Judicious Asininity

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Tue Jan 31, 2006

The State of the Union address

One of Bush's best

I thought he was much more aggressive than we expected. He slapped the Murtha Democrats on their defeatism and on their opposition to Social Security reform. The Dems thought they won a point on that. Oh yeah. Better they should honor the memory of Democrat Pat Moynihan who knew that Social Security reform was needed.

I have no doubt that pre-Vietnam Democrat leaders like Roosevelt, Truman and Kennedy would have applauded Bush's foreign policy. Post-Vietnam Democrats are doing everything they can to undermine it.

My wife thought Bush was a moron in 2000. Today her admiration grows year-by-year. Her key point: good leaders appoint smarter advisors, like Condi and Rumsfeld.

Mon Jan 30, 2006

What happens when a country elects a terrorist government

Bad things happen to the people

A good case in point is Germany. The people elected Hitler's National Socialist party and we know how well that worked out. The Palestinians elected Hamas knowing full well that its charter calls for the destruction of Israel and that it was the leading perpetrator of terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians. As they vote so shall they receive.

With Sharon out of the picture and Hamas in official control of the Palestinian Authority we can expect Israel to put the "peace process" on hold and elect a government strong on defense. The Palistinian people can look forward to more misery and bloosdshed. If Hamas goes too far, Israel may even declare its terrorist activities acts of war and respond accordingly.

Democracy has a way of making people responsible for their fate. By voting for Hamas the Palestinian people have made themselves responsible for what Hamas does in their name. Perhaps Hamas will be forced to moderate their position. I can't see that happening, so it seems the Palestinians are in for interesting times.

Sun Jan 29, 2006

What the Democrats seem to believe

You can't spy on any enemy who makes it to America

That's what the objections come down to. When Mohammed Atta was in the U.S. he was virtually invisible to US intelligence (is that an oxymoron?). Gorelick's wall, FBI incompetence and a Clintonista mindset saw to that. We don't know if he could have flown to Prague although it seems to be increasingly obvious that he made a second trip. When the FBI had Moussaiou's laptop in hand nobody could look at in time enough to uncover the 9/11 plot.

The Democrats seem to have discovered that the American people actually think it is a good idea to intercept enemy communications. Their new line is that that is fine in principle but Congress needs to amend FISA to allow such action. Powerline points out how bogus that argument is:

The Times, however, misrepresents the FISA appellate court's statement and simply omits the court's recognition that "FISA could not encroach on the President's constitutional authority." In other words, if FISA infringed on the president's constitutional authority to order warrantless surveillance, FISA would be unconstitutional.

Bonus points for nailing the Times yet again.

Fri Jan 27, 2006

Can Hamas moderate?

Doubtful

Some pundits think that Hamas might moderate given the responsibility of power. They cite the example of the IRA and its political arm, Sinn Fein. Fair enough, but the better example is one of Hamas' primary sponsors, the Islamic Republican of Iran. The Mullahs have been in power for quarter of a century and they grow more radical and dangerous by the hour. Soon they will add nuclear blackmail to their terrorist arsenal. Which example is a bunch of Muslim fanatics going to follow? The infidel IRA or the Muslim superpower wannabe?

Israel has a big switch it can throw

Palestinians depend on Israel for electricity

Middle East Facts notes (in a 21 March 2002 artcle) that:

Israel also supplies the PA with electricity. Providing energy to a supposedly “independent people” is weird enough, but providing it for free is beyond all understanding. Half a year ago the PA stopped paying their electricity bill. It currently owes 85 million shekels to the Israeli Electric Company. Yet still Israel keeps supplying them! Every month the bill increases an additional 15 million shekels.

Hamas/PA should be told that any attack on Israel will result in the electricity being cut off permanently. In the meantime, we're cutting it off until you've paid all your outstanding bills.

Thu Jan 26, 2006

Cars, Cars, Cars again

Let the market rule

A decade ago Hyundai had a reputation matching that of the butt of all automotive jokes, the Yugo. Last year Hyundai opened a new plant in the US. Now it's playing with the Japanese big boys and competing against their US manufactured volume products. Edmunds recently tested a similarly price Hyundai Sonata against the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. The Korean/US upstart whipped its competitors at that price point. That's the sort of market the Detroit has to compete against.

Ford has recently entered the lists with its Ford Fusion/Mercury Milano combo. In car magazine reviews the duo does quite well. GM has Oprah's Pontiac G6, which is OK but a bit long in the tooth at birth. The Chevrolet Impala has a stodgy reputation but is probably very adequae family transportation. Daimler Chrysler has jumped above the competition with the rear wheel drive Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger at mid-range price points. I've actually got the Dodge Magnum on my to-be-checked list.

But here's the funny thing the UAW hasn't quite figured out yet. The American big three are out-sourcing to Mexico and Canada and China and the Asians are in-sourcing to the US. Think about this for a minute. If someone says buy American, do they mean buy from the foreign companies investing in America or buy from the American companies investing outside of America? Seems to me that non-union American labor is very competitive while UAW labor is a short-cut to Chapter 11. Just ask GM.

HAMAS wins

This could be a clarifying moment for the Middle East

Up until now, HAMAS has been a terrorist organization attacking Israel from Palestinian territory despite the "best efforts" of the Palestinian Authority to stop them. Now HAMAS is the Palestinian Authority. Israel can treat any HAMAS attacks as an act of war and respond accordingly. I wonder how long it will take for HAMAS leaders to figure out that terrorism might play in the Muslim world but it sure won't pay.

Wed Jan 25, 2006

The wiretapping kerfuffle in perspective

The Attorney General makes an irrefutable case

Read it all here. Gonzales closing:

I close with a reminder that just last week, al Jazeera aired an audio tape in which Osama bin Laden promised a new round of attacks on the United States. Bin Laden said the proof of his promise is, and I quote, “the explosions you have seen in the capitals of European nations.” He continued, quote, “The delay in similar operations happening in America has not been because of failure to break through your security measures. The operations are under preparation and you will see them in your homes the minute they are through with preparations.” Close quote.

