many civilians up in arms and excited to join the military. For those of you who can't join, you can still lend a hand. Here are a few of the areas where we would like your assistance:

1. The next time you see an adult talking (or wearing a hat) during the playing of the National Anthem---kick their ass.
2. When you witness, firsthand, someone burning the American Flag in protest---kick their ass.
3. Regardless of the rank they held while they served, pay the highest amount of respect to all veterans. If you see anyone doing otherwise, quietly pull them aside and explain how these veterans fought for the very freedom they bask in every second. Enlighten them on the many sacrifices these veterans made to make this Nation great. Then hold them down while a disabled veteran kicks their ass.
4. (GUYS) If you were never in the military, DO NOT pretend that you were. Wearing battle dress uniforms (BDUs) or Jungle Fatigues, telling others that you used to be "Special Forces," and collecting GI Joe memorabilia, might have been okay when you were seven years old. Now, it will only make you look stupid and get your ass kicked.
5. Next time you come across an Air Force member, do not ask them, "Do you fly a jet?" Not everyone in the Air Force is a pilot. Such ignorance deserves an ass-kicking (children are exempt).
6. If you witness someone calling the US Coast Guard 'non-military', inform them of their mistake---and kick their ass.
7. Next time Old Glory (the US flag) prances by during a parade, get on your damn feet and pay homage to her by placing your hand over your heart. Quietly thank the military member or veteran lucky enough to be carrying her---of course, failure to do either of those could earn you a severe ass-kicking.
8. Don't try to discuss politics with a military member or a veteran. We are Americans, and we all bleed the same, regardless of our party affiliation. Our Chain of Command is to include our Commander-In-Chief (CinC). The President (for those who didn't know) is our CinC regardless of political party. We have no inside track on what happens inside those big important buildings where all those representatives meet. All we know is that when those civilian representatives screw up the situation, they call upon the military to go straighten it out. If you keep asking us the same stupid questions repeatedly, you will get your ass kicked!
9. 'Your mama wears combat boots' never made sense to me---stop saying it! If she did, she would most likely be a vet and therefore, could kick your ass!
10. Bin Laden and the Taliban are not Communists, so stop saying 'Let's go kill those Commies!' And stop asking us where he is! Crystal balls are not standard issue in the military. That reminds me---if you see anyone calling those damn psychic phone numbers, let me know, so I can go kick their ass!
11. 'Flyboy' (Air Force), 'Jarhead' (Marines), 'Grunt' (Army), 'Squid' (Navy), 'Puddle Jumpers' (Coast Guard), etc., are terms of endearment we use describing each other. Unless you are a service member or vet, you have not earned the right to use them. That could get your ass kicked.
12. Last, but not least, whether or not you become a member of the military, support our troops and their families. Every Thanksgiving and religious holiday that you enjoy with family and friends, please remember that there are literally thousands of soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen far from home wishing they could be with their families. Thank God for our military and the sacrifices they make every day. Without them, our country would get it's ass kicked."

Murdered Thai MP update

The Bangkok Post has an update on the weird case of murdered Thai MP Kobkul Nop-amornbodi I've been following. It seems one of the suspects has committed suicide by poison. But wait! According to the article:

However, police suspected that the death of Sa-ngad Poompeng was the work of the mastermind behind the murder, who wanted to silence him.

Does anyone even use the word mastermind these days? The article goes on to say:

Police expressed confidence that they have sufficient evidence to nail the mastermind.

Nail the mastermind? Who writes this stuff?

Still no word on this incident from AP or Reuters or anything else I can find, but as it appears that this was a former MP running for re-election rather than a sitting one, that might explain the apparent lack of news-worthiness.

No real signs that this was an act of Islamic militants.

Penn and Teller on 9/11 conspiracy theories

YouTube has a great video from Penn and Teller in which they smack down the 9/11 conspiracy theory moonbats. Must-see TV.

Content warning (language).

Chavez: A method to his madness

One may understandably wonder why Venezuela's president and accidental cartoon character Hugo Chavez never misses a chance to trumpet the fantasy that the US is planning on invading his country, or that Washington is plotting a coup against him or his allies. On the surface, in the absence of any overt US hostility against Chavez, it has all the appearance of simple raving to whip up anti-US sentiment and to solidify his popularity by fabricating a bogeyman intent on devouring Venezuela. The truth, I suspect, is actually much more alarming.

The AP reports that Chavez is spending billions on "defense", claiming as justification that a US invasion is on the horizon. Chavez's shopping list includes everything from 100,000 Kalashnikov AK-103 assault rifles (which look suspiciously like AK-47s with the quaint wooden parts replaced with plastic) to submarines, transport planes, and air-superiority fighters.

According to the twisted mind of Chavez:

"The United States is failing in its attempt to blockade us, to disarm us," Chavez said after announcing the first shipment of Kalashnikovs.

What blockade? What attempts to disarm? The only action the US has taken in this area is a decision to discontinue the sale of parts for Venezuela's fleet of F-16s. This decision was made after determining that Venezuela was not contributing to any efforts to fight terrorism.

But buried midway into the article is this statement:

U.S. officials have ridiculed Chavez's frequent warnings of a possible invasion, but say they worry some of the assault rifles could end up in the hands of leftist Colombian rebels.

