'Unlikely' last stand appears likely

The Islamists' last stand at Kismayo which I thought not likely to take place appears to be, well, taking place. As an added bonus, we just might get some guys involved in the bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania:

Fighting erupted Sunday on the outskirts of a militant Islamic movement's last remaining stronghold, where Somalia's prime minister said three al-Qaida suspects wanted in the 1998 bombings of U.S. embassies were hiding.

[ ... ]

[Somalia Prime Minister Ali Mohamed] Gedi said Islamic militants in Kismayo, Somalia's third-largest city, were sheltering alleged bombers Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan and Abu Taha al-Sudani. The bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania killed more than 250 people.

[ ... ]

"If we capture them alive we will hand them over to the United States," Gedi said. "We know they are in Kismayo."

That's some crow I don't mind eatin'.

Thailand's Islamists moving north?

Six bombs were detonated in and around Bangkok on New Year's Eve. Reports are conflicting, but it appears at least two are dead, and as many as 20 injured.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks, but the Thai government had issued warnings of terrorist attacks for the New Year holiday in the violence-prone Muslim south.

The fact that the bombs were set off almost simultaneously, however, has all the hallmarks of an al Qaeda (or al Qaeda-inspired) operation.

Links:
AFP
Reuters
ITN

Pakistani jihadis get do-over

Pakistani courts have released as many as 80 hard-core jihadis from prison:

Anti-terrorism officers in Pakistan say they are deeply alarmed by the security situation. "We are back to square one and the situation is more precarious than it was before 9/11," one senior officer told The Sunday Telegraph. "They are planning more attacks. They have got huge backup. There are so many youths who are joining them. The old ones who are released from the prison are guiding and training the new cadres."

Isn't that just dandy? And these are not just lone, frothing-at-the-mouth militants:

Counter-terrorism officials are aghast at the decision by the courts to free so many people suspected of involvement in attacks. Police say many have since disappeared off the radar of intelligence agencies and are believed to be planning to strike.

Among those released recently are Sohail Akhtar (aka Mustafa), the operational commander of the outlawed Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami group. He has been blamed for a campaign that included a suicide attack in Karachi in which 11 French engineers died, the suicide attack on the US consulate, and the failed attempt on the president's life. Intelligence officers say Mustafa — who was initially sentenced to death before a court overturned the verdict — is also believed to have travelled to Iraq to establish contact between al-Qaeda and terrorists there. His interrogators described him as "a terrorist genius".

One official said: "He was the one who cobbled together all the jihadis, working under various organisations, by coining the slogan, 'The ways should be different but the goal should be one'."

But fear not...Pakistani government officials are on the case:

The government has called a meeting in Islamabad this week to discuss the release of militants. It may put forward a strategy to deter the courts from clearing suspects or releasing them on bail.

Horse gone; barn door closing.

Last stand? Not likely.

Ethiopian and Somali government troops are closing on the town of Kismayo in southern Somalia in the hopes of destroying the Islamist forces there once and for all.

My own guess is that the Ethiopians and government troops will arrive there and find nobody home:

"You think that Islamic courts have failed and the Ethiopian invaders have won in Somalia? I tell you within days everything will be changed," Sheikh Mohamed Ibrahim Bilal, the Islamist commander, said. "I assure you that the Islamic forces are everywhere in the country and you will see the forces operating within days. What we will do is hit and run. We will ambush their convoys everywhere in Somalia."

Many fear that his comments herald a switch in direction by the Islamists, from controlling Somali territory with the objective of running the country under fundamentalist Sharia law, to an insurgency campaign against the interim government and Ethiopian and Western interests.

Tough times ahead for Somalia. Then again, that's nothing new.

Professional courtesy

* THUD * * THUD * * THUD *

That sound you hear is my head repeatedly striking my computer. I blogged here and here earlier about Iranian diplomatic and military officials being arrested and detained by US forces in Iraq. The two who were clearly diplomats were released earlier for diplomatic immunity, but two senior military officials continued to be held. That's no longer the case.

The Iraqi government has released the two military officials after Iran's claim of diplomatic immunity for them, as well. Never mind that these agents provocateur were caught red-handed:

U.S. defense officials familiar with the raids said the captured Iranians had detailed weapons lists, documents pertaining to shipments of weapons into Iraq, organizational charts, telephone records and maps, among other sensitive intelligence information. Officials were particularly concerned by the fact that the Iranians had information about importing modern, specially shaped explosive charges into Iraq, weapons that have been used in roadside bombs to target U.S. military armored vehicles.

Shaped charges focus the energy of a blast, allowing shrapnel to burst through vehicles, sometimes even if they are heavily armored. U.S. military officials have long said they believed Iran was responsible for sending such weapons -- along with others, such as advanced sniper rifles -- into Iraq to help insurgents and militia groups.

"The evidence shows that they were exactly up to the things our suspicions indicated," said one U.S. defense official.

It's generally accepted that if a cop stops a car for speeding and finds that the driver is an off-duty cop, he'll extend a professional courtesy and let him off. Apparently that's just what the shi'ite-led government of Iraq is doing for the shi'ite-led government of Iran.

It's almost enough to make me side with the bring-the-troops-home-now crowd. Just not for the same reasons.

Hat tip: Hot Air

Osama's 20 year plan

There's an interesting item at the World Tribune (a media outlet whose reliability I'm still trying to determine) that describes a series of Pentagon briefings entitled "The Long War".

The Pentagon’s Joint Staff is very secretive but it is coming out of the shadows to better promote the idea that the global war on terrorism will be a "Long War" of perhaps 100 years’ duration.

This doesn't come as earth-shaking news to those of us who've been following the fight against Islamist extremism, but the end of the article discusses a startling (if a bit ambitious) al Qaeda long-range plan:

The briefing discloses a 20-year Al Qaida plan to create an Islamist extremist homeland in the Middle East. The seven-stage plan began with the September 11 attacks as "The Awakening,” “Eye-Opening,” in 2003 when U.S. troops took Baghdad. The plan will continue with the “Arising and Standing Up” in 2007 with a new focus on Syria and Turkey, and also more direct confrontations with Israel to try to gain more credibility among Muslims.

By 2010, Al Qaida plans on the “Demise of Arab governments.” All this will culminate in an Islamic caliphate in 2013, when Al Qaida and Islamists gain powerful new allies such as China, and Europe declines into disunity.

The “Total Confrontation” period will commence from 2015 to 2020 with the creation of an Islamic Army that will begin a worldwide fight against believers and nonbelievers.

The "Definitive Victory" will be reached in 2020 when the Islamists will assume power globally.

There's little doubt in my mind that this is exactly what groups like al Qaeda, Muslim Brotherhood, Hizb ut Tahrir and others would like. But I think even they would admit it's ambitious. We'll be keeping our eyes on Turkey and Syria in the coming year just the same.

A side note here about World Tribune...they appear to be a half-credible source. For instance, they were out in front on the 'WMD buried in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley' story, which while never disproved, also never had much evidence to back it up. On the other hand, a quick glance at their headlines shows many stories known to be factually confirmed. While this particular story of AQ's 20 year plan sounds perfectly credible, I'll still take it with a grain of salt. A large grain of Mediterranean sea salt.

Too good a graphic not to steal

From foxnews.com.

Saddam dead

Fox News now reporting that al-Arabiya reports that Saddam has been hanged.