We’ve seen and heard these types of warnings before. And we’ve seen what the result of those preparations can be – thousands of our fellow citizens who perished in the attacks of 9/11.

This Administration has chosen to act now to prevent the next attack, rather than wait until it is too late. This Administration has chosen to utilize every necessary and lawful tool at its disposal. It is hard to imagine a President who wouldn’t elect to use these tools in defense of the American people – in fact, I think it would be irresponsible to do otherwise.

The terrorist surveillance program is both necessary and lawful. Accordingly, the President has done with this lawful authority the only responsible thing: use it. He has exercised, and will continue to exercise, his authority to protect Americans and the cherished freedoms of the American people.

Thank you. May God continue to bless the United States of America.

OK, Democrats, tell us what you'd do differently if you had the responsibility to protect America from another terrorist attack on the scale of 9/11.

Tue Jan 24, 2006

Hannity and Colmes should be Hannity and Estrich

She does a much better job for the Liberal viewpoint

You watch Fox News because there isn't much else. You wince when they miss the point because they haven't checked the blogs. But what really gets up your nose is watching Mr. Colmes. The guy spouts Democrat talking points without regard to whether they are relevant to the issue at hand. He talks over guests and runs amok when Hannity is away.

So, this evening Colmes is away and Susan Estrich stands in for him. Usually, she comes across as a strident Carol Channing, but she wasn't too bad this evening. She conceded points where congressional Democrats were coming off poorly. She asked good questions. She came across as someone who could debate Hannity on the issues in a reasonable fashion. I could expect her to call Hannity when he misses the point, a not infrequent occurrence.

If Fox could dump Colmes and hire Estrich they would have a better show and better ratings. Let them know.

Mon Jan 23, 2006

A Dutch M.P. with a blog well-worth reading

Ayaan Hirsi Ali has a blog

You can read it here. Here's a sample of what this brave woman has to say:

We can, for the purpose of this writing, posit a model of the human psyche as consisting of three layers. Imagine a picture of a target with three rings: The innermost center, the bull's eye...then around it a circular zone...and around the middle zone, an outside circular zone.

The outermost zone we can call "the facade." Here is the surface of consciousness and the source of everyday polite communication such as, for example: "How are you?" "I'm fine. How are you?" "Pretty good. Hey, I heard you are finally taking a vacation. Where are you going....."

Right underneath the outermost, the facade, is the layer that corresponds to the unconscious or subconscious, whichever word you prefer. This layer is largely composed of repressed material. All the forbidden impulses. Here resides greed, the urge to take things from others, violent impulses, the urge to kill, the desire to rape, the laziness, the spite, false understanding of oneself and others, grandiosity, depression, the need to humiliate others, the fear of being attacked...and so on and so on.

The innermost is the core, the spiritual place where resides God within. From the core streams out Love, Creativity, the desire to work for self and others, positive energy, wholesome loving sexuality, empathy...and so on...

If humans did not create in themselves this strange layer between Core and Facade, we would see, in large part, an enormous decrease in human suffering. That is quite obvious. The central task of planetary healing, in my opinion, is working to diminish and eventually eliminate this second layer in the majority of Earth's human inhabitants.

Now, getting back to Islam, we can say that the genius of Islam, among other things, is in making legitimate the _expression of the forbidden impulses of the second layer. Whereas Christianity and other religions have enforced the suppression of the second layer--through moral prohibitions and punishments for violations--Islam, on the other hand, gives Muslims an open ticket, where Qur'an, Hadith, Fiqh and Fatwa allow, to express the second layer. Muslims, thus, need not, like Christians, Jews and others, always "stuff" their hate, anger, rapacity, etc, within themselves. Islam gives you the permission--where Qur'an, Hadith, Fiqh and Fatwa allow--to blow off steam, to release the pressure of forbidden impulses. You can rape, kill, loot and humiliate others and it is all OK. Not only is it OK, but you are promised rewards for letting loose your own repressed filth and garbage on innocent victims. Sure beats the hell out of psychotherapy where you just talk about it. Under Islam, you can actually have the thrill of doing it! Most Muslims--the so-called moderates--are not all that keen to let loose their repressed filth and garbage on innocent victims (outside their families). Let the jihadis do their dirty work for them and they--the moderates--can vicariously enjoy the painful harming of the imaginary enemies of Islam.

Little wonder the Jihadists want her to share Theo Van Gogh's fate.

Hinrichs' Beard

Does it indicate that he was a convert to Islam?

If you google "hinrichs suicide picture" you will see pictures of Joel Hinrichs, the young man who blew himself up outside a packed football stadium at the University of Oklahoma. In some pictures he has a beard but no moustache. In others he is clean-shaven.

Islam has rules about virtually everything, including beards. There are traditions that Mohammed ordered that men grow beards but trim their moustaches. Here's one:

Ibn 'Umar relates from the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) that he said: "Do otherwise than those who ascribe partners to Allah (al-mushrikin): leave beards be, and trim mustaches." And ibn 'Umar, when he went on hajj or 'umra, grasped his beard with his hand, and removed what was in excess of it (Sahih al-Bukhari. 9 vols. Cairo 1313/1895. Reprint (9 vols. in 3). Beirut: Dar al-Jil, n.d., 7.206: 5892 and Sahih Muslim, 5 vols. Cairo 1376/1956. Reprint. Beirut: Dar al-Fikr, 1403/1983, 1.222: 259).

Hinrichs appears to have taken note of the Muslim injunction to grow a beard but trim the moustache. This wonderful example of Dutch multiculturalism seems to have read much the same advice.

I'm guessing that Hinrichs was a convert. I'm also guessing that the secrecy surrounding the case is related to that uncomfortable fact.