Bingo. I suspect that this is the real reason for the arms build-up. Just a few days ago, Alvaro Uribe was re-elected in a landslide victory as president of Colombia. Uribe, a staunch US ally, has had successes recently against the FARC leftist rebels, a fact that can't sit well with Chavez. As I've written before, Chavez has been working diligently to promote marxist leaders elsewhere in South America.

With enough military hardware, Chavez can do more than just pass small arms to leftist rebels in Colombia, he can back leftist causes anywhere in South America.

News Corp and the Saudis: Incestuous media conglomerate?

Last September, Saudi prince al-Waleed bin Talal purchased a 5.46% stake in News Corp, the global media conglomerate and parent corporation of Fox News (US), Sky News (UK), among other large media companies. News Corp is majority-owned by Rupert Murdoch.

Yesterday, it was reported that Rupert Murdoch and News Corp is in talks with the same Saudi prince to purchase a stake in the prince's Rotana entertainment firm.

From the AAP News article:

Rotana is expanding its operations in movies, radio and music pushing aggressively into the entertainment market, which caters to nearly 300 million Arabs in the region as well as those living abroad.

Wholly owned by Prince Alwaleed, Rotana plans to list on one of the three United Arab Emirates stock exchanges rather than in conservative Saudi Arabia, where cinemas are not allowed.

I'm not sure exactly what this relationship means yet, but I'm not sure I like it.

Weird news blackout on Thai MP murder

There's a story I've been following for a couple of days in the Bangkok Post about the murder of Thai member of parliament, Kobkul Nop-amornbodi. According to the Post:

The two-term MP was set upon by about three gunmen who blasted her car with M16 rifle fire after chasing her in a pick-up truck on Saturday night.

The Bangkok Post speculates on "political and business conflicts" as possible motives for the killing. But given Thailand's recent history of Islamic violence in the southern provinces, I tried searching other sources for news of the killing and came up with absolutely nothing.

One would think the murder of a nation's member of parliament would merit some mention in the global news sources such as AP, Reuters or AFP.

Chavez insanity watch

Hugo to Evo: Dude...don't bogart that joint!

In his latest paranoid delusion, Venezuela's chief lefty loonball Hugo Chavez accuses Washington of plotting a coup against Bolivian president and co-commie Evo Morales.

He must be right, all the signs are there. Last week, President Bush said he was concerned about the "erosion of democracy" in Bolivia and Venezuela, which as every paranoid batshit loonball commie dictator knows is a prelude to staging a coup:

"When the U.S. president said a few days ago that he was worried because democracy is eroding in Bolivia it's because, you can be sure, he has a plan against Bolivia," Chavez said without elaborating. He urged "his brothers, the Bolivian soldiers," not to be caught off guard.

Fashion tip to Evo and Hugo: Lose the wool flap hats. Only dopers wear those these days. Oh, wait...that might explain a lot.

Divorce, Saudi style

There's an interesting article in Arab News, interesting both by what it says and what it doesn't say. First, what it does say.

When Nawal Mohammed married her husband, he appeared both to her and her family a normal, ever day guy. But shortly after the marriage, he became volatile and violent, and as it turned out, was mentally ill, according to the article.

Afraid she would eventually be seriously injured by her husband, she left and returned home to her family. But:

In order to reconcile the couple, family members representing both sides met to discuss the issue. After intense discussions Nawal’s husband assured her family that she would be treated well if she returned.

“But the fourth day after returning, my husband went back to his old ways. Then I realized he wasn’t going to change so I decided to leave once more,” said Nawal.

When she demanded a divorce from her husband, he demanded 30,000 Saudi Riyals to grant one. According to the article:

Nawal finds her husband’s demands unreasonable and says that she only wants a divorce so she can continue with her life. Her husband has miserably failed in fulfilling his duties as a good husband.

Nawal hopes that the law will soon help her in resolving the mess she is in.

What the article doesn't reveal are things like:

• Why hasn't this man been arrested for beating his spouse?
• If he's mentally ill, what's he doing out and about in society?
• Why can't this woman be granted a divorce decree on the simple basis of abuse?

For that matter, the article can't see fit to even mention the husband's name.

So, how are those "reforms" working out for you there in Saudi Arabia?

Zimbabweans to live on maize alone?

Mugabe to farmers: Grow rutabagas at your peril!

Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, having apparently grabbed all the farm land owned by whites, has now started seizing land from black farmers.

Once the "bread basket" of Africa, Zimbabwe's agricultural economy is now in ruins. It seems Mugabe has a thing for corn:

Lot Dube's crops of onions, tomatoes and sweet potatoes were growing nicely when soldiers marched into Insiza district, in the south of the country, set up camp and declared that all crops other than maize would be destroyed. "They told us, 'We are taking away your fields from you' ," said Mr Dube, 63, who has farmed 10 acres, 80 miles south of Bulawayo, since 1982. The soldiers ploughed in the market vegetables which he grew to raise cash to pay school fees for his children, and told him to plant maize.

And to add insult to injury (or injury to insult):

Just for amusement, they forced him to pick stones off his field, while neighbouring farmers - some of them women - who refused to uproot their own vegetables and fruit trees were beaten until they submitted.

Naturally, the UN loves this guy.

The Islamic Republic of Iran's depravity

Today's London Telegraph has an article on Roya Tolouee, an Iranian dissident who was jailed for 66 days last year on trumped up charges. Ms. Tolouee is pro-democracy and women's rights activist, which doesn't go over well with the Islamic regime in Iran.