Update: 29 Dec 2006 @ 22:14
Confirmed according to CNN and Fox News

Owed to Saddam

This may sound odd, but in a very real sense I owe much to Saddam Hussein. Allow me to explain.

In August of 1990, I was living in Connecticut, working in an IT job for a large insurance company. The job was OK, and the company wasn't a bad place to work. At the same time, I was also a Master Sergeant (E-7) in the Connecticut Air National Guard's 103rd Fighter Group.

On the weekend of 4 August, I was to deploy with about 20 other members of my squadron to Germany for our two weeks annual active duty tour. We had a good squadron commander who believed in working hard and playing harder, so we were all looking forward to the trip. A C-5 transport from nearby Westover AFB was to provide our airlift.

When Iraq invaded Kuwait on 1-2 August, I had a pretty bad feeling we wouldn't be going anywhere. At least not Germany. Sure enough, I got a call from the boss saying to not bother packing, but to be on station on the 4th (a Saturday) anyway. We all show up on Saturday morning and were given the news that there's not a single airframe to be found on the east coast and we'll be doing our active duty at home station. As a good friend of mine would say, "maximum suckaciousness".

The next week was spent glued to the news and taking inventory of our "go to war shit" as one guy called it. I remember crawling over mountains of chem gear suits in the main hangar as we counted out how many of each size we had on hand. One thing about the ANG as opposed to the active forces: senior NCOs don't exempt themselves from crappy work details.

In the second week, a message came in from the National Guard Bureau asking for volunteers to work Contingency Support Center (CSC) at Andrews AFB in Maryland. Anyone who could put in a minimum of 30 days there was welcome. Since my own unit hadn't received any kind of warning order for activation, me and a couple other guys decided what the hell...let's go. I didn't realize it then, but I wouldn't be spending much time in Connecticut after that. Ever.

So for the next month, I found myself working at the Air National Guard Readiness Center (sort of a headquarters agency for ANG units) at Andrews helping to get the CSC stood up for 24/7 operations. When my 30 days was up and things were humming along in a more or less calm routine, I was asked if I wanted to extend "indefinitely". I politely declined and half-jokingly told them to call me "when the shooting starts".

Needless to say, I found myself back at Andrews in February, 1991. I don't recall now exactly why it took two weeks after the shooting started for me to get there, but that's what happened. Since my unit wasn't one of those activated (only two ANG fighter groups were, as I recall), I felt little guilt in taking a cushy state-side individual activation.

I ended up spending 139 days there and was released in July. During my time there, I had a chance to work with a lot of people in different directorates, and got kind of a feel for how things worked. Prior to my release, a Major in the comm-computer systems directorate said he had a job for me if I ever wanted it. The thought of going back full-time to active duty hadn't occurred to me, but I told him I'd consider it.

I got home and right back into my civilian job in July. Less than a month later, I received a call from the good Major, who said he'd received authorization to bring on an E-7 full-time. There'd be a competitive selection process for the position, and he expected a lot of interest "from the field". It was broadly hinted, though, that the job was mine if I wanted it.

During the war, my company paid me the difference between my active duty base pay and my salary. On top of that, there were benefits under the Soldier and Sailor's Relief Act that made things pretty easy for me. I wouldn't have that relief for this, so I had to do some math to see if I could afford it. As it turned out, with all the allowances and housing and such, it would be a wash. On 1 December, 1991, I was back on active duty and back at Andrews.

The decision turned out to be the best I could have made. I never did move back to Connecticut. Not that there's anything wrong with Connecticut (besides being a blue state), but for an IT guy, the Washington, DC area is great. I stayed on active duty until August, 1995, then went back to being a part-timer in the guard. I stayed in the area, and built a house in Virginia.

Through IT industry contacts I made while on active duty, I was able to move through a series of well-paying jobs, and along with one of my 'cubicle mates' from Andrews, ended up at the company I'm with now, doing very well. While at Andrews, I also developed many non-technical, or soft, skills that I'd never have picked up plugging away at the insurance companies in Hartford. Public speaking, for instance--sometimes addressing a crowd of hundreds--is just not something you do very much of while writing code for an insurance company.

And if Saddam hadn't invaded Kuwait in August of 1990, I'd still be working in the insurance industry.

So to Saddam Hussein, I say "Thanks, you blood-soaked, murderous pig!"

Saddam mocks death

On what may be the eve (or even the day of) Saddam's hanging, Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star editorial cartoonist Clay Jones takes one last shot at Saddam in his tighty-whiteys.

Chavez eliminating enemies

Must-not-see TV

In a move that would make Hitler or Stalin proud, Venezuela's commie thug-in-chief Hugo Chavez has announced that he won't authorize the license renewal of a television station critical of his Marxist regime. Chavez says the license to broadcast expires in March 2007.

Just one problem with that...the head of Radio Caracas TV, Marcel Granier, says his license doesn't expire any time in the near future:

Radio Caracas Television, which is aligned with the opposition, supported a strike against Mr Chavez in 2003.

But the TV's head said there must be some mistake as its licence was not up for renewal in the near future.

Marcel Granier also vowed to fight against the president's plans in Venezuela's courts and on the international stage.

Comrade Hugo accuses the station of being "coupist", a word my spell checker tells me doesn't exist.

Big talk from Norway's Islamists

Devout Somali Muslims...in an Oslo bar

Many of the young men of Norway's immigrant Somali community say they'll return to Somalia to fight alongside the Islamists if Ethiopia continues to occupy the country. Not that they could be bothered when the Islamists in Somalia were getting their asses kicked, but hey...who am I to complain?

"If the Ethiopians continue to occupy Somalia, we won't sit here. We will go back to Somalia and fight as one!" says Zakharia Ahmed, banging his fist on the table.

The scene is the Café Bolsho in Oslo's downtown immigrant district Grønland. Dozens of compatriots are gathered round in the noisy café, and Ahmed clearly has full support. "Yes, we will go back and fight," the others shout.

Sure they will. Somali immigrants in Norway have three hots and a cot, often on the taxpayer's dime. They ain't going anywhere.

Saddam to hang before the New Year?

Fox News reports that Saddam may swing before the New Year...perhaps within the next 24 hours.

I may need to get more champagne.

Pets

There is no dog but Tobey...

...and Mikki is his nemesis.

Britain's tricentenary may pass unnoted

This coming January 16th marks the Act of Union of 1707 which united Scotland and England and formed the basis for the British empire. This was arguably a watershed event which led, for better or worse, to much of the world as it is today. Yet the date will pass without fanfare.

Historians consider it one of the most important events in the nation's history, laying the foundations for imperial expansion a century later.

But beyond striking a commemorative £2 coin and staging an exhibition in the House of Lords, there are no plans for anything more celebratory south of the border. By contrast, £20m is being spent on commemorating the abolition of slavery, which will also be marked by a £2 coin.

The Scottish parliament is organising a series of events involving schools, museums and galleries.

Patricia Ferguson, the Scottish minister of culture, said the union was a pivotal moment in Scottish history, and it was important to recognise the anniversary.

But when the Earl of Caithness asked how the Government planned to mark the event, Lord Davies, a minister, replied that he was not aware of any plans beyond the commemorative coin. Philip Hollobone, the Tory MP for Kettering, received a similar reply in the Commons.

He said he could think of no other country which would so underplay what is essentially the foundation of the modern state.