Fri Jan 20, 2006

The domestic spying kerfuffle exposes the Democrats as incredibly stupid

One hypothetical exposes that

Suppose the NSA overhears Al Qaeda big-wig #1 in Pakistan telling Al Qaeda big-wig #2 in England to call the brother in Washington and order him to launch the State-of-the-Union surprise attack. Big-wig #2 places the call to a previously unknown number in the US. Should the NSA spy on that telephone conversation? Not according to the Democrats. They claim the President is breaking the law unless the Administration applies to the FISA court for permission to tap the phone. By the time that happened the phone conversation would be long over and Washington might be hit with something like a few liters of Saddam's weaponized anthrax - good for half a million dead Americans.

It's not just the looney left making that claim. Here's Jonathan Turley, Law Professor at George Washington University on the O'Reilly show:

TURLEY: Well, I, I have to disagree with my good friend, Paul. I don't consider this a close case at all. I think that this operation was based upon a federal crime. Under federal law, there's only two ways in order for the President to engage in the surveillance of citizens in this way. They can get a Title 3 warrant, which is the traditional electronic surveillance warrant in criminal cases, or they can get a so-called FISA [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] warrant from the secret court. But it is a crime for someone, acting under the color of law, to order surveillance - or to conduct surveillance - unless you've gone to a judge under one of those two schemes.

In Turley's world, Bush could be impeached if the administration taps that call to the Al Qaeda cell member in the US.

Heres what the President has to say in the opening paragraph of the administration's defense (PDF file) of the secret NSA program:

As the President has explained, since shortly after the attacks of September 11, 2001, he has authorized the National Security Agency (“NSA”) to intercept international communications into and out of the United States of persons linked to al Qaeda or related terrorist organizations. The purpose of these intercepts is to establish an early warning system to detect and prevent another catastrophic terrorist attack on the United States. This paper addresses, in an unclassified form, the legal basis for the NSA activities described by the President (“NSA activities”).

If such intercepts had to be approved by FISA on a case-by-case basis, they would no longer provide an early warning system.

Thu Jan 19, 2006

What happens when Islam occupies a Christian country?

Take note of a modern day example

Belmont Club links to a Reuters report carried by Yahoo News that describes the deaths in East Timor (Christian) caused by Indonesian (Muslim) occupation. It makes for horrific reading:

Indonesia killed up to 180,000 East Timorese through massacres, torture and starvation during its 24-year occupation, a report to be handed to the United Nations has found, an Australian daily said on Thursday.

Napalm and chemical weapons were used to poison food and water and some victims were burned or buried while still alive, and others sexually mutilated, the Australian newspaper quoted the report saying.

It said 90 percent of the 180,000 deaths -- almost a third of the pre-invasion population -- were caused by starvation and disease, saying starvation was used as a weapon.

"Rape, sexual slavery and sexual violence were tools used as part of the campaign designed to inflict a deep experience of terror, powerlessness and hopelessness upon pro-independence supporters," the paper quoted the report saying.

The Reuters summary fails to mention that East Timor is largely Christian while Indonesia is largely Muslim. The Islamist world saw the conflict as religious. Tigerhawk cites an Al Qaeda claim that the bombing of the UN headquarters in Iraq and the killing of UN Special Representative Sergio Vieira de Mello was, in part, revenge for his role in the liberation of East Timor:

A few days after the attack, a communiqué published by Al Qaeda described the bombing thus: “One of the Mujahedeen broke in with a van full of explosives into the back part of the headquarters at the office of the personal representative of America’s criminal slave, Kofi Annan, the diseased Sergio de Mellow, Bush’s friend.” The statement asked: “Why cry over a heretic…? Sergio Vieira De Mello is the one who tried to embellish the image of America, the crusaders and the Jews in Lebanon and Kosovo, and now in Iraq. He is America’s first man where he was nominated by Bush to be in charge of the UN after Kofi Annan, the criminal and slave of America; and he is the crusader that extracted a part of the Islamic land [East Timor].”

The transfer of territory from Dar al-Islam ("the house of Islam") to Dar al-Harb (that's all us infidels) really annoys Muslims. That's why there is so much anger directed at Israel. God help the Jews if the Palestinians ever defeat Israel.

The Catholic Church, unlike liberal protestant denominations, such as the Presbyterians and Episcopalians, recognize the danger that Islam poses to other faiths.

Political Plantations

The Democrats have one and woe betide those who walk off it

Betsy's Page notes that:

[Joe Liebermann will] still win reelection easily. Republicans in Connecticut will gladly vote for him and make up for Democratic votes that he may lose. But it just goes to show that there is indeed a plantation in politics, and Joe has strayed off it.

Touché. (French still has its uses).

Tue Jan 17, 2006

The differences between Left and Right

It's a bit hard to see much common ground

9/11

The Left thinks 9/11 was a one-off plot by a small group of terrorists and we should just get over it. Heck, smoking kills far more people every year than died on 9/11.

The Right thinks 9/11 was the enemy's most successful attack in a war that has been going on for a generation and seems likely to continue for generations to come. It believes the enemy will use WMD on us, given the chance.

Iraq

The Left thinks Saddam was contained, had nothing to do with terrorism, had sworn off WMD and posed no threat to the US or our allies.

The Right thinks Saddam was no longer containable, had lots to do with terrorism (but probably not 9/11), was working to reconstitute his WMD programs, and was a major threat to the US and our allies.

Islam

The Left thinks Islam is a peaceful religion on a par with Judaism and Christianity. If Muslims resort to terrorism it is because of injustices perpetrated on them by Israel, the US and European occupiers.

The Right thinks Islam is a religion founded in violence and dedicated to forcibly converting Dar al-Harb (that's all us infidels) to Dar al-Islam. The most faithful Muslims, those who perform Jihad 24/7, are our mortal enemies.