During her captivity, she was beaten, raped and told by her captors that "they would kill her children by setting them on fire before her eyes." After withstanding the physical abuse, it was this threat that made Ms. Tolouee crack and give her captors what they wanted: admission to the "crimes" of giving interviews to foreign media and leading protests.

After being released on bail, Ms. Tolouee was able to escape Iran with her children, and is now living in the US.

The article illustrates well the brutality of the regime, as well as the dignity of Ms. Tolouee:

"When I asked how he could do this to me, he said that he believed in only two things - Islam and the rule of the clerics."

"But I know of no religious morality that can justify what they did to me, or other women. For these people, religion is only a tool for dictatorship and abuse. It is a regime of prejudice against women, against other regimes, against other ethnic groups, against anybody who thinks differently from them."

Read it all.

Thailand's Muslims pretend source of violence is a mystery

Like OJ, these Thai Muslims are looking for the real killers.

This AFP article from a couple days ago discusses the violence that's gripped southern Thailand for the past two years. The problem with the article, though, is its implication that the source of the violence is a big mystery.

Nearly 1,300 people have died over the past couple of years in Thailand's southern provinces, mostly at the hands of "insurgents", apparently an MSM code word for Muslim separatists agitating for an independent Islamic state. According to a local Islamic cleric:

"Everyone is scared because we don't know who is behind the violence," Muslim cleric Abdulrozak Alee, 52, said at Narathiwat Central Mosque, the biggest mosque in the southern province that borders Malaysia.

Don't know who's behind the violence? Try checking with your congregation. Even the AFP writer gets in on the act:
But exactly who is behind the violence remains a mystery, with experts pointing to a complex web of Islamic separatists and organized criminals.

The Muslim community, of course, is quick to project culpability elsewhere:

"It's about gangsters controlling the black market. But the government does not catch real criminals. Instead, they catch innocent people. The government is not sincere about solving this crisis," Rusdi said, sitting near the mosque.

Muslim cleric Abdulrozak agreed.

"We want to see sincerity from the government and we need understanding between the government and Muslim population," he said.

So, what will the Iraqi olympic swim team wear?

The Islamofascists are at it again in Iraq, imposing their own unique ideas of what's proper, this time gunning down a couple of tennis players and their coach. Their offense? Wearing shorts.

In all fairness, they were warned in advance. From the article:

The athletes were in shorts when they were killed and police believe the attack was related to a warning by extremists against such attire, police Lt. Maitham Abdul Razzaq said. He said the warning was made in leaflets distributed in the Sadiyah neighborhood in southwest Baghdad a week before the attack.

This is the second attack on Iraqi athletes in a little more than a week. From the same article:

A taekwondo team was kidnapped in western Iraq while driving to a training camp in neighboring Jordan on May 17. The 15 athletes were snatched on a road between the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, a particularly violent area. The athletes were members of a private sports club that hopes to one day send athletes to the Olympics.

Wait...fifteen of them? Either there were a hell of a lot of kidnappers, or these guys need to work some more on their taekwondo.

The article doesn't state what the taekwondo team was wearing at the time of their capture.

George Galloway: World's Most Unhinged Politician

George Galloway, British MP and barking moonbat extraordinaire, continues his campaign for the title of Most Unhinged Politician. In his latest lunatic rant, he claims that the assassination of British Prime Minister Tony Blair would be "morally justified".

And just to make sure we know he takes his dementia seriously, he goes on to note that he was the best fighter in his school, and that he'd like to go a few rounds with both Blair and Bush, adding "I'd take them both at once."

Currently in Cuba performing verbal fellatio on Fidel Castro, Galloway both confirmed and defended his statement, saying "It would be entirely logical and explicable — and morally equivalent to ordering the deaths of thousands of innocent people in Iraq as Blair did." He then makes a feeble effort to temper his remarks by assuring us that he'd notify police if he knew of such a plot.

Sure, George.

Update 27 May 2006 @ 08:09 - The Lone Voice and crucification deliver thorough ass-kickings to Galloway.

German court says "Nein!" to fighting terrorism

In a recent ruling, the German Federal Constitution Court in Karlsruhe said it's unconstitutional to use database searches as a means of identifying potential terror suspects. According to Konrad Freiberg, head of the GdP police union:

"This robs us of a means to prevent terrorist preparations in their earliest stages."

"We cannot understand why the courts keep putting more and more limits on the ability of security forces to take action to protect the public from catastrophic attacks."

Wunderbar.

AI: Once courageous, now irrelevant

At one time, Amnesty International was an organization with meaning, shining light on oppressive regimes around the world with their reports of the human rights violations of some of the world's worst governments. This AFP report via Expatica shows just how irrelevant they've become.

The article, and Amnesty's web site, show that AI's definition of human rights violations has been so broadened as to become meaningless. If you're trying to combat terrorism, you're an evil, oppressive regime. If your country has any poor or disadvantaged people, you're an evil, oppressive regime.

Like the ACLU, they've simply become leftist idealogues pushing an agenda.

The "other" special ops guys

These airmen are not perfecting their golf game.

Most people hearing the term "Air Force Special Operations" will think it an oxymoron. The not entirely unjustified perception of the US Air Force is one of a bunch of nine-to-fivers whose closest contact with dirt is on the base golf course.

But today's USA Today carried a couple of articles about the Air Force's efforts to recruit special operators, namely pararescue specialists and combat controllers, that will hopefully enlighten the public.