"It is extraordinary that this tricentenary, which was the basis of the British Empire, should be almost ignored. Striking a coin is not enough and there should be a meeting of both Houses of Parliament and the Scottish parliament, addressed by the Queen in Westminster Hall, to mark this properly.

"We could also have services of thanksgiving in Westminster Abbey and St Giles in Edinburgh.

"It is almost as if the Government is embarrassed about our history."

Shameful.

Hizballah paying bounty for dead Israelis

Killing for Allah? No...killing for money

While it comes as no surprise that Hizballah is funding Palestinian violence, this story in the Jerusalem Post puts things into particularly vile perspective.

According to Israeli intelligence information, Hizbullah is smuggling cash into the Gaza Strip and paying "a number of unknown local splinter groups" for each attack.

Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) sources said the Islamist organization paid several thousand dollars for each attack, with the amount dependent on the number of Israelis killed or wounded.

"We know that Hizbullah is involved in funding terrorist activity in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank," a security official said.

"Palestinian terrorists get thousands of dollars per attack. Sometimes they are paid before the attack and sometimes they submit a bill to Lebanon afterward and the money gets transferred a short while later."

According to the officials, while Islamic Jihad was behind most recent rocket attacks - including the one on Tuesday night that critically wounded 14-year-old Adir Basad in Sderot - several splinter terrorists groups are also involved and have received direct funding from Hizbullah.

According to security officials, Islamic Jihad gets the money via its headquarters in Damascus while Fatah's Tanzim terror group and the Popular Resistance Committees receive payment from Hizbullah in Lebanon.

All of the money originated in Iran, the officials said.

With Islamist retreat, Reuters reporter weeps

With the Islamists' retreat from Somalia's capital city of Mogadishu, Reuters reporter (most likely a stringer and Islamist sympathizer) Guled Mohamed once again lets us know where his sentiments lie:

The SICC had brought a semblance of stability to Mogadishu by imposing sharia, Islamic law, after chasing U.S. backed warlords from the city in June. Islamists and residents said order had collapsed with their departure.

"We have withdrawn all the leaders and members who worked in the capital," Islamist leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed told Al Jazeera television. "Mogadishu is now in chaos."

[ ... ]

Ahmed said the Islamists were united and determined to push out Ethiopian forces, but retreated to avoid more bloodshed.

By fleeing, the Islamists appeared to have averted the risk of becoming embroiled in the fierce street fighting that forced the U.S. military from Mogadishu more than a decade ago in a humiliating episode captured in the film "Black Hawk Down."

Meanwhile, leaders of the Somalia Islamic Courts Council (SICC) evoke memories of the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail ("'tis but a scratch! Come back here...I'll bite your leg off!"):

The SICC chairman said his side's hasty withdrawal was a tactical move in a war that began last week against Ethiopian troops defending Somalia's weak, Western-backed government.

Then again, the Black Knight didn't have the sense to withdraw, nor do the Islamists have the courage to fight, so maybe that's not the best comparison.

Islamists abandon Mogadishu

The rout of the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) in Somalia appears all but complete. The Islamists have abandoned Mogadishu and the most recent indicators are that Somali government troops are entering the city.

I suspect what will happen next is that the remnants of the UIC will fade into the countryside while the government re-establishes its authority in Mogadishu. This will be followed by a protracted guerrilla war against the government, with suicide bombings, car bombs and the like. If the government can turn the clan militias to their favor, they may be more effective at dealing with an insurgency than the government.

We'll see.

They can't help it...they're Reuters

In what looks like good news coming out of Somalia, Somali government forces (the legitimate ones, not the Islamic Courts variety), backed by Ethiopian troops, pushed well into Somalia and appear to have the Islamists on the run. Government forces have recaptured Jowhar, and the Islamists' troops have abandoned Balad, the last town before the capital city of Mogadishu.

The writer from al-Reuters, Guled Mohamed, doesn't see this as a good thing:

The capture of Jowhar came hours after Ethiopia, defending the Somali interim government, said it was halfway to crushing the Islamists, heightening fears its next step would be to use air strikes and ground troops to seize the capital.

Whose fears are being heightened? The Islamists' fears, I guess. And maybe Mr. Mohamed's.

The Islamists in the UN, of course, want an immediate ceasefire now that their buddies are getting their collective asses kicked:

The U.N. Security Council failed late on Tuesday to agree on a statement calling for an immediate halt to the fighting and was due to hold further consultations on Wednesday.

There was deadlock after Qatar, the Council's sole Arab member, insisted the appeal also demand the immediate withdrawal of Ethiopian and all other forces from Somalia. [Does that include all the foreign jihadis, too? --ed.]

Like See-Dubya over at Hot Air says:

Me, I’m popping popcorn. Ethiopia wants to win. I say let ‘em.

More on the Iranian connection

The New York Times has a follow-up on the story of the Iranian military officials detained by the US in Iraq. The US military now says it has "credible evidence" tying the Iranians still being held to insurgency activities in Iraq. Oddly (but not surprisingly) there's little coverage of this incident by major news outlets like AP and AFP. So far, I've only been able to unearth a Reuters update to the initial story.

What I find most disturbing about this is the Iraqi government's reaction to it. Rather than outrage at Iran for involvement in violence in Iraq, Iraqi president Jalal Talabani is angry with the US. Two of the Iranians arrested carried diplomatic credentials and were there at Talabani's invitation. US forces continue to hold two Iranians described as "senior military officials".

Christmas present: Smoking gun? Iranian officials detained in Iraq

American forces in Iraq have captured and detained Iranian officials whom they suspect of planning or directing attacks inside Iraq. This is a potentially explosive development at a particularly tense time in the Iraqi-Iranian-American love/hate triangle.

The United States is now holding, apparently for the first time, Iranians who it suspects of planning attacks. One senior administration official said, “This is going to be a tense but clarifying moment.”

“It’s our position that the Iraqis have to seize this opportunity to sort out with the Iranians just what kind of behavior they are going to tolerate,” the official said, declining to speak on the record because the details of the raid and investigation were not yet public. “They are going to have to confront the evidence that the Iranians are deeply involved in some of the acts of violence.”

[ ... ]

The predawn raid on Mr. Hakim’s compound, on the east side of the Tigris, was perhaps the most startling part of the American operation. The arrests were made inside the house of Hadi al-Ameri, the chairman of the Iraqi Parliament’s security committee and leader of the Badr Organization, the armed wing [Number 8 on the top 10 signs you may belong to a terrorist organization. -- ed.] of Mr. [Abdul Aziz al-] Hakim’s political party [Sciri, an Iraqi Shiite party].

I won't go into the New York Times' usual "let's not be hasty and rush to judgment" reporting in the article because it's to be expected. But suffice it to say that if there's a shred of evidence that justifies the continued detention of these guys, the consequences will be profound.

Somali Islamist calls for more jihad; political opponents outraged

Yusuf Mohammed Siad "Inda'ade", Somalia's Islamic Courts defense chief, has issued a call for Muslims world-wide to join Somalia's Muslims in jihad against Ethiopia.

"Our country is open to Muslims worldwide," Yusuf Mohammed Siad "Inda'ade", the Courts' defence chief, said yesterday. "Let them fight in Somalia and wage jihad, and God willing, attack Addis Ababa."