Terrorists

The Left thinks that suspected terrorists should have the same rights as US citizens once they are on US soil. They consider it to be illegal to monitor their communications with known terrorists outside of the US without obtaining search warrants on a case-by-case basis. Revealing US intelligence secrets is a sacred duty for those sworn to protect those secrets and all journalists.

The right thinks terrorists are unlawful combatants under the Geneva conventions and should, at best, be treated humanely. Gathering intelligence on them comes under the President's war powers; disclosing US intelligence secrets is treason and should be treated as such.

Iran

The Left thinks Iran is a peaceful, democratic country that deserves nuclear weapons because its enemies, such as Israel and the US, have them. Less extreme Leftists realize it probably wouldn't be a good thing for Iran to have nukes but remain convinced that a peaceful, democratic country can be talked out of going nuclear if we're extra nice to them.

The Right thinks Iran is a religious dictatorship that rigs its elections, oppresses its people and supports terrorism across the world. Letting Iran develop nuclear weapons would be extremely dangerous and must be stopped even if it means bombing the crap out of them for 40 days and 40 nights or however long it takes.

Women's Rights

The Left believes US women are an oppressed minority one Supreme court ruling away from losing their precious right to abortion-on-demand.

The Right believes women living in Muslim countries are oppressed in ways unimaginable to American feminists and deserve liberation. The moderate Right thinks abortion is an isse that should be decided by state legislatures reflecting the will of their constituents. The extreme Right wants abortion banned.

Immigration

The Left thinks the rights of citizenship are earned by illegally entering the US.

The Right thinks illegal entry into the US is a crime and should be treated as such.

Taxes

The Left thinks increasing the taxes on the rich and big corporations is worthwhile social engineering that will reduce the gap between rich and poor.

The Right thinks decreasing taxes will increase economic growth to the beneft of rich and poor, and to heck with the gap between the two.

Bush

The Left thinks he is a bumbling idiot controlled by Karl Rove and Dick Cheney for the express purpose of converting the United States into a fascist dictatorship where women will lose their precious right to abortion-on-demand.

The Right thinks Bush is a reasonable President who has remained firm in the war on radical Islam and strong on economic issues. They commend most of his personnel picks but criticize him on out-of-control spending, expanding government and illegal immigration.

Sun Jan 15, 2006

Maybe we missed Ayman al-Zawahri

Whatever, the hit was right

myway reports that:

A dinner invitation to al Qaeda's second-in-command triggered a U.S. airstrike in Pakistan but Ayman al-Zawahri failed to show up, Pakistani intelligence officials said Sunday.

All I can say is that anybody who invites Ayman al-Zawahri to dinner deserves to die. Period.

Professor Niall Ferguson of Harvard discusses the 2007 Gulf War

Nice set-up; rushed finale

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Professor Niall Ferguson describes the origins of the 2007 Gulf War. Ferguson's set-up is quite realistic but his denouement, squeezed into the last couple of paragraphs, left much to be desired. He wrote:

The devastating nuclear exchange of August 2007 represented not only the failure of diplomacy, it marked the end of the oil age. Some even said it marked the twilight of the West. Certainly, that was one way of interpreting the subsequent spread of the conflict as Iraq's Shi'ite population overran the remaining American bases in their country and the Chinese threatened to intervene on the side of Teheran."

Israel likely has dozens to hundreds of nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them. It also has a missile defense system that could easily knock down the few missiles that Iran could lob at it. If Iran attempted to launch an attack on Israel, most of Iran would be obliterated, the Bekka valley would be disinfected with Neutron bombs, and Damascus would no longer exist. That would happen whether or not Iran hit Israel with a Hiroshima sized nuclear weapon. In the unlikely event that Israel lost the nuclear exchange, the US would right that wrong. In any event, the nuclear exchange in 2007 would greatly favor Israel. The resulting devastation of Iran would not inspire the Arab Shi'ite population to overrun US bases to support the extremist Persian Shi'ites. The Chinese would have no interest in entering a nuclear war to support the radioative wasteland formerly known as Teheran; their biggest concern would be restoring the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf. The US would be able to use its naval presence in the Gulf to ensure remaining oil supplies from the Gulf were diverted to its allies. It would be in China's and the US's interests for it to be considerd an ally.

In 2010 or 2015 his scenario might be more realistic, when Iran might have a large enough nuclear arsenal to overcome Israel. The question is whether the nutcases running Iran can withstand their internal demographic time-bomb for that long.

The biggest problem currently facing the US is that the left is more concerned with their war on George Bush than they are with the threats festering in the real world. Tony Blair, to his great credit, took the right side. His US equivalents prefer treachery and treason.

Sat Jan 14, 2006

The Left is overshooting in its zeal to impose its vision on the world

The War in Iraq was one example, the War on Walmart another

The Democrat's strategy of criticising everything the Bush administration did in Iraq yet proclaiming support for the troops, combined with the undermining activities of the MSM wing of the party, was succeeding in driving down Bush's poll numbers. Then came Murtha calling for immediate withdrawal from Iraq and other Democrats, such as House Minority Leader Pelosi joined him. Oops. People recognized that Murtha was calling for America to surrender. Bush responded with a few strong speeches and his poll numbers turned around. The Democrats are now the cheese-eating surrender monkeys.

In Maryland, unions conspired with Democrats to impose health costs on Walmart, and Walmart alone. Walmart can make these short-sighted socialists regret their stupidity quite easily. First up, close all Walmart stores near Maryland's borders where there is another Walmart close to the border. If that doesn't bring Walmart employment below the 10,000 employee trigger point, then make Maryland a test case for RF technology. Tigerhawk covers the whole issue, so I'll just quote him on RF tags:

The Wal-Mart dream is to put little RF tags into every product. That way, people can just wander around filling up their cart, and when they leave they walk under a scanner that dings their credit or debit card. You get the vendors to stock the shelves, and then you fire all the employees except for a couple of security guards. Wal-Mart will have reached its apotheosis as a logistics system. The day is coming, but the speed with which it comes depends on two things, really: the costs of RF tags, and the costs of labor. If the first goes down enough and the second goes up enough, it will be more lucrative for Wal-Mart to get to the future faster.