The articles only scratch the surface of the training required of USAF pararescue "PJs" and combat controllers.

Combat controllers deploy to high threat locations to direct air strikes against enemy positions. They're qualified in all manner of parachute jumps, survival, small unit operations and other disciplines not usually associated with the Air Force. Oh, and they're also trained as air traffic controllers. Can't have all those strike aircraft bumping into each on the way to the target, you know.

PJs are responsible for the rescue of downed pilots (or anyone else, for that matter) in hostile territory. Their training is similar to that of combat controllers, but instead of learning to control air traffic, they're trained as medical specialists so that they can treat wounded pilots prior to extraction. To get someone fully trained in either of these specialties can take more than two years.

So next time you see someone in an Air Force uniform, don't assume that his idea of roughing it is a hotel without cable TV. He just might have a tougher job than you think.

Hoorah.

Gratuitous fluff post

OK, I'll admit it. I'm an American Idol fan. The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, right? Seriously though, it's fun to watch. Besides the bickering amongst the judges, there's some real singing talent there.

This year I thought offered the best crop yet. Early on, I was a huge fan of Chris Daughtry. I was so angry when he was voted off, I nearly stopped watching the show. I still think he should have won. Daughtry is one of those rare talents who can sing anything, except maybe opera. But he'll do just fine...the band Fuel has offered him a job, and if he can escape the evil corporate clutches of Idol, he'll be a household name for years to come.

But it came down tonight to Taylor Hicks and Katherine McPhee. After Daughtry, Hicks was my personal favorite. If anybody embodied a passion for music, it was Hicks. I got the impression that he would have paid for the privilege of sharing his love of music with the public.

In the end, I think it was his joy and passion that beat out McPhee's more polished and seemingly calculated performances. Not to detract from McPhee's obvious talent at all...she's got a killer voice. But maybe the American public isn't so shallow, after all.

Mentioning the unmentionable in Britain

A story has been running in Britain's press about the tragic killing of 15 year old Kiyan Prince, a promising young soccer player and by all accounts an all-around good kid. He was stabbed to death while trying to break up a fight.

I often take issue with The First Post for their overtly anti-American articles, but almost as frequently, they get out in front of an issue and say what other publications and web sites are afraid to say.

In none of the previous articles in other publications I've read about young Kiyan was it said exactly who killed this bright young man. But in this First Post article, it's revealed that his killer was a Somali immigrant.

Neil Clark, the article's author, states the obvious but apparently unmentionable:

The liberal mantra holds immigration policy should be non-discriminatory: all immigrants, provided they meet entry criteria, are equally welcome, from wherever they emanate.

But does anyone seriously believe that a large influx of migrants from Ghana, a peaceful, stable country with one of the lowest crime rates in the world, would have the same impact on the host nation as a large influx of migrants from Somalia, a violent and lawless land in which the carrying of knives and other weapons is commonplace?

Unfortunately, the PC liberal thought police don't allow such statements without accusations of racial hatred, bigotry and Nazism.

Saudi cleric rambles, lies, quotes Rep. Jim Moran

At memri.org, there's an item posted earlier this month quoting the ramblings of Saudi Islamic cleric Nasser bin Suleiman Al-'Omar in which he rambles about the imminent collapse of America, quotes Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) and spews bald-faced lies about US casualties in Iraq.

Says Dr. Al-'Omar:

"Listen to this report, which was submitted by the American intelligence to the American officials, regarding the religion of Islam, which some think is defeated or weak today. According to the report, Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. Muslims will soon become one-third of the world's population. Conversion to Islam increased significantly following 9/11.

"In addition, U.S. Congressman John Morlan [sic] said: 'The 21st century is the century of Islam, which will offer an opportunity for peace in the world.' There is no doubt that it is Islam that will bring peace, and not the U.N., America, Russia, or anyone else." [Note: The cleric is referring to Representative Jim Moran, Democrat from Virginia's 8th Congressional District --ed.]

Al-'Omar goes on to say of American casualties:

"Do not believe the American reports. According to America it had around 2000 casualties, but in fact, the casualties number 40,000 or more."

The Americans are Dumping Their Casualties in the Tigris and Euphrates, and Iraqi Clerics Have Asked Me for a Fatwa about Eating the Fish

"By Allah, a number of Iraqi religious scholars came to me, and said: 'We have a problem.' What was the problem? They said: There have been so many American casualties that they loaded them on trucks and threw them away in the desert. But because the number of casualties was so high... The Iraqi scholars were asking me for a fatwa. They asked me to issue a fatwa on the following question: 'Because there were so many casualties, the Americans began to throw them into the Tigris and the Euphrates. The fish have eaten from the flesh of the American and have gotten fat. Are we permitted to eat these fish or not?' Yes. This is the truth, brothers."

Of co-existence with the west, he says:

"How can anyone claim coexistence with such people is possible?"

Indeed.

My coup runneth over

This ought to be good.

Venezuelan Marxist Moonbat in Chief Hugo Chavez claims now that Oliver Stone is to make a movie based on the 2002 coup that briefly ousted Chavez from power. Chavez, of course, claims the coup to have been backed by Washington, a fantasy dismissed by all but the most hard-core of the tinfoil hat brigade.