But his political opponents argue against another "war of choice". "Iraq, Afghanistan...how many more wars at once?", wondered Hoosa bin Farteen, Somali Islamic warlord and head of the opposition party here. "The glorious Mujahideen are already spread too thin. Inda'ade and his cabal have gotten sidetracked in the war against the war on terror. Where's George Bush? I'll tell you: He's still running the largest ant-terror organization the world has ever seen. Why hasn't he gotten Bush yet? And don't even get me started on his other failures...the tsunami in Indonesia, the earthquake in Pakistan...Inda'ade is a failure!"

When pressed on what Inda'ade could have done differently, bin Farteen sputtered and yelled "Inda'ade's a moron!".

Another surveillance program exposed!

Speaking of bRight & Early...Jim Lynch exposes yet another nefarious surveillance program. This one targeted at the most vulnerable among us: our children.

'Blogiversary' database

I'd intended to post this about a week ago, but I was stricken by a case of SADD (Sudden Attention Deficit Disorder) and forgot. I was reminded this morning during my daily read of Day by Day. Today's DbD strip gives Jim Lynch at bRight & Early a nice Christmas plug.

Jim had a great idea some time back to create a 'blogiversary' database to which bloggers can add the date of their blog's "birth". You can add some simple code to your blog's side bar, and blogs which have their anniversary on a given day will appear there.

Jim's also running a contest to promote the Blogiversary Database, and bloggers who join his database and write a post about the contest can get some free promotion over at bRight & Early.

So follow those links and joing the BDb and maybe get some free promotion. After all, in the end, we're a narcissistic bunch, aren't we?

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

A Christmas tribute to the troops

I've seen this poem make the rounds for a few years now, but this is the first time I've seen it put to video.

Merry Christmas to all our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines!

Need more proof that the left is unhinged?

A man in Bakersfield, California set himself on fire to protest -- get this -- a local school board's decision to rename winter and spring breaks as Christmas and Easter breaks respectively. Of course, those were the names of those breaks before the loony left got their hands on the school calendar.

Unfortunately, a Sheriff's deputy was nearby and was able to put the fire out before the man was seriously injured.

And no...I don't feel awful for saying that.

Carter's Israeli-Palestinian claims dismantled

Roger Fraley at XDA has a great series of posts absolutely shredding Jimmy Carter's masturbatory piece of anti-Israel crap, Palestine: Peace, Not Apartheid. I can't do justice to Roger's methodical and merciless writing, so here are links to each part posted so far.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

I don't think he's through with Carter yet.

Gitmo detainees get holiday cards; CAIR on alert

Detainees at Guantanamo Bay have been receiving Christmas cards...from Americans.

The 400 or so detainees at Joint Task Force detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have received approximately 500 holiday greeting cards, said Army Col. Lora Tucker, a spokeswoman for the prison.

She said she did not know the faith content of the cards sent to the mainly Muslim detention population, because "Once it goes to the detainee, it's the detainee's mail."

It's probably a safe bet that a lot of the cards contain sentiments along the lines of "I hope you rot, are set on fire, drawn and quartered while burning, and fed to the iguanas." But given the mindset of some of our loonier citizens, I'm sure there are plenty of cards wishing them a joyous holiday season.

Naturally, CAIR has to speak up...they're seeing Christian Extremists at work:

"If the message is religiously appropriate in terms of being an actual greeting card, if that's what they're intended to do, then that's one thing," Hooper said.

But "if there's an orchestrated effort to somehow proselytize the detainees, I think that would be inappropriate in that they are in a captive situation."

Close call

A Kassam rocket drops in uninvited at a Sderot home

This undated picture from JPost.com illustrates the threat under which the town of Sderot, Israel lives daily. Yet useful idiots for the Palestinians like Jimmy Carter shed tears for Hamas.

Bashir wastes no time in gloating, issuing new threats

Freed Islamist radical Abu Bakar Bashir wasted no time in gloating to the west over his release, and in issuing threats of more attacks to come:

"This is evidence that even though all this time the West think that they can subjugate Indonesia, there are still some Muslims and Indonesians who have the courage to convey the truth," Bashir told Elshinta radio in a telephone interview.

Bashir, 68, was released in June after completing a 30-month jail sentence for being part of a conspiracy behind the nightclub bombings.

"I hope the West will open their eyes and if they remain adamant, there will be heavier blows. This is a blow and warning for the West," he said.

Dirtbag.

Top 10 signs your group may be a terrorist organization

There seems to be a lot of confusion out there as to what constitutes a "terrorist organization". So, here are a few things to look for, and if one or more of these items describes your organization, you just might be a terrorist:

1. Your group's assets have been frozen.
   
2. Large numbers of your group are in prison.
3. Hugo Chavez, Ken Livingstone or George Galloway is a supporter of your group.
4. Leaders of your group have to smuggle cash across international borders for its survival.
5. Press releases issued by your group begin with the words "In the name of Allah, the most merciful..."
6. Your group includes a "spiritual leader".
7. A leader of your group is living somewhere "in exile".
8. Your group is a political party and includes an "armed wing".
9. Your group's flag includes a silhouette of an AK-47.
10. Leftist anti-war groups wave your group's flag during demonstrations.

Boxer awards CAIR official, thinks again

A few days ago, Americans Against Hate issued a press release protesting an achievement award given by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) to Basim Elkarra, Executive Director of Council on American Islamic Relations-Sacramento. The press release cited CAIR's ties to Islamic extremism, and called for the award to be withdrawn.

Today, AAH issued another press release announcing that Sen. Boxer had indeed rescinded the award. Since I've been unable to dig up any confirmation of either the award or its rescission in any of the usual media sources, I've written to Sen. Boxer's office for confirmation of these events.

The always PR-conscious CAIR has its own press release announcing the award to Elkarra. I'm looking forward to the response from Sen. Boxer's office.

Update: 22 Dec. 2006 @ 18:05
Got an automated response back from Sen. Boxer's office which reads in part:

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and concerns with me via email. I hope you will understand that, because of the volume of emails I receive from residents of California, I cannot at this time respond to messages received from residents of other states.

So, in short, since I'm not a resident of the People's Socialist Republic of California, her office feels no obligation to respond to my simple inquiry. Guess it's time to pick up the phone (after Christmas).

Just upgraded to new Google blogger...

...pardon me while I clean up the mess.

Aussie Muslim seethe alert

In apparent retaliation for the desecration of a bible by Muslim students in Australia, a copy of the Koran was ripped up, then pissed and shat upon in a Melbourne airport prayer room.

A Koran has been torn up and smeared with faeces and the floors of a Melbourne prayer hall urinated on, in an apparent retaliation to Muslim schoolboys desecrating the Bible.

The Islamic community was last night furious as the police continued their investigation into the "criminal damage" done to the Melbourne airport facility on Wednesday morning.

Muslim spiritual leader Fehmi Naji El-Imam condemned the desecration as "ignorant and immature", fearing that it was in retaliation to an incident earlier this month where young boys at a Melbourne Islamic school burned and urinated on the Bible.

"This kind of behaviour just puts you off," the Victorian Board of Imams' secretary said last night. "We want to eliminate all these kind of things from happening to any (holy book)."

In all honesty, I'm impressed with this particular Imam's restraint. Just the same, we can probably look forward to plenty of seething and anger in the streets as a result of this juvenile and vile act. Something that was notably absent in the aftermath of the Bible desecration earlier this month.