Looks like Walmart now has a real incentive to bring RF technology to Maryland. Net result: Walmart gets employment way below 10,000 so they don't get dinked with this unfair health-care tax. Maryland loses jobs and sales tax revenue to its neighbors. The unions and their Democrat stooges are exposed for what they are: people still living in the 1930s.

The TSA let a potential shoe-bomber go?

That's just crazy

Michelle Malkin links to a story by Annie Jacobsen, a writer for Womans Wall Street and a close observer of airline security issues She describes a recent airport incident involving a 50-year old Egytian man:

According to CBS 2 investigative reporter Scott Weinberger, "Badawi was wearing high-top sneakers that, CBS 2 was told, had tape around them and rubber bands sticking out of them." Also according to Weinberger, at the time that Badawi had passed through U.S. Customs with his unusual shoes and entered the airport to make a connecting flight, "the computerized system that takes a visitor's fingerprints and checks it against various databases -- including the terror watch list" -- was down. So it appears that when the system is down, immigration officials simply clear people without checking them and, in this case, they cleared Badawi.

Federal sources told CBS 2 that Badawi then headed toward his next gate -- to catch a Delta flight to Iowa via Chicago -- when a TSA screener stopped him. Badawi's shoes were checked for explosives and the results tested positive -- five times. "The reading for explosives was off the charts," Weinberger reported, quoting one federal source, calling the resultant reading for explosives "the highest ever."

The TSA kept the unusual sneakers but let Badawi continue on his travels. He missed his connection to Iowa, spent the night at JFK and then caught a flight on Saturday.

(my bold)

What I want to know is why they let Badawi go?

Fri Jan 13, 2006

Terrorists have read the New York Times' treasonous leaks

They are switching to untraceable, disposable cell phones

The Strata Sphere links to an ABC story about a surge in the sale of disposable cell phones. Should we be worried? Here's a key quote from the report:

The FBI is closely monitoring the potentially dangerous development, which came to light following recent large-quantity purchases in California and Texas, officials confirmed.

In one New Year's Eve transaction at a Target store in Hemet, Calif., 150 disposable tracfones were purchased. Suspicious store employees notified police, who called in the FBI, law enforcement sources said.

In an earlier incident, at a Wal-mart store in Midland, Texas, on December 18, six individuals attempted to buy about 60 of the phones until store clerks became suspicious and notified the police. A Wal-mart spokesperson confirmed the incident.

The Midland, Texas, police report dated December 18 and obtained by ABC News states: "Information obtained by MPD [Midland Police Department] dispatch personnel indicated that approximately six individuals of Middle-Eastern origin were attempting to purchase an unusually large quantity of tracfones (disposable cell phones with prepaid minutes attached)." At least one of the suspects was identified as being from Iraq and another from Pakistan, officials said.

"Upon the arrival of officers, suspects were observed moving away from the registers — appearing to evade detection while ridding themselves of the merchandise."

Will the NYT, the leakers and the rest of the pro-terrorist elites take any responsibility when the next attack on American soil happens? I doubt it. But the administration should be making that case right now.

Wed Jan 11, 2006

The blogosphere is getting its own repoters

Watch out MSM

I just sent Michael Totten $50. He's going to check out what is happening in Kurdistan and report back to the blogosphere, and, hopefully get noticed by the MSM.

I also contributed $50 to Michael Yon and $50 to Bill Roggio a few weeks ago. They told me more about what was going on in Iraq in a few posts than I ever could have learned from the Abu Ghraib obsessed New York Times.

Perhaps this is the next step in the evolution of the blogosphere as a rival to the MSM. It sends its own reporters to find out what is really going on in the world's hotspots. It finances them using its readership.

Tue Jan 10, 2006

Why are US feminists not outraged by Iran's treatment of women?

Why indeed?

The Pink Flamingo Bar and Grill links to a distressing post at lgc: drive her like you stole her describing the plight of Nazanin, a yound Iranian women who defended herself and her niece from rapists. If she had lived in America she would have been lauded as a heroine. In Iran, her fate for resisting her attackers is likely to be rather different - she has been sentenced to death by hanging. This is not an isolated incident. Check here and Roger Simon for examples. Google "iran executing women" for more examples.

Here's how they execute women in Iran. Warning - distressing image. The method used is not the relatively humane trapdoor system that (usually) ensures a quick death by breaking the victim's neck; rather they use the suspension system and the victim slowly dies from strangulation.

So, why are we not seeing NOW sponsor marches, protests and political action to save Nazanin? Beats me.

Mon Jan 09, 2006

Global warming or cherry picking?

Recent weather news is ripe for the picking

The ever-gullible MSM reports every unusual weather event as evidence of global warming. But recent reports point in the other direction. Clayton Cramer finds "More Evidence of Global Warming" and cites examples, including frost in New Delhi (first since 1935), record snowfall in Japan, and snow in Thailand.

It would be very easy to create to impression that the world was entering another ice age by cherry picking weather reports of unusual cold weather events.

The fact of the matter is that weather is an extremely complex system that is not understood. To claim that slight increases in CO₂ concentrations are going to lead to catastrophic increases in global temperatures is scientific garbage. The Earth has been warmer in the past. Mostly, it has been much colder. In the very long term (hundreds of millions of years) CO₂ concentrations have fallen by an order of magnitude. The Earth survived those "catastrophic" concentrations of CO₂.