Assuming the claim is true, and given Stone's political sentiments, I make the following predictions:

• Chavez will be portrayed as a great leader and hero of the people
• America, and particularly Bush, will be presented as the most devious of villains
• The film will affirm the Washington-backed coup meme
• Everyone in Hollywood and at the Cannes and Sundance film festivals will be lining up to personally fellate Stone before bestowing best film honors on him

"And this one was driven by a little old dictator..."

A Connecticut Army reservist who served in Iraq in 2003 has apparently had a "war trophy" seized. Now, most war trophies consist of battle flags, captured weapons, uniform items and the like, but this guy thought big.

The booty? A 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560 SEL. Oh, and not just any Mercedes. This one reportedly belonged to Saddam, and was armored, bullet proofed, had a loudspeaker system, and even "a series of pipes that shoot flames out the side of the car", according to the article. Now that will keep the oppressed masses from getting too close to the vehicle.

Unfortunately for First Sgt. William von Zehle, he'll probably be out the five thousand bucks he paid for the car now that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have seized the car as a suspected war trophy.

Gay terrorists welcome!

Sure...this one looks gay. But how many
straight terrorists made it into Norway?

Norway's Aftenposten is reporting that Iranians claiming that they're homosexual have been given unconditional asylum in Norway. According to the article, the Directorate of Immigration took all claims on faith:

The UDI granted asylum even if the testimony often had little backing or appeared to be patently false, newspaper VG reports.
According to VG, UDI representatives have presented a range of cases in the Iran asylum affair where caseworkers clearly note their skepticism towards the applicant testimony given, but asylum was granted.

Given Iran's notorious persecution of homosexuals, it's easy to understand Norway's sympathy. But Norway is a Schengen country, meaning that once in the country, they can travel without hindrance to any other country which is signatory to the Schengen agreement. Those countries, according to the EuroVisa web site are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

Hugo and the Flanker

It's a bit scary to contemplate what a commie dictator
with expansionist dreams could do with a few squadrons
of these babies.

Commie crank Hugo Chavez may visit Russia later this summer in an effort to acquire some Sukhoi Su-35 Super Flanker fighter aircraft.

Now, the Su-35 is a pretty bad-ass fighter, but even if he had a hundred of them, he'd still be little threat to the US. What makes this a dangerous development is that with the Flankers, he's likely to have the toughest air force in South America.

Given Chavez's penchant for courting up and coming commies throughout Central and South America, look for comrade Hugo to start flexing some Marxist muscle in latin America.

Reform in Saudi Arabia?

Arab News has an item entitled "Reform in Harmony with Islam: Princess Lolwah" which describes reforms underway in Saudi Arabia. According to the article:

A Saudi princess said reforms would continue in the context of Islamic culture and that the Saudi government had been gently pushing an expanded women’s role for decades.

Princess Lolwah Al Faisal made the comments before the World Economic Forum on the Middle East being held May 20-22 at Sharm El-Sheikh. The princess, who is co-chair of the forum, is vice-chair of the board of trustees and general supervisor of Jeddah’s Effat College.

Ever so gently, it seems. Just a few years ago, 15 schoolgirls died when their school burned. The doors were locked (to ensure proper gender separation), and when the girls tried to escape, the kingdom's mutaween, or religious police, forced the girls back inside to prevent them from appearing in public without their headscarves and abayas.

Princess Lolwah defends the kingdom, Islam and Sharia law, saying:

“It is important to understand the history and culture of Saudi Arabia before you question or blame everything on Shariah law,” the princess said. “Saudi Arabia has long existed as a religious nation. Islam is embedded in all aspects of life and among the people. It is woven throughout our society. Islam is a social religion that demands knowledge and progress for all members of the society. It is the reason for women’s progress and achievements in Saudi Arabia.” [emphasis mine --ed.]

Oh, really? Tell that to the countless female victims of honor killings, stoning and female genital mutilation.

Muslim countries don't need reform "in harmony with Islam". They need loud, noisy reform bellowing in their ears.

Mobile blogging

Testing mobile blogging from my Treo handheld with a picture I took from the plane on my flight into San Fran last week.

Pretty cool, eh?

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To learn how you can snap pictures with your wireless phone visit
www.verizonwireless.com/getitnow/getpix.

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More bizarre commie economics from Chavez

Yesterday it was reported that the US was imposing a ban on arms sales to Venezuela. Today, Venezuela's self-appointed Absolute-Supreme-Dictator-for-Life Hugo Chavez advised the world what his response would be: If he can't get needed arms from the US, he'll sell what little he does have.

Seriously.

Let's see...he complains that the arms sales ban is an attempt by Washington to militarily weaken Venezuela, so he's going to get rid of a bunch of F-16s in response.

This is what passes for rational thinking and statesmanship in the mind of Hugo Chavez.

Meanwhile, in Norway...

Rumor has it that hundreds of Scandinavian-looking
Hollywood extras were hired for this shot. The rest are CGI.

During our recent immigrant protests, a sideshow was going on about a Spanish language translation of the American national anthem. We are not alone.

Aftenposten of Norway reports today that a similar move is underway there to translate the Norwegian national anthem to Urdu. Urdu is the language spoken by Pakistani immigrants in Norway.

The one remaining conservative in Norway was quick to respond:

"This is integration in reverse," claimed Per-Willy Amundsen, the Progress Party spokesman on issues dealing with immigration.

The "best gift" immigrants can give to "their new homeland," argued Amundsen, is to learn Norwegian. He has no sympathy for immigrants who have problems singing the national anthem in Norwegian.