Update: 21 Dec. 2006 @ 17:05
Just a quick sampling of what the kids at the Muslim "school" were being taught:

"You know very well what takes place in these schools ... it is all about evolution, Christmas, Easter, St Valentine's Day - a barrage. And you expect your children to survive? You think you live in a sewer and you come up smelling of roses?

"Merely living in the company of evil people will inevitably begin to rub off on us and we will begin to acquire their characteristics."

"For far too long priests and preachers have completely ignored the vicious criminal acts that the Bible promotes," the website says. "The so called God of the Bible makes Osama bin Laden look like a boy scout."

Radical Islamist cleared of charges in Bali bombing

Laughing all the way to the bank.

A court in Indonesia has cleared radical Islamist cleric Abu Bakar Bashir of charges in the Bali bombings of 2002 and 2004. This clears the way for Bashir to claim compensation after having been jailed for conspiracy in the bombings.

It's a good thing Indonesia is a "moderate" country, right?

More new Mohammeds than Georges in Britain

A recently-released study by Britain's Office of National Statistics reveals that "Jack" was the most popular given name for boys in 2006, while the most popular for girls was "Olivia".

The name "Mohammed" ranked number 22, while its variant "Muhammad" ranked number 44. If placed together, the popular Muslim name would beat out "George" for the number 14 spot.

Translator for top Brit General accused of spying for Iran

The interpreter for General David Richards, commander of British forces in Afghanistan, has been accused of passing classified information to Iran.

Cpl Daniel James, 44, is charged under the 1911 Official Secrets Act with "prejudicing the safety of the state" by passing information "calculated to be directly or indirectly useful to the enemy". [Didn't Tony Blair say we need to negotiate with this particular enemy? --ed.]

It was said he had communicated with a "foreign power" in the incident on Nov 2, believed to be Iran.

Interpreters, even one of relatively low a rank as Corporal, would have knowledge of highly sensitive information when working for someone in Gen. Richards' position. This is serious stuff.

Shocker: In Palestinian strife, Zawahiri backs Hamas

Doesn't really give a crap about Palestinians

In Jihad-TV's latest video from al Qaeda's number 2, Ayman al-Zawahiri, the Islamic terrorist organization gives its backing to Hamas over Fatah in the Palestenian internecine conflict. He goes on to declare that the way to Palestine's victory is through jihad, not constitutional elections.

“Any way other than holy war will lead us only to loss and defeat,” he said.

“Those who are trying to liberate the Islamic territories through elections based on secular constitutions, or on decisions to hand over Palestine to the Jews, will not liberate one grain of sand of Palestine."

Al-Jazeera Jihad-TV released a portion of the latest video, and has stated a longer clip will be released later.

Danes giving, receiving the Koran for Christmas

An interesting tidbit from Denmark's Jyllands-Posten today. A recently-released Danish translation of the Koran is selling like hotcakes in Denmark, and they're not being snapped up just by Muslims:

'The majority of Korans we sell are for Christmas presents. I know, because we wrap a lot of them,' Maja Nordholm, manager of Arnold Busck bookstore in Odense, told Kristeligt Dagblad newspaper.

My guess is that a lot of Danes are buying up copies to understand what all the fuss is about. Unfortunately for them, reading just the Koran without the the rest of the Suna to go with it will probably just confuse them more.

Movie theater killer dodges jail time

Mujtaba Rabbani Jabbar, the man who killed Paul Schrum in an Owings Mills, MD theater last June, won't serve any time in jail. He was convicted of the crime, but was found not criminally responsible and will instead be remanded to a state mental hospital.

Doctors who evaluated Mujtaba R. Jabbar for the state before the murder trial scheduled to begin yesterday diagnosed the defendant with schizophrenia and found that the disorder had left him unable to conform his behavior to the law, county prosecutor Rachel Cogen said.

Baltimore County Circuit Judge Thomas J. Bollinger ordered that Jabbar be committed to a state psychiatric facility.

"I believe he's going to be there for an extremely long time, if not the rest of his life," Cogen said after the hearing.

I suppose one could fake schizophrenia symptoms. It's not like there's a blood test or CT scan that confirms it. But it appears more likely that my earlier diagnosis of sudden jihadi syndrome was premature.

More testimony on French complicity in Rwanda genocide

I posted a week ago an item about testimony in a Rwanda court implicating French UN troops in complicity in the 1994 slaughter. Witnesses at the trial accused French troops of training and equipping Hutu radicals, as well as transporting them to areas where Tutsis were taking refuge.

In testimony yesterday, another witness alleges that French troops also led Tutsis to the slaughtering pen:

The witness before a government-appointed panel investigating France's alleged complicity in Rwanda's mass slaughter said the troops duped the Tutsis with evacuation promises only to be left in the hands of the extremist militia.

"The French told us they were going to pick up weapons and more soldiers to come and protect us," said the witness, only identified as "witness four on day six."

"We all came out of our hideouts in the mountains and assembled in open areas from where we waited for French soldiers to rescue us," he told the panel at the end of the second phase of public hearings.

"This exposed us to militias who thought they had finished us off after previous attacks."

With French troops representing a large portion of UN forces in Lebanon, the world needs to take a serious look at their prior conduct in UN operations. If any of these allegations are true, how can French troops be trusted to act properly in Lebanon?

A Wii bit of BS?

While reading an article about the well-publicized Nintendo Wii problem in which controllers have been flying off players' wrists, I saw this picture. It was supposedly taken by a customer in New York whose Wii controller took flight while she was playing a bowling game.

Now I'm no physicist, but do you really expect me to believe that the game controller pierced the bezel of the TV set like that while playing a bowling game? Anybody else smell bullshit?

Back to topics of substance in a bit.

You write the punch line

Some patients in Britain wanting to quit smoking were accidentally prescribed Viagra instead of the smoking cessation aid Zyban.

Write the punchline for this joke:

Joe: Hey Bill! How are things going with you trying to quit smoking?
Bill: [Your punchline here]

Dirty Dozen: The English Brothers

A disturbing story appears in Newsweek's Dec. 25th issue. Aptly titled The Regathering Storm, it describes 12 al-Qaeda recruits known as the English Brothers for the language they share in common. The group consists of nine Brits, two Norwegians and an Australian, all Muslims.

They're near completion of (or may have already completed) a year-long al-Qaeda training course in which they've received religious and ideological indoctrination, as well as training in explosives, suicide bombing and other tools of the jihadis' trade. But their mission is not to become suicide bombers themselves:

They learned how to make and use suicide-bomb vests, how to rig car bombs, how to motivate other men to sacrifice their lives for the jihad and how to maintain communications with Al Qaeda on the Afghan-Pakistani frontier. They're not meant to be suicide bombers themselves, [the Ghazni province's chief al-Qaeda liason for the Taliban Omar] Farooqi says; they are far too valuable to waste.

Infidels, meet the newest sleeper cell organizers. Al-Qaeda does indeed seem to be alive and well.

Flying while Islamist

From the artful minds at Cox and Forkum, of course.

Honeymoon over for Ahmadinejad?

Maybe, just maybe, the bloom is off the rose with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Yesterday, Agence France Press reported that Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani ('moderate' whackjob) was well ahead of Mohammed Mesbah-Yazdi (bullgoose looney whackjob) in the election for the Assembly of Experts, Iran's theocratic guiding force.

Today's Telegraph reports that Ahmadinejad has instituted a rating system to crack down on a restive student population.