How poor is our understanding of global weather? Consider the year 1816, otherwise known as The Year without a Summer. Patrick Hughs writes:

This account focuses almost solely on conditions in the Northeastern United States and parts of eastern Canada. But the Year 1816 was also unusually cold elsewhere. Reports from northern Europe indicate similar impacts on crops and the population, just as the continent was emerging from the chaos of the Napoleonic Wars. The unusual weather lead to riots in France shaking the new constitutional monarchy of Louis XVIII and Tallyrand. Some historians believe the famine begun in 1816 created conducive conditions for the typhus epidemic that killed millions from 1817-1819.
"This past summer and fall have been so cold and miserable that I have from despair kept no account of the weather. It could have been nothing but a repeatation [sic] of frost and drought."

Hughes asks:

What Made 1816 So Cold?

and supplies various theories:

The meteorological facts of life during 1816 have been laid out. The period March to September was marked by a series of strong and frequent invasions of dry arctic air across New England. While the movement of arctic air masses through this region is not uncommon in other seasons, their appearance in the summer as cold and frequent as in 1816 is indeed unusual. The question arises, why? Various theories have been put forward.

The most likely cause was volcanic influences. Proponents note that a number of major volcanic eruptions preceded 1816: Soufriére and St. Vincent in 1812: Mayon and Luzon in the Phillippines during 1814; Tambora in Indonesia during 1815. The volcanic theory of climatic influence relates increased volcanic activity with decreased temperatures due to the increased reflection of solar radiation from volcanic dust blown and trapped high in the atmosphere. The Tambora eruption has been estimated to be the most violent in historical times. The explosion is believed to have lifted 150 to 180 cubic kilometres of material into the atmosphere. For a comparison, the infamous 1883 eruption of Krakatau ejected only 20 cubic kilometres of material into the air, and yet it affected sunsets for several years after.

Another possible explanation concerns the number of sunspots during the year. The year 1816 was one of a weak sunspot maximum. This climate theory related to sunspot numbers suggests an increase in sunspot numbers results in a decrease in energy released by the sun, thus reducing the solar radiation incident upon the Earth and the planetary temperature.

Other causes of temperature abnormalities which have been hypothesized include abnormal temperature of ocean waters over a large area, or changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide or ozone content, but no data exist to uphold or refute these theories. The final possible cause is that the weather of 1816 was just a matter of chance--that a series of events occurring at the right place and time could initiate the atmospheric conditions which became the weather of the Summer of 1816.

While the political and scientific elites are fretting about global warming we are more likely to experience another ice age. Jim Miller points out a super volcano in North America that could be more catastrophic than Tambora if it blows again. The direct damage would be immense. The climatic impact could truly be catastrophic.

Sun Jan 08, 2006

Why the hell should the US withdraw from Iraq?

We're still in Japan and Germany 60 years after WW2 ended

After the allies defeated Germany and Japan they were occupied by US forces. Initially, those forces provided security and helped our devastated enemies recover from the war and rebuild their societies based on democracy. The US role transitioned to defense partner as former foes became allies in facing down Communist aggression.

The US should be looking to stay in Iraq for the long-term. Where better to fight the war against radical Islam than in the heart of the Middle East? Where better to have bases? Where better to keep a close eye on Syria and Iran? Where better to set up a missile defense system to defend Israel and Europe from the Mad Mullahs?

Yes, just as was done in Japan and Germany, the US should transition from defending Iraq from current enemies to defending democracy from Islamic totalitarianism.

Sat Jan 07, 2006

What do all these recent events have in common?

They show the Religion of Peace bringing calm and serenity to Muslim territory

Pakistan:

MULTAN, Pakistan - Nazir Ahmed appears calm and unrepentant as he recounts how he slit the throats of his three young daughters and their 25-year old stepsister to salvage his family‘s "honor" — a crime that shocked Pakistan.

Hundreds of girls and women are murdered by male relatives each year in this conservative Islamic nation, and rights groups said Wednesday such "honor killings" will only stop when authorities get serious about punishing perpetrators.

Indonesia:

PALU, Indonesia, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A deadly bombing in an Indonesian market is being blamed on religious intolerance. Eight people are dead and 45 injured after a bomb full of nails and ball bearings exploded Saturday morning in Palu, the BBC reports.

It happened in a Christian part of the town, at a pork stand.

Authorities blame Muslim militants for this attack and recent violence. Twelve people reportedly have been arrested in the wake of the blast.

Police also defused another bomb in the area.

Violence between Christians and Muslims killed nearly 1,000 people in 2000 and 2001.

Two bombs killed 20 people in May this year and three Christian schoolgirls were beheaded in October.

Bangladesh:

NETRAKONA, Bangladesh, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- A suicide bomb attack in a northern Bangladesh town Thursday killed seven people and wounded more than 50 others, some seriously, reports say.
...
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the government has blamed a banned militant group, Jamaat-ul-Mujahedin, for this and a series of recent bomb attacks.

The group wants to have Islamic law established in Bangladesh, which is the world's third most populous Muslim country after Indonesia and Pakistan.

Thailand:

YALA/THAILAND: Five people were shot dead on Saturday in separate attacks by suspected Islamic militants in Thailand's restive south while a former Thai prime minister called for peace in the troubled region.
...
The unrest in southern Thailand erupted on January 4, 2004, when militants launched a daring raid on a weapons depot in Narathiwat province. Since then, more than 1,000 people have been killed in near-daily shootings, bombings and arson attacks which are blamed on a complex mix of factors - Islamic insurgency, organised crime and local corruption.

Afghanistan:

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban militants beheaded a teacher in a central Afghan town while his wife and eight children watched, officials said Wednesday, describing the latest in a string of attacks targeting educators at schools where girls study.

Iraq:

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed 36 people and wounded 40 at a Shi'ite funeral on Wednesday and a car bomb exploded in the lately peaceful holy city of Kerbala, ratcheting up tension between Iraq's Muslim sects.

A car bomb also went off in a Shi'ite district of Baghdad, killing three. The bombers defied a major security operation, launched to find the kidnapped sister of a government minister, to detonate the vehicle in the north of the city.