"It just takes practice to learn it," he claimed. "Those who are new to the country can hum along while we others sing."

Irony alert: The title of Norway's national anthem is "Ja vi elsker", which translates as "Yes we love (this country)".

Danish Imam not leaving Denmark after all

Jyllands-Posten is reporting that Imam Abu Laban is not leaving Denmark.

Could it be he's been encouraged by developments there?

BBC: Bumbling Boobs Corporation

As if further evidence of BBC's diminished credibility was needed, we have this: Cabbie poses as Internet expert in BBC mixup

It seems when a topical expert is needed on an issue, anyone off the street will do for the Beeb.

Odd Saudi news item of the day

An item in Arab News has me scratching my head: Kingdom Delays Plans to Replace Salesmen in Lingerie Shops

From the article:

Saudi Arabia has postponed plans to replace salesmen in lingerie shops, saying it wants to give outlets more time to prepare for the move. The government, which wants more women to work as part of its efforts to reduce reliance on foreign labor, took the decision last June and businesses were given a year to prepare for implementation.

Lingerie shops...in Saudi Arabia? Are you freakin' kidding me? And staffed by men? I would assume this means that only women with male relatives working at lingerie shops can buy lingerie.

Of course, this begs the question of just what lingerie in Saudia Arabia might look like. Something like this, perhaps?

Britain's lesser known immigrants

Much has been written about immigrants from Muslim countries in Britain, but another wave of immigrants in Britain has received far less attention.

The First Post has an item that's startling in its naivete: Why do we set the Poles apart? In it, the author states that 350,000 Poles have arrived in Britain since 2004. The article describes the first wave as hard-working plumbers, plasterers and nannies, and says that more educated professionals, such as doctors, dentists and engineers are now arriving. The article also highlights the difference between the warm welcome the Poles have received and the description of the Muslim immigrants as 'swamping' or 'invading' the country.

In the last paragraph, author William Langley takes a cynical view of Brits:

"But it begs the awkward question of why, when immigration is such a hot issue, and many beyond the ranks of the BNP fear the social fabric of the country is being destroyed by it, we welcome the Poles. Is it because, like most Brits, they are white and Christian? Or, unlike most Brits, they can do a loft conversion in three days?"

Come now, Mr. Langley...don't you think it may have at least something to do with the astonishingly low number of Polish immigrants who are trying to kill you and your fellow citizens?

The Caliphate: "One nation, under Allah..."

The Christian Science Monitor ran a chilling article a few days ago in which the author interviews members of Hizb ut-Tahrir, a Muslim group banned in many countries which advocates unification of all Muslim nations under a revived Caliphate: The Caliphate: One nation, under Allah, with 1.5 billion Muslims

Hizb ut-Tahrir gets little notice here in the west, mainly because terrorist attacks aren't generally carried out directly under their name. But given their teachings, it's likely that a fair number of known Islamic terrorist organizations are offshoots of HuT.

A few sample quotes from the article (all emphasis mine):

"[President] Bush says that we want to enslave people and oppress their freedom of speech," says Abu Abdullah, a senior member of Hizb ut-Tahrir, the Party of Liberation. "But we want to free all people from being slaves of men and make them slaves of Allah."

"The Caliphate is a rallying point between the radicals and the more moderate Islamists," says Stephen Ulph, a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation. "The idea of a government based on the Caliphate has a historical pedigree and Islamic legitimacy that Western systems of government by their very nature do not have." ["moderate Islamists"? Aren't Islamists by nature radical? --ed.]

"We spread our ideas by addressing people directly," says Abdullah Shakr, a fluent English-speaker, who, like all three men, spent time in Jordanian jails for membership in the party. "We don't care if the government knows about us, but ... we try not to catch their attention."

"The Muslim world has resources like oil but it lacks the leadership that will rule us by Islamic law and make this jihad that the whole world is afraid of," says Shakr, a Jordanian member of the group, who says the success of the Caliphate will also encourage more converts to Islam - eventually making the whole world Islamic.

And now for the money shot:

"Islam obliges Muslims to possess power so that they can intimidate - I would not say terrorize [no, of course you wouldn't --ed.] - the enemies of Islam," says Abu Mohammed, a Hizb ut-Tahrir activist. "In the beginning, the Caliphate would strengthen itself internally and it wouldn't initiate jihad."

"But after that we would carry Islam as an intellectual call to all the world," says Abu Mohammed, a pseudonym. "And we will make people bordering the Caliphate believe in Islam. Or if they refuse then we'll ask them to be ruled by Islam."

And after that? Abu Mohammed pauses and fiddles with his Pepsi before replying.

"And if after all discussions and negotiations they still refuse, then the last resort will be a jihad to spread the spirit of Islam and the rule of Islam," he says, smiling. "This is done in the interests of all people to get them out of darkness and into light."

Brain-dead commie economics

What's with the Nazi salute? I thought commies didn't like fascists?

The AP reports today that batshit-loonball commie thug (oh, and Venezuelan President) Hugo Chavez plans to offer cheap oil for Europe's poor, similar to what he did last winter for poor Americans in the northeast.

During an "alternative summit" (described as "a gathering ... of activists and representatives of social movements and non-governmental groups") in Vienna, Austria, Chavez said:

"I want to humbly offer support to the poorest people who do not have resources for central heating in winter and make sure that support arrives."

Maybe if he stopped giving oil away as a propaganda stunt he wouldn't have to buy oil from other countries (hattip LGF) to cover delivery contracts.