I think that this is a good trend reflecting dissatisfaction with Ahmadinejad's last-day mongering freaks, but as Allah over at Hot Air says:

It’s not good news long term. The more “centrist” the regime is, the more Iranians will tolerate it. An apocalyptic, sharia-babblin’ fundie in the top spot could be just what the doctor ordered for stirring up a popular uprising.

Time will tell.

TIME's Person of the Year: Me!

The verdict is in. TIME magazine's person of the year is me. And you. And you, and you, and you, and you...those who produce and consume online media content.

My first thought was that this was a lame stunt to reinvigorate the public's interest in print media. And it may be just that...how many people who ordinarily wouldn't buy TIME magazine will run out and buy a copy just to clip that cover and frame it as a gag gift for someone? But the notion isn't completely without merit.

Those who underestimate the power of the "new media" do so at their own peril. Just ask Dan Rather. CBS's nightly news kingpin was brought low by Charles Johnson at Little Green Footballs when Johnson found that the Texas Air National Guard memos were modern-day fakes.

Or ask Reuters, whose credibility still suffers over Photoshopped news pictures which became known throughout the blogosphere as the "fauxtography" scandal. This was another insurrection led by Johnson at LGF.

Most recently, there's the Associated Press's "Jamil-gate" broken by Curt at Flopping Aces. The jury is still out on this one, but Curt seems to have caught AP either (a) fabricating a source for the more horrific allegations of sectarian atrocities in Iraq or (b) acting as a willing dupe for a Sunni terrorist posing as a cop. Rather than publicly authenticating their source, AP has dug in their heels and sneered derisively at Curt and other bloggers as "mad rabble".

Of course, TIME felt the need to be inclusive and cover everybody with a keyboard. The real person of the year should be the "Mad Rabble".

Sen. Nelson: More than just Syria's stooge

Roger over at XDA has an interesting slant on Florida senator Bill Nelson's off-the-reservation visit to Syria. It seems there's a law against that kind of thing.

Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

And Roger's an attorney, so I assume he knows of what he speaks.

Danny Bonaduce smacks down a nut job

Allah at Hot Air has a great video clip of Danny Bonaduce delivering a thorough verbal ass-kicking to a 9/11 "truther". Only this guy goes waaaay beyond your average truther. Check out his web site.

Castro death watch

While it remains to be seen whether Fidel Castro has assumed room temperature, signs of an imminent regime change by succession abound.

In an unusual development, 10 US members of Congress have arrived in Havana for talks with Cuban government officials sans Fidel.

The 10-member delegation comprises Democrats Hilda Solis, Bill Delahunt, James McGovern, Jane Harman, Gregory Meeks and Lincoln Davis and Republicans Jeff Flake, Jo Ann Emerson, Mike Conaway and Jerry Moran, US officials said.

The lawmakers were due to meet with Cuban assembly speaker Ricardo Alarcon, also the top Cuban official for US affairs; Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque; central bank president Francisco Soberon; and Minister of Basic Industry and Communist Party official Yadira Garcia, Cuban sources said.

At the same time, Venezuelan president, cartoon character and oncologist (who knew?!) Hugo Chavez offered his considered opinion as a medical professional.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a personal friend of Castro, said in Caracas Friday that he spoke with Castro over the telephone on Thursday and that "he sounded very good."

As "one of the few" who really knows about Castro's health, Chavez said, "I can tell you Castro does not have cancer. I know what I'm talking about."

Here's to hoping Hugo soon finds himself with one less friend.

There's no denying him

Mr. Ezrapour before World War II

An interesting postscript to Iran's Holocaust denial conference earlier this week can be found in the Jerusalem Post. Menashe Ezrapour, now 88, is the only known Iranian Jew living today to have survived the Holocaust.

Now you see her, now you don't

Ghost of Christmas yet to come?

In a determined effort to offend Britain's majority Christian population, Channel 4 signed up a veiled Muslim woman to deliver an "alternative" Christmas message, opposite the Queen's annual Christmas address. Khadija Ravat had planned on extolling the virtues of wearing the full-face veil and tell Brits how it "empowers" Muslim women.

It seems Ms. Ravat has decided it wasn't such a good idea after all:

Ibrahim Hewitt, 50, head of the al-Aqsa Primary School, which is near Mrs Ravat's Leicester home, said: "There has been a mixed reaction. [A mixture of indignation and outrage. --ed.]

"I have known her for a long time, and she is a very sincere person. Nobody at the school has raised any objections - indeed, parents have come to me and said they were very happy she was going to do it.

"But some people think she is trying to upstage the Queen, which is certainly not the case. But I think she feels it would rub people up the wrong way." [Gee...d'ya think? --ed.]
[ ... ]
Mrs Ravat, who was born in Zimbabwe and is in her 30s, has been a British citizen for about 20 years.

She has worn the full veil for 10 years since her marriage, claiming it empowers women not to be dominated by fashion. [Who says shapeless, black fabric blobs aren't fashionable? --ed.]

Last night Channel vowed to continue its search for a Muslim woman to front the show. [See? I told you they were determined to offend. --ed.]

I think Jonz's blood pressure over at Drunken Blogging has just dropped by half.

China to give Kim Jong Il the bum's rush?

Spotted on the Drudge Report today...

The World Tribune is reporting that China's had it with their neighbor to the south and is preparing to kick his shit to the curb.

China has begun drawing up plans to attack North Korea, according to the Paris-based Intelligence Online newsletter.

Hu Jintao, head of the Central Military Commission, has ordered the Chinese military to draw up the attack plan as a move "deliberately meant as a threat to the regime of Kim Jong-Il." The report said the plan was leaked to sources close to Western intelligence in Hong Kong.

The action follows China's displeasure at the Oct. 9 nuclear test, which Hu regarded as a snub to the International Affairs Leadership Group that he has headed since 2003.

Interesting.

Castro: Pushing up daisies?

Christmas present or wishful thinking?

This unverified photo of Castro-in-a-casket is up on Havana Journal. Is the commie finally taking a long overdue dirt nap?

Palestinian meltdown - US shares blame

When Palestinian Prime Minister terror chief Ismail Haniyeh tried to return to Gaza through Egypt, he was carrying $35 million in cash from an apparently successful panhandling tour of Arab countries. It was all downhill from there.

Israel didn't want Haniyeh and Hamas using the $35 million for bombs and bullets, so Israel held him up at the border crossing. This angered Hamas gunmen, who stormed the border crossing. Gunmen from Fatah, which hates Hamas almost as much as everyone else does, attacked the Hamas gunmen and Haniyeh's entourage, resulting in the death of one of Haniyeh's bodyguards and the wounding of his son, Abed. Haniyeh made it into Gaza with his life, but minus the $35 million.

It's not clear who did end up with the money, but I figure Israel did. In trying to figure out who got the money, I came across this Reuters article by Nidal al-Mughrabi. This paragraph caught my eye:

Although Israel was not involved in the latest fighting, its decision -- with U.S. backing -- to prevent Haniyeh from entering Gaza with $35 million intensified the standoff in which Haniyeh's convoy came under fire late on Thursday.

So what's also not clear here is exactly how the US backed Israel in its decision to detain Haniyeh. No supporting facts are given. We have no troops in Gaza or in Egypt, and I seriously doubt Israel contacted the US for permission to take this action. But somehow, the US gets blamed--again.