Jordan:

AMMAN, Jordan -- Suicide bombers carried out nearly simultaneous attacks on three U.S.-based hotels in the Jordanian capital Wednesday night, killing at least 57 people and wounding 115 in what appeared to be an al-Qaida assault on an Arab kingdom with close ties to the United States.

This is just a sampling of the Muslim violence that has made headlines in recent weeks. There are some common themes that run though these attacks. All the attacks are directed at civilian targets. They use bombs to blow up people almost at random or they kill by slitting throats or beheading. Perhaps they are inspired by the direct word of Allah in Sura 47:4:

When you encounter the unbelievers on the battlefield, strike off their heads until you have crushed them completely; then bind the prisoners tightly

or the direct example of Mohammed himself:

The practice of beheading non-Muslim captives extends back to the Prophet himself. Ibn Ishaq (d. 768 C.E.), the earliest biographer of Muhammad, is recorded as saying that the Prophet ordered the execution by decapitation of 700 men of the Jewish Banu Qurayza tribe in Medina for allegedly plotting against him.

It is true that the Christian Bible records incidents of beheadings but these are historical accounts and Christians treat them that way. There is no instruction from Jesus or God to go around beheading unbelievers and there are no accounts of Jesus approving the mass beheading of prisoners.

The targets of the violence are Muslims who have strayed from the true path or Infidels. In either case, the perpetrators can and do use the Koran to justify their attacks. The Catholic Church is figuring out what the civilized world is up against. Check this Hugh Hewitt interview. I'll close with two samples from Tim Blair's Quotes of 2005:

* “I don’t know why I’ve done this. I’m a Muslim, I was fasting, the last thing I should ever have done is eat something.”—Mohammed Sarfraz, charged with assault after biting off part of a security guard’s ear

* “These days, whenever something goofy turns up on the news, chances are it involves a fellow called Mohammed.”—Mark Steyn

I suspect Mr. Steyn was using litotes when he wrote "goofy" instead of "barbaric".

Thu Jan 05, 2006

What to do with a wealthy Muslim mass-murderer's wealth?

Let the victims have at it

Tim Blair links to a report that one of the London underground bombers left £121,000. Blair says:

That’s around $A285,000. The little bastard killed people as they were on their way to work.

That's around $US210,000. Not many 22-year-old Americans have that sort of an estate. But any American lawyer acting on behalf of the victims would know what to do. Sue the estate and sue anyone connected to the "little bastard" for not stopping him, or worse, inciting him.

Come to think of it, that's the way to tackle the Saudi enablers of terrorism. Of course, that's being tried.

Why right-wing bloggers are more balanced than left-wing bloggers

Blame it on the MSM

When I go through my blog bookmarks I see lots of right-wing and moderate blogs. I don't see anything to the left of The Washington Monthly. I'm pretty certain left-wing bloggers haven't bookmarked many blogs to the right of The Washington Monthly. The moderate Instapundit may be about as far as they can bear to venture into right-wing territory. There is a certain left-right symmetry in our relative positions.

So, how can I claim right-wing bloggers are more balanced?

Bloggers are basically parasites feeding off the mainstream media (aka MSM). Blogger fodder comes from the left-wing MSM. Right-wing bloggers try to balance that left-wing bias through research and analysis. Left-wing bloggers simply reinforce the MSM bias because it already fits their world-view.

If the shoe were on the other foot, and the MSM was as far to right as it is now to the left, then maybe right-wing bloggers would be as unbalanced as left-wing bloggers are today, and the left-wing bloggers would actually do some research and analysis.

Wed Jan 04, 2006

Freedom fighters killed in Iraq

The more, the better

Macsmind links to a video showing an AC-130 gunship taking out a few of Michael Moore/Cindy Sheehan's freedom fighters as they appear to be setting up an ambush or IED. Being an Iraqi freedom-fighter seems to be a dangerous occupation. Death can come without warning. Good.

Tue Jan 03, 2006

Murtha is lower than slime

Slime doesn't have a brain; Murtha might

In his dedication to undermining the Commander-in-chief in particular, and the military in general, this pork-hogging excuse for a Marine gave this interview:

“Would you join (the military) today?,” he was asked in an interview taped on Friday. “No,” replied Murtha of Pennsylvania, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives subcommittee that oversees defense spending and one of his party’s leading spokesmen on military issues. “And I think you’re saying the average guy out there who’s considering recruitment is justified in saying ‘I don’t want to serve’,” the interviewer continued. “Exactly right,” said Murtha.

HT Kerfuffles. Earlier generations might have found such advice treasonous. I still do.

Why Risen cannot be trusted

His anonymous sources had their own agendas

Junkyard Blog links to this post by Thomas Joscelyn. The key point:

Lest we forget, someone leaked a bogus account of Abu Zubaydah's interrogation to Mr. Risen on June 9, 2003. (I wrote about this here.) Mr. Risen's anonymous sources told him that Zubaydah had denied that Saddam and al Qaeda were working together. "Several [anonymous] officials," told Risen that a transcript of Zubaydah's interrogation was circulated "within the American intelligence community last year . . . his statements were not included in public discussions by administration officials about the evidence concerning Iraq-Qaeda ties."

Thus, according to Risen's sources, the Bush administration was being duplicitous by not citing Zubaydah's testimony, which supposedly cut against the case for linking Saddam and al Qaeda.

What Risen's sources did not tell him - and we did not learn until more than a year later when the Senate Intelligence Committee issued its report on prewar intelligence - was that Zubaydah "also said, however, that any relationship would be highly compartmented and went on to name al-Qaida members who he thought had good contacts with the Iraqis. For instance, Abu Zubaydah indicated that he had heard that an important al-Qaida associate, Abu Mus'ab al-Zarqawi, and others had good relationships with Iraqi intelligence."

Now, that portion of Zubaydah's interrogation never made it into Risen's June 9, 2003 account. Why? Because his anonymous sources - the same types he now tells us have the "purest" and "best" motives and who are "patriots" - didn't tell him that.