Palestinian fund-raiser

The Arab News reports that around 5,000 Palestinians donated cash and jewelry to raise money for the cash-starved Hamas government. The article makes no mention of how much money was raised.

Hamas has been hurting for funds after western governments pinned continued financial support on the condition that Hamas recognize Israel's right to exist. The Palestinian sense of entitlement to foreign aid is made jaw-droppingly evident in this statement by former Nablus mayor Bassam Al-Shaqaa:

“These donations are our way of telling the world that we can live without them, and our children are paying what the Europeans should be paying." [emphasis mine --ed.]

The left loves to deride the Bush administration for promoting democracy in the Middle East, then undermining democratically-elected governments it finds not to its liking. The reality is that western governments are merely letting the Palestinian people live with the consequences of creating their own monster.

Buddy, can you spare a Timex?

Chavez puff piece

Given the Marxist tendencies of Hugo Chavez, it's not surprising that the UK's communist rag The Guardian would publish this fawning piece of journalistic fellatio about him written by lefty journalist John Pilger.

Consider the following from the article:

"He is the most popular head of state in the western hemisphere, probably in the world. That is why he survived, amazingly, a Washington-backed coup in 2002."

Never mind that the "Washington-backed coup" meme is a fantasy persistently repeated by Chavez and lefties everywhere, but never backed up by any evidence.

As for Pilger, the Wikipedia entry on him offers this:

He has been subjected to much criticism, with Auberon Waugh in Britain coining the verb 'to pilger' to denote 'to present information in a sensationist manner to reach a foregone conclusion'. The verb was also added to the 1991 edition of Oxford English Dictionary of New Words, but revoked in 1994 following complaints by Pilger. It has been claimed that Pilger's writings have rarely been subjected to detailed critiques.

One of Pilger's biggest defenders is Noam Chomsky. 'Nuff said.

Light posting again this week...

I'm in San Francisco all week at a conference, so posting will be sparse again. Hopefully I'll be able to get some stuff up while wading through the moonbats here in Moonbat Central.

By the numbers

A "vast majority" of British Muslims get their freak on over the Mohammed Cartoons

The other day, I heard a talking head on TV saying that radical Islamists don't represent "the vast majority of Muslims". We've been hearing variations of that statement almost daily since 9/11, but just what constitutes a "vast majority"? Ninety percent? Ninety-nine percent? This got me thinking.

Depending on the source of the information, there are anywhere between 1 billion and 1.5 billion Muslims in the world. Let's use the 1 billion figure. It's conservative, and the math is easier.

If just one percent of the world's Muslims are of the radical Islamist variety, that's a standing army of ten million head-choppers out there. If it's 10 percent (a number I think may be more realistic), that makes the number of head-choppers one hundred million. And if you take the figure of 1.4 billion Muslims I see quoted most often, the numbers rise to somewhere between 14 million and 140 million.

This leads us to another question: How many of that "vast majority" are of the peaceful, sign-carrying variety?

Expansionist dreams for Chavez?

Hugo establishes his commie street cred in this photo with comrade Fidel Castro

Venezuela president Hugo Chavez has been meddling in Nicaraguan and Peruvian politics in an effort to prop up communist political candidates in South America, according to this report.

Of his support for resurgent Nicaraguan communist Daniel Ortega, the article says:

Chavez has openly backed Ortega, saying he would like his "friend" and "brother" [read: "comrade" --ed.] to win Nov. 5 presidential elections.

Couple that with this AP report via Fox News in which Chavez threatens to seek "indefinite" re-election, and it appears we've got a growing problem to our south.

Update 23:14, 6 May 2006: Evidently, "indefinitely" means 25 years in commiespeak.

First Iraqi Ranger

Some positive Iraq-related news from AP for once.

I spotted this AP article this morning in our local paper, and found an online version at Yahoo News. It seems the first Iraqi soldier has just graduated from the US Army Ranger school at Fort Benning, GA after some two months of the famed grueling training.

Identified only as Capt. Arkan (his last name withheld to protect his family), he was a 25 year old lieutenant in Saddam's army at the start of the Iraq war in March, 2003, but feels no animosity towards the United States. He says of that time:

"It was a situation you expect from war," he said. "They were fighting Saddam Hussein, not the people. They came for the people. You have to take these matters professionally."

The commander of the Ranger Training Brigade, Col. Clarence K.K. Chinn, said:

"Once an officer gets training in the United States, there's a loyalty toward this country."

Well now, that's debatable. I seem to recall Iranian air force student pilots training at a base I was stationed at in Texas in 1978.

Nevertheless, it's good to see some positive Iraq news from AP.

Winds of change in Britain

I've commented here previously that British voters appear fed up with the ineptitude of the Labour party, and yesterday's local elections appear to be confirming that belief. Labour lost more than 250 local council seats and 16 town halls.

How much of this debacle is attributable to opposition to the war in Iraq and how much to Labour's blinkered multi-culturalism and resulting immigration problems would be guesswork for me, but it's clear that Mr. Blair's Labour party is in serious trouble.

Maybe most telling is the fact that the far-right British National Party, often depicted in British media as racist, won 11 of the 13 seats they were contesting in east London, and picked up other seats elsewhere. Given the BNP's hard stance against Labour's outrageous immigration policies which have allowed criminals and terrorists into the country, I'd venture a guess that the voters' revolt is due in large measure to anti-immigration backlash.