Update: 15 Dec. 2006 @ 09:45
Googling Nidal al-Mughrabi turned up loads of blog posts by media watchers providing examples of his bias. This post from Mediacrity is just one.

US may have planned to nab Krekar from Norway

Mullah Krekar, the former head of Ansar al-Islam, continues to be protected by the Norwegian government. According to Aftenposten and Newsweek, though, the US had a plan to change that.

The Aftenposten article says that Krekar's lawyer and Norwegian government officials are claiming ignorance of any such plan:

"We knew that there was a threat of kidnapping in 2003, but the evaluation of something resembling a military action is new to me," attorney Brynjar Meling told newspaper Dagbladet on Friday.

Meling was responding to a report in the international magazine Newsweek that US officials at the Pentagon considered sending special forces to Oslo to seize Krekar, who recently landed on both US and UN lists of people suspected of supporting or financing terrorism.
[ ... ]
Erna Solberg, the head of Norway's Conservative Party who was government minister in charge of immigration matters at the time, said she was never informed of any such plan. She said it would have "created a huge conflict with Norwegian authorities... but they can certainly have planned it and thought about it," she told Dagbladet.

Jan Petersen, a former head of the Conservatives who was Norway's foreign minister at the time, said he wasn't aware of any such plan, either.

"We don't know anything about it, so there's nothing to comment on," he said. "The most important thing is that it didn't happen."

Of course, having a plan for an operation and actually considering the operation are two completely different things. Plans are often drawn up for actions that the planners know will never be carried out.

On the other hand, I can see a scenario such as this one in which some members of the Norwegian government wish to be rid of Krekar, but need plausible deniability.

Meanwhile, though, Krekar lives as a free man in Oslo.

Blind Sheik 'near death'; terror alert issued

The Blind Sheik awaits a lap dance from one of his 72 virgins

Fox News is reporting that Omar Abdel-Rahman, aka The Blind Sheik, is near death. He's receiving blood transfusions at a medical facility after spitting up blood in his cell.

Rahman is said to have called for reprisals should he die in US custody. Looks like that's exactly what's gonna happen.

Household tips you can't live without

Dear Heloise,
My dolphin swallowed some plastic, and now it's causing a blockage in his stomach. What should I do?
Signed,
Concerned in China

Dear Concerned,
This is no problem at all. First, get a few dish towels and a couple of friends. Have your friends wrap the dish towels around the poor creature's upper and lower jaws, so they can hold the dolphin's mouth open with out losing any fingers. Then get Bao Xishun from Inner Mongolia, the world's tallest living man, to reach in and yank that nasty plastic right out! You'll never reach, but Bao's 41.7 inch arms will. Besides, your hands will smell like ass, so you don't want to do it yourself!

Netanyahu's smart diplomatic move

I'm far too ignorant of Israeli politics to know if Benjamin Netanyahu was a good Prime Minister for Israel, but he's always struck me as a true statesman with his nation's best interests at heart.

Haaretz reports that Mr. Netanyahu, now Likud party chairman and member of Israel's Knesset (parliament), wants Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tried at the Hague for the crime of genocide.

Likud chair MK Benjamin Netanyahu has summoned about 70 foreign diplomats stationed in Israel to a meeting next Tuesday, at which he will urge them to end their complacency and join Israel in an effort to halt Iran's nuclear program, which he says is aimed at genocide of the Jews.

The meeting is to be the first event in an international public relations campaign. It will include a proposal to file a complaint in the International Court of Justice against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for war crimes, and his plans to commit genocide will be presented.

Personally, I think it's a great idea and the timing couldn't be better coming on the heels of this week's Holocaust conference stunt in Iran. It'll serve to place the hate-fest in its proper context and just maybe the world will sit up and take notice.

Why you must oppose Islamism (especially if you're a liberal)

On various Internet discussion forums, I've been called a "winger" and a "wingnut", both of which are leftist pejorative terms for right wingers. Why? Because I support the notion of a "war on terror", which I agree is a lousy descriptor, but more on that later. The funny thing is I'm more of a liberal in the classic sense of the word.

The cognitive dissonance of the left wing's love of Islamists is enough to make anybody's head hurt. Lynne Stewart, a far-left lawyer who prides herself on representing "revolutionaries" and jihadis, once said "To rid ourselves of the entrenched, voracious type of capitalism that is in this country that perpetuates sexism and racism, I don't think that can come nonviolently." She was on trial at the time for aiding and abetting terrorism during her representation of radical Egyptian sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman. She was convicted of passing instructions to Rahman's henchmen under the guise of attorney-client privilege.

Apparently lost on Stewart is the irony that if her client had his way, women would be covered in burqas and confined to the home, cooking, cleaning and squeezing out more jihadis.

So, to my liberal friends, the reasons you must oppose Islamism:

• Separation of Church and State: As Robert Spencer points out in his book The Truth About Muhammad, it's no coincidence that the Islamic calendar starts when Muhammad moved from Mecca to Medina, and assumed the mantle of political-military leader. The dates of his birth or death or even of his first revelation are of less importance. Islam makes no distinction between church and state. The church is the state.
• The Status of Women: No matter what Muslim leaders and their apologists say to the contrary, Islam is a misogynistic religion. In any state currently under Islamic rule, women are, at best, less than equal to their male counterparts and in many countries are little more than breeding stock. I won't even get into the vile topics of female genital mutilation or "honor killings" here.
• Freedom of Religion: Just ask Christians in Saudi Arabia or Indonesia or Copts in Egypt how free they are to worship without persecution. I realize the right to practice any religion isn't very important to many far-lefties, but I think even most of them would agree it's a slippery slope. And if you're a Muslim who decides to abandon his religion and join the far-left, you just may find yourself dearly missing your head.
• Lesbian and Homosexual Rights: No, not the right to marry. The right to live. Under Islamic law, homosexuality is punishable by death. Any questions?
• Sexual Freedom: A cornerstone of liberal thought born in the '60s, you can say goodbye to this under Islamic law. Any sexual activity conducted outside of marriage, even between two unmarried people, is considered adultery. This is also punishable by death.
• Abortion Rights: The premier liberal cause. Under Islamic law, abortion is not allowed, period. Don't even think of asking for one. Even if you've become pregnant at the age of 13 in your forced marriage to a cousin who beats you and has run off to join the jihad.

So, just why is it that so many self-described liberals not only oppose anything remotely resembling a "war on terror" but embrace and enthusiastically support radical Islamist groups like Hamas, Hizballah and the rest? I suspect the problem is as simple as bad marketing.

In its politically correct squeamishness, the current administration has used the term "war on terror" over and over again, apparently out of a reluctance to use the word "Islam" in any reference to the bad guys. More recently, President Bush has used the words "Islamic extremists" and even "Islamofascism", but on those occasions he's been shredded by liberal columnists and, of course, the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) for his "bigotry". Some have even disingenuously used the term "racist", ignoring the fact that Islam is practiced by every race on the planet.

What's needed is a better nomenclature, and improved marketing to go along with it. Islamic activists and advocacy groups like CAIR are fond of saying that Islam is under attack. We are not at war with Islam, the religion. We're at war with Islamism, the political-military movement.

This subtle difference may not matter to the average man in the street in the Islamic world, but I think the average American, whether on the left or the right, can grasp this concept. And if properly educated of the difference between the two and informed of the consequences for ignoring the Islamist threat, we might actually stand a chance of winning.