So, there we have it. Selective leaks by anonymous sources whose only motive is to damage the Bush administration fed to gullible writers whose only motive is to damage the Bush administration. Treacherous traitors. Hang the lot of them.

Mon Jan 02, 2006

Mark Steyn identifies the greatest danger that Europe faces

Even if Europe recognizes the threat, what can it do to save itself?

Mark Steyn gets right to the point:

According to a poll taken in 2004, over 60 percent of British Muslims want to live under sharia—in the United Kingdom. If a population “at odds with the modern world” is the fastest-breeding group on the planet—if there are more Muslim nations, more fundamentalist Muslims within those nations, more and more Muslims within non-Muslim nations, and more and more Muslims represented in more and more transnational institutions—how safe a bet is the survival of the “modern world”?
Not good.

While European elites fret about Global Warming, the evil arrogance of President Bush and the human "rights" of Islamic terrorists, their societies are being destroyed from within by suicidal European birth-rates and booming Muslim immigrant birth-rates.

The cradle-to-grave welfare state model does not help Old Europe. The welfare handed out to the poorest segments of society flows in abundance to Muslim immigrant communities. They work little but breed much. Unlike their native European counterparts, they don't believe in any form of population control. The Muslims know they are winning the population race and they understand they can use democracy to take control within a generation or two.

What can Europe do to halt their societal suicide?

1. Halt all Muslim immigration and deport all illegal Muslim immigrants.
2. Impose a high tax/benefit withdrawal on women who have more than one child.
3. Restore law and order.
4. Impose the death penalty for rape and murder.
5. Imprison gangsters and drug dealers for long prison terms.
6. Execute anyone convicted on serious terrorism charges; imprison the rest for life.
7. Support the US in its war on radical Islam.
8. Allow law-abiding citizens to arm themselves.
9. Require every Mosque in Europe to be matched by a sister Church or Synagogue in a Muslim country.
10. Match the US in their per-capita defense expenditures.
11. Require all citizens to swear allegiance to their flag and to lose their citizenship should they refuse.

Can you see the Europeans doing anything like that? Heck, can you see the Democrats doing any of those things? Even W wouldn't.

Damra be gone

The snake-in-the-grass Imam's deportation proceedings are underway

Debbie Schlussel was there to cover proceedings.The MSM were missing. She writes:

Damrah was respected as the leader of the largest mosque in Cleveland (reportedly, the largest in Ohio), and was a nationally respected Islamic figure. To the public, he represented himself as a moderate who opposed terrorism and only wanted peace. Easily duped Jewish and Christian leaders frequently had unity dinners, lunches, and town hall forums, all for the purpose of embracing this "peaceful" Muslim man who played the role they craved, especially after 9/11.

But the real Fawaz Abu Damra was a violent, hateful man, who supported the destruction of Christians, Jews, and America. An FBI transcript of a 1991 speech shows Damra imploring Muslims in attendance to give to Islamic Jihad movement through fraudulent means, and he makes it clear that the money will go to stab and kill Jews:
Tonight, Dr. Sami Al-Arian . . . he is the president of Islamic Committee for Palestine and a short briefing about the Islamic Committee for Palestine, it is the active arm of the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine, and we like to call it the Islamic Committee for Palestine here for security reasons.
***
Donate to the Islamic Jihad! Nidal Zaloum from the Islamic Jihad held a dagger and stabbed four of the Jews in the courtyard of Al-Haram Al-Qudsi . . . For the Intifadah, for the Islamic Jihad, I say it frankly for the Islamic Jihad. The Jihad is still erupting in Palestine from village to village, I tell you it is not for the organizations with respect to everyone but for the Jihad. The Jihad! One of them would leave his house with a knife to stab the Jews--twelve Jews after the events of the Gulf War. Brothers, the Intifadah calls you. Five hundred dollars! Who would add to five hundred dollars? Who would add to five hundred dollars? If you write a check, write it for the Islamic Committee for Palestine, I.C.P. Who would add to the five hundred dollars of Hajj Ahmad?
***
[Muslims should be] Directing all the rifles at the first and last enemy of the Islamic national and that is the sons of monkeys and pigs, the Jews.
The money Damra helped Sami Al-Arian raise for Islamic Jihad went to fund Islamic Jihad terrorist attacks on innocent people, such as the bus bombing that murdered New Jersey college student Alisa Flatow, the daughter of my friend Stephen Flatow.

Go read the whole report. You won't see it covered by the MSM.

Sun Jan 01, 2006

Bush has out-foxed his domestic enemies

Conservatives need despair no more

Call it Rope-a-dope strategy or call it poker. Bush has demonstrated the the old saw about giving your foes enough rope to hang themselves. Call me an optimist but the Democrats and their MSM allies have been snookered by Bush.

Through the dark days of 2005, we wondered why the Bush administration sat back taking hit after hit. But, why waste resources fighting in 2005 when 2006 is election year? If you don't fight back, but beat a strategic retreat, then the enemy presses foward. They become more exposed. Their rhetoric becomes more extreme as they come to believe everyone shares their views. In their over-confidence they expose their true motives.

Murtha walked into a trap. The pork-hawk called for unilateral withdrawal (read surrender) just before Iraq's most successful election. Pelosi followed, dragging the Democrats with her.

Now we have the far Left screaming to impeach Bush because he dared to intercept the communications between Al Qaeda supporters in the US and overseas. You think Joe Public likes the implications? They remember 9/11. The Left wants to forget it.

Where is the rational Left to go? They can defend the President's policies, support the far Left or squirm. Is Hillary happy right now?

The major security leaks are going to get investigated. Thanks to Mr. Magoo Fitzgerald, reporters at the receiving ends of leaks know they can do jail time. Thanks to the NYT, reporters know that their editors and publishers will not go to the mat for them. This is truly delicious. 2006 is going to be much more delectable than 2005. It will surely be a Happy New Year for the President.

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