Britain's immigration mess

Think we got it bad with our immigration problems here? Take a look at Britain's.

There's been a story running there that's been completely overlooked by our media. Charles Clarke, Britain's Home Secretary, has admitted that immigrants in Britain illegally have been committing crimes, many of them violent, and being released at an alarming rate. The whereabouts of most of them are unknown.

And we're not just talking about shoplifters and pickpockets here. From one Telegraph article:

Mr Clarke, who is fighting to hold on to his Cabinet post, said that, of the 79 most serious offenders identified last week - convicted of murder, manslaughter, rape and child sex attacks - 32 had been tracked down and officials had ruled out deporting nine others. The Home Office confirmed that the remaining 38 were still at large. A further 11 offenders in the category of "more serious offences" had been identified among the 1,023 released overall.

And:

In the latest damaging development for the Government, it was revealed that an Iraqi Kurd wanted for questioning in connection with the attempted murder of a man and a sexual attack on a 15-year-old girl had been recommended for deportation after a previous court case.

On Tuesday it emerged that a 25-year-old Somalian, Mustaf Jama, 25, was allowed to stay in Britain only months before he was implicated in the murder of Pc [that's Brit for police officer --ed.] Sharon Beshenivsky in Bradford last November. He is on the run.

This Daily Telegraph editorial summarizes the problem well. The issue shines a harsh and glaring light on the problems with membership in the EU and its attendant forfeiture of sovereignty. While prime minister Blair promises to implement harsh deportation rules, the EU tells him he can't do that as it would be in contravention of EU policy.

On the other hand, it might be convenient to have Brussels to blame for our problem.

Tariq Ali's diarrhea of the pen

"Tweed jacket? Check. Black turtleneck? Check. Clenched fist? Check...my image as a Marxist wackademic is complete."

Tariq Ali, a Pakistani-born novelist, activist and Communist living in Britain, wrote this editiorial piece (for al-Guardian, natch). In it, he:

• defends Iran's rights to pursue nuclear weapons, but considers their efforts "primitive gropings"
• accuses Washington of "manufacturing" the crisis
• dismisses Iran's denial of the Holocaust and threats against Israel

Aside from simply making my head hurt, his ramblings included the jaw-dropper quote of the day:

"Nor is fundamentalist backwardness exhibited in the denial of the Nazi genocide against the Jews and the threat to obliterate Israel, a basis for any foreign policy."

A "basis for any foreign policy"? Excuse me?

Mr. Ali goes on to make the completely unsubstantiated claim that "Plans were thus well advanced [for military action against Iran] before Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's victory in the June 2005 Iranian presidential election."

Read the whole thing...but keep the Tylenol close at hand.

Nascent Iraqi Communism

A worker displays his sentiments during a May Day protest in Iraq

In geopolitical math, I suppose the equation goes something like this: third world country minus murderous dictator equals commies crawling out of the woodwork.

On the other hand, maybe this will cause groups like International ANSWER, Code Pink(o) and Moveon.org to come out in support of the Iraq effort.

From the cartoonist's mouth

Jyllands-Posten of Denmark, the original publisher of the Mohammed cartoons, has an interview with the cartoonist who produced the above cartoon. Asked about his cartoon's intended message, he responds [all emphasis mine --ed.]:

"The cartoon is not directed against Islam as a whole, but against the part of it which obviously can inspire to violence, terrorism, death and destruction. And therefore the fundamentalist aspect of Islam. I wanted to show that terrorists get their spiritual ammunition from Islam."

When asked why he wanted to get this particular message across:

"If a religion degenerates into religious Fascism, we are faced with totalitarian tendencies similar to Fascism and Nazism in the past. It is the same situation, where people have to bow their heads and act as the regime wants them to act. I believe we have to fight against that and of course a cartoonist's weapon is the pen or pencil and a certain amount of indignation."

When asked the inane question of whether he thought the cartoon "shows sufficient respect for Islam", his response is right on target:

"It does not respect the kind of Islam which provides terrorists with spiritual fuel. I have nothing against Islam and Muslims. They are entitled to their freedom, but if factions of a religion degenerate in a totalitarian and aggressive direction, I believe we have to protest. We protested against the other isms. Thousands of satirical cartoons and other satire were produced during Communism, exposing and reacting against it."

Some other choice quotes from the cartoonist:

"We were obliged to defend our view of freedom of speech, because a religion or people practising a religion and perhaps subscribing to the more fundamentalist aspects of it have begun to demand a privileged or special position in the public arena.

"...I am not a Muslim, it is not my religion, I am in my own country, I must be allowed to follow the tradition which for the sake of freedom of speech is one of the cornerstones of our democracy. That must not be compromised, that cannot be right. We have had to lay down the borderlines."

Does this guy totally get it, or what?

Ahmadinejad inspires new fashion line

Someone over at Cafe Press has introduced a new line of casual wear inspired by Iranian President Mahmoud "Doomsday" Ahmadinejad.

Get 'em while they (we?) last.

Tired of high gas prices?

I just read an item in Arab News that the Saudi government has ordered a reduction of gas prices from 90 halalas to 60 halalas per liter. So, doing a little math...

60 halalas (0.60 Saudi Riyals) is about 0.16 USD...there are just about 3.8 liters to a gallon (let's just call it four)...that makes gas in Saudi Arabia about 64 cents a gallon.

Put that in your Hummer and smoke it!