Did French troops have role in Rwanda massacres?

When Hutu radicals were slaughtering Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994, France had troops there under UN auspices. Their mission was one of humanitarian assistance.

But in a Rwandan courtroom in Kigali, there are charges that French troops actually assisted Hutus in their genocidal work by ferrying the murderers to a region where Tutsis were taking refuge.

French military trucks ferried extremist Hutu militiamen to a mountain hideout in Rwanda to slaughter thousands of ethnic Tutsis during the 1994 genocide, an ex-member of the militia said Tuesday.

Testifying before a government-appointed panel probing France's alleged complicity in the massacres, he said French troops brought hundreds of Interahamwe to the Bisesero mountains to kill Tutsis seeking refuge there.

The man, identified only as "witness one on day two," told the commission that the Tutsis in the mountains of western Rwanda had been resisting Hutu efforts to overrun the area and had killed two Rwandan gendarmes.

"The French were very upset when they saw the bodies," said the 35-year-old who admitted to killing "many Tutsis." "They immediately offered us their trucks to transport our men to the mountains to provide reinforcement."

Referring constantly to the killings as 'work' — a popular euphemism during the genocide, the witness said he and other Interahamwe fighters with the help of the French had broken through the Tutsi defenses and "killed very many."

French UN troops are now taking part in the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon, supposedly to disarm Hizballah and keep them from initiating a new round of hostilities against Israel. Who's the genius that came up with that plan?

Update: 12 Dec. 2006 @ 22:36
France may have trained and equipped Interahamwe Hutu militiamen, as well.

France armed and trained radical militia blamed for most of the killings in Rwanda's 1994 genocide, two Rwandan ex-soldiers have told a panel probing alleged French complicity in the massacres.

As the government-appointed inquiry commission resumed public hearings Monday after a month-long break following Rwanda's severing of ties with France in a major diplomatic row, the pair said French troops had worked closely with the former Rwandan army and members of the Interahamwe militia.

"The training of Interahamwe was held discreetly at the Gabiro military base," said Isidore Nzeyimana, a former military instructor, referring to a facility in northeast Rwanda where French troops were stationed.

He said his relations with the French instructors was that of "very close colleagues, some were even close friends. At some point they even brought some of their trainees from France to hold joint sessions with us."

Iran Holocaust conference brings out frothing-at-the-mouth anti-Semites

A visitor posted a comment on my post from yesterday about the Iran Holocaust denial-fest. In his comment, he defends the Holocaust denial crowd, and says this of the Neturei Karta Rabbis:

The NK rabbis were invited and are being treated respectfully by the Iranians.

What the hell did he think? If you were a "wipe 'em off the map" Iranian mullah, wouldn't you trot out every NK member you could find? The rest of his comments are pure tinfoil hat stuff.

His blog has plenty of Jew-hating garbage. Stop by and tell Mr. Hoffman what you think.

Racism expert David Duke addresses Holocaust conference

Former Klansman and current shitbucket David Duke at Iran's Holocaust Conference

Former Ku Klux Klan Imperial Wizard David Duke told the Holocaust conference in Iran that Jews didn't die in Nazi death camp gas chambers.

Passing himself off as an academic, Duke (who'd have made a great Nazi himself) vomited up gems like:

"The Zionists have used the Holocaust as a weapon to deny the rights of the Palestinians and cover up the crimes of Israel."

"This conference has an incredible impact on Holocaust studies all over the world."

"The Holocaust is the device used as the pillar of Zionist imperialism, Zionist aggression, Zionist terror and Zionist murder."

He appears to have Ahmadinejad's talking points down pat.

Iran Holocaust conference watch

Interesting development today, not so much in the conference but in the coverage of it. Look how many MSM outlets are tagging the conference for what it is...Holocaust Denial:

U.S. Condemns Holocaust Denier Meeting (LA Times)
Blair shocked by Holocaust denial meeting (Boston Globe)
White House Condemns Iran Conference Of Holocaust Deniers (Nasdaq)
Why are Jews at the 'Holocaust denial' conference? (BBC - note scare quotes, though)
Iran Hosts Holocaust Deniers at Tehran Conference (NPR - !)
Holocaust denial is Tehran focus (Buffalo News)
Deniers of Holocaust at conference in Iran (Beacon News)
Iran students rebel over Holocaust denial (Earth Times - haven't read yet, but sounds moonbat-ish)

OK, that's enough copying and pasting headlines and links. It's just good to see there's not much white-washing in the headlines on what this is all about. Except for al-Beeb.

CCNY honors cop killer

The City College of New York has a community center named jointly in honor of a convicted cop killer and a member of a violent Puerto Rico independence group.

The New Jersey State Troopers Fraternal Organization is not amused:

She's a convicted cop killer who left behind a lifetime of pain for the family of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster.

But in at least one corner of City College, Chesimard is a hero, honored and remembered.

Her latest alias enshrines theGuillermo Morales/Assata Shakur Community Center at the City University of New York's flagship campus.

It's a punch to the gut that has furious police groups demanding the publicly funded institution strip away the Black Liberation Army militant's name.

"We use tax dollars to support an institution that indemnifies a cold-blooded terrorist?" asked Dave Jones, president of the New Jersey State Troopers Fraternal Association.

"She's a cowardly, cold-blooded convicted murderer who's part of a murdering sect," he said. "She's no different from those people who flew those planes into those towers and destroyed all those innocent lives."

Both Shakur and Morales are living in Cuba under the protection of Fidel Castro and his fellow commies after escaping from custody in the US.

Naturally, it's all in the interest of intellectual stimulation. From one of CCNY's whackademics:

"This is not the college or the administration's idea of a good name for this room, but we believe the university is a place to discuss and argue ideas, some of which are not widely supported," said school spokeswoman Mary Lou Edmondson.

Fart brings down airliner!

There were no reported casualties when a woman's flatulence forced an American Airlines flight from Washington to Dallas to land in Nashville. It seems a woman on board the flight passed some gas then attempted to cover up the smell...by lighting matches.

Iran Holocaust conference watch

Iran's Holocaust conference got underway today. I'll be posting anything of note that I find during the two day event.

Jpost reports that while Neturei Karta, a suicidal Jewish anti-Zionist group, is welcomed at the conference, an Arab lawyer was barred once Iran found out he was an Iraeli Arab.

Jpost also reports that Ahmadinejad took some heckling at the opening:

Students from a Teheran university cut off Ahmadinejad as he addressed the conference, shouting slurs like "corrupt," "liar," and "death to the dictator."

The interruptions came in response to the intensified surveillance at the universities since Ahmadinejad came to power.

The Iranian president responded by accusing the hecklers of being "American."

And AP is up to their usual tricks. In the photo below, it's implied that ordinary Jews were welcomed to participate in the conference. Nowhere in the caption is it mentioned that these Rabbis are members of Neturei Karta.


Here's the caption accompanying the photograph from the AP article:

Rabbi Moishe Ayre Friedman, left, from Austria, give his business card to a Muslim clergyman, as Rabbi Ahron Cohen from England, looks on, at a conference on the Holocaust, in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 11, 2006. Iran on Monday opened a conference that it said would examine whether the Holocaust took place, claiming the meeting was an opportunity to discuss the World War II genocide in an atmosphere free of what it termed Western taboos. Even before it opened, the gathering was condemned by Germany, the United States and Israel. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)